NORTH SHORE P CLASS SAILOR BLAKE MCKINNON WINS TANNER CUP

2022 Tanner Cup Champion Used North Sails F1 Sail

North Shore P Class sailor Blake McKinnon drew on the ‘secret weapon’ used by 2020 Tanner and Tauranga Cup winner Tim Howse to carve his own name on the historic silverware, when he won the regional championship Tanner Cup in January. McKinnon, sailing Head First, used the North Sails-designed and developed F1sail, which has a radial clew and a cross-cut top. North Sails One Design expert Derek Scott says the radial design helps to spread the load out of the clew, and allows the top of the sail to twist off. 2019 Tanner Cup winner Blake Hinsley also used an earlier iteration of the F1 sail in his victory. The six-race 2022 series was held over two days at Auckland’s Murrays Bay Sailing Club, McKinnon’s home waters. On both days sailors had to contend with tough conditions- light, shifty south-southeasterly breeze and big tides—a contrast to the windy conditions in which Howse won the regatta two years ago. Representing North Harbour, McKinnon sailed a consistent series, with his lowest placing a seventh on the first day. Lying fifth overall, he then put the pressure on the series leaders on the second day by finishing with a second place and two bullets to take the cup.

Eighteen sailors from around the country represented their regions at the event, which was followed by the open Tauranga Cup event, in which McKinnon finished sixth overall. In this event, Tessa Clinton finished second female sailor, also using the F1 sail. Scott — a former winner of the Tanner Cup — says the North team has made some minor modifications to the F1 sail since Howse used it to win the past events, especially to the luff curve, to make the sail a better fit to the range of masts used in the class.

“We had been finding some quite big variances in the masts, so we have been tailoring each sail to the specific boat,” Scott says. “After testing each mast to see how stiff or soft it is, we create a custom luff curve for each sail, so it fits perfectly.”