Hayling Island is a
very popular
windsurfing
destination, but it
was once equally
popular as a holiday
venue. Now, with the
help of Lottery
funding, the island is
hoping to re-establish
itself as a year-round
destination.
There’s a little more to Hayling Island than meets the
passing eye. It’s still a haven for windsurfers and
kitesurfers who make their way to the seafront any
time there’s enough wind. Few though realise that
nearly fifty years ago, in 1958 to be precise, a young
lad called Peter Chilvers, launched the very first
windsurfer from the island’s beach. The fact would
have possibly passed un-noticed but for a series of
Patent infringement law suits launched by the
Windsurfer Corporation in the early 70s. Windsurfer
Corporation was of course behind the commercial
development of the windsurfer and independent of
anything that Peter Chilvers had done, and indeed
its head people, Hoyle Schweitzer and Jim Drake
were totally unaware of Peter’s invention. BiC Sport
fought the patent battle and produced Peter Chilvers
in court. The result was a verdict in favour of BiC
Sport on the basis of ‘prior art’ and the affirmation of
Peter Chilvers as the inventor of windsurfing. And it
happened right there on Hayling Island.
Historically though Hayling was once a popular
destination for visitors from London. A train service
existed linking the North and South of the island
with the South Coast which made it accessible from
London and other parts of the home counties. But
like other South Coast resorts it suffered as cheaper
air travel opened up overseas destinations.
But if you look beyond the West Beach, the most
popular launch site for windsurfing, you’ll find a
thriving population of people with a wide diversity of
interest. There’s even a splendid street called the
Crescent which may not quite match up to Bath’s
famous row of Georgian buildings, but still stands
as a unique piece of architecture.
We take access to West Beach for granted but it is
in the minority as only about a third of Hayling’s
beach front has easy access for everyone.
THE BID
With all this mind, Havent Borough Council have
prepared a bid to the Lottery funded Living
Landmarks Programme to revitalise the whole area.
At the centre of it is windsurfing, something which
has not happened to our sport either in this country
or abroad. The proposal, if successful, would see
the refurbishment of the whole of the seafront
including erecting a special building, described as a
‘modern pier’, which would provide World class
windsurfing facilities including restaurants and
facilities for other tourists.
The promenade would be expanded to give full
access to the whole of the beach front. It would also
make the Special Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI)
more accessible and there are plans to revitalise
this area as well. The old railway route, the Hayling
Billy, has recently been turned into a cycleway and
footpath which has proved to be very popular. The
bid includes extending this to the windsurfing
facility, linking the two centres of windsurfing in the
North and South of the island. A plan also exists to
re-establish a railway along this route as well as
keeping the foot and cycle paths intact in a bid to
cut down on the North- South traffic congestion.
The cost of all this is seen to be in the region of
£39m of which £24.5m would come from the Living
Landmarks programme funded by the Big Lottery
Fund. The rest would come from a variety of other
sources including private development. The
council’s coastal defence team would be involved
as well as English Nature who would ensure that the
SSSI would be safeguarded. And, at the centre of
all of this is windsurfing and Peter Chilvers who has
become the ambassador to the project.
HOW FAR?
The project has reached the end of the initial stage.
Following an on site inspection in April the island
has now been ‘short listed’ onto a long list. That
does seem very much but Hayling is one of 75
projects out of many hundreds which have
progressed through the initial stages.
“This is wonderful news“ said Peter Chilvers. “I
know we have some tough competition and a few
more stages to go through, but this bid is unique
and if we are successful the benefits to the Borough
of Havant and the community of Hayling Island will
be enormous. Not to mention that the windsurfing
community will be watching progress very closely,
we want to start a windsurfing academy that builds
on the history of its roots on the Island and promote
and give access to this sport for local residents.”
The next stage will be the announcement of the
short list. If Hayling Island is chosen, the Lottery will
award a grant to fund the next stage which is to
prepare a more detailed proposal to be submitted
by next May. The final result will be announced in
September 2007. The proposal has received
overwhelming positive support from the local
community. According to the Council ‘the people of
Hayling Island feel strongly that the Island should
be celebrated as the birthplace of windsurfing.’
However, if Hayling Island is to get the equivalent of
Weymouth’s National Sailing Academy it also needs
the support of the windsurfing community itself. The
council is particularly interested in hearing from
clubs and organisations who would use the
proposed facilities. And of course it wants to hear
from individuals who already windsurf from the West
Beach and who would most benefit from the
projects success. To register support for Destination
Hayling Island either visit www.hayling.co.uk, or
write to Claire Hughes or Paul Ramshaw, Project
Leaders, Destination Hayling Island, Havant
Borough Council, Civic Offices, Havant, PO9 2AX.
1 Mayıs 2009 Cuma
TO CARVE A GYBE
The thrust of last month’s offering was to get into
carve gybing via the painless route of adapting
a non-planing gybe with the basic aim of
completing a dry one. There is SO much joy to be
had from making a fast (ish) turn that isn’t
sandwiched between two waterstarts. However, the
dry gybe landmark is so life-changing (no
waterstarts = more energy, less total immersion,
more warmth and less downwind drifting) that you
may be loathe to try anything different, which is
likely to set you back on the road of wet gybing.
The problem is that the techniques you discover to
survive those first gybes often reek of desperation.
Waiting for the board to stop before changing feet
and rig; doing slow shuffling, safe rig changes,
lunging forward up to mastfoot at the end to level
things off are all well practised survival tactics but
which, not surprisingly, block your path to the
famed Holy Grail – the planing exit.
My task this month is to persuade you to fall in
again and climb off that plateau before you put
down roots and start buying real estate there. It’s
not hard. Mostly, it is just about doing the basics
better and on developing a fresher, more dynamic
approach.
A FRESH APPROACH (let,s get obvious)
Say you approach a gybe at 20 knots and by the
time you sheet in on the new tack, you’re down to 2
knots, then, and I’m not trying to be daft,
somewhere along the line, you’ve lost some speed
– 18 knots to be precise. Sorting out your gybes is
about returning to scene of the crime and trying to
discover where those knots disappeared. The
common places to look are
1. During the preparation phase. Did you manage
to unhook, shift back foot and then get into a
position to carve without sending the board into a
rocking frenzy and slamming on the brakes?
2. During the carve. Are you carving too tight? Too
wide? Are you keeping the board level nose to tail
or are you dropping into the back seat, sinking the
tail and producing a load of drag? Is the rig
powering you through all phases?
3. During the transition (moving through the wind
onto the new tack). Are you levelling the board out
downwind? Are you being pulled off balance by the
outward pull of the rig? Are you failing to keep the
rig powered as it opens up AND keep the board
carving?
4. During the rig and foot change. Are you moving
the feet into the wrong places at the wrong time
with the wrong amount of finesse? Does your rig
change have the same amount of frantic hand
movements as a couple of teenage octopuses
groping each other in the back row of the cinema?
(The intimacies of the rig and foot change options
makes up the final gybing episode next month.)
One thing I can say is that it’s a rare sight to see a
gybe suddenly speed up at the end. So in your
quest to discover the truth, the beginning of the
gybe is a very good place to start because that is
where the bulk of problems have their roots. It’s also
an excuse to discuss the issue of speed in general.
SPEED AND PREPARATION
People don’t carry enough speed into the gybes for
3 main reasons.
1. They can’t unhook, move the foot and generally
prepare to gybe without putting on the brakes.
2. They can’t/won’t sail broad to the wind.
3. They can’t/won’t plane out of the harness.
GENTLE PREPARATION
Looking upwind at a practised performer entering a
gybe (so they’re hidden behind the sail), you see no
visual indicators of gybing preparations. The rig
stays still and the board continues to plane level.
The less competent gyber, meanwhile, looks as if
he’s been shot or is going for the biggest chop hop
of his life. These are the details of an artful
preparation.
Back hand down Slide the back hand back on the
boom (about 18 inches) before you unhook. So
long as you stay committed to the harness, there’s
not much to worry about. The only issue is
forgetting to do it. It sometimes helps to put a bit of
duck tape on either side of the boom where the
back should go as a memory jogger.
Moving the back hand is NOT an excuse to
sheet out.
Unhook To disengage the line, you only have to
take tension off the line for a fraction of a second.
The aim is to that without moving the rig. If you
bend the arms you upset the trim and you tend to
sheet out and then start the gybe all scrunched. The
unhooking technique is to take the load on the arms
by levering down on the boom on straight arms and
lift the hips – get the hook just a couple of inches
closer to the boom and the job is done. Then as the
line falls out, drop the hips down into a sitting
position and extend the arms so the rig stays
upright and forward.
Unhooking is NOT an excuse to sheet out.
Back foot out
Of all the preparation phases, this is where things
take on the shape of the pear.
1 The back foot lies over the thinnest part of the
board so any movement is likely to provoke
an upset.
2 Moving the back foot across onto the inside edge
encourages you to shift your weight inboard
which can lead to you sheeting out.
3 Rightly or wrongly (wrongly as it happens), many
use their back foot as an anchor point. To move it
is to invite a certain catapult. So when they do
move it, they move it hurriedly and as if they were
wearing Wellingtons full of porridge.
And here are three measures that will help you
something about it:
1 Stay across the wind. Across the wind the pull
in the sail is sideways rather than forwards so you
can lift the back foot without being catapulted
forward. You can also hang right away from the
boom to take the weight off the feet.
2 Lean forwards. It’s hard to move a foot if you’re
standing on it. To ease the back foot out of its strap,
swing the hips forwards (towards the mastfoot) and
momentarily shift the weight onto the front foot.
3 Slide. It’s not a lift and step so much as a slide
across to the inside edge. Do your best to keep the
back foot in contact with the board and make all
movements feather-light
Back foot details
There’s no exact ‘right’ place to put the foot – much
depends on the width of the board and the length
of your legs - but there are wrong places.
Too far forward = feet too close. To gybe well,
you need to be stable and you need to be able to
shift the weight from front to back foot to vary the
arc and trim the board. You can only do that if the
feet are at least shoulder width apart.
Some fall into the habit of placing the back foot right
forward on the rail next to the front one as a way to
keep the weight off the tail. It’s a dodgy way of
compensating for bending the arms, pulling the rig
back, choking the rig and losing mastfoot pressure.
Worst still, with the back foot forward, the feet will
trip over themselves during the change.
Personally I place the back foot as far back as I can
so I can feel the front edge of the back strap up
against my heel. If your ultimate aim is to head into
the surf on little boards, get used to having the foot
right back because to ride waves well, you’ll be
carving with the back foot actually in the strap.
Too far over To tilt the board, you don’t need the
back foot resting right over the inside edge. The
wider the board, the further over you need to move
the foot but if the toes are dragging in the water,
you’ll trip up.
SAIL UNHOOKED
The vital skill is to be able to unhook and sail out of
the harness for a while without dumping power and
losing speed. During a slalom race, especially if it’s
choppy, you’ll see the sailors unhooking and
preparing sometimes a 100 metres before the gybe
mark to give themselves and the board a chance to
settle. If they were to suddenly crank it over, still
maxed out with the board is flying on the fin,
explosions would follow.
By staying unhooked for 2,3,4 or 5 seconds before
carving, you establish board water contact. You can
then bank the board over without it skipping or
spinning out.
For many the act of unhooking is the trigger to gybe
because sailing out of the harness is tiring – in
which case they’re doing it wrong. You just have to
use the right muscles, which are NOT your
forearms, biceps and whichever ones make you
squeeze the boom. Hold the boom in the fingertips.
Use over-grip (palms down). Extend your arms fully.
Bend your legs, drop your backside and keep your
back straight just as if you were sitting on a low
chair. Tighten your stomach to transmit the power
efficiently through the legs and the board should
keep tracking as if nothing happened. Best of all,
this low, stable straight-arm, bent leg stance is the
best from which to enter a gybe.
Sailing out of the harness is NOT an excuse to
sheet out!
GO DEEP!
The fundamental issue with carve gybing well is that
the right speed to go into the gybe, to most people
feels too fast. They’ve been happy reaching up and down but the carve gybe is
the first time they’ve had to really bear away. The sudden power and acceleration
are unnerving and the immediate reaction is to back off and sheet out. Being on
a broad reach with the sail open and flapping in the breeze is no position from
which to try anything.
Practise sailing broad to the wind. Embrace the feeling. Make a happy
‘weeeeee’ sound like a kid sliding downhill on a sledge. With gybing in mind, as
you bear away, don’t dig in like a tug o’ war anchor man but rather give into the
rig and let it pull you forward and over the board so you feel a weight shift from
back to front foot.
Sailing broad is NOT an excuse to sheet out!
Sailing broad undefensively your centre of gravity is nearer the centre-line. You may
feel a little vulnerable but take solace in the fact that the rig does not keep pulling
when you bear away. As you accelerate, the apparent wind direction moves
forward, the power softens and that’s when you can move inboard and forward.
“Go with the flow and let the rig pull you into the turn.”
GPS TRUTH
Just recently my speed chum Whitey and I used a GPS to record speeds of
various people as they entered the gybe. The wind was 18-22 knots
(force 5).
Those who didn’t bear away but initiated the carve across the wind, started the
gybe on average at 17 knots. Those who bore away first started the gybe at 25
knots. SEVEN knots more momentum, more stability, more room for error and 7
knots more chance of ending on the plane. Case proven m’lud.
Variations
The order of play – back hand back on boom, unhook, back foot out and then
bear away – is a method which works and which is based on sound logic.
However it is not the only way. Some like to move their back foot before
unhooking. Some, especially if they’re using a wide board and/or they have
short legs, find they physically can’t get their back foot onto the inside edge
unless they bear away first.
The truth is that if you can stay sheeted in, keep the board settled and maintain
speed it doesn’t really matter in which order you do what.
“Anticipation means that you have to gybe first and then hope the board
catches up. For a moment you have to fall into nothingness. It’s a leap of faith.”
CROSSING THE LINE
When you change tacks (tack or gybe) at some point, your body has to move
from one side of the board to the other to be able to control the power on the new
tack. The earlier you make that move and cross that imaginary line over the
middle of the board, the sooner you’re in position to resist the forces of a fast turn.
In a good gybe the shoulders and hips cross the centreline as or even before
the carve begins.
In a less good gybe, the shoulders and hips never make it across the centreline
until the very last frame – and sometimes not even then.
Anticipation. Think: ‘someone is about to pull the rug from under my feet …but
I’m ready for them.’ You are going to change direction before the board. Do NOT
be a passenger. Without that mindset, the carving stage is a distant dream.
