NORTH SAILS BLOG

FINDING THE FIGARO FORMULA Setting the Pace for Irish Offshore Sailors Kenneth Rumball has been sailing since he was a toddler with his parents, making a name for himself in dinghies and then adding a number of impressive offshore miles to his resume. With fewer opportunities in Ireland to make full-time career professional sailing, he went the academic route and studied accounting, only to be pulled back into the sailing industry. Rumball took on the Irish National Sailing School’s ownership and running, using his own experiences to inspire youth sailors in Ireland to pursue the sport and even invite them to race with him. Rumball is a bundle of energy and enthusiasm, and a leader for Ireland in sailing, so it was no surprise that when the Olympics added a double-handed offshore event, he would take that challenge on too, teaming up with co-skipper Pamela Lee in the Figaro class, and enlisting the help of North Sails Expert Nigel Young and his loft team. Rumball and Lee learned some sailmaking skills with the North Sails team to prepare them for any surprises offshore better. “We’ve got the standard Figaro 3 setup, a full mainsail, a big spinnaker, a small spinnaker, a Code Zero, and a J3,” Says Pam. “When we returned from France, we got the sails off the boat and took them to the North loft, and we got a full sail check and any repairs that needed to be done. North Sails Shane Hughes at the Wicklow loft talked us through everything he had done and showed us what to look for, what to be worried about, and prepped us with a sail repair kit that we hopefully will not have to use. Having everything checked over gives us the confidence to push the boat to maximum performance.” Rumball describes pulling the sails out of the bag for the first time, “they fit, and they worked. With our training schedule, I didn’t want to buy sails and then go back and ask for things to be changed. I wanted sails that worked would be fast and long-lasting. Nigel Young was my first call to make that happen.” Together, with the North Team in Ireland and France, RL Sailing was able to get their full 3Di set-up dialed in and tuned. “The product support has been just fantastic,” says Rumball. With events canceled across the globe, including the double-handed worlds in Malta, Rumball used the Solitaire Du Figaro as the jumping-off point for his training schedule in the Figaro. “We’ve been charging forward on the Figaro, so we looked to the Solitaire, and I decided to give it a go. The Solitaire is an incredibly tough race,” says Rumball. “We were not as planned as we could have been, but Pam was there shoreside to support me. It was a great training experience.” The team has been based in France for most of the summer for the Solitaire and Spi Ouest, eager to train against the French teams that will be their competition in 2024. They’ve delivered the boat back to Ireland for the fall, where Pamela teamed up with Catherine Hunt for the ‘Round Ireland record, setting a benchmark for female sailors while getting more time in the Figaro. “When they announced the Paris 2024 Olympics would have a mixed crew double-handed offshore event, many avenues in the sport opened up for female sailors to gain experience offshore because suddenly, people need offshore female training partners, and that’s how I started sailing with Kenny for Ireland,” says Pam. These offshore experiences are an integral part of their training regime; double-handed sailing requires a different approach focused on endurance, managing multiple roles on the boat on your own, and having excellent self-discipline. Lee and Rumball are looking for every opportunity possible to test their offshore stamina, despite the pandemic’s challenges. “The reason we also chose the Figaro circuit is because the French are the best short-handed offshore sailors in the world.” Attests Rumball, “If you wanted to compete in an event like Paris 2024, and represent your country, you’ve got to race against the best people in the world, and that is the French.” The team is serious about their fitness and has been exploring different ways to train up. Encouraged by Lee, who is already a seasoned kiter, Rumball has taken up kiteboarding as a full-body cross-training workout. They also bike, practice yoga, lift, and run. They are also augmenting their freeze-dried meals with fresh foods pre-packaged to last for a few days at sea, although Rumball still loves porridge in the jet boil. The pair plans their calendar for next year and hopes to compete in all the French Figaro events they possibly can, making a name for their country in the latest Olympic discipline.   READ MORE

THE IMOCA TAKES FLIGHT Vendée Globe 2020 – Episode 2 The Vendée Globe is a race exclusively reserved for the IMOCA, a 60-foot monohull machine built for racing. The open rule gives the naval architects great freedom of design when imagining the next generation of boats. A class known for technological experimentation, the IMOCA has seen radical innovations such as foils appear in recent years. These appendages, placed on either side of the hull, provide power, reduce drag, and propel the IMOCA to fly above the surface at speeds that were once inconceivable. In two decades, the modern IMOCA has shaved close to 40 days off a circumnavigation. The 2020 race start is on the horizon, and many of us onshore wonder- how fast these boats will fly? In Episode 2 of our Vendée Globe 2020 video series, French sailor and storyteller Loïck Peyron explores the phenomenal high-tech advances of the IMOCA. Loïck brings us beyond visual appearances and dives deep into the construction and materials, most notably carbon, used in the boats. Today, the IMOCA is lighter, faster, and more reliable. The manufacturing methods of these boats are closer to those of airplanes than to sailboats. “We use the same terms, the same mathematical formulas and the same prediction and simulation tools as those used in aircraft,” stresses Loïck Peyron. Generally speaking, “the speeds of the boats have been multiplied by four in forty years.” READ MORE

PACIFIC YANKEE’S DREW FREIDES 2020 IC37 National Champion Interview 📸 Morgan Kinney / IC37 Class Association Drew Freides is a well-known face in the sailing world. His list of impressive results includes back to back Melges 20 World Champion in 2017 and 2018, two IC37 Winter Series wins, 2019 Farr 40 World Champion, and most recently, winning the 2020 IC37 National Championship. Drew commented, “This year has been a crazy one, more like musical chairs trying to organize and reorganize. We planned to spend our entire summer in Newport, RI, yet we had to be as flexible as possible. Fortunately, we were able to keep our core crew together for the back to back events; Rolex Race Week and the NYYC Annual, which served as the IC37 National Championship. I hadn’t done much sailing this summer before these last two, and half weeks, so I was thankful for the opportunity to spend solid time on the water. Our goal this year was to win the Nationals, and our entire program came together to make that possible.” NS: The IC37 is a fun boat with strict OD rules in place. What makes the IC37 Class set up so successful? Drew: This class is great because you don’t have to get into an arms race; you put together the best crew combination you can think of, and every team has the same restrictions and rules to follow. Some may not favor it, but I believe that the class has done an excellent job of limiting costs. Every rule in place is to get more sailors involved. The IC37 is an extremely competitive fleet but also has a collegial feeling as well. Long term, it’s not about focusing on the top boats at each event, but instead getting more and more people involved in sailing. 📸 Morgan Kinney / IC37 Class Association NS: What do you enjoy most about sailing in the class? Drew: My favorite thing about sailing in this class is the camaraderie. We have many friends out there racing on other boats in the fleet, and it’s fun to compete with each other on a fun, fast boat. Another thing I like is that the IC37 class offers excellent coaching and support. Greg Fisher and North one design expert Tim Healy went out together before the events and helped us fine-tune. They provided tips and took photos and video to debrief with the fleet at the end of the day. We worked on boat handling around the corners and left no details out. By the end of the day, we were ready to compete. NS: What do you feel has helped make the class so successful? The team at North Sails have put a ton of effort into boat set up and sail configuration. I am a believer in reefing the sails when the wind pushes the class limit. It may look weird while onboard, but once you do it, you can sail in anything, and the boat is still fast and just as competitive. It’s a good option to have. For example, it was blowing 37-30 knots on Practice Day 1, and we reefed both sails and went out and had a great day on the water. Having this option to make things more manageable in higher wind limits is a direct result of sail experts and the class working towards a common goal. In particular, this season, having two events go off without a hitch, has been a massive factor in our year’s success. We can’t thank the New York Yacht Club enough for putting together two great events, back to back, in such challenging times. The competitors very much appreciated it. The club could have canceled this thing at any time, but I think they knew it was necessary to go racing for our sanity as sailors. This is the first regatta I have done since we the winter series in Florida back in January. Kudos to the club and race organizers for pulling this off. Every sailor appreciated it. 📸 Morgan Kinney / IC37 Class Association Drew’s Tips for a Successful Season and Top-Notch Program: 1. The crew is crucial in getting people to fit the roles. There are no passengers on this boat. There’s just no room. So thinking through who’s going to be your team and what roles they play is critical. Finding the right people that are the right weight is also crucial. Rather than having simply great sailors, we have great sailors who are even better for their specific role. The rule of having two women onboard is also a secret weapon for our team. They are light and can do many roles that contribute to every success of the team. We choose to have a woman always “trim” the runner because they can’t hike out when doing so, so being lighter is an advantage—that said, they need to be highly skilled because that role is so essential to our boat speed. 2. Having an agile bowman and a strong mastman. Both roles require strength and timing. Clean hoists and kite takedowns are equally important because they set you up for the next leg or maneuver. Our excellent takedowns also enabled us to keep the chute up long and gave us the one-up on other boats at the leeward gate. 3. Having crew members that can do different jobs. Myself and Bill Ruh could helm the boat, but we could also trim. This worked out nicely as Bill steered for Race Week and I drove for the Nationals. We have a couple other crew who also fit into this all-around ability. To say it’s beneficial would be an understatement. As the driver, I receive a lot of the credit, but I’m only the guy driving at the end of the day. My job is to drive in a straight line –The crew makes the boat go fast and gets us around the corners. 4. The power of the runners. The runner is the one thing that constantly has go up and down based on wind strengths. I would consider it one of the most essential trimming tools onboard. Our female crews are unbelievably valuable on the boat for roles like this. They are small and can be our primary runner trimmers and help around the boat; a great weapon for any team. 5. Confidence in boat speed is key. If you don’t have confidence, you won’t do well. Our team has confidence in our boat speed. This lets us take less risk tactically, knowing that our boat speed can get us out of jams. We don’t need to bang corners to win races, but rather play the shifts and let our boat speed enable us to pass boats when required. That consistency wins regattas. 6. Mark your settings. Where to trim the jib for certain settings, the vang, marks for the leads, marks on the jib sheets, marks on the runners, marks for the outhaul, how many plates we needed beneath the mast for each wind speed, etc. We knew what settings we had without having to waste time and energy thinking about it. This allowed us to focus on sailing the boat fast and smart rather than worrying about the boat tune. “The one thing Vince Brun taught me is that when you’re racing the boat you don’t want to be thinking about your settings. You should know where they go.” 7. Weight placement. Depending on wind speed, we all knew where our crew weight needed to be. Shifting crew weight according to wind strength helps you minimize wetted surface in light air, control the balance of the boat, and maximize the power of the boat as the wind picks up. Controlling not only the heel but also the fore/aft trim is important. 8. Preparation is key. We always make a point to have two solid days of practice with most, if not all, of the crew in attendance before every event. Practice day one is about getting everyone acclimated. Practice day two we hit it hard. The nice thing about giving yourself two full days is that you spend the first part of the first day getting things organized. When all the other boats show up for their first practice day, we’re already set up for speed and ready to go. From your team at North Sails, well done to all competitors on a successful event! Special congrats to Drew Freides and rockstar team on Pacific Yankee, 2020 National Champions! IC37 Class Page Tuning Guide Contact an Expert About the Class 📸 Morgan Kinney / IC37 Class Association 📸 Morgan Kinney / IC37 Class Association READ MORE

