The final candidates
seem to be mistral OneDesign longboard (again) or
Boards & More Prodigy-Light or Neil Pryde RS-X hybrid. The following report relates to the
recommendation to the ISAF by an evaluation committee. Next month, the windsurfing council at the
ISAF meeting will make a decision as to what they will be recommend to the IOC
concerning the equipment for 2008.
Images and specs for
the Neil Pryde RS-X hybrid can be seen at http://members.rogers.com/matthewsian/isaf_ws_trials_uk.pdf
… tune in next month …
---
ISAF Windsurfer
Evaluation Trials - Report for Council (
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of the
September Selection Trials was to select the best windsurfing Equipment for the
2008 Olympic regatta, and for other associated events. Suppliers were required
to present complete packages.
The four day Trials
took place at two GBR venues:
- Hayling Islaand Sailing Club, which provided salt
water, tidal and wave sailing in winds between 12 and 25 knots;
- Queen Mary Sailing Club, which provideed flat water inland sailing in winds
between 6 and 14 knots.
The 14 test sailors
represented a good cross-section of racing windsurfer sailors. Standards ranged
from Olympic medalists to Youth Squad sailors; weight from 60kg to 100kg; and
sailor experience covered both Formula and long-boards.
PRIMARY
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. There should be a
change of windsurfing equipment for the 2008 Olympic regatta. This will revitalise windsurfing, from Olympic level to club racer
and recreational sailor. The sailors want it – not one of the evaluation
sailors ranked the current IMCO longboard as most
suitable. There is now a new generation of boards available, a new board has
already been chosen for U15 windsurfing, and Olympic windsurfing should lead,
not lag this evolution.
2. The new Olympic board should be the
Neil Pryde RS-X, with the following equipment
rules:
- 2 sails, with maximum
areas of 9.5 & 8.5m2 (men) and 8.5 & 8.0m2 (women)
- 2 fins, one maximum
depth 65cm and the other shorter for slalom racing.
Two sail areas have been specified to allow for slalom racing, and for racing
from 5 to 30 knots.
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Trial Equipment and
Supplier Presentations
Neil Pryde confirmed it would supply equipment for the 2008
Olympic Regatta.
All suppliers could
start production promptly. Those that were already in production could do so
immediately; those that were not yet in production would take one to two months
longer.
All equipment
presented was of production quality, and provided good windsurfing sailing and
racing. The range of the equipment highlighted different approaches for equipment
designed to provide modern, exciting, all-round windsurfing racing that:
- combines light wind sailability with exciting planing performance;
- can be sailed from typical regatta loccations;
- can race in 5-30 knots (starting wind)).
Bic Sport Techno 293
Olympic is a refinement of an existing production board, based on the design
that has recently been chosen as the Aloha replacement for U15 windsurfing.
Boards & More
“Prodigy-Light” is a development of the existing Mistral Prodigy design. The
weight is reduced through use of carbon fibre in
place of some glass fibre, and the fin and centreboard lengthened. The hull has a central (half-width)
flat planing surface, and very soft chines.
PD Olympias
is a refinement of the PD Project presented at Torbole.
The hull has a very slight V-shape and raised bow, and the stern has deep,
V-shaped cut-outs.
Exocet Open 310 is a
refinement of the Exocet presented at Torbole. It is a radical development of the longboard with a kayak-style bow.
Neil Pryde RS-X is a new, flat
Formula-like hull with centreboard and carefully
designed rails to assist with light weather performance.
Starboard Z-class is a
hybrid-style hull with centreboard. It has
Formula-like aft sections and V-shaped bow.
Sailors’ Evaluation
and Panel Conclusions
All boards presented
delivered good performance in the range of conditions encountered. Minor
changes could be made to improve all equipment presented, and will be required
of the chosen equipment. All suppliers have plans to productise
their equipment, and it is very positive that, through the two Trials, a new
generation of fleet-racing boards has evolved.