The classic mistake is to pull yourself inboard by bending your arms. The way
to get into a position to gybe is to bear away and let the increase in power pull
you forward and inboard on extended arms. ‘Bear away’ means drifting perhaps
20º off the wind by pressing ever so gently on the toes of the back foot to
engage the inside edge. It’s not a full carve. You’re just getting the teeth of the
saw to make a shallow groove before sawing the log.
FRONT SEAT AND BACK SEAT
The basic difference in the images is that one is aggressive/offensive, going with
the power and dominating the board; the other is defensive, closed, braking
hanging back with the look that whatever happens next will be a surprise.
He survived this gybe but it did finish
stationary. All the classic
misdemeanours - looking at the feet,
bending the arms not carving the
board (it’s making lots of spray but
it’s not really on an edge) - stem from
the fact that he never got forward, is
gybing from the tail with his hips over
the fin and is not controlling the nose.
Everything changes when you make
yourself the centre of the turning
circle and get the feeling of standing
in front of the tail and driving it out
behind you.
STAGE 2 -- CARVING
People lose speed, lose control or just fall off during the carving stage for two
basic reasons - they don’t hold the board on its edge and they don’t control the
nose. Both problems stem from the same failing - gybing in the back seat – i.e.
they haven’t completed stage one. They’re sitting on the tail their centre of
gravity (bottom) over the fin. The board accelerates and changes direction but
they don’t. Their weight then gets thrown onto the outside (wrong edge) from
where it’s actually impossible to keep the board banked and lean down on the
boom. With no mastfoot pressure, the first bit of chop is going to smack the
nose and launch it skywards – game over.
It’s wrong to be too specific about weight distribution as it should be a freeflowing
thing with the body moving easily between the mastfoot, front foot and
back foot to withstand the different forces thrown up by different situations (wide
gybe, tight gybe, gusts, lulls etc) but the following is the logical progression
through most carved turns.
“Think of the mastfoot as the front foot of your body. Throughout the whole
gybe up until the point of rig release, you’ll have most of the weight on your
‘front foot’ (mastfoot).”
WEIGHT ON THE MOVE
Understand from the beginning that the feet are only HALF responsible for
banking and carving the board. They control the back section of rail but
pressure through the mastfoot keeps the front section of rail engaged.
Stage 1 The carve starts with a roll forward from the front shoulder. The front
arm extends the rig forward and to the inside of the turn. As the mast inclines to
the inside, drop onto your front hand and drive your weight down through the
boom and into the mastfoot. Focus on the inside edge. When you see that the
full length is touching the water, then you’re ready to carve.
Stage 2 Let the rig pull you forward so most of your weight is going through
the mastfoot and your front foot.
Stage 3 To carve the board, you basically stand on the front foot and use it as a
platform from which to bank the board with the back foot (although on same
boards with inboard straps mountings the front foot can also bank the board).
The back leg acts like a piston extending to drive the rail into the water. You’re
NOT standing over the tail, you’re in front of it, driving it out behind you,
pushing the back foot away like you were try to scrape some doggy pooh off
your shoe.
Stage 4 At the end of the gybe, there is a positive weight shift to the back foot so
that you can rotate the front foot out of its strap onto the new (upwind) side.
“If you let the board flatten off anywhere between broad reach on one tack
and broad reach on the other, you WILL lose speed. “
I’ll let the photos do the talking and just leave you with these carving tips.
Bank the board. Yes. People get so fixated with body position that they actually
forget to put the board in its edge.
Keep off the tippy toes. If you’ve banked the board, it should come up to meet
the heels. The more foot you have in contact with the board as you carve – the
more control you have.
A continuously tightening arc. “In wide, out tight.” The old car racing mantra is
just as relevant to windsurfing. Don’t think of ‘constant pressure’ on the inside
edge but ‘constantly increasing pressure. The board should be at its steepest
angle dead downwind, the point at which most let it level off.
“If you need an incentive to really bank it over, imagine a generous sponsor
pays you by the second when they see their logo on the bottom of the board.”
Imagine the ball of your foot on a pedal above a very strong spring. You have to
keep the pedal down. If you let it off for a second, you get launched off the side.
Bent ankles. It’s very hard to bend the ankles without leaning forward – hence
this action alone gets you moving in the right direction.
Look where you want to end up. It might be around the front of the mast at the
clear water ahead. It might be through the sail at the centre of the turning circle
– anywhere but straight down at the feet.
Bend the knees. We save this old cliché until last. Bend them as much as you
think you should … and then another yard. Once they’re locked out, you can do
nothing to absorb the chop and hold the edge.
“If the board is carving level nose to tail, then
you’re storing the energy in the inside edge and will
accelerate out of the turn like a slingshot. If you’re
gybing just on the tail, you’re towing a bucket.”
THE TRANSITION (passing through the wind)
Carve gybing would be easy if you didn’t have a rig
– stupid comment in that it wouldn’t be windsurfing
– but generally it’s the rig that pulls us out of shape,
confronts us with apparently confusing forces and
stops us reacting like instinctive dynamic balancers.
The way to get to get your head round what you
should be doing with the rig, is to keep it as simple
as possible.
It’s just a motor providing forward drive. It’s NOT
producing a turning force (unless you stop half way
and need to get out of jail). Imagine therefore, that
there’s no UJ. The mast is just stuck upright in the
middle of the board so when the board banks over,
the rig backs to same angle.
In most gybing situations (apart from when you’re
over-powered), you want to present the sail to the
wind so it’s providing power through all stages of
the arc. Because the board is always turning, you
have to be constantly altering the sail angle right up
to the point where you release it.
A game of two halves
In the first half of the turn up to dead downwind,
keeping it at the right angle is relatively
straightforward. The wind naturally blows you and
rig towards the inside of the circle and helps you
commit to the turn. But when you pass through the
wind, it wants to blow you to the outside of the
circle. Lets look at the two halves.
“It’s far more effective to sheet in at the
beginning of the gybe by stretching the front
hand than by pulling the back hand. “
Sheet in?
As you bear away, the cry is “sheet in!” It’s good
but potentially confusing advice. Say ‘sheet in’ and
people think of yanking in the back hand – but that
encourages you to fall back. However, you can also
sheet in by pushing the front hand away. It’s with
the front hand that you should control the power in
the first half of the gybe.
How far you stretch out that front hand depends on
how much power you want as you bear away into
the turn.
“The rig action at the beginning of the gybe is
like turning the handlebars of a chopper
motorbike.”
If it’s easy conditions, you look to stretch the front
hand as far away as possible. The back hand
meanwhile is well down the boom and just as holds
the same position.
If it’s windy and you’re well stacked, to avoid being
hurled over the front, you have to dump a little
power by:
1 Decreasing the sail area by leaning it right down
to leeward.
2 Over-sheeting, pushing way the front hand and
pulling in the back hand a little to stall the sail
and open the leech
This sheeting in/over-sheeting lasts less than 2
seconds, the time it takes to reach dead downwind,
at which point you should already be opening the
sail out again onto the new tack.
The second half
As you turn through the wind, there’s a conflict of
forces. To keep the board carving and keep the
shoulders parallel to the boom as you sheet out
onto the new tack, you have to twist athletically at
the hips.
Coming through the wind both the rig and the
centrifugal forces of the turn are trying to hurl you to
the outside. It’s when you give into those forces that
the board levels out prematurely (or worse). Not
keeping the board carving through the wind and into
the rig and foot change is one of the greatest ways
to lose speed.
HOPEFUL TIPS INCLUDE:
Look forward and the moment the nose turns into
the same direction as the waves (i.e. dead
downwind), start to open the sail.
As you open the sail turn your head to look at the
clew. That simple move alone will get everything -
hips, shoulders etc. - moving in the right direction
and help you stay committed.
Keep the mast upright as you open it. If you let the
mast drop even 5º to leeward in the middle of the
carve gybe (as you would to steer the board in a
light wind gybe) you WILL get pulled off balance.
“At no stage during the last half of the gybe
should your hips be over the centre of the board.”
So creaming out of the gybe, in perfect shape to
change feet and rig is where I leave you this month.
Sorry to keep you on tenterhooks. The reality is that
if you have speed and form at this penultimate
stage, the last bit is straightforward.
carve gybing via the painless route of adapting
a non-planing gybe with the basic aim of
completing a dry one. There is SO much joy to be
had from making a fast (ish) turn that isn’t
sandwiched between two waterstarts. However, the
dry gybe landmark is so life-changing (no
waterstarts = more energy, less total immersion,
more warmth and less downwind drifting) that you
may be loathe to try anything different, which is
likely to set you back on the road of wet gybing.
The problem is that the techniques you discover to
survive those first gybes often reek of desperation.
Waiting for the board to stop before changing feet
and rig; doing slow shuffling, safe rig changes,
lunging forward up to mastfoot at the end to level
things off are all well practised survival tactics but
which, not surprisingly, block your path to the
famed Holy Grail – the planing exit.
My task this month is to persuade you to fall in
again and climb off that plateau before you put
down roots and start buying real estate there. It’s
not hard. Mostly, it is just about doing the basics
better and on developing a fresher, more dynamic
approach.
A FRESH APPROACH (let,s get obvious)
Say you approach a gybe at 20 knots and by the
time you sheet in on the new tack, you’re down to 2
knots, then, and I’m not trying to be daft,
somewhere along the line, you’ve lost some speed
– 18 knots to be precise. Sorting out your gybes is
about returning to scene of the crime and trying to
discover where those knots disappeared. The
common places to look are
1. During the preparation phase. Did you manage
to unhook, shift back foot and then get into a
position to carve without sending the board into a
rocking frenzy and slamming on the brakes?
2. During the carve. Are you carving too tight? Too
wide? Are you keeping the board level nose to tail
or are you dropping into the back seat, sinking the
tail and producing a load of drag? Is the rig
powering you through all phases?
3. During the transition (moving through the wind
onto the new tack). Are you levelling the board out
downwind? Are you being pulled off balance by the
outward pull of the rig? Are you failing to keep the
rig powered as it opens up AND keep the board
carving?
4. During the rig and foot change. Are you moving
the feet into the wrong places at the wrong time
with the wrong amount of finesse? Does your rig
change have the same amount of frantic hand
movements as a couple of teenage octopuses
groping each other in the back row of the cinema?
(The intimacies of the rig and foot change options
makes up the final gybing episode next month.)
One thing I can say is that it’s a rare sight to see a
gybe suddenly speed up at the end. So in your
quest to discover the truth, the beginning of the
gybe is a very good place to start because that is
where the bulk of problems have their roots. It’s also
an excuse to discuss the issue of speed in general.
SPEED AND PREPARATION
People don’t carry enough speed into the gybes for
3 main reasons.
1. They can’t unhook, move the foot and generally
prepare to gybe without putting on the brakes.
2. They can’t/won’t sail broad to the wind.
3. They can’t/won’t plane out of the harness.
GENTLE PREPARATION
Looking upwind at a practised performer entering a
gybe (so they’re hidden behind the sail), you see no
visual indicators of gybing preparations. The rig
stays still and the board continues to plane level.
The less competent gyber, meanwhile, looks as if
he’s been shot or is going for the biggest chop hop
of his life. These are the details of an artful
preparation.
Back hand down Slide the back hand back on the
boom (about 18 inches) before you unhook. So
long as you stay committed to the harness, there’s
not much to worry about. The only issue is
forgetting to do it. It sometimes helps to put a bit of
duck tape on either side of the boom where the
back should go as a memory jogger.
Moving the back hand is NOT an excuse to
sheet out.
Unhook To disengage the line, you only have to
take tension off the line for a fraction of a second.
The aim is to that without moving the rig. If you
bend the arms you upset the trim and you tend to
sheet out and then start the gybe all scrunched. The
unhooking technique is to take the load on the arms
by levering down on the boom on straight arms and
lift the hips – get the hook just a couple of inches
closer to the boom and the job is done. Then as the
line falls out, drop the hips down into a sitting
position and extend the arms so the rig stays
upright and forward.
Unhooking is NOT an excuse to sheet out.
Back foot out
Of all the preparation phases, this is where things
take on the shape of the pear.
1 The back foot lies over the thinnest part of the
board so any movement is likely to provoke
an upset.
2 Moving the back foot across onto the inside edge
encourages you to shift your weight inboard
which can lead to you sheeting out.
3 Rightly or wrongly (wrongly as it happens), many
use their back foot as an anchor point. To move it
is to invite a certain catapult. So when they do
move it, they move it hurriedly and as if they were
wearing Wellingtons full of porridge.
And here are three measures that will help you
something about it:
1 Stay across the wind. Across the wind the pull
in the sail is sideways rather than forwards so you
can lift the back foot without being catapulted
forward. You can also hang right away from the
boom to take the weight off the feet.
2 Lean forwards. It’s hard to move a foot if you’re
standing on it. To ease the back foot out of its strap,
swing the hips forwards (towards the mastfoot) and
momentarily shift the weight onto the front foot.
3 Slide. It’s not a lift and step so much as a slide
across to the inside edge. Do your best to keep the
back foot in contact with the board and make all
movements feather-light
Back foot details
There’s no exact ‘right’ place to put the foot – much
depends on the width of the board and the length
of your legs - but there are wrong places.
Too far forward = feet too close. To gybe well,
you need to be stable and you need to be able to
shift the weight from front to back foot to vary the
arc and trim the board. You can only do that if the
feet are at least shoulder width apart.
Some fall into the habit of placing the back foot right
forward on the rail next to the front one as a way to
keep the weight off the tail. It’s a dodgy way of
compensating for bending the arms, pulling the rig
back, choking the rig and losing mastfoot pressure.
Worst still, with the back foot forward, the feet will
trip over themselves during the change.
Personally I place the back foot as far back as I can
so I can feel the front edge of the back strap up
against my heel. If your ultimate aim is to head into
the surf on little boards, get used to having the foot
right back because to ride waves well, you’ll be
carving with the back foot actually in the strap.
Too far over To tilt the board, you don’t need the
back foot resting right over the inside edge. The
wider the board, the further over you need to move
the foot but if the toes are dragging in the water,
you’ll trip up.
SAIL UNHOOKED
The vital skill is to be able to unhook and sail out of
the harness for a while without dumping power and
losing speed. During a slalom race, especially if it’s
choppy, you’ll see the sailors unhooking and
preparing sometimes a 100 metres before the gybe
mark to give themselves and the board a chance to
settle. If they were to suddenly crank it over, still
maxed out with the board is flying on the fin,
explosions would follow.
By staying unhooked for 2,3,4 or 5 seconds before
carving, you establish board water contact. You can
then bank the board over without it skipping or
spinning out.
For many the act of unhooking is the trigger to gybe
because sailing out of the harness is tiring – in
which case they’re doing it wrong. You just have to
use the right muscles, which are NOT your
forearms, biceps and whichever ones make you
squeeze the boom. Hold the boom in the fingertips.