PRINCE OF TIDES MAKES A STATEMENT IN LOCAL RACING New 3Di Wardrobe Propels Local Sailors to the Front of the Pack 📸 Bob Bateman Frank Caul and John Molloy, sail out of the Royal Cork Yacht Club and together own Grand Soleil 37, Prince of Tides. Frank comes from a cruising sailing background, and John is more experienced in the racing platform. They’ve been traveling down to the Caribbean annually for fun getaways for the better part of 20 years, and during the week, they take part in local racing out of Royal Cork Yacht Club which is celebrating a very special tri-centenary, being the oldest club in the world. The Boat Prince of Tides was a ten-year-old boat kept safely indoors in Hamburg, Germany until Frank and John acquired it last summer when they were ready to step up their game and get more competitive in the local racing fleet. Frank said, “I found myself in a position to buy a new boat. We had been to the boat show, Das Boot, in Dusseldorf, Germany. Once we figured out what we were looking for, John went again last year on his own and wrote back to tell me that he found us a boat! We went to Hamburg right away and checked her out.” The Grand Soleil 37 would be the perfect fit for the two friends to share more sailing adventures. All they needed was to find the right sailmaker to help get her up to speed. The seven person crew sailing on Prince of Tides is very much amateur.”We have a few trimmers on the boat, said Frank, “and John probably has the most experience as he’s been racing for quite some time, which is why he normally helms. The rest of us are very new to sailing, but we’ve been working hard to improve, and with the help we’ve received from North Sails, it’s been a positive experience for us all.” Sails + Expertise “Last November, we met sail expert Nigel Young, based in Myrtleville, Ireland, who not only helped design a new rudder for our boat with the help of Mark Mills but also introduced us to the power of 3Di,” said Frank. “We haven’t looked back since! Nigel is fantastic. We didn’t have any particular allegiance to any sailmaker at the time, but working with Nigel was such a great experience, it was obvious that choosing North Sails would be the right decision for our sailing.” Frank and John were excited to get back on the water again; their season was delayed until mid-June due to COVID restrictions, so they arranged for Nigel to see what they needed to get their boat up to speed to be competitive at their local club. “Nigel stepped on board, and it was a world of difference,” said John. “We got a new 3Di ENDURANCE 760 mainsail and a new #2 and #3 jib, and we were ready to go. From the first day we hoisted our new sails, things have never been the same!” This year, Prince of Tides has won just about everything they’ve come up against in IRC non-spin, and both Frank and John are very excited about what their future holds. They recently competed in the Cobh to Black Rock race and won with a really fast finish time. “People were asking us if it was a record we broke, said Frank. “The following week we also won the Naval Race White Sail division.” Nigel commented, “This year’s Cobh to Black Rock race was a quick one. Prince of Tides had the fastest elapsed time of all the classes at just 57 minutes and 18 seconds, although hard to compare with the Spinnaker one division as we started 10 minutes after them, but even so, a great performance from the team. Frank and John’s new set up has set the tone for many good things to come.” Prince of Tides crossing the finishline in the Cobh to Black Rock race, where they took first place. 📸 Bob Bateman Having a Reliable Sailmaker is Vital for Success. “What sets 3Di apart from traditional materials we’ve used is that it doesn’t stretch. We can see the camber lines on the sail, which help us trim properly. North Sails has completely changed our perspective on racing. Before we were looking forward all the time, now we’re looking back at our competitors. It’s been a game-changer,” said John. “3Di has transformed everything,” said Frank. It has made such a difference in our sailing, speed, and has made it easy for us to find the right trim settings.” Prince of Tides started their Autumn sailing season just a couple of weeks ago with two bullets on two-four mile course races. Their biggest competition is an X-Boat. “She’s fast,” said John, “but we are faster now!” Working with Nigel Young + North Sails Ireland “Nigel’s attention to detail is just unlike anyone we’ve ever sailed with,” said John. “We learn so much every time we sail with him. From the headstay to the tiniest adjustments, he’s always communicating with us to tell us what we need to do, pushing us to be better sailors and make the most of time on the water.” “Nigel is passionate about sailing and about helping his clients perform their best,” said Frank. “His enthusiasm is unlike anything else we’ve had on board. If things are not going right, he makes sure we get it figured out quickly. His patience and enthusiasm have really motivated us to push harder each time we go out. We knew by choosing North Sails we would be most competitive, and we’ve been pleased with our decision.” How did they come up with Prince of Tides as a boat name? “It’s a great movie featuring Barbara Streisand and Nick Nolte. You best grab a bottle or two of wine for that one,” said Frank. Although the sailing season is coming to a pause for some, they will be sailing through mid- December in Ireland. Prince of Tides will be out there, aiming to continue their winning streak. 📸 Bob Bateman READ MORE

VENDÉE GLOBE 2020 VIDEO SERIES: EPISODE 1 Introducing Loïck Peyron as the North Sails Narrator of a Six-Part Video Series in the Lead Up to the 2020 Race Start The Vendée Globe was born in November 1989. It began as a daring challenge launched by a group of 13 sailors, including French navigator Loïck Peyron. For the skippers who participate, the lure of this race outweighs the risk of sailing non-stop, solo, and without assistance around the world. And for fans, we all gather every four years to be captivated by the next generation of IMOCAs, see who will reach the finish line and if we’re lucky, witness the setting of a new speed record. Peyron joins North Sails to lend his voice as our narrator in a six-part video series. He offers his perspective on this legendary race by telling the story of the exceptional skippers who dare take on the challenge, the passion that drives them, and the quest for open-ocean adventure. Beyond, the modern Vendee features the emergence of women and international sailors, the ever-evolving technology of the IMOCA, not to mention the growing enthusiasm amongst spectators and all those who are passionate about this unrivaled competition. Vendée Globe Special – Episode 1 – Thus was Born the Vendée Globe With his impressive list of accomplishments, and collection of offshore miles, Loïck Peyron is regarded as one of the greatest French sailors. He took part in the first edition of the Vendée Globe, where he finished second. In this first episode, he recounts the history of the Vendée Globe through his eyes, from its origins to the present day, a race that has left an indelible mark in people’s minds. READ MORE

