This just in from Windsurfing USA- May 2007
Starboard Apollo Review
WINDSURFING USA- MAY 2007
Picture this: You're driving to the water. There's not a whitecap in sight, yet you're smiling. You know you're going to sail. You know you're minutes away from hooking in, stepping into the straps and feeting that surge of speed. It's all but guaranteed, even though its only blowing 5-9 mph.
TIME ON THE WATER - For many testers, the Apollo changed how they looked at wind in general. A few water ripples a tree swaying gently - no longer were such sights a tease. Instead, they were signs it was time to sail.
EARLY PLANING - Indeed it is the earliest-planing shortboard in the world. One 180- pound tester logged numerous planing sessions on the Apollo with a 9.0-meter sail in wind conditions that never breached 10 mph. The trick to maximizing the Apollo's planing prowess lies in pressuring its jumbo 75 cm fin, which is made soft for maximizing lift. "Once it's going, you have to do something pretty drastic to drop off a plane." commented a tester. "It'll motor through just about any lull."
IS THE APOLLO FOR YOU?
Yes, if you want to sail at any given opportunity and experience the planing sensations of shortboard sailing. Sure, the Apollo is expensive, and big and it requires deep water, and advanced rider skills, and sails bigger than 7. 5 but weigh all that against how many 5-10 mph wind days pass you by in year's time. What would it be worth to you to plane in 'em?
