NORTH SAILS BLOG

Team race PH Ekipa kodnog imena "Uljanik 2", a u sastavu Noa Gorički, Luka Lorencin, Luka Pahljina i Marko Puljiz, inače članovi JK Uljanik iz Pule, rtenirani od starne Daria Klibe, najbolja su ekipa na Ekipnom prvenstvu Hrvatske za klasu Optimist. Da bi trijumf Pulskog kluba bio potpun pobrinula se ekipa "Uljanik 1" u sastavu Edi Jurman, Mija Močinić, Ema Grabar i Jakov Močinić koja je osvojilo srebro! Naravno, trener i Uljanika 1 je Dario Kliba. Ovo prvenstvo je bilo nastavak klasičnog Prvenstva Hrvatske koje je završilo u subotu 1. kolovoza i organizator mu je također bio Jedriličarski klub Marina Kaštela. S jedrenjima se krenulo već u nedjelju, a kako je vrijeme išlo na ruku Regatnom odboru, finala su se odjedrila već sutradan, tako da nije bilo potrebe da se iskoristi rezervni dan. Uvjeti na moru su bili slični onima na prethodnoj regati, bar što se temperature tiče, a po pitanju vjetra bilo je raznolikije. U nedjelju se flota stacionirala ispred Slatina na otoku Čiovu... za one koji ne poznaju tu zonu, to je unutar Kaštelanskog zaljeva. Na more se izašlo već oko 10 sati a puhalo je svega nekoliko čvorova nestabilnih po smjeru. Zato su ekipe zadužene za postavljanje regatnog polja imale više nego pune ruke posla, ali srećom po njih ubrzo je regata prebačena na vanjsku stranu Čiova, na mjesto gdje se jedrilo prethodnih dana. Tu je maestral bio dosta stabilniji i puhalo je do desetak čvorova, a to je bilo dovoljno za nešto više od polovice Round Robina, odnosno dijela natjecanja u kojem je potrebno da jedri svatko protiv svakoga. Inače je to princip po kojem se jedri "team race", a pojam Round Robina uglavnom je jedna od prvih asocijacija vezana uz dvobojsko jedrenje, tzv. match race. Drugi dan regate RO se nije zadržavao sa sjeverne strane Čiova, već je odma zauzeo kurs prema provjerenoj lokaciji i tamo je regatno polje ovog puta bilo postavljeno na jugo koje je puhalo od 5-6 čvorova, pa sve do 15-16. Pratio ga je kratki oštri val koji je manje iskusnim klincima i klincezama stvarao probleme punjenjem njihovim jedrilica morem. Na prvenstvo se prijavilo 16 ekipa. Uz spomenute dvije ekipe, JK Uljanik je imao još jednu ekipu, a njihovi sugrađani iz JK Vega dvije. Tako da se može reći da su Pulski jedriličari činili više od 30% regate. Osim njih po dvije ekipe imali su još JK Split, JK Mornar i JK Briva, a svoje šanse sa po jednim timom okušali su JK Labud, JK Zenta, JK Galeb, JK Opatija i JK Trogir. Inače, ekipe imaju po četiri člana, a pravila im dopuštaju i jednu rezervu. Ono po čemu se ekipno jedrenje razlikuje od klasičnog flotnog, gdje svaki jedriličar jedri samo za sebe i skuplja bodove za svoju korist, kod ekipnog jedrenja svi bodovi jedne ekipe se zbrajaju. Logičan zaključak, a da bi se postigli što bolji rezultati više nije bitno da se prvi stigne do cilja, već da cijela ekipa kao kolektiv ostvari što manju sumu kaznenih bodova. Drugim riječima, nije uopće bitno da li će netko iz ekipe stići prvi, dapače, to se čak i na jedan način penalizira. U slučaju izjednačenja bodova pobjeda odlazi onoj ekipi čiji član nije prvi presjekao ciljnu ravninu! Još jedna stvar je drugačija od klasičnog flotnog jedrenja, a to je oblik regatnog polja. U Ekipnom jedrenju se jedri tzv. zmija. Nakon starta jedri se u orcu, potom se desnim bokom okreće u mezzonavu. Nakon toga ponovno poluokret desnim bokom da se zauzme kurs u krmu, a kad se stigne do te bove ona se ostavlja lijevim bokom i ponovno se jedri mezzonava. Nakon dolaska do slijedeće bova ponovno slijedi okret u lijevo i u orcu se jedri do cilja. Kako se mora odjedriti vrlo velik broj regata sve distance su relativno malene i uglavnom su duljine pojedinih dionica oko 50 metara. Kako je bilo prijavljeno 16 ekipa, matematika je pokazala da se moralo odjedriti ukupno 120 pojedinačnih matcheva! Da bi se to moglo realizirati stalno su u polju bila po tri para ekipa. Nakon starta prvog para slijedila bi procedura za drugi par, pa nakon toga za treći par. Kad bi prvi par završio svoj match krenula bi predstartna procedura za slijedeći par i tako do kraja Round Robina. FOTO: JK MARINA KAŠTELA U svakom slučaju ovakvo jedrenje zahtijeva određeni kombinatorički stil razmišljanja natjecatelja i sigurno je lakše pripremiti se za ovakvo natjecanje kad u klubu postoji veća baza, odnosno veći broj jedriličara i jedriličarki da se mogu složiti bar dvije ekipe. To se najbolje vidjelo na primjeru prve dvije ekipe, jer npr. trećeplasirana skupina jedriličara, koja je jedrila pod zastavom JK Labud, a u sastavu Josip Tafra, Marin Ljubičić, Grigor Pettener, Roko Čepić-Zokić i Antonio Milišić s trenerom Vedranom Mandićem, sastavljena je od jedriličara sa samog vrha rang ljestvice, ali Puljani su pokazali da je potrebno još nešto osim izvlačenja maksimalne brzine iz jedrilice. Što se tiče kvalifikacijskog dijela, Round Robina, svaka ekipa je morala odjedriti po 15 matcheva. Na kraju su tu bili najuspješniji članovi ekipe Uljanik 1. Oni su imali idealni skor od 100%, odnosno pobijedili su u svih 15 plovova! Iza njih su bili Labudaši, koji su definitivno pokazali svoju kvalitetu s impresivnih 14 pobjeda. Već se zna da su se u polufinale s njima plasirali članovi Uljanika 2, a pravo na završnicu osvojili su s 13 pobjeda. A četvrta ekipa je u polufinale stigla s 12 pobjeda i to su bili članovi JK Vega po d imenom Starships. Ostale ekipe su imale po manje od 10 pobjeda, a koliko je svaka osvojila bodova i koja su mjesta zauzeli možete vidjeti na ovom linku, a ako ste željni malo detaljnije analize kliknite na ovaj link. Prvoplasirani Uljanik 1 je za svoje suparnike u polufinalu izabrao sugrađane iz Vege, tako da je Labudu na megdan izašao Uljanik 2. Oba para su priredili napeta jedrenja i svi su morali odjedriti po tri plova, jer su u finale išli oni koji su imali dvije pobjede. Kao što već znate, parovi u posljednjoj fazi PH bili su Uljanik 2 i Uljanik 1, odnosno Labud i Starship. Ekipa s višim startnim brojem nije pokazala da se boji klupskih brojeva jedan i iz oba finalna plova izlaze kao pobjednici! Drugi par je priredio neizvjesnije matcheve, pa su morali odjedriti i treći. Bodovna stanja u završnici možete pronaći na ovom linku. Malo detaljnijom analizom može se vidjeti da je Uljanik 2 imao i malo veću dozu sreće na svojoj strani kad je i u polufinalu i u finalu osvojio bod pri bodovnom stanju 18:18, ali zar postoji netko tko bi odbio pomoć gđe. Fortune? READ MORE

Prvenstvo Hrvatske za klasu Optimist Tristan Tol, član Jedriličarskog kluba Vega iz Pule novi je prvak Hrvatske u klasi Optimist s čak 10 bodova prednosti u odnosu na drugoplasiranog Josipa Tafru iz JK Labud, a koji je srebro osigurao s pet bodova prednosti u odnosu na brončanog Bepa Duplančića iz JK Zenta. Regatu je organizirao Jedriličarski klub Marina Kaštela. Do svojih rezultata su stigli nakon 9 odjedrenih plovova. Prvog dana regate, u srijedu 29. srpnja, odjedrena su tri kvalifikacijska jedrenja, a u četvrtak još dva. Nakon toga je uslijedilo formiranje finalnih skupina... zlatne i srebrene. Iduća dva dana na moru se jedrilo samo unutar tih skupina, bez daljnjih podjela, a ukupno su odjedrena još četiri plova. Stvarno bogat i skoro maksimalno iskorišten program pogotovo kad se uzme u obzir da se jedrilo u srcu ljeta po iznimno teškim temperaturnim uvjetima. Visoke temperature su vladale već od jutra, a maestrali su dozvoljavali jedrenje tek iza podne. Srećom, puhali su stalno iznad 10-12 čvorova pa je bar na moru bilo ugodnije nego za vrijeme čekanja na kopnu. Nakon prvog dana jedrenja već se moglo naslutiti da Tristan Tol ima ozbiljne namjere i da je u pobjedničkoj formi. U tri održana jedrenja pobijedio je u prvom i trećem plovu svoje skupine, a u drugom plovu je završio na drugom mjestu. Dobro otvaranje je imao i član drugog Puležanskog kluba, Jakov Močinić - JK Uljanik. On je osvojio dva druga i jedno prvo mjesto. Zajedno s njima na vrhu se odmah istaknuo i Josip Tafra. I on se mogao pohvaliti prvim i drugim mjestom, ali mu je četvrto iz prvog plova malo pokvarilo prosjek. Njih trojica su već u startu značajno odmaknuli ostalima. Najbolje se to može vidjeti na primjeru četveroplasiranog na kraju dana, Edija Jurmana iz JK Uljanik, koji je bio iza Josipa čak 9 kaznenih bodova. Što se tiče djevojčica, najbrža u srijedu je bila Katja Rabak iz JK Vega koja je dan završila na 6. mjestu, a imala je jednak broj bodova kao i petoplasirani Luka Pahijina iz Uljanika. Stvarno vrlo dobar dan za jedriličare iz Pule! U četvrtak se jedrio kraj kvalifikacija i kreću prva odbacivanja. Matematika je kao i uvijek zanimljiva i nemilosrdna, pa je zanimljivo vidjeti rasplet na kraju dana. Imena trojca u vrhu su nepromijenjena, jedino što su se bodovno jako približili jedni drugima. Prva dvojica sad imaju po 6 bodova i zamijenili su se u redoslijedu. Jakov i Tristan imaju potpuno jednaka mjesta, jednaki rezultat u posljednjem plovu, ali Jakov je u predzanjem bio bolje plasiran (pobijedio je u svojoj grupi, dok je Tristan u svojoj završio na drugom mjestu). A da bi nastavak regate bio još napetiji pobrinuo se Josip koji je bio na samo jedan bod iza njih dvojice. Najveći skok u plasmanu imao je Zentaš Bepo Duplančić. Kvalifikacije završava na četvrtom mjestu iako je u drugi dan Prvenstva ušao s 12. pozicije. Inače, Bepo je i najbolji u kategoriji U12. Među djevojčicama je također došlo do smjene na vrhu. Katja Rabak je skliznula na 11. mjesto, a njen status najbrže djevojčice preuzima Mija Močinić iz JK Uljanik. Petak... početak završnice... formirane su dvije skupine sa po 69 natjecatelja i u tom sastavu nastavljaju jedriti i u subotu. Sad je jedrenje sigurno i teže, jer su svi sličnih jedriličarskih vještina u istim jakosnim skupinama. Naravno, to odmah ima i direktnog efekta na plasmane na kraju dana, ali bodovi skupljeni u kvalifikacijama još uvijek dobro dolaze za održavanje visokog plasmana. To su najbolje na vlastitom primjeru osjetili Tol i Tafra jer su obojica bili dosta loši u posljednjem jedrenju dana. Srećom, odbacivanja su ih spasila, pa su i dalje ostali u vrhu, a čak su i obojica napredovala za po jednu stepenicu. Tako Tol ponovno preuzima vodstvo, a Tafra prvi put dan završava kao srebreni. Najveći pad u vrhu imao je Jakov Močinić. On je s prvog mjesta skliznuo na sedmo. Slično kao i dvojac s vrha i on je kiksao u posljednjem plovu, ali najveći bodovni teret mu ipak nije bio taj plov, neko prvi plov dana kad nije startao. Među djevojčicama ponovno dolazi do rošade. Katja Rabak za tri boda prelazi Miju Močinić i preuzima mjesto vodeće djevojčice. Što se tiče srebrene skupine, tu su malo više do izražaja došle pripadnice nježnijeg spola. Kaja Grubišić iz JK Split i Ana Grubelić iz JK Uskok su na vrhu skupine, a najbliži dječak im je mlađahni Ricardo Juretić iz JK Opatija. I na kraju, još dva jedrenja u subotu. Što se tiče zlatne skupine to je sigurno najzadovoljniji bio trener JK Uljanik jer su njegovi Mija i Jakov Močinić odnijeli pobjede u oba plova. Jakovu je to bila jedna moralna zadovoljština koju mora iskoristiti kao motiv za nastavak s vrhunskim jedrenjem u nastavku sezone, dok je Miji ta pobjeda olakšala povratak na vodeću poziciju među djevojčicama. Što se tiče vrha raspored je ostao jednak, a na postolje su se popeli Tol, Tafra i Duplančić! Slično je završilo i u srebrenoj skupini, ista imena, ali znatno veća doza neizvjesnosti. Ricardo je uspio preteći Anu za tri boda i izjednačiti se s Kajom. Međutim, njena pobjeda u sedmom plovu je išla u njenu korist i osigurala joj pobjedu u skupini. Osim što je regata bila zahtjevna po pitanju topline i dugih prebacivanja do regatnog polja s vanjske strane Čiova, sigurno će svima ostati u sjećanju po brojnim otežavajućim okolnostima vezanim uz zadovoljavanje sigurnosnih elemenata zadanih od strane raznih stožera. Napravljeno je devet jedrenja po maestralu do 14 čvorova. Svaki dan je bilo sve u redu, jedino nas je u petak nevera potjerala s mora, a danas (subota) nevera je krenula kad smo već svi bili u marini. Tako da su svi bili zaštićeni. A jučer nas je uhvatio samo rub. Bili smo van Čiova i nevera je stigla do njega. Mi kao organizatori smo se najviše borili protiv Korone... da ne bude grupiranja, da se ne ulazi u hangar i zatvorene prostore i da se zadovolje sve smjernice epidemiološkog stožera. A što se tiče natjecanja, najbolji su pobijedili! Međutim, još nismo gotovi. U nedjelju starta timsko PH koje će se jedriti dva dana s tim da imamo i jedan dan u pričuvi ako ne budu odgovarajući vremenski uvjeti. Armano Zekan, JK Marina Kaštela A evo tko su sve slavodobitnici u pojedinim kategorijama: DJEČACI 1. Tristan Tol - JK Vega Pula 2. Josip Tafra - JK Labud Split 3. Bepo Duplančić - JK Zenta Split DJEVOJČICE 1. Mija Močinić - JK Uljanik Pula 2. Katja Rabak - JK Vega Pula 3. Noa Gorički - JK Uljanik Pula DJEČACI DO 12 GODINA 1. Bepo Duplančić - JK Zenta Split 2. Toma Smirčić - JK Split Split 3. Marko Puljiz - JK Uljanik Pula DJEVOJČICE DO 12 GODINA 1. Ema Grabar - JK Uljanik Pula 2. Nina Marušić - JK Zvir Hvar 3. Marta Lolić - JK Split Split READ MORE

BUILDING SAILS FOR THE IMOCA From Drawing Board to Physical Sail Plan on an IMOCA 📸 Jeremie leCaudey November 8th, the next edition of the Vendée Globe race is set to start from Les Sables d’Olonne, North Sails has designed the sails for the ¾ of the IMOCA fleet, 17 of which have a full set and 7 with a partial set. The sails on a boat are essential: they ensure the propulsion of the boat. But this “engine” must adapt to the boat as well as the pilot. Each boat has a distinctive set of sails depending on several parameters such as the shape of the hull, the deck plan, the rigging, or even a new element today: the foils whose air behavior plays a critical role in the stability of the boat. This wardrobe must also cover all the wind conditions encountered during competition. It is up to the designers to design a set of sails that are reliable, efficient, versatile, and tailor-made to each skipper and that does not involve overly physical maneuvers. These sails need also to have both torque, strong acceleration at low revs, (bottom of the sail range), and power when, once launched, the boat accelerates quickly. Defining the right sail inventory can be complex. Yann Regniau, Yann Andrillon, and Quentin Ponroy, designers at North Sails France, enlighten us on the design of the sails of a singular boat, the IMOCA for an equally singular race: the Vendée Globe.   Designing Sails for The Vendée Globe Weather Conditions and Sail Optimization IMOCA Sail Design Support and Tools Skipper and Team Sail Inventory Trends and Next Steps   How do you design a set of sails for a Vendée Globe? There are no absolute rules. It depends on the team, whether they are building a new boat or not, and on the expertise they have in-house. For most new boats, we are involved right from the design stage, working alongside the architects to define the sail plan. In all cases, we have contact and information meetings to precisely target the skipper’s needs and what we can bring him in terms of experience and tools. Then, we draw up the first drafts from the architect’s plans where we can directly simulate our sails in 3D, which allows us to refine the triangulation. In summary, the sail design is fed by three means: theoretical studies from North Sails (aero and structure), a rich database of sails designed for IMOCA boats combined with our expertise and boat-skipper input. The main stages include the definition of the specifications of the sail with the team; the design (theoretical studies, 3D drawing, and structure); the manufacturing sheet; the manufacturing of the 3Di structure in Minden (Nevada, USA) and finally the finishes at North Sails France (Vannes, Brittany.) 📸 Raphael Demaret What are the particularities of the Vendée Globe in terms of weather conditions and sail optimization? One of the peculiarities is the length and duration of the Vendée Globe, the race takes the fastest boats 2 ½ months to complete, but most racers finish in three months. The sails become extremely stressed throughout the race, so the structure must be adapted to account for all possible wear and tear. Reliability is the keyword. The three aspects that characterize this race – around the world, single-handed and non-stop – also apply to the sails. Today and for several editions, IMOCA boats have at their disposal an arsenal of precise meteorological tools with a southern limit that must not be exceeded to avoid the ice zone and hit drifting icebergs. This was not the case during the very first Vendée Globe, where computer tools were limited. The boats crossed the zone of icebergs and sailed very far south in the Pacific and Indian Oceans to reduce the distance to be covered. During the 1997 edition, after their boat capsized, the sailors Tony Bullimore and Thierry Dubois had to be rescued by helicopter. This edition was particularly marked by the tragic disappearance of the Canadian Gerry Roufs, who in the last SOS announced: “The waves are no longer waves, they are as high as the Alps.” Modern IMOCA boats avoid sailing in winds more than 40 knots, at the risk of suffering major damage without going any faster. They opt for a routing where they can exploit the boat’s speed potential. This largely defines the specifications of the sails. And of course, downwind points of sail – the majority in the Vendée – are favored, even if versatility remains important. What are the particularities of an IMOCA in terms of sail design? The new foil boats have both a displacement mode and a flying mode that we must reconcile in terms of sail configuration. They can indeed have violent acceleration and deceleration. As the number of sails on board is limited to just eight, the sails must be reliable. If one or two sails are torn, victory could be compromised. They must also be durable with increased shape retention throughout the race and as light as possible, one, to facilitate maneuvers, as these boats are very physical, and, two, to increase performance, particularly by reducing the weight and the center of gravity of the boat, which increases the power of the boat. Are sails designed for an IMOCA in the same way as for any other support and for any other race? Yes and no. Yes, because the design process is similar, i.e. we define the sail plan as precisely as possible with the skipper and the boat’s architect, we work on the specifications of the sail, then we work on the surface, the shape, and the structure so that they respond as well as possible. No, because the result of the design is different. The difficulty is that due to a limited number of sails, you have to be consistent with all the sails and, above all, this race has become a sprint around the world. The aim is therefore to create a sail that performs well in terms of shape, that is strongly reliable when aging and that, of course, is not too heavy. 📸 Jeremie leCaudey What supports and tools do you use? Within North, we have a software solution for designing, studying, and dimensioning the structure of 3Di sails, the North Design Suite, which includes among others Spiral for the sail design, Desman to model the rigging in 3D and Membrain to generate deformed sails. We also use Rhinoceros for the architect’s plans. Once the design is validated, what are the stages in the manufacture of a sail? We determine the finishing details of the sail (size, length, and number of webbing straps or rope at each corner…) and prepare the layup plan which will allow the production of the 3Di membrane on a deformable mold (no stitching at this stage). On receipt of the sail at the Vannes workshop, we carry out sail layout and the fitting of all additional reinforcements, straps and finishing details What is your relationship with the skipper and the team? We have a relationship based on trust and mutual listening. They are all directly involved in the process. We try to listen to them as much as possible to understand their expectations and needs, how they work, their vision of the project, and the boat. Then we try to transcribe this vision in our drawings as best as possible. 📸 Pierre Bouras / TR Racing Who defines the sail inventory? The IMOCA class rules limit the number of sails to eight. The choice of these sails is a long discussion and testing over the years to try to have a game optimized for the Vendée Globe. This debate is essentially about downwind sails, as downwind points of sail are dominant in the Vendée and boat performance has evolved. We assist the team in defining this set of sails. Can you name the sails for this Vendée and what they are used for? – A Mainsail – An obligatory storm Jib 20 m2 minimum – J3: Heavy air upwind sail/gennaker staysail off the wind – J2: Upwind and close-reaching sail used from 12 knots upwards – FRO: upwind sailing in light airs and reaching all the way to downwind in heavy air – J0: Masthead Gennaker (190 m2 flat sail) for light airs and reaching – A7: Fractional reaching and downwind reaching Gennaker in strong winds – A3: large Gennaker of around 300 m2 for downwind sailing up to 25 knots What are the main trends in terms of sails since the last Vendée Globe? The sails have less volume on the upper part and the volumes are further forward. The most visible point is the reduction in head width and the roach of the leech of our mainsails are “S” shaped. Without forgetting that most of the headsails are load sharing, using the North Sails Helix structure luff. After the sails are set, what is the next step in the program? We carry out test sailings to check and validate that the sails meet the specifications defined with the skipper. Sometimes, a sail can be a laboratory sail, it is tried/tested, then it comes back to the sailmaker’s to be modified and tested again. And each outing is important for continuous improvement. We systematically record the data to work on the evolution of the next sails. How do you help the sailors to get the most out of their sails specially designed for this race? We help them on the outings to optimize the way the sails are trimmed so that they can find the right setting for each angle of a given sail very quickly. What changes can be made to the sails for the next Vendée Globe 2024? Everything will depend on the evolution of the IMOCA class. Will it continue to evolve with increasingly large budgets given the current pandemic crisis? That said, as soon as a new set of sails is designed, there will always be room for improvement. Our sails for 2024 will, therefore, reflect the evolution of the IMOCA class, whether they are 100% foiler or not… READ MORE

