Dante Olivieri is the coach behind some of Australia's most exciting young wing foil racers, and this episode is exactly the energy injection the show needed. We cover his journey from flying ants and 16-foot skiffs through to becoming the default wing foil coach for New South Wales - and why he thinks the psychological side of racing is 95% of the job.

Dante breaks down the order every racer should follow - board handling first, speed second, racing third - and why so many experienced sailors skip straight to the tactics and pay for it. We also get into his joga bonito philosophy, the case for keeping traditional sailing in the pathway to wing foil racing, and a genuinely interesting discussion on Olympic inclusion and whether the X-15 or Formula class gets wing foiling to the Games.

Plus a shoutout to the Australian para-wing foiling pilot program - one of the more exciting developments happening quietly in the background of the sport right now.

Josh Bull, athlete manager at PPC, joins the show to talk about the brand's approach to building race-winning gear and what they actually look for when supporting athletes. We cover the full dual skin trimming technique most riders get wrong, board sizing and construction including some air-inside prototypes in development, and Josh's take on where wing foiling is heading as a competitive class.

Josh also lets slip some details on PPC's upcoming parafoil project - a dual skin design that's been in secret development and is close to final product. Plus his background coming through sailing and sprint kayak coaching, and why he thinks wing foiling is the answer to keeping the next generation in water sports.

Jeremiah McDonald, the guy who keeps coming to Australia and winning the Aussie Nationals, sits down fresh off the New Zealand Nationals to talk about his approach to racing at the top level. We cover his philosophy of chasing the performance edge in his gear choices regardless of the trade-offs, the details behind the steel mast he was running at the Nationals, and why he made the jump from freestyle to racing.

On the technical side, Jeremiah breaks down his full setup - the Gong 8 metre wing, Levitas foils, and board sizing choices - and gets into the finer points of upwind technique, locking the wing against the board, and how to handle chop at race pace. We also get into Defi Wind, the 800-person mass start race in France that belongs on every wing foiler's bucket list.

Jeremiah also runs coaching camps - follow him here:

YT - https://www.youtube.com/@Jeremiah_McDonald
IG - https://www.instagram.com/jeremiah_mcdonald/
FB - https://www.facebook.com/miah.mcdonald

Kamil Manowiecki, Vice World Champion in wing foiling, sits down fresh off winning the New Zealand Nationals to talk about what it actually takes to compete at the top of the sport. We cover the mentality shift that turned his event around after a rough start, his journey from Optimist sailing through windsurfing and IQ Foil to wing foiling, and the decision to walk away from a fully funded Olympic program to back himself in a new discipline.

On the gear side, Kamil breaks down his full setup - the PPC Sonic, Chubanga V4 foil, and his custom Attack board designed for a more natural stance on the water - and why he keeps things simple with one foil for all conditions.

A deep dive into the gear shaping the front of wing foil racing fleets right now. This episode breaks down the wings, foils, and board setups dominating at the elite level - including the full dual skin vs semi-dual skin battle, why yaw stability is the defining factor in race foil design, and the emerging metal mast technology that Jeremiah McDonald and Sean Herbert were both running at a recent nationals event.

Also covers the different racing formats across social, silver, and gold fleet, what standard you actually need to compete at each level, and a heads up that interviews with Jeremiah and Kamil are dropping in the coming weeks.

Welcome to The Wing Foil Debrief, a new format exploring high performance wing foiling from a racing perspective. Expect insights from world class riders, honest gear discussion, and real talk about technique and technology that applies to every level of foiler.

In this episode I introduce the show and preview what's coming at the 2026 NZ Nationals, the gear, the riders, and what to watch for.

New episode every Wednesday. Subscribe so you don't miss it!