Windsurf – July 2019

WINDSURF MAGAZINE 75

RRD WH FLIGHT ALU 85 V2 & POCKET ROCKET E-TECH 122

WEB WWW.ROBERTORICCIDESIGNS.COM PRICE FOIL: £999 BOARD: E-TECH: £1299

THEY SAY

It’s the newest and latest developed hydrofoil for
freeride use. The WH FLIGHT ALU 85 V2 has
its best performance in light wind conditions
(7-18 knots), allowing you to enter the water
with 7-8 knots and is extremely easy and fast.
Pocket Rocket: “180cm of length is a total break-
through as it is the most fun and accessible foil
board, it flies earlier than all the other boards we
have tried, stays up foiling longer and easier and is
still floating perfectly when uphauling a big sail.”

• Roberto Ricci.

WE SAY
The WH Flight Alu 85 is in its second year of pro-
duction, and comes with the same mast and 800
mm hybrid carbon front wing, yet a shorter fuse-
lage at 110 cm and a broader tail wing. Supplied
with various head options, it was first tested in a
more conventional board before we introduced
the Pocket Rocket into the equation! In marginal
winds, the WH Flight certainly still has early plan-
ing potential and the long distance between mast
and front wing getting the lift well forward. Be-
ing relatively high aspect in outline, the front wing
does require some speed and water-flow over its
surfaces before it starts to generate lift ... and in
lulls if the speed diminishes, the foil stalls sooner
than most and will drop out of the sky. And yet, the
WH Flight combats this with an impressive turn
of speed, enabling the rider to point well and glide
through lulls, mitigating the chances of stalling.
Once comfortably powered, the foil is a pleasure to
use, feeling directionally stable and very balanced,
with just the right amount of measured response
to control ride height. We are happy to report that
the foil also feels so much more forgiving and man-
ageable as the wind increases as well, the shorter
fuselage and increased tail wingspan compliment-
ing each other to reduce any kick-back or twitch
without effecting speed or stability. In the gybe, the
WH Flight carries its speed willingly into the turn,

and remains smooth and responsive, so long as

speed is maintained. We have to say, we were quite

speculative before stepping on the Pocket Rocket,

its stubby outline dreaming up visions of it being

hard and uncompromising to use. We needn’t have

worried. Carrying the board to the water, there’s

a handle in the deck if you are launching without

the sail ... or a handle just in front of the foil box

if launching complete with rig. It has a quoted

volume of 122 litres, which does feel justified, the

stability underfoot more than ample for an 80 kg

rider uphauling. We actually resorted to uphaul-

ing more often than not – the chunkiness of the

Pocket Rocket’s tail more akin to waterstarting on

a 240L board – tough in marginal winds! It is just

so buoyant, sitting high on the surface, making

it hard to pull towards you. Another interesting

feature is that the Pocket Rocket is not supplied

with straps ... and in the board’s recently released

promotion photos/videos, RRD’s riders aren’t even

using a harness. For now though, we resorted to

our default of straps and harness to test its limits.

Whilst its quoted sail range is up to 6.4m, it is cer-

tainly capable of carrying larger sails, using the sail

to drive the initial motion before resorting to foil

pumping to help release. The short no-nose outline

helps to rock the board back on the foil, releasing

early with efficient foil technique. We did try the

Pocket Rocket with a lower aspect foil and have to

say its light wind capacity was accentuated further

still, albeit at the loss of speed. RRD suggest the

use of their SH Flight with a convertible kit if you’d

like to go down this route. Once going, the strap

plugs in the Pocket Rocket force the rider into a

particularly wide stance, which feels a little awk-

ward to some, yet certainly helps to shift weight

quickly to control ride height. The riding experi-

ence is quite exhilarating, the board feeling loose

and electric and providing a heightened sense of

connection; that everything is happening around

you and involving you. Take the straps off though

and the Pocket Rocket offers a whole new riding

sensation. It’s such a pure experience: just clean, fun

enjoyment – a new sense of freedom as you dance

and carve across the water. Just as we found when

we learnt how to foil for the first time, you find

the initial experience eye opening yet quite tiring,

mentally more than anything as your mind tries

to catch up with what you are witnessing. We did

become advocates for sailing without a harness as

well, providing an extra feeling of liberation. The

WH does require you to push the board deep off

the wind initially as well, getting that flow of water

over the foils before you start to work the foil. And

yet you quickly adjust and learn to trust the level of

grip provided by the extended EVA deckpad. One

final comment – with its no nose outline, you’d be

forgiven for thinking it would be impossible to tack

... but again the wide shoulders and foil stability

provided means that even this is easily achievable.

A unique looking contender, the Pocket Rocket

opens up a whole new pathway for windfoiling

progression, and we have to say we’re big fans.

VITAL STATS

FOIL

• Head: Tuttle / Powerbox / Pedestal Plate


• Mast Length: 85 cm • Mast Material: Aluminium


• Fuselage Length: 110.0 cm • Fuselage Material:
  Aluminium • Front Wing Span: 80.0 cm


• Front Wing Chord: 11.8 cm • Tail Wing Span:
  50.0 cm • Wing Material: Hybrid carbon


• Weight: 5.79 kg

BOARD

• Length: 180 cm • Width: 76 cm


• Volume: 122 L. • Foil Box: Deep Tuttle / US
  SUP Foil • Sail Range: 4.0-6.4m