NORTH SAILS POWERS STAR SAILORS LEAGUE WINNERS

Iain Percy & Ander Ekström Take Home the Big Prize

23 of the world’s best sailing teams gathered in Nassau, Bahamas for the seventh edition of the Star Sailors League Finals. With Olympic medalists lining up with world champions from a variety of classes in a knockout format, it was a battle right from the first start. Four days later, a too-close-to-call finish gave the British/Swedish duo of Iain Percy and Ander Ekstrom a tiny victory over the French team of Xavier Rohart and Pierre-Alexis Ponsot. Both teams finished only meters ahead of Norwegian Evind Melleby, who sailed with American Josh Revkin.

The top two teams race with North Sails and were fast throughout the wind range. Iain Percy used the same M-16 mainsail that helped him win a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics and a new J-115 full radial jib, and he felt they were incredibly quick during the finals. Xavier Rohart, who used the lighter air J1-R5 jib, said, “The boat was very easy to sail and really, really fast, I just had to try and go the correct way.”

The M-16 design is ideal for softer rigs. The more recent M-25 design is optimised for the newer stiffer masts, though it can also be used with confidence on other masts.

The North designs are faster than ever. The SSL result, combined with the victories at the Eastern and Western Hemispheres and the North Americans, proves that there are no better Star sails on the market.

Star World Champion and North Sails expert Eric Doyle also made the finals and was really impressed with the sails. “Our designs are faster than ever. The SSL result, combined with the victories at the Eastern and Western Hemispheres and the North Americans, proves that there are no better Star sails on the market.”

Congratulations to the top two teams on their excellent results, and also thanks to the Star Sailors League and Nassau Yacht Club for putting on such a fantastic regatta.