Like it or not, the pace of the world we live in just keeps getting faster and faster. Our weekends pass away far too quickly, we spend our working week relentlessly tapping away at keyboards, connected to faster, more powerful computers; we drive faster cars and we eat too much fast food. While we might reminisce longingly about the times when the pace of life was much slower, there is simply no getting away from the fact that mankind is obsessed with speed.

In December 1889 a Frenchman with a rather long name risked life and limb to set one of the first official land speed records. He achieved an incredible speed of 39.24mph. Just over 120 years later the speed record now sits at over 400mph. Even cyclists in the Tour de France are at times exceeding 50mph!

Only 10 years ago, sailing fast on a windsurfer meant sacrificing control, comfort and cash to fork out on the latest and greatest race machines of the time. That was all well and good, but despite being fast they weren’t much fun to sail and required a fair bit of ability to get any level of performance from them, let alone stay dry around a corner.

But now things have improved somewhat. Now we have a breed of board called the ‘freerace’. Not only are they fast but they’re also comfortable and, dare I say, relatively ‘easy’ to sail. Just as Lance Armstrong might have had a wry smile on his face as he pedalled past our French friend and his 40mph record breaking car, we can now cruise in comfort at speeds that not long ago wouldn’t have been possible even on the most dedicated of race boards.

If you don’t sail in waves then the chances are you have an interest in speed and don’t want to be overtaken. Freeride boards (as we tested last year) are great for learning to gybe and mixing manoeuvrability with straight-line performance, but if you want real pace you need to look elsewhere.

If your body is clad in 100kg of muscle and you have your heart set on seeing Antoine Albeau wallow in your wake on the PWA slalom course, then you should probably look straight at the race lines that most brands offer. But if you’re of more average stature and hope to have some cartilage left in your knees in a few years’ time, then freerace boards are where the action is. These are designed to blend slalom board rivalling speed with a hefty dose of comfort and ease of use thrown into the mix.

We decided it was time to check out what was on offer in the freerace market, so took nine of the top offerings and sent our Clones camel-backing into the Egyptian desert to check them out…

Read the full test on our sister site, Boardseeker.com

Hot Sails Maui GP2

Chris Freeman introduces Hot Sails Maui‘s all-new freerace sail, the GP2…

The idea of a more user-friendly version of a race sail is not new. I remember seeing the first of these sails hit the market some 20 years ago, at the time I was racing most weekends and being small I did consider a few options. In recent years such sails did fall out of favour but with the resurgence of slalom racing around the world it was not going to be too long before consumers were asking for something to go fast on that had the feel of a race sail but less of the fuss (and weight). In recent months I have seen lots of forum posts around the globe asking whether they should choose race or freerace for their new sail and what the trade offs are. Today we are introducing our all-new freerace sail the GP2 which is derived from the GPS.  I asked Tom and Jeff the designers at Hot Sails Maui for their comments on this new direction.

Hot Sails Maui GP2

What is the design concept of the GP2?

The GP2 fits in the gap between the Speed Demon which is an easy handling no-cam flatwater sail and the high performance PWA racing GPS. It has more power and performance than the Speed Demon but remains easy to use and rig. It has a deep draft with lots of twist to balance power and control. The GP2 (like the GPS) is supplied with two sets of cams for either RDM or SDM masts. The sleeve is as narrow as we could make I so it does not become a sea anchor when dropped in the water!

Hot Sails Maui GP2

Who is it aimed at?

It is a freerace sail for the weekend racer who wants maximum performance from an easy to handle sail. It is super light, this helps greatly when gybing for those of us who have not quite mastered the art. Go fast with minimum effort. Those smaller sailors or new racers will benefit from this sail around the course, we must remember that slalom is not all about the straight line and most races are won (or lost) at the marks.

Hot Sails Maui GP2

What materials are used?

The sail is built to be light but we did not want to compromise too much in terms of durability for which Hot Sails Maui is known so we chose a combination of 4, 5, and 7mm films. The 7.3m GP2 weighs in at 5.4Kk which is 1.01kg or 16% lighter than the GPs version.

Hot Sails Maui GP2

Specs:

When will it be available in the shops?

The first of the GP2s are available for pre-order via the UK importer Anton at MDE Distribution – www.mde-dist.com

Hot Sails Maui GP2

How fast it it?

It is very fast! We tested against our GPS and other full race sails during the 2011 Maui Slalom Series and it comes very close to matching the speed on a reach. The only areas it looses out to a full race sail is in upwind performance and stability at the extreme high end of the range. In light winds or comfortable conditions many riders actually preferred the easy handling of the GP2 over the GPS.

Anything else?

For most people this hassle-free version of a race sail will be more fun to sail and will be more competitive due to it’s light weight and easy handling, it is all about having the right tools for the job which suit your sailing location, desires and ability.

More at www.hotsailsmaui.com

Fanatic Ray 2012, by John Carter

Fanatic introduce their new Ray 2012 range of freerace boards…

More at www.fanatic.com

More at www.fanatic.com

Fanatic Ray 2012

Discover more at: www.neilpryde.com

BOARDS May 2011

contents 273 – MAY 2011

Covershot: Another day at the office for our Clones test team, by Dave White

features

MOROCCAN MONSTERS Florian Jung and Mr Morocco himself feast on some classic Atlantic winter swells…

FIRST RIDES – NORTH NATURAL 6.0m Adrian Jones gets to grips with North’s new entry level sail…

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS Jason Polakow’s powers of concentration get tested to the max as he encounters an unexpected 700lb visitor on a triple mast high wave…

110L FREERACE BOARDS Adrian Jones and the Clones test team assess the merits of nine of the finest freeracers on the market…

DAKHLA FESTIVAL Described as a harmony between sky and sea, desert and music, the Dakhla Festival celebrated its 5th anniversary in style. Jamie Hancock reports…

WILD WEST Dave White discovers where his wife has hidden his passport, dons Stetson, chaps and poncho and heads out to explore windsurfing’s Wild West, otherwise known as Punta San Carlos, Baja California, Mexico

ESCAPE FROM CAIRO Recent events in Egypt had us all glued to our screens, but what was it actually like to be in the thick of it? Expat Damian De Backer reports from Cairo and the Sinai…

SELF SERVICE In the first of Marjan Tkavc’s DIY series not only do you get the chance satisfy those primal urges to wield potentially dangerous tools, but you also discover how to make your own quick-release fin bolts…

SWA KD3 WAVE TRILOGY Sam Burnett reports from Cardiff on the grand finale to the hugely successful Student Windsurfing Association wave series…

EX PATRIOT GAMES This month’s Have Your Say contributor is British expat Mark Rheinlander, who’s settled in the land of Vegemite and red backs…

FLIRTING WITH THE FORWARD BOARDS reader Jeff Scott of Eastbourne charts his progression in the sport from reluctant beginner to wannabe looper, and finds himself asking: “Are forwards just for pros? Or can your average Jeff do them?”

MARVELLOUS MOULAY Last, but by no means least, in the second of our visits to Morocco this issue the indefatigable Jem Hall and his wrecking crew give us the lowdown on Moulay Bouzerktoun, home to Boujmaa Guilloul and some very agreeable waves…

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