STEERING DOWNWIND: LESS IS MORE Coordinating Commands To Perfect Downhill Steering 📸 RORC Easter Challenge / Paul Wyeth Steering off the wind, on reaches and runs, requires a coordinated effort between helmsman and spinnaker trimmer. The spinnaker trimmer often has as good a feel for performance as you do while driving, and together you can coordinate efforts to take advantage of changes in conditions. Of course, as the helm, you must respond to other inputs as well. The tactician may suggest one move, and changing sailing conditions may suggest another. At the same time, you are trying to respond to the trimmer’s input based on sheet load and boat speed. More often than not there are conflicting suggestions: Go up. Go down. Be more aggressive. Steer less. One effective communication path is to channel all suggestions through the trimmer. Since your tactics won’t succeed without good trim, it helps to keep the trimmer in the communications loop. It also makes life easier for the helm, since you’ll only need to listen and respond to one voice. 📸 Chris Howell Steering on The Reach Light to Moderate Air The shortest distance between two points is a straight line… at least, on a reach it is. Plan your reaches with this as the basic tenet. From there you will have to make modifications based on tactics and changes in the sailing conditions. In fluctuating wind conditions, work up in the lulls and down in the puffs as necessary to maintain speed, while holding a good average course. Ask the trimmer to indicate when the sheet load is light (head up), and when the spinnaker sheet is fully loaded (bear off). The amount of course change required depends on wind speed. Tactically on a reach there are times when you must head up abruptly, either in an effort to pass another boat or to defend your position. Alerting the trimmers prior to the move improves the chances of success. Any abrupt course change without warning your trimmers will usually doom the maneuver to failure. Heavy Air In heavy air, you are at the mercy of your trimmers. The vang, main sheet, and spinnaker sheet must be eased when the boat is overpowered or it will round up and broach. It is fast to carry as much power as you can as long as you can control it. Carrying weather helm is OK as long as the rudder doesn’t stall, leading to a round up. Keep a hand on the vang, and dump it when the helm is on the verge of stalling. Don’t let an occasional round up discourage you. Regroup and see how long you can go before you round up again. If you do broach, you can speed the recovery by luffing the main and spinnaker. Bear off to a course below your desired sailing angle before you trim. Work up to a reaching course again only after you regain control at a lower angle. Aggressive trim is needed in puffy conditions to relieve helm load and build speed. Easing the sails in puffs translates the force of the puff into speed rather than heeling force. If the course to the mark is right at the cusp between spinnaker and jib, then a change to a Code Zero can bring control and blazing speed. If you don’t have a Code Zero, sail a little low of course with the spinnaker, and then change to a jib when it is time to reach up. Do not try to sail the cusp with either spinnaker or jib. Steering on the Run Goals on a run vary with the wind speed and boat type. The ideas presented here are accurate for moderate displacement keelboats. Priorities will be quite different on an ultralight sportboat. Regardless of your boat type, it is critical that both driver and trimmers are working toward the same goal. Light Air (4-10 knots true) In light winds (up to ten knots true), the optimum sailing angle is about 140° true wind angle (40° above dead downwind). The angle changes very little as the wind speed fluctuates, so it is not correct to head up in the lulls and off in the puffs except for tactical reasons. Tacking downwind and keeping the apparent wind forward is fast. Play the sheets to the wind, while steering a steady course. 📸. Chris Howell Moderate Air (10-15 knots true) In moderate winds the optimum speed and sailing angle change dramatically with every change in wind speed. For every knot of wind the optimum course shifts five degrees. In ten knots of wind the optimum angle is 140° true wind angle. In fifteen knots of wind a 165° true wind angle is optimum. Try to respond to every change in wind speed, driving off with the puffs and heading up in the lulls. As you change course the trimmers must also respond, working not only the sheet, but the guy and topping lift as well. Of course, every movement of the helm slows the boat. Heavy Air (15 knots and up) When the wind exceeds fifteen knots, you no longer need concern yourself with changing your sailing angles. Aim for the mark. Sail fast. Keep control. Surf if you can. 📸 Nico Martinez Heavy Air Tips Use crew weight to balance the helm, or try some windward heel to push the boat down—as long as you have control. In overpowering wind—say twenty plus—control becomes a bigger issue, and windward heel is not such a good idea. A heavy air run can lead to death rolls and broaches. To control rolling, avoid sailing dead downwind, and trim the spinnaker directly in front of the boat—don’t let it float out to windward, and choke down the sheet and pole. Also, move crew weight aft. In big breeze, everyone should be in the back of the boat. A word of caution on boom preventers. In a heavy air broach they tend to break after providing a false sense of security (or the boom breaks). The preventer can also cause a broach if the boom hits the water on a roll to leeward. And once you do broach, if the preventer holds it can keep you pinned until someone finds a way to release it. Helmsmanship in heavy air conditions must be forceful to keep control. But remember, every jerk of the helm slows you down. Smooth is fast. READ MORE

3Di SUCCESS IN THE 1720 CLASS #NSVictoryList For Baltimore Cup Clients 📸 Deirdre Horgan Congratulations to all North customers for their great results in the recently held 1720 Baltimore Cup. Special congratulations goes to first overall finisher, Robert O'Leary, sporting North Sails 3Di main and Genoa. Well done to second place finisher Anthony O'Leary, flying the same combination of North 3Di sails. Fionn Lyden came in 3rd overall, flying a 3Di main, and the Durcan Family sailing T-Bone was 4th overall Flying 2017 3DL upwind sails and excelling downwind with the latest T-6 spinnaker design. T-Bone was the only boat to win two races.Great to see this class enjoying such close racing in the beautiful waters of Baltimore. Back in April 2019 I wrote a piece called "The Trickledown effect". The article explains how 3Di started life in the America's Cup and is now on the smallest One Design boats including the 1720. While on the subject of 3Di, take a look here to understand exactly how it's made. Totally unique in the sailmaking world. When you watch this video, it will explain why a 3Di sail might cost a little more than a conventional 2D sail, and why it will last significantly longer in the long run. We look forward to the next 1720 regatta at the end of August as part of the Cork 300 celebrations. Till then, sail fast! 📸 Deirdre Horgan READ MORE

J/122 JOSS MAKES WAVES IN 2019-2020 SEASON It's All Up From Here For IRC Rated Team 📸 Lindsay Preece / Iron Bark Photos The Offshore Racing Spring/Summer Calendar in Western Australia consists of 12 ORWA official events, & three club events (RFBYC & FSC) that combine with some ORWA races as Club Sponsored Offshore Series – A total Spring/Summer calendar of 15 races. FSC also conducts a four-race winter series. J/122 Joss launched in 2012 and has been a regular competitor in Ocean Racing in Perth, Western Australia since she arrived from Papua New Guinea, IN in 2013. "The more you sail, the more you hopefully improve," and Joss typifies this statement. We had a brilliant 2018/19 Offshore Season – Runner up in the Siska Trophy & Bluewater Div 1 IRC Series, and winning several IRC & YAH ORWA Series, & 2 FSC IRC & YAH Series. In 2019/20 ORWA changed the “Siska Trophy” criteria from a Bluewater Combined Fleet IRC Series only, to all ORWA Races – 12 Bluewater & Offshore IRC Races (Combined Fleets) the “Winner” to be therefore crown the “WA Offshore Champion Yacht”. "The 2019/20 Season has been simply amazing." Joss had a clean sweep of all Offshore Div 1 IRC Series in Western Australia. 33rd Siska Trophy – “Overall Season Champion Yacht (Combined Fleets) Bluewater Series – Winners Div 1 IRC & PHS Offshore Series – Winners Div 1 IRC & PHS 43rd Farrawa Cup Series (RFBYC) – Winners (Combined fleet), Winners Div 1 IRC. Success Cup Series (FSC) – Winners Div 1 IRC & PHS Captain Stirling Cup Series (FSC) – Winners Div 1 & PHS Valamdre Winter Cup Series (FSC) – Winners DIV 1 IRC. "What's the key to our success? An extremely well prepared boat, core crew who have sailed together for several years, a willingness to sail every event in every conditions, aiming for consistent results throughout the season (including enjoying the occasional race win), and sailing a really competitive IRC Rated J/Boat." "Not to mention the sheer enjoyment and sense of achievement of being able to sail offshore. We are extremely realistic as to the ever improving quality of the yachts competing in WA, and of our chances in terms of repeating such unbelievable season results, the challengers are made somewhat easier when your name is already inscribed on the trophies" "Our goals in 2020/21 are to continue to be as competitive as possible, enjoy ourselves sailing offshore, and celebrate whoever wins next year." 📸 Lindsay Preece / Iron Bark Photos READ MORE

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR TACKS Prioritizing Your Upwind Technique Can Make Or Break Your Race Result 📸 Stephen R. Cloutier The most important element of upwind boathandling is tacking, though every once in awhile an efficient reef or genoa change could also win you a race. Tacking seems like a minor thing, but the difference between a good tack and a poor one can be measured in boat lengths. In a race where you tack ten times, good tacks can provide the margin of victory. And in a close duel, superior tacks will allow you to break free from, or keep control of, a rival. Each crew plays a role in ensuring a good tack. Tactician If you have some flexibility in timing, look ahead for a smooth spot. Avoid waves, chop, and wakes coming out of the tack. Also, make sure you will be in clear air coming out of the tack—don’t tack into another boat’s bad air. Driver The courtesy of a preparatory hail, “Ready about,” increases the likelihood of a good tack at “Hard-a-Lee.” A proper tack starts with a slow, smooth turn to preserve momentum and allow the boat to coast upwind. As the boat comes head to wind and speed is lost, turn more quickly to finish the tack. In waves a faster turn is called for, as momentum will be lost more rapidly. Start the turn on the face of one wave and turn quickly as the bow pops out over the crest. Try to get the bow around so the next wave pushes the bow down on the new tack, not back onto the old tack. During the turn the helmsman must change sides and settle into position to work the boat up to speed. Come out of the tack a few degrees low and squeeze up as speed builds. Try to focus on the gradual push of the tiller as you are flattening the boat. Crew Keep crew movement to a minimum, and choreograph your tacks to reduce traffic. For example, at “Ready about” it makes little sense to have the genoa trimmer come to windward to tail the new sheet while another crew member moves to leeward to release. The genoa trimmer should handle the release, and crew from the rail should tail and grind. On some boats it works to have the genoa trimmer release the jib, and then turn to take the main. Meanwhile, the main trimmer abandons the main, and trims the jib. Ready About? Until you are on the layline you know your next maneuver, sooner or later, will be a tack. Let’s be ready sooner. As soon as possible after the completion of the previous tack, load the lazy jib sheet on the winch and flake the working jib sheet. At “Ready about,” the trimmer should make sure she is prepared to release and the tailer should check the new winch, take up slack on the lazy sheet, and put the winch handle in place. No one else should move. You slow the boat if you get off the rail at “Ready about,” and you also telegraph your moves, letting your competitors know you are about to tack. Even at “Hard-a-Lee,” most of the team can sit tight. As the boat stands up, the grinder should move into position. (There is nothing to grind until after the release anyway.) The longer you hike, the faster the boat will be going into the tack. The Release When the genoa is backed halfway across the foredeck, ease out one arm length before spinning the remaining wraps off the winch. The sheet should be flaked in advance. Make sure it runs. 📸 Melges Performance Sailboats / Sarah Wilkinson for Beigel Sailing Media Roll Tack Every boat can roll tack, not just dinghies. In light and moderate winds, a roll tack uses crew weight to help steer the boat and tack the sails. Here’s how: First, heel the boat to leeward to generate weather helm and start the boat turning up into the wind. Next, as the boat passes through irons, roll weight to the old windward/new leeward side. This will help the boat through the second half of the turn and throw the sails across the boat. Finally, as the sails come over, move up to the new windward side. This hikes the boat flat, helping the boat accelerate out of the tack. Tail and Grind Tail the new genoa sheet hard from the moment the old one is released. The tailer should pull in long even strokes across his body. The grinder should grind full speed right from the start, even when there is no load. It is sometimes helpful to have another crew member slap the sail around the rigging and drag the clew aft. The grinder, by spinning the winch full speed, can help the tailer bring the sail through the tough spots. By keeping the winch drum spinning, he also prevents overrides. This allows all the necessary wraps to be laid on the winch from the start of the tack, which means you don’t have to stop to add wraps once the sail loads up. Trim out of the Tack Trim for extra power and acceleration out of the tack. Pull the jib leads forward a few inches and don’t go to full trim right away; wait until your speed builds. If you want to adjust controls, such as the backstay, for acceleration out of the tack, do it just beforehand (or in the middle of the tack) so everyone can concentrate on building speed out of the tack. Once the sail is nearly trimmed, the grinder can move to the rail and the tailer can trim the last few inches as the boat accelerates. The trimmer should call out the overall boat speed often so the helmsman knows when the boat is approaching full speed and when he needs to press more. Hike If time allows, hike immediately after you tack. Do this before you set the pole, or clear halyards, or do any housekeeping. Hike out, settle the boat, and let the driver concentrate. Wait until you are up to full speed before you start moving around. This holds true in light air as well. Even when hiking weight is not needed, movement robs speed and disrupts concentration. 📸 Zerogradinord READ MORE

PAUL GROOM’S PSYCHE DOES IT ALL One Design & Doublehanded Distance Club Racing is on in New Zealand 📸 Rachel Von Zalinski / Live Sail Die One Design Weeknight Racing Local NZL sailor Paul Groom got into Stewart 34 racing 10 years ago and has been racing his second boat Psyche since 2016, making a name for himself as a regular at the top end of the fleet for class one-design racing. New Zealand’s Stewart 34 fleet provides highly competitive racing at the grassroots level, and members are known not just for their desire to win, but also their utmost camaraderie on and off the water. What does Paul do to obtain the best possible boat speed? He explained; “It’s all about sail trim and backstay. On Stewarts which have a lot of sail area and loose rigs, the top of the mast falls off, de-powers, and while sail technology has drastically changed over the years, the simple and affordable products remain in the class. There’s no reason to change that.” “Winning in this class isn’t easy, and every race is a new challenge,” Paul says. “They get up on a plane and can be an absolute handful. It’s a lot of fun. Race results are almost always determined by a matter of a few seconds,” Paul says. “It’s that close every time. After trying for quite a few seasons to get a win, it was a great feeling, and since then we’ve had a few more but it’s not easy! Apart from the crew, you need a really good #1 above all –otherwise you don’t have a chance.” Psyche competes annually at least twice during the week on Thursday and Friday with the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and in the Stewart 34 Championship Series which spans over eight race nights the summer, beginning in November. Optimum crew count is eight total, but you can get away with five. That’s not ideal Paul says when there is breeze on. Paul commented; “It’s ‘casual’ weeknight sailing, but each race is like sailing a world championship against the other Stewart’s. The trimming is fine-tuned. The crew work is exceptional. That’s what makes this class competitive, and a lot of fun to be part of.” “Paul sails almost every race on the calendar year round and has seen amazing mileage out of his racing sails. I don’t think there is any Stewart 34 who would do more races than Paul. It is great to see his NPC Radian and Crosscut Dacron sails lasting strong over this test of time -and he’s still winning races!” – Matt Steven, North Sails Auckland 📸 Rachel Von Zalinski / Live Sail Die Lewmar Triple Series & Shorthanded Sailing Assoc. Of New Zealand Paul teamed up with young rockstar Olivia Christie for some doublehanded club racing fun in the SSANZ (Shorthanded Sailing Association New Zealand). They’ve been competing in the doublehanded mixed division of the Lewmar Triple Series, which is a three-race series, with races ranging 50-100 miles long. So far the duo has completed two of three races, and have outperformed all expectations. “Finding Olivia was key,” Paul says. “She’s an unbelievable sailor and really has a feel for the boat. This sport requires you to change your gears, plan ahead–and there’s an element of luck of course. We focus on minimizing our risks and keeping our minds open to learning. Having Olivia onboard has been a fantastic team-building experience. Her energy and interpretations make her a great teammate.” The Lewmar 60 (60 miles) on July 4th was Groom and Christie’s debut, taking line honors and fourth on corrected time. The Lewmar 100, held just last weekend on August 1st, the duo took second place line honors, fourth on corrected time. 📸 Lewmar Triple Series / Live Sail Die / Suellen Davies Sail Power Paul worked closely with Andrew Wills and Matt Steven based at North Sails Auckland when it came to optimizing his sail inventory. The Stewart 34 class rules are made to keep the racing affordable, only permitting teams to compete with Dacron sails. For local club-style racing a few teams have custom sails made (code sails, asymmetrics), and have even gone as far as adding a bowsprit. Strictly one-design racing– it’s all Dacron and symmetricals. Psyche uses North Sails NPC Radian mainsail, NPC Crosscut Dacron #1 , and an NPC Radian #2. Competing in roughly 100 races per year, Paul is able to get the most from his sails and his boat, thanks to his trusted sailmaker. Paul commented; “My older #1 genoa has about 400 races on it and is still in great shape after servicing, but the serious race sails only come out in the class championship. I have been really impressed with my sails, they are unbelievably stable.” 📸 SSANZ / Live Sail Die / Suellen Davies Paul’s Ongoing Relationship with North Sails Paul can’t thank his local North Sails team enough. “My experience with Matt and Willzy has been a great one, and they offer nothing but the best advice and support, which has helped me be successful out on the water.” What keeps Paul coming back to North Sails? “My experience with sail service has been a great one. Willzy and Matt are unbelievably talented sailors. Also, the price for sails is competitive and affordable. My sails still have great shape, even with many miles on them. North’s products are made well and can be trusted.” “The Lewmar 100 last weekend served up pretty fresh conditions with a 30 mile beat in 25-35 kts and some big wind against tide seas around the headlands. We opted for a conservative approach, which paid off in the end. The boat that beat us is the top S34 and is well sailed, but they also had a prod with a code zero, which suited the closer angles. Thing about doublehanded sailing is that if you lose someone to an injury or MOB then you’re singlehanding, and that’s a dangerous with a 1,500 sq ft of kite in breeze. I didn’t want to put Olivia in that position so we did a risk assessment before the downhill legs. For the club sailors with older boats: here’s a 60 year old class (psyche is 40!) using Dacron sails, and we finished ahead of far more modern boats in the division with laminate sails.” Thanks for the footage 📽️ Paul Groom & Olivia Christie. Best of luck to you in the final event! READ MORE

RL SAILING TEAM CHOOSES NORTH SAILS Sailmaker of Choice for Upcoming Doublehanded Figaro Campaign 📸 RL Sailing Team Stepping onboard a Figaro 3 is an exciting yet daunting experience. They are offshore, foil assisted One Design race machines with no compromises. Learning to sail such a boat takes skill, time, patience and nerves of steel! That covers sailing the boat... the next challenge involves diving into the deep end and sailing it offshore, in France, in the Figaro circuit, competing against the best sailors in the world. It really is a quantum leap from what even professional sailors are used to. This is what Kenneth Rumball and Pamela Lee have lined up as they embark on their doublehanded Figaro campaign. "With so much to learn'' Kenneth explains, "Pam and I did not have the time or resources to experiment with different sailmakers, sail design theories, build qualities or reliability issues. We needed top quality, Grand Prix sails that are capable of winning without endless hours of testing & experimenting.'' Nigel Young, Maurice ‘Prof’ O’Connell and Shane Hughes from North Sails Ireland contacted Kenneth and Pam once the RL Sailing Team doublehanded campaign was announced." North Sails were definitely the most logical sailmaker to partner with,'' Kenneth explains. "Although Nigel and team are based in Ireland, North Sails is known for having a phenomenal global network. We've also been in close contact with the North Sails team in Lorient , France who specializes in sails for the Figaro 3. We instantly felt at home and comfortable with the excellent service and customer care provided. Although we ordered our sails quite late in the season, the turn around was quicker than expected as they were ready to go almost two weeks ahead of schedule having been designed, built, and measured to the strict One Design class rules.'' "Going sailing for the first time with our North inventory was a joy that had us beaming from ear to ear. Our sails performed and fit perfectly the first time, so there was no need to revisit the loft for small snags that can so often waste time. The attention to small details, coupled with the lightweight 3Di sail material and design makes these sails really stand out from the crowd. The support and service we've received from the entire North Sails team has been fantastic. Polar files, sail selection charts, and tuning guides have been readily available to us, providing us performance gains we've been looking for. We couldn’t be happier with our decision to partner with North Sails.'' "Our sails performed and fit perfectly the first time, so there was no need to revisit the loft for small snags that can so often waste time. The attention to detail, coupled with the lightweight 3Di sail material and design makes these sails really stand out from the crowd.'' 📸 RL Sailing Team 📸 RL Sailing Team READ MORE

Prvenstvo Hrvatske u klasama 420, 49er i 49erFX JK Uskok iz Zadra bio je domaćin Prvenstva Hrvatske za klase 420, 49er i 49erFX. Karakter regate je bio otvoren i nastup na regati su iskoristili i stranci od kojih je nekima ovo bila jedna od rijetkih regata na moru ove sezone, tako da su svoje predstavnike imali Slovenija, Češka, Austrija i Njemačka.Jedrilo se tri dana, od 24. do 26. srpnja, regatno polje je bilo standardno za Zadar i jedrilo se ispred kluba, dok se jedino prvog dana regatno polje usidrilo ispred rive.Vremenski uvjeti su bili razni i stvarno se morala pokazati cijela lepeza vještina da bi se održao kontinuitet dobrih rezultata. U petak je u najavi bio dolazak velike nevere koja se spuštala sa sjevera, pa Regatni odbor nije htio riskirati s juniorima u klasi 420, već su na more pozvani samo stariji u skifovima. Oni su startali dva puta tog dana, ali zbog promjene u smjeru vjetra prekinut je plov, korigirano regatno polje i ponovno startano. Plov je ovog puta uspješno završen, ali odmah nakon što su posljednji ušli u cilj svi su poslani natrag u klub da se sklone od nadolazećeg nevremena. Subota je zato bila savršen dan za jedrenje. Svi su izašli na more i jedrilo se po maestralu koji je išao i do dvadesetak čvorova. Po tim uvjetima obje skupine su odjedrile po tri plova. Jednak učinak je bio i u nedjelju, kad su odjedrena tri plova, jedino što su natjecatelji u klasi 420 bili malo nervozni na početku, pa je prvi start tog dana morao biti ponovljen dva puta! Što se tiče klase 420, može se reći da su ovi mladići i djevojke bili glavne zvijezde ovog Prvenstva. Njih se okupilo čak 25, a od toga je hrvatskih posada bilo 13. A što se statistike tiče treba još izdvojiti da su najbrojnije posade bile čisto muške. Njih je bilo deset. Nakon njih su slijedile kompletno ženske posade, njih 8, dok je miješanih posada bilo 7. Od tih sedam posada dvije su bile s muškim kormilarom, dok ih je pet bilo s djevojkom za kormilom. Kad se na kraju podvuče crta, može se reći da su daleko najspremniji bili Austrijanci. Čak pet posada su imali u prvih deset, a na pobjedničkom postolju dvije posade. Pobjedu su odnijeli Rosa Donner i Sebastian Slivon. Njih dvoje su pobijedili u četiri od šest jedrenja! Odbacili su samo BFD koji su zaradili u prvom nedjeljnom plovu, a skor im je pokvarilo samo treće mjesto iz petog plova. Oni su ujedno bili i najbolja posada u konkurenciji U19. Srebrom se okitila Slovenska posada u sastavu Celestina Sabadin i Veronika Franić. Slovenske su isto bile dosta ujednačene po pitanju rezultata s tri druga mjesta, po jednom pobjedom i trećim mjestom, te petim koje su odbacile. Ma kraju su imale 10 kaznenih bodova. A treće mjesto na postolju osvojila je posada Johanna Schmidt i Hannah Schrenzhofer. Njih dvije su imale samo bod više od Slovenski i međi ostalim, one su osvojile preostalo prvo mjesto. Ove dvije posade su ujedno bile i najstarije na regati. Najbolja Hrvatska posada zauzela je četvrto mjesto. To su bile djevojke iz JK Uskok. Za kormilom je bila Noela Petešić, dok je flokistica bila Maris Bašić. Njih dvije su imale duplo više bodova od posade ispred njih, a suma bodova im se dobila od tri četvrta i tri peta mjesta... naravno s jednim petim odbačenim. Druga posada na zatvorenom dijelu Prvenstva bila je iz JK Galeb, a sastavljena je od braće Fike... Tina i Ede. Njih dvojica su ujedno i najbolja posada u konkurenciji U17, a u generalnom poretku su zauzeli 6. mjesto. Četiri mjesta iza njih finiširaju brončani na PH, a ovog puta je to bila muška posada iz JK Uskok. Riječ je o Andriji Marvinu i Josipu Kocmanu. Rezultate koje su ostvarile posade u klasi 420 možete pronaći na ovom linku. Što se tiče klase 49er, u njoj su bile prijavljene tri posade. Jedna iz JK Sveti Krševan, te dvije iz JK Uskok. Treba li možda reći tko je predstavljao Sv. Krševan? Naravno, riječ je o braći Fantela. Konkurencija je ovog puta ipak bila dosta slabija od njih i mladi Uskokovci su mogli dosta toga naučiti od posade koja se može pohvaliti titulom svjetskih prvaka iz 2018. godine. Ovaj dvojac je bio apsolutno neuhvatljiv, a posljednji dan prvenstva su iskoristili i za trening boljeg upoznavanja s ulogama na jedrilici. Naime, Šime i Mihovil su se zamijenili na pozicijama, tako da je Mihovil bio za kormilom, a Šime na floku. Razlika u rezultatu nije bilo, a za kraj treba spomenuti i da je ovo prva njihova titula prvaka Hrvatske, jer u posljednje vrijeme nije bilo ni organiziranih PH za ovu klasu. Rezultate iz Zadra možete pronaći na ovom linku. Treća klasa koja je jedrila u Zadru bila je 49erFX. Tu su bile prijavljene tri posade, a s njima je jedrila i posada u jedinoj hrvatskoj Nacri. Tu je regata bila dosta zanimljivija nego u inačici s visočijim jarbolom. Dvije ženske posade, jedna iz JK Uskok i druga iz Češke, može se reći da su jedrile match race. Obje su u lovu na olimpijske norme, a ovog puta su bile bolje naše djevojke... Enia Ninčević i Mihaela Zjena de Micheli Vitturi. Pobjedu su osvojile s jednim bodom prednosti, odnosno s četiri pobjede i tri druga mjesta (jednim od njih odbačenim). Čehinje Dominika Vodurova i Sara Tkadlecova su bodovno bile suprotne. Osvojile su tri prva i četiri druga mjesta i također odbacile jedno drugo. Treća posada koja je jedrila u tim jedrilicama bila je sastavljena od dva mlada momka. Kormilar je bio Buba Pulek, dok je flokista Lorens Lokas. U odnosu na starije kolegice njih dvojica su praktički početnici u klasi. Držimo im fige da ostanu uporni u svladavanju ove formule na vodi, a i ne treba sumnjati da će im to uspješno ići za rukom jer kormilareva titula prvaka Hrvatske osvojena u rujnu prošle godine sigurno daje na važnosti njihovih zajedničkih napora. Rezultate za 49erFX možete pronaći na ovom linku. Tjedan u kojem se jedrilo ovo PH je donio i par dobrih vijesti braći Fantela i posadi Nacre, Igoru Mareniću i Anđeli Mariji de Micheli Vitturi. Oni su saznali da su neke od važnijih regata koje su trebale biti organizirane tijekom ljeta prebačene na rujan. Jedna od njih je i regata u Kielu. Ove novosti su naše posade dočekale s radošću jer su se svi zajedrili jedrenja na svojim razinama, a dvojcu iz Nacre odlazak u Kiel bi trebala biti i prva službena regata u ovoj klasi! Foto galeriju posljednjeg dana ovog PH možete pronaći na ovom linku, dok je kratki video presjek tog istog dana dostupan na ovom linku. READ MORE