CONNECTING KITING AND SAILING Steve Calder Brings Years of Sail Design Experience and a Passion for Kiting to a New Project 📸 Ydwer van der Heide It wasn’t flashy imagery or action sports videos that got Steve Calder, North Sails designer, interested in kiting. His love for the sport began when his son decided he wasn’t interested in sailing optis while the family was in Valencia, Spain working on America’s Cup. A couple of months later back in Delray Beach, Florida, Kai Calder, Steve’s son, called his dad down to the beach where he and some friends had a trainer kite set up. That Christmas, Kai was fully outfitted with all the gear needed to start his kiting career. He said, “come on Dad. It’s just water, it’s wind. It’s all the stuff you do. But it’s something that I like doing and it’s kind of an expressive sport.” As a result, Calder was hooked on the sport too. Kai is now a professional foil racer on the Pro World Tour, taking after his dad developing and innovating new gear for the sport he loves. Steve Calder is one of the most lauded designers at North Sails, starting as a great sailor, winning a Bronze medal for Canada in the Soling class at the 84’ Olympics, and upwards from there. He has designed for programs like BMW Oracle Racing, Artemis, Ericsson, Puma Ocean Racing, and Rambler; and was instrumental in the development and the continued development of the Helix Structured Luff system. Calder has seen North Sails through many iterations of America’s Cup sails, as the rule has evolved. Calder is the pinnacle of sail design at North Sails, designing, engineering, and putting forth revolutionary products applied to the boats that are the highest caliber in the sport. He’s one of the lead designers that the North Sails Design team turns to for guidance in solving design challenges. The company looks to Calder to help guide them in aerodynamic and structural solutions for Grand Prix products and Grand Prix customers. “The goal of a sailmaker is to provide the best aerodynamics solution for a set of objectives,” says JB Braun, Director of Design and Engineering at North Sails. “Steve’s love of creating faster sail designs has driven him to the top of the sport of sailing. He gets intimately involved with the structure of the sails. He’s exploring new ways of working with materials, like 3Di to refine sail structure. You give him a challenge and he’s right in it, making sure that the design satisfies the customer’s goals.” Calder uses the North Design Suite for designing top end, leading-edge solutions for race boats. The sophisticated, proprietary software, allows North designers to push the boundaries of sail design and be confident in the results. Calder is combining the North Sails foundation of data-driven design with his own intuition, as a kiteboarder, and applying it to the kites to help innovate and create the next generation. Steve Calder tests a prototype. Courtesy Steve Calder. Taking on a kite design project was an exciting and very different challenge for the designer, what he brings to the table here is his ability to innovate and apply his aero expertise that can be prototyped and applied to kite designs. Calder began working with sailmaker Dave Little and the North Kiteboarding chief designer, Pat Goodman, who is an industry authority on kite design and innovation. Goodman’s ability to understand and translate rider requirements into high-performance kite designs puts him among the world’s most awarded, respected, and successful kite designers. The team, combining their respective skills and knowledge, have found it fascinating to brainstorm and push the envelope with kite design and its applicability across a wider audience. Starting from scratch and having the opportunity to work with Pat Goodman is a dream in some ways for Calder. Goodman is known for being the guru of kite design, in the same way that Calder is with sails, he is able to fly a kite and sense what can be streamlined to make the product better. “It just kind of kept moving on from there.” Says Calder, “North Kiteboarding hired Dave to do further explore the development for the kites. And we became a team, I wanted to be involved. We built several prototypes and put them to the test. Some of the impetus for the 2021 launch of the new North kites was a result of our collective work. Dave and I gave some input to that process.” Pat Goodman says, “it’s so nice to have that opportunity to bring together the North Sails design and material development expertise into the mix. A modern day dream team working towards the goal of crafting a perfect kite.” Steve and Kai on the water together. Photo courtesy Steve Calder. “The core aerodynamic principles are the same,” says Calder, “it’s all, lift and drag. Having an idea and appreciation for how a kite or wind wing behaves and what the requirements are to build a good wing are the first principles of aerodynamics. In a way, it’s similar to designing sails but in other ways, it’s brand new. You can make a kite that’s too stiff, right. And oftentimes with sails, you can’t make a sail stiff enough. With kiting there are all sorts of design acumen that you would have that doesn’t relate really to sails at all because the kites behave in an entirely different way.” Calder says that for most kiters, choosing a kite is all about the feel, whether they understand the physics or not, a concept that translates easily for sailors who are interested in getting into the sport. If you can find the groove in a sailboat, you can likely tell the difference between a well-designed kite and a lemon. There is an opportunity to set a higher design benchmark in the kite industry and Pat Goodman is at the peak. “Goodman has basically spent a lifetime designing kites. As much as I’ve spent my life devoted to sailboats and performance sailing,” says Calder, “I can get on any boat and I can look up and tell what will improve the performance of that boat, whether it’s the boat, the sails, or the rig. Goodman can do that with a kite.” Most sailors will find that kiting augments their sailing experience, as the basic principles are very similar. Pulling down on the bar is similar to pulling in the mainsheet. Making adjustments to the center lines on a kite is similar to tuning the check stays on a sailboat. 📸 Ydwer van der Heide In Calder’s words, “that’s changing the entry angle of the kite. As you pull down, you power the kite, you pull the entry angle down, so you basically release the trailing edge. By doing so, the more you open it up, you’ll notice that the kite’s going to luff, and you’re de-powering the kite. Like when you ease your check stay on a sailboat, the sail gets flatter, and therefore you can sheet it harder.” In a way, when kiting, your body takes the place of the boat. If you are sailing upwind, and the boat gets a puff, everyone feels it and hikes a little harder. The helmsman makes an adjustment. Kiting makes you more attuned to the wind and allows you to take immediate advantage of that puff, instantaneously, you can edge up and gain speed. There is nothing between you and the power of the kite. “The feel is amazing.” Says Calder, “if a teammate is sitting on the rail sailing with us and leans over and asks, ‘Hey, what about kiting? You’re really into that. What do you think about it?’ I tell them, the first time I jumped on a laser as a kid, all I wanted to do was pull the centerboard up and just go planing around because it was really fun. The boat was fast, the water was flying everywhere. Anytime the conditions are conducive to kite, it’s the starting point for kiting. And it only gets better from there…” READ MORE

SPOTLIGHT ON PARK CITY SAILING At Park City Sailing, an Empty Boat is a Wasted Opportunity In the Wasatch Mountain Range, the team at Park City Sailing has created a sailing haven, where people from all backgrounds, in all stages of life, have experiences and make memories on the water that stretch beyond the sport. Park City generally brings to mind winter Olympic games, extreme snow sports, and high-end resorts, but nestled under the slopes of Deer Valley Ski Resort is the Jordanelle Reservoir, 6,200 feet above sea-level where Executive Director Scott VerMerris conducts socially impactful sailing programs from May to October. VerMerris studied human development and family studies and has an extensive background in alternative forms of education and therapy. The adaptive program accommodates people of all abilities, adapting their fleet to handle sailors with visual impairment, amputation, cognition, autism, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, hearing impairment among others. Similarly, the therapeutic program is a space for those whose impairments may not be visible to those around them. Park City Sailing is an innovator in the utilization of mindfulness as a component of the sailing experience. Participants include veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, struggling with addiction, children, and families supporting a family member with mental or chronic illness. The program is a recipient of the Robbie Pierce Award for outstanding adaptive programming. The idea began with Ken Block, former Vice President director of Park City Sailing. Block is retired now, but his passion for the programs is still a major part of his life, and he is involved with countless organizations that promote accessibility in sailing. Block did not enter the sport of sailing in a typical way. He did not come from a family of sailors, but he knew he had an emotional connection to the sport, so he worked his way onto several Swans competing offshore and eventually he campaigned 3 International Etchells. Initially, Park City Sailing started as a Tuesday night around-the-cans Laser sailing, but with Block’s passion, it grew into the program it is today. A turning point was when the SEAS program in Sheboygan put out a notice that they were looking to donate their fleet of eight Elliot 6 Meters. Park City Sailing worked very hard to get the boats, calling upon now retired North Sails expert Tom McLaughlin to help them close the deal. McLaughlin was one of the program’s first and best volunteers. “It’s a very positive experience,” says McLaughlin. “We did a lot of sailing with wounded warriors, special needs people of all ages, people with learning disabilities, and so on. To really see their sort of joy or freedom when they’re on the water was really heartening because a lot of these people were beaten down, or told they can’t do things. We put them behind the tiller and encouraged them, ‘you can do this!'” He continues, “the beauty of being on a big open lake is that you chart your own course. You go where you want to go. You don’t have to stay on a path, there is symbolic freedom in that.” “Our way of introducing the boats to the community was a partnership with the National Ability Center based in Park City,” says Block. “They brought 24 wounded women warriors, to our program and we took them out sailing. The impact on us was palpable, that while sailing is a lot more than taking two turns off the lower to see if we can get a little more power to go through the lump on the next beat. We actually made a difference in people’s lives.” Park City Sailing continued to strengthen its relationship with The National Ability Center to create their own programs. Those programs have grown into the current work done at Park City Sailing. The program works with groups and individuals, like Big Brother, Big Sister, to specific requests, like one terminal patient named George, whose final wish was to go sailing one last time. When sailors ask about the program, Block says, “There’s a reason why you’re still sailing after 30, 40, in my case, 60 years.” And it’s not, ‘Hey, how can I induce a little bit more prebend today?’ No, that’s not what it’s all about. Something happened the first time you got on a sailboat that made you continue to get on a sailboat decade after decade.” The stories that Scott VerMerris and Ken Block share about the sailors in the program are hopeful, powerful stories about inclusivity and the positive effect that participation in sport and being outside can have on our lives. One participant, Dani, had recently lost her husband to suicide when she went on the water with Park City Sailing. Dani started to open herself up to share her story and talk to others about her experience. Another sailor, Sarah, was in a mountain bike crash that left her paralyzed. After the accident, she felt hopeless but learning to sail made her feel proud to be disabled. “I always have this limiting thing going on in my head and can’t fully have fun. For the first time, I completely let everything go and I was so happy and laughing and cackling and having the time of my life,” said Sarah of the experience. Another is Shane, an improvised explosive device specialist in Afghanistan who was suffering from severe anxiety and PTSD, who shared after a day on the water, “Today, I found a place where I feel safe.” Now, Shane continues his recovery and has gone back to school to become a recreational therapist himself. These benefits have strong enough data behind them that Block and VerMerris have co-authored two scientific papers on their experiences under the guidance of Dr. William Marchand of the Salt Lake VA hospital. on their experiences. They encourage other programs to expand their horizons to work with a more diverse audience. VerMerris says, “We can all benefit from good mental health, and sailing can contribute to well being. We’ve become fascinated with the effects that combining mindfulness, meditation, being outdoors, learning about sailing, a new skill that involves physics, and nature, and science, and all these different things, as well as comradery, can treat post-traumatic stress disorder.” “The more you spend time in a cockpit of a J/22 with three or four people in recovery, you’re like, “Wow, these are amazing stories,” says Block. Tom McLaughlin, who was hired by Lowell North in 1967, and has been involved with countless high-performance programs, attests that his hours spend volunteering with Park City Sailing strengthened his love of the sport. “I will reach out and I’ll help others because it not only is it rewarding, but it regenerates your love for sailing. And I think no matter how good of a sailor you are, even on the professional level, if you don’t really love it, you’re not going to do it as well. “When you sail, like for an America’s Cup program and you’re working six and a half days a week, and your focus is on incremental improvement. It’s easy to lose sight of the original joy that brought you into it. Volunteerism is something that allows you to work with people that have never been exposed to sailing or are struggling with real-life problems, and to see them leave those problems onshore and have some real joy, that takes the competitor and harkens back to that happy place. That gets you through another week of the grind of going out and sail testing and boat testing.” Block makes himself a resource for those who want to share their time on the water, and encourages people in the sport to lean-in to adaptive inclusivity, even if they might feel uncomfortable at first. VerMerris adds, “I think that’s why any member joins. It’s so that they can escape the stresses of whatever lives onshore and get out on the water as we all do. Our program also focuses specifically on how we can use our boats to offer people experiences that have different physical abilities, or different cognitive abilities, or the two combined.” The team attests that starting a socially-impactful sailing program begins locally, partnering with groups like adaptive sports centers, any therapeutic treatment center, or their local VA. “Be fearless in reaching out to the community,” says Block. Sending instructors to US Sailing’s adaptive sailing course adds to their confidence levels. Block raises his hand to speak at as many events as he can, and also offers his personal cell phone number up as a resource (you can email us for it.) The work done at Park City Sailing is proof that sailing is good for our well-being, giving participants transferable skills that relate when you get home and the stresses of real life. No matter the walk of life, we can all benefit from more time spent under sail. READ MORE

