Meet Rasmus Sayre, SIC Maui’s talented new wingfoil rider

The name Sayre may ring a bell: Nevin Sayre, a talented American windsurfer, was recently introduced into the Windsurfing Hall of Fame after an impressive career in the 80s and 90s. But today we’re going to talk about his son, Rasmus Sayre, aka Raz, who is following in his parents’ footsteps, but on a foil. Having been immersed in board and wind sports from an early age, Raz naturally took up wingfoil as soon as the sport was born. Making rapid progress, he was spotted by SIC Maui, who offered him a place in their Team Rider. Since then, he’s started to make his mark in the world of wingfoil racing, taking part in the Défi Wing and the European Championships in Silvaplana in 2024. There’s no doubt that Rasmus is going to be one of the riders to watch this year! For TotalWing, he takes a look back at his journey and gives us a detailed tour of his SIC Maui quiver.

Photo : @dasherfilms

Hi Raz, and welcome to TotalWing! First of all, can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your career as a rider before wingfoil…

I grew up with some major windsurfing role models. My parents were both professional windsurfers competing on the World Tour in the 80’s, and my older sister was from a young age passionate about racing. Naturally, I was put on a board at two years old. I have been in love with wind sports since I was wearing diapers.

Photo : @dasherfilms

We moved to Martha’s Vineyard, an island off the coast of the U.S. when I was seven years old, and I was lucky to get out on the water after school and all summer long. Growing up I did everything, surfing, sailboat racing, SUP, kitesurfing, windsurfing, and foiling.

When did you switch to the wing side of the force?

When wingfoiling came along, it was such a natural progression for me coming from both windsurf racing and kitefoiling. I immediately fell in love with the ease of access and doors that the sport opened. I learned to wingfoil in the midst of the pandemic, so I bought a van and hit the road in search of the best conditions in North America. I’ve driven to Baja Mexico, Hood River, Florida, Cape Hatteras, Eastern Canada, and many more places chasing wind and waves.

How did you get into the SIC Maui team?

When I was living in Hood River one summer and offered to help out the SIC Tent at a demo because I had been riding their equipment. The next summer I was back in town for the Gorge Paddle Challenge, and they wanted someone to represent the team and ride their equipment for the race, which is one of the bigger foil races in North America. I finished better than I expected, and SIC Maui was really excited, so they asked me to join the team in 2024, which has been such an epic experience.

Photo : @chazmorano @hana_zwick

Can you give us a little tour of your SIC Maui quiver? What’s that blue board that’s not in the catalogue?

For foils I have been riding a couple different new and exciting pieces of kit. First, the Slash 750cm and 600cm front foils have been incredible. Paired with the new 185 stab, they are super adaptable. I course race on my 750 slash when its lighter wind, and it also is my go-to foil for winging in waves. The 600 is a total speed machine. I have done my last couple races, at the Defi Wind in France, and the European Championships in Switzerland on that foil, and it just seems to take off. The more power you give it the faster it wants to go.

Wingfoil Racing European Championships Silvaplana 2024 – Photo : Robert Hajduk

SIC has also just come out with a couple of bigger HAR Slash front wings that have really opened some doors. The pump and glide of these wings have made small wave days, or lighter wind wing and downwind sessions such a blast. They turn well for their wingspan and get on foil earlier than any other foil I have ridden.

Last summer I was doing a lot of downwind foiling, and helping test the all new Kunalu downwind board. It’s super quick on to foil, and stable to stand on in the water. The full carbon construction is super light and strong for being a production board, so I am really excited about the end result.

Raz with the new SIC Maui Kunalu at the Defi Wing stand

Lately I have been testing a couple of different longer wing boards (as you mention in the question). That early flight benefit you get from the longer profile of the Kunalu is something that completely translates to wingfoiling. I end up riding smaller wings and foils than I would be able to on similar volume boards because the take-off is a good bit easier with that length. For my weight, 60L boards are really nice, but can be a bit awkward in the water to balance on. The added length also makes it super user friendly as I am getting going. We are planning to have these boards in the line as soon as this summer!

Défi Wing 2024 – Photo : Jean-Marc Cornu

What are your impressions of the Raptor V3 wing?

The Raptor V3 is just a super solid all-around wing. First and foremost for me is the stability and maneuverability. You forget the wing is in your hand riding waves, and it weightlessly glides over your head when tacking. The wing also just has a super good range. In shifty gusty offshore wind I feel like I always have the power I need and am never out of control.

Wingfoil Racing European Championships Silvaplana 2024 – Photo : Robert Hajduk

About the foils, can you give us a quick review of the brand new Slash 750 frontwing?

The Slash 750 is an awesome all-around high-performance foil. It pumps super well for its size, and when you push the pedal down handles speed really well. The other main thing I like about the foil is that it has a bit more anhedral shape to it than other wings of similar size and aspect ratio. This allows it to carve predictably and feel lively while still being stable.

This year you took part in the Défi Wing! Can you tell us about it?

The Defi Wing is such a crazy experience. Having never raced a wing like that before, being on a starting line with nearly 400 other wingfoils is pretty exhilarating. He had great wind for the entire event, and my most used wing was 3.0m, with some of the racing in +40kts. It’s an interesting sensation sailing purely for speed, and something I dedicated a lot of time training for. I feel as though I could have tactically done better, but now I know what to expect and work on for next time. We are also at SIC working on testing gear to push the speed even faster, which has been a fun process since then.

And after that, what are your next events, projects or goals?

I just finished up the European Wingfoil Championships on Lake Silvaplana in Switzerland. Unfortunately, we didn’t have much of their sunny windy conditions, but it was phenomenal to test my speed next to the best racers in the world, and it was a fun tactical challenge foiling on a stunning and shifty lake. I can’t wait to race in more IWSA events, where the wingfoil racing is super pure and competitive.

Later this summer I am going to the West Coast US and getting on the water as much as I can, planning to compete in the first official U.S. Wingfoil National Championships in San Francisco and put my newly learned lessons to the test.

I’ll leave you with the last word?

I am really excited with the wing racing scene and can’t wait to help develop more super fast SIC equipment and be more active in the racing scene. I’m eager to do more IWSA events. Can’t wait until the next time I get to zoom around with the great group of really talented guys and gals.

I couldn’t do this without SIC Maui and the rider team. I’m grateful that they are pushing out some killer gear and willing to help me push the limits of what I can do in the sport.

Thank you Raz for your answers !

Follow Rasmus Sayre :
Instagram

More about SIC Maui :
Official website / Facebook / Instagram