Daylight savings is back and I got my first after work southerly sail at Dendy St Melb for the season 
I'd forgotten how nice it is to sail after work in those conditions - but the best thing about it was I had some new freestyle gear to try out.
The conditions were consistent 14-19knots with some nice front on ramps and the combination of the new Firefly 6.1 and 98 Freestyle was AWESOME!!!
There were a few immediate improvements I noticed over last years equivalent (and any other freestyle gear I've ever sailed)
The Firefly:
- Firstly the sail was noticeably lighter both in weight and feel on the water
- There was lots of power and the transition to planning was smooth, effortless and quick (probably helped by the board)
- Although there was lots of instantaneous power, the sail was really light and neutral through the freestyle moves like vulcans, spocks and grubbys
- The boom was much shorter making it really easy to throw around (despite being a 6.1m) and provided a lot of control coming out of backwinded moves like Shakas
The 98 Freestyle:
- This was really really nice! I don't know how they do it but somehow the rotation and slide is sooo much easier than any other board I've sailed (including previous JP freestyles). this was the biggest improvement and first thing I noticed as soon as I tried a move. The rails through the mid/front section of the board would just effortlessly glide sideways across the water in spocks/540s and Grubbys and never felt like catching.
- The carving ability of the freestyle was definitely better than previous versions. Upwind carving was fast and responsive making it great for shove-it's and shakas and downwind carving on the rolling chop indicated that these boards will work well for wave sailing in light winds/smaller waves
- There is a crazy shape to the deck underfoot which actually provided a really comfortable sailing stance and provided something to drive against to sail the board upwind which it did really well
- the combination felt really lively and fast and with the great freestyle pop made jumping super easy!
I was really impressed and super happy with this setup and reckon anyone thinking about freestyle or just maximising enjoyment/excitement in lighter wind sailing should really consider trying this combination out. Absolutely perfect for Melbourne's seabreezes - I can't wait for more sessions like yesterdays!
Summer will be Fun!!!
Nice!
Have just upgraded to the 107ltr JP freestyle pro and it is killer - i have to agre it feels pretty damn great on the water! Just got the sails yesterday so havent had a chance to do anything but perv of them as yet :) they do feel lighter though just in the bag.
Even on the first session i had on the new board (5.0m fully powered) it felt super light and so good through the sliding moves!
Cant wait to try the sails as i have heard some good things from a variety of sailors and conditions so bring on the wind!
