Posted on 15 October, 2015 Neil Greentree

So September comes and any windsurfer who changes their kit on a regular basis gets exited, Why, well because its that time of year when we receive our new kit. A time not just of excitement, but of a certain amount of in trepidation – hoping that the new model kit is better then the old model year – something you cannot always be sure is going to be the case.

So when I received my 2016 S-1Pro’s I opened the boxes hoping they would look better than the 2015 models which I personally thought looked fantastic. The clear white Severne Logo set against the orange fabric just looked stunning against the aptly named ‘Big Blue Skies’ of the North Norfolk coastline. Why was I concerned……. Crisp red colourway which lets the sun glisten through it showing the SpiderFibre strands running all over the sails stress points with a simple gold Severne logo setting the sail off.

The Severne S-1 Pro in my opinion is designed perfectly for multi-fin boards which demand less mast foot pressure to get them planing quicker and a sail with a higher centre of effort to give it a more manoeuvre focused feel. To date the S-1 has delivered this remit in buckets.

Upon rigging the 4 batten ultralight wave sail feels stiffer with the insertion of a cross ply aspect to the 2nd generation HyperSpider sail cloth for 2016. So I went out with my good friend John Bedwell who has Severne S-1’s. We headed out the back at Wells into the waves to gauge how the new sail felt against the old. Definitely stiffer in my opinion which is not a bad thing  but does take some adjustment from the 2015 model. Is it as light …….. I’m not sure it is but it feel alive with feedback and delivers power quickly and without fuss. Manoeuvrability is just as the you would expect from Severnes flagship model feeling sharp enough to keep you on your toes, but stable enough not to trip you up unexpectedly.

New for 2016 the S-1 Pro has some lovely little features. The second generation HyperSpider is stronger, more UV resistant and lets light through to appear brighter on the water. Its an awesome looking sail thats for sure but its a stronger sail too. Aero batten pockets also feature in 2016. This is basically the batten is centrally positioned in the sail cloth which in turn tensions the sail evenly and reduces weight – bear in mind the Severne S-1 pro is the lightest windsurf sail in the world so to reduce its weight again is quite some thing!

John and I headed back down the mile long channel which brings you back to the shoreline at half tide lending the strip of water for some perfect flat water blasting (and photography). You can clearly see the differences in the 2014 sail to the 2016 pro edition sail.

So my first thoughts of the 2016 Severne S-1 Pro………….. If a change is as good as a rest – then I’ll leave the rest ti’ll I am dead and say ‘Why change what is not brocken’

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