The range of rigs
presented highlighted the scope for further rig development. It was agreed that
carbon booms, and easily adjustable rigs, were required.
The sailors were asked
at the end of the Trials to rank the boards. They scored two boards approximately level and clearly ahead
of the rest: the Boards & More Prodigy-Light and the Neil Pryde RS-X.
Sailors were
separately asked to rank the current IMCO Olympic board against the six Trial
boards. No sailor ranked IMCO in first place. IMCO was ranked between 2nd and
4th, averaging 3rd.
The Panel agreed with
the sailors’ evaluation: the Boards
& More Prodigy-Light and the Neil Pryde RS-X were
the best two boards, and both would be good windsurfing equipment for the next
Olympic quadrennium.
The Panel recommends
the Neil Pryde RS-X ahead of the Boards & More
Prodigy-Light as Olympic equipment for the following reasons:
1. The Neil Pryde RS-X excited the sailors more and
displayed the demanding and high performance characteristics required of
Olympic equipment. It felt faster and lighter, and required and rewarded skill
and technique. In contrast the Prodigy-Light was really easy to sail, well
balanced in all conditions, but not as exciting, and not as technical.
2. The Neil Pryde RS-X is more modern, displayed more
potential and has more scope for future evolution, whereas the Prodigy-Light is
a lighter version of an existing well-established design.
Manufacturers were
requested to estimate prices ex tax for one board and one rig package:
Neil Pryde RS-X €2,900 – Prodigy Light € 2,660 - IMCO
One design €2,070
The Panel also observes
that the range of equipment represented a real step forward for windsurfing.
The BIC Techno is clearly an excellent choice as the U15 board; the
Prodigy-Light offers fine, well-rounded performance; the Exocet
showed great potential as a fast racing board especially for light wind
locations; and the Starboard and PD Project both offered exciting all-round
performance.
Other Recommendations
Board Construction: the Olympic board should be
manufactured using sandwich construction. A non-Olympic ASA-construction
version of the Neil Pryde RS-X could be produced by
Cobra or BIC.
Equipment Development:
it would be normal for this chosen Olympic equipment to develop in the same way
that other Olympic equipment develops. Any rule or specification changes should
be submitted to ISAF for consideration in the normal way. It is anticipated
that the manufacturing specification of the sail will be refined during 2005
and 2006 for approval by ISAF.
Equipment Choice for
Future Olympics: in future Olympic cycles, the choice of board should be made
at the November conference 4 years before the Olympic regatta.
Slalom ladder: two
slalom ladder competitions should be scheduled as two of the “races” in the
Olympic regatta. Slalom should be sailed in winds of 7-15 knots using the
smaller rig and fins.
Race every day: to maximise the likelihood of completing the Olympic regatta
in Quindaou, racing should be scheduled for every day
with lay days inserted if racing is ahead of the schedule.
Colour on sails: Windsurfing is the most visually exciting form of
sailing. The sails should have enough colour
to make boards clearly visible and distinguishable. Reinforcement patches, tape
etc should be coloured wherever appropriate.
Rich Jeffries,
Evaluation Panel Chairman -
-----------------
|
INTERNATIONAL RACEBOARD CLASS -2005 and beyond Posted On: |
|
The Raceboard
class is proposing a change in class rules to reflect a change of policy:
this will be submitted to ISAF for approval this November after the AGM in |
--------------------
Boards News - ISAF OLYMPIC WINDSURFING EQUIPMENT EVALUATION
EVENT - ptIII
Date:
Part III of the Windsurfing Evaluation event was held from 16-19 September in
the south of
© ISAF
The ISAF Council at their mid-year meetings in June
called for the trials, where the ISAF Evaluation Panel's proposals of a Hybrid
development class were rejected. Instead, the Evaluation Panel were instructed to properly evaluate the potential of the
Hybrid class and to recommend a one-design piece of equipment from the trials
for use at the 2008 Olympics in
In order to fully test the equipment over a wide range of wind and water
conditions, the trials were held at both Hayling
Island Sailing Club and Queen Mary Sailing Club.
