Regarding the Revo, I think Sailworks positioned them even more towards freestyle in the last few years after they introduced their wave specialist sail the Gyro. Influenced a lot by their pro freestyle rider Phil the Revos became lighter /less durable/ and more on-off /looser mast sleeve. Freestyle oriented sails basically have a flatter profile to completely depower in transitions/rotations and loose luff that expands and creates a deep profile when powered up for a rapid acceleration in the brief period before the rider pops the board. For simple burn and turn those sails are probably too demanding, because you have to be very dynamic to retain control and a over the board stance with 3 foot straps and longer harness lines are recommended. I try to use my Revos as much as possible, but I still lack experience and struggle sometimes as well. Maybe the Zeta sails are not as much biased and like every other Ezzy model have the deep shape and tight luff that makes powering up and down smoother and more forgiving.

Ady, Your observations seems right-on: The Lion has of course a deep profile while the Revo is essentially flat. I think what bothers me is that they both demand a very different riding style. When the wind jumps from a 7.0 Lion to a 5.7 Revo condition, it makes ridding the same board a very different experience. Like you said, I prefer a more locked-in feel - even in choppy or swell conditions. I like going through chop fast and riding the tail rather than focusing on turns and tricks. My 190lb makes going fast over messy waters a fun challenge to master: Reading the waves to find the right angle of attack, making quick adjustments with foot pressure and sail control to keep speed and direction optimal, and staying under control when things are getting a bit on the edge is just fun to me. So, I think that sails with softer response, deeper forward draft and more range are more suited to my sailing style it seems.

The Legacy seems like a good accessible option. Reading the Zeta's review though, it also offers some of the ridding quality that I might be looking for. Take a look here: www.windsurf.co.uk/test/ezzy-zeta-5-8m-2018-test-review/
What do you think?

Greg I have a couple of ideas about your sails quiver that I came with after my “observe and analyse “ process has been completed. I think you are going to like this! The thought that kept coming to me while sailing alongside after you rigged the 5.0 Revo was : “That sail looks more like a freeride than wave sail”. Of course it’s not how the sail looks, it’s how you use it and with your background of slalom style sailing for years past, you just can’t escape what have etched itself in the muscle memory. You can’t teach old dog new tricks- like they say. I don’t have this background so I’m ,or more like was just a few years ago, a white canvas-whatever you throw at me it sticks, because it is a brand new experience.
So I think to myself no sail that has anything to do with waves will match your style, it will be just another Revo regardless if it’s called Zeta or Tiger or whatever . You my friend need Retros! And I’m absolutely sure that you are going to love them the way I do to this day . They are as close to a cambered sail as they get-solid in the gusts and nicely balanced at the same time-not to grunty or to lean. They are not a cookie cutter also -the sizes are shaped according the wind range-fatte in the bigger sizes, leaner in the smaller. I have no doubt that you are going to like them, but if you still need convincing you are welcome to try my 6.5 and 7.5 any time an opportunity arises. Even though the Chinook mast that I have is not optimal they still feel great and every person that have tried them liked them.
So I can think of at least 2 variants for your quiver to include the Retro. Both of them include trading in the 2 Revos that you have for 2 Retros. Bruce P. Is very understanding and accommodating and he’ll probably will give you a reasonable price for them after you describe your situation in an email. Or you can try to sell them by yourself, but knowing our market I doubt you’ll get a much better price.
So I’m thinking you can replace the Revos either with :
1. 6.0 and 5.0 Retros-for which you have a perfect stiff mast /Sumo/. Your quiver will be : 8.5 and 7.0 Lion; 6.0 and 5.0 Retro and you may add at some point a 4.5 Retro and mast for it for the nuking days on Clinton
or
2. 5.0 and 4.5 Retros-for which you’ll need a softer mast and here comes my Ka 430 . We can swap them since I need the stiffer Sumo for my 5.7 and eventual future 6.2. This quiver presumes you insist on a 6.0 Lion and my Ka mast may be helpful here too since it’s not that far from Ezzy specs like the Sumo and cambered sails are not that sensitive to mast bends anyway. Your quiver then will be: 8.5, 7.0 and 6.0 Lion; 5.0 and 4.5 Retro.
I personally like more the first quiver, because I don’t think you need a cambered 6.0, but that’s just my opinion. There are also cost considerations involved so you might not see it the way I do. In case you like my scenarios I’ll recommend you checking regularly the Sailworks used sails department-you might get lucky. That’s where I bought my 4.2 Revo and it was like new. There are usually several used NX race sails or Hucker always for sale , but I never sailed any of those and can’t vouch.
www.sailworks.com/the-gear/used-gear/used-sails.html



