Sign up for WA race week events here: https://oceanpaddler.com/ocean-events/wa-race-week/foil-drive-sup-foil/Sign up for The Foil Project FLOW SHOW here: https://thefoilproject.com/

Hugh had to get his paddle fixed on Maui, and stepping up to the task was none other than Frank Maffie. Step into Frank’s shaping bay and hang out with the man behind some of the fastest, most dialled-in foilboards on the planet. We’re talking resin fumes, fresh designs, race stories, and the little tweaks that make a big difference on the water.Thanks for helping with the interview, Jake! I hope you enjoy this episode!

It was the standard sunny summer day on the north shore of Maui. A constant 22-knot wind blows down the coast, creating ideal downwind conditions on the 15km Maliko harbour run. A crew of foilers are packing down their gear in the harbour carpark, comparing split times and discussing the best lines for speed. To Jake Dailey’s disgust, one brave foiler starts patting the local feral cat. Another ops for the sanitary choice, lying down under the foot tap, turning on the water for a makeshift shower. Someone quickly dances barefoot across the hot pavement to grab cars for the next shuttle, while others sit under swaying palm trees seeking shade. Suddenly, a murmur ripples through the crew of foilers. Head swivels towards the harbour, and T30 tools are lifted from half-unscrewed bolts. Even the local cat sits up straight to see what’s going on.

In through the small bumps of harbour dances a peculiar sight. A 6’3” foiler navigates the bumps, carrying a paddle in his hand, pumping high on the mast and rapping a cutback. But the cause of the commotion isn’t his unique style, above average height, nor the ease he navigates the small bumps, but rather the unique board under his feet.“What on earth is that?” gasps Dave West. “No way he paddled that up!” exclaims Luke Atkinson. “Ahhh get away from me!” yells Jake as the feral cat slides past his leg. “That thing looks epic!” exclaims Hugh Mitchell. “Woahhhh” sighs John Mann as he uses the temporary distraction to check out Kane De Wild’s foil.The board in question appears to defy physics, short, stubby and off-white, it shares an uncanny resemblance to a bar of soap. So short that it looks like a prone board, it is unlike any other in the car park. Giovanni De Le Rosa continues casually down the boat ramp, blissfully unaware of the commotion he has just caused up in the car park. He picks up the tiny contraption, walks to the back of his van, pulls out an esky, and starts handing out soft drinks, coconut water and beers to the starstruck crew.“What are the dimensions of that board?” the crowd asked in unison, followed by the sound of ice-cold cans cracking open and contented sighs from the much-needed hydration. “6 foot by 17” and 90L”, replies Gio casually, “Oh, and I call it the Soap Bar”

Flying into Oahu was a surreal experience. I landed at 5:30 a.m. with a message from Oskar Johannson telling me to meet at Tongg's Beach (where this was filmed) at 8:30 a.m. Next thing I know, I am jumping in a car with John to do an HK run, then a second, then a third, and you wouldn't believe it, a fourth. By 5 pm, I had been living off of John's trail mix, bottled water and electrolytes for the past 10 hours, my Garmin told me I needed 96 hours of recovery, and I was fully stoked.For those who know John, this is a pretty standard day. Each evening he sends a message out on the Oahu foiling chat with the times to meet for a downwind send the next day. It is not uncommon that he lists: 630, 830, 1030, 1230, 330... 5 runs in a day! And although he may not foil all of them, he sure will be there, helping with car drops, handing out trail mix and waters and keeping foilers foiling. It was epic to meet John on Oahu and see everything that he does for the sport here. He met every single one of us visitors with open arms and made this trip to Hawaii just that much more special. Cheers HearnDawg!