Of the boards that the Evaluation Panel had tested in Torbole
at the previous trials, all of the designs had been modified over the past
months, with the only addition to the group being the BiC
Techno 293D, which had been absent at Torbole.
The final list of entrants were;
BiC Sport - Techno 293D
Boards and More – Prodigy (Light)
Exocet – Flying Fish
Neil Pryde – Olympic Hybrid
PD Project – Olympias
Starboard – Z-Class (one-design)
The first two days of testing were to be conducted at Hayling
Island from the 16-17 September. The forecast for Hayling
was for a 15 knot SW breeze for Thursday which would build to a 20-25 knot wind
on Friday. This offered the Evaluation Panel the perfect opportunity to test
the boards in wind and waves that are so often present at many of the Olympic
Classes Grade 1 events.
ISAF had arranged for 18 different sailors to attend, some team riders
nominated by the teams and others who were interested to see what equipment the
next Olympics could be raced upon. The sailors represented six different
nations which were
The Hybrid class tries to bring together the best of the different racing
disciplines within the windsurfing world. The boards are a loose mix of a longboard and a Formula board with many showing the width
and rocker profiles of Formula board to promote early planning and top high
speeds. Others concentrated more on the light wind performance, using
innovative bow designs to try and increase water-line length and reduce drag
through the water. Generally the boards represented the Formula type of sailing
so many of the sailors with longboard backgrounds had
to learn a different type of sailing style for the trials.
Thursday saw a loose structure of testing take place, giving the sailors the
chance to sail and tune the equipment to the conditions. Boards and sailors
were split up into a Men’s and a Women’s fleet. The Men’s fleet were looked
after by Mike Gebhardt (USA) of the Evaluation Panel,
whilst Jorunn Horgen (NOR)
of the Windsurfing Committee and the Evaluation Panel took care of the Women’s
fleet.
Both fleets were then split up again into pairs, with two sailors tuning up
against each other and looking at the boards' performance on a variety of
angles and sailing characteristics before returning to the club and switching
equipment.
All boards proved to be fast and easy to handle upwind in the 15 knot winds and
chop, showing good speed and height. No one board proved to be exceptional as
speeds would differ as one would catch a gust and accelerate past others and
then vice versa.
Downwind, again all boards proved easy to handle with the exception of the Exocet, whose canoe type bow proved hard to control in the
waves and was prone to violent pitch-poling. It was
the Formula type boards of the Neil Pryde and PD
Project that showed the most promise in the conditions. Also the new Prodigy
showed well and was popular amongst the sailors at the end of testing.
After all the boards had been tested and rotated amongst all of the pairs, both
fleets combined to hold some informal racing to end the day. Two quick races
were held compromising of a windward / leeward lap of about 500m legs. With
racing held within the harbour, the true speed of the
board could be seen as they whizzed around in 18-20 knot gusts and flat water.
In the gusty and shifty conditions, it was a mixture of boards that showed in
the results as with the conditions it was more a case of sailing ability then
true board performance that came through.
The after race de-brief that was held with the sailors confirmed what the
Evaluation panel had seen on the water with many of the comments showing that
the PD Project, Neil Pryde and Prodigy were amongst
the more popular designs. Sailors also confirmed that whilst one of the better
boards to sail upwind, and also one of the quicker boards, the Exocet was too much of a handfull
for the waves downwind.
Day two came with a forecast of 15-20 knots increasing with gusts of 25 knots
expected.
With another full rotation organised, the testing was
to differ slightly with all 6 boards lined up in each fleet and being tested
against each other at the same time. Another factor that the Evaluation Panel
wanted to look at was how high up the wind range could the 10sq m sails be
used.
