90 SPOTLIGHTKIT
Everyman engines
5m wave sails spotlight reviews
KARMA Info: http://witchcraft.nu/sails/karma Price: £561 Offer: buy two or more sails and get 20% off FENIX Info: www.avantisails.com/sails/fenix
WORDS AND PICS: WINDSURFING UK
WAVE SAILS. FOR SOME THE TERM IS OFF PUTTING.
CONJURING UP IMAGES OF PRO RIDERS DROPPING
BOMBS IN UNDISCLOSED TROPICAL LOCATIONS ‘WAVE
SAILS’ AREN’T FOR THE EVERYMAN SAILOR…RIGHT?
Upon closer inspection you’d therefore be surprised
that once into 5m (ish) sail territory (and below) rider
quivers are commonly inclusive of this very type of sail.
Even if they’ll never sniff a wave!
What makes a good wave sail – early planing, easy to depower,
simple (enough) rigging and tuning and tough construction – are
attractive properties for all types of high wind windsurfer, no
matter where the put in. Also 5m is when things start to get a little
more serious in terms of blow strength, but without being too
hectic and needing to ride ‘twitchy’ kit, which is often the
comment when some describe using smaller rigs.
uk
WIND
SURFING
Under the spotlight this issue we
look at two head turning boutique
brands. In focus is Avanti Sails’
Fenix 5.2m (you can see the
Fenix 4.8m write up online at
windsurfingukmag.co.uk) and
Witchcraft’s Karma 5m. Both Dan
Kaseler (Avanti) and Bouke
Becker (Witchcraft) have a long
history in windsurfing, as well as
holding strong ideals about how
equipment should be designed
and produced.
A 5m sail is pretty much meat
and potatoes for any type of
windsurfer – right through the
season. Surf heads will use this