California’s Dinghy Foiling
Boom Is Taking Flight

Dinghy Foiling is growing at an extraordinary pace in California, and the volume of activity now taking place across the West Coast shows that this is much more than a temporary surge of interest.

New boats are arriving, coaches are being trained, local programs are expanding and an increasingly full calendar of clinics is giving sailors of all ages an opportunity to experience foiling. At the center of that growth is USFoil, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit program helping clubs and community sailing organizations establish sustainable local foiling programs.

USFoil provides access to boats, training, coach development, technical resources and ongoing program support. Instead of asking each club to build a foiling program entirely on its own, USFoil works through a network of local HUBs that can introduce sailors to the sport, provide regular training and create a pathway into regional, national and international WASZP competition.

In California, two of the most important centers of activity are Richmond Yacht Club and the Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation.

Richmond Yacht Club Builds a Bay Area Foiling Community

Richmond Yacht Club has long been known for its strong racing culture, experienced sailors and exceptional San Francisco Bay sailing conditions. It is now becoming an important center for the next generation of California Dinghy Foiling.

Under the leadership of Sailing Director Will Paulsen, Richmond is building a program that goes well beyond hosting an occasional introductory event. Regular clinics and training opportunities are creating a place where sailors can experience their first flight, return to continue developing and eventually become part of a growing local WASZP fleet.

That consistency is essential.

A single clinic can generate excitement, but a lasting fleet requires boats that remain available, coaches who continue developing their knowledge and sailors who have a clear opportunity to come back and improve. Richmond Yacht Club is putting those pieces together and creating a repeatable program for both junior and adult sailors.

Its location also gives the program access to one of the best foiling environments in the country. The combination of reliable breeze, experienced local leadership and a strong sailing community makes Richmond an ideal home for a major USFoil HUB.

Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation Creates a New Pathway

Farther south in Redwood City, the Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation, led by Executive Director John Vandemoer, is building another major center of California foiling activity.

PYSF already has a strong foundation in youth sailing and athlete development. Adding WASZP programming gives its sailors a clear opportunity to progress from traditional junior boats into modern high-performance sailing without leaving behind their coaches, teammates or local sailing community.

This is especially important for sailors transitioning from the Optimist.

Opti sailors are currently the leading growth group entering the WASZP Class. They arrive with strong boat-handling skills, racing experience and the confidence to learn quickly. What they need is appropriately sized equipment, qualified coaching and a safe progression into foiling.

The USFoil HUB model provides exactly that.

Through clinics and recurring training, PYSF can introduce sailors to foiling gradually, helping them develop balance, control and confidence before moving into more advanced racing. The result is not a separate program with nowhere to go next. It is an entry point into the same WASZP platform used for local racing, High School and College competition, North American championships and international events.

More Than Boats

One of the most important features of USFoil is that the program provides much more than equipment.

Boats are essential, but boats alone do not create a successful program. Clubs also need trained coaches, lesson structures, safety procedures, replacement parts, technical guidance, event support and connections to the wider WASZP community.

USFoil brings those resources together through the HUB network.

A club can begin with introductory clinics before making a larger commitment. As local participation grows, it can establish recurring HUB programming, develop its coaches, host local racing and connect interested sailors with regional and national opportunities. Each program can grow at a pace that matches its sailors, facilities and local demand.

This approach reduces the cost and risk of introducing foiling while allowing boats, coaching knowledge and program revenue to remain within the local sailing community.

The goal is not to identify a small number of elite sailors and immediately send them away to travel programs. The goal is to build strong local fleets first and then provide additional opportunities when individual sailors are ready for them.

Better Resources for California Coaches

Becoming a USFoil HUB also connects local coaches with an exceptional group of partners and development tools.

Through SailSync.ai, coaches can bring modern performance analysis and structured debriefing into their programs. Sailors and coaches can use data and video more effectively, creating better feedback and helping athletes understand what is happening on the water.

SailFlow provides another valuable resource, helping coaches plan productive sessions around wind, weather and local conditions. That information is particularly important when running foiling programs, where selecting the right conditions can make the difference between a frustrating first experience and a successful day of flying.

Each HUB also receives a free X-Rig for its WASZP.

The X-Rig gives coaches an important tool for introducing younger and lighter sailors to the boat. This is particularly valuable for transitioning Opti sailors, allowing them to begin foiling with a rig suited to their size while remaining on the same WASZP platform they can continue using as they grow.

Instead of forcing young sailors to wait until they are larger or move into a separate boat, the X-Rig opens the pathway earlier and makes the first step into foiling more manageable.

A Calendar Filled With Opportunity

The strongest evidence of California’s growth is the amount of activity now appearing on the calendar.

Richmond Yacht Club and PYSF are offering multiple clinics and training opportunities, giving sailors repeated chances to get involved. These clinics are not limited to existing WASZP owners or established foiling sailors. They are open to everyone, including sailors who simply want to experience foiling for the first time.

That accessibility is helping turn curiosity into participation.

More clinics create more first flights. More first flights create regular sailors. Regular sailors create stronger local fleets, more experienced coaches and better regional racing.

The growing schedule also allows sailors to progress without having to make an immediate commitment to buying a boat or joining a travel campaign. They can attend a clinic, learn the fundamentals, return for additional training and decide how far they want to take the sport.

Upcoming clinics can be viewed at:

foilfast.com/collections/clinics

Major Championships Are Coming to California

California’s new foilers also have a major competitive goal on the horizon.

In the fall of 2027, the region will host both the WASZP Pacific Coast Championships and the 2027 WASZP North American Championships. These events will bring sailors from across the continent to California and place the growing West Coast fleet at the center of North American WASZP racing.

For sailors beginning at Richmond Yacht Club or PYSF today, there is now time to develop the skills and experience needed to participate.

A sailor can attend an introductory clinic, join regular HUB training, begin local racing and build toward two major championships taking place close to home. That creates a powerful reason for California sailors, particularly young sailors entering from the Opti fleet, to begin their progression now.

Richmond Yacht Club and the Peninsula Youth Sailing Foundation are showing what can happen when strong local leadership is combined with boats, coaching, technology and nonprofit support. Will Paulsen and John Vandemoer are not simply adding another boat to their existing programs. They are helping establish California as one of the fastest-growing centers of Dinghy Foiling in North America.

With a full schedule of clinics already underway and two major championships coming to California in 2027, the time to start training is now.

Learn more about USFoil and becoming a HUB at: www.USFoil.org