What sail for 24-34 knots?

[stingray]

Hi there,

I was sailing last weekend in very gusty sideshore winds (24-35knots, maybe even more) in open sea using Evo 92 (25cm fin freestyle fin) and I was way overpowered on 5.0 Arrows Aerial (onshore wavesail).

I wonder what sailsize would you suggest for such winds for a 97kg rider?

I also experienced a bit of spinout problem and found a bit hard to get upwind (due to spinouts and evos tendency to gat air even on smallest raps) - is it normal for Evo when it is overpowered or might it be bad fin? Does evo respond well to being overpowered?

Brgds,
Ray

[Ola_H]

Sail size is rather individual. If your 5.0 felt like too much but was reasonably manageable anyway, half a m2 smaller should probably be perfect. The EVO 92 is far from a "freerider" but has a kind of soft nature to it despite its size so it should handle strong wind OK at your weight. I suggest looking into a different fin. A big wave fin would work best since it wlll be softer and more forgiving in high wind and that will calm the board down a bit. It is also important to sort of stay on top of the board when you get really powered up. This will both help you keep the board down a bit and also help you get up wind even without a super big fin. you can also play a bit with boom height to see if that help - if nothing else, this can help you to get out of some old habits when it comes to stance.

[stingray]

Hi Ola,

Thanks a lot for your reply! I will most likely by NS Voodoo 4.5 and I will also try to get a wave fin - I was thinking about something like Select X1 Wave 26.5cm. I will also pay attention to my stance but I believe I was sailing quite upright. I think it might be a fin problem. But also sailing with 5.0 in so much wind I was basically in a survival mode especially comming in.

Brgds,
Ray