SAILING INTO CHANGE Tackling Challenges One Kite Loop At A Time Story by Ryan Levinson When I wrote my last Waterlogs post four years ago, Nicole and I were just getting our sea legs after sailing over 10,000 nautical miles since leaving our homeport of San Diego. We explored Mexico before crossing the Pacific Ocean to reach the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, a 21 day crossing that was our first “blue water” passage. Now we have a lot more experience and many thousands more miles of tropical ocean water under our keels. There have been some profound changes since that last article. If you live on a boat long enough there is a threshold you cross where life at sea becomes “normal” and land life is “different.” Sailing is no longer something you go do, it is your daily reality. If you make it that far you realize you are exactly where you are supposed to be, doing what you’re supposed to be doing. No matter how tired, wet, salty, frustrated, sunburned, or any of the other countless challenges you face from life at sea, the water is your foundation, the winds and waves define your flow. You realize that when you are at sea you are home. Another change since my last Waterlogs post is the extent that FSH Muscular Dystrophy has robbed me of physical strength as muscles continue to atrophy throughout my body. At the time we had an incredible little sloop named Naoma. When she would heel from a gust or swell I would often end up violently smashed against various parts of the boat because I no longer have the strength to balance or to brace myself from “falling.” For a while I compensated by installing extra handholds, carefully planning my movements, and sailing more conservatively but the writing was on the wall. If we wanted to keep sailing we would have to leave our beloved boat for one that was more stable and accessible. That is what ultimately led us to buy Kiapa Nui, a NEOS/Looping 48 catamaran. Switching from an older 38’ monohull to a much newer 48’ multihull is a huge leap in comfort and performance, especially because Kiapa Nui was custom built to be simple, light, and fast. She’s not a race boat but for a cruising cat she is well on the performance side of the spectrum. Sailing with that much speed and power is a huge change, but a fun one. Familiar passages are now hours or even sometimes days shorter. During gusts instead of finding myself smashed against a bulkhead in a heeling sloop I stand comfortably at the helm in a stable cat watching the knot meter climb solidly into the double digits. Kiapa Nui is the fastest, funnest, most comfortable wheelchair in the South Pacific! Once the anchor is set we often break out the kites and continue the fun. Kiteboarding is sailing in three dimensions because with a kite you’re no longer restricted to the ocean’s surface. Kiteboarding is fun, easy to learn with a few lessons from a good instructor, and the gear is small enough to easily stow on a boat. You can kite almost anywhere there is wind and water. All over the world kiteboarders and sailors form like-minded tribes of people sharing a primal love of dancing with the wind across the water. Before leaving on this voyage I had a rewarding career in ocean rescue and emergency medical services. I was a proud member of the US Sailing Team and was captain of a beautiful 120’ luxury ketch. But I was also rapidly losing muscle, a powerful reminder that we are all losing time. So I made some decisions, one thing led to another, and now I’m writing this while anchored off Mo’orea, buzzing with passion and gratitude. Each moment is a gift! Having the courage to embrace change is not always easy, pleasant, or fun, but it is the foundation of all adventures. It is the difference between being a passive or active participant in life. We are sailors and kiteboarders, we are seekers, we are lucky because we know what moves us. Now more than ever it is clear that we can not choose every change or challenge we face in life. But we all have the freedom to choose how we respond. I’ll see you on the water! Read more about who Ryan Levinson is and check out his Q&A with North Sails! READ MORE

NORTH SAILS BY APPOINTMENT Book a Complimentary Coaching Session Calling all Australian sailors!* Book a one-on-one, real-time coaching session with the North Sails experts who will join you by RIB and provide sail trim tips. Let us know below when you will be sailing and we will schedule a time to meet you on the water to offer instant coaching and feedback. Whether you are a racer, cruiser, or One Design sailor, any boat should take advantage of North’s on-the-water coaching. Sign up to improve your game with us. *Availability limited in some locations READ MORE

A Win-Win Decision Why do people love Code Zero sails? They have become a secret weapon for anyone looking to take their sailing to the next level.  READ MORE

NORTH POWERED ULTIMES DOMINATE DRHEAM CUP Team Gitana Leads the Drheam Cup With Aspirations of Shattering Jules Verne Record E. Stichelbaut / polaRYSE / Gitana SA After 750 miles, Maxi Edmond de Rothschild screamed across the finish line in full flight off La Trinité-Sur-Mer in Brittany at 35 knots on Tuesday. The 32-meter Ultime trimaran took line honors after 21 hours, 30 minutes, and 33 seconds of racing. They finished 2 hours ahead of their nearest competitor, Sodebo and third place Actual Leader. All three top finishing Ultimes are North Sails powered teams. Thierry Martinez / Drheam Cup Franck Cammas said in a press release, “It was a very fine race and it was intense, which is just the way we like it. There were some tactical phases, other periods which were just a drag race and a lot of reaching at the end, as was the case during the second night when we were hunting down the cardinal mark off Rochebonne, which was great because we didn’t have conditions as quick as that in last year’s Fastnet. It was quite good being able to push the boat in these conditions. It’s never easy to permanently remain close to 40 knots like we did last night. It was a great finish. We learned a great deal from this race. It was a technical course in a small space because the English Channel and the Irish Sea aren’t very big at the end of the day given the size of our boats. That means we can run through all the different maneuvers you can do on an Ultime.” The Drheam Cup served as an opportunity for Maxi Edmond de Rothschild to prepare for their upcoming Jules Verne Trophy record attempt. With the number of opportunities to line up against high-caliber competition dwindled as a result of Coronavirus, the team pushed to make sure they are prepared to race around the world. Charles Caudrelier explains: “It was important to be here as you can count the number of opportunities to go racing on the fingers of one hand! This is especially true in conditions like those we encountered last night, which enable us to drive the boat at her full potential. We’re delighted with the modifications we made to the Maxi over the course of the winter. From the outside, the boat looks the same, because aside from the fairly obvious aerodynamic additions, like on the beams, you really need sharp eyes. However, the team has done a really good refit and today we are able to see the fruits of our labour. I believe we have further optimised the platform and the level of performance we’ve achieved since her relaunch has made it all worthwhile. The race format didn’t necessarily lend itself to actually training for the Jules Verne, but it gave us a chance to head offshore again and rediscover the mechanics of sailing the boat… The Drheam Cup has launched our Jules Verne Trophy record campaign!” E. Stichelbaut / polaRYSE / Gitana SA READ MORE

How To Prepare, What To Check For And What To Pack Any trip can be exciting and overwhelming. The prospect of unplugging for a few days to relax and recharge is more than appealing for most, but the flip side of course is packing, preparing and getting yourself ready to go, which can cause a bit of stress. When it comes to a cruising trip, there are some key things to remember before departing the dock to assure you are ready for anything. Hear from our experts in Toronto on how you can get ready to enjoy every moment on your next cruising getaway. Let’s start with your sails. Make sure to look them over, not the night before or day you’re leaving the dock. Aim to do this at least a week before you plan on heading out. This way you can allow for enough time for repairs and normal maintenance to be done without everyone getting stressed in the final moments. When looking over your sails, make sure to look for holes, fraying threads, batten pockets coming apart and any broken battens. Hearing the “thunk” as your batten goes overboard is never fun! A 10 Point Inspection from our certified service team is a good idea before leaving the dock. Our team will replace telltales, cut & clean loose threads, review UV, check for chafing, luff hardware, and check your spinnaker. Bringing extra repair tape or material is also an option if it helps set your mind at ease for your trip. Your loft can help you assemble a sail care kit that you can keep onboard so that you can make small repairs until you can get to the loft. In addition to checking your sails, you’ll want to give the boat a good once over. Check all running rigging including lifelines, stanchions, halyards and deck hardware. Don’t forget to check equipment down below. Review your electronics, radio, fridge and stove. Are your batteries charged? Is the VHF charged? Do you have extra fuses handy? Have you loaded maps into your GPS? Is your fuel sufficient in case of emergency? Does your motor need any maintenance? Ensuring you have enough life jackets for everyone that will be onboard is also essential. Your throwable, anchor line, anchor, and all safety equipment should be stored where you know you can reach it in case of emergency. Safety is no accident! It’s time to pack. Something that does not spark joy for everyone however for me, I thrive. The trick to packing for a cruising trip is to keep in mind the following: Multipurpose items. Keep in mind comfort, and things you can bring that can help in multiple situations. Bags that can be used for food, then can be used for disposing/ storing trash until you make landfall and can reach a dumpster is an example. Gear that is lightweight. If you’re going in the summertime, you may think you don't need your wet-weather gear, but most would agree–if you don't have it with you, you will absolutely need it! Never leave your foulies at home. Whether you think it won’t rain or not, it’s better to have your gear with you than wishing you had it while being soaking wet. Even in the summertime, when a storm is brewing the temperature drops and if you are stuck on deck helping out or doing a sail change, or just hunkering down, you may get chilly! Provisioning is key. Sorting out a menu ahead of time and what you have enough room for will help you avoid missing key items that can really put a damper on your next boat-cooked meal. Each person onboard requires one set of eating utensils, which you wash after use each time so its ready for the next meal. You should also plan for a few extra days in case you get caught in a storm or if you are sitting with no wind for longer than expected. Snacks are always a good idea, in pre-made baggies so that you can grab something quick if you are unable to comfortably cook a meal down below. Lastly, you’ll want to check the weather before leaving the dock. It may sound like a no brainer however you’d be surprised by how many people do not do this. It’s a good idea to check the radar to see what is heading your way once you leave the dock. Looking to upgrade your cruising sails? Explore our tips on what to look for in a good sail and Tom Davis’ advice for best cruising sail options. For more information on how to make your cruise a fun and easy one, read more in our Cruising Tool Kit. READ MORE

CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT: NORM CHURCH Raising The Bar With North Sails 📸 Tim Fuhrmann Norm Church and his Morgan 41 Obsession have been a Florida northeast coast fixture since 1971, the year the boat was purchased. The keel/centerboard model was the most successful of the Charley Morgan designs; she is ideally configured for the shallow waters of the Florida/Bahamas cruising and racing areas. Obsession has been consistently upgraded and maintained over the last four decades by Norm, often doing the work himself to the highest of standards. According to Norm’s longtime North Sails sailmaker, Lin Robson, “I’ve known Norm for many years, his upbeat and colorful personality has always been a bright spot during phone calls and loft visits. Always seeking to raise the bar, always an open-minded student during decades of experience, Norm and his team have won many races over the years. Most recently, the team won PHRF B, and were third overall in the Ft.Lauderdale to Key West race.” Obsession is an interesting study as well, like so many unheralded older boats across the country, she does not represent the latest design, but she is given new life after each of the sail and other successful upgrades over the years. Speaking of sails, Obsession is a quite diverse showpiece for North Sails, and Church has been an early adopter for North’s time, new technologies. The inventory includes a Radian main and #2 genoa, a 3Di 155%, S2 and A3 spinnakers, as well as a suit of NORDAC heavy weather sails. Lin Robson observes that, “The A3 is an interesting story, locally at least flying asymmetrical sails off a spinnaker pole is a relatively new sight the past couple seasons, but we built an A3 to be flown from the pole just above the pulpit years ago, it has been a weapon on those reaching courses for which Obsession loves so well.” Congratulations to Norm and his team. North Sails Gulf Coast looks forward to a lot more enjoyable years on the water watching Obsession succeed on the race course! 📸 Tim Fuhrmann 📸 Tim Fuhrmann READ MORE

FIVE WAYS KITEBOARDING CAN IMPROVE YOUR SAILING Similar Concepts Teach The Best of Both Worlds Story by Ryan Levinson For those who don’t know, I have a genetic disease called FSHD that causes my muscles throughout my body to weaken continuously. When I was diagnosed, there was nothing available to read except depressing stuff like clinical descriptions of symptoms, so I’ve always strived to be a public example of one possible approach to living with the disease. Kiteboarding empowers me to move and express myself with a freedom far beyond anything else possible given the effects of my disease. I once described it as feeling “like a dance across water and through the air to the rhythm set by the waves!” It’s hard to explain how much that means to someone like me whose life has always been very physical and based around my relationship with the ocean. As my disease progressed, I lost the ability to paddle a surfboard, but with a kite, I can ride waves. It’s now getting hard to walk, but with a kite, I can fly! It is no coincidence that many of the best sailors in the world are kiteboarders. Both have a lot in common, but did you know that kiteboarding can also improve your sailing skills? Here are five ways kiteboarding can make you a better sailor: It’s dinghy sailing without the dinghy There is a wise saying, “To get better at sailing big boats, sail small boats!” Small boats offer a more direct feel for the forces involved with sailing. Kiteboarding takes this a step further by enabling you to literally experience sailing from the perspective of a boat’s mast. You develop an understanding of the interplay between the wind, water, and boat that usually takes much longer to gain through sailing alone. Kiteboarding is especially effective at helping you develop a comprehensive understanding of apparent wind, an essential skill for sailing well! Fit is fast! If you want to sail fast or far you will benefit from being fit. Kiteboarding provides a fun full-body workout to build the fitness you need to sail well. While kiting you wear a comfortable “harness” that allows you to control the pull of the kite with your entire body. This makes the kite’s pull easily manageable and provides the added benefit of strengthening key muscles used in sailing, especially your legs and “core.” Kiteboarding also builds aerobic endurance, flexibility, and coordination. It is a good idea to check with your doctor before engaging in any new form of exercise but don’t let age or physical ability serve as excuses for not getting started with kiteboarding. My 85 year old father in law took his first lesson this past winter and I’m in my 6th consecutive year of sailing full-time despite losing much of my strength due to a genetic muscle disorder. Kiteboarding plays a key role in helping me maintain the fitness I need to keep going on the water, imagine what it can do for you! Kiteboarding is a crew factory Do you need good crew for an upcoming regatta or passage? You have a great chance of finding them through kiteboarding. Even kiters who have never been on a sailboat can usually apply their understanding of wind, comfort in the water, and general level of athleticism to quickly become solid crew. Kiteboarder’s and sailor’s shared passion for harnessing the wind to move through water is a connection that often forms the foundation for lasting friendships on and off the water. Sailing more makes you a better sailor The more time you spend sailing the better you will be at it. But even the smallest dinghy can be a hassle to get rigged and ready, not to mention the challenge of just getting it to the water in the first place. Big boats are orders of magnitude more complex (and expensive) than dinghies! Kiteboarding gear is lightweight, portable, and a cost effective way to get your sailing fix. You can easily fit a complete set of kiteboarding gear in the trunk of your car (or cabinet on your boat) and get on the water quickly with little effort. Kiteboarding makes it possible for you to sail just about anywhere there is wind and water, even if it’s frozen (snow kiting is incredibly fun). Kiteboarding will greatly increase the time you spend zipping across the water developing skills and fitness that benefit your sailing. The catch Unfortunately there is a downside… Kiteboarding is an easily accessible way to feed your wind addiction which enables you to get a quick fix anytime the wind is up and you want to get on the water. The fitness, knowledge, and skills you will gain directly benefits your sailing thus making it even more fun and rewarding. It’s a viscous cycle of fun and progress that will keep you smiling on and off the water but if you’re not careful you could end up kiting between races or spending years of your life exploring the oceans on a boat full of kiteboarding gear, in search of steady wind, perfect waves, and endless sailing adventures… How to start The best way to learn how to kiteboard is to take a lesson from a qualified instructor. The learning curve is usually surprisingly quick and safe with good instruction but it is definitely dangerous (and expensive) without. Looking to get into kiting with North? Find your nearest instructor here. Want to know more about Ryan? Read more in the Q +A with North Sails. READ MORE

THE STORY OF ARGO: PART II The Story of Opal 46, Argo, and the Tradition Surrounding Her Continues After years of sailing with his father on board his beloved schooner, Argo, based in Sweden, John Ingvar Ravelius has taken part ownership of the boat, alongside his brother and his father and has been updating and refitting her with the dream to create memories with his young daughter and pass the tradition along. Ravelius shares the second chapter of his several part series, about how a sailboat, and the work that goes along with it, is bringing three generations together. Read The Story of Argo: Part I here. Building Confidence and Preparing for the trip to Kiel After racing Argo for two summers in the archipelago of Stockholm, Ingvar was feeling confident at her helm and closer to his dream of sailing around the world. Tried and tested in local waters, she needed to be prepared for a long journey. Ingvar had plans to sail away with a close friend with no destination set, only to sail south and see where the winds brought them. In 1983, before Ingvar set out, he met my mother, Leena, she was 25 years old and had no sailing experience and never even been on a sailing boat. His plans changed, and my father asked my mom to sail away with him. She said yes and Ingvar took the leap, selling everything he didn’t need on Argo including his house in Sollentuna where he built Argo and they set out one afternoon from the harbor in Stockholm city with dreams of warmer climates and no plans to return. Their journey started and they went through the Kiel channel in Germany and onto the English channel. My mother kept a journal. August 21 – 1984 – Biscaya Bay My mother wrote, “The wind was getting harder and harder and the rain was feeling like sharp needles in our faces, we had reduced the sails a lot and had a speed of 6 knots, I could hear the wind like a scream. The night was so dark, I could not see one star”. A few days later, “the speedometer showed 6 knots, as we were sailing through the water. It was around 6 nautical miles to shore when all of a sudden the speedometer showed 0 knots. We wondered if it was broken? It was still feeling like 6 knots and we had the wind in our sails. Argo was stuck in a fishing net. We started to think about what we should do, neither of us wanted to dive down in the cold water with a big fishing net underneath the boat and cut it loose. Ingvar and I waited and didn’t know what to do when we saw a fishing boat pass by around 500m away heading to shore. We started to wave at them and they saw us and changed course heading to us. Luckily they wanted to help us and sent over a stick with a knife on one end. Ingvar started to cut the nylon fishing net but with no success. Finally, one of the fishermen came over to Argo and sharpened the knife and cut us loose.” They realized that the net had damaged Argo’s rudder, the engine would start, but they had no rudder movement. Finally, after working the rudder back and forth, some of the net broke away and they could keep underway. But when they started to move again they heard a weird banging sound and was afraid that the propeller was loose. Later, they discovered that the fishing nets floating mechanism was plastic footballs attached to the fishing net. The weird sound came from the balls banging against the hull on each side of the rudder. Later in the evening, they reached La Coruna Yacht club and people on a French boat were yelling and pointed out that they had something stuck on Argo. Leena and Ingvar yelled back “Yes, we know!” smiled and waving back a little bit ashamed. They saved these footballs for many years as a memory. And years later the red ball would be the first football I kicked in my life. After spending time in Biscaya bay they decided to sail into the Mediterranean sea, a family friend invited the couple to visit them at a hotel they owned in Ibiza. When they passed Gibraltar and into the Mediterranean sea they did not know that Argo would stay there for the next 5 years, Ingvar and Leena and their two children would be born there. Quotation from my Mothers book on May 10, 1984 On October 5th, 1984, Leena wrote, “the sun was shining behind the mighty Rock of Gibraltar when we passed the red and white lighthouse of Europa Point and had a course set for Puerto Banùs. We sailed into the Jose Banús Marina at an average speed of 6 knots with the wind from the side, no high waves and it felt like we were flying over the water.” Stay tuned for part 3 to read about how my parents managed a newborn while sailing around in the Mediterranean sea! READ MORE