Use over-grip (palms down). Extend your arms fully.
Bend your legs, drop your backside and keep your
back straight just as if you were sitting on a low
chair. Tighten your stomach to transmit the power
efficiently through the legs and the board should
keep tracking as if nothing happened. Best of all,
this low, stable straight-arm, bent leg stance is the
best from which to enter a gybe.
Sailing out of the harness is NOT an excuse to
sheet out!
GO DEEP!
The fundamental issue with carve gybing well is that
the right speed to go into the gybe, to most people
feels too fast. They’ve been happy reaching up and down but the carve gybe is
the first time they’ve had to really bear away. The sudden power and acceleration
are unnerving and the immediate reaction is to back off and sheet out. Being on
a broad reach with the sail open and flapping in the breeze is no position from
which to try anything.
Practise sailing broad to the wind. Embrace the feeling. Make a happy
‘weeeeee’ sound like a kid sliding downhill on a sledge. With gybing in mind, as
you bear away, don’t dig in like a tug o’ war anchor man but rather give into the
rig and let it pull you forward and over the board so you feel a weight shift from
back to front foot.
Sailing broad is NOT an excuse to sheet out!
Sailing broad undefensively your centre of gravity is nearer the centre-line. You may
feel a little vulnerable but take solace in the fact that the rig does not keep pulling
when you bear away. As you accelerate, the apparent wind direction moves
forward, the power softens and that’s when you can move inboard and forward.
“Go with the flow and let the rig pull you into the turn.”
GPS TRUTH
Just recently my speed chum Whitey and I used a GPS to record speeds of
various people as they entered the gybe. The wind was 18-22 knots
(force 5).
Those who didn’t bear away but initiated the carve across the wind, started the
gybe on average at 17 knots. Those who bore away first started the gybe at 25
knots. SEVEN knots more momentum, more stability, more room for error and 7
knots more chance of ending on the plane. Case proven m’lud.
Variations
The order of play – back hand back on boom, unhook, back foot out and then
bear away – is a method which works and which is based on sound logic.
However it is not the only way. Some like to move their back foot before
unhooking. Some, especially if they’re using a wide board and/or they have
short legs, find they physically can’t get their back foot onto the inside edge
unless they bear away first.
The truth is that if you can stay sheeted in, keep the board settled and maintain
speed it doesn’t really matter in which order you do what.
“Anticipation means that you have to gybe first and then hope the board
catches up. For a moment you have to fall into nothingness. It’s a leap of faith.”
CROSSING THE LINE
When you change tacks (tack or gybe) at some point, your body has to move
from one side of the board to the other to be able to control the power on the new
tack. The earlier you make that move and cross that imaginary line over the
middle of the board, the sooner you’re in position to resist the forces of a fast turn.
In a good gybe the shoulders and hips cross the centreline as or even before
the carve begins.
In a less good gybe, the shoulders and hips never make it across the centreline
until the very last frame – and sometimes not even then.
Anticipation. Think: ‘someone is about to pull the rug from under my feet …but
I’m ready for them.’ You are going to change direction before the board. Do NOT
be a passenger. Without that mindset, the carving stage is a distant dream.
The classic mistake is to pull yourself inboard by bending your arms. The way
to get into a position to gybe is to bear away and let the increase in power pull
you forward and inboard on extended arms. ‘Bear away’ means drifting perhaps
20º off the wind by pressing ever so gently on the toes of the back foot to
engage the inside edge. It’s not a full carve. You’re just getting the teeth of the
saw to make a shallow groove before sawing the log.
FRONT SEAT AND BACK SEAT
The basic difference in the images is that one is aggressive/offensive, going with
the power and dominating the board; the other is defensive, closed, braking
hanging back with the look that whatever happens next will be a surprise.
He survived this gybe but it did finish
stationary. All the classic
misdemeanours - looking at the feet,
bending the arms not carving the
board (it’s making lots of spray but
it’s not really on an edge) - stem from
the fact that he never got forward, is
gybing from the tail with his hips over
the fin and is not controlling the nose.
Everything changes when you make
yourself the centre of the turning
circle and get the feeling of standing
in front of the tail and driving it out
behind you.
STAGE 2 -- CARVING
People lose speed, lose control or just fall off during the carving stage for two
basic reasons - they don’t hold the board on its edge and they don’t control the
nose. Both problems stem from the same failing - gybing in the back seat – i.e.
they haven’t completed stage one. They’re sitting on the tail their centre of
gravity (bottom) over the fin. The board accelerates and changes direction but
they don’t. Their weight then gets thrown onto the outside (wrong edge) from
where it’s actually impossible to keep the board banked and lean down on the
boom. With no mastfoot pressure, the first bit of chop is going to smack the
nose and launch it skywards – game over.
It’s wrong to be too specific about weight distribution as it should be a freeflowing
thing with the body moving easily between the mastfoot, front foot and
back foot to withstand the different forces thrown up by different situations (wide
gybe, tight gybe, gusts, lulls etc) but the following is the logical progression
through most carved turns.
“Think of the mastfoot as the front foot of your body. Throughout the whole
gybe up until the point of rig release, you’ll have most of the weight on your
‘front foot’ (mastfoot).”
WEIGHT ON THE MOVE
Understand from the beginning that the feet are only HALF responsible for
banking and carving the board. They control the back section of rail but
pressure through the mastfoot keeps the front section of rail engaged.
Stage 1 The carve starts with a roll forward from the front shoulder. The front
arm extends the rig forward and to the inside of the turn. As the mast inclines to
the inside, drop onto your front hand and drive your weight down through the
boom and into the mastfoot. Focus on the inside edge. When you see that the
full length is touching the water, then you’re ready to carve.
Stage 2 Let the rig pull you forward so most of your weight is going through
the mastfoot and your front foot.
Stage 3 To carve the board, you basically stand on the front foot and use it as a
platform from which to bank the board with the back foot (although on same
boards with inboard straps mountings the front foot can also bank the board).
The back leg acts like a piston extending to drive the rail into the water. You’re
NOT standing over the tail, you’re in front of it, driving it out behind you,
pushing the back foot away like you were try to scrape some doggy pooh off
your shoe.
Stage 4 At the end of the gybe, there is a positive weight shift to the back foot so
that you can rotate the front foot out of its strap onto the new (upwind) side.
“If you let the board flatten off anywhere between broad reach on one tack
and broad reach on the other, you WILL lose speed. “
I’ll let the photos do the talking and just leave you with these carving tips.
Bank the board. Yes. People get so fixated with body position that they actually
forget to put the board in its edge.
Keep off the tippy toes. If you’ve banked the board, it should come up to meet
the heels. The more foot you have in contact with the board as you carve – the
more control you have.
A continuously tightening arc. “In wide, out tight.” The old car racing mantra is
just as relevant to windsurfing. Don’t think of ‘constant pressure’ on the inside
edge but ‘constantly increasing pressure. The board should be at its steepest
angle dead downwind, the point at which most let it level off.
“If you need an incentive to really bank it over, imagine a generous sponsor
pays you by the second when they see their logo on the bottom of the board.”
Imagine the ball of your foot on a pedal above a very strong spring. You have to
keep the pedal down. If you let it off for a second, you get launched off the side.
Bent ankles. It’s very hard to bend the ankles without leaning forward – hence
this action alone gets you moving in the right direction.
Look where you want to end up. It might be around the front of the mast at the
clear water ahead. It might be through the sail at the centre of the turning circle
– anywhere but straight down at the feet.
Bend the knees. We save this old cliché until last. Bend them as much as you
think you should … and then another yard. Once they’re locked out, you can do
nothing to absorb the chop and hold the edge.
“If the board is carving level nose to tail, then
you’re storing the energy in the inside edge and will
accelerate out of the turn like a slingshot. If you’re
gybing just on the tail, you’re towing a bucket.”
THE TRANSITION (passing through the wind)
Carve gybing would be easy if you didn’t have a rig
– stupid comment in that it wouldn’t be windsurfing
– but generally it’s the rig that pulls us out of shape,
confronts us with apparently confusing forces and
stops us reacting like instinctive dynamic balancers.
The way to get to get your head round what you
should be doing with the rig, is to keep it as simple
as possible.
It’s just a motor providing forward drive. It’s NOT
producing a turning force (unless you stop half way
and need to get out of jail). Imagine therefore, that
there’s no UJ. The mast is just stuck upright in the
middle of the board so when the board banks over,
the rig backs to same angle.
In most gybing situations (apart from when you’re
over-powered), you want to present the sail to the
wind so it’s providing power through all stages of
the arc. Because the board is always turning, you
have to be constantly altering the sail angle right up
to the point where you release it.
A game of two halves
In the first half of the turn up to dead downwind,
keeping it at the right angle is relatively
straightforward. The wind naturally blows you and
rig towards the inside of the circle and helps you
commit to the turn. But when you pass through the
wind, it wants to blow you to the outside of the
circle. Lets look at the two halves.
“It’s far more effective to sheet in at the
beginning of the gybe by stretching the front
hand than by pulling the back hand. “
Sheet in?
As you bear away, the cry is “sheet in!” It’s good
but potentially confusing advice. Say ‘sheet in’ and
people think of yanking in the back hand – but that
encourages you to fall back. However, you can also
sheet in by pushing the front hand away. It’s with
the front hand that you should control the power in
the first half of the gybe.
How far you stretch out that front hand depends on
how much power you want as you bear away into
the turn.
“The rig action at the beginning of the gybe is
like turning the handlebars of a chopper
motorbike.”
If it’s easy conditions, you look to stretch the front
hand as far away as possible. The back hand
meanwhile is well down the boom and just as holds
the same position.
If it’s windy and you’re well stacked, to avoid being
hurled over the front, you have to dump a little
power by:
1 Decreasing the sail area by leaning it right down
to leeward.
2 Over-sheeting, pushing way the front hand and
pulling in the back hand a little to stall the sail
and open the leech
This sheeting in/over-sheeting lasts less than 2
seconds, the time it takes to reach dead downwind,
at which point you should already be opening the
sail out again onto the new tack.
The second half
As you turn through the wind, there’s a conflict of
forces. To keep the board carving and keep the
shoulders parallel to the boom as you sheet out
onto the new tack, you have to twist athletically at
the hips.
Coming through the wind both the rig and the
centrifugal forces of the turn are trying to hurl you to
the outside. It’s when you give into those forces that
the board levels out prematurely (or worse). Not
keeping the board carving through the wind and into
the rig and foot change is one of the greatest ways
to lose speed.
HOPEFUL TIPS INCLUDE:
Look forward and the moment the nose turns into
the same direction as the waves (i.e. dead
downwind), start to open the sail.
As you open the sail turn your head to look at the
clew. That simple move alone will get everything -
hips, shoulders etc. - moving in the right direction
and help you stay committed.
Keep the mast upright as you open it. If you let the
mast drop even 5º to leeward in the middle of the
carve gybe (as you would to steer the board in a
light wind gybe) you WILL get pulled off balance.
“At no stage during the last half of the gybe
should your hips be over the centre of the board.”
So creaming out of the gybe, in perfect shape to
change feet and rig is where I leave you this month.
Sorry to keep you on tenterhooks. The reality is that
if you have speed and form at this penultimate
stage, the last bit is straightforward.
JIMMY DIAZ INTERVIEW
He,s just taken on the role as PWA
chairman, he is a North and F2
sponsored racer and he is a key
player on the North sails test team
alongside Nik Baker and Bjorn
Dunkerbeck. A hard grafter and
conscientious employee, Jimmy Diaz
is up there with the most
knowledgeable sailors in the
business when it comes to improving
and refining sails. Born in Spain and
raised in the US Virgin Islands, Diaz
has been a part of the windsurf scene
for the past twenty years, and has a
proven track record working on the
sail development programmes for
both North Sails and Neil Pryde. The
meticulous process of discovering
the fine detail or minor modification
that gives a sail the edge over the
competition requires a sailor with a
patient, dedicated and scientific
approach. John Carter caught up with
Jimmy at his beachfront home in
Camp One Maui for an insight into
how he goes about his business.
BACKGROUND
So how did you first get involved in the
windsurfing industry?
I started windsurfing when I was twelve in the U.S.
Virgin Islands. The windsurfing scene was really big
there at the time. I got my first sponsorship with F2
when I was still at high school. I started racing after
I left high school in a few of the world tour events,
but after a couple of years I decided to go to the
University of Colorado. I did that for five years and
got my degree in electrical engineering.
So you finished your college education?
Yeah, while I was in college I continued to compete
during the summers. I still kind of had my finger on
the pulse. Every once in a while I would pick up a
windsurfing magazine and just be sick to my
stomach reading about events and seeing all the
pictures. Having already had a taste of the tour I was
really missing it. I went through a phase for about a
year and a half where I refused to look at a
windsurfing magazine. It made me so sick…I missed
it so much. I realised I was not done with it. It was
something I needed to see through. Being at college
made me realize that windsurfing was something I
wanted to do but at the same time I wanted to finish
university to get my education under my belt. I have
never used my degree directly, I have never been an
electrical engineer but I think that so much of
university is learning how to learn. It also taught me
an element of discipline. I learned a lot from it and
even though the direct application has not been
there the benefits are all there.
Were you initially hooked on the competition side
of the sport?
I tremendously enjoy competing. This is my
favourite part of the sport. I actually enjoy all the
physical training and the tuning, which is a huge
element to it. I love all the nerves and adrenaline
that competing brings. There are just times when
you are out there in places like the Canaries and its
blowing 35-40 knots…you are just buzzing…then I
think to myself this is exactly where I want to be!
TESTING TIMES
How did you start getting into testing?
It was actually through Ken Winner that I started
testing. After I graduated from university I went to
the Gorge and met up with him. We just started
sailing together and he was equally competitive and
into the racing scene at the time. We were really into
getting our gear tuned as best we could. He kind of
took me under his wing. He eventually became the
test editor for Windsurfing Magazine in the US and
asked me to help him out with it. I became
somewhat of an assistant for him. I learned a
tremendous amount from Ken. I think he is one of
the big personalities in the development of the
sport. At first we were just working for the magazine
but we were so much into racing that it was really
helping me tune my gear. That helped my racing
tremendously. I learned how to evaluate differences
in equipment and what makes things work. That
was a very valuable experience. Then an
opportunity came up with North Sails to help test on
the racing sails. That is when I moved out to Maui.
This was with Micah Buzianis, he was in charge of
the racing programme for North at the time. I
worked with him for about four years before I went
over to Pryde.
How long did you work for Pryde?
I stayed with Pryde for the next five or six years.
