Australian windsurfer Harry Joyner completed the first-ever foiling tack on an iQFoil windsurfing kit.

The 15-year-old sailor from Fremantle wrote history for the 21st-century Olympic windsurfing class after performing the first foiling tack on iQFoil equipment in competition.

The move is expected to change the way athletes will plan and execute their tactical upwind racing strategies.

Joyner, who had already been working on his revolutionary tacking skills for a while, proved that the performance gap between young and experienced sailors probably no longer exists.

In sailing, and besides kite foiling, the first-ever foiling tack took place during the 2016 America's Cup.

At the time, there was still no iQFoil equipment or class.

Mastering windsurfing's foiling tack is estimated to lead to gains of nine meters per second lost performing shifts in sailing direction.

"We've been extremely fast around the course, and it feels like the only part where we have been slow is the tack," explains RS:X Olympic gold medalist Kiran Badloe.

"Slow tacks have been limiting our strategy to some extent as we would have to consider a significant loss of meters on each tack. Foiling tacks will be a game-changer."

BY SURFTODAY