November 2004 – Raceboard & RSX notes :

Although we are still considering the effect on our OSA racing, nevertheless

the international rules have changed, and we are keeping you informed :

2005 Raceboard rule changes to include “hybrids” – ie: allow wider boards & bigger sails

In response to recent Olympic and international competition decisions,

Raceboard 2005 dimension rules have been changed to include hybrids

(details at http://www.raceboard.org/page0098v01.htm ) and now :

Max hull beam is 1000mm,

max hull length is 3800mm.

Max fin 700mm below the hull

Max centreboard 850mm below the hull

Max mast is 6000mm

Max boom is 3000mm

Max sail is 9.5sq.m. for men; and 8.5sq.m for women.

Thus the present Prodigy class and coming RSX class will now become “Raceboards”

(note: Prodigy Class (one design) regattas will continue with 8.5m sails for now).

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In addition, there are lots of solid rumors about RSX production, control, and delivery – here are some of my favorites :

The ISAF Youth World Championships will be held on IMCO (Mistral One Design) boards in 2005 (and maybe 2006 ?)
The ISAF will help manage the new Olympic equipment and class
The Olympic (NP-RSX) class will be named something like "International Windsurfing 1 Design" (IW1D ?)
The complete Olympic board and rig should cost about 3000 Euros (say can$4700 ? )
The new Olympic board is 279cm long, 92.5cm wide , volume 220 , weight 13kg, sail max 9.5 for men and 8.5 for women
The sails, masts and booms come from Neil Prydes' supplier in China (existing RSX designs)
The boards will come from the Cobra plant in Thailand, and Neil Pride may produce about 200 per month (but only 400 by May ?)
Neil Pryde may deliver the first 20 (test ?) boards Miami OCR in January
Testers have said that performance is similar to the “light Prodigy” (so perhaps expect “like an updated Prodigy ?” or Formula ?)

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IWA - Executive Summary - Windsurfing in 2005 (notes: Nov 19,2004)

Overview

The selection by ISAF of the RS-X as the equipment for use at the Olympic Games in 2008 has caused a great deal of excitement but at the same time, a lot of questions have been raised about the future structure of the sport. We will all be ‘in a transition period’ until about the end of 2006 at the earliest. In the meantime, the Formula Windsurfing and IFCA regatta programmes and tours will continue in parallel and virtually unaffected by the change in Olympic equipment.

Our object is to ensure that this transition is as smooth and painless as possible

Proposals

a) Under 15 Racing & development squads

The key to a successful development policy is to ensure that everyone is racing on exactly the same one design equipment. This ensures that talent not technology or cash determines the winner. It also means that a strong second hand market can develop making access to the sport for new kids is the least expensive possible.

The Aloha Class have introduced a new board, the Bic 293OD. This change has been well received in Denmark, France, Great Britain, Holland, Italy, the USA. The board is a hybrid just like the RS-X and therefore has a centreboard and similar rig. The style of sailing is the same. Kids will therefore learn, from an early age, all the techniques and tactics that they will later use in the Olympic regatta. The IWA therefore recommend that MNAs and national windsurfing associations give serious consideration to transferring or indeed starting their junior programmes based on the BIC 293OD. The equivalent of a World Championship will be held on this new equipment in Sopot, Poland from August 3^rd >12^th 2005 Contact: rory.ramsden@btopenworld.com for further information on events. For more information on the availability of Techno 293 One design equipment please contact your national Bic Sport importer or Bic Sport direct on contact@bicsport.com

b) Junior & Youth Racing

The Mistral Junior One Design is a great platform in the continued development of racing for kids when they move up from the Under 15 class. Fleet sizes have continued to grow, year on year from the beginning in 2000. The ISAF Youth World Championships will be held on Mistral One Design boards in 2005 and probably in 2006. Those racers hoping to qualify to race at this prestigious event should continue to train on the Mistral One Design throughout 2005. Naturally, the ISAF will review the availability of the RS-X at the end of next year and then make a decision on whether to make the change to the RS-X for the 2006 ISAF Youth Worlds.

