Interview with Monty Spindler from The Loft TV on Vimeo.

It is almost a year since the Swedish speedrider Anders Bjorkqvist joined the Loft Team.
What is the overall impression on the water with The Loft Racing Blades?
I must say that all the Loft Sails that I have tried, they delivers immediately. And I like that they are so robust in the construction, still light in the hands.

How has the rigs improved your sailing?
Easy to answer! They have extremely good low-end acceleration for a racing sail from speeds 12-25 knots. A neutral feeling when you are powered up, around 30-35 knots of speed, and when I hit the big gusts and get overpowered, I feel secure. Very easy to sail when it gets ugly. Then I’m able to focus on the water rather than anything else. Compared to my previous sails I am about 2-3 knots faster in the whole register. All thanks to the sails.

Any trim tips?
I use SDM´s on from 7,0-9,5. But the setting is different depending of the spots. In some locations I need more acceleration, some other less. I use often around recommended downhaul or up to 1-2 cm more, and quite a lot of outhaul. Often neutral. And of course I use the adjustable trim a lot.

Favourite sail?
The Racing Blade 8.6 has been magic. That’s almost the only sail I use at home and it works well in winds up to 25 knots and in speeds up to 37-38 knots. On smaller boards too. And the 9.5 work also very well. I think Loftsails has a competitive advantage on the big sizes.

Any memorable moments of the past year?
A few days before the European Championship Speed Tour in Germany I fell and hurt a few fingers badly. Still I went to Germany. I sailed well and was in shared lead after 2 heats. But when I crashed in the third I not only broke my sail but also a finger. Still I managed to win the fourth heat and the whole event. That was sweet! Also the 3 weeks in Karpathos was something extra. Dirk Jan Knol added another dimension and I am not sure that he will win so much next year!

Are you happy with the past year?
Everything has worked very well. I have continued to sail on Carbon Art boards and the SP63 that I have designed together with James (Dinnis) is a smash-hit. I have also begun to use their slalom boards. But at the Swedish Championship in October I made a mistake and was seriously hurt in my head. That has affected the last months sailing. My ear is still not healed. I participated in Weymouth.

Looking forward?
The recession in the world affect us. I would like to have a Speed World Championship as we had on Karpathos in 2009. But I guess that none are able to raise the resources and do the effort to arrange that. I hope we at least will have a competitive international speed tour. I will do all I can to support that. I will try to travel and sail abroad about 7-8 weeks next year too. And next year in Weymouth I want to meet them all. It is the event 40-year anniversary and I hope to see Maka, Haywood, Hönschied, Dunkerbeck and Bringdal on the water next year in Portland Harbour, and at the pubs!

Loft Sails is happy to announce Patrik Diethelm (ITA 120) as a new International Team member for the next racing season, joining forces with the rest of our International Team. It is the first time in 10 years that Patrik changes his sails sponsor, surely his experience and innovative vision will be an added value for Loft Sails.

Loft Sails jumped to the 2011 PWA podium thanks to Ben Van Der Steen’s great season; but also the rest of the team, Ludo Jossin, Antoine Questel and Lena Erdil, helped us finishing 3rd in the PWA Slalom sails constructor ranking.

In 2011 Loft Sails is experiencing its best season ever, not only in PWA, where Ben Van Der Steen secured for the first time ever a podium position, and the rest of the team has had their best ever performances; but also took the European IFCA youth title, Raceboard world title in the 8,5m2 category as well as many GPS speed events where most of our riders have improved their personal best performances.