Josh Stone
Dear Windsurfer Welcome to the 2005 NeilPryde Windsurfing Collection. Stepping back from the detail, you may notice there are three core themes woven through this year’s product lines and they’re actually the very same three themes that have been with us since the very beginning. There’s our commitment to research and development (R&D), there’s a solid sense of product design and finally there’s winning - the real driving force behind our efforts over the years. The products you’ll see showcased over the coming pages show that our enthusiasm for performance excellence in windsurfing remains undiminished. From the innovative new RS Racing sails with their ground-breaking double-surfaced leading edge, to the re-birth of the Combat Wave, re-styled and re-designed to inspire a new generation of wavesailing legends. Meanwhile our Matrix Rig System continues to light the way with market-leading innovations such as Hybrid Carbon Aluminium Booms and the one-piece aluminium boom front end. As we’ve seen, innovation alone doesn’t drive the marketplace. Today’s consumers expect products that go beyond what’s purely functional; they’re looking for products that inspire on an emotional level as well. And here again, our design team have done an excellent job of combining technical excellence with aesthetic elegance across all the products within our range, meaning that today’s NeilPryde products have a uniquely distinctive silhouette out on the water.
Our quest to win at all levels still means as much to us today as it’s ever done. This year we’ve continued in our efforts to set a new World Speed Sailing Record, and it’s through these efforts that we developed much of the technology behind the RS Racing programme. We’re also in the late stages of developing what we hope will become the new Olympic standard for windsurfing hardwear. For the past two years we have been campaigning to become the Official Supplier of Boards, Sails and Rigs at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, where we hope to introduce an all-new rig that will enable competitors to excel in light wind conditions. So do please enjoy your look through the 2005 range, and like me, I’m sure you’ll be impressed at the work and commitment our product development teams have put into these products. After all, it’s this same restless energy that’s always driven our belief that - the wind can tell the difference.
Neil Pryde
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