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Wave Sails - Zone

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INSTANT HANDLING. INSTANT RESPONSE

The ZONE is a light feeling, responsive wave sail particularly suited to sailing in classic "down the line" conditions. Less powerful than the Alpha and Combat, the ZONE is designed to feel neutral on a wave, thus making the sail ideal for tight bottom turns and cutbacks off the lip. In these conditions, visibility of the wave is important, so the ZONE has a large window allowing the rider to easily observe the critical section of the wave. This combination of features makes the ZONE the weapon of choice for NeilPrydes' 3Z's - Jason Polakow, Levi Siver and Alex Mussolini.

DESIGN OBJECTIVE

• To design a sail for the "surfers of windsurfing"; a sail that basically disappears in the riders hands when on a wave, but still gives enough drive to load the boards' rail through the bottom turn.
• The sail must be virtually neutral when the rider snaps back off the critical wave section – so can not deliver excessive power.
• The sail must have minimal back hand pressure, particularly during the cut-back.
• Enhance the forgiving feel of the sail, and reduce the "sailing weight" of the ZONE.
• Improve the de-powering characteristics, and reduce back hand pressure when coming off the top of a wave.

• Light to moderate shaping for a lightweight feel. The ZONE has the least, and most forward oriented shaping of all NeilPryde wave sails.
• A moderate aspect ratio; low and forward positioned centre of effort located as close as possible to the body (rider focused surface area).
• A well rotated sail body that flattens out and de-powers instantly.
• An open leech allows the top of the sail to release in down-the-line conditions.
• Light, but strong, construction (fitting between the Alpha & Combat).
• Large mono-film window for optimum visibility.
• A reduction in luff-curve and increased width of the luff-sleeve combines to make the sail more forgiving, particularly during manoeuvres, and less "nervous" due to the increased softness.
• Further reduced, and more forward oriented shaping for the 2007 ZONE will give the sail a lighter feeling and easier rotation. It will also prevent unwanted pull on the back hand when landing jumps or coming off the top of a critical section.

RIDER QUOTES

"I need a sail that gets me going, but I also want a sail that is neutral, can de-power easily and act like a feather in your hand and these are the very characteristics of the ZONE. The new ZONE is so effortless on the wave it feels like it's not even there, it is lighter and rides the waves better than ever before."

Levi Siver / USA0

"My style of wave sailing is all about maintaining as much speed as possible through the bottom turn and then being able to make quick directional changes without ever getting over powered. I want the sail to completely disappear on the wave, as if I was surfing. I need a sail that's light and neutral so that I can snap in the critical section of the wave."

Jason Polakow / KA1111