Does Neil Pryde Still Windsurf?

NeilPryde, a leading windsurfing brand, has announced that its founder, Robert Stroj, will step down after 43 years of work and innovation. Stroj has been the head designer for over 20 years and under his stewardship, NeilPryde riders have collectively grown. NeilPryde has built a legacy in both windsurf sail development and waterwear and accessories made for Wind-Watersports. The founder believes windsurfing should be one of the sailing disciplines competing at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.

The Neil Pryde Fly is one of the better-made wings we’ve had the pleasure of holding in our hands. Pryde has managed to strike an excellent balance between the wings pleasant WE SAY and supreme on-off handling across a surprisingly wide wind range. The Flight FR takes over from Neil Prydes original and popular price-pointed foil option – the Flight AL. Classed as their freeride windfoil option, there is NEILPRYDE WINDSURFING.

NeilPryde has enjoyed four previous seasons in the Neil Pryde range as their pure freeride engine. For 2019, the structure of the brands range has altered somewhat, making a clear distinction between the elite Core and Elite Core. NeilPryde is a brand with a long and incredibly successful heritage, and windsurfing is still at the true core of their business ethos.

Does anyone windsurf anymore?

Nowadays, windsurfing is thriving at a few places around the world: San Francisco, the Gorge, Tarifa in Spain, the Canary Islands. But in the US, there are virtually no sailing hotspots in the countless beach towns where the sport once thrived. In Hatteras, the shops that specialize in kiting and Stand Up Paddleboarding (the current beach craze) have a small section of sailboards and sails for the few hold-out aficionados. Foil-boarding is the next sport coming up on the horizon for those of us interested in cool new ways to play in the ocean. People move on, as they should.

So how did the internet kill windsurfing? By taking the money out of it. First, the money went out of small shops, lost to the online retailers. But the shops’ customers were the clients of the online sellers, and when the shops stopped generating customers, the online sellers gradually lost their sales. Little by little, windsurfing in America went away. Sailors moved on to kiteboarding, SUPing, and now foilboarding. Retailers sell what they can sell, and there are many more online SUP (stand up paddle) retailers online right now than windsurf retailers. And even they are fighting a battle of attrition, as the market is flooded with junky, non-performance gear aimed at the recreational weekender market rather than the dedicated waterman/woman.

People used to say, “I don’t get it about windsurfing. You just go back and forth all day.” And we would answer, “You don’t get it because you don’t do it.” Windsurfing was pure fun, every minute, like surfing or skiing or snowboarding or mountain biking. It happened at a certain time in a certain atmosphere, beginning with the earliest prototypes in the mid-70s and peaking two decades later in the mid 90s. It ran its course and was, perhaps, the first victim internet marketing.

Is 50 too old to start windsurfing?

Lots of people come to windsurfing later on in life so is it a problem?. Simple answer is NO – age has no bearing on taking up windsurfing and shouldn’t stop you from giving it a go.

Windsurfing is a sport you can do on many levels. What the means is that you choose what type of sailing you’ll do, be it:

Freeride – this includes everything from the most sedate sailing on flat water to planing on smooth water.

Slalom / racing – this is so much fun and gets pretty serious, but there’s also a more social scene which is great fun.

Who owns Neal’s Yard Remedies?

Neal’s Yard Remedies is co-owned by Peter, Barnabas, and Anabel Kindersley. Denise Bonner serves as the global head of NYR Organic. From 2000 to 2014, Dragana Vilinac, originally from Sarajevo, was connected with the company, initially as a consultant and then as its head herbalist. By 2015, the company’s products were being stocked in 21 countries. As of August 2021, the company was being run by Barnabas Kindersley. The company announced at this time that it was ceasing to trade via “direct selling” in France and Germany owing to an increase in administrative costs.

Romy Fraser received an OBE “for services to the health and beauty industry” in the 2008 New Year’s Honours. She no longer had any connection with the company by 2014. Neal’s Yard Remedies was the first company to be certified by the Soil Association, the organic charity, and the first to be certified as carbon neutral; they use Fairtrade Foundation ingredients. In 2015, the company received an award for innovation in the supply chain category of The Guardian’s Sustainable Business Awards. Neal’s Yard Holdings Limited, according to its accounts, made pre-tax profits of £3 million in the year ending March 2019 on sales of £45 million.