In the meantime, IMCO and the MJOD will continue to run a complete programme of regattas as they have always done in the past. It is very much business as usual for junior and youth racing including the staging of a training camp in Cadiz, Spain just after Christmas 2004. The MJOD class will stage its world championship in Sopot, Poland from August 3^rd >12^th 2005 with the IMCO Youth Class. Contact: rory.ramsden@btopenworld.com for further information on events.

c) IMCO

Throughout 2005 and 2006 IMCO will continue to stage its normal regatta programme. Boards and More will continue to make the board. The major European regattas like Palma, Spa, Hyeres and Kiel will include Mistral men and Mistral Women in their NoRs. The Asian Games in 2006 will include the Mistral One Design as part of the Sailing Regatta so it is very much business as usual here in the IMCO office. Our object is to continue to support, you the MNAs and sailors for as long as necessary. IMCO as a class will not disappear in fact the 2004 IMCO Annual General Meeting unanimously agreed that we should stand ready to take on board a new Olympic class and allows the Ex Committee to propose themselves as the committee to run the non-administrative side of the new Olympic class until its first AGM.

d) Raceboard Class

The Raceboard class has also changed its class rules to allow include all of the hybrids put forward for evaluation by ISAF during the selection process just concluded. The Class and indeed all others in the IWA consider it vital that the development of hybrid boards continues without a break. The class will stage its World Championship in Sopot, Poland from August 3^rd >12^th 2005. The NoR will include a division for both the old style longboards with a 7.4 and an open division which will include all hybrid boars with a max sail size of 9.5. Go to http://www.raceboard.org/page0098v01.htm to view the new class rules

Conclusion

The ISAF will manage the new Olympic equipment and oversee the formation of a class. This process has already started.

IMCO as the outgoing Olympic class stands ready to assist in anyway it can to ensure that the transition is as smooth and painless as possible.

Meanwhile, it is business as usual!

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Halfway to China? Not quite yet…

Boardseeker reports on the second Trials to find a new Olympic windsurfing class for the 2008 Games in Beijing

Reporters: Louise Emery at Hayling Island, Gavin Rodgers at Queen Mary Reservoir

Should we care?
YES!!!

WORST CASE scenario is an Olympics without windsurfing. There are a lot of dinghy sailing classes who are queuing up to nick the windsurfing spot at the Olympics. We mess this up, we’re history!

That means no more government or lottery funding for the sport, no more youth training schemes, no more Team15. If you can’t win an Olympic medal in the sport, public money ain’t interested. And this is the same in many other countries.

WE CAN LIVE WITH one more Olympics with the IMCO. It may yet be the only board that can be raced in all wind strengths. With the average wind speed in Beijing being below 8 knots, it could be the board for THAT event whilst the 2012 hybrid board establishes itself as a class. But it looks so outdated and does not represent the sport.

IT WOULD BE GREAT to have modern looking equipment in 2008 with Nick Dempsey competing against Kevin Pritchard on equipment that you and I compete on at our local club every weekend. Of course, it’s got to work in non-planing winds as well and it would be great if you didn’t have to be 70kg to be competitive.

So boys, it can’t be that hard, can it? Surely all your combined R & D knowledge can’t be beaten by a 15 year old design? Well, it was at the first Trials in Garda when, tails between their legs, the manufacturers were sent packing (along with their equipment, which was whipped in the lighter airs by the IMCO) and told to come to the second Trials in the UK in mid September 2004 with equipment that could be raced in non-planing conditions as well as planing.

So here’s what they have come up with……..

Package	Board	Sail(s)	What they say	What the testers said *
Starboard Z Class	272cm long, 100cm wide 70cm fin & daggerboard	10m and 8.5m Severne, 7 battens, 3 cambers	We wanted to design a board that would appeal to the widest range of windsurfers as well as meet all the ISAF Olympic board requirements.	Does the job, a good all rounder but dull to sail.
Mistral Prodigy Light	298cm long, 87cm wide	North R-type 9.5m, 7 battens, 2 cambers	The Prodigy is the hybrid of a long board and a formula racer covering wind speeds from 1 to 40 knots. (This board is lighter than production models)	Jack of all trades, master of none. Maybe light but not very durable. Could be the eventual winner.
Exocet Open 310	310cm long, 81cm wide	Sails East prototype, 6 battens, 2 cambers	The Exocet Open 310 offers incredible performances in the widest range of winds, bringing a truly new kind of board to the windsurfing world.	Uncontrollable in 20knot plus winds, but the fastest and most efficient board in non-planing winds.
PD Project Olympias	295cm long, 89cm wide, 65cm fin, 82cm daggerboard	North Warp Formula sail 10m, 8 battens, 5 camber inducers	I’ve changed almost everything with this board since the Garda Trials and it now works much better in non-planing winds	The fastest board in 15knots plus wind. Most fun in strong winds.
Bic Sport Techno 293D	293cm long, 80cm wide 36cm fin	Bic Space Dog 9.8m	The Techno 293 One Design is the perfect board for this very demanding sailing format covering a wind range of 5-30knots. It is also the only production board at these Trials.	Great fun in strong winds but just wouldn’t make it around an Olympic course in non-planing winds.
Neilpryde Olympic Hybrid	279cm long, 92.5cm wide	Neilpryde prototype 10m and 8.5m, 8 battens, 2 cambers	This is not just a Formula board with a daggerboard! We have designed a longer, narrower board with a different nose and tail shape to the other designs which we think will work better in less than 8 knots of wind.	The closest feel to a Formula board. Very close to the PD Project board for speed in planing conditions. Looks the best.

