WindsurfingUK Issue 8 September 2018 | Page 88

88 SPOTLIGHT Try it, you might like it (again) BIC Techno One Design 293 Info: https://world.bicsport.com/windsurf/boards/product/techno-293-od-dtt.html Price: £1250 WORDS: WINDSURFING UK PICS: JAMES JAGGER AT ONE POINT, NOT TOO FAR BACK, YOU COULDN’T MOVE FOR BLUE BIC TECHNO BOARDS LITTERING BEACHES ON SUNNY BLOW DAYS. THE ICONIC BLUE SHAPE STILL HOLDS FAVOUR WITH MANY – SCOUR THE CLASSIFIED SECTIONS AND YOU’LL NO DOUBT FIND A FEW BEING SOLD SECOND HAND. THESE DAYS THEY’RE NOT QUITE AS PREVALENT, YET THERE’S NO REASON WHY THEY SHOULDN’T BE. Check BIC’s website and you’ll discover a whole host of BIC Techno shapes and designs, all manufactured with easy windsurfing in mind. A huge tick in the box is the brand manufactur within Europe (BIC’s French homeland to be exact). You mightn’t be getting a board made from the latest exotic material. It may not be the best solution for aerial contortionism. But then that’s not the point. For many sailors looking to get out and simply blast, across ‘normal’ conditions, BIC’s Techno range will still fit the bill for many. uk WIND SURFING Light wind Possibly the most versatile and longstanding shape in the BIC range is the One Design 293. No doubt you’ll have seen this sled being put to good use by all manner of Olympic pathway fleets. In particular, youth windsurf racing is alive and well with the 293 and associated rigs. So what from a recreational windsurfer’s point of view? First of all BIC’s One Design Techno is super versatile. Not only is it capable of performance windsurfing in planing mode, but due to the hybrid shape, integrated daggerboard and beating straps it’s an efficient light wind machine that gives raceboard/longboard shapes a run for