After a slow start to the season in the wind department, January has turned on in a big way. By the end of last week sailors had been treated to 12 days straight of solid El Norte winds ranging from 3.7 to 5.2. The two big days at the start of the period were accompanied by the biggest swells of the season. Eight to nine footers aren’t big by Maui standards, but for the Sea of Cortez it’s what we look forward too each winter.
My office with a view.
I started off the month with a clinic and demos of the new Panther Elite and Tiger. The new four batten Elite has caused quite the buzz on the beach. Is it possible for a 4 batten sail to have the stability and power of previous 5 batten designs? The answer is simple…YES! Over 25 sailors attended the clinic introducing David’s newest sail and eagerly spent the next two days on the water finding out for themselves how the sail performed.
Nancy from the Gorge loved the Elite
Several of the sailors hadn’t sailed an Ezzy sail before and I’m particularly interested in their impression of the sail. Here are their first impressions. Evana from Vancouver, Canada: “the sail feels very light and rotates very easy; great power and very stable.” Nancy from the Gorge: “it feels very controlled, balanced and light. The power is so predictable after jibing onto a new tack…you don’t have to wait for the wind to create power the sail.” (she was referring to the difference between rotational & non-rotational sails that I had talked about in the clinic. Here’s a link to David’s thoughts in sail design: http://www.ezzy.com/rig-support/ezzy-basic-sail-design-theory/ Part 4)
Alain came to La Ventana from Quebec, Canada
Alain from Quebec, Canada and his girlfriend are spending the winter in La Ventana for the first time, and were both thrilled with the Elite on the water…she didn’t want to give the demo sail back. The last Ezzy sail he sailed was a ’05 SE Wave. “I can’t believe the light feel. I never felt overpowered in the gusts…it seemed to have the power of a bigger sail, but was forgiving higher winds like a smaller sail…we’re getting some when we get home!”
The Ezzy sailors are ready for another week on the water.
After two days of rest another El Norte is ramping up this morning and it looks solid for the next week. The Ezzy sailors are rigged and ready. If you’re coming to the La Ventana area, we’ll be here until April with the Elites ready to test. Hope to see you on the beach, Gary
gary@ezzy.com
