Doni and Julian are two of the most talented downwind foilers here in Perth. Julian was one of the first people in WA to start downwind foiling, and has tried his way through a wide range of equipment. Since then, he has helped pull Doni into this crazy adventure of foiling with him.

They are both pushing the limits whether it be trying out crazy small foils, using footstraps, planning and completing some epic foil missions or just seeing how much time they can wrangle out of their busy schedules to go foiling as much as possible. (Julian is an engineer and Doni a landscape architect.)

I want to finish this description with a quote that Doni said at the end of the podcast. (Maybe one of my favourite quotes because it resonated with me)

“I often thought of [downwinding] as something that I would never do, and now I can’t see myself living without it” - Doni

Downwind foiling has such a hard barrier for entry, but the battle to get there is definitely worth the reward.

Until next time... Stay Pumped!

Timeline:

00:00 - Intro

01:01 - Doni’s First Downwind Foiling memories

04:53 - Learning to Foil

13:07 - Width of board, is thinner better?

14:30 - 100km+ Foil in Margaret River - The Cape to Cape trail

29:15 - Rottnest Run Nightmare

31:53 - Footstraps on a Downwind Board!!???

36:54 - Small boards the laughing stock of Hawaii

44:05 - Paddling Tiny Surf Prototypes

51:24 - How to read the bumps in Hawaii

54:57 - Hawaiian Race Experience

1:05:03 - Sailing around the world: Part 2