Windsurf MagazinePOINT-7 SPY 5.0 TEST REVIEW 2023

POINT-7 SPY 5.0 TEST REVIEW 2023

THE VERDICT

A ‘real world’ wave sail for making the most of those gusty coastal conditions we are often greeted with as we turn up to the beach. Fast, powerful and super stable, it makes a great high wind coastal freeride sail, for blasting and bump-and-jump enjoyment.

OVERVIEW

The Spy enjoys another season in the Point-7 lineup as their ‘freestyle wave’ sail, or more accurately described in the brand’s literature as their “multi-tasking high aspect power angry 5 batten setup”! Sitting between the wave focussed Salt Pro and freestyle oriented Slash, it is their all-round sail for wave sailing, bump and jump and ‘basic freestyle’. Rigged for test here on a K87 RDM, it sports a good deal of luff curve as the sail is downhauled, allowing for the leech to fall away to the prescribed marker in the upper panel. There is also a good deal of shape pulling into the sail’s profile at rest, the bottom two battens pushing the draft forward, whilst retaining plenty of rotation around the mast. With plenty of skin tension and forced structure, the Spy is a powerful, stable looking contender, the brand’s reputation as a leading loft for making fast sails no doubt influencing aspects of the Spy’s makeup too. For example, the batten orientation is angled such that they are more horizontal as the sail is raked back and locked down, with the intention of improving airflow and increasing the sail’s efficiency. Available in Point-7’s familiar black livery or their 2023 colours of green, it is well detailed with alternating battens, twin-clew eyelets, and a quick and easy guide for the correct extension length on the foot of the sail – a feature Point-7 has long since championed, yet don’t receive enough credit for. A late arrival for the wave test, it has taken some time to find the conditions to put it through its paces, but has it been worth the wait?

BRAND CLAIM

“A powerful masterpiece and a symbol of control. Using a rich forward positioned profile for great drive mixed with good skin tension, the SPY is a powerful yet extremely controllable sail which ensures you stay on top of things in the widest variety of conditions and range of winds.”

PERFORMANCE

Wave sailing always has been, and for many always will be, the pinnacle of our much-loved sport. Many of us aspire to ride clean waves, carving on smooth, expansive open faces. The reality we are often faced with though is very different, with gusty cross to onshore coastal gales and confused lumps and bumps with little predictability. Well, for this environment the Spy is perfectly suited. Generating a good deal of bottom end grunt it feels solid and forceful in the hands, the Dacron luff panel helping the sail to breathe into a deeper profile. In variable even violent airs, the Spy remains dependable and encourages the rider to lock it down into a fast, comfortable stance. It’s a real ally for coastal bump-and-jump or blasting, generating the speed and energy to hit ramps on the way out for plenty of rocket air. On the way back in, the Spy certainly provides the power and speed to attack wave faces with conviction. It provides drive throughout, rather than going neutral, and responds best to a powerful, committed riding style. In cross onshore conditions, this constant feedback is a great asset, blessing the rider with the confidence that there is the power on hand to get out of tight spots on the inside. Solid and assured in the hands, it can cope with the most inhospitable conditions and make an otherwise volatile environment, seem more accessible and benign. For those that desire more dynamism and crispness to their wave-sail’s response, the Salt Pro in the Point-7 line-up could be the choice.