CLIENTS GIVE NEW LIFE TO AN OLD BOAT The Rebuild & Sail Inventory Upgrade on Mumm 36 Boogie Flash 📸 Lissa Reyden / Live Sail Die Local sailors and longtime friends David Wyeth and Vaughan Hunt rehab racing boats as a hobby. The pair spend a lot of time together, participating in weeknight sailing around Auckland and an occasional doublehanded race throughout the season. But what they love most about co-owning a boat is the rebuilding process. “If the boat is perfect, where’s the fun in that,” David remarked.“Most of our enjoyment of this co-ownership is the journey to get her back on track,” said David. “Reinventing systems, changing hardware–it’s about building something and seeing the project come to life. Our conversations aren’t about how we win races; rather, we can focus on keeping the boat moving forward and going quicker.” What about Boogie Flash drew David and Vaughan’s attention? David and Vaughan owned a few boats together, most recently, Moving Violation, an Elliot 5.9, which they had for 15 years. Once they ran out of things they could do, they were ready to tackle a new project. “We found this old Mumm 36, called Boogie Flash,” said David. “She needed some work, but it’s been a fun challenge, and we have both enjoyed our time figuring out how to improve every aspect of the boat.” “There was nothing particularly attractive about her,” David explained. “But she had potential. We were most attracted to the fact that she looked like she needed saving.” David and Vaughan race the Boogie Flash in the Rum Series on Friday nights and the partake in the summer series on Wednesday’s which will go through January. “There’s a few two-handed races in there that we try to fit in as well,” said Vaughan. “The Mumm 36 wasn’t designed to be two-handed, but we’ve got her in great shape for it these days, and boy, is she fun!” New sails made a difference. Talking to our team at North Sails, new sails bring life to older boats. Coming up with a new sail plan, changing the deck layout, seeing how things go, that’s what we like most. It’s about the whole process, not just about the racing.” Sail expert Andrew Wills and sail designer Mickey Ickert at North Sails in Auckland were hands-on to help David and Vaughan design a sail package to get Boogie Flash back in action. “We decided to go with a full 3Di RAW upwind inventory. Boogie Flash now has a square-top main and a new #1 & #2 jib. We cut a hole in the bow and installed a retractable pole, allowing us to add a brand new, huge symmetric kite. At the moment, the hull looks like a stolen and recovered car, but our sails are gorgeous,” David remarked. Mickey Ickert designed sails for David in the 90s, so he knew Mickey would be the right choice for this new project. “We talked about what we were looking for in new sails, how we could optimize the rig, and fine-tune our settings to make her faster,” said David. “He designed a big symmetrical kite with broad shoulders, and it amped up our off-wind sailing. We also got a new #1 jib, which trims block to block like a dream.” 📸 Lissa Reyden / Live Sail Die The duo modified the boat from its original factory settings, which made it more of a challenge. David commented, “Working with Andrew and Mickey made the sail part easy. When we hoisted our jib for the first time–it was perfect.” “Every day we put the sails up, you could feel the difference,” said Vaughan. “The boat just lit up. It was effortless. The sails and rig are now balanced, and the boat builds speed constantly. Boogie Flash is so much faster and points four degrees higher compared to where she was when we bought her.” North sail designer Mickey Ickert enjoyed working with David and Vaughan on their new project. “The most interesting part about projects like these is that an existing hull can be upgraded and still be competitive with the right sail inventory. The Mumm 36 is a great platform and a fast boat. The communication between David, Vaughan, Andrew, and myself was vital in this project’s success. The guys encouraged us to get larger sails on the rig and looked for solutions that were not driven by rule constraints.” “Andrew was helpful because of his excellent knowledge of the racing format and was the perfect facilitator in this project’s communication,” said Mickey. “Once we had the ideas, I shared visuals with David and Vaughan using North Design Suite, which is a great way to show boat owners what we envision. By the end of the day, everyone was on the same page.” What do David and Vaughan enjoy most about working with their local North Sails team? “What we like about the support we’ve received from the North team is that they understand us and the boat. They know what we are looking for and understand what type of sailing we do. North has the best advice and the right sail options. Being fast out of the box is the bonus. We haven’t looked back since,” said Vaughan. “It was like night and day. You could instantly feel the difference. Having a straight mast, new sails and wide spreaders swept back 20 degrees; we don’t need to use the runners all the time; thanks to Andrew and Mickey, we found the sweet spot for headsail trim.” 📸 Lissa Reyden / Live Sail Die READ MORE

#NSVICTORYLIST: MC SCOW MASTERS Q & A With Overall Winner, Matt Fisher Congratulations to 2020 MC Scow Masters Champions Matt & Lisa Fisher! 📸 Regatta Girl Photography We spoke to 2020 MC Scow Masters Champion, Matt Fisher, to get the full download what has helped him raise the bar to be even more competitive in the MC Scow fleet. NS: Where and when did it all start for you? Matt: I have been sailing MC Scows for 12 years out of Hoover Sailing Club, Fleet 54. We have about 25 boats in the fleet and get about 10-15 on the line every Wednesday and Friday. It is a tenacious fleet. I sailed quite a bit this summer and am in 4th place in local fleet standings. I grew up at Buckeye Lake YC about 30 miles east of Columbus, sailing the Lightning and Thistle. We moved to Hoover about 35 years ago. NS: How did you prepare for the MC Masters under the current sailing conditions? Matt: Hoover Sailing Club has been very active this summer. We have not had social activities at the club, but 2020 has been one of the healthiest years of participation that I can remember. Between sailing the MC Scow, the Laser, and crewing for my son Stu on the Thistle, I have sailed more in 2020 than I have since college. I sailed at least 35 races with the MC Scow fleet this summer and had a lot of time to practice. As I mentioned, we have a highly competitive fleet, and one of our fleet members, Ted Keller, is one of the top 2 or 3 in the class. He won the MC Scow Blue Chip five times and is considered one of the fastest MC sailors in the class. Ted and I did one-on-one tuning – or sometimes maybe 3 or 4 boats came out – 20 + times since April. I am retired, so going out on a Tuesday morning when conditions are right was easy to organize. During our practices, we focused on straight-line speed, boat handling, gear changing, and more. I did this with Ted before the Nationals in 2014, where we gook 2n and 4th overall. We practiced last year before the 2019 Masters, where we placed 1st and 2nd overall. Ted is a great coach and has brought me along. I spent a lot of time in the boat this summer working on boat handling. When comparing notes with other folks at the Master’s Nationals, this past week, a lot of fleets in the MC class had a strong year despite, or really because of COVID. NS: You have used the Z- Max Sail for some time. Can you give us a few tips on set up and trim? And why do you prefer this model? Matt: The Z – Max mainsail is the only sail I have used since I have been sailing MCs. I follow the North Sails tuning guide and have been much more conscious of knowing the tune numbers than in previous years. The week before the regatta, we knew we would get some big breeze at Clear Lake. We had a light day Friday and two medium to heavy days Saturday and Sunday. I tightened the forestay on Friday night a few turns. The Z-Max is easy to use, but if I have any issues, its because I am over trimming. I am getting better at using the telltale in reference to the top batten, which has helped a ton. NS: You started off the regatta with a 1-1 on Friday. You must have been fast. What can you tell us about this? Matt: Going from Thistles and Lightnings to an MC Scow has always been a big adjustment for me, and I think it is more challenging to make a new boat go well in lighter air than in a breeze. I have always been impressed with people like Allan Terhune, my brother Greg, and Skip Dieball, who would go to three different class midwinters three weeks in a row. Most of the tuning that Ted and I did was in lighter wind speeds, under 10 knots. Most of our club races were in light air also. With a scow, keeping a constant angle of heel and having the ability to change gears quickly is the key to having the best speed in the softer conditions. Keeping the boat going through the lulls and making the 2-3 adjustments to weight and trim make a huge difference. On Friday, I was able to get good starts and clear lanes so I could go where I wanted. The conditions changed drastically, from blowing about 10-12 in the morning on Friday to less than 5 knots by the end of the second race. We went from sailing the shifts to sailing for pressure and were able to keep the boat moving. I was very fortunate and borderline lucky on Friday to get off the line clean and then have a good lane on the first tack. But changing gears and staying in the breeze was essential for getting out in front of the fleet. NS: When it’s windy, you sail with your wife, Lisa. It must be great to share the racing aspect with her. What does she do onboard to help in windier conditions? Matt: That is one of the neat things about sailing scows. We can take on crew up until the 5-minute gun. I am in the “middleweight” category, and its an advantage to take on an additional crew with its blowing 12+. At the masters, it seemed like 80% of the boats took an additional crew on Saturday and Sunday. I think some of the big guys don’t like the rule, and I understand why. But it does help allow kids and spouses to sail. I like it when so many boats bring on an additional crew because everyone sails a similar lane. I will say that Lisa and I only went out to practice a couple of times before the event, and it showed on Saturday. We weren’t quite as good at holding our lanes; I started trimming a little looser on Sunday, and we were going much better. What is kind of funny is that now the only time that Lisa sails with me is when conditions are over 12mph. We sailed Snipes together for a long time and Lightnings and Thistles, so it’s very relatable. She is a great crew. Lisa also has the best, high-tech gear to keep her warm and dry, which is perfect because when it’s windy, it’s chilly, which is when I need her. It has made the Christmas season much easier to navigate too. A couple of years ago, I got her a drysuit. She tried it on and looked good in it. But she then realized she would only need it during cold and windy conditions. She sent it back because she didn’t want to sail in those conditions, but it has been fun to sail together, and it has allowed us both to get more involved in the class. NS: What are your future MC Regattas on the schedule? Matt: I am hoping that the Florida circuit will take place. There are three regattas at Lake Eustis, one in November, another in early February, and then the Midwinters. It is an excellent break from the winter months up north, and we have enjoyed being able to go south to sail regattas in February and March. We expect a crazy winter, so we have not made plans yet, but I hear that regattas will happen. We hope to go, but I will admit we are more on the cautious side of COVID. Looking for race-winning sails? You can now order directly from your North Sails expert. Call or email us today for the same quality, consistency, and expertise. We look forward to helping you make the most of your next event. Ask an Expert Tuning Guide Shop Sails MC Scow Class News READ MORE