Originally I was hired just to race as a team rider but
slowly I was asked to help out with the development
of the race sail. It eventually progressed to the stage
where I was helping out more and more with other
sails, and before I knew I was responsible for testing
the whole range. Now I am back with North. That
came about at the beginning of 2005. There was an
opportunity there to do more of the things I wanted
with North. With Neil Pryde, the focus was mostly on
development, but then on top of that I was involved
in other things that took away a fair amount of time
on the water. It was becoming a little bit more of a
desk job. My main focus has always been first of all
to compete, and then secondly to develop what I
compete with. That translated into developing the
rest of the lines for the sail companies. With North I
had an opportunity to concentrate more on
competing and way more on the development of
the sails. It was also an opportunity to work with
some of my best friends in the industry. I was
working with Daida, Kai Hopf, Nik Baker and Micah,
who was still with North at the time. This was the
most highly motivated group of people I had ever
worked with. When Bjorn joined North, it really
made the programme complete. I had worked with
Bjorn quite a bit in the past and have known him
since I was sixteen. We did a lot of work together at
Neil Pryde and seemed to be on the same
wavelength. We see things very much eye-to-eye
development wise.
Is the testing aspect written into your contracts
aside from racing?
The testing is a major part of my deal. My value to
North is considerably greater in terms of
development rather than competing. They are
paying for my blood sweat and tears! (Laughs)
DEVELOPING A RANGE
What happens at the start of the development
programme for the next year’s range of
sails…where do you start?
The beginning point is usually the last range of
sails. The development of the sails is never really
finished. It’s a continuous process. Each season,
you kind of run out of time and you have your
deadlines when you have to put the sails into
production. That’s when you decide things are OK,
and you are done with them. Then the sails go out
into the market and you just evaluate what you have
done throughout the year. For example, with the
race sails, you sail them a lot, you tune them a lot,
and you really see what the strengths and
weaknesses are. As the year goes by you get your
ideas how to make them better and you apply them
to the following year. That goes right across the line
from the race sails through to the freeride sails. We
concentrate on making the best competition sails
out there and apply that knowledge to the freeride
and freerace sails for everybody else’s benefit.
What is your first move when you go about trying
to improve on a sail?
You look for the weaknesses on the previous years
sails. Sometimes when you are in the process of
development you find improvements, for instance,
in a wave sail and those improvements can be
applicable to a race sail. We are always trying to
improve the materials also, to make things lighter,
more durable and stronger. It is an evolutionary
thing more than everything else.
Do you take quite a scientific approach to your
testing methods?
Basically we try to be as scientific as possible. The
mast, the booms, the fins, right down to the harness
lines…it’s all very controlled. Windsurfing is actually
quite complex…the physics behind it are not the
most basic and you have to take care to isolate the
elements you are trying to test. We try to be as
meticulous as possible in the way we test, and that
way you can isolate problems and make step-bystep
improvements. Some people might find it a
little boring…to me there is an excitement to it; it’s
like in school when you were able to solve physics
or maths problems. It is the same thing with a sail, if
you are meticulous and diligent about things and
get results with your improvements, there is a
tremendous amount of satisfaction there.
I guess sometimes it is a step backwards before
you move forwards?
It is very easy to go backwards but sometimes it is a
necessary evil. For instance, with the race sail this
year we went a couple of steps backwards but then
we finished three or four steps forwards. It is a very
fine line… Sometimes we will make a prototype and
it will be worse than the current production sail but
we see elements in there that have a tremendous
amount of potential. I think the trick is recognising
those elements, going with it and allowing them to
evolve. That is what we did with the race sails this
year. We changed them around a tremendous
amount and initially we went back but we finished
quite a few steps forward.
Who do you do most of your testing with?
The development of the wave sails, the super-x sails
and the freeride/freerace sails is done with Nik Baker.
The development of the freerace and race sails is done
with Bjorn, and the Formula Sails with Seth Besse.
Basically the main testers are Nik Baker, Bjorn and
myself. The twins (Moreno) have been incorporated
into the programme quite a bit, and Cyril Moussilmani
is new to the team and he will be integrated also with
some of the race gear development.
If there is nobody around can you test on your
own and get any worthwhile results?
You can, but it is a little bit more complicated. I think
there are only two people in the whole windsurfing
industry that I would trust to test all by themselves.
That would be Bjorn and Nik. Both guys have an
unbelievable feel and understanding of how a sail
works and they have a tremendous amount of
experience developing sails. Those two guys are
the only ones that I would trust by themselves. I
don’t even trust myself to test alone; especially for
something like racing where to me it is absolutely
objective. It is a direct comparison, the sails have to
be side by side and there is no two ways about it.
Bjorn is perhaps the only one in that respect. He
can go out there by himself and really feel the
differences and get it right. I think he is that good
and that sensitive about it. In general I don’t like to
test by myself and there is usually never a need to.
Even with wave sails, which are really subjective. I
trust Nik inherently with them but I still prefer to test
alongside the other sail to be able to feel the
slightest of differences.
HARD GRAFT
With so many sails in the range to test, you have
to be on it with the wind everyday, where to
you test?
Over here in Maui and everywhere. We have done a
lot of development in Maui and Gran Canaria already
this year. In Gran Canaria we were driving round the
island quite a bit and now here on Maui we are
always looking for whatever wind there is on any
given day. You have to be pretty on it that makes it a
little bit tough because you are on call and on
standby to sail anytime, any day. Sometimes there is
just a one or two hour window of opportunity and if
you don’t catch it you don’t get anything done. If you
hustle, you get things done and you make progress,
the sails get better and the products keep evolving.
The more heart and soul you put into the job…the
better your product becomes.
What is the process when you take a sail to the
beach for a test session?
Let’s say we are testing a race sail. We will initially
go out there side by side and go as fast as we can.
We will compare them at different angles, upwind,
downwind and reaching and repeat that several
times. That will give us a clear understanding of
what’s happening with the equipment. Then we will
come back to the beach and switch sails. For
example if it was Bjorn and I, we would go back out
there and repeat what we had done with the
switched sails. We then come back to the beach
with the results. We evaluate what has happened
and then work out what we need to do to move
forward. That can involve changing battens on the
beach. I usually carry a whole batten stock and we
will just start making battens right then and there.
Sometimes it means modifying sails. We can bring a
sail back to the loft, re-cut it and have it back out on
the water within half an hour. Kai has a couple of
tricks to modify the sails right then and there. Five
minutes later we can have a luff curve change. So
we are constantly taking the sails out on the water,
evaluating them, making changes and then
progressing like that. If we can change a sail then
and there we will do it, or if we need another sail
then we send the design to the factory.
So how do you know where you are at in terms
of progression?
We keep the fastest sail as the benchmark. When
we make another one that is faster then that one
takes its place. That process continues until the
deadline and then that is the sail that goes into
production. Intermittently we go back and test
against an earlier generation sail or the previous
year’s production sail to make sure we have not
gone off on a tangent. This keeps us in line and
makes for a good system of checks and balances.
So where do all the North test sails get made?
The beauty of the system North uses, which is
something I really like compared to other brands I
have worked with, is that it is a very mobile
programme. We can be testing and developing
anywhere in the world. All the prototypes are made
at the factory in Sri Lanka. The prototypes are made
with the same materials and techniques that we use
in production. Because it is done that way, there is
no loss of translation in the eventual finished
product. The production sails are coming from the
same place the prototypes are coming from and
that is unique in the industry. Everybody else makes
their prototypes at a loft somewhere and then they
send their designs to the factory. That means they
are testing prototypes made in one place and
manufacturing in a different place. When you are
buying a North sail, you are buying the exact same
sail that we prototyped with. It is an exact replica.
There is no two ways about it. Whenever we need to
make a new prototype, Kai emails the file to Sri
Lanka and then they ship the sail to wherever we
are in the world. We can be in Maui, Gran Canaria,
Lake Garda or anywhere in the world…we have
complete mobility of where we work. We really can
take advantage of a lot of different spots and we are
not tied into one location. I think we are really
seeing the benefits of that, and our sails are working
in all conditions.
So how many sizes and ranges do you have
to test?
We make and test every single size in every range.
So we have about nine different ranges and we
have to test every increment in each one. It is a lot
of work, that is why we have to be so on it with the
wind. Whenever it is windy I am testing. It is pretty
much a full time job. There is a lot that goes into it
so I am always pretty busy. The sizes range from a
12.5m Formula rig, right down to a 3m in the small
wave sails. There are very few days where you can’t
test something. Any windy day is useful to us.
Do the boards have to be identical when you
are testing?
They don’t necessarily have to be identical. It is a
good thing when they are the same, but we are
comparing the sails. We only switch sails, we don’t
switch boards. That element of it is taken out. The
more similar the boards are however, the easier it is
to evaluate things.
WORK ETHIC
How do you work with Kai?
I get along really well with Kai. I have known him
and have been good friends for quite a few years.
Working together came very naturally for us. I enjoy
his company, his work ethic and how motivated he
is to get the best product out there. He takes a
tremendous amount of pride in his work. That is one
thing that I have found with North sails. The whole
company seems super motivated to push forward
and take the sails to another level. There is a
positive buzz of energy going on and it is a fun
working environment too.
Can Kai just listen to your comments and go
make the necessary adjustments to make a sail
how you want it?
I think part of the trick is for a designer to be able to
correlate what a tester is saying and translate that
into a design. With Kai, Nik, Bjorn, the Twins and
myself, we have all developed a language that we
are able to work with.
How much do conditions make a difference to
testing sails…for instance a gusty day against a
steady day?
It happens that we like sails one day and the next
we don’t. Usually if the conditions are a little bit ‘off’
we don’t put too much value into it. We make a note
that the sails need to be re-tested. We are really
conscious of the conditions. Testing when its perfect
steady wind isn’t always the best thing either. Bad
conditions have their value too; people don’t always
sail in perfect conditions. As long as you are
conscious of the conditions that is what matters.
There are days that you can come out of the water
and nothing feels good no matter what you are on.
Do you ever get a sail that you love and the other
guys don’t like at all?
At times there are a few differences but remarkably
with everybody that is involved, we are all on a
similar wavelength. I have never gone up to Bjorn
and said ‘This sail is it’ and have him go ‘This is
wrong buddy’. It is the same with Nik; we really
agree with each other on what we are looking for in
a sail and what direction we have to take. It has
happened in the past with other testers where we
have had complete disagreements and that is a
tough one to deal with. It can be a tricky situation.
Do you ever get regular recreational sailors to try
out your test sails?
That is something that we try to incorporate. A lot of
the time testing, we are refining the cutting edge
competition sails. We have Nik, Bjorn, Daida, Iballa
and myself to test these sails. These are highly
motivated people that have a tremendous amount of
knowledge and are very demanding of their
equipment. For the competition sails we know what
we want. When it comes to the more recreational
sails, then we know we have to look at it from a
different point of view. You take all those factors into
account. There are certain elements that you are
looking for that will apply for those particular sails.
In this respect we pay a lot of attention to the
feedback of dealers, magazines, and recreational
sailors that are quite generous with their feedback.
So with all this travel, where do you call home
these days?
My time is divided between Maui, Gran Canaria and
travelling to competitions. I actually enjoy moving
around quite a bit. I don’t like to stay put in one
particular place for too long. Going back to the
development aspect of the job, all the travel to different
spots gives us a much broader spectrum of conditions
to really develop sails that work everywhere.
Has the Gran Canaria test centre been a good
move for North?
I think it was a brilliant move. Gran Canaria and
Maui are by far the best two places in the world to
develop equipment. We are using both places and
doing our testing very thoroughly. We are using the
super strong winds of Gran Canaria and its variety
of conditions, and also all the conditions Maui has
to offer. We are really getting a huge benefit out of
that and I think it is something no other company is
doing. I think we can see that in the results we are
getting from the entire sail range.
WORKING WITH DUNKERBECK
What is it like working with Bjorn?
It is super easy. The guy is by far the most
motivated sailor out there.
Just for testing?
Just for sailing! The guy absolutely loves to sail. He
likes to go out on the water. For him sailing is an
absolute pleasure. I think that is the secret to him
winning thirty-four titles or whatever it is he has won.
He just loves to sail. When it comes to developing
sails and testing he loves to be out there. He enjoys
it and he is more knowledgeable than any other
tester I have worked with. He is really on it. He
knows his stuff.
Is he mostly into the race sails?
Not at all. He is into everything. We will go out there
and test the free ride sails and he loves that too. It
can be ten to twelve knots and we are just cruising
around on flat water and he just has a huge smile
on his face. We are out there sailing for hours. I
sometimes look at him and am amazed that he is so
happy about just cruising around in light wind and
flat water. For somebody that has won so many
titles, sailed in the windiest and radical places on it
earth with the biggest waves and harshest
conditions, it really says a lot when it is flat water
and light wind on freeride gear and he is absolutely
loving it. To me that is pretty impressive.
Who makes the ultimate decision at the end of
the year on which sails go into the range?
Ultimately Kai does. Collectively we evaluate the
products, between Nik, Bjorn and myself. We give
Kai all the recommendations and feedback but
when it comes to putting the sails in production,
ultimately it is Kai’s decision.
So with all this experience and access to the
cutting edge sails, you must be pretty tuned up
when you go to race at an event?
It helps tremendously.
You must have the best you can get?
Yes and no. In the past I have gotten so involved in
testing stuff but often I had to give the best
prototypes to another team rider. It is the same now.
Bjorn and Nik get the best sails. With the PWA
racing right now we are all on production sails so it
does not matter so much. Everybody is on the same
thing. In the past you could sail on whatever you
wanted and I would often have to give the best sails
to the top rider. There is definitely a pecking order.
The counter side to doing all the development on
the sails is that you are developing so many
different sails that sometimes you don’t actually
have time to go out and tune your own stuff. North
now have given me the opportunity and more time
to do that for my own stuff that will definitely show
when it comes time to race.
THE COMPETITION
Do you keep a close eye on Pryde, Gaastra and
Maui sails etc?
We have a very healthy respect for the competition.
Here on Maui we are all often at the same beaches
testing the next year’s sail ranges. It is a small
island. We have a lot of respect for all the
companies and keep an eye on what they are
doing. In order to be the best you have to keep an
eye out. You can’t just go off by yourself. I think the
smart thing to do is respect the competition and
don’t underestimate them. We try to work better,
more efficiently and harder than everybody else.
Again that is something with North…I am able to
spend twice as much time on development than I
did with the other companies.
Do you test against Pryde sails?
Every once in a while if we find out that one of the
competition’s sails is going really well, then we
definitely try it out. We evaluate it and see why it
seems to be working so well. I try to jump on as
much different equipment as possible.
