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Segeldesign från PWA sidan
The in’s and out’s of sail design with Kevin Pritchard
(US-3) Kevin Pritchard US-3 (Bic, Gaastra) currently sits in first place in the overall PWA race rankings and also took victory in the first wave event of this season in The PWA Maui Wave World Cup. Following a winning performance in Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura Kevin has demonstrated excellent form and his ambition to take the championship race title. It’s going to be close and with Micah Buzianis US-34 (Drops, North)and Bjorn Dunkerbeck E-11 (F2, Neil Pryde) in second and third there will be a dramatic climax. With his experience and knowledge gained during his time on tour Kevin talked me though some of the design principles and key features in modern sail design, in the giant equipment tent here in Sylt.
Tuning and testing
Fine-tuning is just as important in recreational sailing as it is on the PWA tour. When you arrive at the beach there is a temptation to get out on the water ASAP and a few extra minutes tuning equipment could make a whole world of difference. Kevin: ”A lot of people just rig up and rush out, then end up saying to themselves, ?Man I?m not sailing so good today?. If they were to play with their settings just a little bit more they could progress their sailing as well as getting more out of their equipment.” There has always been a lot of discussion about fine-tuning. The current state of sail design means there is more technical information and more to be gained by paying attention to the features of the sail than ever before. Kevin:”There has been a bit of a downhaul craze in the last two years. Traditionally sailors don?t use enough but that is just one element. If you keep making small changes to different parts of your rig you will notice the difference. Learning the settings for your equipment can save time in the long run and will help you get the most from your equipment. Most sail manufacturers provide tuning information for their sails. If you use those with the components then you really can?t go wrong.” With time and familiarity rigging will get faster. Kevin explains how it is possible for the pros to rig up in as quick as three minutes. Kevin: ”We rig maybe 700 plus times a year and no-one else would do that! It?s definitely good to be familiar with your equipment and know how to make it work and how to take care of it. If you take care of it it?ll take care of you.” As well as preparing off the water there is a lot that you can do to enhance the performance of your equipment whilst on it. Kevin: ”We always have a test partner. I think it?s also useful for recreational sailors to have someone to sail against and have someone out there that they can sail against. I think it?s key to be able to measure your standard and test that to improve your sailing and tune your equipment.” Sailing with a partner will allow you to see how you are doing and what difference any changes you make to technique or equipment have on performance.
The components
Other elements of the rig are equally critical to making the sail work efficiently.
Kevin: ”Within the last five years the other components have levelled out in terms of getting lighter and stronger. For people that got frustrated learning with heavy old equipment today?s components has had a major impact. ”It?s amazing how much of an impact product developments have had on how easy it is to learn. Components are lighter; sails are more efficient and more stable. That is one of the most incredible things about sail development, the stability. That has had a major impact on rig control.” There have been very technical developments in the trimming technology. One small example is key adjusted battens. Kevin: ”For recreational sailors key adjustments mean there is now a cleaner trailing edge, a tidier looking sail and less wear and tear. The old batten tensioners use to wear through and there isn?t too much need to move batten?s in and out that much.”Sail development
PWA sailors are responsible for a great deal of sail development during the tour. How does that translate to the sails which you and I use every weekend? Kevin: ”There are a lot of features on our race sails that are used throughout our complete range. If you think of the sail range starting at one end with our race sails and the next step down has two cambers, the next has one and then you have a slalom sail that is still very fast and race orientated. Then from the other end you have influences coming in from the wave sails. This moves up towards the middle where you have a range of freeride sails that take the best from each.” Kevin: ”Last year when we got back from The Canaries we had so many ideas about race sails. We were able to put those into recreational sails to go into production. We ended up testing those against our race sails. We went to Brazil last year with our recreational sails with two cambers! ”95% of the time people are better off using the next one down from the pro race sails. They have all the elements of the race sails except the cambers and the extra weight. To get all the benefits of a pro sail you have to use all the other components, the mast, boom,plus you have to use all the right settings.” The high level of development, made possible by the intense competition on the tour means all the major sail lofts around the world are able to learn from each other to push designs further and further.
Kevin flat out in Gran Canaria 2000 Close race action at the gybe mark Kevin: ”Every sail on the market right now is of a really high standard. The market is pretty tight.” Freestyle sailing has unwrapped a new range of equipment for recreational sailors as well as the pro fleet. As well as boards that means freeride sails that offer the best of both worlds, offering low-end speed with control and manoeuvrability. Kevin: ”Freeride is in the middle between wave and race. Freeride probably has a lower clew than the race sails and more power in the foot than a wave sail. It has more low-end power to get going early in lighter winds. ”The slalom sails are more user friendly than full on race and easier to rig. But just as fast for people to use in a range of conditions.” The future
It seems the radical days of sail design have disappeared. The cut away leech, the big head, the loose leech. What does the future contain for sail design? Kevin: ”Things have levelled out but we still see a lot of improvements each year. All the lofts keep making small changes and that is enabling us to go faster and faster each year. It?s a case of fine tuning and not necessarily radical changes.” One thing that is interesting is the development of sails for Formula Windsurfing. In recent years this has seen high volume short boards that make light wind sailing more accessible and enjoyable. The same developments are also being seen in sail design. Kevin: ”Gaastra are looking at 15.0 metre race sails. The boards are able to carry that size and it will only increase the wind range of competition. Part of the future development is being able to get back out and have a good time. Formula is opening up the wind range for everyone and will continue to provide equipment for recreational and pro sailors to get out and enjoy sailing in a wide range of conditions without a low number of sails and boards.”
Bigger sails that can be used in a wide wind range. Kevin: ”We can use a 7.8 in up to 30knots now. That was just not possible before, and means we can stay out longer with the same kit and still sail competitively. ”I think if the Formula windsurfing goes forward with the Olympics we will see a big step up in the development of sails and boards. It?s already come a long way and it?s about being able to get going and get out there more often.” Windsurfing is at the leading edge when it comes to sail powered technology and design. The rate of acceleration, the speed of turns and the level of control that a sailor has at the edge of his fingertips and toes are remarkable. As developments continue to come each year it will only mean more impressive performances and more dramatic action at all levels of the sport. We will have to wait to see if Kevin can reach his goal and take the PWA Race title in 2000. Meantime Kevin and the rest of the PWA race fleet will be working on their equipment and preparing for the showdown. -
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