THEY SAY
Windfoil dedication. Soft and effective
pumping for low winds, and once up
on the foil a light and easy feeling.
The Skyscape has evolved for 2019:
new profiles improve performance
over the Skyscape 2018 model. A 5
batten, 3 cam design, the Skyscape is
especially reactive to pumping while
the cams provide foil stability.WE SAY
The Skyscape is in its second year of existence,
with Loftsails being an early adopter of the
foiling phenomenon and getting right to work
in producing foil specific sails. Compatible on
either SDM or RDM masts, it was tested on a
Team Edition SDM and was straightforward to
rig, the wide luff sleeve providing the room to
secure the three Tekcam2 inducers easily onto
the mast. There’s a rigging guide in the form of
a diamond in the upper panel, inferring that the
sail sets with plenty of luff curve and progressive
looseness down the leech. Build quality is up toLOFT SAILS SKYSCAPE 7.6M
WEB WWW.LOFTSAILS.COM PRICE £739
VITAL STATS
Size: 7.6m Luff: 494 cm Boom: 198 cm
Battens: 5 Cams: 3 Ideal Mast: Team Edition
460 cm SDM/RDM Extension Required: 34 cm
Available Sizes: 5.8,6.4,7.0,7.6the usual standard of Loftsails, with Kevlar strips
and metallic cam interfaces (MCIs) incorporated
for stability and structural longevity; the IYU250
luff tube material for wear resistance and a large
Dacron head panel for rolling ease. There’s also
a strong sense of the Skyscape’s performance fo-
cus, with features such as the neoprene boom
cut-out closure and integrated battens with x-ply
pockets (for symmetry between tacks), lifted
directly from the brand’s race programme.
Taking the Skyscape to the water, it is interest-
ing just how physically light it feels for its quoted
size. Setting the sail according to the diamond
marker, the structure of the sail is very locked in
thanks to the three cams, with little movement
or breathability to its deep, pronounced profile.
To get going early you really need to stuff the
board deep downwind, where the depth of the
draft can compliment good pumping technique,
to accelerate the board and get water flowing
over the foil’s wings. We did try reducing the
amount of downhaul tension slightly to re-con-
nect the mid-leech and promote some softness to
the sail’s form, yet it still remains relatively firm
for pumping. Once going the Skyscape settles
into a locked in yet upright stance, with plen-
ty of area in the foot of the sail, its short boom
and long luff giving it a reasonably high aspect
appearance. It accelerates quickly in the hands,
feeling very comfortable and balanced – great for
covering large distances with ease. As the wind
increased the stability remained, helped by reap-
plying the extra tension through the downhaul
and opting for the lower clew eyelet. Ultimate-
ly, the Skyscape really seemed to favour a locked
in and assertive riding style, without feeling too
demanding on rider ability. It’s a sort of freer-
ace foiling sail – a hybrid of freeride ease and
lightweight handling, coupled with speed and
blasting performance. In transition the sail pro-
vides all the speed and drive to
enter forcefully, its deep profile
keeping the sail well forward
throughout the turn. It takes
some effort to break the struc-
ture and encourage the battens
to rotate, yet the cams follow
willingly and snap back into
place. With masses of range
available, if windfoil blasting
is your specialty there are few
sails to rival the Skyscape.88 JULY 2019
FREERIDE FOIL SAIL TEST