THE STORY OF ARGO: PART III A New Adventure on the Mediterranean Read Part I and Part II. Ingvar Ravelius had a dream when he was 24-years-old that he wanted to build his Opal 46, Argo, and sail around the world. 10 years later, in 1984, he had sailed across the Atlantic ocean and around the Caribbean. When he was ready to take off, he met his future wife Leena, sold everything, and sailed away, departing from Sweden then on to the Mediterranean with no plans to return. Ingvar and Leena sailed from Gibraltar, east along the Spanish coast, then to Ibiza to visit their friends. They stayed in Ibiza a couple of weeks to pull Argo out of the water for maintenance. While Argo was on the hard, they flew home to Stockholm for a couple of weeks. After sailing for 6 months straight, flying home in just four hours felt strange for the couple. When they returned to Ibiza, they sailed east, deeper into the Mediterranean. Their adventures the following year took them to Mallorca, Menorca, Sardegna, Malta, and Greece. One sunny day in Lavrion, Greece, Argo was docked and Ingvar was working on deck. He was sanding the varnished surfaces to get the boat to shine, taking great care of each detail. The tender to Argo was tied to the side of the hull when Ingvar was working. He was so concentrated on his work that he did not notice that his tender had floated away, and the only thing left was the short end of the line, tied to Argo. Ingvar was frustrated that it could’ve been stolen, and was convinced that someone swam out and cut the rope. Dismayed, Ingvar and Leena decided to pull Argo for maintenance once again and spend their winter at home in Sweden. They made friends with a fellow Swede, who was driving back to Sweden after a road trip to Greece. They joined him for the return trip back home. Upon their return, they planned to sail through the Mediterranean and across the Atlantic Ocean down to the Caribbean. But that plan changed soon after they came home to Sweden. In December of 1985, shortly after they arrived in Stockholm. Leena and Ingvar found out that Leena was pregnant. They couldn’t go back to their adventure as soon as they planned. Leena stayed home in Stockholm until I, John, was born in August of 1986. Ingvar went back and forth to Argo to check up on her. In March of 1987, they returned to Greece with me as a newborn to set off once again. I was 7 months old when I saw Argo for the first time. She was on land in Olympic Marina, in Lavrion, Greece. Ingvar had bought a new tender. He wrote with big letters on it: TENDER to ARGO and then put a lot of layers of varnish on it. My father is extremely picky and careful with all the things when it comes to the boat. The red inflatable tender is now over 34 years old and is still the Tender to Argo today, it has been with the boat as long as I have. We sailed away through the islands of Greece and into Turkey. By my first birthday in August of 1987, we had docked in Bodrum. A man selling fruits at a market started talking to my parents about my blond hair. They told him that it was my first birthday and he gave me a watermelon as a gift, which started a tradition. Since that day, I have enjoyed watermelon on all of my birthdays. It was on this adventure, I took my first steps, onboard Argo. READ MORE

TF35: FLIGHT CONTROL A New Class Launches on Lake Geneva 📸 Loris Von Siebenthal Their take off was a bit delayed but the newly developed foiling TF35 fleet recently met on Lake Geneva for the first of two training weekends. The sessions provide sailors, class organizers and the development team an opportunity to see their vision in action, and trial a format for future regattas. For North Sails, these early training days serve as a chance to analyze the performance of the new TF35 sails. The TF35 is built on an ambitious design brief; bringing top-level foiling to a wider range of sailors. While the idea of an accessible, high-performance foiler sounds like a strange pairing, a big focus of the training weekend was testing out and then dialing in the boat’s flight control system, which makes the platform more stable and safe. A mere 6 knots of TWS downwind are needed for take-off and the TF35 gets foiling upwind in 8 knots TWS. The flight control system brings stability and safety to the platform, addressing the class’s wish to make a high-performance foiling experience available to more owners. 📸 Loris Von Siebenthal Lake Geneva is known for varying conditions, but the weekend presented ideal weather for dialing in the TF35. Arnaud Psarofaghis, sail designer and Alinghi co-helmsman said: “Our specific wind conditions on the lake are really challenging in terms of sail range, boat can accelerate quickly, boat speed can vary from 12 to 20 knots within 2 knots of TWS.” The much anticipated training session saw dream conditions on Lake Geneva, allowing the race committee to complete nine races in winds ranging from 4 – 12 knots. It was a unique opportunity for each of the seven TF35 crews to assess their level and progress within the fleet after training independently over the summer months. 📸 Loris Von Siebenthal Summarizing the weekend, North Sails Suisse director Pierre Yves Jorand said, “It was a very rewarding weekend we were able to test the TF35 in different sail configurations. The objective of the series is to have boats that offer the great experience of foiling in the typical Lake Geneva conditions. It’s now up to us to optimize the sail combination and boat set up to maximize the level of fun and performance of the boat in the lead up the 2021 TF35 Trophy Championship.” North Sails has been deeply involved in the development of this new class and our lofts in Switzerland and France worked together to outfit teams with North 3Di. 📸 Loris Von Siebenthal Patrick Mazuay, North sail designer, member of TF35 Class design team responsible for sail development explains: “We have seen a great improvement already in just one weekend from all of the crews. As one of the sail suppliers, all of us at North Sails are thrilled to see the positive development of everyone on the water. We now have the advantage of the October training session to improve and tweak the sail configuration.” The overall feeling on sails from everyone involved at the end of the three days training is of great satisfaction, both performance and robustness wise. Coming up next on October 9-12 is test event #2. Learn more about the class here. 📸 Loris Von Siebenthal READ MORE

SWAN TUSCANY CHALLENGE Successful Worlds Warm-Up For ClubSwan 50 Clients 📸 Nautor Swan / Studio Borlenghi Days before the Swan Tuscany challenge began, owners were rallying their teams as organizers pulled together to put on a successful event. Yachting, in the midst of coronavirus, hasn’t been easy, but members of the class were eager to make the first real event of the season happen, on short notice. With scheduled events canceled for the class across the calendar this summer, one of those events, the Rolex Swan Cup in Porto Cervo, the Swan Tuscany Challenge was a late addition to the schedule and brought 13 ClubSwan 50 teams to the starting line to battle for a podium finish. The racecourse served as a preview for the extremely close competition ahead of Swan One Design Worlds in Scarlino, Italy in October. The success of the last-minute event is, no doubt, a testament to the strength of the Swan class and the owner’s dedication to the fleet. The North Sails ClubSwan 50 Class Expert Arnd Howar on EarlyBird, was thrilled to be back out on the water. He commented, “The biggest highlight was this event coming together in such short notice. For teams to act fast shows the true strength of the ClubSwan 50 class. It is a testament of commitment from each program to get a fleet of 13 boats to the event, and pull off a successful regatta.” “It was great to see teams spending more time preparing and tuning at the dock to be ready for the Worlds in a few weeks,” said Howar. “The racing was unbelievably close, which shows just how competitive the Worlds will be,” he commented. Hatari leading the ClubSwan 50 fleet around the offset 📸 Nautor Swan / Studio Borlenghi “After seeing the fleet together last week, it shows that anyone has a chance, and each team will bring everything they’ve got to win this Worlds,” North Sails Expert Daniele Cassinari onboard Cuordileone commented. The team had not sailed together for nearly a year, and it was vital for the group racing Cuordileone to get the rig tuned properly and gauge their performance in the fleet ahead of the world’s event. There were only about 20 sailing days this year for the class, and not all, but most teams were able to take advantage of that, which helped create a cohesive dynamic amongst the fleet. Howar commented, “I think it shows how strong the class is and how good communication among the owners makes the bond that much stronger. Setting up fleet practices and clinics are unique for the ClubSwan 50 class. The Class wouldn’t have been as successful without Nautor Swan, the boat owners, and crews for their communication that helped keep us together this season.” Marcus Brennecke’s Hatari, overall winners of the 2020 Swan Tuscany Challenge, Club Swan 50 📸 Nautor Swan / Studio Borlenghi Tactician Markus Wieser on winning ClubSwan 50, Hatari, is elated with how well the fleet performed in Tuscany. Wieser is a familiar face around the sailing scene. He is involved in many classes, from the J/70 to the Superyacht range. The core team on Hatari sails TP52’s and also together on Maxi 72, Momo. “Being part of the Swan family for the first time– we felt very welcome. To race in this fleet with 13 boats on the starting line was extraordinary. That’s one design sailing at its best!” Once August came around, the Hatari team trained together with other teams at clinics, which was vital once Copa del Rey got canceled. Wieser commented, “We were building confidence while sailing in Palma, and so were the other teams. That time in the boat helped us win this first event in Tuscany, and was a great feeling of accomplishment. Things were on point for us. Our crew work, our set up. Our skipper, Marcus Brennecke, did an excellent job driving the boat, too.” Well matched, highly competitive one design racing for the ClubSwan 50 fleet. 📸 Nautor Swan / Studio Borlenghi “The competition was very tough,” said Wieser. “We didn’t have it easy. We were always fighting to be in the top-end of the fleet each race.” The ClubSwan 50 fleet is unbelievably tight. Any mistakes made would push you back. Once you lost that one-up, it was tough to get back into range with the race leaders,” said Wieser. “In one-design classes, the boats are practically identical, so everyone is very closely matched. “That’s the best part about this type of racing. It’s an even playing field.” The Worlds are currently scheduled for October 13-17th, and Hatari plans to be there. Racing location means everything, and the class goes above and beyond when choosing venues that will give sailors the best possible racing conditions. “Scarlino was a superb host for all of us,” said Wieser. “Especially considering they had very little time to prepare for this event.” North Sails Grand Prix expert Ignacio Braquehais (Nacho) onboard second-place finisher, Stefan Heidenreich’s OneGroup is honored to be a part of the ClubSwan 50 Project, “It’s not only about increasing the number of boats on the line,” said Nacho, “but also to make sure that each team is optimized and at the highest level of competition. We want to share our experiences and help each team evolve, not only in technical ways but also in trimming and tuning.” “The 2020 Swan Tuscany Challenge was the perfect warm-up after this last COVID lockdown in Italy,” Braquehais explained. “It was apparent that all teams are grateful for the support they’ve received from both the class and North Sails.” 📸 Nautor Swan / Studio Borlenghi Full Results READ MORE

