Windsurf – July 2019

WINDSURF MAGAZINE 91

THEY SAY

With the Compact Freefoil we have

exactly the same performance as the

Freefoil, but with a sail and rig that fits

in a backpack. Windsurfing has never

been so compact. A board length of

180, a complete rig that fits in a back-

pack and the foil... The whole package

fits into the back of a car with ease!

WE SAY

RRD’s sail designer John Skye has been work-

ing intently on his ‘Compact’ sail concept for

several years now, and this is the first time we

have been lucky enough to use one within our

test schedule. The idea is simple – to produce a

complete rig that fits inside a travel case, so that

windsurfers are no longer restricted by the fac-

tors beyond their control, be it the car they drive

or airline they’re flying with. Two-piece battens

and four or five piece booms and masts are just

the start; there’s now a fold-down sail to match

every discipline, from wave to freeride and fre-

erace ... there’s even a performance ‘Grom’ sail

RRD COMPACT FREEFOIL MKI 5.8M

WEB WWW.ROBERTORICCIDESIGNS.COM PRICE £6 9 9

for the aspiring youth. So it was only natural that

the new Freefoil sail should also be made availa-

ble in compact form!

On first rigging it took a little while to en-

sure the battens were correctly fitted, but with

practice, we’re sure we can get it down to the 5

minute rigging time quoted by RRD. Once on

the water, the Freefoil feels very neutral and easy

in the hands, with both clew eyelets promoting

plenty of rake to the boom’s orientation. The ex-

tra joints in the mast and boom have obviously

added weight to the respective component parts,

but these aren’t especially noticeable at rest and

certainly not once powered. As wind fills the

sail, the Dacron luff panel and large distance

between battens two and three means the sail

breathes easily into a much deeper profile. A few

pumps and the Freefoil generates lots of positive

forward surges, the reduced luff curve and tight

leech helping to make use of the whole sail area.

Settling easily into an upright and relaxed stance,

the boom rake and cross batten design provides

form and structure low down, so as to not upset

the rider’s stance. Even in powered to overpow-

ered conditions, the Freefoil remains managea-

ble, allowing the rider to ease it out and let it

go neutral. We did downhaul the sail more to

see what would happen and it opens the upper

leech up slightly, but more importantly tightens

up the luff panel and strengthens the sail’s sta-

bility low down. It is not a sail for loading and

trying to drag race your mates with, but rather a

soft user-friendly power source for getting going

early. It partnered the Pocket Rocket (tested else-

where in this issue) superbly, giving the initial

energy to push the board forward and get water

flowing over the foil’s wings, before contracting

to trim to the head-on apparent wind. In tran-

sition, the Freefoil returns to its default neutral

feeling, allowing the rider to concentrate on

their ride height and foil control upon exit. The

lower battens retain rotation

around the mast, but easily shift

round onto the new tack with

a well-timed pump. A unique

sail offering a massive practical

upside, the Compact Freefoil

performs admirably and could

well be the answer to enjoying

a fun filled session on the water,

when you’d otherwise be stuck

on the beach.

VITAL STATS

Size: 5.8m Luff: 448 cm Boom: 172 cm

Battens: 4 Cams: 0 Ideal Mast: RRD 430 cm

RDM Extension Required: 18 cm

Available Sizes: 4.0,5.0,5.8,6.4