What about when magazines test your finished
product, is that a nerve-racking time?
That is the test of your own work against the best of
everybody else’s so it can be a bit nerve-racking.
There is a tremendous amount of satisfaction when
you win a test or get a good evaluation. We are
really pleased with our test results right now. We
have been getting quite good results across our
entire sail range from numerous different
magazines. It has not been just one model or one
magazine. I think it is becoming universally
accepted that North sails are coming out with
consistently solid products.
SATISFACTION
What is the most satisfying aspect of your job?
I think the best satisfaction is when one of our sails
wins an event. In 2005 North sails did really well
across all disciplines. We had co-world champions
in racing, Bjorn was world champion in speed,
Daida was world champion in waves and freestyle,
Cheo and Golito were second and third in freestyle,
and Nik and Iballa scored second in waves. Across
the board, everybody did really well, and I would
like to think that the equipment was an integral part
of that. I also get emails from people that are stoked
with their sails and that is a great thing to hear.
Along with your roles as a competitor, a tester
and PWA chairman you can’t get too much
spare time?
It is just about time management. Surprisingly, with
everything I have on the go it is OK. I thought taking
on the whole thing with the PWA might be over the
top for me but so far it has worked really well. A lot
of things tie in together as far as the PWA is
concerned. It does take a lot of time but it is not
taking time away from my time on the water. I can do
the PWA stuff in the mornings and at night. With the
development of sails you can only do that during the
day. You have to be on it but it is quite manageable.
So finally…where do you see yourself in five
years time?
What are you…my high school counselor? Five
years time! Who knows…although the one thing I
am sure of is that I will still be out there on the water
and hopefully North will have the best windsurfing
sails in the world!
chairman, he is a North and F2
sponsored racer and he is a key
player on the North sails test team
alongside Nik Baker and Bjorn
Dunkerbeck. A hard grafter and
conscientious employee, Jimmy Diaz
is up there with the most
knowledgeable sailors in the
business when it comes to improving
and refining sails. Born in Spain and
raised in the US Virgin Islands, Diaz
has been a part of the windsurf scene
for the past twenty years, and has a
proven track record working on the
sail development programmes for
both North Sails and Neil Pryde. The
meticulous process of discovering
the fine detail or minor modification
that gives a sail the edge over the
competition requires a sailor with a
patient, dedicated and scientific
approach. John Carter caught up with
Jimmy at his beachfront home in
Camp One Maui for an insight into
how he goes about his business.
BACKGROUND
So how did you first get involved in the
windsurfing industry?
I started windsurfing when I was twelve in the U.S.
Virgin Islands. The windsurfing scene was really big
there at the time. I got my first sponsorship with F2
when I was still at high school. I started racing after
I left high school in a few of the world tour events,
but after a couple of years I decided to go to the
University of Colorado. I did that for five years and
got my degree in electrical engineering.
So you finished your college education?
Yeah, while I was in college I continued to compete
during the summers. I still kind of had my finger on
the pulse. Every once in a while I would pick up a
windsurfing magazine and just be sick to my
stomach reading about events and seeing all the
pictures. Having already had a taste of the tour I was
really missing it. I went through a phase for about a
year and a half where I refused to look at a
windsurfing magazine. It made me so sick…I missed
it so much. I realised I was not done with it. It was
something I needed to see through. Being at college
made me realize that windsurfing was something I
wanted to do but at the same time I wanted to finish
university to get my education under my belt. I have
never used my degree directly, I have never been an
electrical engineer but I think that so much of
university is learning how to learn. It also taught me
an element of discipline. I learned a lot from it and
even though the direct application has not been
there the benefits are all there.
Were you initially hooked on the competition side
of the sport?
I tremendously enjoy competing. This is my
favourite part of the sport. I actually enjoy all the
physical training and the tuning, which is a huge
element to it. I love all the nerves and adrenaline
that competing brings. There are just times when
you are out there in places like the Canaries and its
blowing 35-40 knots…you are just buzzing…then I
think to myself this is exactly where I want to be!
TESTING TIMES
How did you start getting into testing?
It was actually through Ken Winner that I started
testing. After I graduated from university I went to
the Gorge and met up with him. We just started
sailing together and he was equally competitive and
into the racing scene at the time. We were really into
getting our gear tuned as best we could. He kind of
took me under his wing. He eventually became the
test editor for Windsurfing Magazine in the US and
asked me to help him out with it. I became
somewhat of an assistant for him. I learned a
tremendous amount from Ken. I think he is one of
the big personalities in the development of the
sport. At first we were just working for the magazine
but we were so much into racing that it was really
helping me tune my gear. That helped my racing
tremendously. I learned how to evaluate differences
in equipment and what makes things work. That
was a very valuable experience. Then an
opportunity came up with North Sails to help test on
the racing sails. That is when I moved out to Maui.
This was with Micah Buzianis, he was in charge of
the racing programme for North at the time. I
worked with him for about four years before I went
over to Pryde.
How long did you work for Pryde?
I stayed with Pryde for the next five or six years.
Originally I was hired just to race as a team rider but
slowly I was asked to help out with the development
of the race sail. It eventually progressed to the stage
where I was helping out more and more with other
sails, and before I knew I was responsible for testing
the whole range. Now I am back with North. That
came about at the beginning of 2005. There was an
opportunity there to do more of the things I wanted
with North. With Neil Pryde, the focus was mostly on
development, but then on top of that I was involved
in other things that took away a fair amount of time
on the water. It was becoming a little bit more of a
desk job. My main focus has always been first of all
to compete, and then secondly to develop what I
compete with. That translated into developing the
rest of the lines for the sail companies. With North I
had an opportunity to concentrate more on
competing and way more on the development of
the sails. It was also an opportunity to work with
some of my best friends in the industry. I was
working with Daida, Kai Hopf, Nik Baker and Micah,
who was still with North at the time. This was the
most highly motivated group of people I had ever
worked with. When Bjorn joined North, it really
made the programme complete. I had worked with
Bjorn quite a bit in the past and have known him
since I was sixteen. We did a lot of work together at
Neil Pryde and seemed to be on the same
wavelength. We see things very much eye-to-eye
development wise.
Is the testing aspect written into your contracts
aside from racing?
The testing is a major part of my deal. My value to
North is considerably greater in terms of
development rather than competing. They are
paying for my blood sweat and tears! (Laughs)
DEVELOPING A RANGE
What happens at the start of the development
programme for the next year’s range of
sails…where do you start?
The beginning point is usually the last range of
sails. The development of the sails is never really
finished. It’s a continuous process. Each season,
you kind of run out of time and you have your
deadlines when you have to put the sails into
production. That’s when you decide things are OK,
and you are done with them. Then the sails go out
into the market and you just evaluate what you have
done throughout the year. For example, with the
race sails, you sail them a lot, you tune them a lot,
and you really see what the strengths and
weaknesses are. As the year goes by you get your
ideas how to make them better and you apply them
to the following year. That goes right across the line
from the race sails through to the freeride sails. We
concentrate on making the best competition sails
out there and apply that knowledge to the freeride
and freerace sails for everybody else’s benefit.
What is your first move when you go about trying
to improve on a sail?
You look for the weaknesses on the previous years
sails. Sometimes when you are in the process of
development you find improvements, for instance,
in a wave sail and those improvements can be
applicable to a race sail. We are always trying to
improve the materials also, to make things lighter,
more durable and stronger. It is an evolutionary
thing more than everything else.
Do you take quite a scientific approach to your
testing methods?
Basically we try to be as scientific as possible. The
mast, the booms, the fins, right down to the harness
lines…it’s all very controlled. Windsurfing is actually
quite complex…the physics behind it are not the
most basic and you have to take care to isolate the
elements you are trying to test. We try to be as
meticulous as possible in the way we test, and that
way you can isolate problems and make step-bystep
improvements. Some people might find it a
little boring…to me there is an excitement to it; it’s
like in school when you were able to solve physics
or maths problems. It is the same thing with a sail, if
you are meticulous and diligent about things and
get results with your improvements, there is a
tremendous amount of satisfaction there.
I guess sometimes it is a step backwards before
you move forwards?
It is very easy to go backwards but sometimes it is a
necessary evil. For instance, with the race sail this
year we went a couple of steps backwards but then
we finished three or four steps forwards. It is a very
fine line… Sometimes we will make a prototype and
it will be worse than the current production sail but
we see elements in there that have a tremendous
amount of potential. I think the trick is recognising
those elements, going with it and allowing them to
evolve. That is what we did with the race sails this
year. We changed them around a tremendous
amount and initially we went back but we finished
quite a few steps forward.
Who do you do most of your testing with?
The development of the wave sails, the super-x sails
and the freeride/freerace sails is done with Nik Baker.
The development of the freerace and race sails is done
with Bjorn, and the Formula Sails with Seth Besse.
Basically the main testers are Nik Baker, Bjorn and
myself. The twins (Moreno) have been incorporated
into the programme quite a bit, and Cyril Moussilmani
is new to the team and he will be integrated also with
some of the race gear development.
If there is nobody around can you test on your
own and get any worthwhile results?
You can, but it is a little bit more complicated. I think
there are only two people in the whole windsurfing
industry that I would trust to test all by themselves.
That would be Bjorn and Nik. Both guys have an
unbelievable feel and understanding of how a sail
works and they have a tremendous amount of
experience developing sails. Those two guys are
the only ones that I would trust by themselves. I
don’t even trust myself to test alone; especially for
something like racing where to me it is absolutely
objective. It is a direct comparison, the sails have to
be side by side and there is no two ways about it.
Bjorn is perhaps the only one in that respect. He
can go out there by himself and really feel the
differences and get it right. I think he is that good
and that sensitive about it. In general I don’t like to
test by myself and there is usually never a need to.
Even with wave sails, which are really subjective. I
trust Nik inherently with them but I still prefer to test
alongside the other sail to be able to feel the
slightest of differences.
HARD GRAFT
With so many sails in the range to test, you have
to be on it with the wind everyday, where to
you test?
Over here in Maui and everywhere. We have done a
lot of development in Maui and Gran Canaria already
this year. In Gran Canaria we were driving round the
island quite a bit and now here on Maui we are
always looking for whatever wind there is on any
given day. You have to be pretty on it that makes it a
little bit tough because you are on call and on
standby to sail anytime, any day. Sometimes there is
just a one or two hour window of opportunity and if
you don’t catch it you don’t get anything done. If you
hustle, you get things done and you make progress,
the sails get better and the products keep evolving.
The more heart and soul you put into the job…the
better your product becomes.
What is the process when you take a sail to the
beach for a test session?
Let’s say we are testing a race sail. We will initially
go out there side by side and go as fast as we can.
We will compare them at different angles, upwind,
downwind and reaching and repeat that several
times. That will give us a clear understanding of
what’s happening with the equipment. Then we will
come back to the beach and switch sails. For
example if it was Bjorn and I, we would go back out
there and repeat what we had done with the
switched sails. We then come back to the beach
with the results. We evaluate what has happened
and then work out what we need to do to move
forward. That can involve changing battens on the
beach. I usually carry a whole batten stock and we
will just start making battens right then and there.
Sometimes it means modifying sails. We can bring a
sail back to the loft, re-cut it and have it back out on
the water within half an hour. Kai has a couple of
tricks to modify the sails right then and there. Five
minutes later we can have a luff curve change. So
we are constantly taking the sails out on the water,
evaluating them, making changes and then
progressing like that. If we can change a sail then
and there we will do it, or if we need another sail
then we send the design to the factory.
So how do you know where you are at in terms
of progression?
We keep the fastest sail as the benchmark. When
we make another one that is faster then that one
takes its place. That process continues until the
deadline and then that is the sail that goes into
production. Intermittently we go back and test
against an earlier generation sail or the previous
year’s production sail to make sure we have not
gone off on a tangent. This keeps us in line and
makes for a good system of checks and balances.
So where do all the North test sails get made?
The beauty of the system North uses, which is
something I really like compared to other brands I
have worked with, is that it is a very mobile
programme. We can be testing and developing
anywhere in the world. All the prototypes are made
at the factory in Sri Lanka. The prototypes are made
with the same materials and techniques that we use
in production. Because it is done that way, there is
no loss of translation in the eventual finished
product. The production sails are coming from the
same place the prototypes are coming from and
that is unique in the industry. Everybody else makes
their prototypes at a loft somewhere and then they
send their designs to the factory. That means they
are testing prototypes made in one place and
manufacturing in a different place. When you are
buying a North sail, you are buying the exact same
sail that we prototyped with. It is an exact replica.
There is no two ways about it. Whenever we need to
make a new prototype, Kai emails the file to Sri
Lanka and then they ship the sail to wherever we
are in the world. We can be in Maui, Gran Canaria,
Lake Garda or anywhere in the world…we have
complete mobility of where we work. We really can
take advantage of a lot of different spots and we are
not tied into one location. I think we are really
seeing the benefits of that, and our sails are working
in all conditions.
So how many sizes and ranges do you have
to test?
We make and test every single size in every range.
So we have about nine different ranges and we
have to test every increment in each one. It is a lot
of work, that is why we have to be so on it with the
wind. Whenever it is windy I am testing. It is pretty
much a full time job. There is a lot that goes into it
so I am always pretty busy. The sizes range from a
12.5m Formula rig, right down to a 3m in the small
wave sails. There are very few days where you can’t
test something. Any windy day is useful to us.
Do the boards have to be identical when you
are testing?
They don’t necessarily have to be identical. It is a
good thing when they are the same, but we are
comparing the sails. We only switch sails, we don’t
switch boards. That element of it is taken out. The
more similar the boards are however, the easier it is
to evaluate things.
WORK ETHIC
How do you work with Kai?
I get along really well with Kai. I have known him
and have been good friends for quite a few years.
Working together came very naturally for us. I enjoy
his company, his work ethic and how motivated he
is to get the best product out there. He takes a
tremendous amount of pride in his work. That is one
thing that I have found with North sails. The whole
company seems super motivated to push forward
and take the sails to another level. There is a
positive buzz of energy going on and it is a fun
working environment too.
Can Kai just listen to your comments and go
make the necessary adjustments to make a sail
how you want it?
I think part of the trick is for a designer to be able to
correlate what a tester is saying and translate that
into a design. With Kai, Nik, Bjorn, the Twins and
myself, we have all developed a language that we
are able to work with.
How much do conditions make a difference to
testing sails…for instance a gusty day against a
steady day?
It happens that we like sails one day and the next
we don’t. Usually if the conditions are a little bit ‘off’
we don’t put too much value into it. We make a note
that the sails need to be re-tested. We are really
conscious of the conditions. Testing when its perfect
steady wind isn’t always the best thing either. Bad
conditions have their value too; people don’t always
sail in perfect conditions. As long as you are
conscious of the conditions that is what matters.