Initially all boards were sailing almost equally upwind and downwind in the
18-20 knot breeze. However, once the tide turned, the conditions worsened
considerably with a gusts of 25 knots blowing against
the 2 knot current, creating massive 2m breaking seas across the sandbar at the
entrance of the harbour. In these survival
conditions, the men were only just hanging onto the 10sq m sails and the boards
quickly became un-sailable. Most of the boards managed to get back to shore
without assistance. Some incredible wipe-outs were witnessed as sails and
boards did not all come through unscathed, with Dan Ellis (GBR) providing the
best of the entertainment, flying through the sail of the Exocet
in a spectacular crash.
Having sailed for four hours in the testing conditions, all of the sailors were
exhausted and sailing then finished for the day. All of the boards and sails
were de-rigged and packed, ready for the move up to Queen Mary Sailing Club the
next morning.
Day three saw a convoy of rental vans going up the M3 to
By the time the sailors had got rigged and ready to go, the breeze had already
dropped to around 10-12 knots which allowed the boards to be tested in marginal
planning conditions. Here is where the development of the boards shone through
with all of the boards easily getting onto the plane upwind and downwind and
showing excellent sailing characteristics.
Testing was based around a figure-of-eight slalom course with boards being
started at different intervals to avoid damage due to keenness at mark roundings. Slalom has never been tried before at the
Olympics and the Evaluation Panel has recommended its inclusion into the format
for Windsurfing to try to increase the spectator appeal of the sport and to try
to modernise the format. All of the sailors welcomed
this idea and relished the chance to show off some excellent carve gybing and reaching skills.
Following on from the slalom, another couple of informal races were held. As at
For Saturday night, ISAF hosted a dinner for all of the sailors and
manufacturers to thank all for attending and for putting so much effort into
the trials for evaluating new equipment for 2008.
With the forecast of a building breeze for Sunday, and still wishing to
concentrate on light wind sailing, the Evaluation Panel set a start time of
09.30. With the wind already blowing around 8-10 knots the sailors had to go to
the very top of the reservoir to find sheltered conditions and a gusty 5-8 knot
breeze. Here further fleet testing was carried out with the Evaluation Panel
observing all of the performances of the boards. Even in these winds, the
boards were easy to rail and get onto the plane in the gusts and sailed upwind
at good angles and speed. Downwind the sailors would have to pump a little to
get the board going but then would be able to track downwind nicely with good
speed, with the board often popping onto the plane again.
By 13.00, the Evaluation Panel decided that they had enough information and had
seen the boards over an adequate variation of conditions to make their
conclusions.
All of the sailors were gathered for a final de-brief with the Evaluation Panel
to discuss each of the boards and to talk about the performances seen both at
Queen Mary and
The Evaluation Panel now have the task of sorting through all of the
information and trying to select the best possible overall package to recommend
to the ISAF Council in November. The official report on the trials from the
Evaluation panel will be available within three weeks and posted on the ISAF
website.
ISAF would like to thank all of the staff at Hayling
Island Sailing Club and Queen Marys Sailing Club as
well as all of the sailors, manufacturers and visitors who gave up their time
to make the trials a success.
More Information: www.sailing.org
===================================================================================
IWA White Paper -
"ROUTE MAP" TO THE SELECTION OF THE 2008 OLYMPIC EQUIPMENT
AIM
The aim of this report is to
a) define the IWA (and thus its membership) recommendations on the selection of
Olympic windsurfing equipment to be used at the Olympic Regattas of 2008 &
2012;
b) to ensure that windsurfing retaining its Olympic status for both men and
women;
c) and that the most appropriate equipment is put forward by the IWA for
selection by the MNAs. This report therefore aims to
set out criteria and a design brief so that an additional development path be considered in parallel with the current IMCO and FW
formats. The development path herewith proposed would allow the ISAF to
consider a wider choice of alternatives in the light of the critical factors
highlighted in the background section.
