ARNON DAGAN – RRD BOARDS R&D
Sotavento is indeed one of the most challenging venues in the PWA. Sailors are fighting chop and some swell on the first leg coming back to the beach and then receive extremely hard chop on the way out after jibing around the inside marks. Sometimes you feel the board is actually going to snap in half (this has happened before).
With our small boards control and comfort has become as important, or even more important, then the top speed and the board needs to be incredibly easy when it comes to jibing. The RRD X-FIRE 98 is the board most used by RRD team riders when it comes to strong winds in Fuerteventura. Compared to bigger boards, the outline of the small boards is a bit rounder, the rocker is a bit higher to go over the chop and waves and vee on the bottom is increased to help absorb the chop and waves. The tail has a deeper cut along the side of the board, which helps to keep the amount of control needed. If a sailor is comfortable in 30 knots of wind then he is most probably going to be fast.
“ Sometimes you feel the board is actually going to snap in half.”