Europe has recently endured its biggest ever heatwave, Hub Dekkers & Armie Armstrong happened to be in Amsterdam just as temperatures hit their peak. What better way to cool off than to go foiling with an E-Winch…

No wind or waves for days. Too much energy, we have to get out on the foil, it’s driving us insane. In an impulse, a plan is made to see if we could go foiling in downtown Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. It’s well known for its many canals that run through the city. It’s already a busy city flooded with tourists, but summertime takes this to a new level. Amsterdam is also known for its liberal culture, the redlight district, coffee shops, and smart shops.

Today is the hottest day of the year with temperatures reaching 40 degrees centigrade easily. We’re desperate for some cooling down. It’s peak holiday season and the national airport is beyond max capacity. Naturally, the city is busy and the canals are packed with small boats too. Since it is not allowed to go foiling in the canals, and none of us fancied getting arrested, we first scouted for a suitable place. There is a speed limit of 6,5 km/h and swimming in the canals is forbidden. After some driving and walking around, we find the optimal place. It takes some convincing for the property owners, but at last we’re allowed to set up – right in front of the Rijksmuseum no less! Excitement is building, this is going to be EPIC! The “Rijks” is the Dutch national museum with famous artworks like the Nachtwacht from Rembrandt van Rijn. It’s one of the most visited places in Amsterdam with approximately 3 million visitors a year.

With the location sorted, it’s time to make a final plan. We need to be quick and make our runs count. First thing first, let's hook up the winch and get that ready. Yes, we could go for some dock starts, but we have more ambitious plans! Small foils, high speed, hard carves, and boosting airs. The battery powered winch is ideal for these situations. The rider can set the exact speed and control it from the water. In 12 seconds it will ramp up to set speed with a max of 40 km/h.

With the winch properly secured to the fence of the building, it’s time to mount the foils. We brought an Armstrong HA925 and a HA725, along with an unreleased 3’7 board and 85cm/72cm masts. Here we go! With a splash, we enter the water. People stop to see what the heck is going on – “crazy tourists!” The people of Amsterdam are used to all kinds of crazy. With the boats out of the way, it’s time for the first run. As soon as the board pops up on foil, loud cheers come from everywhere. People can now see what our plan was. Run after run, we get wilder. Where at first we were just pumping around, now we’re dodging bridges to reach the other side. People stop by to have a chat. “What are you doing, how does it work?” We’ve all been there with those questions. Foiling isn’t yet known to everyone, and for someone that doesn’t know, it looks like a black magic carpet ride gliding over water…

So far so good. The sirens we’ve been hearing in the background, luckily, aren’t for us. It’s time to go all in, full send mode! Smaller foils and a higher speed setting on the winch should propel us to great heights. The people are loving this foiling show in the middle of Amsterdam. Mission accomplished! Time to pack up and not push our luck. 

What a great experience taking the foils out in this unique location in the middle of the Dutch capital. A memory that will stay with us forever!

By Hub Dekkers

Comments