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The Zone is a light-feeling, responsive wave sail particularly suited to sailing in classic "down the line" conditions. Less powerful than the Alpha and Combat, the Zone is designed to feel neutral on a wave, thus making the sail ideal for tight bottom turns and cutbacks off the lip. In these conditions, visibility of the wave is important, so the Zone has a large window allowing the rider to easily observe the critical section of the wave.

Design Objectives:

• To design a sail for the "surfers of windsurfing"; a sail that basically disappears in the riders hands when on a wave, but still gives enough drive to load the boards' rail through the bottom turn.
• The sail must be virtually neutral when the rider snaps back off the critical wave section, so it cannot deliver excessive power.
• The sail must have minimal back hand pressure, particularly during the cut-back.
• Enhance the forgiving feel of the sail, and reduce the "sailing weight" of the Zone.
• Improve the de-powering characteristics, and reduce back hand pressure when coming off the top of a wave.

Design Objectives Achieved By:

• Ligh-to-moderate shaping for a lightweight feel. The Zone has the least, and most forward-oriented shaping of all Neil Pryde wave sails.
• A moderate aspect ratio; low and forward positioned center of effort located as close as possible to the body (rider focused surface area).
• A well-rotated sail body that flattens out and de-powers instantly.
• An open leech allows the top of the sail to release in down-the-line conditions.
• Light, but strong, construction (fitting between the Alpha & Combat).
• Large monofilm window for optimum visibility.
• A reduction in luff-curve and increased width of the luff-sleeve combines to make the sail more forgiving, particularly during manoeuvres, and less "nervous" due to the increased softness.
• Further reduced, and more forward oriented shaping for the 2007 Zone will give the sail a lighter feeling and easier rotation. It will also prevent unwanted pull on the back hand when landing jumps or coming off the top of a critical section.