In May 2009 The Guardian’s Ethical Living blog invited Neal’s Yard Remedies to participate in an installment of the “You Ask, They Answer” online discussion series, and received assurance from the company of their willingness to participate. A later posting from a Guardian editor stated that Neal’s Yard was “working on replies”. Following the posting of questions about the efficacy of their remedies, and comments of a sceptical nature towards Neal’s Yard alternative medicines, the company declined to participate in the discussion, and the thread was closed. The refusal of Neal’s Yard Remedies to answer any of the questions was criticised by public relations experts.

Who owns Neilpryde?

Pryde Group is a privately held company, wholly owned by the Shriro Group. It has over 2500 employees and operations in more than 40 countries. It owns a portfolio of brands in the marine and adventure sports markets: NeilPryde, Cabrinha, JP-Australia, Imagine Surf and NP Waterwear and Accessories.

One of the products of Neil Pryde is the RS:X, which was the Olympic class of sailboard used by all competitors used for the first time at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

• ^ “Neil Pryde Retiring From Pryde Group Scuttlebutt Sailing News”. Scuttlebutt Sailing News. January 15, 2015.
• ^ “Neil Pryde retires after 43 years of innovation”. Surfer Today. December 19, 2013.

How long do windsurfing sails last?

Windsurfing sails are fragile. Scratches, salt, sand, water, and humidity can easily damage or destroy a good windsurfing sail. Learn how to protect your windsurfing sails to last longer.. A good windsurfing sail can last forever. However, the X-Ply materials and mono film should be carefully cleaned and stored.

The worst enemies of windsurfing sails are sand and humidity; the most common mistakes occur when de-rigging.

Windsurfers are tired – sometimes cold – and want to pack their equipment fast into the car.

Care and proper maintenance of windsurfing sails will save you money and improve performance, whether you’re into speed windsurfing, freestyle windsurfing, wave windsurfing, or slalom windsurfing.

Is windsurfing hard to learn?

Is it easy to learn to windsurf?. If you’re new to windsurfing, you might be wondering how easy it is to learn this thrilling sport. The answer depends on a few factors, including your level of physical fitness, previous experience with board sports, and access to suitable learning conditions. While windsurfing requires some physical effort and coordination, it’s generally considered an accessible sport for beginners.

The learning curve of windsurfing can vary from person to person. Some individuals pick up the basics quickly, while others may take more time to feel comfortable on the board. With the right instruction, practice, and determination, anyone can learn to windsurf.

Is windsurfing harder than regular surfing?. Comparing windsurfing to regular surfing, there are some key differences in terms of difficulty. Windsurfing involves both sailing and surfing elements, which can add an extra layer of complexity. Balancing on the board while controlling the sail and adjusting to wind conditions may require some practice and coordination.

Regular surfing, on the other hand, focuses primarily on riding waves with a surfboard. While it has its own challenges, such as paddling and timing the waves, the learning curve for regular surfing may be considered slightly easier compared to windsurfing.

Is windsurfing making a comeback?

“I’d say that windsurfing is making a comeback,” said David Mertens, a competitor and one of the organizers of the Rio Vista Grand Slam, which takes place in June, and is part of the International Windsurfing Tour. “When kiting started, windsurfing took a big hit. A lot of people left windsurfing. And, kiting is definitely an easier sport to get into. But windsurfing has made a lot of progress to make it more accessible for beginners, in terms of technology and the way the boards and the sails are. It’s easier to learn today.”

Because it’s tame, Berkeley is one of better spots in the Bay Area to learn. The basin is relatively small, and the South Basin near the Cal Sailing Club is in a lee, offering flat water and slightly calmer winds. There’s no major shipping traffic (as there is at Crissy Field and Treasure Island), and in the event of major gear failure or injury, sailors simply drift a half mile to shore.

“The Cal Sailing Club does a fantastic job,” Mertens said. “They’re probably one of the best clubs in the Bay Area that promotes windsurfing. But then you also have communities everywhere around the Bay, where there’s camps for kids on the weekends or during the summer. Yeah, windsurfing is coming back.”

Who invented the windsurfer?

Modern windsurfing, as a sport and recreational activity, did not emerge until the latter half of the 20th century. The earliest version of a sailboard design utilizing a freely articulating sail on top of a board was created in 1962 by American Newman Darby. Independently, engineer Jim Drake invented and co-patented the version we all know today and called it Windsurfing- a new new concept in sailing.

