As most of the riders who read my posts will know I am a big fan of Art Szpunar's and Barry Spanier's sail design and happily support in trying to make the great sails even better.
One of the joys of speedsurfing to me always has been to try and play a constructive role in gear development and I highly respect those who put time and effort in making our niche sport even more accessible. In person I love to try and support in making gear for normal weight and length riders who aim to go fast.
As I grow older I am enjoying the develpment and triming aspects which can make a huge difference in speed and comfort even more. So, when KA/Tribal owner and my good windsurfing friend Peter Weitenberg asked me if I am willing to help out with testing KA alongside S2 the answer was easy.
Today Serge and I went to the Houw. I decided to give the KA Speed 5.7 a spin in the dying winds after dry rigging and tuning for a while. The KA did remarkably well as winds were way too low for 5.7 by then.
As I know the S2 so well and as I love the handling so much, I felt a little uneased. Both sails couldn't vary more from eachother and the style you use to go fast couldn't vary more.
I rate the Venom as a "bow and arrow" sail which you can use for bizarre accellerations if you understand the conceptual thought behind the design. The KA on the other hand is more of a sword, wind slicing style sail, a bit similar to what Severne is doing.
The fun thing is that I felt at ease immediately and really didn't expect to be this quick in the winds that dropped near instantly after I went on the water. This is definitely to be continued but then in true 5.7 weather as this sail 100% sure is stunningly quick. I feel honoured Peter asked me and I will be equally honoured to try and help him out, just like Serge and I are trying to help out Art.
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