Background
The Cosmic is an all-new sail in the Gaastra range that replaces the Swift from previous years.

At a glance
It has a compact out line, with six battens, two cams and a low cut foot shape. The clew is cut down to shorten the boom and it has a medium width luff tube. The build quality and attention to detail are of a very high standard and the sail also has a very striking appearance.

Rigging
It is very hassle free to rig and pop the cams into place. Setting on a 460 mast, we tested the sail with a 75% carbon Gaastra SDM. It can be tuned with the out-haul, once the down-haul is set but is not too critical of fine tuning and delivers good all-round performance without needing constant adjustment.

Performance
On the water it pulls straight off the beach, with solid low-down power that gets you up and going super early. The natural wind range of this sail is huge, it has heaps of power when you want it and when the wind pumps up and it remains perfectly controlled and balanced in the hands. It is the biggest sail in this test, at 8.0m, which gives it a slight advantage at the bottom end but even in the windiest conditions it still holds up as well as the smaller ones. Through manoeuvres, it handles extremely well, with a super smooth rotation and constant feed of power to pull you out the other side.

The verdict
The new Cosmic is a great quality freerace sail, its performance doesn’t feel far off that of a race sail but it is far easier to handle and much more user-friendly. Suitable for all freeriders and recreational racers alike, the Cosmic will have you ripping past your mates on the straights as well as round the corners.

www.gaastra.com