FIVE YEARS. ONE SAIL.

Pauline Katz has been riding the Redback since ’21. Five seasons, three continents, and a PWA career built on equipment that actually fits. In a sport where pros cycle through gear constantly, Pauline’s loyalty to the Redback says something worth listening to.

Pauline didn’t arrive at windsurfing through the usual channels. She was an engineer in Switzerland before quitting at 30 to chase wave sailing full-time. She moved to Pozo Izquierdo, Gran Canaria; the benchmark for heavy-air wave sailing. At 160cm and 55kg, she quickly ran into a problem that smaller riders know too well.

Standard wave sails aren’t built for bodies like hers.

The boom sits too high. The centre of power floats above where it should be. Everything feels oversized. Pauline was sailing overpowered by default; not because the wind demanded it, but because her equipment did.

That changed when Dieter Van der Eyken suggested she try the Redback.

“I still remember my very first session on it; everything felt perfectly proportionate,” says Pauline. “A few weeks later, I also got my first Nano 62 board, and it completely changed my sailing to finally be on gear adapted to my size.”

That Nano has since been replaced by the Pyro 62 and a pair of Stones, but the Redback stayed.

Pauline during her first years riding the Redback

Proportionate. That word keeps coming back.

Pauline uses it twice when describing the Redback. For taller riders, proportion is a given; sails are designed around their bodies and their reach. For anyone under 170cm, proportion is something you have to go find.

The Redback is a 4-batten wave sail scaled specifically for lighter, smaller riders. Lower clew. Lower boom cutout. Reduced skin tension for sailors who don’t have 80kg to throw at the rig. It runs from 2.5 all the way up to 4.7; sizes that exist because spots like Pozo regularly demand them.

“Having a sail designed for smaller riders while keeping full performance characteristics feels just amazing,” Pauline says. “The Redback also exists in very small sizes, which is ideal for Pozo, where I often need a 2.5 or 2.8. It means I don’t have to sail overpowered anymore and can stay fully in control.”

Control isn’t a buzzword here. In Pozo, where 40-knot-plus days are routine, being overpowered on a 2.8 is dangerous. Being in control on a 2.8 is the difference between sending it and surviving it.

Three spots, three setups

In Pozo during summer, her go-to is the 3.1 Redback with a Stone 60 or Pyro 62. Stronger days pull out the 2.5 and 2.8.

Chile shifts the equation. At Matanzas, where the PWA World Cup runs, the wind is lighter inside and you need power to punch through the breaking waves. Pauline moves up to a 4.3 Redback on a Stone 68. At Topocalma, where it blows harder, she drops back to 3.5 or 3.9.

Maui blows side-off. Once you reach the channel safely, you don’t need big gear. Her favourite combo there: 3.9 Redback on a Stone 68.

“I really enjoy sailing on the 3.5 Redback in Pozo,” says Pauline. “It usually means the conditions are strong but not extreme, so I can push myself and try new things on the water.”

Five years is a long time

Pro riders switch equipment constantly. New models, new seasons. Pauline has been on the same sail line since ’21 because the problem it solves hasn’t changed; she’s still 160cm, she still sails Pozo, and she still needs gear that works at her scale.

What has changed is her trajectory. Since finding the right equipment, Pauline has climbed the PWA rankings. 2023 brought a runner-up finish at PWA/IWT Pacasmayo and fourth at Omaezaki. 2024 saw her reach the finals at the Chile, Maui, and Sylt World Cups; plus fifth at the Gran Canaria Pozo Izquierdo World Cup.

Those results didn’t happen because of one sail. But they didn’t happen before it, either.

A message for smaller riders

Pauline sees the problem everywhere she competes. Riders under 170cm on standard-model sails that are proportionally wrong for their bodies. The boom height is off. The power delivery is too high. They compensate instead of progressing.

“Don’t be afraid to try different gear and adjust your setup,” Pauline says. “You can improve so much once you find equipment that truly fits your size and sailing style.”

The advice is simple. The five years behind it aren’t. Pauline didn’t find the Redback through a marketing campaign. A fellow pro told her to try it. She rigged it once in Pozo and never went back.

Hitting the lip in Chile riding the Redback and Nano combo

Pauline rides the Redback 2.5 / 2.8 / 3.1 / 3.5 / 3.9 / 4.3 with the Stone 60 / 68 and Pyro 62.

Photos: John Carter / PWA, Fish Bowl Diaries, Samuel Tome, Bruno Sacre, Max Czaplewski, Ludo Schreiber, Javier Carreno, Jose Pina, Rafa Soulart

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