Nakon 8 godina imamo novog prvaka Hrvatske u Standardu FOTO: LOVRE PERHAT Osam godina za redom je Tonči Stipanović odnosio titulu prvaka Hrvatske u klasi Laser Standard, a ove godine njegovu poziciju je preuzeo Filip Jurišić! A da bi fešta u JK Mornara bila na najjače pobrinuli su se i najmlađi laseraši koji su na svom Prvenstvu Hrvatske u klasi Laser 4.7 osvojili cijelu hrpu medalja i naslova! Od srijede 15. pa do petka 17. JK Mornar bio je domaćin skupini od šezdeset troje jedriličara i jedriličarki svih dobnih uzrasta koji su se okupili da zajedre za prestižne titule prvaka Hrvatske. Mlađi naraštaj je jedrio u Laseru 4.7, dok su stariji prekaljeni mladići, jedrili u inačici Laser Standard. Krenimo prvo od "odraslih". U njihovoj konkurenciji izrazit naglasak je bio na status "otvorenog" PH. Od 26 jedriličara njih 15 je bilo s CRO jedrima, dok ih je jedanaestorica jedrilo pod nacionalnim oznakama raznih Europskih zemalja. Među njima svakako treba izdvojiti već praktički domaće Pavlosa Kontidesa, braću Vadnai, Liama orela, a ovog puta su stigla i dva vrlo kvalitetna Švicarca. Standardi su odjedrili 6 jedrenja a apsolutnu nadmoć je od samog početka pokazivao Pavlos Kontides. Cipranin je osvojio čak tri prva mjesta, a najlošiji je bio u drugom plovu kad je završio na 5. mjestu. Konačni zbroj mu je dao 9 bodova, što je bilo za čak 4 boda manje od drugoplasiranog, najboljeg hrvatskog jedriličara prvenstva Filipa Jurišića. Filip je uglavnom jedrio u blizini vrha i jedino nije bio "u regati" u prvom plovu kad je ušao 11. Sve nakon tog je išlo samo uzlaznom putanjom ili u samom vrhu, a kulminacija je bila u posljednjem plovu koji je završio pobjedom.l Svega je bilo... prvi dan je bio lagani vjetar, drugi dan je bilo jako... muške, duge regate, maestrala 15-20 čvorova... a danas je bilo 15 čvorova tramuntane s kraja. Bila je vrhunska konkurencija, ekipa koja inače ovdje trenira ali došla su i dva švicarca, vrhunska jedriličara, jedan Slovenac... Pavlos i Mađari su naši... A što se mene tiče moram reći da nisam bio najzadovoljniji prvog dana. Drugi dan sam bio dosta bolji, a danas sam pobijedio u zadnjem plovu i generalno sam vrlo zadovoljan jer sve ovo je bilo u procesu priprema.Tako da nije bila neka ključna regata za koju sam se baš posebno spremao, tako da je tu bilo stvari za koje znam da bi moglo biti puno bolje i za koje znam da ih moram popraviti. Mislim, nije to bio neki hendikep, ali stvari za napredovanje i stvarno mi je drago što sam osvojio ovu titulu, pogotovo što je ona prekid osmogodišnjeg Tončijevog niza. Filip Jurišić, Laser Standard - JK Mornar Što se tiče trećeg mjesta u apsolutnom poretku, pripadajuća medalja otišla je u ruke mlađeg od braće Vadnai koji je bio samo bod iza Filipa, ali poprilično velikih sedam bodova ispred drugoplasiranog u zatvorenom dijelu prvenstva, a četveroplasiranog u apsolutnom poretku, do sada nedodirljivog Tonča Stipanovića. Zatim ponovno slijedi preskok od dva mjesta u koje su se ugurali predstavnici Mađarske i Švicarske, pa se na sedmom mjestu našao trećeplasirani u nacionalnom poretku, inače spličanin sa španjolskom adresom i šibenskom registracijom, Milan Vujasinović. On je inače bio drugi najstariji natjecatelj na regati i sa svojih 40 godina starosti osvojio je i 40 bodova. Definitivno je pokazao da u njegovom slučaju godine ne znače previše i da mladi lavovi koji dolaze još uvijek ne mogu računati da će tek tako proglisirati pored njega. A spomenute mlade lavove u rezultatima se može pronaći od 9. mjesta pa dalje. Uglavnom je riječ o momcima koji su u Standard ušli u proteklih par godina i ako žele napredovati u ovoj klasi imaju stvarno mnogo rada ispred sebe, a kako trenutno stvari stoje najbrojnije predstavnike u klasi imaju je šibenski JK Val koji je uz Vujasinovića brojio još tri predstavnika koji su svi bili u U21 kategoriji, a najbolje plasiran od njih bio je Marko Smolić na 17. mjestu i četveroplasirani u svojoj dobnoj skupini. Inače, u kategoriji U21 najbolji je bio još jedan član JK Mornar, Božidar Golubić. On je regatu završio na 11. mjestu s bodom prednosti ispred Liama Orela, slovenskog jedriličara koji se iz Finna prebacio u Standard zbog Pariza. Božo je inače najbolje plasmane ostavrio prvog dana po laganijim uvjetima, dok je za dobar plasman po vjetrovitim uvjetima potrebno još rada. Preostale dvije medalje na hrvatskoj ljestvici uzeli su Bruno Gašpić iz JK Split na 14. mjestu ukupno i Roko Stipanović iz YC Croatia koji je završio na 16. mjestu u generalnom plasmanu. Za razliku od starijih kolega, najmlađih laseraša je bilo mnogo više, čak 37 i od toga samo jedan sa stranom registracijskom oznakom, ali ipak dovoljno da i ovo prvenstvo dobije status "otvorenog", a kad se u obzir uzmu sve dobne i spolne kategorije na kraju je u petak podijeljeno 8 kompleta medalja! 8 kompleta bi značilo 24 medalje, a od tih 24 čak 13 ih je otišlo oko vrata predstavnika kluba domaćina, zato se kao najbolji sugovornik bezpogovorno nametnuo jedan od najzaslužnijih za ovu žetvu, trener omladinskog pogona JK Mornar, Toma Višić: Mogu reći da smo stvarno naporno trenirali, a posebno ih moram pohvaliti da su oni kao ekipa apsolutno ludilo i da dolaze s guštom na trening! S ovakvim pristupom im stvarno uspjeha neće nedostajati. Radimo puno i kvalitetno i što je najvažnije imamo izvrsnu podršku kluba u svakom pogledu, a pogotovo po količini ljudi koje možemo pitati za savjet. Čim nekom nešto treba stvarno imam koga pitati za savjet... od Joze Jakelića, Mate Arapova, Tonča Stipanovića, Filipa Jurišića, Luke Radelića... to su stvarno vrhunski ljudi koji mi pomažu sa svojim savjetima, još što je tu i Saša Jocić kao vrhunski stručnjak koji radi na kondicijskoj pripremi svih klupskih uzrasta. U ovom trijumfu jedinu sjenu mi je bacio Lovre Perhat koji je doveo jednog Austrijanca koji je na kraju bio bolji od moje ekipe. Žao mi je što nismo još i njega pobijedili, ali ekipa mi je bila koncentrirana na međusobne dvoboje zbog statusa regate, pa im je malo pobjegao ispod radara. Toma Višić, trener - JK Mornar FOTO: TOMA VIŠIĆ Spomenuti Austrijanac, Toni Messeritsch, bivao je sve bolji kako je regata odmicala kraju. U pet plovova, koliko su odjedrili Laseri 4.7, pobijedio je u posljednja dva, a najlošiji plasman mu je bio u prvom plovu. Bodovno najbliža bila mu je članica JK Mornar, Petra Marendić. Ona je imala dijametralno suprotan razvoj regate od Tonija. Pobijedila je u prva dva plova, a kako je regata odmicala išli su i nešto lošiji rezultati, a odbacila je plasman petog plova. U svakom slučaju napravila je solidna tri boda razlike u odnosu na trećeplasiranog u generalnom poretku, klupskog kolegu, Maxa Gjideru. On je pobijedio u trećem plovu i time osigurao medalju na postolju otvorenog dijela Prvenstva, jer je imao jednak broj bodova kao četveroplasirani Roni Bobovnik iz YC Zagreb. Preostale dvije djevojke iz top 3 apsolutnog poretka skupile su bodova da završe odmah nakon Ronija, na 5. i 6. mjestu. Riječ je o Tei Peteh iz JK Uljanik i još jednoj Mornarevki, Heleni Jakšić. Nabrajanje svih titula i naslova osvojenih u Splitu ovog tjedna bio bi težak posao, ali zato su organizatori to pripremili na vrlo organiziran način, pa uz službene rezultate koje možete pronaći na ovom linku, možete pročitati i popis svih slavodobitnika na ovom linku. READ MORE

NEW SAILS FOR SUMMER: SWAN 78 Collaboration with North Sail Designers and Experts To Create The Perfect Inventory for Kinina 📸 Eva-Stina Kjellman / Nautor Swan In 2018, Mr. Enrico Bonatti purchased Kinina, a Swan 78. Why a Swan 78? “I prefer the best quality,” he said. “And the 78 is the right size for me.” Mr. Bonatti then met with sail expert Matteo Reboli, based at North Sails in Carasco, Italy when he decided it was time for his new upwind inventory. From there, Matteo and Sail Designer Michele Melandra put together the best upwind sail combination for their client, with a new suite of custom 3Di ENDURANCE. Mr. Bonatti was immediately impressed by the structural integrity of his 3Di ENDURANCE sails, especially in heavier air conditions. “My sails provided us more speed and greater versatility,” he commented. “3Di ENDURANCE is meant to be easier to control, as it is more rigid, and offers a reduced heeling moment while navigating, making it more comfortable for the skipper and guests onboard,” said Matteo. 📸 Eva-Stina Kjellman / Nautor Swan This year, he wanted to add another option to his inventory for his cruising time around the Mediterranean, so he bought a Code Zero, made of cuben fiber which was built at North Sails in Milford, CT, USA. The order was placed mid-March and arrived in May to prepare for sail testing in Jakobstad, Finland. “Mr. Bonatti was exceptionally pleased with his new code sail during the sail testing last month,” said Matteo. “We had 15-18 knots of breeze for the testing. It went well.” Mr. Bonatti commented; “My new code sail has a ton of power, especially in lighter air. And it’s easy to deploy.” Reviewing the finished result, Mr. Bonatti was impressed with his overall experience working with North Sails. He commented; “My experience was the utmost professional. My sails were ordered, delivered on time– even during the restraints of COVID. North Sails made the effort to make sure I had what I needed.” “Mr. Bonatti is the ultimate cruiser,” says Matteo. “He enjoys the leisure aspect. “Let me say, his new code sail coupled with his upwind suit is a perfect match. The flying shape, weight ratio, and sail handling– not to mention the lifespan; it was the right solution.” 📸 Eva-Stina Kjellman / Nautor Swan “Planning the delivery of the Code Zero was the last step of the deal, but the most important step to take with the client to assure they are happy with their investment,” says Matteo. “Installing the sail is the part where you finalize everything,” he says. “The time spent sail designing, checking each finishing detail for quality, making sure all the fittings, mainsail cars, cables, and furlers are all correct, and working smoothly. It’s the beginning of the final step, but is our last chance to assure that things are 100% perfect.” What did Mr. Bonatti think when he experienced his first sail with his new Code Zero? “It felt right. The boat showed great performance. It was picture perfect.” Matteo credits Michele Melandra for his key involvement in the perfection of the final result. “Michele did an exceptional job with this sail design, from start to finish, working with Southern Spars rigging to create the best solution for our client. There is a reason that this project was successful. When it came time to fit the sails and test them out, we saw that everything was the perfect fit.” “Working closely with the boatyard, boat captain, North Sails designers, and our clients,” Matteo added, “we’ve been given such great opportunities to work at the highest levels in the cruising sail market.” Kinina is equipped with a staysail, which can also be hoisted using the anti-torsion cable on the furler or using soft hanks. This comes in handy when the weather turns rough, as the storm jib comes into play and can also be used with either method. The trysail runs on a track making it easy to drop on deck, just to add to efficiency. Kinina is also equipped with the Ubi Maior Jiber System, which combines performance with ease of furling. By allowing the option for different sails to be hoisted using hanks or the anti-torsion cable, not to mention a faster hoist than a traditional furler would provide and a low profile drum, the overall upwind performance is automatically improved. Matteo suggested a top-down furler because Mr. Bonatti planned to leave his sail up for easy use, and enjoys how simple it can be unfurled for sailing higher angles while cruising. Having efficient sail systems onboard is key on a yacht like the Swan 78. “Every aspect of this sail plan and boat design was made for luxury cruising. Nautor Swan builds beautiful boats, and North sail designers and experts have come together to create a great combination,” said Matteo. New Ubi Meior Jiber System installed for top down furling code zero. Image left pre-installation 📸 Eva-Stina Kjellman / Nautor Swan “This entire project was a reflection on our positive relationship with the shipyard where Kinina was being stored and was beneficial for us moving forward with additional projects with other Swan 78 clients.” Matteo expresses his thanks to the boatyard for working with North Sails to help make the client experience the best it could be. “Teamwork was important; between the boatyard, the captain, Southern Spars, and our North Sails experts and designers. Our client is happy, and that is our number one goal.” 📸 Eva-Stina Kjellman / Nautor Swan   READ MORE

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT: CLUB RACING RESULTS WITH 3Di RAW J/88 Tigris Takes the Lead in Class 1 The fleet racing towards the Nab Tower 📸 Rick Tomlinson 136 boats made up three classes who raced on the Solent last weekend for the Junior Offshore Group (JOG) Lonely Tower Race, marking the most entries for a local regatta so far this year. The 35 nm course had the fleet racing to and from Cowes, sailing around the Nab Tower which lies just offshore to the east of the Isle of Wight. Built for anti-submarine protection in World War I, the tower marks the deep-water entry into the Solent for sailors. As well as providing an amazing spectacle for all those on the water, the day also proved to be a great success for North clients. We talked to 26-year-old Sam Cooper who, alongside main trimmer Mike Haliburton, took the top spot with Gavin Howe’s J/88 Tigris in Class 1 after a total elapsed time of 5 hours, 45 minutes and 24 seconds. The Race Course The conditions at the start were not easy as converging air made conditions light and changeable. “The start was hard as we were one of the smallest boats on the line, with the shortest mast,’’ Sam says. “We knew the wind was going to be fickle, so we just set our course and tried our best to make the sails work around that. We could see some spinnakers flying close to the mainland shore which matched our 1km weather model, so we headed there, sacrificing the good tide. It paid off as we reached a light 5-8 knots of wind and had a good battle with Mark Spearman’s JPK 1180 Dawn Treader.’’ Dawn Treader flying their North Sails Code Zero 📸 Rick Tomlinson The breeze eventually reached a steady 13-18 knots, and the pair rounded the Nab Tower just astern of Chris Jones’ J/111 Journeymaker, who they battled with throughout the race. After rounding Winner Buoy, Sam and Mike made the tactical decision to sail towards Portsmouth to escape the lighter air close to the Isle of Wight. “We sailed within 20m of the beach at Stokes Bay. The tide gave us good gains there, but the challenge with this leg was changing gears whilst maintaining good speed.’’ The pair followed the breeze and shifts on the upwind beat home before tacking onto starboard outside Cowes and finishing on the JOG line. Having sailed the race two times before, this result was their best. “We had said during the race that it didn’t matter much where we finished as long as we were happy with our performance in the boat. We were happy and it just so happens that we got a good result too!’’ The Sails With a full North Sails inventory, the team raced with a 2016 3Di RAW 680 Mainsail, 2014 3Di RAW 670 J2, and a 2014 A2. “The 3Di RAW Mainsail is remarkable; we’ve pushed it since our very first outing in 2016’s Round the Island Race. It remains fast and the shape has held up extremely well. We’ve never had a sail repair either.” Team Tigris works closely with Ronan Grealish and Sam Richmond at North Sails UK. “We find them both to be full of knowledge and always there to help with our questions,”, Sam says. “The 3Di RAW Mainsail is remarkable; we’ve pushed it since our very first outing in 2016’s Round the Island Race. It remains fast and the shape has held up extremely well. but it remains fast and the shape has held up extremely well. It has also never been repaired.’’ Winners of JOG Lonely Tower Race Class 1, Sam Cooper and Mike Haliburton with J/88 Tigris 📸 Rick Tomlinson Shorthanded Sailing The J/88 is different from today’s trend of doublehanded boats. It is fairly light, has moderate ballast and low form stability, with less power than the Sunfast 3300, JPK 1010, or even the J/99. “You have to sail the J/88 differently, with a focus on efficient maneuvers and sail selection,’’ Sam says. “Doublehanded sailing is great as you are freer to sail the boat exactly how you want. It also gives you a good feel for every role onboard, which I think ultimately improves each crew member onboard. For this race, I helmed, trimmed the mainsail, and had the spinnaker sheet in the hoists. Mike focused on the spinnaker drops, as well as headsail and spinnaker trim.’’ Singlehanded or Doublehanded? Sam got involved with shorthanded sailing as his parents owned a J/92/S which they won the doublehanded class in the JOG Cowes-Dartmouth Race with. He is also known to sail solo, so we were interested to know which he preferred: “Both singlehanded and doublehanded sailing has its merits and I change my mind all the time! The J/88 is exhausting to sail solo as it is harder to keep it sailing fast compared to a wider, more stable boat. Right now I’m enjoying doublehanded sailing but ask me in a month and it could change…’’ Looking Ahead Up next for Sam and the J/88 Tigris is this weekend for the JOG Great Escape Race where he will be racing with bowman/mastman Tim Villain. Good luck! North Sails expert Neil Mackley at the start line on the North RIB North Sails designer Kevin George sailing with Chris Frost onboard the Swan 36, Finola 📸 Rick Tomlinson 📸 Rick Tomlinson North Sails expert Pete Redmond sailing with Dave Bart on the Cape 31, Tokoloshe 📸 Rick Tomlinson Sign Up for North Sails News READ MORE

FINALLY FEELS LIKE THE SUMMER SAILING SEASON IN RHODE ISLAND Local Sailing Finds Perfect Conditions on Narragansett Bay It took until mid-July but it finally feels like summer on Narragansett Bay. This past weekend 24 boats of various shapes and sizes participated in IYAC’s 2020 Newport Cup to race around Conanicut Island. Local talent, short-handed sailing, and solo kiteboarding sessions were all on display in an effort to do whatever it takes to get back out on the water. Skipper of Class40, First Light, Sam Fitzgerald said, “it was great to get back out on the bay today and race against some new faces. Today’s conditions were challenging, especially in the beginning of the race but we had an awesome day nonetheless! We are just glad to be out here!” The around Conanicut Island clockwise course started in a fresh southerly gradient which slowly shifted to a southwest sea breeze. The 18 mile “around the island” is a classic racecourse with upwind, downwind and reaching legs. Jason Carroll’s Mod 70 Argo was first to finish in just under 90 minutes. “Never a bad day when you get to line up with a Mod 70 on the kite foil,” said local kiteboarder Casey Brown. ” I let Argo get a clear start, then started reeling them in as we ripped through the fleet before the wind faded approaching beavertail. Shoulda gone with a bigger kite! It was a great day on the water! Lots of stoke.” “It doesn’t get much better than this,” remarked North Sails expert Mike Toppa. “It’s easy to take local sailing for granted but, we are lucky enough to be out sailing on one of the nicest pieces of water in the world. Schooners, kiteboarders, multihulls, classics, double handers, 12 Metres, PHRF champs, and everything in between were competing. This is different from what we all had planned for our 2020 season, but summer is short and you don’t want to miss out.” Meanwhile, on the bay, Newport Yacht Club held their Offshore 160 Single-Handed Challenge. 15 short-handed boats set off on a 114 mile, overnight, offshore course to a buoy off Montauk Point and back. The biennial Offshore 160, held in the off-year from the Bermuda ONE-TWO, is a 160-mile qualifier for the ONE-TWO. This low-keyed, bare-bones event provides a chance for new skippers’ singlehanded to hit their qualifying passage in the off-year, and to provides past competitors with a long-distance racing “fix,” something we all need this summer There is still plenty of racing in and around Rhode Island this summer for anyone interested in getting on a racecourse this summer. Check out the schedule below or get in touch with the North Sails loft in Portsmouth for questions or expert advice. Contact Loft Find Your Expert Events Coming Up Around the Bay: M32 Midtown Cup – Jul 18-19 GSBYRA Southbay Regatta – Jul 18-19 Sail Newport Part I – July 25-26 MOHOSA Wednesday Night Worlds – July 29th Around Martha’s Vineyard – July 30-31 Edgartown Yacht Club ‘Round the Island Race – Aug 1 Sail Newport Part II – Aug 1-2 MOHOSA Part II – Aug 2 Ida Lewis Distance Race – Aug 15-16 J/Fest – Aug 15-16 Herreshoff Museum Leukemia Cup –August 22 166th Annual Regatta & NYYC One-Design Regatta – August 28-30 Sail Newport Part III – Aug 29-30 CYC ATI Race – Sept 6 Queen’s Cup – Sept 2 Sail for Hope – Sept 12 Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex – Sept 23-26 Melges IC37 National Championship – Oct 2-4 Laser Masters – Oct 10-11 READ MORE

#NSVICTORYLIST: OFFSHORE OCEAN RACERS, LOCAL HEROS, AND ONE DESIGN CHAMPS A Collection of Results from Around the World is Motivation to Get On The Water Call us competitive but sitting down to write this article is very exciting because it’s the first week in a while where we have a healthy dose of race results. The noteworthy point in sharing this news is the results below are a mix of high-performance offshore racing, close to home buoy racing, and ultra-competitive one-design racing. The summer sailing season is in full swing and the #NSVictoryList is back on the board. North Powered Teams Top the Podium for Vendée-Arctique Over 10 days, the battle for first was well-fought amongst IMOCA skippers in a highly competitive and closely matched fleet; but it was ultimately Charal, skippered by Jeremie Beyou who claimed first, followed by second-placed Charlie Dalin on Apivia and Thomas Ruyant on LinkedOut. The North-South racecourse meant crossing a number of weather systems and a variety of conditions, making the race the perfect test of boats and sailors in the lead up to the Vendée Globe. The racing felt more ‘around-the-buoys’ than offshore, with the talented IMOCA fleet staying closely packed and lead changes happening constantly. “I didn’t feel like setting off on the Vendée Globe without at least having done a test race single-handed,” said second-placed Charlie Dalin on Apivia. “To do that the Vendée-Arctique fulfilled its role perfectly as we had lots of situations to deal with, transitions and sail changes. It was a perfect training race to prepare for the Vendée Globe and thus validate all the work undertaken on the boats.” Over the next few months, teams will be downloading data learned during the Vendée-Arctique to fine-tune for the Vendèe Globe in November. Stay tuned! Local Spotlight on the Lonely Tower Race 136 boats made up three classes racing on the Solent last weekend for the Junior Offshore Group (JOG) Lonely Tower Race. The 35 nm course had the fleet racing to and from Cowes, sailing around the Nab Tower which lies just east and offshore of the Isle of Wight. Built for anti-submarine protection in World War I, the tower marks the deep-water entry into the Solent for sailors. A win-win for local sailing, the Lonely Tower Race saw the most entries for a Solent regatta this season, and the day also proved to be a great success for North clients. 26-year-old Sam Cooper who, alongside main trimmer Mike Haliburton, claimed the top spot with Gavin Howe’s J/88 Tigris in Class 1 after a total elapsed time of 5 hours, 45 minutes and 24 seconds. Tigris gets her speed from a great crew and a 3Di RAW Mainsail, 2014 3Di RAW J2, and A2. Cooper commented: “The 3Di RAW Mainsail is remarkable; we’ve pushed it since our very first outing in 2016’s Round the Island Race. ” Up next for Cooper and the J/88 Tigris is the JOG Great Escape Race this weekend, where he will be racing with bowman/mastman Tim Villain. We are looking forward to seeing more boats racing on the Solent – good luck to all competitors! Competitive Sailing, Close to Home Narragansett Bay (Rhode Island, USA) filled with a variety of vessels to compete in two different regattas, the 2020 Newport Cup and the Offshore 160 Single-Handed talent. Local talent, short-handed, and solo kiteboarding sessions were all on display in an effort to do whatever it takes to go sailing this summer. “It doesn’t get much better than this,” remarked Newport RI based North expert Mike Toppa. “It’s easy to take local sailing for granted but, we are lucky enough sail on one of the nicest pieces of water in the world. Schooners, kiteboarders, multihulls, classics, double handers, 12 Metres, PHRF champs, and everything in between were for this past weekend. This is different from what we all had planned for our 2020 season, but summer is short and you don’t want to miss out.” Caipirinha Crowned King of Lake Garda Nine Melges 32 teams lined up on Lake Garda for their first fleet meeting this season. The Melges World League warm-up event saw a fierce one-design competition to collect their first win of the season and be named King or Queen of the Lake. Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio’s North Sails powered G-Spot set the pace, finishing the first day of racing in the lead after scoring two bullets in two races. But after six races, it was Martin Reintjes Caipirinha who fought their way to the top and celebrated their first win in the Melges 32 class after three years of hard work focusing on improving their performance. North clients won five of the six races sailed and just one point separated the top three finishers, showcasing the competitiveness and intensity within the fleet. Next up for the fleet is MWL Event 1 on 22nd-24th August in Sardinia, Italy, a lead-in event to the World Championship at the same venue on the 26th-29th August. We look forward to seeing some more nail-biting racing next month! READ MORE

