The Edge has become a very popular range of sails from Tushingham and now they have introduced a 3.7m into the range too. Boards finds out more about the sail from Tushingham and the sail developers: Ken Black and Will Rogers.

Image credits Julia Slack.

Ken Black has been working closely with Tushingham Team Rider Will Rogers over the summer to refine our existing fantastic four batten manoeuvre orientated wave/freestyle sail to introduce a new size into the range, the 3.7m. Compared to other Tushingham extreme high wind sails it is aimed to be used in less wind than the survival conditions usually associated with this size. With this in mind it is low aspect with compact dimensions and plenty of low down drive.

We sat down with Will to ask him about the new sail:

How did you develop the sail?

Ken will have a more scientific answer, but basically we used it, got some feedback and iterated the design! Best designs come out of being able to iterate the process multiple times, since there is such a quick ability to iterate design and prototype with Tushy, that’s a massive advantage. I knew the best way to test a 3.7 would be to take it to the windiest places in Europe, so we timed it with my summer road trip, so we could get maximum feedback over the month long trip.

Whereabouts in Europe did you test the sail?

 Tarifa – in one of the strongest Levantes I’ve ever known! Levante was still 3.7 in Cadiz some days!  Solid 45 knots sometimes – so the sail got a solid thrashing and performed very well.

Sagres – got very windy at times this year, I didn’t expect to use it, but it came in super handy.  Normally Sagres is a min 4.2 spot.

Sagres – perfect flat water freestyle, Tarifa, choppy bump and jump.

Normally doing spinney flat water freestyle on a 3.7 is pretty hard-work, but the Edge made life so much easier due to being so compact.

From using the sail what is the wind range and how did it perform?

I used it when wind guru forecast purples!  Probably 28 – 45 knots in testing, but it fits nicely in the 28 – 38 knots range and it performed very well.  I sailed it in anything from glassy flat water, doing complicated freestyle moves, where sail stability is paramount, to chop city in Tarifa, where the sail coped really well.  In my opinion, 4 batten sails just get better and better the smaller they go, in larger sizes they can be a little unstable, but with less area, 4 battens works like a dream! Since the sail isn’t constrained by that extra batten, for a small size it feels much less twitchy that you would normally expect from a sub 4m sail! Extremely light weight and compact, it was hard to fault the prototypes – a real testament to Ken’s sail design experience!

What would you say its ideal use is / who would suit this sail?

The edge comes in at a great price point and being 4 battens makes it perform exceptionally in this tiny size – therefore I think it would suit people who want a great performing small sail, for the few times they get to use it.  OR….

It works brilliantly for freestyle, including ducking moves, since it’s been developed from the edge freestyle heritage but is also a great wave sail in powerful conditions, helped by its compact shape, and well reinforced materials.  It could even be a great rig for really young kids, who plane in a zehpher and are freestyling or learning waves, just because it isn’t hugely expensive, rigs on a 340 or 370 contributing to light swing weight.

Finally you have mentioned that it’s great for freestyling, but what’s it like in the waves?

 It fits in well by just being a 4 batten small sail – they just work better in this tiny size than 5 battens.  The compact size makes it so light for wave riding you can concentrate more on the board and be able to forget about the rig! Being compact with power delivered from low down, the sail is also controllable in gusty, bumpy conditions we often get when wind guru is purple.

The 3.7m Edge is now available to purchase from any Tushingham dealer. To find your local retailer just go to: http://www.tushingham.com/windsurfing/where-to-buy

To find out more about the other sizes in the Edge range go to http://www.tushingham.com/windsurfing/sails/edge.