THE LAST WARM-UP BEFORE THE VENDEE GLOBE Less Than Two Months To Go! With less than two months to go before the start of the Vendée Globe, the IMOCA skippers are taking one last chance to measure themselves in the warm-up finale, the Défi Azimut. The Défi Azimut is a competition born in the heart of the Lorient Sailing Valley (based in Brittany, France), the cradle of offshore racing and technology, and “a breeding ground for skills”, as Jean-Marie Corteville, creator of the Défi Azimut and President of Azimut, points out. Created at the initiative of the IMOCA class, the Défi Azimut brings together the skippers of the Vendée Globe, and the Lorient based company Azimut, with the mission of combining performance, innovation, and strategy, in the image of what the Sailing Valley conveys. Since its launch in 2011, it has not denied its success and has brought together more than 70 sailors, including the winners of major competitions. It serves as a dress rehearsal before the major transatlantic races that punctuate the nautical calendar from year to year, the Transat Jacques Vabre and the Route du Rhum, and the prestigious quadrennial Vendée Globe set to begin on November 8, 2020. 20 IMOCAs, with 15 foilers, are participating in the 2020 edition of the race. The race began on September 9th with the speed run, a pure speed trial along a 1.5-mile course. A spectacle to view from the shore, these runs are a chance for the teams to push their boats, sails, and spectators’ heartbeats to the limit. Jérémie Beyou (Charal, defending champion), Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut), Kevin Escoffier (PRB), Clarisse Crémer (Banque Populaire), Sébastien Simon (Arkea-Paprec), Charlie Dalin (Apivia), Isabelle Joschke (MACSF), Armel Tripon (L’Occitane en Provence), Alan Roura (La Fabrique), Romain Attanasio (Pure – Best Western), Fabrice Amedeo (Newsrest Arts & Fenêtres) and Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian Group) are among the competitors of the 10th edition of the Défi Azimut and are equipped with North sails. 📸: Ronan Lafaix – L’Occitane en Provence / Défi Azimut Whether aboard their latest generation foiling monohull or older boats, the IMOCA skippers look forward to this post-summer challenges as they resume their regular training schedules, The Défi Azimut is comprised of three major events over five days: The Speed Run: Crewed speed trials to try and set the best time. Several possible attempts (between 2 and 4) for each of the crews composed of a maximum of eight people. 48H Azimut: The flagship race within the event, the 48 hour, 500-mile single-handed race allows for a media man/woman on board to allow the public to experience the daily life of the sailors. Chrono Tour du Groux: The record of the round the island of Groix with a reduced crew. The record is held by French sailor Vincent Riou in 2015, who covered 17 miles in 1 hr 8 min 10 seconds. This varied and intense race format will allow the performance of the boats to be evaluated and serves as a showcase to measure the technological differences. For 2020, the technology challenge is paying attention to the foils, and how they interact with the daggerboards, which continue to prove their worth. All eyes will also be on the skipper’s choice of sails which is just as important as the adjustment of the foils, especially when reaching and downwind. Such a high-caliber race offers the competing teams the opportunity to carry out final equipment checks, make the final adjustments, and validate their choices before the big show. It will also allow sailors who were unable to compete in the Arctic Vendée last July to put their cards on the table and assess their level. “Every time the Kiwis, Australians, or English pass through here, they are impressed. The Défi Azimut is equal to Lorient, which has become the world center of ocean racing,” commented Malouin skipper Kevin Escoffier (PRB), 2nd in the 48-hour race in 2019. Sanitary measures will be put in place to ensure the smooth running of the event. Fans can stay up-to-date on the action here. 📸: Yann Riou / PRB   READ MORE

KEEPING UP WITH CHARLIE ENRIGHT North Sails Caught Up With the 11th Hour Racing Skipper on His Transat Delivery and Prepping for The Ocean Race Summit in Newport, RI. 📸: Amory Ross | 11th Hour Racing. Charlie Enright is a busy guy if he’s not gearing up for The Ocean Race learning his new IMOCA platform, he’s spearheading a sustainability campaign or collaborating with his team. North Sails managed to secure a few minutes with the 11th Hour Skipper ahead of The Ocean Summit in Newport and training on Narragansett Bay. North Sails: Tell us about delivering the boat to Newport. It was an eventful delivery with a new foil: it was wet, it was wild, it was upwind. It felt like a totally new boat with the new foil. Life onboard was tough, too – there were six of us, and there’s not much room down below! It’s a wild beast and it will take a while to tame. When you are down below, you feel like you are in a torture chamber, but up on deck, it’s a bit better than that. The living arrangements are something we need to work on, particularly on long trips. You’ve gone around the world several times now. You’re learning a new boat. How has that been for you? Stepping away from the Volvo 65 and jumping into the IMOCA Class? In our last two trips around the planet, we were racing in one-design boats so the IMOCA brings a level of development that we’re not familiar with. The design and the technological aspect is certainly a big step up, but one that we’re embracing and immersing ourselves int. The journey so far has been really rewarding. 📸: Amory Ross | 11th Hour Racing. As far as being hands-on with designing the boat and the sails, what have you picked up that’s different from your last two campaigns? Well, it’s always a fine line between science, naval architecture, engineering, and then feedback from onboard. So I think managing that relationship is key. Making sure that everyone is getting the information they need to make the best decisions. From there, we test and ratify those decisions on the water, essentially in the form of boat speed. What is an example of a project you’ve worked on with North sail designers? What kind of adjustments are made in the typical sail design process? Whether it’s sail shapes or sail sizes, there’s the science that goes into it. Then you have to construct it and then go out there and do the work. So I’d say that right now, we’re more in the geometry phase opposed to the finer details. We’re painting with a broad brush right now before we jump into the nitty-gritty because there’s just so much that you can explore with tack locations, heights, areas, overlaps, LPs. We’re going big in these beginning stages as the race start is two years away. You’ve been a team leader during this entire process. How have you stepped up in a different way from a one-design platform with the rest of your group to getting your team on the same page while you’re also learning too? The depth of what we’re doing is much, much greater. At this point, it’s not about, do we go left or do we go right, it’s about when going left or going right what kind of foils are we going to have? What kind of sails are we going to have? The number of decisions that need to be made has increased probably 100-fold, so managing that process has certainly been challenging at times and definitely a step up from where we’ve been in the past. 📸: Amory Ross | 11th Hour Racing. A popular question from our audience: During the TransAt, did you have the opportunity to do any speed testing? What was the top speed you’ve seen on the boat so far? Because we were upwind all the way over, we didn’t see the speeds that we’d seen in other conditions at other times, but we’ve easily seen 36 knots, no question. With the new foil the percentage increase in speed at the angles at which we were sailing was quite noticeable too. With the Ocean Race Summit quickly approaching on September 16th, tell us about your role as Newport local, and being able to experience this in your hometown. We don’t take for granted the fact that we live in a very active maritime coastal community and being able to contribute to that in the form of The Ocean Race Summit is a really important milestone in our campaign. It’s important to us to be entrenched in the community and to support and work with local marine businesses sharing what we have learned on our sustainability journey. So, there’s definitely a hometown aspect to it – to be developing these innovations and strategies together while also bringing back everything we’ve learned from afar to our hometown. We follow what a team like 11th Hour Racing is doing when you have sustainability absolutely embedded in the core of your offering, but what can marine businesses and sailors be doing in their communities? What’s really important to remember is that none of us are perfect, but we are all citizens and we can all play a role in supporting ocean regeneration. The first time I sailed around the world, my eyes were opened to the global problem our oceans were facing; the second time I started to consider what solutions we could be putting in place to mitigate the impact, and this time we want to be showcasing the solutions that are available and influencing change right from within the heart of the sailing industry. It’s not realistic to expect the entire sailing industry to end in order to contribute to slowing down or stopping climate change, so our task is to promote and influence change from within the marine industry by working with boat builders and manufacturers to encourage a change in mindset and processes to make systemic changes for the future. 📸: Amory Ross | 11th Hour Racing. Can you give an example of this? One example is how we have worked with your designers at North Sails to understand the digital footprint of our sail production process. It turns out that this is a measurable percentage of the overall manufacturing footprint, which makes sense when you consider the importance of design and analysis in the innovation development of our campaign. Now we understand what this footprint is, we can work together and look at how we can improve these processes and also consider what we can be doing to restore and regenerate where we have had the impact. This is our ultimate team goal: to be net positive. We are working with all our suppliers and partners to identify areas that can be improved and how we can innovate new solutions to create that change. Thanks to the support we have from our partner at 11th Hour Racing, we can share our learnings with other teams, businesses, and events. What’s next? I know you guys are sailing around Jamestown this weekend in the Sail for Hope Regatta, but as far as preparing for the Ocean Race, getting the boat ready, and getting the team comfortable, can you tell us any of the goalposts that you’ve set? We’ll be sailing out of here for the next six weeks and at the end of that six week period, we’re up against some pretty big design decisions. We’re trying to gather as much data as possible while training so we’re as educated as we can be when we have to make those final calls. Coming from the Volvo 65 full-send into the IMOCA, are you nervous? No, not really. Last summer in some ways was a bit intimidating because it was a new class and a new race format. I sailed doublehanded from France to Brazil, which is something I wouldn’t have dreamed of doing five years ago, but I think now that we’ve got some more bodies on the boat, it feels a little bit more natural and more like the sailing that we’ve all done in the past. READ MORE

