| Sail | Neilpryde RS Slalom MKIII 5.5, 2009 |  |
| Average speed | 40.31 knots ( 41.84 40.45 40.01 39.67 39.58 ) | |
| Remarks | Short after work session. I couldn't make it to the Brace today but I feel happy for Peter and Jacques. Amazing speeds guys and well deserved!
I gave the 5.5. slalom MK111 a try. The sail is noticably softer than the Evo 2 5.5. I really like the feeling and I think the sail is just as fast as the Evo 2 on a broad course. The Slalom has got some kind of "turbo lag" when hitting a gust. It's absorbing the gust and allows the rider to settle. I used the X9 400 mast which gives a deep belly and a well balanced centre of effort that hardly moves in the gusts.
I don't know how the X6 will influence the overall feeling but with the mast I used it, for 80-90% of the riders the smaller slalom sizes will be just as good as the Evo 2. I was a bit unlucky as I had to quit after a severe crash. The wind just picked up and I went full force into the chop that was building up to around 50 cm. I went over the handlebars at near topspeed. My harness was litterally torn to pieces and I had to walk back for nearly 2 kilometers watching some huge squalls which would have supported me to a high average for sure. I didn't have a spare harness with me so it meant the end of the day for me. But that's life and I really enjoyed the session up to the crash. I hope to be with the guys next time the Brace goes off, but for now hats off to the flying Dutchmen who did make the trip.
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