Foiling Week 2024: from Youth to Re-generation for 2025

EPISODE 03

The foiling world is constantly evolving so we can never slow down

©ELENA GIOLAI/SLAM

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The “third dimension” of sailing explodes the visual potential of both still and moving imagery, there are some just outrageous perspectives that let you capture images from beneath a boat, and at such a high speed and with drone it all works together to make it a ripping visual sensation

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SLAM

Christopher J. Museler - New York Times Sailing Corrispondent - FW Content Creator and Moderator of most FW Forums ©Martina Orsini/We Are Foiling Media

Initially considered something of a dangerous discipline, foiling now has no boundaries: you strap on your helmet and... 'Boom!' suddenly you are speeding through the air with the hallmark whistle in your ear. Travelling at speeds of 20-30 knots becomes the norm and allows for all the necessary safety measures.


In a rapidly changing world, even university research is shifting towards the increasingly innovative and technological sphere of foiling: it is becoming increasingly common for naval engineering students to become interested in sailing and are choosing to advance their academic career in aerospace engineering. A cultural change in no small part due to the foiling revolution.


The speed that foiling allows has prompted the World Sailing-recognised classes to develop new course solutions to make the racing more spectacular, hard-fought and technically varied. New formats designed to be exciting and make the rankings immediately clear, especially in the final battles for a place on the podium.

  • ©Martina Orsini -We Are Foiling Media

  • ©Martina Orsini -We Are Foiling Media

Christopher J. Museler
New York Times Sailing Corrispondent, FW Content Creator and Moderator of most FW Forums

How do you assess the advent of the foil from a communication point of view, after decades of classic yachting?

It’s really two fold:

  1. 1 - The “third dimension” of sailing explodes the visual potential of both still and moving imagery, there are some just outrageous perspectives that let you capture images from beneath a boat, and at such a high speed and with drone it all works together to make it a ripping visual sensation; BUT more importantly
  2. 2 - The type of pilot, the driver/rider, is a special person, fully switched-on, clear-mind fun, all focused people aiming for a new level of performance together as pioneers. So there's a crazy unique atmosphere and electricity with humans around foiling, exploring and learning together.

    Sooooooooooo, it’s all there, ready for us to try and capture with new media. Never ending possibilities for us and it all fits perfectly with dynamic ever-changing media formats. But it’s the people's stories in the middle of it all that come first in the experience we want to capture, there’s just a sweet visual palette to help us!

Do you think that foil sailing, which is also increasingly present among young people, can bring more interest from a media point of view?

Like I wrote above, it’s all there for us to capture, and like all watersports, you can tie in threads with any industry: art and science, manufacturing, environmental and social causes, human endurance etc. Certainly, just one great shot or clip brings everyone in, it’s up to the media gurus to take it from there and open peoples eyes to this wider experience, like coming up over the peak of a high sand dune and finally seeing a vast sea and horizon, and you want to jump into the white water immediately!

What are the key points for communicating sailing well and to a wider audience? Has foil given a positive impulse? If so, why?

You need excellent visual creatives and focused journalists to work together on presenting this, like before but you need to have an open mind and observe the people and see where they take you. Start with the immediate “learning something new” experience of the rider. And how Foiling breeds a constant learning comfort. ALWAYS progressing and happy to stumble. You capture that first, then EVERYONE can relate to being “new” at something. At that point you have your audience and you can start building the story and introducing them to technicalities and deeper ideas, take them with you!! Unlike sailing in the past, with its life-long journey of fine tuning, foiling demands an open mind and healthy body…the world is looking for this freshness…start there!

#wearefoilingyouth

We Are Foiling and The Foiling Organization’s Founder Luca Rizzotti declared at the end:

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11th Foiling Week successfully completed the races for all participating classes despite uncooperative weather. It was exciting to see the boys and girls of the Sumoth and Youth classes, to whom this year's event was dedicated. The trials generated great interest from an increasingly large audience, while the seven training sessions were fully booked, demonstrating great success. The participation of many Corporate partners with their guests further increased the number of attendees, contributing to the spectacle of the event. Our social theme for next year’s edition will be “Re-Generation” and the goal will be to work towards restoring regatta locations to a state similar to the pre-anthropic one, promoting practices that reduce environmental impact and foster the regeneration of marine ecosystems and embracing a holistic vision that also includes equity and inclusivity

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