TWICE ON TOP Argo Racing Breaks Two Records in a Doubleheader Week of Racing 📸: Rick Bannerot First, it was the Around Jamestown record, then it was the Vineyard Race, a mix of excellent conditions and determined crew gave Jason Caroll’s MOD70 Argo the opportunity to break, not one, but two records this week on New England waters. Is the team excited? Yes. Are they satisfied? No. North Sails sat down with Project Manager Chad Corning to talk about their titles, and what they are aiming for next. NS: What a week! Tell us about the sailing. Chad Corning: The first one was the around Jamestown record, which is a cool local record here in Newport. It’s about 19 miles around Conanicut Island in Narragansett Bay. We had been doing laps around Jamestown as a training exercise. In the MOD 70, it gives us a focused training session. It was probably been the fourth or fifth time that we had contemplating doing a lap of the island this summer. We got out on Tuesday, the wind was easterly, southeasterly, it was an okay direction for going around because you want an easterly or westerly to reach the whole time. So we got out and we got the boat ready to go, the sails up, and by the time we opted to start, the wind had become even more easterly, which made it even better. We were able to fetch out to Beavertail, have a nice fast Gennaker run down the backside of Jamestown, and then just have to do one tack on the way back up to the bridge. As it goes with records, everything needs to be perfect and it was a perfect day on Tuesday. The Vineyard Race was quite different, you look at the weather and you download it into the computer and it spits out a route and there’s a lot of modeling. Hypothetically, the record was possible, but the conditions in the forecast didn’t quite meet up. By the time we got back into the sound, it looked to be impossible because of light winds between the tower and Block Island and the entrance to the sound that was not really expected. Then things looked up, there was much more wind than forecast for the next leg, from the entrance to the sound to the finish. So all of a sudden we started ripping and started doing the math and made the decision to keep pushing the team. From the navigator’s desk, I knew it would be kind of five minutes either way with a couple of hours to go. It was an exciting few hours, the boat was lit and everyone was just kind of pushing as hard as we could. Which makes it very satisfying after an intense effort like that to get it that was really cool. It was just by a few minutes and it was kind of breaking the record that we set in 2018, but a record of a record and it was cool. With no other boats to race against, in a race like the Vineyard Race, it’s really the only way to kind of stay focused. So it was great to get it. 📸: Sharon Green / Ultimate Sailing NS: How did the sails and equipment affect the decision to keep pushing for the record in changing and building conditions? How was the performance of the boat? Corning: Our relationship with North Sails, starts with our sailmaker Fuzz Foster and Steve Calder our sail designer, it’s a great collaborative process with those guys and that sets us up to be very confident. We didn’t think twice about anything with the sails and we had a mixed sort of mixed inventory age-wise. We had our original 3Di main, we have a newer one, but didn’t use it. We had our original Gennaker which is two-plus years old. It’s been around the block, it’s been to Hawaii and we pushed that sail very hard and didn’t even think about it. We know that even if it’s older stuff, we can be confident in pushing just as hard as we want. We’ve had zero trouble and the sails have been perfect. In terms of North, I can’t give enough credit to Fuzz and Steve, in terms of how they set us up on all this, that’s the secret sauce. NS: Because of travel restrictions, your crew is mostly Americans, right? Corning: We have a great team of sailors. Some guys from the UK and France that we would normally have weren’t here because of travel restrictions, but that’s okay. We’ve got good people here in Newport and here in the US that we tap into. Seven out of eight onboard were American, other than Brian Thompson who came from the UK, who’s a multi-hull sort of God and he helps us sort of stay out of trouble. Charlie Ogletree has the same sort of status in terms of experience as Brian, so those two guys gave us sort of the depth of experience on the boat and then the rest of the team, it was Jason Carroll , myself, some guys here from Newport, and US sailors, all who have a lot of experience on the boat. It’s kind of a low drama, good chemistry team and that just makes everything very easy. Everyone’s got each other’s back and everyone knows what to do instinctually without … there’s very little verbal communication. It’s a bit of a machine. 📸: Rick Bannerot NS: What’s next for the Argo crew? Corning: A record that we really want is the Caribbean 600 record, which has been elusive, although we’ve tried a couple of times, so we are reconfiguring the boat with new foils and new rudders for this winter campaign and the campaign next year. We have a very focused program to start that race on the very best possible foot. So, hopefully, the conditions are such where that’s possible. Then next year we’ll be in Europe with the boat, for the Fastnet and Middle Sea Races. It’ll be cool to do the Fastnet on the new course for the first time and I suspect many of the hundred footers will race, so a record or anything line honors might be impossible for that race, but perhaps the Middle Sea race record is in our sights. Then maybe the last thing we have in the longterm plan is to perhaps try for the Route of Discovery record which is Spain over to the Bahamas in the fall. But that is obviously a pretty far out there and we’ll kind of see what happens with it. READ MORE

DOUBLEHANDED TEAMWORK Ken Read and Suzy Leech Share Their Latest Insights 📸: Billy Black Balancing team members’ strengths is a vital part of taking on double-handed offshore sailing. After days offshore as a pair, with Ken Read as skipper and Suzy Leech as tactician share the secrets that make their partnership a success on the racecourse. Click here to watch the team debrief their summer of racing and win in the Ida Lewis Distance Race. NS: How do you make navigational decisions as a team? Leech: Partnership is key- both crew need to know how to navigate. Teach your partner. Each person should do their own homework. Then come together and have a discussion. Read: We split the macro and micro navigation. I was primarily the question asker for specific micro navigation/tactical questions and Suzy would spend the time pouring through the data looking for the answers. And she was great at making sure we didn’t end up on the beach! 📸: Billy Black NS: What about race preparation? What are you doing before the start line? Leech: Preparation is even more important when sailing double-handed, use the season of training data … weeks of weather observations (which model is accurate this season), days of routing… keeps you oriented, especially when you don’t have time to calibrate. Read: Especially for these 24-hour races, it is imperative to leave the dock with a very clear view of the racecourse and the expected weather and sail choices for the racecourse. Fully crewed, you can pour over data and make decisions on the fly. Often we had some pretty straight forward preconceived notions of what was next and that certainly was a benefit in a 24-hour race. Leech: Make safe gains… No big flyers. Read: We thought we would be pretty fast and well prepared and there was really no need to be crazy. No question knowing the area of Rhode Island Sound helped the two races this summer. A lot of tidal features around Block Island for example and it certainly helped having sailed around there for 40 years! 📸: North Sails NS: How do you deal with something unexpected during the race? How do you prevent mistakes? Leech: When you are sailing, take the time to check, before the quick answer, especially when tired. Read: Being tired is the enemy of any race. Any distance. As well as food and water consumption. For sure we have gotten better at making sure we stay hydrated and there is enough food in us. This is key. And prepping with the right clothing. For sure with Suzy and I, we fell into the boat speed vs boat handling/nav roles. Just happens to be what we probably do best. There is no doubt in my mind that we would have to get better at the other person’s role, though as the longer the race the more the other person has to do more. Leech: Remember to stick to your guns – trust your gut (e.g. on the way home, current around Point Judith was ripping… based on homework done, should have given wider berth). Read: I think that was tired brains after a long night with zero sleep! These things happen. You have to be prepared and know where you are in the fleet scoring at the time. We thought we were pretty safely ahead on corrected time at that stage so we probably mentally fell asleep for a bit there. 📸: Billy Black Leech: Look at trends … forecasts may be off, but which one has been closest? What trend does it indicate will happen next? Read: It’s normal boat racing, really. Know the course, know the anticipated weather per leg, know the competition, know the strengths and weaknesses of your boat and sail inventory, and work within all of the above. Leech: Stick with the game plan! And know your competition. READ MORE

