Foil: New Olympiaboard concept

For the average surfer, the current Olympic board is probably a cross between a toilet door and a workbench. Its sex appeal is probably quite a bit lower than that of an iPhone 7 - which at least explains why roughly one windsurfer (among the men) in Germany surfs with it. Or rather: surfed. Because Toni Wilhelm also switched to a race slalom board pretty quickly - and successfully - straight after returning from Rio. Committed racers like him actually see the choice of material as almost irrelevant. "For us, it's not the equipment that's fun, but the competition and the hard training," says Toni, "the appeal for racers lies in the Olympic class, because they love tuning their equipment, tactics, technique and fitness. Nevertheless, you sometimes ask yourself why you're actually doing this with the 20-kilo plank."

Wow - this is what NeilPryde designer Robert Stroj has come up with for the big foil club: "More attractive for the spectators, more fun for the athletes and finally closer to normal windsurfing!" Bought. And for those who are still not convinced, the NeilPryde all-round carefree foil package is available in three flavours. The first package, the one with the big hook, is designed primarily for Olympic officials. Of course, you need something fresh to lure them in, something new and spectacular, but preferably in a familiar package so that you don't have to sell the product to the media and the masses from scratch. The RS:X Convertible should offer exactly that. As a modification of the RS:X, a bit of tradition is retained, the additional foil provides a youthful, dynamic kick even in six knots of wind, and in the normal slalom set-up, with a 36 mm fin in good wind, the whole thing might even pass as a real people's board for the BILD newspaper. Designed by the RS:X management at NeilPryde, developed by the European RS:X sales team in France with ex-Exocet shaper Jean Marie Guiriec. He knows his way around, as Exocet was already the hardest bone for the RS:X in the last application for the Mistral successor. But NeilPryde sail designer Robert Stroj also knows how things work.

PROCEDURE WITH RISKS

"Fortunately, I was there when RS:X was selected as an Olympic board and went through the whole process. Back then, the initiative came from the ISAF. As a request to the entire industry, looking for a new board as the successor to the Mistral One design." The RS:X overcame the hurdle of the elimination process at the time - various events where the manufacturers were initially given hardly any restrictions, "there was even a board where you could tie up the bow with the starting sheet for high winds," recalls Robert Stroj. Especially because the Exocet shape "became really dangerous in rough, hard conditions with chop and the riders took really bad skidding falls."

In the end, the current RS:X was chosen because of its better strong wind performance. The new RS:X Convertible foil board should have its strengths even more in the planing range. However, the lower limit is set euphorically low. "Racers like Sebastian Kornum, who are well trained, can push it to six knots and foil safely from seven knots," predicts Stroj and Olympic veteran Toni Wilhelm (2012, 2016) is also certain: "Individual races would probably have been cancelled on a foil board in recent years. But entire regattas? I don't think so. I think foiling has a future. If you look at the sailing world, everything works on foils these days."

The only thing left now is to convince the officials. And they are under a lot of pressure. The Olympic Committee is pushing at the top. It wants exciting races in the sailing disciplines too. Spectacular, young and modern. Surfing and skateboarding are already included. "Go for it," is the brief given to "World Sailing" (successor to the International Sailing Federation ISAF) - a halfway house somewhere between the Olympic Committee and the individual sailing classes. "Tending to be quite traditionally rooted", as Stroj cautiously puts it, but under pressure from above. "Rumour has it that kitesurfing is as good as in, but one of three classes will have to make way for it: Finn, windsurfing or 49er," says Stroj. "The Finn has a long tradition. And nobody can say at the moment how willing World Sailing is to give up this class." However, following the presentation of the RS:X class change to Foil Convertible in November, it is in the hands of World Sailing to propose this concept to the Olympic Committee for a decision for 2020 as early as next February.

