Background
The AC-1 is a full-on race sail from Point 7. For 2012 it has been redesigned for better handling, higher performance and has a lighter overall weight.

At a glance
The Point 7 looks like an absolute beast! It has eight battens, with four cams and a very wide luff tube. It has been made lighter than last years sail, thanks to lighter weight materials and construction, it is still however one of the heavier sails on test in terms of physical weight.

Rigging
The recommended mast is a 430 but it can also be set on a 460. It is fairly easy to rig for such a full-on race sail. It comes with a bag of cam spacers, so you can shim the cams to the mast and get the best fit possible, this can however be a timely exercise the first time you rig it up. It has a good tuning range, we found it set best with maximum down-haul and tuned with minimum out-haul.

Performance
It is a highly powerful sail, which is obvious as soon as you leave the beach, with instant power and rapid acceleration. It feels perfectly balanced in the hands, with a solid foil. The weight is not so noticeable once you’re powered up and it doesn’t affect the handling at all. In a straight-line, this sail is seriously quick and easily one of the fastest foils on test, it just keeps on pulling and is incredibly stable at top speed, feeling like there is always an extra gear and an unlimited amount of power. Round the corners it is stable and balanced, although the handling does favour the more committed gybing style, the cam rotation is solid and the power feeds in instantly.

The verdict
The AC-1 is a serious bit of kit, on the straights there is not much that can touch it. This sail is best suited to the more dedicated racers and slalom sailors who want maximum power and performance.

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