Fiona Wylde presents Starboard’s new range of foil boards 2024

Last September, Starboard released its new 2024 collection of foil boards. For downwind, freestyle, race or freeride, and also in inflatable mode… Starboard has a board for every taste! To present them to you, we called on Fiona Wylde, who is just coming off a busy 2023 season between SUP racing, wingfoiling and her Wylde Wind and Water program. Back after her shoulder injury, Fiona had the opportunity to test all the new boards in the 2024 range, both in competition and freeride. Ace Foil, Wingboard, X-15, Take-Off and Air Foil… we’ll let Fiona tell us all about it!

Fiona with the Take-Off – Photo : @cadeventures

Hi Fiona! At the beginning of the year, we interviewed you just before you resumed racing after your shoulder injury. Finally, you didn’t take part in any GWA events, but you did put in some fine performances on the Wingfoil Racing circuit, where you won the Silvaplana stage – well done! Can you tell us about your experience on this circuit?

Thank you! This year was all about experience. Unfortunately with my shoulder injury, I was out of the water for more than one year. Since this was my first year coming back after surgery, my goal was to go to a few events and learn about formats, have fun racing, and most of all enjoy being on the road and competing again. I had not competed in an IWSA event before and wanted to give it a go! Schedule wise, a few of the events lined up really nicely and I thought I would go and see how it was. I had zero expectations because I hadn’t been on the water more than a month or two after shoulder surgery and it was almost a year since my last event. So, with that in mind, I went for the adventure. I rented a camper van for the Silvaplana trip and parked lakeside for the week. I was blown away with the natural beauty of the valley and the lake. Everybody was so kind and it was a blast to catch up with old friends and meet many new people.

Fiona Wylde and Orane Ceris at the Wingfoil Racing World Cup Silvaplana – Photo : IWSA Media / Sailing Energy

The racing was really exciting! I went into the racing with open eyes and an open mind. Every moment was an opportunity for me to learn and of course have fun! After three days of racing, I ended up on the top of the podium. I don’t think anybody was as surprised as I was!

Going into Sardinia, four months later, I wasn’t quite sure how to mentally prepare because the one IWSA event I participated in, I won. I felt like my expectations were going to be a little skewed, so I threw expectations out the window. I finished 4th in Calgary, and I am quite pleased with that. I had a fantastic and full summer working with Wylde Wind & Water and I was training for the SUP World Championships at the time, so to have a top 5 result at my second stop on the IWSA was great!

Fiona Wylde the Wingfoil Racing World Cup Silvaplana – Photo : IWSA Media / Sailing Energy

One big thing I learned this year is that I really love wing foil racing. It’s fast, it’s fun, it’s challenging, and the people are really fun! I also think that racing is such a good way to improve my wing foiling because racing puts you in situations where you have to adjust and learn on the fly. I look forward to doing more of it next year!

Fiona Wylde and Orane Ceris at the Wingfoil Racing World Cup Silvaplana – Photo : IWSA Media / Sailing Energy

You’re also back on the SUP racing scene, as you were in recent days at the ICF World Championships in Thailand, where you finished a fine 10th in the Long Distance and 7th in the Technical Race. How did it go?

Yes! It is wonderful to be back SUP Racing. However, I’m not afraid to admit that it is very challening, mentally and physically to come back to the top level after a big injury. I am close to the top level, but not quite there like I used to be. I admire all of my competitors so much. They train very hard, day in and day out, to be back on the start line and make the top 10 is pretty darn good, all things considered!

Stand up paddling is super important to me. I’ve been racing now for 10 years professionally, and I love to be part it. I look forward to seeing where the sport goes over the next 10 years!

Fiona Wylde at the ICF SUP World Championships in Pattaya 2023.

We wanted to talk to you about Starboard’s new range of foil boards, which has been available since last September, and which has brought some great new boards and evolutions to the existing ones. Can you give us a quick rundown of the range and tell us how it’s organized?

At Starboard, we are proud to have a board that works really well for every type of condition and every rider. The five boards that I am most excited about are:

• Take-Off: this board is my go-to for freestyle, bump and jump, and wave riding. It’s light and very responsive.
• X-15: I am very excited about the development of the X-15 Class. The goal of the X-15 is to get more people into wing foil racing. I will be doing many X-15 races in 2024.

Fiona with the Take-Off – Photo : Bob Stawiki, I Was Photographed

• Ace Foil: absolutely one of my favorite boards!! The experience you get downwind foiling is one of the best you can have on the water.
• Air Foil: this is our go-to board to teach the Wylde Wind & Water Wing Foil Youth Camp students. It’s stable, it takes off easily and if doesn’t hurt if you fall on it because it’s an inflatable.
• Wing Board: the wing board is slightly wider than the Takeoff. This makes it more stable and controllable in choppy conditions to get flying. I’d recommend this board to somebody moving to a smaller board, but still wants some float and stability on the water.

Starboard / FreeWing team in New Caledonia – Photo : @cadeventures

So let’s start with the Wingboard! Aimed more at progression, the Wingboard has undergone a number of shape evolutions, notably in the tail and cutaways. Can you tell us about it?

