Compact Quiver

Could compact kit be the future - for travelling at least? John Skye reveals all

John Skye (RRD / RRD Sails / MFC) has enjoyed a long and successful career on the PWA World Tour and he still holds his own in the waves, while also showing he has the skills to be a threat on the racing course as well by finishing 18th in Fuerteventura last year. The 39-year-old now heads up RRD’s sail development team and they have recently been working on a new concept… compact gear - which could mean excess baggage charges a thing of the past as well as making new destinations more accessible. The compact quiver remains a concept for the moment, but we recently caught up with John to find out if compact kit could really be the future - for travelling at least…

Hi John, firstly can you tell us a little bit more about the compact kit? Where the idea originated from? How long have you been working on it etc?

JS: “The original idea started when we were looking at concepts to go with the inflatable boards. We were looking for something portable, that could fit in a backpack, but it also had to work really well as the boards are proper planing hulls. That meant it couldn’t be a simple 1 batten design or something inflatable, it had to be a multi battened stable performance sail. That is where we developed the folding batten system and went from there. The moment I tried the sail for the first time I knew it was something pretty special. The rig was basically exactly the same as a normal rig. A fraction heavier in the mast as there are more ferrels, but other than that, the performance was amazing. Straightaway I wanted to try the same concept in a wave sail and the results have been really impressive. In fact it quickly went from making a wave sail, to making a compact quiver. A 5.3, 4.6 and 4.0, together with 5 piece mast and 2 piece boom. The whole quiver of sails and rig fits in a backpack!”

Every windsurfer who’s travelled with gear knows the hassle of just lugging the kit around, but also that fear of approaching the checkin desk and being stung for hundreds if not thousands of dollars for excess baggage… is the compact kit really small enough to be able to wave goodbye to those fears? How does it measure up in size and weight?

JS: “It still isn’t finished yet, but it is looking like we can fit 3x sails, mast, boom, extension, mast foot into a back pack around 105cmx50cmx25cm. The size can hopefully be reduced slightly once we finalise the designs of all the components. The weight of the version I took to Cape Town this winter came in around 20kgs, which meant there was space to put my wetsuit and harness and still be under the industry standard for flying which is 23kgs. I had all my clothes in my hand luggage and just had to pay for my board bag with 3 boards in it, which I actually got for free.” 

The question everyone will want to know the answer to… how does the performance compare to equivalent wave gear?

JS: “So far the performance is no different to a normal rig. I have a 2 piece carbon boom now which is only a couple of grams heavier than a normal boom and the mast is around 400g more. Other than the weight difference there is no other difference.” 

Strength wise how does it hold up so far? People may have fears over a 5 piece mast and 2 piece boom being less robust… 

JS: “I am constantly testing everything, and it still has a way to go before it will be in production, but so far it has all held up perfectly. I have used the 5 piece mast in some pretty big waves and so far it has held up very strongly. Even getting pounded in some solidly over mast high stuff in Gran Canaria. I also had some full power windy jumping days in Pozo on it, and again it was fine. It’s still a way off production, but at the moment it’s looking very promising. We are out in Maui, so let’s see how it holds up at Ho’okipa.”

On Facebook there’s a photo of you throwing an aerial - is the board you are on really an inflatable? Again how does it weigh up performance wise and weight wise?

JS: “Yes it’s really an inflatable. RRD are bringing out a freestyle wave inflatable and that aerial was from one of our test sessions. The board was amazing. The rocker needs some fine tuning but I was able to jump it, with backies and forwards, as well as ride some really nice waves. I don’t know the weights, but I think it’s a little bit heavier and performance wise its getting closer and closer to a solid hull. Its pretty incredible to think that its now possible to have an inflatable board and folding sail that could all fit in the back of a tiny car and allows you to really go properly windsurfing.”

And finally, in your opinion, could compact kit be the future - for travelling at least?

JS: “Yes, totally. I went to Cape Town only with the compact quiver and had absolutely no moments when I wanted anything else. I think Pozo you probably need slightly more specific sizes with closer gaps (e.g. 4.0/4.2/4.5) but for somewhere like Sylt, Klitmøller and even Tenerife I would be fine to even compete on these sails. Maybe I will do it this year as the ultimate test!”

Thanks John.