KEY ISSUES
a) It is very important that the majority of MNAs
agree that windsurfing is included in the Olympic Regatta and support the ISAF
Windsurfing Committee's recommendations on the most appropriate Olympic
windsurfing equipment to select:
b) All windsurfing classes and the PWA actively promote a unified policy on the
"2008 equipment". No class or class official should express a
dissenting view in public.
BACKGROUND
Windsurfing has been an "event" within the Olympic sailing regatta
for almost 20 years. There are currently two sets of medals, one for men and
one for women. It is currently the least expensive Olympic sailing discipline;
therefore apart from being a potentially spectacular to watch its inclusion
ensures that a lot of developing nations can take part (60% of the entry in
1996).
Whilst remaining very technical equipment with a well-developed & valid
format, IMCO is losing its sparkle. It is fair to say that the majority view
within the current Olympic class is that the Mistral One Design should be
replaced after the 2004 Olympics and that more than one manufacturer should
produce the replacement equipment.
Here are some background facts that help the reader to understand more fully
the reasoning behind the conclusions of this report:
a) The ISAF President has already stated that he believes that the class
selected should be Formula Windsurfing but that the equipment to be used at the
Games should be One Design;
b) There is little enthusiasm amongst the FW racers for a One Design format as
evidenced by the low number of registrations for the so-called "One Design
Formula" event at the 2002 ISAF World Sailing Games.
c) - The Spanish Sailing Federation (RFEV) made a
submission last year stating that both the equipment and the class should be
changed for 2008.
d) The President of the RFEV has since written to the ISAF saying that he has
changed its mind and now does not support the Formula concept but does support
a change in the equipment.
e) The historic data for wind speeds in Qing Dao for
July & September may not support a proposal to move the whole Olympic Games
to a date in September. It is therefore unlikely that the political momentum
for a change of dates will build up inside the ISAF or the IOC.
f) It is believed that in certain areas, the waters in Qing
Dao have quite strong currents and that the historic data for wind speeds in
July show a low average wind speed.
g) Any proposal to change the dates requires the summer sports federations to
convince the IOC that a move is necessary. The IOC would then be required to
re-negotiate its TV distribution & media rights deals. July is a more
valuable period from the point of view of the value of media rights than
September. BOCOG will not make any requests to the IOC themselves.
A decision to move the Games is therefore unlikely.
h) There is now a written threat from a powerful MNA (France) to lobby against
windsurfing as an Olympic event.
PROPOSED EQUIPMENT CRITERIA
It is recommended that the selection of windsurfing equipment is based on the
following criteria:
Racing is possible at the same time as other Olympic Sailing Classes;
Reason:
In many major Olympic Class Regattas worldwide, the Olympic windsurfing class
has to compete at the same time and in the same conditions as the other sailing
classes;
The likely conditions to be expected in Qing Dao 2008
Reason:
Not to do so would be impractical;
It is a strictly controlled restricted class;
Reasons:
This goes a long way towards supporting the position of the ISAF President,
whilst permitting differences between items of equipment within very tight
tolerances;
This will be more interesting to manufacturers than a "One Design"
concept;
The Olympics should be a test of talent not technology;
To maximize commonality between men's & women's equipment (KISS);
To strictly limit the cost of participation;
Production licences to be controlled and issued by
the ISAF:
The decision on the actual equipment is made at the 2004 ISAF November
Conference
Reasons:
To allow racers and MNAs to build up a long term
experience of the chosen format;
To allow MNAs to invest in new equipment with
confidence;
To allow MNAs to plan long term development programmes with confidence;
e) The existing criteria established by the ISAF Events Committee in November
1999
being:
Must allow athletes around the world, of different size and weight, male and
female, to participate;
Must achieve the IOC objective of a minimum of 30% participation for women;
Must give the best sailors in each country the opportunity to participate in
readily accessible equipment;
Must combine both traditional and modern events and classes, to reflect,
display and promote competitive sailing.
