iFoil: The Beginning of a New Era?
To quickly find out more about the details of our Olympic proposal you can watch our explanatory video here. If you like our proposal and want to help to change the future of Olympic Windsurfing, modernise the sport we all love and make it more exciting for spectators and competitors alike, you can share this newsletter with friends and family or also voice your opinion online.
20 Sailors from 18 nations were invited by World Sailing to conduct an Equipment Trial of the 5 proposed Olympic tenders for 2024. Amidst 3 foiling and 2 planing tenders, Starboard's iFoil proposal convinced not only the sailors with its performance on the water but also the working group who was evaluating the equipment based on factors such as:
- An affordable package option for all MNA’s
- Competition in different formats from 5 knots to 35 knots
- Easy transport to competitions and training venues
- Proven quality products and supply chain management
- Support for emerging nations
- Equipment that will reward skill and tactical knowledge
- Youth appeal and complement to the existing pathways
- Supports a unique signature event that will attract media coverage with the possibility of dynamic formats and short competition timelines
- Impressive sustainability program in place today and a future commitment to our oceans.
Our iFoil Proposal:
The iFoil Boards
Fin or foil, from 5 knots to 35 knots, the iFoil package delivers the ultimate in windsurfing racing performance with just one board, one foil, one fin, one sail. To find out all the details about our iFoil concept and the proposal including pricing structure, racing formats, youth pathways and sustainability you can read the full proposal here.
The iFoil Boards at a Glance
iFOIL 95: Our most high-performance 100% foil racing board that is capable of upwind/downwind racing on a fin if the conditions get really tough.
iFOIL 95 Youth: Our youth model is based on the iFoil95 but has a more durable construction and is now even more affordable.
THE SAIL
Men: Severne HGO (Hyper Glide Olympic) 9.0 m2
Women and youth: HGO 8.0m2
THE FIN
Starboard Drake Race.
THE FOIL
Starboard Foil’s Race foil – the reigning double World-Champion PWA Racing Foil with a proven two year track record, supplied with an additional 95cm fuselage to enable exciting racing formats that include GPS, Point-to-point and marathon races.
Head to our Webpage to explore the iFoil.
Foiling: The Silent Revolution
At Starboard we are extremely excited about the prospect of having foiling at the Olympics. We believe that the biggest evolution and progression in windsurfing of the last years has been in developing this new equipment allowing us to showcase the excitement of our sport even in very light winds. A great team effort has gone into the development of our proposal and we would like to thank everyone who has believed in foiling for the Olympics so far. The next step will be that the Equipment Committee will review the recommendation at the Annual Conference in Bermuda and then make their own to World Sailing's Council, who will make a decision on the equipment that will be adopted in Paris 2024 and hereafter. We hope that with a continued team effort we will be able to climb this last hurdle and make foil windsurfing an Olympic discipline.
Message from Svein Rasmussen:
"Thanks to World Sailing for organizing a very well executed Sea trials at Garda. All 3 foil tenders worked together, Formula Foil limited, Windfoil and iFoil. It’s all about creating more fun and engagement in the racing scene and it was amazing to see how foiling was delivering in very light winds.
Special thanks to Blanca Alabau, Remi Vila and Gonzalo Costa Hoevel on their iFoil support. Antonio Cozzolino, Dorian van Rijsselberghe, Aaron McIntosh and Kieran Badloe on Windfoil, and Ceri Williams on Formula foil limited."