First session on the Venom 2020 and test on the symspeed31.

The sym is incredibly neutral but a tad big putting the board too flat for the conditions. Chris Lockwood informed me using a larger sym speed fin is very possible to enhance boardcontrol in rougher conditions and I think he is right. Wind was too light though and I forgot the 29 which is the sweetspot for this board. Anyhow, a great first test to try and feel what he meant to say. Normally a larger size can make a narrow board feel restless. In this case it just settles the board down. When the winds are stronger and waterstate rougher this solution might prove to be fast. I never had a longer sym speed up till now and the design itself is very clever in regards to flex control of a G10 fin. I am more and more focussing on the MK2 but note to self...don't forget about the sym speed.

As for the Venom....rotation is no comparison to last year. I loved the sails but rotation was average. Now rotation is impeccable, really a huge step has been made. Also two spacers are added so for those wanting even more freedom they can be removed. I feel a good step for weekend warriors. 

The sailshape itself has been massively altered and the renowned softness and leech response (the reason why I chose S2) has been taken to another level. The section around the crossbatten and the batten just above the one above has gotten super, supersoft. At the same time saildepth has been added and breathing response of the sailbody over the mast has increased in a dramatic way. Effectively this leads into a much lower centre of effort in the gusts and easier handling. Just like with the fins my focus is on my own (limited) weight and length. Industry focus is mainly on the giants of speed when it comes down to development and what I like about both Tribal and S2 solutions is the fact that focus is on shorter riders. Up till now I needed to use a high boom placement, alsmost as long as I can remember. We requested for even more control and forward pull (the latter already being the best I knew and THE reason why I could sail small). If signs are not mistaken Art delivered. The coming sessions will show if my assumption is right.