Hey Armie. So right from the beginning, what sparked your interest in foiling? What was your first encounter with it, and how did it develop into you building foils yourself?
I was incredibly lucky to grow up in a keen adventure sailing family in Aotearoa, New Zealand. We always followed the endeavors of kiwi sailors internationally and the epic 2013 America’s Cup was the first time I really became interested in foils. The Kiwis were the first to foil their AC72 here in 2012. I vividly remember seeing Team New Zealand flying gracefully past us up the Waitemata Harbor at mind bending speed – so close to the wind! There was some dark magic at work here! This world class sailing history and associated industry combined with local AC development is probably a key reason why there is such a concentration of top foil brands coming out of New Zealand.
Kite foiling really started to take off at about the same time. As soon as I got my first kite foil rig, I was completely hooked. The way a foil made kiting a proper sailing sport, ridiculous upwind angles and the easy speed through chop meant long