FIGHT TO THE FINISH Ruyant Strives For The Lead as Others Fall Prey To Tough Conditions © Pierre Bouras / TR Racing The Vendée-Arctique-Les Sables d’Olonne has turned out to be a close match for the IMOCA fleet, with several lead changes on each leg so far. The Vendée-Arctique is an opportunity for those with their eyes on the Vendée Globe race to get in the required qualifying miles and put their IMOCAs to the test in a racing environment for the first time since many of them have been launched after building or refit. The first leg showed close racing between the foiling participants, as the competitors raced upwind battling wet weather and fog. It was a tight race amongst three North Sails powered teams, Apiva, Charal, and LinkedOut to the IOC UNESCO Waypoint, but ultimately it was Thomas Ruyant who managed to take the first position around the northernmost mark, off the coast of Iceland. François Van Malleghem / Imoca By staying to the left side of the course, Ruyant tacked inside his competitors on the final approach to the digital waypoint, just barely a mile ahead of Charlie Dalin skippering Apiva. “It was worthy of a round-the-cans race. It was fun for all three of us to get up there at the same time, in any case, I found it really enjoyable.” Ruyant said over an SAT phone call, “For them, maybe a little less… Above all, it was getting up there after the night I had last night that was crazy. Getting back in contact at the symbolic mark in this race, and being first to round it, it’s fantastic. I’m very happy with how things played out, but there’s still a long way to go in this race. Charlie and Jérémie are going very fast and there’s all to play for”. Onboard LinkedOut As the rest of the fleet rounded the IOC UNESCO Waypoint and began their second leg reach towards the Gallimard Waypoint, Ruyant held his lead but was closely followed by the nearest competitor. The two continued to trade the first position several times over the following hours. As of 11PM Eastern Time on Friday night, Ruyant is in second by less than a nautical mile and challenging hard. The group has been sailing in an area with winds less than five knots, meaning the past few hours have been all about managing a proper sail wardrobe and maintaining focus in frustrating conditions. Every move, tack, or adjustment will count towards the finish. The leaders are entering a band of weather where gusts over 20 knots are expected. This will give skippers a chance to test out their boats and challenge themselves in windier weather. At this point, the Vendée-Arctique is anyone’s race, with the top four of the fleet, including North Sails powered LinkedOut, PRB, and Charal, all within five nautical miles of the leader. With one week at sea behind them, it will be interesting to see which skippers can maintain their mental and physical stamina and who will fall behind. Follow along with the race tracker. READ MORE

BLUEWATER BORN & RAISED French couple, Estelle and Benoît set sail with two very young crew members, their daughters. Jeanneau 36 Sunshine, owned by Benoît (32 years old) and Estelle (30 years old) has been a primary vessel for adventure, with their three-year-old and one-year-old daughters, Diane and Aliénor. The family is passionate about sailing, and the young couple has traveled many miles, between the Mediterranean and the West Indies for both personal and professional expeditions, documenting their experience via their Instagram account @stel_sailing. A few years ago, in St. Martin (West Indies), they learned that they were expecting, which didn’t prevent them from continuing their adventurous life on the water. “We simply rethought our project, and we gave ourselves three years after Diane’s birth to buy our own sailboat, validate other diplomas, and welcome another baby into our family,” says Estelle. “Diane will be three years old in August, and for the moment the project is going ahead. Benoît is now earned his 500-ton captain license, and we have completely refitted our sailboat for our next trip, with our girls Diane and her little sister, Aliénor.” After a long five-month period of work in Port Saint-Louis du Rhône, it was time to go back to the sea. “We hoisted our new North sails in great weather conditions to sailed to Corsica. We sailed from Port Saint-Louis to Marseille under the mainsail and overlapping genoa which was great for broad-reaching with 12 knots of wind, as we hit 6 to 7 knots hull-speed. It was a perfect cruising trip for everyone to get their sea legs. Sailing from Marseille to Ajaccio was done with two reefs and staysail downwind, with wind between 15 and 30 knots, and a swell of 3 to 4 meters, which allowed us to surf, making our experience sporty and fast, as we hit 9 knots.” “We often sail under-powered since we have our daughters onboard, as it’s a question of safety for us,” Estelle said. “For the remaining time, our plans are not defined, and the only constraint for us is having to stop for work. , We’re currently in Corsica for the summer season, and we’ll be heading for Gibraltar, then the Canaries and Cape Verde in September, hoping to be able to cross the Atlantic in December to reach the West Indies.” “The people we meet are often surprised to see that you can travel and live with a family of four on a 36-footer, especially when you see families sailing on 40-footers minimum or catamarans,” explains Benoît. This family shows us that everything is possible, even with little ones. “All it takes is a good organization, patience, and a few concessions of comfort can be quickly forgotten by the beautiful moments shared together! “ “Amazingly, our daughters are comfortable on the boat. Diane and Aliénor have developed an unparalleled balance. They’ve always known the boat as their home, it’s a familiar environment for them,” Estelle reports. “Sailing, changing ports, discovering new places, and meeting new people are now part of their normal, daily life.” Through this alternative lifestyle of slow travel and taking things easy, the family has found a good compromise to combine their lifelong passion with their now, daily regiment. These experiences reinforce and unite the family, but also enrich and build their relationship together.. If you happen to meet them on the water, don’t hesitate to drop by! READ MORE

The Rise of Doublehanded Sailing Doublehanded sailing has gained momentum globally, as the gateway to getting back out on the water while remaining socially distant. It is also the latest event added to Paris 2024, so now is the time to find out more. Armel Le Cléac’h and Clarisse Crémer Give a Rundown of Their Experiences North Sails were lucky enough to have the two doublehanded experts Armel Le Cléac’h & Clarisse Crémer host a webinar for an in-depth masterclass. Quizzed by Ken Read, the pair discussed choosing the right teammate and how they got involved in the sport.   Learn More Two Brains are Better than One Suzy Leech teamed up with Ken Read to take on the Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race earlier this year. Each sailor brought a different set of skills to the table which led this powerful collaboration to take the win in the 24-hour doublehanded sprint race.   Learn More   Paris 2024 in Sight With nearly 20-thousand miles under his belt, Sam Fitzgerald is a seasoned Class40 racer and has his sights set on being a part of the doublehanded discipline for the upcoming summer games. Read about how he plans to make his vision a reality.   Learn More   Dynamic Duo Achieves Class40 Domination Catherine Pourre and Pietro Luciani are the reining Class40 World Champions with their North Sails allowing them to push the boat to its full potential. The pair share their best key takeaways for successfully managing a doublehanded racing program.   Learn More   Racing the Sun Fast 3300 Having never sailed the Sun Fast 3300 before, Ken Read explains why he wanted to get involved and take on the challenge of racing it from Fort Lauderdale to Key West with Suzy Leech.   Learn More   Shorthanded Sailing at a Local Level After three months of no activity, sailing on the Solent kicked off in June with 36 single and doublehanded racers. The North RIB launched to offer coaching, sail trim tips, and support to all.   Learn More   Have questions for your local North Sails expert? Contact your local loft today. READ MORE

IT TAKES TWO… … To Race the Rocket That is Eärendil, Win Multiple Titles and Dominate the Class40 Fleet Billy Black / The Atlantic Cup Owner and co-skipper, Catherine Pourre and co-skipper Pietro Luciani are the winning duo onboard Class40 Eärendil. Together, the pair are the reigning Class40 World Champions, have twice won the RORC Caribbean 600, The Atlantic Cup, placed runner up in the Defi Atlantique, and earned top-three placement in the Rolex Fastnet Race and The Normandy Channel Race. With countless offshore miles between them, their North Sails have allowed the team to push the boat to its full potential, unlocking the secret to total domination in the Class40 fleet. Catherine and Pietro share their best tips for successfully managing a doublehanded racing program: Your sails must be reliable. This is always true, but it’s even more true when it comes to doublehanded sailing. Having to fix your sail, or deal with problems while at sea, will affect your race a lot more than if you were racing fully crewed. Choosing a sailmaker who has great experience in the type of boat you are sailing with is important. Your sails must be strong and versatile. Having sails that are a little stronger and more ‘forgiving’ than regular sails for fully crewed races is key. We sail with a full set of 3Di, built for a broader range of conditions. Often with the Class40, and sailing doublehanded in general, you find yourself sailing slightly overpowered, and always anticipating a change in wind force. Maneuvers for a great doublehanded team can take 10 minutes and use up a lot of valuable energy. Knowing that you can keep the same sail up for a longer period of time without exploding it, even if it’s not ideal, is peace of mind in this mentally and physically challenging doublehanded platform. Your sail inventory should fit into a wider crossover range. This is for two reasons; you need to still be able to sail fast, even if you break one sail (which happens more often in doublehanded racing), and to reduce maneuvers. Our sails are much more versatile rather than specialized, with a narrow range-use. When training, try to switch positions. Even if it’s pretty clear that the younger/stronger is going to the bow, having tried the other way around will help both to understand your sailing partner’s needs during a maneuver. Don’t be shy in waking up your co-skipper when in doubt. If you have a doubt about navigation, or about performance, you need to speak up. I’d personally prefer to go take a nap if I know my partner will wake me up as soon as he/she may need me. Especially in difficult conditions, when you might feel a little guilty leaving the other alone. Keep your boots on! Go to sleep but always be ready to report back on deck. When your partner wakes you up, you need to be on deck right away, with no delays. Whatever watch system you adopt, be fair to one another. Being selfish or being over-generous will not work with just the two of you. Together you need to adopt a system that makes you both comfortable, so if you need to wake up your partner before the end of your watch, you can do so without any second thought. Billy Black / The Atlantic Cup READ MORE

DOUBLEHANDED DREAM Sam Fitzgerald Has Been Cutting His Teeth in the Class40 With Paris 2024 Aspirations In Sight With nearly 20-thousand miles under his belt, Sam Fitzgerald is no stranger to the challenges of going offshore, especially with only two sets of hands onboard. A naval architect and seasoned Class40 racer, with accolades in races like the New England Solo Twin, Bermuda 1-2, Atlantic Cup, and Defi Atlantique, Fitzgerald has sights set on being a part of the latest event added to the Olympic Games, doublehanded offshore sailing. Read on below as Fitzgerald talks about his introduction to shorthanded sailing: How did you get your first opportunities in doublehanded sailing? I didn’t really get into doublehanded sailing until my early twenties and growing up in Connecticut, there weren’t a lot of opportunities to try it out either. I hope the discipline continues to grow in the US. More yacht clubs are providing opportunities for younger sailors to get into shorthanded sailing. What was your first shorthanded sailing experience like? My first shorthanded experience was one of those magical experiences you see in movies. We had a bomber run from Charleston to NYC in our Class40 during The Atlantic Cup and ended up fourth on the leg. We finished just before sunrise with our A2 up, screaming past the Statue of Liberty. It was truly amazing! After that, I was completely hooked and knew I wanted to pursue a career. What maybe not so obvious skills did you need to learn or develop to be able to shorthanded sail? Something that might not be so obvious to some is the need for organization and foresight. If you can’t organize your boat properly and be able to foresee your next step-up or step-down gearchange, then your maneuvers are going to take forever. Shorthanded sailboats are set up to easily complete tasks around the boat, but it also means there are about four times the number of lines you need to manage. On top of that, being able to use brute force to complete a task won’t work. This leads to winches always being used which leads to being locked out quickly. It’s really important for a shorthanded sailor to know exactly what needs to be done to step up and step down because if you see a squall line coming through and you call your co-skipper the last thing you have time for is to explain what to do next. In the US, where shorthanded sailing isn’t as popular, how have you made a name for yourself? Shorthanded sailing has begun to gain traction in the US, however, it isn’t nearly as popular as other disciplines. In order to make a name for myself, I have tried to look for every opportunity there is to compete doublehanded, whether small local regattas, deliveries, and traveling often for overseas events. The shorthanded sailing community is obviously even smaller than the sailing community, so getting to know people is really important. I’ve used my network through the years to find racing partners overseas. What are your Paris 2024 aspirations? What are you doing to prepare? What do you think of the format? 2024 might be far away for some, but for the small community of shorthanded sailors in the US like myself, it’s right around the corner. With the newest sailing discipline added last year, everyone is scrambling to find the right co-skipper, training platform, and funding. As of now, I am continuing to train on my Class40 whenever I can, even if it means doing some maneuvers around the bay for a few hours. Off the water, I have a workout regime and I cycle as much as possible. The format of the event is fairly straight forward, a three-four day offshore race out and back. In terms of offshore sailing, this is on the short side, so teams will be able to go all out. What will be interesting to see, besides the platform they choose, is the equipment allowed and/or supplied to the competitors? Will routing be allowed, or will the World Sailing take a page out of the Mini 6.5 class and make it illegal? If routing is allowed, to what extent and what equipment is supplied if any? Only time will tell. What advice would you give someone who is interested in doublehanded sailing? If you’re interested in doublehanded sailing, I say go out and do it! You don’t need an offshore racing sailboat to try it out, find a friend, and a boat. Take turns trying to sail it with two people and see how you like it. READ MORE

3Di OCEAN; FÅ SVAR PÅ DINE SPØRGSMÅL Lær mere om den nye 3Di OCEAN produktserie med vores Q&A Q: Hvad er 3Di OCEAN? A: 3Di OCEAN er den nyeste serie af 3Di sejl fra North Sails, designet og udviklet specifikt til cruisingsejlads. Q: Passer 3Di OCEAN til min båd og min type sejlads? A: 3Di OCEAN er det rette for dig, hvis du leder efter et cruisingprodukt i højeste kvalitet, med uovertruffen styrke og holdbarhed samt alle fordelene fra 3Di-sejlteknologien. Q: Hvad er anderledes og bedre ved 3Di sejl? A: 3Di er en sejl teknologi som kun North Sails har adgang til og som resulterer i formstøbte kompositsejl helt uden film. Strukturen skabes ved at tapes bestående af tynde fibertråde impregnerede med ensærlig lim lægges ud i forskellige retninger og i forskellige densiteter på en hydraulisk 3D-form. Termoset lim strukturen hærder ved hjælp af varme og slutresultatet bliver et ekstremt stærkt og glat sejl med præcist den form som designeren har specificeret. https://youtu.be/OCFEYvqXDus Q: Hvad er forskellen mellem 3Di OCEAN og jeres andre 3Di produkter? A: 3Di OCEAN er optimeret til cruising og har fokus på holdbarhed og styrke, mens 3Di RAW-sejlet er udviklet til minimal stræk og vægt. 3Di ENDURANCE-sejl er egnet til både cruising og kapsejlads – med en god balance mellem ydelse og holdbarhed. Q: Hvilket 3Di OCEAN sejl er det rigtige for mig? A: 3Di OCEAN fås i tre forskellige varianter: OCEAN 330 er 100% NORDAC polyester og passer til cruisingbåde mellem 25-45 fod. OCEAN 370 er en blandning af Ultra PE- og 3Di NORDAC-fibre og er udviklet til både på mere end 45 fod. Den er særligt god til eksempelvis cruisingkatamaraner som sætter ekstra høje krav til styrke og formstabilitet. OCEAN 700 er til både på over 60 fod og bygges i en blanding af UltraPE og aramid. Q: Hvor længe har North bygget 3Di cruisingsejl? A: 3Di-teknologien har været på markedet i mere end et årti og er blevet brugt af tussindvis af både som har tilbagelagt millioner af sømil. Q: Hvilke særlige fordele er der ved 3Di OCEAN sejl? A: En stor fordel ved 3Di OCEAN er dets enestående holdbarhed. 3Di NORDAC Polyester- og UltraPE-fibre har bedre motstandskraft mod UV-stråler og slid end andre typer fibre som anvendes i tursejl. Den specielle kompositkonstruktion indeholder ingen mylar, hvilket gør at et 3Di-sejl ikke kan delaminere, noget som ellers er almindeligt for laminat- och membransejl. 3Di OCEAN har et ydre fiberlag som beskytter mod ridser og slid, hvilket gør det særligt egnet til eksempelvis rullstorsejl. Q: Er 3Di OCEAN sejl gode til kapsejlads? A. Ikke så godt som et ENDURANCE eller RAW sejl! OCEAN er ikke udviklet til kapsejlads. Dog kan det fungere fint til kapsejlads på lokalt niveau men er du ude efter et sejl til både tur- og seriøs kapsejlads, bør du vælge 3Di ENDURANCE. Eller RAW, som er udviklet til kapsejlads på højeste niveau. Q: Hvad med andre materialer? Laver North stadig cross-cut cruisingsejl? A: Ja. Hvis du er intresseret i panel sejl har vi flere alternativer. Vores NPC Cross-Cut-sejl er bygget af traditionel vævet polyester, og NPL Tour er baseret på vores egne laminatduge i højeste kvalitet. Uanset hvilke behov og forventninger, har vi et cruising sejl som passer til dig. LÆS MERE OM MATERIALER FIND ET LOFT FÅ ET TILBUD READ MORE

VENDÉE-ARCTIC SETS THE STAGE FOR VENDÉE GLOBE The Vendée-Arctic Fleet Works Towards a Common Goal ©Eloi Stichelbaut – polaRYSE / IMOCA 20 competitors, including 3/4 of the fleet equipped with North Sails (full or partial) will line up on Saturday, 4th July at the start of the Vendée-Arctic-Les Sables d’Olonne, an unprecedented ocean race. “We had to reinvent ourselves to tackle ocean racing in a different way,” explains the organizers of the Vendée-Arctic – Les Sables d’Olonne. This brand new competition was born out of the particular context of the pandemic crisis to replace two major races that were canceled this year on the IMOCA class calendar: The Transat and the New York-Vendée, which were essential events for the sailors in their preparation for the 2020 Vendée Globe scheduled on the 8th of November. Sailors must have a certain number of miles to qualify for the Vendee Globe and need racing offshore to test their boats; thus, a single-handed ocean race was, therefore, crucial for the IMOCA boats. The Vendée-Arctic will be the only opportunity for sailors to face each other in conditions close to those of the Vendée Globe, the so-called “Everest of the Seas.” This race is 3,566 miles long and will lead the IMOCA fleet on a long Atlantic loop, passing to the west of Iceland, close to the Arctic Circle, as far as the Azores and then finishing in Vendée. An atypical, ambitious and demanding course where the skippers will be competing in conditions that are unusual and tricky in this part of the world, particularly in the opening phase: strong headwinds, rough seas off Rockall, heavy commercial shipping, presence of whales, cold weather… New Race, New Challenge This very first edition brings together a rich line-up of 20 skippers, including four women, representing six different nationalities. 14 skippers will be equipped with North Sails sails (10 with a full set and four with a partial inventory). Just making the starting line of this unprecedented competition was no easy task for the competing teams. The health crisis has greatly disrupted and slowed down their preparation schedule for the Vendée Globe. During the lockdown, they had to reinvent themselves and rework an already tight schedule. “Everything was timed from the finish of the Transat Jacques Vabre at the end of 2019 to the start of the Vendée Globe at the end of 2020 and the whole calendar had to be reworked,” indicated Jérémie Beyou (Charal) in a press release. “Mentally, you prepare yourself in a very precise plan and to question that, when you have programmed yourself, it’s not easy.” “Before the official announcement of the Arctic-Vendée, the teams were in Vendée Globe mode,” explains Thibaut Agaugue, Head of Service at North Sails France. “After that, they had to concentrate on this new race in record time. We had a lot of discussions with them to help them as best as we could.” ©GauthierLebec/Charal Each team has therefore redoubled its efforts to prepare in the best possible conditions. “Covid-19 slowed down our preparation for the season, but I was able to sail single-handed twice for four days and then eight days,” explained Kojiro Shiraishi, the Japanese skipper of DMG MORI Global One. “I would have liked to sail even more miles to test and experience the boat. I did not have time to test the sails to their maximum performance. The good thing is that they are well designed.” Since the end of the lockdown, Clarisse Crémer on Banque Populaire X has scheduled numerous offshore sailings and one-day sessions. “In a month and a half, we have focused all our objectives on sailing,” she explains. Otherwise, the boat is almost in Vendée Globe configuration. There will be enough to test everything during this race”, she says. This will be the big jump for the young female sailor, who is taking part in her first solo ocean race. Inevitably, she feels a bit anxious. “Yes, I’m quite apprehensive, as it’s a big first for me to be racing alone on this boat. It’s good to be able to experience a fairly demanding course before the Vendée, though Iceland is still far away and cold. The weather conditions look set to be a bit rough at the start of the race so we’re going to get into the thick of it. @IMOCA / Vendée Arctique Les Sables d’Olonnes Even if most of the skippers fear this new and complex course on extremely physical boats, they are all enthusiastic about racing back on the water and competing in real conditions since the lockdown. “I can’t wait,” confides Kojiro Shiraishi, who is signing his first major ocean race on his new foiling IMOCA, DMG Mori Global One (VPLP design) built by Multiplast and equipped with North Sails. “This will be an opportunity to test the boat for the Vendée Globe and to go to areas where there is a lot of wind, cold but also warmer zones. It’s good training before the Vendée Globe.” Five other latest-generation IMOCA boats, including four fully equipped with North Sails, will also be competing in the Arctic-Vendée: Apivia (Charlie Dalin), Charal (Jérémie Beyou), LinkedOut (Thomas Ruyant) and l’Occitane en Provence (Armel Tripon), who in spite of major damage to her starboard side following a collision with a UFO 10 days ago will be able to take part in her first ocean race. ©Eloi Stichelbaut – polaRYSE / IMOCA The organization has put in place several strict measures to ensure that the race can take place. The skippers had to be confined five days before the start to avoid any contact with the outside world. This was also an opportunity to carry out a thorough checklist of the equipment and systems on the boat as well as the material to be taken on board, to focus on the weather, to anticipate scenarios of electronic breakdowns or even to choose the sail inventory, a real headache at times: “Which sails to choose? These are difficult decisions to make,” says Kojiro Shiraishi. Another measure taken by the race committee is that the boats are leaving their home port 24-hours before the start off Les Sables d’Olonne on Saturday. There will be no village or access to the pontoons. The Vendée-Arctic: a testing ground for IMOCAS The stakes in the Vendée-Arctic are various. The race will enable the candidates to validate their technical choices for the Vendée Globe in terms of performance and reliability. For the North Sails designers, says Yann Andrillon, it will be a question of “helping them as best as we can with the fitting and trimming of the new sails they want to test during this race.” The course in the Vendée-Arctic will require some tricky maneuvers and sail changes. Each skipper will be able to fine-tune his or her sailing style and understand his or her future choices for the Vendée Globe. “In terms of performance, I would like to see how the boat generally behaves and how far I can push her,” adds Kojiro Shiraishi, “I will be testing the sails during the race and figuring out if there is a need to change them. The sails are the engine of the boat, so they are particularly important elements for the boat. And I want to validate that not being young anymore, I want to be able to sail well without hurting myself,” he concludes. @IMOCA / Vendée Arctique Les Sables d’Olonnes In addition to the sporting stakes of this race, several skippers will also have the mission of studying the health of the Atlantic Ocean. Six of them will deploy specific buoys during the race to collect meteorological and oceanographic data and two boats (Newrest-Art & Fenêtres, Fabrice Amadeo and SeaExplorer – Yacht Club de Monaco, Boris Herrmann) will take on board sensors measuring the ocean’s salinity, CO2 levels, temperature and microplastics in the water. Even though many are hoping to win the Vendée-Arctic, all the skippers will be working hard to complete the course and make sure their boat comes back in one piece. And whatever the ambitions and motivations behind this race, they all have a common goal: the Vendée Globe. READ MORE

