Tushingham Storm 6.0m
Windsurf Magazine, March 2007
At a Glance
The Storm has deservedly been a very successful sail for Tushingham in the recent past, offering an exceptional performance range combined with a real ease of use. Rejuvenated using the brand’s new Airframe concept last year, it uses a significant amount of x-ply scrim throughout its panels, save for the main window, which remains monofilm for ease of visibility. The three x-ply scallops radiating from the sail’s corners are designed to help distribute the forces evenly in the sail, thereby eliminating any additional reinforcement required and reducing physical weight. Including clever features such as an alternating batten configuration to optimise the sail’s symmetry between tacks, it is a well thought out sail which has everything in the right place and looks set to offer years of hard service.
Rigging and Set
The Storm boasts masses of tuning range, using both the outhaul and downhaul in unison to achieve a good set. It is not technical to rig and has a large natural range on one setting, the battens resting alongside the mast and rotating easily. There is plenty of progressive leech twist whilst there is only a moderate amount of pre-shape present low down in the foot of the sail. Under maximum tension the bottom batten does tend to S-bend at rest, but don’t let this deter you or think the sail will not perform!
Ride and Handling
On the water, the Storm remains a fantastic all-rounder, which has the manners and capacity to used for long periods in many different roles. Light and balanced in the hands at rest, it quickly adopts a more powerful profile as the wind fills in thanks to the stretch of the Dacron luff panel, enabling it to generate a good deal of bottom end power. Soft in feel, the power delivery is very smooth and comfortable, the rider encouraged to adopt a more locked in stance thanks to its longer boom length. In strong winds, there isn’t a sail in this group with more stability than the Storm, feeling very positive and efficient in the hands as it accelerates in the gusts and exhausts excess power effortlessly. For this reason it is a great deal of fun for high wind coastal blasting, the durability of the sail giving the rider peace of mind that the sail can handle any conditions. In transition the Storm goes neutral well and whilst not the most crisp or reactive as an assertive riding style might demand, the sail’s progressive elasticity makes it very user friendly and forgiving, suiting most recreational sailors for use in variable gusty environments.
For: Incredible range, ease of use, forgiving progressive power delivery.
Against: S-bend in bottom batten under maximum tension looks ungainly.
Verdict
The Storm has lost none of its appeal and remains one of our top recommendations for all-round performance in this group
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