Stop Formula XXL Sails!

[van]

GUYS GUYS GUYS

I HAVEN'T READ WHAT SVEIN SAID BUT HERE IS MY OPINION FOR WHOEVER CARES TO READ IT.

IT ALL VERY MUCH DEPENDS WHERE THE WINDSURFING MANUFACTURERS WANT THIS SPORT TO HEAD TO. EVERYONE WANTS TO SELL MORE AND THE ONLY WAY TO DO SO IS MAKE THE SPORT MORE ACCESIBLE TO EVERYONE. NOW IF THEY WANT TO HAVE AN ELITIST FORM OF RACING SUCH AS FW THAT'S FINE. BUT THE SPORT HAS A LOT MORE COMPETITION NOWADAYS FROM KITESURFING ETC AND THERE WILL BE SOME LOSS THERE.

MY PERSONAL OPINION IS TO HAVE AS LESS FORMS OF COMPETION AS POSSIBLE (IE WAVE, SLALOM, FREESTYLE AND ONE MORE BE IT FW, OR WHATEVER) WHERE IT WILL BE CLASSED AS THE OLYMPIC CLASS AND WILL ATTRACT THE MOST COMPETITORS EACH COMPETING WITH SAME OR SIMILAR EQUIPMENT AND WHERE THE WORLD CHAMPION CAN REALLY BOAST AS BEING THE BEST OF THE MASSES NOT THE BEST OF THE 100 FEW.

IN ORDER TO DO SO U HAVE TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE THAT ANYONE WITH A REASONABLE BUDGET CAN ROCK UP ONE WEEK END AND RACE AGAINST THE REGULARS. AND IN ORDER TO DO SO YOU HAVE TO LIMIT THE GEAR DOWN TO SAY ONE BOARD AND 2 SAILS. ONLY THEN I THINK THE SPORT WILL GROW DOWN THE LINE FROM FATHER TO SON ETC. IF YOU NEED 3 BOARDS AND 7 SAILS TO GO RACING THE SPORT WILL REMAIN FOR THE FEW PREVILIDGED THAT CAN AFFORD TO SPEND THIS MONEY.

IN ORDER TO DO THIS A LIMIT HAS TO BE SET TO 12-11-10 METER SAILS OR WHATEVER BUT A LIMIT HAS TO BE SET. ONCE THIS IS SET THEN THE SPORT CAN EVOLVE THROUGH THESE LIMITS. AND IN DOING SO THE SPORT WILL EVOLVE AND GROW.

NOW IF A GUY IS 105 KG AND WANTS TO WINDSURF RECREATIONALLY WITH A 12M SAIL THAT'S FINE AND GOOD FOR HIM . BUT FOR RACING THAT IS NOT INDICATIVE OF THE SPORT. I AM A MEMBER IN A CLUB IN GREECE THAT HAS ABT 80 TO 100 MEMBERS AND NONE OF THEM OWN ANYTHING MORE THAN A 9.5 AND I ASSURE YOU LESS THAN HALF ARE WAVE/FREESTYLE SURFERS. MOST OF THEM ARE JUST GUYS/GIRLS HOW LIKE TO PLAIN WIDSURF.

SO THE 4TH FORM OF RACING I THINK SHOULD REFLECT THE GENERAL MARKET AND SHOULD BE LIMITED TO SAY 10M OR THERE ABTS.

[TG]

Remi wrote:
Hi TG,

THe FE is exacltly the solution to your problems :

3 times cheaper and still have very good performances, but yes less than FW. And the equipment is lock until january 2010. With this class who is more accesible to everyone, you have differents contries who can do Formula. With out this class that will be impossible.

So is perfect to have very high level in FW particulary in senior class and FE for beguiner and all people who want have pleasure at a resonable cost. FE is a very good step to FW. Both class will win a lot like this.

For the F158 is completly out of the game compare to all the Formula Windsurfing you can found on the market right now. The big difference is in light wind and strong wind.

Slalom equipment change a lot since 3 years, and come back in competition with the new rules F42, because whe can plane earlier, so less race are cancell now. Organiser can invest again in slalom and this is really excellent.

The important point is to satisfy everybodies from beguiner to really high level.

All the best

I have nothing against FE; but there is none around here, and they've limited it to 11.0 meters, so it's essentially a juniors or lightweight class.

And I don't like Slalom 4/2: lightwind slalom is boring.

[Remi]

Hi TG,

Sorry but my weight si 87 kgs and the FE with 11 m² is find for me, so this equipement is perfect. And I can tell you that light weight have advantage only in 6 to 8 knots only. You may try it.

From wich contry you are?

All the best

[SeanAUS120]

I only just came across this post so I'm probably replying to more so the earlier posts than the latter... but just a thought from someone who is racing Formula internationally and involved in organising events on a national level...

I wonder whether making the limit 11.0m will breed a new type of discontent from the sailors who aren't full-time racers? ... I'm referring to the guys who race on a national/local level only and only sail on weekend usually - as they're the backbone of the class, not the full-time pros and top national sailors.

In Australia (where formula is VERY healthy), we are seeing that there's not as many new people coming into the class. The main reason isn't the costs, its because the fleet (who have been racing for 5 years) have got so good that newbie's are sooooo far behind in the races its embarrassing. Then they quit.

I race with 10.7m as biggest and am currently sitting in 5th at the Dutch FW Championships using an 9.5m RSX sail (racing against people on 12.0's). I'm getting up there because I'm happy to pump the entire downwinds and maybe 10-20% of the upwind. Think you're body is ready for that?? I don't think the average sailor wants to take fitness to that extreme level and do the sorts of damage an RSX sailor does to his body on a daily basis. Its not really that fun.

By having 12.0m sails, the older guys who don't like to pump can get on the plane with minimal effort. If you gave them a 11.0 they can plane in the same wind but they need to pump. I'm not sure if this would be the case in Europe but in Australia I think you'd find a lot of the older guys would quit because they don't have the fitness to pump off the startline for 200m and wouldn't ever get planing.

I’m all for keeping the class fixed at 12.5m. Why change. Its just a thought... I don't know what the answer is to make a discipline popular. It just seems everything in windsurfing these days is just a "fad"... just thought I'd bring it up though.

Interesting post so far...