You cant miss the similarities in the first 2 pictures and the difference with the 3rd one:

Ady, thanks a lot for taking the time to look into this. I really appreciate your point of view and recommendations.

I think you are right. I tend to lock the stance and close the gap at the foot of the sail. I rely a lot on my harness to keep it powered up through gusts... Back in the 80s the stance was different and the mast track, as well as the footstraps, were more forward on the board. You would ride the front leg extended and straight while the back leg had to be bent quite a bit. So despite the fact that the GoPro pic from last Sunday distorts and exaggerates a bit the lean of the sail, I understand what you mean in your observation. On that day, the lean was even more pronounced than usual because I was keeping my front hand really up close to the boom clip in order to more rapidly depower in the crazy gusts! This accentuated the lean of the rig I think.

I’m going to have to think over your proposed quivers. A few thoughts though: Retros and Cheetahs are probably not to far away in terms of feel and intended program, right? Also, a gap between a 6.0 and a 5.0, isn’t this a bit too big for sails this size? So far, the gap between my 5.7 and 5.0 worked out ok.
In the process of simplifying my quiver, I started to replace both 7.5 and 6.5 Cheetahs with a 7.0 Lion. No regrets. This has made selecting sails easier and has made my sailing more interesting. My progression towards keeping everything in one brand is motivated by rigging simplification, masts compatibility. etc. I’m not saying that I won’t go Sailworks again, but the Revo and V8 experience has made the prospect of owning different brands a bit of a disappointment.

Regardless, once the 2 Retros are gone in one way or another, we can discuss the 430 sumo if you still need it.

That’s already an old story but the Sheboygan Chronicle pages wouldn’t be complete without mentioning what is likely going to be my very last day of 2018 on the water: the epic Sunday 10/28 on Lake Clinton! It was an awesome day and I had to log a couple of reused pics in this post to keep tab of my sessions anyway!

Not long after, Sheboygan suddenly turned into a frozen tundra with snow and temp well below seasonal norms. It never really recovered “acceptable“ sailing conditions. So, the gear is now in the bags, vent plugs in the footstrap and I’m already kinda depressed!

But, I’m day-dreaming about the things I want to learn and do next year: More jumps, higher, longer, bigger! Want to try foiling, get in better shape, loose a bit of weight and strengthen my knees... 2019, the year to send it! Ha!

Bored to death in a hotel room and then I find this. Not recent stuff but a nicely done vid. And of course, there all the Frenchies, so naturally I like it.
With caption in English.

Mon Dieu, monsieur Corsair de Sheboigeun! You've loaded again your pipe with SEAweed instead of tobacco Pour yourself a cup of grog and relax , the truth is in the simple things:

Greg from Sheb. wrote:

Another great thread, Greg. Love it. Can't wait for your 2019. Fire up the gps on your GoPro. I wanna see some speed numbers on that Goya Bolt!

Happy New Year everyone! 2018 was a great windsurfing year. I sailed great places, met new windsurfing friends and somehow managed to make some progress with my sailing. To top it all off, there were no injuries this year. What else can I ask for?
2018 Diary below.

Great video Greg, I enjoyed watching it! Happy New Year!
PS: just watched it again on YouTube for a good measure and realised what your wife is saying in the first clip: “ Thaat was not smart!”
I’d reply : indeed, but it’s so much fun

Ady wrote:
Thanks Ady!
Ha! You noticed!
Exactly: no smart but soooo much fun!

Awesome vid, Greg! You should put a copy in the video gallery. Look forward to your 2019 Chronicles.