There are days that you can come out of the water
and nothing feels good no matter what you are on.
Do you ever get a sail that you love and the other
guys don’t like at all?
At times there are a few differences but remarkably
with everybody that is involved, we are all on a
similar wavelength. I have never gone up to Bjorn
and said ‘This sail is it’ and have him go ‘This is
wrong buddy’. It is the same with Nik; we really
agree with each other on what we are looking for in
a sail and what direction we have to take. It has
happened in the past with other testers where we
have had complete disagreements and that is a
tough one to deal with. It can be a tricky situation.
Do you ever get regular recreational sailors to try
out your test sails?
That is something that we try to incorporate. A lot of
the time testing, we are refining the cutting edge
competition sails. We have Nik, Bjorn, Daida, Iballa
and myself to test these sails. These are highly
motivated people that have a tremendous amount of
knowledge and are very demanding of their
equipment. For the competition sails we know what
we want. When it comes to the more recreational
sails, then we know we have to look at it from a
different point of view. You take all those factors into
account. There are certain elements that you are
looking for that will apply for those particular sails.
In this respect we pay a lot of attention to the
feedback of dealers, magazines, and recreational
sailors that are quite generous with their feedback.
So with all this travel, where do you call home
these days?
My time is divided between Maui, Gran Canaria and
travelling to competitions. I actually enjoy moving
around quite a bit. I don’t like to stay put in one
particular place for too long. Going back to the
development aspect of the job, all the travel to different
spots gives us a much broader spectrum of conditions
to really develop sails that work everywhere.
Has the Gran Canaria test centre been a good
move for North?
I think it was a brilliant move. Gran Canaria and
Maui are by far the best two places in the world to
develop equipment. We are using both places and
doing our testing very thoroughly. We are using the
super strong winds of Gran Canaria and its variety
of conditions, and also all the conditions Maui has
to offer. We are really getting a huge benefit out of
that and I think it is something no other company is
doing. I think we can see that in the results we are
getting from the entire sail range.
WORKING WITH DUNKERBECK
What is it like working with Bjorn?
It is super easy. The guy is by far the most
motivated sailor out there.
Just for testing?
Just for sailing! The guy absolutely loves to sail. He
likes to go out on the water. For him sailing is an
absolute pleasure. I think that is the secret to him
winning thirty-four titles or whatever it is he has won.
He just loves to sail. When it comes to developing
sails and testing he loves to be out there. He enjoys
it and he is more knowledgeable than any other
tester I have worked with. He is really on it. He
knows his stuff.
Is he mostly into the race sails?
Not at all. He is into everything. We will go out there
and test the free ride sails and he loves that too. It
can be ten to twelve knots and we are just cruising
around on flat water and he just has a huge smile
on his face. We are out there sailing for hours. I
sometimes look at him and am amazed that he is so
happy about just cruising around in light wind and
flat water. For somebody that has won so many
titles, sailed in the windiest and radical places on it
earth with the biggest waves and harshest
conditions, it really says a lot when it is flat water
and light wind on freeride gear and he is absolutely
loving it. To me that is pretty impressive.
Who makes the ultimate decision at the end of
the year on which sails go into the range?
Ultimately Kai does. Collectively we evaluate the
products, between Nik, Bjorn and myself. We give
Kai all the recommendations and feedback but
when it comes to putting the sails in production,
ultimately it is Kai’s decision.
So with all this experience and access to the
cutting edge sails, you must be pretty tuned up
when you go to race at an event?
It helps tremendously.
You must have the best you can get?
Yes and no. In the past I have gotten so involved in
testing stuff but often I had to give the best
prototypes to another team rider. It is the same now.
Bjorn and Nik get the best sails. With the PWA
racing right now we are all on production sails so it
does not matter so much. Everybody is on the same
thing. In the past you could sail on whatever you
wanted and I would often have to give the best sails
to the top rider. There is definitely a pecking order.
The counter side to doing all the development on
the sails is that you are developing so many
different sails that sometimes you don’t actually
have time to go out and tune your own stuff. North
now have given me the opportunity and more time
to do that for my own stuff that will definitely show
when it comes time to race.
THE COMPETITION
Do you keep a close eye on Pryde, Gaastra and
Maui sails etc?
We have a very healthy respect for the competition.
Here on Maui we are all often at the same beaches
testing the next year’s sail ranges. It is a small
island. We have a lot of respect for all the
companies and keep an eye on what they are
doing. In order to be the best you have to keep an
eye out. You can’t just go off by yourself. I think the
smart thing to do is respect the competition and
don’t underestimate them. We try to work better,
more efficiently and harder than everybody else.
Again that is something with North…I am able to
spend twice as much time on development than I
did with the other companies.
Do you test against Pryde sails?
Every once in a while if we find out that one of the
competition’s sails is going really well, then we
definitely try it out. We evaluate it and see why it
seems to be working so well. I try to jump on as
much different equipment as possible.
What about when magazines test your finished
product, is that a nerve-racking time?
That is the test of your own work against the best of
everybody else’s so it can be a bit nerve-racking.
There is a tremendous amount of satisfaction when
you win a test or get a good evaluation. We are
really pleased with our test results right now. We
have been getting quite good results across our
entire sail range from numerous different
magazines. It has not been just one model or one
magazine. I think it is becoming universally
accepted that North sails are coming out with
consistently solid products.
SATISFACTION
What is the most satisfying aspect of your job?
I think the best satisfaction is when one of our sails
wins an event. In 2005 North sails did really well
across all disciplines. We had co-world champions
in racing, Bjorn was world champion in speed,
Daida was world champion in waves and freestyle,
Cheo and Golito were second and third in freestyle,
and Nik and Iballa scored second in waves. Across
the board, everybody did really well, and I would
like to think that the equipment was an integral part
of that. I also get emails from people that are stoked
with their sails and that is a great thing to hear.
Along with your roles as a competitor, a tester
and PWA chairman you can’t get too much
spare time?
It is just about time management. Surprisingly, with
everything I have on the go it is OK. I thought taking
on the whole thing with the PWA might be over the
top for me but so far it has worked really well. A lot
of things tie in together as far as the PWA is
concerned. It does take a lot of time but it is not
taking time away from my time on the water. I can do
the PWA stuff in the mornings and at night. With the
development of sails you can only do that during the
day. You have to be on it but it is quite manageable.
So finally…where do you see yourself in five
years time?
What are you…my high school counselor? Five
years time! Who knows…although the one thing I
am sure of is that I will still be out there on the water
and hopefully North will have the best windsurfing
sails in the world!
Tushingham Lightning 8.5m
The Lightning has been re-worked for the 2006 to
incorporate Tushingham’s new Airframe concept,
intended to lock stability into the sail whilst using
the least material and reinforcement necessary,
thereby reducing its overall physical weight.
Available in seven sizes, from 6.0m to 10.3m, it is
designed to combine high-end performance with
early planing and easy rigging, giving it a wide
wind range and a very user-friendly nature.
Including seven battens and two large roller
cams, the second batten down from the head
has been extended fractionally, making the leech
profile a little bulbous in the head. The build
quality of the Lightning is excellent, with all the
latest detailing in place, whilst the layout of the
battens alternates from side to side as you
advance up the sail, intended to make its profile
symmetrical on both tacks.
Rigging and Set
Proving straightforward to rig, the cams of the
Lightning remain on the mast once it is sheathed
up the luff tube, enabling the downhaul to be
applied smoothly. There is loads of progressive
twist along the length of the sail’s leech, giving it
masses of tuning range, whilst the moderate
profile impressively keeps its depth and remains
locked in place irrespective of the tension applied.
Ride and Handling
Light and balanced in the hands at rest, the
Lightning’s centre of effort is low but relatively far
back in the draft, offering a good deal of useable
feedback in marginal conditions. Sensing the
slightest increase in wind, the sail delivers a smooth
surge of power through both hands, enabling the
rider to put it to great effect through pumping to unstick
the board from the water in no time. Once
planing, the Lightning is keen to settle into a
comfortable locked in stance whilst accelerating to
an impressive speed. There is a large amount of
area underneath the boom, helping to keep the
mast upright as the sail is raked back, driving the
board forwards at all times. With an excellent range
on one setting, the Lightning handles variable wind
conditions superbly, cruising efficiently through lulls
and pushing more power into the board through the
gusts to help pin it down. In overpowering
environments, the sail can be retuned with more
tension to open the leech up further and increase
the amount of twist, exhausting power well, although
we did experience significant leech flutter in the top
two panels. Using the 8.5m in transition, it provides
plenty of power to drive into the turn confidently,
remaining composed and dependable in the hands
and allowing the rider to reposition it easily before
the cams rotate smoothly onto the new tack.
For: Wind range, easy handling, all-round
performance and user range.
Against: Tack fairing could be extended to cover
the UJ.
incorporate Tushingham’s new Airframe concept,
intended to lock stability into the sail whilst using
the least material and reinforcement necessary,
thereby reducing its overall physical weight.
Available in seven sizes, from 6.0m to 10.3m, it is
designed to combine high-end performance with
early planing and easy rigging, giving it a wide
wind range and a very user-friendly nature.
Including seven battens and two large roller
cams, the second batten down from the head
has been extended fractionally, making the leech
profile a little bulbous in the head. The build
quality of the Lightning is excellent, with all the
latest detailing in place, whilst the layout of the
battens alternates from side to side as you
advance up the sail, intended to make its profile
symmetrical on both tacks.
Rigging and Set
Proving straightforward to rig, the cams of the
Lightning remain on the mast once it is sheathed
up the luff tube, enabling the downhaul to be
applied smoothly. There is loads of progressive
twist along the length of the sail’s leech, giving it
masses of tuning range, whilst the moderate
profile impressively keeps its depth and remains
locked in place irrespective of the tension applied.
Ride and Handling
Light and balanced in the hands at rest, the
Lightning’s centre of effort is low but relatively far
back in the draft, offering a good deal of useable
feedback in marginal conditions. Sensing the
slightest increase in wind, the sail delivers a smooth
surge of power through both hands, enabling the
rider to put it to great effect through pumping to unstick
the board from the water in no time. Once
planing, the Lightning is keen to settle into a
comfortable locked in stance whilst accelerating to
an impressive speed. There is a large amount of
area underneath the boom, helping to keep the
mast upright as the sail is raked back, driving the
board forwards at all times. With an excellent range
on one setting, the Lightning handles variable wind
conditions superbly, cruising efficiently through lulls
and pushing more power into the board through the
gusts to help pin it down. In overpowering
environments, the sail can be retuned with more
tension to open the leech up further and increase
the amount of twist, exhausting power well, although
we did experience significant leech flutter in the top
two panels. Using the 8.5m in transition, it provides
plenty of power to drive into the turn confidently,
remaining composed and dependable in the hands
and allowing the rider to reposition it easily before
the cams rotate smoothly onto the new tack.
For: Wind range, easy handling, all-round
performance and user range.
Against: Tack fairing could be extended to cover
the UJ.
Making Light Work
Ezzy Infinity 8.5m
The largest sail in most recreational quivers was a 7.5m just five years ago,
especially for those that windsurfed predominantly at the coast. Go much
beyond that and the sail soon became a bit of a brute to handle, feeling
large and cumbersome and requiring the will of an ox to drive convincingly
into a gybe. By contrast, today’s 8.5m is a veritable stroll in the park,
feeling balanced and crisp in the hands across a wide wind range.
A NEW BREED
The role and function of an 8.5m sail can be broken down into three main
sections: it has to be early to plane; it has to be user-friendly to rig and handle,
and it has to have range.
Intended as the largest sail in the quiver the 8.5m is bought primarily to get a
board up and planing as quickly and as early as possible. For all but the
professional racer, there is no point in purchasing a sail this large that doesn’t
have good bottom end potential – it is just a pointless exercise.
Secondly, it has to be easy to rig and tune, whilst being relatively light and
practical to manoeuvre on the water. If a sail is time consuming to rig correctly,
you will be less inclined to use it or make the mad dash after work to get that
cheeky sail in before dusk. This is especially true of cammed sails, which have a
reputation for being difficult to rig. With a little guidance and the right know-how
however, these twin cams can be just as straightforward to put on their masts as
a standard no-cam freeride foil. (In each sail write-up on the next few pages, a
At a Glance
The Infinity is Ezzy’s second sail series,
complimenting the Wave SE as their powerful flatwater
foil. It comes with two cams, one placed
either side of the boom, the upper cam capable of
being removed to give the sail “the ease of rotation
of a no-cam sail”, although this was not tried during
the test. Using the brand’s ‘universal’ system, the
cams can be adjust to fit any mast diameter
perfectly, whilst the battens utilise the Endo-Batten
construction method, ensuring the sail’s symmetry
on both tacks. Incorporating the same materials
found in the SE, the Infinity is certainly built to last,
including a vinyl window and Spectra reinforced xply
throughout its panels, eliminating the use of any
monofilm. A superbly well finished and detailed
sail, everything about it has been meticulously
scrutinized, making it ooze quality.
Rigging and Set
Rigged on an RDM mast, the Infinity’s cams sleeve
onto the mast easily and remained in place during
downhaul, the use of a pulley-hook recommended
in conjunction with the tack eyelet. With a smaller
tack fairing to that found on the SE, the eyelet was
easy to access, whilst the visual trimming aid
displayed on the upper panel was very effective
and helpful. Like last year, the Infinity has
absolutely masses of camber in its profile, locked
well forward in the draft, with evidence of shape
even up to the fifth batten. Offering a large natural
brief description is given on how to rig and set the sail, explaining any possible
tip or hint that we discovered.) Once on the water, if a large sail is heavy or
cumbersome to use, it will detract from your sailing pleasure whilst undoubtedly
affecting the performance of the board. A poor handling rig can make the most
incredible board feel like a barn door.
And finally, to fulfil its role aptly, an 8.5m must have range. Whilst a deep profile
is key to providing that bottom-end power and grunt, the stability of its centre of
effort will determine how enjoyable it is to use as the wind increases. The UK, as
with most of Europe, relies largely on weather systems to provide the ideal
sailing environment, which in turn offer dramatically variable wind strengths; one
minute comfortable cruising can be the order of the day, the next a squall
comes over, catapulting the wind strength up 15knots. A modern windsurfing
sail has to cope with these fluctuations, either through their tuneable or natural
range, to satisfy the rightfully demanding rider. It’s quite a tall order…
WAKE UP... AND CATCH THAT SEA BREEZE!