KEN & LIISA BACCO CAST OFF WITH THE OYSTER WORLD RALLY Oyster 47.5 Altair Sports North Cruising Sails For Round-The-World Adventure In 2016, Ken and Liisa Bacco set sail from Newport, Rhode Island on December 1st during a snow storm onboard their Oyster 47.5 cutter rig, Altair, to meet up with the Oyster World Rally (OWR) in Antigua. Departing Antigua in January of 2017 with the OWR, the Baccos have circumnavigated the globe, making memories and forming new friendships along the way. “Something we did find out is that 99.9% of the people in the world are wonderful,” remarked Ken. “Wherever we were, people wanted to help us and get to know us. They made a point to come over and say hello, which was encouraging being in places we’d never visited before.” How did they get the opportunity to take on an adventure like this? “The stars aligned,” said Liisa. “Our kids had left the nest, we were healthy, and it was the best time in our lives to do it.” Ken and Liisa’s kids would join them from time to time on their stopovers. : Ken, daughter Laura, Liisa, and their son Matt. The Baccos took delivery of their new sails in 2015, and have since logged over 40,000 miles on them. “It’s quite a feat to think our sails have made it tens of thousands of miles around the world with our original suit of North Sails,” said Ken. “And everywhere we’ve gone, we always get comments on our mainsail. People all over the world have told us, ‘your mainsail is gorgeous!’. We couldn’t be happier with our investment.” Altair’s mainsail is equipped with three reef points. They have a furling genoa, a staysail, and a trysail which runs forward on a track. “Our staysail is so critical,” says Ken. “You’d think wing on wing would be good, but the staysail makes all the difference in the world for stability.” For making pace-off the wind, they trust in their asymmetric spinnaker. They use a KZ Furler and a Future Fibres torsion cable for their A2 which is on the furler. Liisa calls it “their secret weapon.” Having the right set up makes it easy for the duo to sail shorthanded in any condition, and stay safe. NPL TOUR is built to last, but the Baccos ensure its lifespan by staying on top of maintenance, taking advantage of a few key loft locations around the world. “Making sure things are in the best shape makes the entire experience run smoothly.” Says Liisa, “We can’t say enough about our relationship with North Sails and the service teams we’ve worked with. Now that we’re full-time cruisers, we know we’ve made the right choice when it comes to sails for our boat.” From Portsmouth, RI, to Milford, CT , Antigua, and South Africa, Ken and Liisa credit experts Service Manager Eric Wakefield and Sail Expert Tom Castiglione with making their bluewater cruising experience fun and easy. Andrew Dove at North Sails Antigua pitched in to teach the couple everything they needed to know about choosing the right battens, and installing them correctly. The Bacco family has sailed all over the world, and their quest for adventure is never-ending. They’ve logged stopovers to many areas, including the Caribbean, South Africa, New Zealand, Madagascar, Indonesia, Fiji, Panama, French Polynesia, and many more. Joining The Oyster World Rally When visiting the UK, Liisa learned about the Oyster World Rally. This was when the boat was being built. Ken said; “Liisa called me and said we’ve got to do this!” The Oyster World Rally provides a once in a lifetime, non-competitive opportunity for Oyster yacht owners to sail around the world. This adventure around the planet is focused on safety and yacht support combined with stopover points in unique destinations. The rest is history. “We’ve made so many friends for life joining the Oyster World Rally,” says Ken. “We all take turns organizing trips together, and everyone is fun to sail with. We really enjoy adventuring with this group. They are a fun group and we’ve seen some amazing places together.” The Baccos dove with sharks four times in Fiji. Ken remarked, “swimming with 15’ tigers and bull sharks was an incredible experience. We were in about 40’ of water, and the divers started chumming. The sharks liked to feel the bubbles from the scuba regulators so you could touch them as they swam overhead. It was crazy.” Liisa reflected on the whole experience a week or so later and said, “we were both like oh my god, that was stupid, I can’t believe we did that!” “Cape Town is a beautiful, exciting city,” said Liisa. “The V&A Marina is right downtown with Table Mountain in the background. Shopping, restaurants, movie theaters. The Oyster World Rally fleet settled in to explore the city, visit wineries, go on safari and perhaps fly home for the holidays.” “Winds were up dangerously high when we pulled into Madagascar. We had three reefs in our main and the storm jib up. We made it to the dock safe, and had one hell of a party that night,” said Ken. The couple spent a few days exploring ashore, making friends with some lemurs during their time on the island. “We were tucked into this tiny cove, and there were tsunami warnings.It was 2:32 in the morning and all of a sudden I felt the boat moving- it was insane. Ken remarked; “People say you don’t notice when there’s an earthquake…well we could absolutely feel it! Locals said they happen everyday, all the time. The Indonesians we encountered were cheerful, kind, helpful, proud of their country and eager to share it with us.” The Oyster fleet docked in Indonesia. Ray, the owner, threw a party for the Oyster fleet with local food and entertainment. The Baccos celebrated a friend’s birthday who was sailing onboard another Oyster, and with an incoming shipment of fresh food, the fleet was ready to depart to their next stopover. “Little did we know that more earthquakes and a terrible tsunami would hit Indonesia shortly after our departure. It truly is heartbreaking to imagine,” said Liisa. “Panama was such a wonderful place,” said Liisa. “There were out-rigger canoes, not far from Panama City. We adventured around the San Blas Islands, just off Panama. The people there were incredibly nice. There were perfect white sand beaches, and the locals have kept their culture so intact. It was our first experience on the rally with true indigenous people–it was a beautiful spot,” said Liisa. The Panama Canal was interesting. “By size, the Oyster rally fleet rafted together three-wide and took turns helping each other get through. When the gates opened it was amazing to see the Ocean. It took about two days to get our entire fleet through the Panama Canal. It was such a cool experience,” said Ken. “We sailed into Manhattan Harbor which was quite the scene. The Statue of Liberty was right there, the city was beautiful and you could see the Freedom Tower. It brought on very emotional feelings for us to be back home again,” said Liisa. We can’t wait to find out where Ken and Liisa are headed to next. Until then, read more about the Bacco’s never-ending adventures around the world here. READ MORE

DIE REGATTASAISON IN DER SCHWEIZ IST GESTARTET! Nach langem Warten ist die Schweiz am vergangenen Wochenende endlich in die Regattasaison gestartet. Über 1‘000 Segler haben zum Teil traumhafte Bedingungen genossen. Am Bodensee gewannen gleich an drei grossen Anlässen North Sails Segler! In Kreuzlingen fand das erste J70 Battle mit 37 Booten aus der Schweiz, Deutschland und Österreich statt. 85 % des Feldes vertraut dabei auf North Sails, unter anderem auch das komplette Podest und alle Laufsieger (ausser 1 anderen Vorwindsegel). Am Samstag konnten drei Leichtwindläufe, am Sonntag gar 4 Läufe bei etwas auffrischendem Wind gesegelt werden. Gewonnen hat das Battle das Nachwuchsteam aus Oberhofen mit Timo Zeltner am Steuer (SUI 1045), vor dem Team aus La Neuveuille mit Lorenz Kausche (SUI 1120) und Lorenz Müller mit seinem Team vom Bielersee (SUI 1142). Rangliste Vom Club 55 Bodensee spontan ins Leben gerufen wurde die ‚Rund um Corona 2020‘. Am vergangenen Samstag nahmen am Rennen rund um den Bodensee (diesmal aber tagsüber) sieben der schnellsten Katamarane am Bodensee, teil. Nach rund 10 Stunden, nach Flautenlöchern wie auch Topspeeds von über 20 Knoten, kamen Tom Rüegge mit Team Orang Utan gefolgt von Sammy Smits mit Green Horny als erste ins Ziel. Berechnet hat Green Horny gewonnen. Rangliste Am Untersee in Steckborn fand der Bernina Cup statt. Die Starsegler konnten am Samstag und Sonntag je 3 Läufe fahren. Es gewann das Team Seger/ Oesch (SUI) vor Ryffel/ Heinz (SUI) und Barth/ Rutz (GER). Rangliste Herzlichen Glückwunsch allen Siegern und danke für euer Vertrauen!! READ MORE

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN YOUTUBE PLAYLIST Collect and Save Your Favorite Videos for Yourself, or to Share. Our YouTube channel has over eighty webinars from North Sails Experts in lofts across the world, participating in many different fleets. North Sails is proud to bring our customers a wealth of tips to help you achieve the results you are looking for. Explore topics such as cruising Code Zeros, technique from top racers in the J/70 class, or hear an exclusive talk about the majestic J Class Yachts. There are webinars for any sailor out there! Follow along below to learn how you can create a playlist of your favorite North Sails Webinars for yourself or to share with your team. Find a video you want to add to your YouTube playlist. Under the video, click Save. Select Watch later, Faves, or a playlist you’ve already created, or click Create new playlist. ⁣ Use the drop-down box to select your playlist’s privacy setting. If it’s private, only you can view the playlist.⁣ Click Create. If you would like to talk one-on-one to any of our experts, click here! Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4+5 Step 6 READ MORE

Star Class Split Training Week Prošli tjedan se u JK Mornar okupilo šest posada u klasi zvijezda. Većinom su to bili domaći momci iz Splita, a pridružila im se po jedna posada iz Šibenika i Mađarske. U Mornara je i inače najaktivnije po pitanju klase Zvijezda posljednjih desetak godina od kada je Mate Arapov prestao s jedrenjem u Laseru i kad je jedan određeni period proveo u ovoj klasi. Nakon njega najozbiljnije su se ove klase uhvatili posada Mišura - Barač, a nekoliko posljednjih godina sve više za Zvijezdinim kormilom provodi Tonči Stipanović čiji aktualni flokist je Tudor Bilić. Nažalost, teško se dogovoriti sa svima jer dosta jedriličara je spriječeno poslovnim obavezama, tako da smo Tudor i ja, zajedno s braćom Perhat (Lovrom i Mladenom) najviše izlazili na more, a ostali su se priključivali kako su mogli. Međutim, kako je ponedjeljak bio praznik uspjeli smo napraviti trening s četiri broda i tijekom sedmice još jedan trening, jer i meni treba vremena da se vratim u taj brod. Nakon jednog dana jedrenja idući dan bude posvećen radu po brodu kad sređujemo detalje za koje smo primijetili da nam ne rade dobro. I to je u principu bio ritam kako se sve odvijalo... dan jedrenja, pa dan trimanja... znači na moru smo proveli ponedjeljak, srijedu i petak, a utorak i četvrtak su bili rezervirani za rad po brodu. Zatim smo u subotu i nedjelju imali regatu. Izvorni plan je bio da regatu organiziramo na Hvaru, ali kako nisu uspjeli doći svi koji su planirali (još dvije hrvatske posade) odlučili smo ipak ostati u Splitu. Inače što se mene i Tudora tiče mislim da nam je ovaj tjedan izvrsno došao. Još sam bio oslobođen treninga u Laseru, a dobio sam i doma slobodno (smijeh), tako da smo maksimalno iskoristili vrijeme kako za treninge tako i za pripremu broda. Testirali smo različita jedra, ispitivali različite centre i tražili što nam najviše odgovara po tim uvjetima. I uspjeli smo cijeli tjedan imati i veću brzinu i bolji kut od ostalih. Do sada po uvjetima koje smo imali prošli tjedan, imao sam značajnih problema u svakom pogledu, ali ovog puta dosta sam vremena proveo u istraživanju prilikom kojeg mi je dosta pomogao jedan francuski jedriličar koji je sudjelovao u razvoju ovih jedrilica. Koliko dobro je upućen u nijanse govori i to da na osnovu serijskog broja trupa može dati dosta korisnih smjernica jer su različite serije iz tvornice izlazile s nekim razlikama u karakteristikama. Tonči Stipanović, JK Mornar Što se same regate tiče, u subotu je puhalo 8 - 10 čvorova maestrala i napravljene su dvije regate. Jedrenja su trajala oko 55 minuta i ovog puta se ključnim pokazao ključ "tko prvi do Čiova - njegova je regata". Tako da je bilo najvažnije dobro se postaviti na startu i obraniti desnu stranu u prvoj orci. U nedjelju je bilo slično, osim što je prvi plov morao biti prekinut na kraju prve krme, jer je vjetar izdušio. Startalo se po ugodnih 7 - 8 čvorova maestrala koji su nakon dvadesetak minuta pali na jedva čvor ili dva. Srećom, vjetar se ubrzo vratio, samo što se regatno polje moralo pomaknuti još više prema Čiovu. Tada se jedrilo po više od 12 čvorova i stvarno je bio užitak vidjeti ove jedrilice u njihovoj punoj snazi! Ali takvi uvjeti uzeli su danak u nekim malo istrošenijim dijelovima opreme i u kondiciji posada koje nisu toliko kondicijski spremne poput posade našeg sugovornika. Ove aktivnosti dovele su do toga da se razmišlja i o organiziranju Prvenstva Hrvatske za ovu klasu, a koje bi se moglo održati za vrijeme PH za klase 470, Finn i RS:X, a od inozemnih nastupa trenutno se najavljuje nastup posade Stipanović - Bilić na Europskom prvenstvu klase na Gardi. Termin bi trebao biti mjesec listopad, a za očekivati je i da će na Gardu otputovati i posada Mišura - Barač. Na istoj toj lokaciji za desetak dana trebalo bi se održati Prvenstvo Italije i ako epidemiološka situacija ne bude promijenjena na put bi trebao otići Tudor Bilić i zajedriti s Flaviom Favinijem kormilarom tima Mascalzone Latino na Luis Vuiton Cupu 2007. godine. Na fotografijama u fotogaleriji može se primijetiti da je glavno jedro na Zvijezdi posade Stipanović - Bilić oznaka klase bila zlatna zvijezda. Uobičajeno je da je riječ o crvenoj petokraci, ali kako su imali jedro koje su dobili od Roberta Scheidta ono je imalo tu posebnu oznaku. Naime, po pravilima klase, kormilar koji je bar jednom postao svjetski prvak klase ima doživotno pravo na svom glavnom jedru imati zlatnu zvijezdu. READ MORE

North Sails Has An Option For Every Type Of Cruiser A few months ago, North Materials Expert Tom Davis wrote an article titled “What are the Best Sails for Club Racing?” It only seems logical to have a companion piece that focuses on cruising, so you can better understand about the differences between club racing sails and cruising sails and all the options you have. Are club racing sails and cruising sails the same? No. Club racing is narrow in scope compared to the wide world of sailboat cruising. So, unlike the club race article (where sail size and shape were discussed), here we will cover all of North’s cruising sail materials. Once you know your own cruising goals, you can narrow down what will be best. If you have any questions about a particular material, remember your nearest North expert is just a click away and ready to help you make the best selection. Which sail cloth should I choose for cruising? For upwind paneled sails on cruising boats, we offer fill-oriented NPC CROSS-CUT, NPC RADIAN, NPL SPORT, and NPL TOUR. We also have 3Di cruising sails to consider. Our 3Di OCEAN product line consists of three types of 3Di materials, made for different sized boats: OCEAN 330, OCEAN 370, and OCEAN 700. The 3Di ENDURANCE line represents a “crossover” zone, with sails well suited to both cruising and racing. For downwind, there are woven nylons, Code laminates, and 3Di Downwind options to choose from. You’ll also need to decide between an asymmetric or symmetric spinnaker. A 22-foot pocket cruiser and a 22-meter ocean going yacht can each be successfully matched to the ideal material because there are many options for either. The trick is to work with your sailmaker to quickly narrow-down the choices of sail material to perhaps two sensible options based on your requirements. Then relax and enjoy the whole process of deciding exactly what is best for you in material, LP%/roach profile, batten configuration, number of reefs, color, and so on. This can and should be fun. Things you should consider when narrowing down your options: Your budget Your expectation for how long a sail should last Your expectation for how “perfect” a sail’s flying shape needs to be as the sail ages Your desire to have the sail weigh as little as possible while meeting the above criteria   NPC CROSS-CUT NPC RADIAN NPL TOUR + TOUR ULTRA NPL SPORT 3Di OCEAN North Paneled Cloth Sticking with upwind sail materials for now, and beginning with paneled sails (i.e. where sailcloth panels are cut from rolls of material) the starting point is woven polyester, often called “Dacron”. Polyester yarn is a good all-round performer on small to mid-size boats. It resists damage from environmental exposure. It is reasonably strong, and not excessively stretchy. And the price of a Dacron sail is at the low end of the range. Let’s summarize in bullet point form: NPC CROSS-CUT – A Fill Oriented Cross-Cut Dacron Sail Budget: when price has to be as low as possible, a NPC Cross-Cut sail is the right choice. Durability: these sails stay in one piece, even after many seasons of hard use. Sailshape Perfection: Decent when new, but flying shape will change a lot with age. Weight: Not light. Less of a problem on smaller boats, but very noticeable as LOA goes up. NPC RADIAN – Radian Warp-Oriented Dacron Sail NPC RADIAN is an enhanced version of the paneled dacron sail. Panels can be radially oriented in these sails which confers a measurable improvement in sail shape-holding. Budget: Still relatively low in price, Radian prices just a bit higher than fill-oriented NorDac. Durability: These sails stay in one piece, even after many seasons of hard use. Sailshape Perfection: Quite good when new, but expect some shape change with age. Weight: Not light – but lighter than a crosscut Dacron sail. Not available for longer LOAs. North Paneled Laminates Staying with upwind sail materials and paneled sails, the next tier of materials is laminated cloth (in Northspeak, NorLam). Laminates present the opportunity to reduce sail weight, improve shape holding, and incorporate high modulus (low stretch) and high tenacity (strong) fibers, along with polyester in both yarn and film form. When designed and manufactured correctly, laminated sailcloth is very durable, while helping keep sail weight reasonable, and resulting in very good sailshape performance. NPL TOUR & TOUR ULTRA Xi Cruise styles are aimed at mid-size cruising boats looking for both moderate price and enhanced sailing performance. Xi Cruise styles feature polyester woven outer plies surrounding polyester film and Ultra PE (high modulus) fiber on the inside. The outer layers protect the Ultra PE yarn, while the Ultra PE high modulus content reduces bulk and stretch. Budget: Medium price level. Durability: Not quite as long lifespan as woven dacron, but ages gracefully. Sailshape Perfection: Very good when new, with moderate change over time. Weight: Medium – On bigger boats, the weight savings are very welcome compared to dacron. NPL TOUR ULTRA – NorLam Ultra X Ultra X styles are available for mid-size through super-size cruising boats. The key difference between Xi Cruise described above and Ultra X is the use of UltraPE fiber in Ultra X. UltraPE offers near ideal fiber performance, with very high modulus and tenacity, along with remarkable toughness and environmental resilience. In laminated cloth, we weave the UltraPE, and we pack a lot of this fiber into the cloth. That’s not a low-cost approach, but it does result in enhanced performance and extended sail life. Budget: Higher price level. Durability: Excellent. Sailshape Perfection: Very good, because there is a lot of UltraPE in the material. Weight: Medium. NPL SPORT – NorLam Ultra XC Take everything noted above about Ultra X, and add carbon fiber. I’m going to assume everyone knows about carbon fiber these days given its ubiquity in race cars, bicycles that seem to weigh almost nothing, 80-foot boats that seem to weigh almost nothing, and pretty much every cool high-performance product that seems to weigh almost nothing. North Sails has been laminating UltraPE and carbon fiber together in cruising sailcloth for bigger boats for more than twenty-five years; and the results are still remarkable. Budget: High price level. Durability: Excellent. Sailshape Perfection: Very good, approaching excellent. Weight: Medium (Lighter than Ultra X, but you still need to pack-in a lot of fiber for the long haul). And Now… in 3D! We recently codified a full line of 3Di products made expressly for cruising boats under the OCEAN group name. A key piece of identifying this line was the introduction of a new 3Di “material” type – 3Di OCEAN 370. Let’s dig a little deeper into what makes 3Di OCEAN ideally suited to cruising, in a similar materials based context to the paneled sail information above. First though, if you’re not clear on the differences between 3Di and paneled sails (or 3Di and “string membrane” products), please take a look at our material page for more information on the difference in sail material types. 3Di represents a technology step-change in sailmaking. It is a more complex, and therefore more costly way to advance sailmaking. For cruisers, this complexity has straightforward benefits: better shape-holding in lighter weight sails with no decline in durability. Should every cruising sailor, therefore, forget about paneled sails as an option, given the engineered superiority of 3Di? No. Paneled sails remain a viable choice for all the reasons noted above; and depending on your priorities and budget remain a good option for many sailors. 3Di OCEAN 330 Retain the benefits of NORDAC polyester as described above, and enhance them with the technology of 3Di – that’s OCEAN 330. Originally called 3Di NORDAC, OCEAN 330 makes the most of polyester fiber in upwind sails. Budget: Medium price level by “dacron” sail standards, low by 3Di standards. Durability: Excellent. Sailshape Perfection: Good (very good, if not excellent, by woven polyester sail standards). Weight: Medium (not light, a lot of fiber in filament form is packed into these sails). 3Di OCEAN 370 OCEAN 370 brings UltraPE into the mix along with polyester, significantly boosting strength, while improving stretch performance. There’s a size/load point with 100% polyester sails where the sails become just too bulky, and weight aloft really starts hurting boat performance. The sails are difficult to handle and store. OCEAN 370 steps up where OCEAN 330 is not viable – doing so cost effectively, while nicely balancing the attributes of sailing performance and extended lifespan. Budget: Medium. Durability: Excellent. Sailshape Perfection: Very Good compared to directly competing cruising sail options. Weight: Medium. 3Di OCEAN 700 OCEAN 700 is an ideal performance cruising solution for bigger boats with higher load sails. UltraPE is the primary filament/fiber type, with aramid judiciously introduced in maximum load zones of the sail. Tough, low in stretch, and engineered to provide many years of service, OCEAN 700 is the cruising reference standard for mid-size to superyacht scale boats. Budget: Medium. Durability: Excellent. Sailshape Perfection: Very Good. Weight: Medium. That describes our full lineup of upwind cruising sail choices. North Sails representatives have the expertise to guide you to the exact right sail from within this broad range. If your plans include a share of racing along with cruising, 3Di ENDURANCE series sails cross over into the sail shape/sail weight performance envelope that racers require. And our hardcore race product line, 3Di RAW, delivers speed like no other sail type can. Stay tuned for an update on best material choices for downwind/reaching sails, whether cruising or racing.   CONTACT YOUR EXPERT REQUEST A QUOTE READ MORE

XP 44 BOMBSHELL GOES WITH HELIX A Match Made In Heaven North Sails expert Austin Powers out of our Annapolis loft gives us a glimpse into Bombshell's test sail with her new 3Di sails featuring Helix technology. John Congdon, an XP44 (Bombshell) owner sailing out of the Rappahannock gave North Sails’s new Helix load sharing technology a go on his new 3Di 600 downwind Code 0, 75% mid girth. On this particular boat, John was doing a lot of cruising with a mix of some distance racing on the horizon. When setting up the sails and inventory this winter there was an emphasis on trying to have sails with a lot of crossover so as to not have to store piles and piles of sails down below. With the Helix sail we are able to get reduced luff sag, less tack load on the sprit, and the ability to manipulate the sail shape to get to broader sailing angles than we were previously able to achieve with a cabled sail. In our first test sail, between the code 0 and the A1 we were able to cover the majority of tight reaching and broad reaching angles that we will see in our races. This is a game changer for boats who do not want to have to carry 4 to 5 reaching sails, and instead can cover broader ranges with 2 or 3 sails. That means less sail weight, less sail changes, and faster sailing. Bombshell cruises towards the Rappahannock river bridge with the tack slightly eased as the wind moved aft. On a traditional cabled sail, the entry of the sail makes this more difficult when trying to sail broader angles. If you are looking for more out of your next code sail, whether it be sailing angles or versatility, give Helix Load Sharing a try. Get in touch with us today to learn more. READ MORE