General Design Brief for NEW OLYMPIC EQUIPMENT:
The equipment definitions for both men and women shall be the same where
possible;
Reason:
to enable women to reach high levels of performance by training and possibly
racing with men on equal terms;
to maximize development opportunities;
To reduce the number of equipment components required to establish a viable
Olympic programme and thus reduce the overall cost of
such a programme;
The equipment shall conform with the criteria specified above andÅ
be supported by a global distribution network or networks;
be accompanied by clearly defined measurement rules & tight tolerances;
be restricted to 1 board, 2 fins, 1 centerboard & 2 rigs per competitor.
3 The method of construction employed shall be durable and of a consistently
uniform high quality whilst offering the best trade off between weight >
performance > price.
4.The ideal weight band for men should be 70>82 Kgs and for women should be 55>70 Kgs;
5. Safety shall be considered so that
competitors will be able to sail home unassisted in sub-racing or quickly
increasing winds wind speeds;
boards are designed to perform in large waves and chop in a
"well-behaved" way;
each rig is as durable & as light as possible whilst being easy to rig/derig at sea;
The fin shall be easily demountable without the aid of tools;
6. Attention should be paid to the possibility of using the same hull(s)
combined with smaller rigs so that a global junior racing programme
can be established at minimal cost.
Design brief HULL:
Easily transportable by normal scheduled airline as passenger's excess baggage;
Max Weight bare hull weight 12 kg/ minimum bare hull weight 9kgs;
Retractable centre board allowed;
2 production fins, easily removable without tools;
Strong Durable Construction; Positive flotation in case the board is holed;
Easily repairable on a regatta site;
Construction method and materials to be identical around the world.
Price around USD 1200 retail
Design brief RIG(s):
Two rigs for women, each of a different defined size;
Men to use the same two rigs sizes if possible;
If not, men shall use two rigs, each of a different defined size;
Same carbon mast for all rigs (commonality of components);
Same Carbon boom for all rigs (commonality of components);
Each rig to have the maximum flexibility in terms of wind range (trim systems);
The largest women's rig (max. size) to be easily manageable by someone of 55
kg;
Sails to be made " as visible as possible " to the naked eye from a
great distance;
DESIGN AND TEST EVENT
Option A
That the ISAF invite key manufacturers/brands to participate in a design
competition leading to a test event in order to select one board prototype with
two matching rig sizes around which tight tolerances can be defined so that new
equipment can be selected for use at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games that meets
the above criteria. Manufacturers/Brands who participate in this development
will have the right to build/market the Olympic equipment.
Option B
That the ISAF make an "open invitation" to any board shapers whether
they be involved with a current "known" production board brand or not
to put forward one prototype each at its "intended production weight"
for evaluation at an ISAF test event in order to select one board prototype
with two matching rig sizes around all of which tight tolerances can be defined
so that new equipment can be selected for use at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic
Games that meets the above criteria.
Conditions:
i) The winning board/rigs will be made in established
factories licensed by ISAF; Said factories will be subject to a regular
manufacturing audit to ensure that the building specification is being tightly
adhered to;
ii) To stimulate the custom board shaping community, the IWA should establish a
sizeable prize fund for the best proposed board in the opinion of the ISAF
evaluation working party put forward by a custom shaper not already associated
with a board brand with a registered production board on the ISAF list;
iv) Any board that later becomes a "production board" registered on
the ISAF List shall pay the associated fee; Registration
regulations for all such boards will be strengthened;
v) Brands who wish to market the selected board/rigs may do so by paying a
sponsorship fee per unit sponsored to the IWA for their logo to be put on the
Olympic board. This will allow
Sponsored riders to compete on equipment branded with their sponsor's logos in
all regattas except the Olympic Games where the board shall be
"white" (no logos);
Sponsors from the wider world of commerce and industry to participate.
NB - The selected option should be initiated as quickly as possible;
- The prize fund suggested under "Option
B" would be established by drawing down funds from the balances accrued by
the classes managing the Olympic equipment over the last 20 years.
