I would like ask if you consider changing or adding new sizes of TR8 for 2012?

I think it is great that you have more size options then competitors in small sizes (below 7.0).

Slalom 6/3 format (6 sails) is great for professionals, but for amateurs (we still race with 4 sails / 2 boards per event with 11knots windlimit) it is very hard to choose the right sizes.

I think it would be really great if you could change the sizes above the 7.0 to something like 7.4-7.8-8.6-9.5?
That way pros could go 9.5-8.6-7.8-7.0-6.3-5.5 or lightweights 8.6-7.8-7.0-6.3-5.5-5.1.
Amateurs (for 4/2 events) could choose 8.6-7.4-6.3-5.5.

What do you think?

Giovanni

I am going to replace my old Gaastra Nitro 2 sails (8,7; 9,8; 10,4) and my Gaastra GTX 7,0 and 8,0 from 2004. All are not in the best condition yet and I decided to replace them.
What about the handling and performance of the Titan GS compared with the Nitro 2.
My boards are: Lorch Bird 179, Patrik custom 2,60 x 78, Tabou Rocket 135 for this sail sizes. I am sailing on flat water and sometimes a little choppy conditions with gusts. First I thought to get one of these "new" early gliding sails like Severne Glide or Sailloft Traction. But I think it is too gusty on our lake for a sail that works well in light winds but not in stronger winds.
As my old sails were all from Barry and I was very lucky with them I would like to get newer ones from Maui Sails.
My weight is 200 lbs and I thougt of sail size 9,5 and 7,5 and 6,4. Which sail shall I take and would the sizes be ok. No longer I am going on a Formula Board and there is no need to have a bigger sail than 9,5 I think.

I would be happy to read your opinion and advice.

Many thanks

Henning

Great racing Micah, congrats.

phil.

Let the wind blow for 5 days and hope they get to use some of the smaller sails and boards.

Am looking to this site for daily updates http://www.pwaulsan.com/ in case the guys can't get their iPads to work.

The sail is superb!!! Sailed it for second time now.
What a big difference to TR7.
Job well done!!! Congrats Barry, Art and the whole team!!!

Sail has great power, stable in gusts and accelerates like crazy.
I was so stoked when I was on the water and seeing gust will come.
Just lock the sail and prepare for a blast in speed.
Incredible.

Sailed with is117w, MS TR8 7.6 and C3 Sting2 44.
My weight is 75kg, 180cm.

One more time - congrats to the team!!!
Mitja

I think that being dropped as an Olympic sport is symptomatic of a problem for the sport in general, which is a lack of new people taking up the sport.  It is easy to blame kiting, and for sure, kiting has not helped at all.  Here in the bay the local Thursday night kite board race has 40 to 50 entrants.  Windsurfing has about 10.  I am not sure how it is in other parts of the world, or in Maui, or in Florida or wherever, but here, all the new blood coming onto the water takes up kiting.   But I do not see this as a competition with the kiters.  We are part of the same community.   I see it more as a failure of the powers that be in both disciplines to foster a broad based interest in the sport.  Even in kiting, all the new blood on the water are 20 and 30 something individuals who are individualistic in the sense they have an extraordinary amount of self will and discipline to take up what is a very technical and tricky sport to learn.  (at least it is that way to learn in San Francisco with strong currents and winds).  So kiting is not a very accessible sport here, in much the same way that windsurfing is not accessible.  I know this is an age old story, but despite 100s trying the sport, very very few actually become windsurfers.

   Kids love to windsurf but there is literally no viable path for them to learn the sport here in what is arguably one of the greatest venues in the world for windsurfing.   That has inspired me to take action.

I have started youth team with the goal of bringing kids into the sport and teaching them to race at a national and international level.   

Actually, I need your help with this because I do not have any gear at this time.  I have a great location, I have a small group of kids, but no gear.   I am able to get them on the water but it is very compromised without any gear.  I have only been able to schedule about 8 beginner sessions for the entire season.  Not nearly enough.

If you can help I would apprecate it.    We are a registered non-profit 501c3 so your donations are tax deductible. check us out at teamberkeleywindsurf

You can participate in promoting the future of the sport because I will be putting new blood onto the water, and they will be racing.

Looking forward to your comments.

Any suggestions here?  Maybe it is a technique problem, or maybe there is something i can tune.  The cam offsets seem about right except for the top cam which is a bit right.  But it does not seem likely that this is causing the stickiness. And the top cam always rotates with the others.

Q1) When you say long harness lines, how long is the max ? I use 14.5"/37 cm tip to boom and feel I could use longer. What say you ??

Q2) In the sail sizes Micah/you suggest 10-oh in Formula for 25 knots and 6.3/7-oh in the same wind for PWA/slalom. For me it is 6.3/7.0 at 220lbs/100 kilos. Could one push the envelope in 25 knots in PWA/slalom with more downhaul as well ? Why able to use so much larger a sail in Formula? Longer runs ??

thx in advance - appreciate speaking to the windsurf biggies directly !!
joe windsurfer

Here you can check some shots from training at Hookipa. Yes Hookipa! Beside wave riding you can do slalom sailing there too :) http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= … amp;type=1

to quote the PWA report, "Taty Frans maintained his impressive form to ruin the reigning world champion?s day. Van Broeckhoven didn?t seem to have quite the same level of pop that is usually associated with him, as he struggled slightly in the underpowered conditions."

it will be interesting to see how the season goes for the champ who switches horses so easily.

aloha
barry

P.S. If it rigs well on a 2009 Gaastra 520 100%, that would be great, too.

Forgotten how much fun racing can be, even with the BIG stuff.

when is the next battle?

what is the camera used and how easy to mount to a board/boom?