North Sails expert Charlie Cumbley provides a detailed run-through on how to get the most out of your OK Dinghy sail. This guide will help to get your mast set up correctly for a North sail, looking at mast rake and mast position at deck level. For each of the settings, there will be a suggested range to suit different conditions, sailing fitness levels, and styles. Please use this as a guide; it’s not gospel as everyone will have a slightly different idea on how the boat should feel. By measuring these positions and getting within these ranges, you will be able to be competitive and also accurately reproduce your settings. As we learn more about the OK Dinghy or any other One Design class, new information regarding setup, tuning, and trimming techniques will be updated on the class page.  MAST POSITION AT DECK The position of the mast at deck level will have a major bearing on how much rudder angle or weather helm your setup will produce. For any given mast rake, you can move the mast forward or aft in the boat by moving both the mast heel and deck adjusters the same amount. By moving the mast forward, you move the center of effort of the sail plan forward which will reduce the amount of rudder angle and feel. Likewise, moving it back will increase that rudder angle and feel. This position will vary depending on the boat type, foil shapes, sail shape, and conditions you are sailing in. As a rule of thumb, if you generally sail on flat water and/or light airs, you will want to move the sail plan back in the boat as this increases helm and will help you achieve a ‘high mode’ when sailing upwind. Conversely, if you are sailing in choppy/rough conditions and/or stronger winds, then you will prefer to reduce the amount of helm and rudder angle to allow for a faster lower mode upwind. As a result of this, the deck position often varies from boat to boat and depends on a sailor's preferred way of sailing. For an Ovington with a North Sail, Charlie's all-purpose measurement is 3270mm. Move the rig back 15mm to 3255mm for a flat water/light airs venue. We recommend you measure this deck position as shown in the pictures below; measured from the aft edge of the deck ring to the aft edge of the transom. MAST RAKE The most traditional way to set up mast rake is to simply hoist a tape measure up on the main halyard to the top band. To make sure you are as accurate as possible each time, once hoisted, measure down the mast to the top edge of the bottom band by the gooseneck. The tape should read 5400mm. Use the tape to measure to the top of the transom - the most popular range varies from 6100mm to 6200mm. This range depends on wind conditions, sea state, and mast stiffness. In theory, you would be looking for a more upright mast in ‘max power’ conditions and flatter water, but this will depend on your own body weight and hiking fitness. In the lighter airs, you would generally opt for a more raked aft setting to reduce leech tension and increase weather helm. We would advise a setting in the middle of these for the windy setting. Once you get overpowered from your max power setting, dropping the mast rake back a little will help the sail twist open and depower as well as allow for a faster, lower upwind mode which will be needed in these windier/rougher conditions. The downside with measuring the mast rake in this manner is it does not allow for the variation in mast bend, in particular the fore/aft tip deflection. For example, if you have a mast with an f/a tip deflection of 480mm (measured in the normal manner with 10kg) and you set up the mast rake with a measurement of 6150mm, for any given upwind sheeting position (i.e with the boom end ‘1 booms depth’ from the deck), you will have more leech tension than if you were using a mast with an f/a tip deflection of 540mm. It's this leech tension that is a critical factor for your upwind performance, so we recommend an alternative method for measuring mast rake which is used extensively in the Finn class. This method is shown below. HOW TO MEASURE LEECH TENSION Rather than measuring your mast in a straight line ‘tip of mast to transom’ as described earlier in the guide, this system measures what tension would be put through the leech of the sail. This allows you to get more accurate settings and go afloat with a good idea of how open your leech will fly (leech twist). It will also allow you to interchange different masts and set the leech profile to the same setting no matter how different your masts may be. You can use any of the different spring/digital gauges currently on the market; Persola Spring Balance, Devoti digital strain gauge both work perfectly well. We have used the Persola spring balance in this guide. 1 - Attach tension gauge and long tape measure to mainsail halyard. Hoist halyard until the tape measures 5400mm when pulled taught down the mast to the top edge of the bottom mast band. Pull some tension onto the gauge at this point and remeasure this hoist once the halyard has bed in. 2 - Attach tension gauge onto the outhaul. 3 - Tie the traveler out to the side deck, the furthest it can be from the centreline (so the boom is positioned on the edge of the gunwale when pulled to the deck in stage 4). 4 - With the mainsheet, sheet the boom to the deck (NOTE: Always use the same side of the boat for measuring tensions. Always measure with boom end on side of the boat). 5 - Take measuring tape and measure to the inner edge of the boom black band. Adjust the outhaul so that the tape reads 5425mm when held taught. 6 - Read the numbers on the gauge to see what the mast is set up at - this is your leech tension. Quick Tuning Table Helm Weight <6 knots - Superlight 5-10 knots - Light/Medium All Purpose >18 knots - Strong >95kg 75lbs/34kg 79lbs/35.8kg 84lbs/38kg 82lbs/37.2kg 85-95kg 72lb/32.6kg 76lbs/34.5kg 82lbs/37.2kg 80lbs/36.3kg 75-85kg 72lb/32.6kg 75lbs/34kg 80lbs/36.3kg 77lbs/34.9kg To adjust the tension, you can either move the chocks at deck level or move the foot of the mast (approximately 1mm chock at deck is equal to 1lb/0.5kg leech tension). Always re-check the tension after changes. This system also helps when trialing mast position fore/aft in the boat to maintain consistent leech tension. This guide will help maximize the performance of your North sail. If you have any queries, visit the OK Dinghy class page to contact any of the class experts. Check out the videos below for a detailed tuning run-through with Charlie. Happy sailing! READ MORE

NEW NORTH SAILS SERVICE LOFT: WICKLOW, IRELAND Open Now For All Your Sail Care Needs We are delighted to announce the opening of our new Certified Service location in County Wicklow, Ireland. Only 30km from Dun Laoghaire, this new operation will be run by Shane Hughes who has been a long-standing part of North Sails since 1999 and part of the team in Ireland since the start of 2017. Having previously managed the service floor for North Sails UK in Gosport, Hughes is no stranger to the world of sail service. He was born in Dublin and began his racing career at the age of nine at Howth Yacht Club. He went on to compete nationally and internationally in Mirrors and 420's and began racing keelboats at the age of 15. As a very experienced sailor, racer, and fully-trained sailmaker, you can rest assured your sails are in very safe hands at North Sails Wicklow. “Shane is a highly respected and well liked sailor who brings an unrivaled level of expertise as a racer.” From the 1st of July, the loft is open for business, and with a selection of sails already waiting to be serviced, the new loft will be busy from the start. We are ready to look after every sailor as we return to racing over the next few weeks. As exciting as this new venture is, we must recognise the great service work carried out by Richard Marshall and his team at Marshall Marine Textiles for the past 17 years. Richard is now diversifying his business and as of the 1st July 2020, he will no longer repair sails. His cover and marine upholstery business is still operating at full speed, but he is officially hanging up his sailmaking scissors! North Sails Ireland founder, Nigel Young, comments on how they came to work together for 17 years: "I met Richard back in the winter of 2003 on the steps of his workshop in Cobh. After a 20-minute conversation, we agreed on how we might work together, with Richard looking after the sail service and me helping him adapt to the North Sails blue book standard of working. I don't think either of us ever imagined that that conversation would be the foundations of a 17-year working relationship. We have some great memories of late-night service work together in all corners of Ireland!'' Richard comments: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the customers that used our sail repair services over the years. A special thanks to Nigel and the guys from North Sails Ireland for a great 17 years! I would like to wish Shane the very best of luck with his new venture; I know him well and he's the perfect man to pick up the baton and run with it. Good luck with the next 17!'' For all of your sail service needs from anywhere in Ireland, please contact Shane directly on 0838103539 or shane.hughes@northsails.com and he will take care of you. READ MORE

ALLT DU VILL VETA OM NYA 3Di OCEAN Ta reda på mer om nya 3Di Ocean-serien med hjälp av vår Q&A Q: Vad är 3Di Ocean? A: 3Di OCEAN är den senaste produktlinjen av 3Di-segel från North Sails, designade och byggda specifikt för cruisingsegling. Q: Passar 3Di OCEAN min båt och min typ av segling? A: 3Di OCEAN är helt rätt för dig om du är ute efter cruisingsegel av högsta kvalitet, med fantastisk styrka och hållbarhet – och med alla 3Di-teknologins fördelar. Q: Vad är fördelarna med 3Di-segel? A: 3Di är en segelteknologi som bara North Sails har tillgång till, och som resulterar i formgjutna kompositsegel helt utan film. Strukturen skapas genom att tejper bestående av tunna fibertrådar impregnerade med ett särskilt härdlim läggs ut i olika riktningar och i olika densiteter på en 3D-form. Strukturen härdar med hjälp av värme och slutresultatet blir ett extremt starkt och slätt segel med exakt den form som designern specificerat. https://youtu.be/OCFEYvqXDus Q: Vad är skillnaden mellan 3Di OCEAN och de andra 3Di-produkterna? A: 3Di OCEAN är optimerade för cruising och har huvudfokus på hållbarhet och livlängd, medan 3Di RAW-segel är utvecklade för maximal stumhet och minimal vikt. 3Di ENDURANCE-segel är lämpliga för både cruising och racing – med en bra balans mellan prestanda och hållbarhet Q: Vilket 3Di OCEAN-segel är det rätta för mig? A: 3Di OCEAN finns i tre olika varianter: OCEAN 330 är baserad på 100 % NORDAC Polyester-fibrer och passar cruisingbåtar mellan cirka 25 och 45 fot. OCEAN 370 bygger på en blandning av Ultra PE- och 3Di NORDAC-fibrer och är utvecklad för båtar över 45 fot. Den är särskilt lämplig för exempelvis cruisingkatamaraner som ställer extra höga krav på styrka och formstabilitet. OCEAN 700 är till för båtar över cirka 60 fot och byggs i en mix av UltraPE och aramid. Q: Hur länge har North Sails gjort 3Di-segel för cruising? A: 3Di-teknologin har funnits på marknaden i mer än ett decennium och har använts av tusentals båtar som har tillryggalagt totalt miljontals sjömil. Så 3Di är en minst sagt beprövad teknologi. Q: Vilka är de specifika fördelarna med 3Di OCEAN-segel? A: En stor fördel är deras enastående hållbarhet. 3Di NORDAC Polyester- och UltraPE-fibrer har bättre motståndskraft mot UV-ljus, fladder och nötning än andra typer av fibrer som används i kryssegel. Den speciella kompositkonstruktionen innehåller ingen mylar, vilket gör att ett 3Di-segel inte kan delaminera, något som annars är vanligt på laminat- och membransegel. 3Di OCEAN har även ett yttre fiberlager som skyddar mot skav och nötning, vilket gör det särskilt lämpligt för exempelvis rullstorsegel. Q: Är 3Di Ocean-segel bra för kappsegling? A: Inte lika bra som ett ENDURANCE- eller RAW-segel! OCEAN är ju inte utvecklat för racing. Visst, för kappsegling på lokal nivå kommer det oftast fungera jättebra, men om du är ute efter ett segel för både cruising och seriös kappsegling bör du ta en titt på ENDURANCE. Eller RAW, förstås, som ju är utvecklat specifikt för kappsegling på högsta nivå. Q: Hur är det med andra material? Tillverkar North Sails fortfarande crosscut-segel för cruising? A: Absolut. Om du är intresserad av panelsegel har vi flera alternativ. Våra NPC Cross-Cut-segel är tillverkade av traditionell vävd polyester, och NPL Tour är baserade på våra egna högkvalitativa laminatdukar. Och det här innebär att vi kan ge dig precis det cruisingsegel som passar dig bäst – oavsett hur dina behov ser ut. Explore Materials Find a Loft Request a Quote READ MORE

THE NEVER-ENDING QUEST TO DESIGN THE BEST SAILS Sail Testing & Sea Trials Onboard ClubSwan 36 Sease 📸 Stefano Gattini / The Nations Trophy 2019 / Sease / Loro Piana Family The ClubSwan 36, which made its debut in May 2019, is seeing significant signs of growth. Despite a delay in sailing in 2020, the North Sails team has spent the first half of this year working on optimizing sail design and rig configurations for this innovative, high-performance one design class. The Loro Piana family recently launched their new ClubSwan 36, Sease, and a team of North experts, made up of sail designers Giovanni Cassinari and Michele Malandra, ClubSwan 36 class expert Stefano Orlandi and North one design specialist, and Sease mainsail trimmer Giulio Desiderato, were on hand in Portofino, Italy to put the boat through two days of sea trials. “Being part of this project to see it progress has been exciting,” explains Desiderato. “The Loro Pianas are one of the most passionate sailing families in Italy. Our sea trials with Sease brought different conditions, allowing us to record valuable results, and having the family host and join us on the water was the cherry on top.” 📸 North Sails / Sea Trials June 2020 / Sease When it all started North Sails began collaboration on the ClubSwan 36 when the class was still a concept. Using data-driven design to build the initial sail inventory, the North designers began the process of tweaking sail designs and fine-tuning sail shape to create the best experience for clients in the ClubSwan 36 class as soon as the first hulls hit the water. “The ClubSwan 36 is an innovative one design that’s great for mixed class racing,” explains Desiderato. “The original sail design was a good starting point for us,” comments Desiderato. “Since the first boat was built and the first suit of sails were made, our North Sails team has focused entirely on evolving the sail inventory for maximum performance. “The ClubSwan project and collaboration between Nautor Swan and North Sails have come a long way. For us, this relationship has made it possible to provide the best products for the class and all competitors.” 📸 North Sails / Sea Trials June 2020 / Sease A Winter of design work As the 2019 season came to a close, lead class sail designer Cassinari, along with Malandra, went back into the design office with a baseline of understanding from the first season of sailing. The team loaded their data into the North Design Suite, and specifically the Membrain program to run the ClubSwan 36 simulations and refine the sail design. By the (now-delayed) start of season two, North Sails had a sail inventory that included a main with a larger sail plan and a new lineup of downwind kites. As explained by Malandra, “using North Design Suite to test the entire sail package, including variables from sail testing, and the flying shapes, the simulations have shown validity, and our team is delighted with this result.” 📸 North Sails / Sea Trials June 2020 / Sease Feedback from the water From the design office to onboard, did the inventory updates deliver? “The new 3Di RAW sails are different from the first rendition, and the design has come a long way for the better over the last year, explains Desiderato who was onboard as main trimmer during sea trials. “With this new sail design and configuration, we are now ready to get on the water and procure the race results we’ve been striving for.” What’s next? With a bit less sailing time than originally planned, all eyes are on the Swan Cup, which will host the growing fleet in Porto Cervo in September. If all goes as planned, this event will be the first official ClubSwan 36 event of 2020, and the North Sails ClubSwan 36 experts and sail designers are excited to see all their hard work put to the test for what could be the biggest event of the year for the class. “It’s important for us to keep working and making improvements,” explains North class leader Orlandi. “Between myself, Giovanni, Michele, Giulio, this project is in good hands. We are excited to be on the starting line at the next Swan Cup, where we’ll be greeted by ten additional boats, which is very exciting!” 📸 North Sails / Sea Trials June 2020 / Sease READ MORE

SAILING IS BACK IN ANNAPOLIS Getting Back Into The Groove J111 Ramrod sailing downwind towards the finish CC: Will Keyworth Weeknight sailing is back in swing in the Annapolis area with customer’s all boats taking to the water to safely enjoy sailing. With, SSA on Tuesday nights, AYC on Wednesday nights, J world on Thursday nights and EYC on Friday nights, there are options for any night of the week for the avid racer in Annapolis. Seeing customers on the water with their new sails is one of our favorite times of the year for us here at North Sails. This year it happened a bit later than usual, but the wait made it even sweeter. Below are some amazing shots from Will Keyworth of some of the action: Penn Alexander’s J80 crossing the finish line CC: Will Keyworth North’s own Allan Terhune sailing with his wife Cate on their J70 CC: Will Keyworth READ MORE

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS A Look At Hugh Beaton's Career With North Sails Where to begin with a guy like Hugh. He’s a lifer in this industry, beginning his time like most during the summers at a local sail loft in Barrie. He learned the basics while on the service floor and consistently worked on the craft. Hugh learned to sail in Barrie ON, where he worked with Lasers, 470s, Int 14’s and small keelboats. While attending University, Hugh learned to design and build spinnakers. He developed a passion for racing IOR throughout North America. Graduating from the University of Toronto, he soon joined a local sailmaker in Barrie, which sent him boat shows in Montreal and Toronto throughout the 80s. The stories are legendary and reveal the impact the industry can have on individuals even to this day. Hugh joined North Sails 1990, and was privileged to work with some great people in the Toronto office including; Hans Fogh, Steve Calder, Bruno Dubois, and Larry MacDonald. Early in his career he was introduced to the International 8 Metre Class, which quickly became his class of choice. Hugh quickly found himself working with 40 teams from 12 different countries. The boats are beautiful to sail, and highly technical making them an ideal platform for North Sails’ range of design services and 3D manufacturing. Hugh has attended 21 World Championships, winning nine titles along the way. He shares, “It has been very rewarding to work with so many great sailors , and to develop products and tuning guides for the class.” Aside from the 8 metres, Hugh enjoys distance racing on the Great Lakes, and cruising with his family in the North Channel area of Lake Huron. He is also a big outdoor enthusiast who loves the snow, cross-country skiing and downhill skiing. When he’s not skiing, you can find him snowshoeing or working on his log cabin. His annual winter beard always signals the change of season for us in the loft. His knowledge is vast and one can’t help but learn from him. If he doesn’t know the answer then he’ll do his best to find out for you. More importantly though, he’ll show you how he got the answer to help give you the tools to do it yourself, and thus help sailors/customers in the future. A trait that is hard to come by these days. His philosophy of empowering youth, encouraging them to get involved in the industry and sport as a whole is admirable. He tries his best to create opportunities for youth and females in sailing, empowering them with knowledge and support, and most importantly encouraging them to get out on the water. His patience in teaching and mentoring new additions to the team is not only notable but also refreshing. It is something that is not seen a lot these days however it is something that is needed. It goes to show that if you invest in the individual, they will invest in you and the company. Fellow coworker and friend Bill Pearson echo's this sentiment saying, "While I have known Hugh at some level for over 20 years, it is only in the last 20 months that we have worked closely together, and it has been a pleasure for me. Besides being a great salesman and mentor in Toronto for a good while now, he has also clearly proven himself to be an excellent manager, with a good collaborative style of leading." He is committed to helping the sport locally not because he works in the industry but because it’s the right thing to do; paying it forward to the next generation. A big supporter of weeknight racing and grassroots sailing, Hugh is always working behind the scenes to help drive more participants, encouraging more people to leave the dock. The bigger picture and North Sails role are always at the forefront of Hugh’s mind. Always finding a way to ensure we’re doing the best we can to support local sailing, not just racing. It is similar to how he approaches a new sail order or service repair. What role does this sail play in the wider inventory of the customer? Is this the best option based on their needs? What is the goal in 5 years? All these questions asked for a customer looking at a new sail or repair, are similarly pondered when deciding how to support sailing locally. A common phrase you’ll hear from Hugh is, “it’s the right thing to do.” A phrase that guides the loft in our actions on a day to day basis. Here’s the thing about Hugh. He is a good example of what happens when you take the time to invest in individuals that are new to the company and sport. Taking the time to show them how to measure boats/sails, giving them the tools + knowledge to talk to customers confidently and helping nurture their individuals strengths goes much further than most people realize. These individuals become invested in the industry, the craft and the company they work for; and they grow. The growth and skill development pays dividends, as we've seen many times at the Toronto loft. Beyond this, these individuals that Hugh helps mentor and guide are able to transfer those skills to other areas of their lives and businesses. Harmony, past team member at North Sails Toronto, shares her memories of working with Hugh and the impact he had on her. "I had the pleasure of working with Hugh for roughly 5 years during a very important transitional time in my life. I wasn't sure which direction I was heading in my professional career, and logically took a breather to sail and work with some great people. Little did I realize at the time, however the experiences and friendships gained at North Sails have stayed near and dear to my heart for the past 10 years. I am extremely grateful that Hugh trusted in me, while giving me the opportunity to learn the intricate details of running a multifaceted business. What I was able to learn under the influence and direction of Hugh, has served me very well in my own expanding business. And much to my current employee's annoyance, I have carried many of these lessons with me and even a few of the North Sails SOPs! When it was time for me to leave as I had my first baby, Hugh and the North Sails team were like an extended family to me. Hugh made sure I left with a memorable departure package including my little piece of Canadian history, a beautiful Hudson's Bay blanket. I have remained in touch with Hugh for 10 years. And I know we will remain friends for another 10! Congratulations Hugh! You deserve an exceptional celebration!" Another fellow team member Doug Folsetter shares his own memory of Hugh when he was beginning his career. Doug recalls, "He probably doesn’t remember but I first met Hugh around 1990 or 1991 when he came down to measure sails for a new International 14 build that I was part of. Although it was a small project, I recall Hugh spending a lot of time to get the details right. He spoke knowledgeably about Asymmetrical sails which were quite new to us. It’s likely that he hadn’t sold many by that time but he knew more than we did (or at least told us he did) and the sails were a big leap forward compared to the previous generation. Fast forward to a few years ago when I was foisted upon North and Hugh as part of a merger. Since I joined North Hugh has been nothing but accommodating. As a natural teacher, he has no hesitation to spend time (especially if you catch him in the car when he’s stuck in traffic on the way home to Barrie) passing down his vast knowledge for the purpose of building a better sail for the customer. Since getting to know Hugh, both my taste in scotch and knowledge of chainsaws has increased dramatically. North is lucky to have him and I’m lucky to work with him. Congratulations on 30 years!" Needless to say, we all have our own "Hugh" story that reflects his patience, knowledge and passion for sailing. From all of us at North Sails, Thank You! READ MORE

SOUTHERN SPARS JOINS FORCES WITH MAGMA STRUCTURES ON DYNARIG The World’s Leading Spar Maker to Manufacture Alternative Solution for Superyachts 📸 North Sails / North Design Suite / Membrain Southern Spars, a North Technology Group company, is proud to announce they have joined forces with Magma Structures to deliver a new generation of DynaRigs. The DynaRig concept has proven itself as an effective alternative to conventional rigs for superyacht owners who are looking to reduce crew numbers and optimize sailing time. This is a new chapter for the innovative rig solution and aims at making the efficient, safe, and high-performance rig more accessible. To date, the DynaRig system has been installed on two superyachts, the Maltese Falcon and Black Pearl, with the team at Magma also behind the largest freestanding rig in the world on the Sailing Yacht A. “Magma’s experience in designing, delivering, and maintaining DynaRigs combined with the NTG analysis, engineering, and manufacturing capabilities will enable Southern Spars to drive the continuous improvement of the concept.” Damon Roberts Director Magma Structures comments; “We know the DynaRig concept is excellent for sailing superyachts, as proven by the first rig built for Tom Perkin’s Maltese Falcon. Magma Structures is delighted to have Southern Spars on board to further the technical and commercial development of the product. The recent success of Black Pearl has energized interest in the market and I am confident, Southern Spars, whose core business is mast-making will develop the next generation of DynaRigs.” Sam Watson CEO of Southern Spars comments; “We are delighted to join forces with Magma Structures. Their unique experience in designing, delivering, and maintaining DynaRigs combined with the NTG analysis, engineering, and manufacturing capabilities will enable Southern Spars to drive the continuous improvement of the DynaRig concept. None of this would have been possible without the innovative spirit of Magma Structures, led by Damon, and naval architect Gerry Dykstra. The entire Southern Spars group is honored to be working with the Magma team to offer an additional solution to meet the unique needs of the largest yachts in the world.” As the industry leader, Southern Spars has an unrivaled reputation and track record for delivering conventional stayed rigs to the superyacht and Grand Prix markets. Harnessing simulation data from the powerful North Design Suite, Southern Spars is uniquely able to assess overall sailing performance for best-informed engineering decisions. The North Design Suite has now been expanded to include DynaRig yachts to the same level of detail and accuracy as all NTG projects. With enhanced design capability, the experience of Magma Structures, and the composite manufacturing expertise of Southern Spars, DynaRig by Southern Spars will now allow owners and yacht designers a new level of creative freedom for the next generation of sailing Superyachts. Please visit southernspars.com for more information on Southern Spars. 📸 North Sails / North Design Suite / Virtual Wind Tunnel About Southern Spars: Southern Spars is a division of the North Technology Group, the world leader in sail-making technology. Southern Spars specializes in the design and construction of carbon fiber spars and components, rigging, and rig servicing. As the industry pioneer, Southern Spars built its first carbon spar in 1990. Since then the company has pursued a passion for delivering world-class superyacht and racing spars, carbon rigging, and service. About Magma Structures: Magma Structures is a global leader in composite technology, providing world-class structural engineering expertise and flexible manufacturing resources and processes to deliver high-performance solutions for unique and challenging requirements. About DynaRig: DynaRig is a safe, high-performance sailing system, delivering ease of handling, reliability, and efficiency, even when sailing at 18 knots. The DynaRig addresses key challenges from escalated loads and unprecedented scale, making it especially suitable for two and three-masted performance cruising yachts from 60m to 110m in length. READ MORE

