Things Have To Change……….

Posted on 29 June, 2015 Neil Greentree

Very seldom do I offer my personal opinion on windsurfing matters. Why, well sometimes its too controversial, sometimes I simply don’t want to get involved, and sometimes its not for the good of the sport for customers to know exactly what does go on behind the scenes.But as a passionate lover of our sport and someone who believes that a healthy sport, whatever it is, must have both dedicated people within the sport bringing new and innovative products to the marketplace which in turn push the sport forwards is a positive way, and it must also have customers who not only love the sport but are willing to support the sport both financially, ethically and morally to perpetuate the sport forward for all. This means promoting their chosen sport so as to encourage new people to take up the sport, and attend events their sport puts on so the people chosen to represent their sport (Pro Riders etc) get the exposure they need  on social media, TV, radio, papers, etc to help us all push the sport forward to all.

This happens extensively in Triathlon, cycling, swimming to name a few but does it with windsurfing?……..Frankly No!. A this brings me to the reason I write this article.

As you know we hosted a Demo weekend this weekend with big names within the industry turning out to have stands and compete for the local windsurfers to enjoy in Norfolk. We all set out a great selection of Demo kit for people to try and hopefully buy or at least consider the next time they are buying new kit. The problem was that out of potentially up to 500 local windsurfers in our area only about 30 turned out for the event………. yeah 30!!!. “The forecast was rubbish for the weekend” I have already had lodged at my door. OK, it was to be fair although that was completely wrong – but what about supporting your sport regardless of what the forecast says. What about suppporting the event because people have travelled a long way and incurred a lot of expense (Circa £400 per person) to put on show for you?. It seems that windsurfers are quite happy to let the sport they ‘claim to love’ down if they are not likely to get a sail that day. I’ve even had windsurf customers openly tell me they didn’t attend the Demo day because the wind was better at another location that day………. hmmm, thats nice!

But is it just Norfolk?. No, its a UK wide problem. In France windsurfers attend events wind or no wind regardless (Defi Wind as an example), but yet in the UK there is simply not that moral commitment. The NWF has to taken advance ticket money ‘up front’ because if the forecast looks dodgy the whole event could collapse due to people not visiting the event. We for sure will be scaling down our Demo days in years to come so my suppliers are not exposed to expenses they don’t need when local support cannot be relied on.

The other response often lodged at my door is that the person didn’t attend because they are not looking for a new board/sail etc anyway –  which brings me onto the other factor very likely to finish windsurfing if something doesn’t change very soon:

Board sales in the UK is now so critically low it is likely that at least one manufacturer of boards will pull out of windsurfing to concentrate on other markets very soon. We at Quayside are at the point of no longer stocking new boards as customers are simply not willing to pay the price boards are. Ok………FACT – in 2002 I paid £799 for a F2 Axxis 272 Ltd. It was a plastic pressure injected moulded board – thats as technical as it got!. Boards now are carbon anegra sandwich construction with carbon stringers etc….. but start at £1250. So over 14 years they have gone up £401… now take a look at cars!. But windsurfers don’t buy the cheapest versions of boards because they want the stiffness and early planing qualities the carbon versions bring……so why are you are not prepared to pay for the technology?. Wake up kids…what do you want?,… and then you have to be prepared to pay for it!

I had a customer recently offer £1000 for a £1600 ex demo board we offered them for £1200. Thats a 37% discount for a board thats probably never been sailed!!!!. Now tell me what other market gives that kind of discount off ex-demo models. Cars – no!, Cycles – No!, leisure – no!. Its this willingness to ‘rape’ the sports providers without regard seems hardwired into most windsurfers psyche  but when asked they all will deny it. Its the same mentality that I’ve witnessed when I see a certain local windsurfer using a F2 extension which is at least 14 years old and with its original line….. and the guy who doesn’t change his deckplate boge joint until it breaks, and the guy who never changes their outhaul line until it breaks….etc…etc.

The manufacturers cannot make the tekky boards customers want for the price they want to pay……. I can tell you now 2016 boards are going between 18-30% because the Cobra Factory (The factory that make almost ALL windsurf boards) say the volumes have gone down so far prices must go up 25% to cover their costs. Volumes that have only gone down because customers won’t buy new boards.

So there you go….agree or disagree (probably the latter) but you all be warned that if things don’t change soon there won’t be any choice left. Which in turn normally means when competition goes prices go up and choice goes down. So inevitably, you, the windsurf public will kill the goose that has been laying your proverbial ‘golden egg’ for the last 15 years.

Neil Greentree

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