M2M Results: https://www.pseresults.com/2025-events/molokai-holokai-maui-to-molokai-2025?utm_source=M2O+Master+List&utm_campaign=c18e2b04ad-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_03_11_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e86d69ad1a-c18e2b04ad-620155043M2O Results: https://www.pseresults.com/2025-events/m2o-foil-edition-2025?utm_source=M2O+Master+List&utm_campaign=c18e2b04ad-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_03_11_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e86d69ad1a-c18e2b04ad-620155043Here it is, the last podcast for the Hawaii Race Season! Sorry it took so long to get out, Hugh has been on the move since the end of the race. What a time it has been in Hawaii, meeting so many amazing people you've only ever seen online. The atmosphere is insane, you can feel the sport growing, and hopefully, we just get more and more people interested. The atmosphere at the end of these races is seriously cool, and I hope it was captured in a way that transports you there.To all the athletes I talked to at the end of these races, a massive thank you! For everyone tuning in, thanks for spending an hour of your time listening to the stories, banter and insights.See you soon with some more standard podcast episodes!Contents:00:00 - Edo Tanas18:41 - Connor Tremble (Edo's filmer)21:21 - Annie Rieckert and Oskar J @OskarJohansson1  31:25 - Kai Thompson35:19 - Finn Spencer39:23 - Jeff Spencer47:00 - Jarrod Snow51:07 - Liam Wood and Shep Nelson54:23 - Marley Franco (#1 Wind Foiler for M2O)57:25 - Armie Armstrong and Oskar J1:02:48 - Outro

RACE RESULTS: https://www.pseresults.com/2025-events/paddle-imua-2025Join Hugh as he reviews the Paddle Imua race with some of the top competitors pushing the level of Downwind Foiling in what has to be THE BIGGEST TFP podcast yet. We have some massive names of Armie Armstrong, James Casey, Edo Tanas, Annie Rickeit, Hobey Moss, Kai Thompson and even Kai Lenny, all in 1 show! Come along for the adventure!Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to grab Kane (Mens 1st) and Gabby (Womens 2nd) for a chat after the end of the race. Hopefully can talk with them another time.I will try my best to bring a podcast for both the M2M and the M2O, but with logistics on Molokai, it may be tricky to get the microphones there. Worst comes to worst, there will be an M2M + M2O podcast review. A MASSIVE RUNDOWN!Thanks for tuning in. If you have any questions you would like answered or people I missed, please drop them in the comments!The best way you can support the podcast is by renting Desert Winds at thefoilproject.com . The support will go a long way in keeping these podcasts happening, and 5% of sales will also be donated to Protect Ningaloo. I promise that the film will not disappoint! 47 minutes of laughs, downwind and adventure, it is the longest foiling film to date and has been submitted to 4 ocean-related film festivals!timeline:00:00 - Kai Lenny + Tom Constant03:10 - Oskar Johansson + Annie Reickert10:00 - Add in Olivia Jenkins13:36 - Olivia Piana17:53 - James Casey21:55 - Edo Tanas32:35 - Kai Thompson33:47 - Guido Ferrer39:54 - Hobey Moss44:29 - Hugh’s Dad! Chris Mitchell47:00 - Armie Armstrong53:51 - Jadon Neuendorf

Rent Desert Winds at thefoilproject.comBen is an anaesthetist from the UK now living in Tasmania, and like the rest of us, he is addicted to foiling. Coming from other disciplines his most recent endeavour has been going full downwind mode, and he is seeing success. Ben talks us through his past of water sports and the state of foiling in both the UK and Tasmania. We also chat about Shipsterns bluff (before foiling it) and a heap of other interesting topics. This also has to be my favourite podcast for visuals as we drive through some beautiful scenery in Tasmania. What a place! Tasmania definitely is a place to remember.

Join Hugh as he chats to a group of the top foilers at the end of the 2025 Voyager x Wetfeet Downwind Race on Oahu, Hawaii.Content:00:00 - Edo Tanas09:09 - Nick Kapule15:40 - Gabriella Bella, Kane De Wilde and Oskar Johannson23:06 - Anne Starr27:26 - Kai Thompson30:08 - Simeon Ke-Paloma34:40 - Sinjin Bradley and Ryan Kim

Join Luc and Hugh as they drive back from an (eventful) tow foiling session on the Northern Beaches with fellow foiler Zac Chappelow. Luc recounts the story then dives into how he got into the sport and where he is going. On top of being an insane foiler, Luc is an engineering student and clearly has an epic path ahead! Can't wait to see what is in store for him and I hope you enjoy this episode.

