There has been a lot of buzz in the regatta scene since last season:

Michele Becker, who switched from Duotone to Patrik , sailed straight to fifth place in the world rankings in his first season. Several other sailors, still unknown internationally, also managed to climb to the top of the rankings seemingly out of nowhere. It goes without saying that this would not be possible without world-class training. But that's not all. 

No one really knows how, but Diethelm has managed to outperform all other foil brands by far. Rumor has it in the scene that theproduction of the AEON prototypes alone cost a fortune and that Patrik spent several years racking his brains over hydrodynamics. That's enormous, of course. Added to this are production processes that no other brand can match and a choice of materials that initially caused skepticism.

The new top fuselages, for example, are made of titanium, whereas other brands that are also considered innovative have relied on carbon for years. While titanium was initially ridiculed, the PWA season put an end to the jokes. Its superior performance became undeniable when everyone who tried the new AEON Foil was measurably faster and more controlled. 

When the rumors slowly became public last season, most riders were still unable to switch. This is because in the World Cup, you have to register your equipment at the beginning of the season and cannot change it afterwards. The switch therefore followed with a delay in the spring of 2024, when the world's elite were preparing for the new season. 

Almost every top PWA rider was spotted in Tenerife testing the Patrik AEON Foils. Some even tried to conceal their tests, as they are actually sponsored by other foil brands. In some cases, the AEON logos were sanded off the Foils and logos from other brands were stuck over them – so that the competition wouldn't find out about the experiments. After all, whoever registers the fastest Foil will ultimately have the best chance of winning the PWA.

The exciting thing about the AEON Foil is that, although it is already enjoying resounding success on the regatta scene, it has hardly made an impact on the wider market. This is probably also due to a lack of marketing – because in fact, the Foil, with all its innovations, is also available in a "cheaper" version. This differs only slightly in performance, but costs only half as much as the PWA version.

We have rarely looked forward to the PWA season more than we have this year. It will be incredibly exciting to see how the new innovations affect the regatta field. Whether Michele Becker will finish in the top 5 again is no longer a sure thing!