Luckily, many of these sails are up to the task! Easy to rig; surprisingly light and
balanced in the hands; plenty of useable bottom end power and the stability to
boot … these 8.5m are a clear improvement yet again on their predecessors of
last year. What is more, with their reduced weight and practicality, they can be
used to power even smaller boards. If more time on the water is what you are
looking for, perhaps this is a good place to start.
range on one setting, the two top panels fall away
well, whereas the mid-leech remains relatively tight.
In addition there is a tack strap on the foot of the
sail, used to help tension the lower panels and lock
the sail’s stability in place.
Ride and Handling
Whilst its boom and luff increments are standard for
its size, the Infinity’s concave leech profile gives it a
very tall appearance on the water, making it stand
out from the crowd. At rest its deep pronounced
camber does make it rather heavy in the hands,
providing a solid constant pull at all times. However,
with a positive approach, that power can be put to
great use, the Infinity responding very well to
pumping and generating an impressive amount of
bottom end drive, un-sticking the most stubborn
board. Once on the plane and gaining speed the
sail locks into a comfortable stance becoming
lighter and more manageable in the hands, the
boom raked back at an ideal angle to help control
it. As the wind strengthens, the Infinity’s stability is
realised, never pulling the rider’s stance out of
shape, even in the most severe gusts. With every
increase in power, the rider is simply encouraged to
drop their weight and drive the energy into the
board, pushing those that are willing to greater
speeds. In transition the sail provides all the power
to drive into the turn convincingly, although any
loss in speed will be met with its solid handling
returning, making it heavy to reposition before the
cams rotate with force. (This sensation is
particularly noticeable in the tack.)
For: Masses of stability, giving this solid
powerhouse a huge wind range.
Against: Has a heavy nature when not powered,
and be prepared for its powerful rotation.
Naish Redline 8.2m
The Redline is new to the Naish range for 2006,
described as their “dedicated race/slalom sail for
real world sailors”. The 8.2m is the second
largest in the range and includes three of the
brand’s SNAPCAMs, two above the boom and
one below. A direct descendent of the record
breaking Stealth, Naish believe it offers
uncompromising performance with a combination
of easy rigging and handling. Under closer
inspection it is clear that special effort has been
made to reduce the physical weight of the
Redline without compromising its durability. For
example, there are two types of material used in
the luff tube – a more durable material from the
boom cut-out down, and a lightweight cloth
above the boom where less abrasion occurs.
Whilst finer detailing is still present in features
such as a universal ‘strap on’ to keep the sail
rolled, other items have been minimised where
they are deemed not necessary, giving the
Redline a clean, functional appearance.
Rigging and Set
The easiest method of rigging the Redline was to
sleeve the mast next to the cams, applying
downhaul pressure and attaching the boom before
popping the inducers on. Once set, the camber in
the sail is very secure with no give or movement at
all. It has a moderate to deep profile placed well
forward in the draft, the bottom batten also providing
plenty of shape low down in the sail. Whilst
incorporating a roller pulley in the tack to help explore
its good tuning range, the Redline takes a significant
amount of downhaul tension on its maximum setting,
using outhaul to fine tune the power delivery.
Ride and Handling
Light and balanced in the hands at idle, the
Redline feels smaller than its quoted area would
suggest, when you use it for the first time, such is
its crisp handling. Nevertheless, as a gust hits, the
Redline translates its energy efficiently to power
and transfers it directly to the board, bypassing the
rider. With masses of stability locked forward in its
draft, the sail is very useful for pumping,
generating precise surges of power that help to
punch stubborn boards out of the water. Once on
the plane, it accelerates positively feeling sharp
and responsive in the hands; you can really feel it
step up a gear with each gust and would do very
well partnered with a large efficient slalom board.
With a good natural range, it doesn’t lose its
composure as the wind strengthens, capable of
being locked down to continually driving the board
forward through the back foot. Cutting a clean path
through the air on every point of sail, the Redline is
a very rewarding sail to use, twisting off smoothly
without any hint of leech flutter. In transition the
Redline’s light handling and precise power makes
it easy to redirect and position, the cams rotating
cleanly onto the new tack.
For: Light crisp precise handling coupled with
excellent all-round performance.
Against: Less detailing than we expected.
North Sails R-Type 8.5m
The R-Type is North’s cammed sail, designed for
use with freeride and modern widestyle boards to
make the most of marginal planing conditions.
Using a combination of two of the brand’s wellengineered
Hyper-cams and their box battens,
designer Kai Hopf has made the sail as physically
light as he can without compromising its stability,
to push its range as much as possible.
Incorporating all the details you would expect
from a North sail, it is a superbly finished sail,
including abrasion pads on the head cap and
batten ends, seam-beading and x-ply in the foot
for increased durability, and zip pockets for both
cams. Also, each of the six sizes available in the
series (6.0m-9.5m) can be set on a 460cm mast,
making it very practical for the recreational sailor.
Rigging and Set
The R-Type is capable of being rigged very easily
using a number of different methods. You can
sheath the mast through the cams initially and
simply apply downhaul tension, the Hyper-cams
usually remaining in place without persuasion. If
they do pop off however, continue to apply much
of the downhaul tension before attaching the
boom and then re-positioning the cams onto the
mast. Whilst requiring some significant downhaul
and outhaul tension, the sail has a good tuning
range, the VTS aids being very helpful and
accurate, including the harness line version on the
main panel. With a deep camber to its profile
placed well forward in the draft, the R-Type’s leech
falls away progressively.
Ride and Handling
On the water the R-Type was an excellent all-round
performer across a wide wind range, capable of
partnering any board type to make the most of
marginal conditions. Generating a great deal of
constant low down drive, it transfers its energy
effortlessly to the board, forcing it forward and out
of the water as early as possible. It is also very
pumpable in light airs, its deep stable profile
scooping large pockets of air with each motion to
provide very positive useable feedback in the
hands. Once going, the sail accelerates smoothly
becoming lighter and more precise to handle, the
raked boom angle helping to lock it down into a
comfortable cruising stance. Feeling efficient as it
cuts through the air, it accelerates in gusts and
glides through lulls, providing the impetus to cover
distance with ease. As the wind increases, the RType’s
natural range on one setting is impressive,
keeping its composure and driving power into the
board. In overpowered conditions it does become
backhanded, but can be tensioned further to open
the leech more and extend the amount of twist
present, helping to keep the centre of effort locked
forward. In the gybe, the R-Type drives into the turn
positively, the low-down power comfortable to use
and direct without pulling the rider’s stance out of
shape, although under maximum tension we did
find the bottom cam got stuck a little whilst rotating.
For: Wide performance range and ease of set from
a quality sail.
Against: Bottom cam sticks whilst rotating under
maximum tension.
The largest sail in most recreational quivers was a 7.5m just five years ago,
especially for those that windsurfed predominantly at the coast. Go much
beyond that and the sail soon became a bit of a brute to handle, feeling
large and cumbersome and requiring the will of an ox to drive convincingly
into a gybe. By contrast, today’s 8.5m is a veritable stroll in the park,
feeling balanced and crisp in the hands across a wide wind range.
A NEW BREED
The role and function of an 8.5m sail can be broken down into three main
sections: it has to be early to plane; it has to be user-friendly to rig and handle,
and it has to have range.
Intended as the largest sail in the quiver the 8.5m is bought primarily to get a
board up and planing as quickly and as early as possible. For all but the
professional racer, there is no point in purchasing a sail this large that doesn’t
have good bottom end potential – it is just a pointless exercise.
Secondly, it has to be easy to rig and tune, whilst being relatively light and
practical to manoeuvre on the water. If a sail is time consuming to rig correctly,
you will be less inclined to use it or make the mad dash after work to get that
cheeky sail in before dusk. This is especially true of cammed sails, which have a
reputation for being difficult to rig. With a little guidance and the right know-how
however, these twin cams can be just as straightforward to put on their masts as
a standard no-cam freeride foil. (In each sail write-up on the next few pages, a
At a Glance
The Infinity is Ezzy’s second sail series,
complimenting the Wave SE as their powerful flatwater
foil. It comes with two cams, one placed
either side of the boom, the upper cam capable of
being removed to give the sail “the ease of rotation
of a no-cam sail”, although this was not tried during
the test. Using the brand’s ‘universal’ system, the
cams can be adjust to fit any mast diameter
perfectly, whilst the battens utilise the Endo-Batten
construction method, ensuring the sail’s symmetry
on both tacks. Incorporating the same materials
found in the SE, the Infinity is certainly built to last,
including a vinyl window and Spectra reinforced xply
throughout its panels, eliminating the use of any
monofilm. A superbly well finished and detailed
sail, everything about it has been meticulously
scrutinized, making it ooze quality.
Rigging and Set
Rigged on an RDM mast, the Infinity’s cams sleeve
onto the mast easily and remained in place during
downhaul, the use of a pulley-hook recommended
in conjunction with the tack eyelet. With a smaller
tack fairing to that found on the SE, the eyelet was
easy to access, whilst the visual trimming aid
displayed on the upper panel was very effective
and helpful. Like last year, the Infinity has
absolutely masses of camber in its profile, locked
well forward in the draft, with evidence of shape
even up to the fifth batten. Offering a large natural
brief description is given on how to rig and set the sail, explaining any possible
tip or hint that we discovered.) Once on the water, if a large sail is heavy or
cumbersome to use, it will detract from your sailing pleasure whilst undoubtedly
affecting the performance of the board. A poor handling rig can make the most
incredible board feel like a barn door.
And finally, to fulfil its role aptly, an 8.5m must have range. Whilst a deep profile
is key to providing that bottom-end power and grunt, the stability of its centre of
effort will determine how enjoyable it is to use as the wind increases. The UK, as
with most of Europe, relies largely on weather systems to provide the ideal
sailing environment, which in turn offer dramatically variable wind strengths; one
minute comfortable cruising can be the order of the day, the next a squall
comes over, catapulting the wind strength up 15knots. A modern windsurfing
sail has to cope with these fluctuations, either through their tuneable or natural
range, to satisfy the rightfully demanding rider. It’s quite a tall order…
WAKE UP... AND CATCH THAT SEA BREEZE!
Luckily, many of these sails are up to the task! Easy to rig; surprisingly light and
balanced in the hands; plenty of useable bottom end power and the stability to
boot … these 8.5m are a clear improvement yet again on their predecessors of
last year. What is more, with their reduced weight and practicality, they can be
used to power even smaller boards. If more time on the water is what you are
looking for, perhaps this is a good place to start.
range on one setting, the two top panels fall away
well, whereas the mid-leech remains relatively tight.
In addition there is a tack strap on the foot of the
sail, used to help tension the lower panels and lock
the sail’s stability in place.
Ride and Handling
Whilst its boom and luff increments are standard for
its size, the Infinity’s concave leech profile gives it a
very tall appearance on the water, making it stand
out from the crowd. At rest its deep pronounced
camber does make it rather heavy in the hands,
providing a solid constant pull at all times. However,
with a positive approach, that power can be put to
great use, the Infinity responding very well to
pumping and generating an impressive amount of
bottom end drive, un-sticking the most stubborn
board. Once on the plane and gaining speed the
sail locks into a comfortable stance becoming
lighter and more manageable in the hands, the
boom raked back at an ideal angle to help control
it. As the wind strengthens, the Infinity’s stability is
realised, never pulling the rider’s stance out of
shape, even in the most severe gusts. With every
increase in power, the rider is simply encouraged to
drop their weight and drive the energy into the
board, pushing those that are willing to greater
speeds. In transition the sail provides all the power
to drive into the turn convincingly, although any
loss in speed will be met with its solid handling
returning, making it heavy to reposition before the
cams rotate with force. (This sensation is
particularly noticeable in the tack.)
For: Masses of stability, giving this solid
powerhouse a huge wind range.
Against: Has a heavy nature when not powered,
and be prepared for its powerful rotation.
Naish Redline 8.2m
The Redline is new to the Naish range for 2006,
described as their “dedicated race/slalom sail for
real world sailors”. The 8.2m is the second
largest in the range and includes three of the
brand’s SNAPCAMs, two above the boom and
one below. A direct descendent of the record
breaking Stealth, Naish believe it offers
uncompromising performance with a combination
of easy rigging and handling. Under closer
inspection it is clear that special effort has been
made to reduce the physical weight of the
Redline without compromising its durability. For
example, there are two types of material used in
the luff tube – a more durable material from the
boom cut-out down, and a lightweight cloth
above the boom where less abrasion occurs.
Whilst finer detailing is still present in features
such as a universal ‘strap on’ to keep the sail
rolled, other items have been minimised where
they are deemed not necessary, giving the
Redline a clean, functional appearance.
Rigging and Set
The easiest method of rigging the Redline was to
sleeve the mast next to the cams, applying
downhaul pressure and attaching the boom before
popping the inducers on. Once set, the camber in
the sail is very secure with no give or movement at
all. It has a moderate to deep profile placed well
forward in the draft, the bottom batten also providing
plenty of shape low down in the sail. Whilst
incorporating a roller pulley in the tack to help explore
its good tuning range, the Redline takes a significant
amount of downhaul tension on its maximum setting,
using outhaul to fine tune the power delivery.
Ride and Handling
Light and balanced in the hands at idle, the
Redline feels smaller than its quoted area would
suggest, when you use it for the first time, such is
its crisp handling. Nevertheless, as a gust hits, the
Redline translates its energy efficiently to power
and transfers it directly to the board, bypassing the
rider. With masses of stability locked forward in its
draft, the sail is very useful for pumping,
generating precise surges of power that help to
punch stubborn boards out of the water. Once on
the plane, it accelerates positively feeling sharp
and responsive in the hands; you can really feel it
step up a gear with each gust and would do very
well partnered with a large efficient slalom board.
With a good natural range, it doesn’t lose its
composure as the wind strengthens, capable of
being locked down to continually driving the board
forward through the back foot. Cutting a clean path
through the air on every point of sail, the Redline is
a very rewarding sail to use, twisting off smoothly
without any hint of leech flutter. In transition the
Redline’s light handling and precise power makes
it easy to redirect and position, the cams rotating
cleanly onto the new tack.
For: Light crisp precise handling coupled with
excellent all-round performance.
Against: Less detailing than we expected.
North Sails R-Type 8.5m
The R-Type is North’s cammed sail, designed for
use with freeride and modern widestyle boards to
make the most of marginal planing conditions.
Using a combination of two of the brand’s wellengineered
Hyper-cams and their box battens,
designer Kai Hopf has made the sail as physically
light as he can without compromising its stability,
to push its range as much as possible.
