RS:X is a windsurfing discipline held by the ISAF (International Sailing Federation). The discipline has similarities to formula windsurfing - mainly in that the equipment used was designed to allow windsurfing in low and moderate wind conditions with good performance. RS:X has an annual event series (see www.rsxclass.com) and is also the official Olympic windsurfing discipline, last held in Korea in 2008.

 

RS:X equipment includes a board with a daggerboard, and a sail of a specified size. The board measures 286 cm in length and 93 cm in width. Unlike formula boards, it is quite heavy - 15.5 kg, which is almost twice that of regular competition formula boards, but is very similar to the weight of Raceboards such as the previous Olympic board, Mistral One Design Class.

 

The RS:X is a compromise between traditional Raceboards which work well in 5-35 knots, and Formula boards which go fast in 12-30 knots, and has shown itself to be competitive with past Raceboards in the medium wind range.

 

For the competition offspring, NeilPryde has recently launched the RS:One line – just like with RS:X, this equipment is all the same, allowing young athletes between 14 and 20 to compete against each other under the exact same conditions. There is even an event series for the youngster – the perfect stage to prepare for the Olympics!