Jimmy Lewis Distance...

[noa]

Just got my first beginers downwind board wich is the JL 12'6 Distance.
before this i only had shorter subs (SOS b blue being the oldest and longest) and wow what a difference ! this JL is of course, not anywhere near more specialized downwind gear but i'm still really happy with it.
the reason i got it is because first and foremost i've started collaborating with Jimmy Lewis Europe, to distribibute their boards in Greece. i'm going to do an island crossing here in September and out of their range it was the most suited board.
got to try it yesterday with very mediocre conditions, 15 ish knots (which was good so i could get a feel for it). selected a short downwind run that lasted only an hour, and had the time of my life !!! such a great feeling to get long glides and even connect waves to make the glides longer. this is going to be seriously addictive.
i also saw that it really helped me to try doing downwinders on much shorter boards (Gong 9'11). you have to stroke like mad to get glides on short boards and when you move up to something bigger it seems to just fly by itself.
from first impressions, the JL Distance is super easy, user friendly and comfortable. this would of course have drawbacks when it comes to pure performance but it's impossible for me to compare, as i have nothing else here to go by. that does not mean that it does not glide well or is slugish in any way. fast but comfy is how i would describe it.
would be very happy to hear impressions from anyone who's tried it. all in all very happy with it and waiting for some meatier conditions to see how it will behave. tuesday looks like we're getting some good windand i feel very restless...