THE SUMMER OF SHIELDS For the Toppa family, Coronavirus has a silver lining. Story by Holley Toppa It’s strange to think that the summer sailing of 2020 in Newport was kicked off with Wednesday night Shields racing. After the start on the first upwind leg, my dad, Mike Toppa is at the helm. Wednesday night Shields sailing happens every summer, but this first race felt like coming out of hibernation. I remember saying out loud, “wow, it’s the first race of the summer”. My dad Mike Toppa>, usually on the water as a North Sails Superyacht Expert, turned and looked at me with his big smile and replied, “isn’t it cool!” It’s not quite the summer we imagined. With COVID-19 rewriting everyone’s schedules along with new rules and regulations, it was hard to imagine how sailing was going to operate. Normally, my dad would be going on another consecutive summer of commuting around the country and the world for anything superyacht related. As we know, many of the happenings around the world have either been canceled or pushed back to a later date. Amid all the unknowns, my dad still made sure to dedicate time to rigging and tuning the Shields, Bomba Charger, getting her race-ready for the summer despite not knowing if there would even be a race. The author smiling on the bow of Bomba Charger between races in Newport Harbor Luckily he, along with the other stir-crazy sailors stuck in quarantine, were able to work out a way for Wednesday night sailing to commence under the new guidelines; requiring masks on board, limiting the crew to 3, and calling for all to wear PFD’s as an added cherry on top. You could have told my dad that he would have to single-hand the Shields in a hazmat suit and a helmet and he still would have been out there for the first race. That first Wednesday night was a bit surreal. It was unusual to not only see the harbor so empty after Memorial day but to have the bay completely to ourselves, not including the unusually high number of spectators for a small Shields race complete of just nine boats. The Shields fleet is one of the few fleets on the water in Newport so far and as a result, has definitely sparked some extra competition between the teams. Everyone was eager to not only break up to the stay-at-home monotony but to once again get back out on the water and show that they’ve still got it. My dad made up his three-man team with myself and my boyfriend, Jeremy Wilmot. It is quite a special opportunity to be able to have the time of two working sailors for Wednesday night racing and watch them shake off the rust and get back to doing what they love. I had my place in the boat, doing mostly what they told me to do, but watching and listening to them talk about the nuances of the racecourse was such a great learning experience for me. This time to spend sailing with my dad has been such an unexpected gift despite this pandemic. I would have been in Charleston working, not sure when I would be able to come up and visit. Now, I’m able to join my dad and share doing what he loves. This coming Wednesday, we are able to add two more to the team, my sisters, Alie and Liza will be joining us, adding to the richness of this time my family has together, while also resembling a slow return to normalcy. READ MORE

THE SUMMER OF SHIELDS For the Toppa family, Coronavirus Has a Silver Lining Story by Holley Toppa It’s strange to think that the summer sailing of 2020 in Newport was kicked off with Wednesday night Shields racing. After the start on the first upwind leg, my dad, Mike Toppa is at the helm. Wednesday night Shields sailing happens every summer, but this first race felt like coming out of hibernation. I remember saying out loud, “wow, it’s the first race of the summer”. My dad Mike Toppa>, usually on the water as a North Sails Superyacht Expert, turned and looked at me with his big smile and replied, “isn’t it cool!” It’s not quite the summer we imagined. With COVID-19 rewriting everyone’s schedules along with new rules and regulations, it was hard to imagine how sailing was going to operate. Normally, my dad would be going on another consecutive summer of commuting around the country and the world for anything superyacht related. As we know, many of the happenings around the world have either been canceled or pushed back to a later date. Amid all the unknowns, my dad still made sure to dedicate time to rigging and tuning the Shields, Bomba Charger, getting her race-ready for the summer despite not knowing if there would even be a race. The author smiling on the bow of Bomba Charger between races in Newport Harbor Luckily he, along with the other stir-crazy sailors stuck in quarantine, were able to work out a way for Wednesday night sailing to commence under the new guidelines; requiring masks on board, limiting the crew to 3, and calling for all to wear PFD’s as an added cherry on top. You could have told my dad that he would have to single-hand the Shields in a hazmat suit and a helmet and he still would have been out there for the first race. That first Wednesday night was a bit surreal. It was unusual to not only see the harbor so empty after Memorial day but to have the bay completely to ourselves, not including the unusually high number of spectators for a small Shields race complete of just nine boats. The Shields fleet is one of the few fleets on the water in Newport so far and as a result, has definitely sparked some extra competition between the teams. Everyone was eager to not only break up to the stay-at-home monotony but to once again get back out on the water and show that they’ve still got it. My dad made up his three-man team with myself and my boyfriend, Jeremy Wilmot. It is quite a special opportunity to be able to have the time of two working sailors for Wednesday night racing and watch them shake off the rust and get back to doing what they love. I had my place in the boat, doing mostly what they told me to do, but watching and listening to them talk about the nuances of the racecourse was such a great learning experience for me. This time to spend sailing with my dad has been such an unexpected gift despite this pandemic. I would have been in Charleston working, not sure when I would be able to come up and visit. Now, I’m able to join my dad and share doing what he loves. This coming Wednesday, we are able to add two more to the team, my sisters, Alie and Liza will be joining us, adding to the richness of this time my family has together, while also resembling a slow return to normalcy. READ MORE

Fini les vieilles voiles. Démarrez l'été avec une voile neuve. Contactez-nous pour économiser Il n'y a jamais eu de meilleur moment pour renouveler votre inventaire. Que vous fassiez de la régate, de la croisière ou un peu des deux, North Sails a les produits les mieux adaptés à vos besoins. Cette promotion permet d'obtenir jusqu'à 20 % de réduction sur une voile North Sails neuve, achetée au cours du mois de juillet 2020. Nous encourageons le recyclage de toutes les anciennes voiles utilisées. Lorsque vous commandez votre voile, il vous suffit de rendre votre ancienne voile à votre voilerie, ou de la donner à une institution de voile à but non lucratif. *La promotion "Trade In Trade Up" 2020 s'applique aux voiles de près de moins de 22 mètres de guindant, et aux voiles de portant de moins de 27 mètres de guindant. La promotion exclut les voiles de la classe One Design International et Offshore One Design. La promotion expire à 23h59 le 31 juillet 2020. Toutes les voiles doivent être livrées avant le 20 décembre 2020. Demandez un devis Passez à l'action Remplissez le formulaire ci-dessous et vous recevrez une réponse d'un expert de votre région. Tous les détails supplémentaires que vous pouvez nous fournir nous permettront de vous trouver la bonne voile, plus rapidement. Développez s'il vous plait les sections ci-dessous. READ MORE

Weg met het oude, Ga voor een nieuw North zeil Neem contact met ons op om te besparen Er is nooit een beter moment geweest om uw zeilgarderobe te vervangen dan nu. Of u nu wedstrijdzeilt, cruist, of een beetje van beiden, North Sails heeft de beste producten voor uw toepassing. Deze promotie biedt tot 20% korting op een North zeil dat aangeschaft wordt in de maanden juni en juli 2020. We moedigen aan dat alle oude zeilen gedoneerd of gerecycled worden. U kunt afspraken maken met uw lokale North Sails vestiging bij bestelling van uw nieuwe zeil over het doneren van uw oude zeil. Uw lokale North vestiging heeft een lijst van lokale organisaties die gebruikte zeilen hergebruiken. *de 2020 Trade In Trade Up promotie is van toepassing voor aan de windse zeilen met een voorlijk tot 22 meter en voor de windse zeilen met een voorlijk tot 27 meter. De promotie is niet toepasbaar voor eenheidsklasse zeilen. De promotie eindigt op 31 juli 2020. Alle zeilen moeten geleverd worden voor 20 december 2020. Vraag een offerte aan Start uw Trade in Vul onderstaand formulier in en een North zeil expert zal contact met u opnemen. Wanneer u extra informatie opgeeft over u specifieke toepassing, kunnen we u sneller helpen om het juiste zeil te vinden. Klik op onderstaande velden om deze informatie op te geven zodat u snel met de nieuwe zeilen het water op kunt. READ MORE

L’OCCITANE EN PROVENCE: AN IMOCA THAT STANDS OUT FROM THE FLEET Innovation Proves Vital For the IMOCA Class 📸 Pierre Bouras – L’Occitane en Provence L’Occitane en Provence, the first of its kind in many ways, proves innovation is vital for the IMOCA fleet. Skipper Armel Tripon and boat designer Sam Manuard give us their impressions on their new IMOCA L’Occitane en Provence from conception to the first sea trials. Table of Contents: Effective and Distinctive Design Downwind Performance Sail Design From The Drawing to the First Sea Trials Mastering the Boat Armel Tripon’s L’Occitane en Provence is one of the most recent boats in the latest generation IMOCA class. After two years of design and build, the yacht was launched last January in Nantes, France, the skipper’s hometown, but also the location of the Black Pepper Yachts shipyard where the foiling monohull, designed by the architect Sam Manuard, was built and equipped with a North Sails wardrobe. “For me, it’s an incredible opportunity in my life as a sailor to be at the helm of this new boat,” says the 44-year-old skipper, Tripon. And what a boat! An IMOCA for a completely crazy race: the Vendée Globe.” This will be the first solo around-the-world race for Armel Tripon, who won the Route du Rhum in 2018 in the Multi50 class. But it is also Sam Manuard’s first IMOCA Open 60 presented in the Vendée Globe and the first monohull in this class built by Black Pepper Yachts. “This boat, which we wanted to be unique, has a genuine philosophy,” continues Armel Tripon. “It is a project that strongly reflects our aspirations. From the outset, our goal was to put together a new design team different in its way of thinking, which brings fresh ideas and is not afraid to think outside the box. This includes all the other partners: the shipyard and the sponsor who gave us the green light, convinced by the philosophy of our project.” “This also represents a pivotal moment when the IMOCA class has opened up to the foil,” says the skipper. “We have entered a new era. It is magical to have taken part in this development, been an actor in these new IMOCA class rules, put the energy into designing this boat, and succeeded in getting everyone moving. It is a great success.” 📸 Pierre Bouras – L’Occitane en Provence Efficient and Distinctive Design This state-of-the-art yacht with a scow hull design stands out from the rest of the IMOCA fleet as it is the only one designed with this round and wide bow shape. Why such a choice? Sam Manuard, a naval architect but also a professional sailor — a double role that allows him to better understand the boat’s reactions — explains that the idea was to limit detrimental stressors to the performance of both the boat and the skipper. Scow hulls are more tolerant,” he explains. “It has been noticed that with this shape, when the yacht moves with the sea, i.e., downwind, the bow buries less. When the boat fills with water, it is a source of stress for the sailor and, therefore, a barrier to human performance. We’ve tried to target a virtuous spiral where all the small factors go in the same direction to reduce both mechanical stress and that of the skipper.” Downwind Performance The concept of L’Occitane en Provence was based on two primary principles: first, to build a boat that the skipper can use, i.e., efficient in terms of performance, and second, to get a boat which can be pushed hard downwind and broad-reaching, particularly in heavy seas. Sam Manuard develops: “According to these two key parameters, we have oriented our technical choices, and this is reflected in the scow hull, a particular mass balance, the distribution of ballasts, the foils which exit well above the waterline, good protection which includes, among other things, a cockpit very far aft and a roof enabling forward vision, etc. All these elements that are put together meet our initial postulates.” In this design phase, specifies the architect, “we had many open discussions about all the key points of the construction with Armel and all the players involved in this project, Michel de Franssu, the founder of the Black Pepper shipyard, the various design (boat and sails), structural and technical teams. We had a free approach to proposing ideas, so everyone gave their opinion openly. As far as the sails are concerned, the North Sails design team led by Gautier Sergent has been in the loop from the first meetings. Gautier Sergent is extremely knowledgable of sail configuration and gave us valuable input on the chainplate position and deck plan, among other things.” “He’s a talented designer who always queries the sailor for feedback and input, adds Armel Tripon. “He is very open-minded and not shy to think outside the box. I appreciated working with North and being able to rely on a competent team with great knowledge. With North Sails designer, Julien Pilate, they were involved in the entire project, both in the structure of the boat and the sails. “The aim was to create a fast, balanced, reliable boat, high performance but could also be handled by a single skipper for 70 days,” says Gautier Sergent, North Sails Head of R&D Department. “We freely imagined an ideal concept based on collective expertise. It was refined and adjusted, leaving aside any preconceived ideas over the months of the design period. And Armel trusted us.” After this first phase of brainstorming, another fundamental aspect of this project was the computing power: the aerodynamic efficiency of the sails and hydrodynamic simulation, which fed into the VPP. “In this study, a lot of calculations and simulations were carried out for which North Sails managed all the aerodynamics,” says Sam Manuard. This includes the overall aerodynamic drag and the interaction between the platform and the sails. “It’s a key parameter on foilers which are going faster and faster, and it has a big impact on the boat’s stability,” explains Gautier Sergent. 📸 Pierre Bouras – L’Occitane en Provence Sail design between stability and performance However, IMOCA rules are restrictive. The challenge for the North Sails design team was to integrate specific constraints such as chainplate positions and rake while maintaining the balance of the boat by finding forgiving sail trims and configurations, etc. As IMOCA boats do not have elevators on the rudders, the aim is to achieve the ideal ratio between the longitudinal position of the foil, the pitching moment of the sails, the shape of the hull, the boat state and other complex parameters. “We’ve modeled various critical navigational cases which aim to define the maximum efforts that the sail plan will generate,” explains Julien Pilate. “This critical load information is then exchanged with the structural engineers, which enables them to correctly size not only the chainplates structure but also the structural elements of the hull. The use of the VPP is an essential tool for the sail designers, and in the development of a foil IMOCA, it allows us to determine the most efficient combination of sails in certain conditions, their surface area, and volume and therefore an ideal set of sails.” “We’ll certainly be making some changes to some of the sails, but with minor modifications,” adds Sam Manuard. Downwind VMG sails have to be carefully considered. Should we choose a spinnaker or a gennaker, for example? The feedback from our training on the water will help us make up our minds. The selection limited to eight sails for the Vendée Globe will not necessarily be dictated by pure performance, but by a balanced set of compromises, depending on the number of maneuvers, for example. We must make decisions and then responsibility for them. The aim is for the boat to go fast without too much effort.” From the Drawing to the First Sea Trials From drawing plans and simulations to the first sessions on the water, Armel Tripon and his team are delighted. “The first sailings have been positive,” comments Sam Manuard. As soon as the boat reaches its speed of stability, it sails exceptionally. The foils are working well; the sailboat in aerial mode is fast enough. It is almost thrilling. I was already lucky enough to sail on Jean-Pierre Dick’s IMOCA St Michell-Virbac where the sensations were superb, but with L’Occitane en Provence, you take it up a notch, the boat is airier, it’s another dimension.” “I’ve spent hundreds of hours on the drawing board, thinking about many solutions for this yacht,” he continues. What interested me the most was to anticipate the boat’s dynamic reactions as well as possible. It is one thing to think and conceptualize and another to navigate. All in all, this is what we anticipated. The boat gets up; the movements are much smoother on the waves, we have gained in fluidity. It’s a great privilege and a chance to be able to design such a boat and be able to put our thoughts into practice on the water. » Armel Tripon, who is very familiar with trimarans, observes that the sensations are similar to those of a multihull from 20 knots of speed, a real flying machine. Below this speed, the displacement takes over, and the boat’s behavior is like that of a typical keel monohull. However, maneuvers remain more physical on an IMOCA than on a multihull. As for the deck and sail plans on L’Occitane en Provence, Armel observes that the ergonomics are well designed and fluidly executed. “The work was very rigorous on the sail adjustment, he says. It seems insignificant, but sometimes there can be small gaps. Here, the design twists naturally. It has met our expectations even beyond what I can see. We’re still in the detail phase, and it’s still too early to draw any real conclusions, but generally speaking, the sails’ design is very successful, even from the outside where we could see the sails from the zodiac boat and drone images as well. 📸 Pierre Bouras – L’Occitane en Provence Next Objectives: Mastering the Boat and Qualifying for the Vendée Globe The next few weeks will be intense and will be devoted to making the boat more reliable. Besides, Armel will aim at passing his qualification for the Vendée Globe during the Arctic-Vendée race, which will start on 4th July in Les Sables-d’Olonne in France. “My next steps will be to learn how to control my boat in the best possible way, acquire as much data and knowledge as possible and then qualify for the Vendée Globe,” says Armel. Sam will stay by his side through this training phase. “My role from now on will be to accompany Armel in his preparation for the Vendée Globe, and I will often be on board to check the boat’s settings. I’ll connect with him, share my thoughts.” “Sailing a lot will allow us to test the reliability and stability of the boat, the maneuvers, the performance of the sails, etc. The big challenge remains the analysis of performance (with a lot of data to be recorded) and reliability,” summarizes Sam. “It will be a question of finding the right balance between navigation and reliability of the boat, knowledge, and performance,” adds Armel. At each training session, we’ll have a specific goal. For example, if we focus on the use of sail, we will target more specifically its shape and think about how we can further refine it.” Sea trials will be scheduled over several days off the coast of Brittany. With the start of the Vendée Globe on 8th November approaching, Armel feels ready. “I had an excellent preparation when the boat was under construction. Now we are getting to the heart of the matter, it’s good timing!”   READ MORE

CELEBRATING OVER 35 YEARS A Thank You To Our Service Managers Both joining in 1985 as young ambitious gents, Domiciano (or Kid as he’s more well known) and Dennis have grown into their service managers roles with invaluable depths of skill and knowledge. Both have become staples in their local lofts and the go-to caregivers for sails; Kid runs the Toronto loft and Dennis heads up the Vancouver loft on the West coast. For 35 years now these two individuals have been providing expert repairs, maintenance and advice to cruisers and racers alike. Their dedication to North Sails and more importantly, their clients, is something we all at North Sails would like to say Thank You for, as we know we couldn’t do it without them. Kid joined North Sails when he was well, a kid. He began at North Sails Toronto in January 1985 in manufacturing. During his 35 years here, Kid has gone to Sri Lanka and all over the United States to teach people about sailmaking, manufacturing and repair techniques. He is the first one in the door in the morning and often the last to leave, never liking to leave a project unfinished. He is always committed to getting the job done, meeting customer deadlines and doing a good job. Larry MacDonald recalls, "I remember clearly Domiciano arriving for his first day at North Sails, and being introduced to him by the production manager. Then like now, he looked less than his years, was small and knew very little English. What he lacked in experience or ability to communicate, he more than made up with his attitude and work effort. He was a fast learner, and within a few years, saw his career take off becoming assistant floor manager and never looking back. His youthful appearance earned him his nickname “Kid” which he has proudly accepted for now 35 years." One of his favourite parts about sailmaking is that “Everyday is a new opportunity to learn something new. I know how sailmaking allows me to connect with customers in terms of their needs, whether it’s cruising or racing.” His skill and craftsmanship speaks for itself. We are proud and quite lucky to have him a part of our team. He is the engine that keeps our service team chugging along in Toronto. Dennis is another gem that has bled blue for over 35 years now, joining the sailmaking world just after high school. Local sales expert Ross MacDonald shares "Dennis Lefeaux is one of North Sails most hard working, joke cracking, ever-creative employees - he's also may have the most 'experience', having started sail making just after high school back in 1979!" Then and now, Dennis was known as one of the best sailors in the area. A reputation he earned through constant wins on the race course onboard his father's boat and all the assistance and tips he provided to all the other sailors. Ross continues, "After beginning work at North in Dave Miller's loft in Vancouver, Den quickly picked up the skills for all sail repairs and in short order was able to build sails on his own. As one can imagine he's also very handy at canvas work and creating bags or custom pieces that look like they came from Milan! Some of the notable bits he's pulled off include Canada's largest flag, giant architectural canvas work used in BC Place stadium and working with the sail making team with Canada II during the 1987 America's Cup in Perth, Australia. Today Dennis looks the same! And he's faster and more productive than ever. We are fortunate to have his knowledge, skills, wit, and try to follow his work ethic. Leading by example, he continues to inspire many of us.” Vancouver loft manager Drew Mitchell is also a big fan of Dennis. He details how Dennis is the ultimate co-worker. "Since the first day I met him I have looked up to his knowledge and work ethic. He is the first into work everyday and during the busy season the last to leave. He is very humble. I remember the first day he was showing me the "fast route" from the loft to RVYC and he just casually mentioned he was a sailmaker with the Canada 87' Americas Cup Team. As any young sailor would, I then started to bombard him with questions about the team and regatta." Drew tries to soak up as much as he can from Dennis as he is one of the best sailmakers he knows. Drew states, "he has probably gets tired answering 20 questions a day from me but I always want his advice when I am not sure about something. Dennis is known in the sailing community not only as "the best" sailmaker but as one of the best sailors in the PNW. I have been lucky enough to race on the same boat with him, and just like in the loft, I try to listen to what he has to say and figure out why he does certain things." "After a very deep finish in a distance race I was speaking to a competitor who did very well and I asked him how we knew where to go. His response was "It was easy, I just asked Dennis on the dock before racing which way to go!" I now make sure to check in with Dennis before any race to get his opinion on what might work that day. I think the last time his response was "lead off the start and don't let anyone pass you." I have never heard someone say a bad thing about Dennis, I consider myself and the entire North Sails Team very lucky to have someone who has worked for North Sails as long as he has. I look forward to the many years we have left working together. READ MORE

MIRPURI FOUNDATION SAILING TROPHY INITIATES A SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE RACING PLATFORM Promoting Public Safety, Environmental Awareness, and Great Racing North Sails is excited to announce they are the official sail partner of the inaugural Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy. The event will take place June 27-28, 2020 between Cascais and Sesimbra, Portugal. This new event will feature a cash prize pool of over €30,000, which includes a €16,000 prize for First Place. The overall winner will also be awarded the first-ever official Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy. “North Sails is honored to partner with Mirpuri Sailing Foundation and be named Official Sailmaker to their first Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy,” commented North Sails President Ken Read. “A huge congratulations and thank you to the foundation who have found a way to help sailors go racing this summer. With the added bonus of all race registrations being donated to supporting ocean conservation, the Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy is a great way to kick-off the sailing season. Good luck to all competitors, and we look forward to supporting you on the ground with overnight sail service and sharing your experience with North Sails followers around the globe.” Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy is a plastic-free sustainable regatta, and a charitable event, with team registration fees in this first edition to be donated to Marine Conservation programs. The Mirpuri Foundation maintains innovation by promoting the first health controlled race in the world, with a dedicated medical team ensuring all staff and sailors are in good health and free of Covid-19. Ana Agostinho, Head of Public Relation commented on behalf of Mirpuri Foundation: “The Mirpuri Foundation, as a well-established organization fighting for sustainability and for the future of our planet, choses its partners wisely, as they must share the same vision and the same goals. We are pleased to have North Sails joining the Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy, the first international regatta after the start of the pandemic, the first world’s health-controlled race and one that will try to put the environment back on the global agenda. We sincerely hope, and look forward to counting on thsupport of North Sails many more editions.” For those who are unfamiliar, The Mirpuri Foundation has a legacy in competitive sailing as a global platform to share important messages of marine conservation and encourage positive change to better impact the planet. “The Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy aims to be one of the main sailing events in the world”, says Paulo Mirpuri, President of the Mirpuri Foundation, “Marine conservation is a key cornerstone of our activities at the Foundation and provides the inspiration for The Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy. We believe in the power of sport to bring people together and raise awareness of the challenges our planet is facing. Sailing provides us with a direct link to the beautiful but fragile oceans that we all rely on so heavily.” North Sails Cascais will onsite to provide overnight repair services, including pickup and delivery service for all sailors during the regatta. From departure is from Cascais (where the North Sails Cascais Loft is based) to Sesimbra (where teams will spend the night from Saturday to Sunday). Please contact the loft directly at +351 916 830 166 speak with our service team using the email address below or phone Vincente Pinheiro at: +351 916 857 896. Email The Loft Have questions about getting involved? Please send all inquiries to Mirpuri Foundation Sailing Trophy. Register For Event Here About the Mirpuri Foundation The Mirpuri Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Portugal and founded by entrepreneur Paulo Mirpuri with the aim of contributing to a better world for future generations. With its belief that leading by example is the best way to change mindsets, the Mirpuri Foundation fosters cooperation between legislators, corporations, communities, and individuals.The Mirpuri Foundation acts in six distinct areas: Marine Conservation, Wildlife Conservation, the Performing Arts, Social Responsibility, Medical Education and Research, and Aeronautical Education and Research. The foundation’s commitment to sustainability is transversal and is reflected in all its activities. The Mirpuri Foundation is synonymous with technology, research, information, and innovation. Allied to these characteristics are the values of integrity, perseverance, and altruism in order to better impact the planet. READ MORE