Absolutely! So, the tail and cut-aways were created to give the board more stability. This allows the rider to progress to a smaller board, but still have the confidence to maneuver and float before lifting to the foil.

Fiona with the Take-Off – Photo : @cadeventures

About the Take-Off, it’s been redesigned compared to the old version, and I think it’s more refined, longer and narrower. What does the new shape give it? How did it feel?

I prefer the narrower outline. It makes it easier to control under my feet because my foot placement is closer to the foil mast and more over the top of the front foil wing. In addition, there is more volume added to the nose which helps with landing maneuvers and tricks.

Fiona with the Take-Off – Photo : Bob Stawiki, I Was Photographed

The Take-Off is now available in a very wide range of sizes, from 30L for prone surf foil and freestyle to 130L for beginners in wing, heavier riders or SUP foil. All in all, it’s a pretty versatile board, isn’t it? How does it differ from the Wingboard?

This board covers a wide range of abilities and conditions. At the end of the day, I believe it is up to each ride to find the board they are more comfortable on and the difference in the Take-Off and Wing Board range, offer those differences. I personally prefer the feel of the Take-Off over the Wing Board, but that is because of my style and personal preference. Another rider might feel something very different, and that is why Starboard offers both models.

Fiona with the Take-Off – Photo : @cadeventures

Have you had a chance to try out the new X-15 board? If so, what do you think of it?

Yes! Like many people, I thought the volume would be too big for me and I was pleasantly surprised to find it is not. The board is designed for an easy launch onto the foil, good control and speed. I can confirm it does all of those things very well, while still fitting a variety of peoples ability’s and weights.

What I am excited for about the X-15 class is that it will help grow Wing Foil Racing. The equipment is extremely functional and there are not too many pieces of equipment to worry about. I look forward to going to more X-15 races this year and seeing how the sport grows!

Fiona with the Take-Off – Photo : Dane Wilson, Salt Brothers

Just a word about the Ace Foil, the foil version of the legendary Ace SUP downwind race board. Have you had a chance to use it in wingfoil?

Oh, hands down the Ace Foil is one of my favorite boards in the line-up! This board is light, durable, and makes the pop-up for sup foiling easy. Starboard put the technology from designing years of SUP Race boards into the Ace Foil to make sure you have a proper glide before you start to pop-up on foil. This extra speed allows your take-off to happen sooner and get’s you foiling! I really like the deck we have on the Ace Foil because I find it is stable and very responsive. I am excited for lots of SUP Foil DW runs this coming year and also light wind playful wing foiling!

Fiona with the Take-Off – Photo : @cadeventures

With your school Wylde Wind and Water, did you have the opportunity to try out and test the Wingboard with the new ASAP construction or one of the “cross-over” boards for entry-level wingfoil, such as the new iGO Wing Ready 2024 ?

Wylde Wind & Water was a phenomenal success during year two of our organization. In total, we had over 1,000 people go through our programs comprised of Wing Foil Youth Camps, SUP Teams, Viento y Agua, Free Community Sessions, partnerships with Hood River County School District and more! We ran a total of 12 programs, all with the aim of water safety education and water sports opportunities for all participants, regardless of prior experience. Our Wing Foil Youth Camps were one of our most popular programs in 2023. We felt extremely proud to have phenomenal Instructors that worked with the students of the camps. The kids had a blast, learned a lot about wing foiling and water safety, and the majority of students were starting to pop up on foil at the end of day three.

Fiona at the Wylde, Wind & Water Camp – Photo : Bob Stawiki, I Was Photographed

We mostly used the Starboard Air Foil for our youth camps. We chose inflatables because they are the most convenient for the kids. If they fall on the board, it doesn’t hurt and also these boards are very strong if pump into rocks. Before the kids get on the Air Foil Boards we teach them how to control the wing and sail back and forth with a non-foiling board like the Starboard 4-in-1. This provides a solid platform for the students to learn and has a center board which allows them to stay upwind.

Fiona with the AirFoil – Photo : @cadeventures

Our 2024 Wing Foil Youth Camp registration will open in February. The programs fill up fast so keep an eye on your website for the updated 2024 schedule and the registration date. You can find all of our information on www.wyldewindandwater.org. Can’t wait for big and fun year with lots of smiling participants at Wylde Wind & Water!!

The Wylde, Wind & Water Camp – Photo : Jen Gulizia, Gorge-us Photo

Let’s finish with a quick update on your plans for 2024?

2024 is going to look a little different than previous years, but I am excited for this change! I am still ironing out the details, but I can tell you it’s going to be an action packed year! My focuses will be Wylde Wind & Water, Wing Foil Racing, finishing university (woohoo!), and a few other projects that I can’t share the details on quite yet! Needless to say, it’s going to be a lot of work, but well worth it in every way. See you on the water!

Fiona with the Take-Off – Photo : @cadeventures

Thanks Fiona! See you soon on the water!

Follow Fiona Wylde:
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More about Wylde Wind and Water :
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More about FreeWing:
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More about Starboard:
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