"Foilsurfing is quite difficult and complicated for normal people. Nevertheless, it is closer to normal windsurfing than RS:X. When it becomes Olympic, the PWA should also adopt it. Then the two top-level classes will come closer together." (Craig Gertenbach, Fanatic Brand Manager)

THE CHEAPEST FOILING CLASS

What might seem desirable to many in the American presidential election - namely that neither candidate will be elected - would be a bitter blow for windsurfing. In fact, the RS:X class could be completely overturned, with or without a foil. That's why, unlike the Mistral replacement at the time, the push for the new concept is coming early and on the company's own initiative. "The idea of the RS:X class is that it can present an attractive foiling class," explains Robert, "a foiling class that is much cheaper than any other foiling class. With a concept like the catamarans. Something similar is planned there. Nacra, for example, will keep the class, but they will introduce foils. It could be very similar with the RS:X. The idea is also for kiters to use either foils or a normal twin tip as a convertible. It would be very bad for windsurfing if it were no longer an Olympic sport. Maybe not in Germany, but in Scandinavia at the latest, where windsurfing is organised more via clubs and the Olympic classes are celebrated very enthusiastically, it would mean a loss. If you then look further afield to Asia, to China, where Olympic windsurfing is very strong, it would have a very big impact there." Regardless of whether enough weary officials' thumbs point upwards in the end, NeilPryde definitely wants to establish the class as the new "One Design Class". One board (82 centimetres wide), one sail (7.8 for men; 7.0 for women), one fin, one foil. Is that too standardised for you? How about the RS:Flight?

A TOTAL OF TWO UNIT CLASSES

This is the second foil board that NeilPryde wants to play with for the coming season, the luxury package. "The first boards have already come out of the mould," says a delighted Robert Stroj, who worked on the board development for this project together with shaper Mark Nelson. "A pure foil board," enthuses Robert, "at 91 centimetres and 145 litres, it is designed for even earlier planing. The foil, which comes from foil experts F4 in San Francisco, is designed for top speed rather than maximum buoyancy. The plan is to equip it with two main wings: for light and strong winds. The rear wing, the 'stabiliser', will remain unchanged." This set is also served as a two-course menu for the motorisation. An 8.6 sail (7.0 for women) ensures a brisk start in first gear, while the second gear really gets going at 7.0 (5.6 for women).

THE SAVINGS OPTION

The third package is also the economy package. Nothing other than the cheaper but more robust version of the RS:X Convertible. Instead of the finest carbon like the RS:Flight and RS:X Convertible, the "One" is offered as a training and club board in full wood sandwich - at a more favourable price.

Two new classes, three new boards. The "RS:Flight" (left) is designed purely as a high-performance foil board. Depending on the wind conditions, the "RS:X Convertible" (centre) will compete at the Olympics with an early planing foil or a slalom fin. For training and clubs, the same board is produced as the "RS:One Convertible" (right), which is around 1.5 kilos heavier and has a more robust construction.

NEW OLYMPIC SURFERS

The formats also need to be reconsidered for the new Olympic material. "Why not have 'full fleet' slalom races, or at least half a field?" Toni suggests, "Because each nation only has one starter at the Olympics, there aren't that many participants - in Rio we only had 36 men. That can be done easily and quickly."

Race formats such as the PWA World Cup or the German Windsurfing Cup (DWC) open up completely new perspectives, including for a different type of rider. With more of a slalom background and a little more on the ribs. "On the RS:X, 75 kilos is ideal for being fast in all conditions," estimates Toni. "Heavier riders compensate for this with their physicality in strong winds. I think a body weight of around 80 kilos wouldn't be bad for this new convertible concept. Because then you have to be extremely tough in the slalom." As exciting as that sounds - there is still a certain residual risk for Olympic windsurfing, but optimism prevails for Robert Stroj: "Windsurfing once again put on a really good show at the last Olympic Games, so I think the Olympic Committee's chances are pretty good for windsurfing.

And with foiling, it's also very competitive again." So the (toilet) door to the Olympics is far from slammed shut - no matter how hard the kiters knock and hammer - it is probably wider open than ever for a modern foil hybrid.