KEY ISAF DEADLINES
1) 2002
a) IWA classes submit this report to ISAF with a list of MNAs by July 31st
b) ISAF agrees the selection criteria for Olympic equipment at their November
Conference
2) 2003
a) IWA classes make a submission to ISAF that "Windsurfing" is an
Olympic "Event" for men and women with a list of supporting MNAs by July 31st
b) ISAF select the "Events" for the 2008 Olympic Regatta.
3) 2004
a) IWA classes make a submission to ISAF that the criteria, which best meets
the criteria be selected for the 2008 Olympic Regatta with a list of supporting
MNAs by July 31st
b) ISAF select the "equipment" for the 2008 Olympic Regatta.
=============================================
Ref: Boards & More GmbH response to the IWA White Paper
Dear Ceri,
Many thanks for forwarding the IWA White Paper on the
selection of equipment for 2008 and the associated
criteria & procedures to us.
At Boards & More GmbH, we have considered this in
detail and have the following comments to make:
1. Sails & rig components: the
idea that many
different brands can make and market the defined
Olympic sail sizes and components is an interesting
one. We support this concept;
2. Boards:
a. It is the opinion of Boards & More GmbH that the
current Olympic board is the most suitable existing
equipment for the Olympics 2008 in
More stands fully behind the continued production of
the Mistral One Design. We shall continue to produce
the board as long as there are customers willing to buy
it.
b. However, if the ISAF and
its Member National
Authorities wish to select more modern equipment for
the Olympic windsurfing discipline, we are more than
happy to produce a new, light-weight dedicated race
board for the purpose.
In our view, a centerboard is a fundamental requirement
for such a board, which should also be based on the
latest design thinking to ensure racing in the same
conditions as those in which the other Olympic Sailing
Classes compete.
We appreciate that, in ideal circumstances, it might be
reasonable to have a great many different facilities
involved in the production of the board. However, the
reality is that there are probably only two factories
in the world (Boards & More and Bic) who could
undertake such a production and reach the consistently
uniform and high standard of quality required by
sailors at the Olympic level.
Boards & More has gained over more than a decade's
extensive experience as the supplier of the current
Olympic equipment and has a unique fund of in-house
production know-how built up over more than 20 years.
We are happy to make hulls in our production facility
for other brands.
c. We also believe that the Formula Windsurfing
format as it currently stands is not suitable for
Olympic competition for two main reasons:
i. the equipment is very expensive using large fins
(60 - 70 cms) made from pre-preg
carbon, 100% carbon
masts and booms, and sails that are very specialised;
ii. and unless you have equipment that is right
at the
cutting edge, the absolute best stuff, then fair and
equitable racing cannot take place in effective
wind-speeds of less than 9 knots.
d. The idea of a producing the Olympic hull as a
"white board" for other brands (whether they are
currently in windsurfing or not) to use as a marketing
vehicle is an interesting one, which we also support.
Boards & More GmbH is dedicated to continuing its
support of the ISAF and its MNAs started by Mistral
in
1992 and believe that windsurfing adds great value to
the Olympic sailing family supported as it is by
nations rich and poor from all over the world.
Yours sincerely,
Boris Zwetkoff
Business Unit Manager Windsurf
cc Arve Sundheim /
ISAF; Aaron Botzer /
ISAF; Rich Jeffries / ISAF;
Greg Johns / IMCO; Rory Ramsden /IMCO
==================================
Interview with Patrice Belbeoc'h : sail and board
developer for EXOCET
"Exactly ! The new concept should be performant
in 2 to 8 knots, a centerboard or dagger is so far the only answer to that
problem. It will also give the security to any event organizer that the race
will take place. Don't also forget that this is a support where the boards will
be bought in most cases by parents and it should be used in all condition and
by the whole family." - see :
http://www.exocet-original.com/news/article.php3?id_article=208
==================================