Rent Desert Winds Here: thefoilproject.com

Perth has done his fair share of podcasts, including a Casey Catch Up... but probably none quite like this. Filmed in Perth's house, at 10pm with a few Asahi's it's about as raw as it gets. Great to chat Perth and stoked to continue to Aus Tour Podcasts!

Timeline:

00:00 - Podcast Intro

4:30 - Hawaii Race Training and Planning

18:01 - 85km Solo Downwind (How bad can it be?)

28:50 - Pro surfing Background

34:06 - Surfing 2016 Cape Fear Event

42:09 - Working as a Sous Chef for Jackie Chan

50:28 - Sous Chef to Carpenter

54:09 - How Perth Started Foiling

Watch Desert Winds Here: https://thefoilproject.vhx.tv/Hugh journeys to the Sunshine Coast and scores two epic 45km downwind training runs with Trent Gordon and Andrew Tibby. We dive into Trent's story of foiling and his preparation for the M2O this year, with his sights set on winning the over-40s category. Both of these guys are laser fast. Best of luck in the Hawaiian races lads!

Adrien and Luke are two of the leading foil chargers in the Byron Bay Area. Adrein is an all time frother and foil ripper, a super contagious person to hang around. After this interview, Luke went on to win the Surf Foil division, putting down some crazy snaps similar to the one in this intro video. It was great to get some sessions in with these guys and find the time to sit down for a chat.

Rent Desert Winds Here: https://thefoilproject.vhx.tv/

Watch Desert Winds Here: https://thefoilproject.vhx.tv/The Australian Tour of Desert Winds has just wrapped up, and the film is now available online (link above). Hugh travelled around Australia, recording podcasts along the way. This is episode 1 of the series, back in Perth after the trip of a lifetime. Each week on Wednesday, the next episode will come out, so keep an eye out for it!In this episode, Hugh catches up with Max and Steve, two co-founders of The Foil Project. They chat through all that has happened from the start of the project, and catch up on all things Aus Tour. We also call Noah (couldn't make it due to Covid) and hear another foiling story (please keep sending these in to hugh@thefoilproject.com if you have them).Sit back and enjoy the episode!

Desert Winds Premiere Tickets: https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/thefoilproject/desert-winds-premiere-perth

Guy and Emma a two absolute rippers from UK and two of the most bubbly and lively people to be around. Scoring insane downwinders and giant wing foil waves in over 2000km of the West Aus Coast, I am pretty sure they have travelled more here than most locals. I first got in contact with Guy in early November through the Generic Foiling Pod guys after we were both CC'd in the same spam email (weird). Guy hit me up about doing some downwinders and getting his hands on a board (epic). Fair to say Guy and Emma both scored, and were luck to finally manage to line up the podcast just the day before they left.Sit back and enjoy this episode! It is certainly one to remember.Until next time, stay pumped.Contents:00:00 - Intro + Desert Winds Announcement03:34 - Start of the trip06:13 - Emma Learning to Downwind in Perth8:38 - Guy gets into foiling in 2013!116:29 - Emma Learns to Foil19:34 - What sparked this trip24:23 - Guys Olympic Campaign 31:11 - And the Travels Begin!48:04 - Travelling Dreams and Shark Stories54:50 - Crazy Northern Adventures\1:02:30 - 20 hour drive back down to Esperance1:07:10 - All the Gear! (and plenty of idea)1:09:20 - Downwind Racing1:12:25 - The Downwind Community1:15:00 - Going Back Home1:21:00 - Hugh’s Goal for the year - M2O1:23:00 - Full Foil Froth

Link to Gameface film: https://youtu.be/jUlWq3WxUK8

Josh and James don't need much introduction. As the two biggest "dick swingers" of Code Foils as the Generic Foiling Podcast would call it, this podcast was hardly an interview but a chat on all our favourite topics of foilers. This was recorded before the start of WA race week, so as a bit of an update, the weed turned out to be not nearly as bad as we had expected, and made for some great racing. James was consistent as always, coming 1st or 2nd for each race only behind Kai Thompson. Josh and I managed to sneak in for a 3rd place each in the last two races of the week. Sit back, relax and enjoy this episode of The Foil Project.