* The opinions of the testers are not necessarily the opinions of Boardseeker Magazine. The testers we interviewed were Dan Ellis, Nick Dempsey, Nicolas Huguet and Gavin Rodgers.



Starboard Z Class Mini interview with the designer, Tiesda You. Tell us about the board “This has been called a hybrid board which windsurfers could relate to but could also be sailed around an Olympic course in the same wind strengths as the dinghies. Also we wanted to design a board that didn’t require you to weigh between 65 and 70 kg to be competitive on it. That rules a lot of people out. This is half a formula board and half a race board. When planing the nose lifts out of the water and the board rides on its tail which is why we use a formula design at the back. When non-planing, the shape of the nose means you use the whole waterline length more effectively, like a hull of a dinghy, to glide the board upwind. The bulge is to encompass the wide daggerboard which you need in the light winds. You can also use the bulge to rail the board by putting foot pressure against it.” And if you are not chosen? “This is already a production board. Regardless of the decision, we want to market a board that you can just windsurf in non-planing and planing winds. If they go with the IMCO, then a lot of brands will have put a lot of work into the hybrid boards and I can see a new hybrid class starting. In the future we would like to see all the top Pros from Formula and Raceboard competing together in this class.”		Click images to zoom

Click images to zoom		PD Project: Olympias, meaning “The Greek Wind” Mini interview with the designer Patrick Diethelm Tell us about the board “I have changed nearly everything with this board since the last trials. The Garda board was perfect in planing conditions but in light winds it was too wide, you couldn’t rail it so it slipped sideways. So I made it narrower, (100cm to 89cm), much longer (295cm instead of 264cm). I changed the Mistral mast track for a Fanatic mast track which doesn’t shift as much. The bulge on the top was getting in the way when on a run or gybing the board so I made it is narrower and shorter. Now the board is perfect: not too wide, not too narrow, not too high!” You have chosen a pure Formula sail which is no good in light winds as you can’t pump it. Why? “Rubbish! Not all people agree, but I think the formula sail can be pumped effectively as long as you let the downhaul off which loosens the leech and allows the sail to “breathe”. And once planing, the formula sail is the best design, no doubt. So I have come up with an eight pulley system so you can adjust the downhaul very easily, even on the water.” Who’s going to win? "I don’t know. The hybrids are working in 8 knots plus and they look good. But under 8 knots, everyone still has a problem and none of them will have a chance against the IMCO. That will always win in light winds but the questions is, if everyone is on the same board, does that matter? As long as it can make it around an Olympic course then who cares how long it takes? If you want the best board to race in all conditions, then bring back the Lechner! That is way better than the IMCO. But we don’t want this, windsurfing is planing off the fin, footstraps, speed, we want equipment to represent this and it can all be done in 8 knots of wind. That’s not that much wind." Are you keen to make a hybrid class like Starboard are? "If it stays IMCO we will make a class for sure with this new hybrid equipment. We have to prove this class works with world wide events, structure, training etc. then we shall see for 2012."

Neilpryde Olympic Hybrid Mini interview with Pieter Bijl, Neilpryde tester (Designer: Jerome Bouldoir, ex-AHD shaper) Tell us about the board "In Garda we had a pure formula board which had a few adjustments so it would plane a little earlier. To us, windsurfing is planing but ISAF said we had to find a board that would work as well in non-planing conditions. So we set out to design a hybrid board. This is a compromise rather than the most high performance set of equipment. But at least it looks like windsurfing. Our board is longer and narrower. You need more length and less width to get upwind in light airs and with a 10m maximum sail width in planing mode it isn’t so necessary. Of course we had to add a daggerboard to give it directional stability in non-planing winds.” Your nose is completely different than the other designs. Explain yourself! "Other designs have a ‘V’ shaped nose that looks like a small hull. This gives them very little rocker along the centreline which is good but the hull shape means you are pushing water aside which we believe isn’t that efficient. We have gone for a flat, single concave nose which pushes water underneath it which helps to lift the board out of the water. It may slap into waves a little bit more than the ‘V’ nose but we think overall it works more efficiently." As is your tail? "Our tail is rounded to allow the water to flow along the rail and come together nice and smoothly before it is released. This means the board glides much better in lighter winds. A square tail would be like the back of a speedboat where the water is very disturbed and swirls around." And what about the Neilpryde prototype sail? "The RS4 we used in Garda was not so good to pump and was quite heavy in non-planing winds. So we have designed a 10m and 8.5m prototype, 2 camber sail which is softer, lighter and easier to pump." What about the Patrik Diethelm theory of just letting off the downhaul of a formula sail and it pumps just fine? "Yes if you are 100kg and have the weight and the power to bend the mast and therefore pump the sail. But between 70 and 80kg is too light. There is so much ‘grunt’, the power is so locked in on formula sails that I don’t think you can really get them pumping properly." The Winner!! See STOP PRESS at end of article.		Click images to zoom