Long before this modern moment, there were small scale sailing craft that have used wind as the driving force, many of them sourced to the Polynesians who have been riding the wind and waves for centuries. Early accounts suggest island peoples were undertaking day trips over oceans standing upright on a solid board with a vertical sail. In the early 19th century, people in logging communities around western Lake Michigan were purportedly fixing sails to logs as part of log float control and for recreation.(full citation needed)

In 1948, 20-year-old Newman Darby was the first to conceive the idea of using a handheld sail and rig mounted on a universal joint so that he could control his small catamaran—the first rudderless sailboard ever built that allowed a person to steer by shifting his or her weight in order to tilt the sail fore and aft.(self-published source?) Darby filed for a patent but lacked the funds to resubmit. However, he is widely recognized as its inventor as well as the first to conceive, design, and build a sailboard with a universal joint. In his own words, Darby experimented throughout much of the 1950s and 1960s and it was not until 1963 that an improved sailboard with a conventional stayed sloop rig sail arrangement made it more stable than the one built in 1948. S. Newman Darby created his first product for a wider market in 1964 that he called the “Darby sailboard” on the Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania, United States.

Why are sails no longer used?

Wind has had a hard time competing with cheap heavy fuel oil—the toxic sludge that refineries have no other use for. Wind propulsion has remained a niche part of the sector because shipping companies don’t have to pay the real environmental and societal costs of burning fossil fuels.

Is windsurfing or kitesurfing easier?

Pawel Tarnowski. While both sports are not considered “easy” to learn and will require some time investment and dedication from the individual, it is fair to say kitesurfing is much easier than windsurfing to learn. When you start kiteboarding, you are instantly introduced to the harness and foot straps of the board.

Kitesurfing and windsurfing are both incredible water sports that offer a unique combination of speed, power, and control. While both sports involve using the power of the wind to propel oneself across the water, there are some key differences in the equipment and techniques used that can make one sport harder than the other. One is definitely easier than the other to master too!

Kitesurfing involves using a kite to catch the wind and pull the rider across the water. The kite is controlled using a control bar, which is attached to the kite with a series of lines. The rider uses their body weight and the position of the control bar to control the speed, direction, and power of the kite. Kitesurfing requires a certain level of skill and agility to manage the kite and maintain balance while riding the board.

Windsurfing, on the other hand, involves using a sail attached to a mast to catch the wind and propel the rider across the water. The sail is controlled using a boom, which is attached to the mast, which is, in turn, attached to the board. The rider uses their body weight and the position of the sail to control the speed and direction of the board. Windsurfing requires a certain level of balance, coordination, and technical skill to maintain control of the sail and board.

Is windsurfing declining?

Yes, but on the other hand there are also sports that have declined, therefore possibly leaving people “free” to take up windsurfing. When windsurfing was booming, so were yachts, beach cats, squash, mountain bikes, tennis, snooker (remember “Pot Black”, or 18.5 million people tuning into the worlds final?), running (the enormously popular Jim Fixx book came out about the same time the windsurfing boom took off) and even lawn bowls. While participation in sports in general is declining, some sports have done well and others, like windsurfing, have not.

Gaming is massive now, but it was booming when windsurfing was also booming, and had a massive crash in the mid ’80s. The thing that I find interesting is that game designers have learned lessons from psychology that they use in their games – lessons that windsurfing actually goes against. Arguably if windsurfing learned from gaming instead of ignoring the lessons we can learn from it, windsurfing would be quite different and much more popular. There are plenty of books on game design in any uni library, and plenty of game designers and comp sci academics can show how much applied psychology there is in gaming, and how the current model of windsurfing breaks those rules to its own loss.

Finally, in Australia the population has increased by ten million people since windsurfing peaked. There’s 158% as many people as there was, and many of them come from “sailing countries” like England, NZ and Italy, so even with people drifting into other sports there was room for windsurfing to hold onto its numbers fairly well.

Who owns Speedvagen?

Since 2014, our fit tours have taken us around the world to find our people. We ride their roads, share our bikes with those who have mostly seen them through the web and most importantly, these future Speedvagen owners get a full consultation and custom fitting session with founder Sacha White.

Speedvagen Fact Sheet:. Sacha White started making frames in 1999 under the Vanilla name. By 2003, the bikes had gained a sort of cult following and White came up against two problems: 1) the waitlist for a Vanilla had grown to 5 years and 2) because of the long wait, many owners weren’t riding their bikes the way they were meant to be ridden. Being a racer and ex-messenger himself White, while he loved to build something that was very fine, had no interest in building a bike that was going to hang on a wall.

Enter Speedvagen.. Born in 2006, Speedvagen was created as an answer to the stigma of long waitlist and perceived preciousness of Vanilla. At it’s core, Speedvagen is a minimalist, modern race machine, built for each individual owner with a turn around time of 2 weeks to 2 months, depending on the details. All design, fabrication, paint and buildout is done in-house in our Portland, Oregon workshop.