Cesare, in the midst of a time characterised by lockdowns and disrupted supply chains, you are driving the growth of the I-99 product family. How does that fit together?
These are certainly not the easiest times to start a new project. Here in Italy we've had several hard lockdowns, it feels like you're living in a cloud and can no longer see the sun. It's not an easy situation when you can only work but are no longer allowed on the water. There is currently a phenomenon in the entire windsurfing industry that, on the one hand, surfing is booming due to corona, but on the other hand, demand cannot be met.
What exactly is the reason for this?
The production countries in Asia have also repeatedly imposed lockdowns and many workers have had to return to their countries of origin. As a result, production is only running at a reduced pace. Global supply chains have also come to a standstill, containers are in short supply and have become extremely expensive. As a result, delivery times are long and many windsurfers are having to wait for the new products. We ordered our new sail lines back in the autumn and the products have only just arrived.
The majority of all windsurfing products are produced in Asia. Is it perhaps time to rethink - time to rebuild domestic production?
I think so. You can't assume that transport costs will ever fall back to the old level, and sooner or later this may be reflected in sales prices. The fact that we can't visit the factories in Asia to monitor production is also a headache for many designers. Despite all the difficulties, however, it is important to remain positive and carry on with full commitment. That's exactly what I'm trying to do.
Let's talk about your new sailing line. What is it made up of?
The sailing range has three main focuses: Wave, Foil and Freeride. I have gained a lot of experience in my long regatta career, first at ART and later at Challenger Sails, where I designed my own collection called G.O.T. Sails. My idea has always been to make a "progressive" sail design, which means that the characteristics and tuning of a sail model change depending on its size.
Can you explain that in more detail?
Our wave model "Cheeseroll" is a four-batten design in the sizes 3.3 to 5.3 square metres, from 5.3 to 6.3 it then comes as a five-batten. I think that makes more sense than making two complete sail lines in parallel, from which the customer then has to choose again.
The Aria model is similar. In the small sizes from 4.4 to 5.6 m² we build this as a freestyle sail with four battens, in sizes 5.8 and 6.3 as a five-batten sail with a slightly different outline and optimised for freemove use.
You market the Aria model not only as a freestyle or freemove concept, but also as a foil sail. Aren't you lumping too many things together?
Absolutely not, because a good freestyle sail is also perfect for foiling. This is because both types of sail have very similar design features. Loose leech is largely avoided and the leech is kept tight. When freestyling, this ensures that the sails can be ducked well and neutrally. When foiling, a closed leech helps to keep the board nose down and avoid unwanted "wheelies". In addition, both freestyle and foil sails need to be quite soft in order to load up even in light winds and, of course, have easy handling. So what could be more obvious than to combine these two areas of use in a single sail concept?
This also applies to the Freeride and Freeracemodel Grandtour, right?
Exactly. Here, too, the idea is to design the smaller sizes up to 7.0 square metres as camberless freeride sails with six battens; from size 7.4 upwards, one batten is added and the set-up changes a little more towards freerace. I think that this type of sail design makes the choice easier. I try not to make too many small differences that end up confusing the end customer, because too much choice can also be off-putting.
In addition to your line of sails, you're also pushing ahead with accessories and on the wing market. Do you have other people in the background who help you with the designs?
Of course, I have people in the background who help me, especially with testing. But I don't use traditional shapers and sail designers, because the romantic idea of a shaper standing in the shaping room with a plane and sanding is outdated these days. It's all about 3D files and the associated programmes, and in the end the milling machine spits out the design. What I want to avoid is getting into a situation where my shaper or designer takes their hat off at some point and suddenly all the expertise is gone. And because I have the experience and a good test team around me, I can do a lot of things myself. All the threads come together in my hands. The greatest confirmation for me is when an end customer comes to me and says that they like the product. That means more to me than financial success. In the end, my name is on every one of my products. It's a personal thing for me.
Info under www.i-99.it
