Second session on the new Tribal ASY. The fin simply rocks. As opposed to the trusted Z Asy it's not totally dependent on leg pressure. All known speedfins up till now rely heavily on leverage and weight. Not so with this fin. It's super easy underfoot and asks for far less leg power to get up to speed.
Conditions were less than ideal for 5.7. Similar to the first session I slowly got to understand the difference in feel compared to the asy fins I am used too. I dare say the speed was insane for the conditions we had as realistically it just wasn't 5.7 weather. I know the S2 Venom works in smaller sizes but the added value of this fin gives another dimension to rigging and tuning small.
Serge deliberately used his small speedboard and stretched tings even further boardwise. In the now he weighs around 8 kilo more than me so he had a large disadvantage despite the larger sail he used. We will test more indeep and come back with more detailed comments for sure but I can already share some info which will for sure be backed by results in 2020.
In person I am 100% convinced this fin will prove to set a new standard on a true speedcourse. Chris Lockwood to me is one of the absolute top designer of the windsurfing world and dares to step out of the box which I like a lot. Flexing asy fins like the Z are basically functioning like PWA fins and help lift the board by adding drag. Not many people realize this drag versus power game results in a near certain loss on a racecourse for shorter and lighter riders. Leverage and weight are key factors and the more unstable wind and water conditions are, the more heavier riders benifit. This is easy to understand once you realize the giants of speed mostly use exactly the same finsize as the smaller ones. And just like with slalomboards there is a clear correlation between a fixed finsize and boardwidth.
As everyone follows the leaders the whole industry basically is running like a headless chicken behind the tall and heavy, not questioning if possibly equally gifted and talented but lighter and shorter riders could be helped in a different way. As the majority of the people aren't 6 foot 2 and 100 kilo plus I have always found it strange how this works.
The latest design changes by going higher aspect in sailsize are again proof of a simple way of thinking. In my opinion too simple. I can clearly see the correllattion between foiling getting more popular and the design changes now advocated for 2020 sail designs and I simply don't get it as this higher and higher aspect route just creates unstable and hard to handle foils unless you are 6 foot 2.
The same goes for fin design. We asked Peter if Chris would be open for a different view on carbon speedfins and so he did. Just looking at the fin anyone can and will notice this is a big leap from the path basically any fin designer has chosen and I have to applaud Chris for that. The end result: super neutral feel and by far the easiest to set asy fin I ever tested. Can't wait for truly high winds on this magnificently manufactured fin. I realize raving like this will raise eyebrows but I couldn't care less as time will tell these words are for real.
I can honestly say there has never been any fin that feels as low drag as this given design. There are quite a few tricks incorporated in the fin. When looking at them you would expect the fin to track upwind a lot worse than competition but it's just insane in that repsect as well. It's as if you're riding a fully symmetrical fin. It will be fun finding out about the true potential at a laminar spot like the Brace, but it will be just as much fun to use it on open water spots with tricky conditions. The main difference is with the possible rider stance on the board. I won't inform too much on this aspect as I love to fight the youngsters as long as I can in person but for those with an open eye and ear...use this info for your own good and start thinking on YOUR needs and not the needs of the giants of speed.