Click images to zoom		Exocet Open 310 Mini interview with the designer Patrice Belbeoch How is the board shaping up at these Trials? "In these force four winds it is going ok, but not the best board. This design comes into its own in light, non-planing winds which is what we will have in Beijing. We have widened the nose and made it slightly longer since Garda so it is even better in light winds. My design is a totally different concept than the others. For example, the Neilpryde design looks like a freeride board, others like formula boards with daggerboards." Who’s going to win? "I don’t know, but whatever happens we must make sure windsurfing does not get kicked out of the Olympics. If they pick some of these hybrid designs, they will not be able to go around the course. No races, no regatta and we’re out! My board is the best in light winds and tomorrow when we go to Queen Mary, this will be proved."

Bic Techno 293 D Mini interview with Guy Chilvers (although retired from Bic, he is helping them out with this project) Sell it to us Guy! "Simple: ours is the only production board here. None of the other boards have gone into production. They are suggesting they can be made in ASA, which will add 4 to 5 kgs of weight to each board. So the test here is of no use as the final boards are going to be heavier. With the Bic, what you see is what you get: durable, low cost (approx 1500 euros for complete rig) with adequate performance. It doesn’t have to be the most technical board in the world. The IMCO one design was not the fastest race board it just happened to be a board that had a competition and training structure set up in many countries. We have sold 40,000 Technos, all over the world so our board is out there. We can modify the Techno within 2 weeks and have them rolling out the factory ready to go. Can the others do that?" Ok, Guy. But does it work on the water? "You mean, does it work in 5 knots of wind? We weren’t at Garda so we shall see at Queen Mary, but we know it works with a smaller daggerboard with the junior one design. In light winds, on 205 litres, for sure the big guys might struggle. The sails we are using for these Trials are too heavy so if the board is chosen, we will change to a lightweight rig."		Click image to zoom

Click images to zoom		Mistral Prodigy The Mistral guy was not there on the Friday so I got Nick Dempsey’s comments about the Prodigy and the IMCO. "I know you’ll think I’m biased especially with a medal around my neck, but I still think nothing here will beat the IMCO in terms of working in 5-30knots. But if I had to choose one, it would be the Mistral Prodigy for general all round performance. The best sail here is the North R-type. Today we have been out in 20 knots holding down 10m sails. It’s not that pleasant but the North sail at least felt controllable. The PD project board is good, parts of the Exocet are really good, but the Mistral Prodigy is the best all rounder."

Interview with Richard Jeffries: Chairman of the Evaluation Committee, Vice Chairman of the Windsurfing Committee for ISFA

Why change?
"The President, Paul Henderson, came to the ISFA Windsurfing Committee and said windsurfing at the Olympics wasn’t reflective of what was being sailed around the world. On his travels, what he saw was people NOT sailing IMCO. He saw them sailing shortboards, formula kit, freestyle etc but not IMCO. So we had the first Trials at Garda to see if anything could replace it in time for 2008."

So why a second Trials?
"At the trials in Garda, it was the first time we had seen these boards and it was clear they needed more work. We wanted to give the manufactures a two year working programme to work on the equipment but ISFA wanted the outcome a lot sooner. They wanted to see if a new board would work NOW, not wait another two years. So at this second set of trials we have to write a report again, recommending ONE package. This will then go to several committees and the decision will be whether we should change the IMCO to this new package. However we could say nothing worked so the IMCO has to stay."

No doubt there is a lot at stake and some manufactures will be disappointed.

