Men's Windsurfer - RS:X

  • RS:X sailors starting a race at the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta, in Weymouth, UK.

The RS:X came about as a result of a successful bid by Neil Pryde Windsurfing to supply one design of windsurfing equipment for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, in China. Therefore the RS:X is relatively new. It was designed in 2004 and went into production in 2005.

Type
Windsurfing
No. Of Crew
1
Designer
Jean Bouldoires & Robert Stroj
Hull Material
GRP & Carbon
Year Designed
2004
Hull Length
2.86m
Beam Length
0.93m
Mainsail Area
9.5 m²
Hull Weight
15.5kg
Advertising Cat
C

The RS:X was designed by Jean Bouldoires and Robert Stroj. The design features a high technology rig, with carbon mast and boom, a ‘wide-style’ board that merges modern windsurf board design with a centreboard, thus enabling competitions to be held in virtually any conditions from 3 to 30 knots.

At Perth 2011 spectators will be able to witness the dynamic and versatile racing that RS:X competitors provide. RS:X racing, which often comes close into the shore, is exciting and visually appealing.

RS:X sailors will be competing at Perth 2011 to secure a place for their nation at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Men and Women

Two sizes of sail are available for RS:X competitors. Men use a 9.5m sail while women and young people use an 8.5m sail. Men and women compete in separate events at the Olympic Games.

The sail, rig and board have been designed in conjunction with each other to ensure a high level of design synergy.

The RS:X Class Association was established in November 2006, and is critical to the establishment and ongoing development of the RS:X and its place in the Olympics.

The RS:X is the most affordable sailing class that is eligible for competition in the Olympic Games. Windsurfers are also easy to transport as they can be carried on commercial flights as excess baggage. Therefore, many RS:X regattas are held worldwide, attracting high numbers of international competitors.

In 2006, the inaugural RS:X World Championships were held at Lake Garda, in Italy, with 244 competitors. Subsequent World Championship Regattas in 2007 at Cascais, in Portugal and in 2008 at Auckland, New Zealand attracted 186 and 193 sailors respectively.

More than 3,000 sets of equipment have been sold since production started, to sailors in more than 50 nations and on six continents.