I remember when that came out.  Neat to see the video and it must be an enthralling ride.  Most of us can only speculate because everything I've heard in the industry is that you need to have a monstrously powerful forward stroke to climb up on the foils.

But once on the foils staying there should be within the reach of mere mortals, right? So how about borrowing a trick from glider pilots - a winch launch.  The winch gets them a few hundred feet up into the air, then it's up to them to stay there.

Same thing here. A tow line attached to boat gives a good hard jerk to assist with getting on the step, then the line is released and a good forward stroke keeps you there.

Wonder if a kite is the answer. Hmm. Next year's Okuomefest could be really fun...

Laszlo