Contents:

00:00 - Intro

01:29 - Racing with Weed

12:45 - Game Face film

19:50 - James quitting his job to become full time foiler

24:38 - Steering the ship of foiling

33:36 - Downwind Surf Foil Competitions

40:08 - Surf Foil Style

48:02 - Food and drink while racing

58:40 - A good old stitch up and foiling etiquette

1:11:10 - Foiling Stories (foiling in the dark)

Let's set the scene. It is Sunday 19th of Jan, and the Northern Beaches Downwind Foil Race has just finished. Foilers are running up the beach, panting and bending over to get their breath back, and then they straighten up, and start to chat. And oh boy do foilers chat after a downwind race. Hugh quickly races to the car and grabs out his 360 cameras and two "pussycat microphones", and dives into the pack of these chatterboxes with full force. This isn't your ordinary podcast, no, this is a live action interview with 18, yes 18!, of the best downwind foilers in the world. Sit back, relax, and hear what they have to say. There are plenty of stories from the weekend, and well as race strategies, that are sure to get your foil brain ticking. Until next time, Stay Pumped! Contents: 00:00 - Hugh’s Foiling Story 02:18 - Luke Atkinson 06:11 - Adrien Dustang 09:35 - Jamie Wise 12:22 - Oscar Johannson and Jake Dailey 18:24 - Hobey Moss 24:24 - James Casey 31:43 - Jeremy Wilmotte and Luc Lohier 41:58 - Ben and Mat from FoilDrive 49:23 - Trent Gordan 55:09 - Andrew Gibbons 59:21 - Trevor King 1:04:16 - Dave West and Jeremy Wilmotte 1:14:09 - Josh Ku

Kai and Alex are two madmen from the Sunshine Coast Bump Hunters crew. At the time of this interview they were both competing in race week here in WA, where Kai was having a crazy battle with James Casey and Alex was consistently placing top 3. In the final race (the one happening the afternoon of this podcast) Hugh just managed to snag Alex, claiming the bronze instead of the choccy medal for the first time. Kai came second to James by just 0.9 of a second, meaning he claimed the overall championship for the weekend. Two absolute legends, cannot wait to come over and visit the Sunshine coast. Cheers Boys! Contents: 00:00 - Intro 01:45 - Perth Race Week 7:49 - How did you get into foiling? 10:44 - Doing the M2O with only 2 months prep 15:37 - Alex Tibby and the M2O 19:30 - Howling Winds in Perth 21:50 - Downwind training Programs 24:47 - Kai’s Secret Foil 28:00 - Polishing Foils 29:20 - Alex Tibby and Armstrong 31:23 - Crazy Foiling Stories 44:00 - What the boys do for work 46:11 - Sunshine Coast Bump Hunters 53:12 - Crozon Foil Fest

This is the start of The Foil Project 2025 big things to come! If you are interested in downwind foil coaching around Perth please check out our website https://thefoilproject.com/ If you enjoyed this episode please like and subscribe, and share it with all your fellow foil frothers! It will help us a lot. Until next time, stay pumped!

The boys kick back and relax for a laid back conversation discussing the foil adventure that they had just been on. Foilers Hugh, Julian, Doni and Reedie tell us a bit about the experience of exploring and foiling the coast, while James and Jarv chat about the drive and the surf along the way. Full Video is in the Editing Booth and will be released sometime early next year! If you want to see some more clips, head to The Foil Project instagram! Contents 00:00 - Intro 04:19 - Day 1 - Red Bluff to Gnaraloo Bay 13:55 - Day 2 - Gnaraloo Bay to Coral Bay 24:28 - Day 3 - Coral Bay to Winderabandi 36:35 - Day 4 - Winderabandi to Osprey Bay 49:32 - Day 5 - Osprey Bay to Mildura Wreck 1:00:10 - Shoutout to the bands that helped us!

Caught up with Andrew Readhead for a casual car chat as we head up for another downwind adventure. "Reedie" is right into his adventure racing, and this run has definitely pushed the limits of sport. We dive into all that happened in the 12 hour long run, and ask about the mindset that it takes to do these crazy adventures. Just like us, I hope you can sit back, relax and enjoy!