Incorporating all the details you would expect
from a North sail, it is a superbly finished sail,
including abrasion pads on the head cap and
batten ends, seam-beading and x-ply in the foot
for increased durability, and zip pockets for both
cams. Also, each of the six sizes available in the
series (6.0m-9.5m) can be set on a 460cm mast,
making it very practical for the recreational sailor.
Rigging and Set
The R-Type is capable of being rigged very easily
using a number of different methods. You can
sheath the mast through the cams initially and
simply apply downhaul tension, the Hyper-cams
usually remaining in place without persuasion. If
they do pop off however, continue to apply much
of the downhaul tension before attaching the
boom and then re-positioning the cams onto the
mast. Whilst requiring some significant downhaul
and outhaul tension, the sail has a good tuning
range, the VTS aids being very helpful and
accurate, including the harness line version on the
main panel. With a deep camber to its profile
placed well forward in the draft, the R-Type’s leech
falls away progressively.
Ride and Handling
On the water the R-Type was an excellent all-round
performer across a wide wind range, capable of
partnering any board type to make the most of
marginal conditions. Generating a great deal of
constant low down drive, it transfers its energy
effortlessly to the board, forcing it forward and out
of the water as early as possible. It is also very
pumpable in light airs, its deep stable profile
scooping large pockets of air with each motion to
provide very positive useable feedback in the
hands. Once going, the sail accelerates smoothly
becoming lighter and more precise to handle, the
raked boom angle helping to lock it down into a
comfortable cruising stance. Feeling efficient as it
cuts through the air, it accelerates in gusts and
glides through lulls, providing the impetus to cover
distance with ease. As the wind increases, the RType’s
natural range on one setting is impressive,
keeping its composure and driving power into the
board. In overpowered conditions it does become
backhanded, but can be tensioned further to open
the leech more and extend the amount of twist
present, helping to keep the centre of effort locked
forward. In the gybe, the R-Type drives into the turn
positively, the low-down power comfortable to use
and direct without pulling the rider’s stance out of
shape, although under maximum tension we did
find the bottom cam got stuck a little whilst rotating.
For: Wide performance range and ease of set from
a quality sail.
Against: Bottom cam sticks whilst rotating under
maximum tension.
Tiga Free-X 135
Length (cm) 246
Width (cm) 73
Vol (L) 135
Weight (Kg) 10.35
Fin Tiga Freerdie 42cm (Deep Tuttle)
Sail Range 6.0-8.5m
Price £769.00
LARGE FREERIDE BOARD TEST
The from Tiga was designed primarily to
‘put the fun back into boarding’ offering a range of
three boards, the 135 being the middle sibling. More
conventional than the Hyper-X designs, they are
larger volume wise, with more length and rocker
scoop, intended for improved ease and glide over the
water’s surface whilst making the ride exciting and
rewarding. The 135 has a very rounded plan shape,
its maximum width located around the board’s
midpoint before tapering smoothly down to the tail. It
is a very interesting design with a lot of detail on both
its hull and deck, whilst its profile is quite chunky
throughout, possessing a lot of rocker flat before
ending in sudden nose kick. The underside displays a
great deal of shape including pronounced double
concave along much of the board’s length, especially
in the shoulders, before finishing with well-defined vee
in the tail. Not to be outdone, the deck boasts a
concaved deck around the mast track to become flat
between the straps with pronounced dome on the
tail’s edges, and including a couple of scoops behind
the back straps. Constructed in carbon sandwich
technology, the Free-X is relatively heavy at 10.35kg
and comes supplied with a 42cm fin and very
adjustable yet firm straps.
Ride and Handling
Due to its weight, the Tiga’s progression onto the
plane is steady rather than spontaneous, ideally being
partnered with a powerful bottom-end oriented sail.
Once going it has a very easy smooth manner through
the water, picking up speed as it releases steadily.
Comfortable being sailed at half-speed, the tail retains
good contact with the water, making the board very
controllable and responsive to alterations in foot
pressure. As such the 135 is accommodating and
dependable for the intermediate, the training strap
positions ideal for a rider new to a planing
environment. Place the straps in their outboard
settings and the board has a new lease of life when
fully powered, the fin supplying extra lift to raise the
board further out of the water. In comfortably powered
conditions, the Tiga proved to have an excellent turn
of speed especially off the wind. The shoulders of the
board sit quite low to the water, whilst the nose kick at
the end makes the board seem to hunt around slightly,
giving it quite a lively, energetic nature. The deckpads
are firm underfoot as are the footstraps, giving the
board quite a direct and involving ride, which may well
unnerve the inexperienced, making it rather tiring to
sail. The more proficient sailor will relish this feedback
however, allowing them to lock out their stance and
drive the board off its fin, and explore its range. In
heavy chop, the 135 does require more concentration
to trim correctly, the shoulders catching and creating
quite a bit of spray if care is not taken.
Manoeuvres
It is in the gybe that the Free-X really shows its
worth, cutting a supremely smooth and confident
turn, whilst showing a great deal of versatility to the
carving angle it can adopt. With momentum behind
it, the weight of the 135 didn’t seem to affect it in the
slightest, holding its speed through the corner well,
its concave deck providing the stability upon exit.
Likewise in the tack, the Tiga carves up to the eye of
the wind easily and gives the rider plenty of time to
complete the manoeuvre.
For: Gybing versatility and performance with an
exciting nature.
Against: Not the earliest to plane, and sensitive to
trim in choppy conditions.
Width (cm) 73
Vol (L) 135
Weight (Kg) 10.35
Fin Tiga Freerdie 42cm (Deep Tuttle)
Sail Range 6.0-8.5m
Price £769.00
LARGE FREERIDE BOARD TEST
The from Tiga was designed primarily to
‘put the fun back into boarding’ offering a range of
three boards, the 135 being the middle sibling. More
conventional than the Hyper-X designs, they are
larger volume wise, with more length and rocker
scoop, intended for improved ease and glide over the
water’s surface whilst making the ride exciting and
rewarding. The 135 has a very rounded plan shape,
its maximum width located around the board’s
midpoint before tapering smoothly down to the tail. It
is a very interesting design with a lot of detail on both
its hull and deck, whilst its profile is quite chunky
throughout, possessing a lot of rocker flat before
ending in sudden nose kick. The underside displays a
great deal of shape including pronounced double
concave along much of the board’s length, especially
in the shoulders, before finishing with well-defined vee
in the tail. Not to be outdone, the deck boasts a
concaved deck around the mast track to become flat
between the straps with pronounced dome on the
tail’s edges, and including a couple of scoops behind
the back straps. Constructed in carbon sandwich
technology, the Free-X is relatively heavy at 10.35kg
and comes supplied with a 42cm fin and very
adjustable yet firm straps.
Ride and Handling
Due to its weight, the Tiga’s progression onto the
plane is steady rather than spontaneous, ideally being
partnered with a powerful bottom-end oriented sail.
Once going it has a very easy smooth manner through
the water, picking up speed as it releases steadily.
Comfortable being sailed at half-speed, the tail retains
good contact with the water, making the board very
controllable and responsive to alterations in foot
pressure. As such the 135 is accommodating and
dependable for the intermediate, the training strap
positions ideal for a rider new to a planing
environment. Place the straps in their outboard
settings and the board has a new lease of life when
fully powered, the fin supplying extra lift to raise the
board further out of the water. In comfortably powered
conditions, the Tiga proved to have an excellent turn
of speed especially off the wind. The shoulders of the
board sit quite low to the water, whilst the nose kick at
the end makes the board seem to hunt around slightly,
giving it quite a lively, energetic nature. The deckpads
are firm underfoot as are the footstraps, giving the
board quite a direct and involving ride, which may well
unnerve the inexperienced, making it rather tiring to
sail. The more proficient sailor will relish this feedback
however, allowing them to lock out their stance and
drive the board off its fin, and explore its range. In
heavy chop, the 135 does require more concentration
to trim correctly, the shoulders catching and creating
quite a bit of spray if care is not taken.
Manoeuvres
It is in the gybe that the Free-X really shows its
worth, cutting a supremely smooth and confident
turn, whilst showing a great deal of versatility to the
carving angle it can adopt. With momentum behind
it, the weight of the 135 didn’t seem to affect it in the
slightest, holding its speed through the corner well,
its concave deck providing the stability upon exit.
Likewise in the tack, the Tiga carves up to the eye of
the wind easily and gives the rider plenty of time to
complete the manoeuvre.
For: Gybing versatility and performance with an
exciting nature.
Against: Not the earliest to plane, and sensitive to
trim in choppy conditions.
Tabou Rocket 74
Length (cm) 245
Width (cm) 74
Vol (L) 140
Weight (Kg) 8.70
Fin Tabou Freeride 48cm (Power)
Sail Range 6.0-9.0m
Price £799.00/£1049.00
The 74 is new to the Rocket series for 2006, filling
the gap between the 69 and 80 well. It comes
available in standard (glass sandwich with carbon
reinforcements) or limited (carbon sandwich)
construction as the one tested here, being one of
just a hundred produced and weighing in at an
impressive 8.70kg. With a very rounded nose shape
holding lots of width and volume up front, the outline
then tapers rapidly from the front straps to become
relatively narrow in the tail. On the underside, the
board takes a very conventional shape, the amount
of vee progressively increasing to become
pronounced in the tail. The rails also adopt a very
straightforward form, hard up to the board’s
midpoint before tucking gradually to the nose. Whilst
the deck is flat in the nose and around the mast
track, the tail is smoothly domed, and looking at its
profile, the 74 has a lot of rocker flat, with only a
slight amount of nose lift before ending in
appreciable nose kick. Supplied with Tabou’s heavyduty
straps and a 48cm fin, it a very well finished
and attractive looking board.
Ride and Handling
Feeling large and stable, the 74 sits poised underfoot
at rest, capable of taking a 9.0m without complaint. In
this group of boards, it stands alone as the earliest
planing here, releasing from the water stunningly well
as soon as there is the slightest hint of enough power.
Simply gliding up onto the plane, it does all the hard
work for the rider, trimming itself effortlessly and
skimming over any chop. The ride is very clean and
efficient, the board’s shoulders keeping clear of danger
whilst the rider’s ankles remain dry. Using the
corresponding footstrap plugs for the front and back
foot, the stance given is quite wide, which may seem
uncomfortable to the smaller sailor at first, yet once you
have adapted to it has the major benefit of providing a
lot of control over the board. Covering distance with
ease and capable of pointing at impressive angles, the
74 responds well to the provision of more power, the
rider able to load the fin confidently, securing their heel
against the edge of the back deckpad. In overpowered
conditions, it does reach a top speed that it can’t
accelerate beyond, giving the others in the group a
chance to catch up. Immensely enjoyable to use for
long periods, it is a true light-wind machine, combining
ease of use and performance. This Limited
construction is very light, and would only be advisable
for the experienced rider, yet in the standard, tougher
construction, with its well-positioned training strap
options the 74 has masses of user appeal.
Manoeuvres
With such control and confidence in the fin’s ability
in a straight-line, when it comes to the gybe the rider
cant help but feel inspired to plough the Tabou into
the turn to see how it handles. And the answer is …
superbly! Capable of adapting to any style or
carving angle, it holds to the inside of the corner
beautifully, cutting through choppy water easily and
feeling much smaller underfoot than its quoted
volume would suggest. In the tack the 74’s wide
voluminous nose gives the rider masses of time and
room to get round the front, which is very welcoming
when carrying large sails.
For: Ease and practicality, offering high quality
performance that is easy to tap into. Fantastically
early planing in marginal winds.
Against: Performance of this Ltd version comes at
a price, and less careful sailors would be advised to
go for the more durable standard double sandwich
construction.
Width (cm) 74
Vol (L) 140
Weight (Kg) 8.70
Fin Tabou Freeride 48cm (Power)
Sail Range 6.0-9.0m
Price £799.00/£1049.00
The 74 is new to the Rocket series for 2006, filling
the gap between the 69 and 80 well. It comes
available in standard (glass sandwich with carbon
reinforcements) or limited (carbon sandwich)
construction as the one tested here, being one of
just a hundred produced and weighing in at an
impressive 8.70kg. With a very rounded nose shape
holding lots of width and volume up front, the outline
then tapers rapidly from the front straps to become
relatively narrow in the tail. On the underside, the
board takes a very conventional shape, the amount
of vee progressively increasing to become
pronounced in the tail. The rails also adopt a very
straightforward form, hard up to the board’s
midpoint before tucking gradually to the nose. Whilst
the deck is flat in the nose and around the mast
track, the tail is smoothly domed, and looking at its
profile, the 74 has a lot of rocker flat, with only a
slight amount of nose lift before ending in
appreciable nose kick. Supplied with Tabou’s heavyduty
straps and a 48cm fin, it a very well finished
and attractive looking board.
Ride and Handling
Feeling large and stable, the 74 sits poised underfoot
at rest, capable of taking a 9.0m without complaint. In
this group of boards, it stands alone as the earliest
planing here, releasing from the water stunningly well
as soon as there is the slightest hint of enough power.
Simply gliding up onto the plane, it does all the hard
work for the rider, trimming itself effortlessly and
skimming over any chop. The ride is very clean and
efficient, the board’s shoulders keeping clear of danger
whilst the rider’s ankles remain dry. Using the
corresponding footstrap plugs for the front and back
foot, the stance given is quite wide, which may seem
uncomfortable to the smaller sailor at first, yet once you
have adapted to it has the major benefit of providing a
lot of control over the board. Covering distance with
ease and capable of pointing at impressive angles, the
74 responds well to the provision of more power, the
rider able to load the fin confidently, securing their heel
against the edge of the back deckpad. In overpowered
conditions, it does reach a top speed that it can’t
accelerate beyond, giving the others in the group a
chance to catch up. Immensely enjoyable to use for
long periods, it is a true light-wind machine, combining
ease of use and performance. This Limited
construction is very light, and would only be advisable
for the experienced rider, yet in the standard, tougher
construction, with its well-positioned training strap
options the 74 has masses of user appeal.
Manoeuvres
With such control and confidence in the fin’s ability
in a straight-line, when it comes to the gybe the rider
cant help but feel inspired to plough the Tabou into
the turn to see how it handles. And the answer is …
superbly! Capable of adapting to any style or
carving angle, it holds to the inside of the corner
beautifully, cutting through choppy water easily and
feeling much smaller underfoot than its quoted
volume would suggest. In the tack the 74’s wide
voluminous nose gives the rider masses of time and
room to get round the front, which is very welcoming
when carrying large sails.
For: Ease and practicality, offering high quality
performance that is easy to tap into. Fantastically
early planing in marginal winds.
Against: Performance of this Ltd version comes at
a price, and less careful sailors would be advised to
go for the more durable standard double sandwich
construction.
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