Could the IMCO stay?
"Yes, the IMCO could stay but that debate hasn’t officially started yet. Some countries wanted a change but now they have won medals, they may not be so willing for it. A lot of countries also have a good IMCO training structure set up that will cost money and effort to change. Particularly in the smaller countries who have invested a lot of money in the IMCO programme. If the board does change, I’d imagine the IMCO will fall into the raceboard class so it won’t disappear completely."

What’s wrong with Formula?
"Four years ago, Formula was looked at the 2004 Olympics but it just wasn’t ready. It didn’t have its act together and a lot of the sailors came to the same conclusion. The equipment has developed so much and we tried it again in Garda. But the idea of being able to sail upwind in 5 knots was simply not going to happen, and it was apparent on the course on Lake Garda."

Slalom at the Olympics?
"Yes, we are going to recommend two slalom races alongside the course racing which you could run in fairly light winds, especially if it is pure downwind slalom. But the sailors will be on the same one design equipment as for the course racing. We could also recommend a minimum wind speed, like the 49ers class which need 7 knots of wind before racing is allowed. If we remove the one day on, one day off rules from the Olympic regatta, then that means we have almost two weeks to get a result."

When will the final decision be made?
"Over the weekend of 13 / 14 November 2004 at the ISAF Council meeting in Copenhagen. Each region has a certain number of votes, for example, North America has three votes, two for the USA and one for Canada. The decision will be theirs!"

There is a lot at stake not just between rival manufacturers but for the industry as a whole. Let's hope they make the right decision.

Queen Mary brings Bejing wind without the heat!

By Boardseeker Reporter and one of the testers at Queen Mary: Gavin Rodgers

Weather conditions

SAT = flat/ slight chop 9-15kts
SUN = flat 5- 9kts, gusty and shifty

Non Planing conditions

Fastest upwind: Exocet, then the Prodigy. The Exocet has very little rocker and big rails with a lot of volume which resulted in it being the fastest upwind by quite a distance. Second was the Prodigy again, with quite big rails and a lot of volume, ideal in the light airs.
Fastest downwind: Exocet again was the leader of the pack followed by the Prodigy
Easiest to gybe: Prodigy Hardest to gybe: Exocet
Easiest upwind: Prodigy
Hardest upwind: Neilpryde
Easiest to sail downwind: Prodigy
Hardest to sail downwind: Starboard

Planing conditions

Fastest downwind: Neilpryde and the PD Project were the best and very impressive going off the wind.
Fastest upwind: Again Neilpryde and the PD Project
Easiest to gybe: Neilpryde
Hardest to gybe: Exocet
Easiest to sail upwind: Neilpryde
Hardest to sail upwind: Exocet
Easiest to sail downwind: Prodigy
Hardest to sail downwind: Exocet

Sails

The North R-Type was the lightest and best overall sail for all conditions. The others where more formula in design, which meant for the stronger winds we had at Queen Mary they twisted off well. But they were hard to pump and lacked performance in the non-planing winds.

Gavin’s Verdict

Having missed the Hayling Island test, my decisions were solely based on the lighter winds we had at Queen Mary. Firstly I would say the Exocet was the fastest in the non-planing winds, but other testers who were at Hayling Island stated that more development was needed for the board to cope with stronger winds. The Neilpryde was extremely exciting to sail once planing and was not too far behind the Exocet and the Prodigy in the light airs. As for the Mistral Prodigy, it was never the quickest in any individual aspect but the best all rounder.

Which one will be chosen?

The evaluation team is looking for a board and rig that will compete in 5 to 30 knots of wind which the IMCO excelled at. My feelings from the Queen Mary test are that none of the proposals can do this as effectively as the IMCO with just one sail. If we bring in two rigs then we may have the following issues:

When the Olympic fleet race at venues such as Kiel, they leave the beach at nine in the morning and take one and a half hours to sail to the racecourse and return back at one in the afternoon. How do you choose a rig if it is forecasting 25 knots but at the point of leaving the beach its blowing 6 knots?
More expense with two rigs. Would this be practical?

Final comment

There is too much politics and vested interests involved in this decision. On a positive note, all the proposals at the evaluation did show they all performed well in their own right and probably appeal to the general windsurfing public more than the current Olympic board.

A change of equipment for the Olympic scene is well overdue, but the decision has to be the right one and not from external pressure just for the sake of change. One thing is for sure; I do not envy the job in hand of the Selectors!

STOP PRESS!!
The evaluation committee are recommending the Neil Pryde RS:X package for the 2008 Olympics. The evaluation panel stated that:

"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."

"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."
"The Neil Pryde RS-X is more modern, displayed more potential and has more scope for future evolution..."

Click here to download PDF (1.45MB) from Neilpryde.