All in all, yesterday was a glorious day of foiling at Rufus, but I could use a little tactical advice on waterstarts when conditions get heavy.

Rider and Equipment Setup:
Rider Weight: 82 kg
Board: 78 L Omen Emissary (semi-sinker)
Foil: Armstrong 780 HA v2 + 180 HA tail (no shim)
Mast: 72 cm Project Cedrus Evolution Wind (90 cm available)
Wing: 3.0 m (2.5 m available)

Location and Wind Conditions:
Location: Rufus (wind numbers taken from The Wall sensor upwind, as the Rufus meter is unreliable).
Session 1 (10:00 AM - 11:00 AM): ~21 kts average, gusts to 31 kts. Waterstarts were straightforward and manageable.
Session 2 (11:30 AM - 1:00 PM): ~27 kts average, gusts to 38 kts. Heavy, steep, short-period chop.

Current Waterstart Technique:
My current approach to getting onto foil in these conditions relies on a specific three-part sequence:
Gust and Wave Gap Timing: I wait for an incoming gust for initial lift, while simultaneously scanning upwind to ensure I am not about to get hit by a large set wave during the transition.

Standing and Building Momentum: Once on my feet, I focus on gaining initial forward board speed before attempting to fly the foil.

Pumping the Profile: I time the pumping cycle to coincide with either a relatively flat patch of water or by bearing down the downward ramp of a wave face to help accelerate the high-aspect foil past its stall speed.

The Problem:
While this technique works reliably in moderate conditions, it broke down during Session 2. Getting onto foil became an physical battle, taking up to 10 attempts on one occasion. The high stall speed of the 780 cm2 front wing combined with steep chop continually stalled the board's forward momentum before takeoff speed could be reached.

Note: Once on foil, I’m good, so the focus here is strictly on improving the success rate of the waterstart itself.

Questions for the Forum:
Mast Height: Would swapping from the 72 cm to the 90 cm mast aid waterstarts in heavy chop by keeping the front wing submerged in less aerated water during acceleration, or does the added length create too much drag prior to getting on plane?

Technique Refinements: Are there mechanical or positional tweaks to complement the timing routine above when trying to accelerate a high-aspect foil in heavy chop?

Cheers

I want to get up fast so getting to my feet and getting on foil I seem to sheet it too much too quickly, then lean to windward to counter the strong pull of the wing and I'm often done for and fall to windward (I'll rush my foot placement too, which doesn't help). OR, if I stay centered, instead of falling to windward, I get launched (perhaps onto foil, perhaps falling off downwind).

I’ve definitely seen the ‘sheet in too quickly and fall to windward’ scene in my own progress - if you can call it that - waaaaay too many times.