SESTO-COSBY MAKES WAVES IN THE OPTIMIST FLEET After Two International Regatta Wins on Lake Garda 📸 Fraglia Vela Riva/Zerogradinord Making a name for himself in the fiercely competitive Optimist fleet is 14-year-old British sailor Santiago Sesto-Cosby. Having sailed the Optimist for an astounding 10 years, we were eager to find out about his journey and where he is heading next. Sesto-Cosby started sailing at Salterns Sailing Club in Lymington on the south coast of England. He then joined the Royal Lymington Yacht Club before being part of the regional squad and ultimately being selected to train at a National level; a commitment that set him up well as he now competes internationally and races all over the world. The young sailor recently made waves on Lake Garda after winning the Ora Cup against 240 boats earlier this month. He topped off his achievements most recently after becoming the first-ever British sailor to win the Country Cup, also on Lake Garda, racing against countries including Denmark, France, and Germany. It is clear Sesto-Cosby has some in-depth knowledge of Garda as a sailing venue, so we asked him to share his insights. “During the Ora Cup, I learned alot about the fleet, the wind, and the conditions. We often launched early so got to know the conditions prior to the race start. It was different from when I’ve sailed there before as there seemed to be less wind, but it arrived earlier. Sailing with a north wind on Garda is tricky because it is shiftier which means big gusts to look out for!’’ Getting caught up on the line can ruin the whole race before it has even begun. Sesto-Cosby balances picking the bias side of the line whilst avoiding starting amongst the big bunches. He explains, “Generally, only one or two boats starting in a bunch will actually get a good start and the rest will be buried. Once I’ve got my position, I accelerate a few seconds earlier than most and don’t start too close to the pin to allow myself room to tack off. Once you have done that and crossed a few boats, you are out in front and in the lead. From there, you can fight with those closest to you rather than battling it out with everyone and risking dropping back in the fleet as a result.’’ “From there, you can fight with those closest to you rather than battling it out with everyone and risking dropping back in the fleet as a result.’’ Working with Riccardo de Felice from North Sails Italy, Sesto-Cosby uses the new-design 2021 prototype North sail which was designed for racing on Garda. “I recently transitioned after being offered to test it out in Valencia where I became very attached to it. I found it perfect – more powerful than my previous sail, but the pinching modes of sailing remained. 10-15 knots of breeze is the perfect condition for me with this sail.’’ The size of the Optimist fleet can be daunting for younger sailors who are new to sailing. Sesto-Cosby’s advice is to prioritize boat speed and handling during the early stages of racing. “Tactics and fleet knowledge develop with time; after a few years of racing,’’ he says. “I regret not focusing more on my boat handling (tacking, general speed) when I was younger, because the knowledge of strategy and tactics comes with experience when you get older.’’ The future looks bright for Sesto-Cosby who hopes to continue his winning streak at the European Championship next October. When it comes to moving on from the Optimist, he is looking to partner with a Swiss sailor in the 29er whilst doing some Optimist coaching on the side. We look forward to watching the progress of this young, rising star. 📸 Fraglia Vela Riva/Zerogradinord 📸 Valeria Sesto 📸 Fraglia Vela Riva/Zerogradinord READ MORE

#NSVICTORYLIST: 5.5 METRE EUROPEANS Aspire’s Mateusz Kusznierewicz Sweeps the Fleet Congratulations to Aspire’s Mateusz Kusznierewicz, Przemyslaw Gacek, and Simon Fry 2020 5.5 Metre European Champions! 📸 Robert Deaves The 5.5m Class is one of the very few classes this year to hold a Worlds and European Championship. All sailors respected the organizing authorities’ mandatory guidelines to prevent the further spreading of the virus, carefully social distancing and taking their temperatures each day before going to their boats. While adhering to the safety protocol, sailors still made the best of the event, and San Remo provided excellent racing conditions. Teams were noticeably excited to be out sailing again, as this was the first event for the class since January. The conditions in San Remo showed the fleet a mix of conditions, and North’s client results were proof that our products for the 5.5 Metre can deliver top results in any wind condition. North Sails class expert Christoph Burger on New Moon II explained, “As a class leader for North Sails, I am always thinking of ways to make our products better. Sometimes these can be smaller things or new designs. Right now, I am focusing on the smaller things to help our clients gain that extra performance boost.” 📸 Robert Deaves Christoph explains: “The 5.5 Metre class is on the right track and very attractive. We swept the podium here at the Europeans and our clients filled almost all of the top 10 spots. About 20% of the fleet has newer boats too, and there are some new building projects in the works we are all excited about.” Christoph commented, “Before the regatta, we had one week to train, so we lined up with Otto (NOR 68) and Momo (SUI 229) to make sure we were up to speed. At the regatta, we took the bronze. “Every team is fast,” explains Christoph. “We all had speed, so it came down to strategy and tactics to do well at this regatta. The top end of the fleet was very close in scores. The tiniest mistake would cost an entire position. This year’s conditions were challenging. Aspire sailed an excellent regatta, ending their speed streak with two bullets to close out the event. Well done!” 📸 Robert Deaves New Moon II used North Sails MNi-1 All Purpose Mainsail, Li-2 Jib Light Jib, and S-2 Spinnaker in the lighter conditions. Christoph explains, “This choice of North’s upwind sails are designed to be used in the light winds up to max 12 Knots TWS, so they were the perfect match. We chose to use the AP mainsail because we wanted to be ready if the wind got stronger. For the moderate wind races, we only changed jibs, shifting to our Mi-1 Medium Jib. These choices proved to be the best for the regatta.” Congratulations to Aspire’s Mateusz Kusznierewicz, Przemyslaw Gacek, and Simon Fry 2020 5.5 Metre European Champions! In second place was Momo’s Dieter Schon, Markus Wieser, and Thomas Auracher, followed by New Moon II’s Mark Holowesko, Christoph Burger, and Peter Vlasov. Next up is Régate Royal in Cannes and the season finale in Thun, Switzerland. Full Results Want to learn more about North Sails 5.5 Metre championship-winning sails? Contact your Class Expert for more information. 📸 Robert Deaves READ MORE

#NSVICTORYLIST: CAIPIRINHA IS 2020 WORLD CHAMPION Mainsail Trimmer Alberto Bolzan’s Take on the Melges 32 Worlds 📸 Zerogradinord / MWL The racing season for Martin Rejnes’ Caipirinha* started a little different than usual. Typically the crew gets together before the season begins and spends time on the water practicing and attending as many events as possible to get up to speed. Still, with the threat of COVID, their season jump-started at their first event. In a typical environment, the season’s start would allow teams to train and focus on improvement areas. This year, an exceptional year indeed, teams had little to no opportunity to fine-tune. Catching up with the mainsail trimmer, Alberto Bolzan, who had much to say about how this season was unlike others, but all the same how fun it is competing in such a high-level class with great competition and camaraderie. “It was a bizarre season beginning for us. Starting much later this year, it was full-on, just taking what we’ve learned in previous years and trying to start where we left off. Fortunately, we were very fast from the get-go, as in previous years, which made things a little easier for us to get right back into it.” 📸 Zerogradinord / MWL Villasimius served up a little bit of everything for competitors, challenging all scopes of the crew work, boat speed, and tactical decisions. Alberto comments, “the secret to our success was speed, hands down. Thanks to that, we were able to take a conservative approach to each race for this championship. We also were very consistent when it came to race results. We did not win any races, but we kept our point count low.” When it came to staying conservative, Caipirinha* made sure they got off the line. Clear air meant speed, which made all the difference. As far as staying consistent, it wasn’t only about race finishes. The team has the same pre-start plan, which they execute each race at each event. It included matching up with the fastest boats to make sure you were where you needed to be on the rig. “We made sure we stayed close to our competition,” said Alberto. “Although we got no bullets, we sailed what I would call a perfect championship.” 📸 Zerogradinord / MWL Before each day begins, their routine comes into play. “We assess the conditions, look at the forecast, and think about what we can do with our sail set up and rig tune. Once we leave the dock, we scope out the racing area. We sail around and try to figure out if any risks are depending on which side of the course we are on, so there are no surprises,” said Alberto. Collecting valuable information before the race started allowed them to focus on other things. “In a few of the lighter air races, making the right observations pre-start was the contributing factor to our success,” said Alberto. What makes Capiriniha’s* sailing program strong is that the core team sails together in other classes. “We’re good friends, says Alberto. “And we know what a fast boat should feel like. So you put us together on one boat, and we can make it happen.” The team also gives thanks to their coach Flavio Grassi who has provided them with feedback based on observations and can find the tiniest things they can work on that make a huge difference. “Flavio comes from America’s Cup and Olympic background, so he analyzes every move we make and helps us improve each time.” 📸 Zerogradinord / MWL The average experience level in the Melges 32 class is very high, so each team is a threat. Caipirinha* is always working to keep things easy and straightforward. That way, no mistakes can happen, and they can put themselves in a fair position to have a good race result. “Our closest competition at the event, second place finisher Christian Schwoerer on La Pericolosa is fast, no doubt,” says Alberto. “Every time we see them, we are challenged. Last year, this year, they are very fast. That has made the game of winning that much more fun from a sports aspect.” As far as the event location, Alberto loves the venue. “Villasimius, Sardegna is such a great place to host events. They have top-notch conditions, always challenging, which makes the perfect platform for fleets like the Melges 32 to come and play.” 📸 Zerogradinord / MWL North Sails has been working hard to develop the fastest sails for the Melges 32 class for many years to help clients perform their best. Alberto comments, “North’s experience is unrivaled, not just from Italy, but from all over the world. How the sails have evolved and how high-level the technology is now, makes the class what it is today–the perfect high-performance platform.” North Sails class experts want to congratulate team Donino, Gspot, Vitamina, and new teams, Star Telekom and Heat, for their hard work during this challenging year. Now that the Worlds have come and gone, is it all over? Alberto says, “It’s never over. We will be working together in this class and others, always working hard to be the fastest boat with the fastest sails on the racecourse.” Race results Have questions about race-winning sails? Contact your Melges 32 Class expert today. 📸 Zerogradinord / MWL READ MORE

DOUBLEHANDED TIPS FROM ARMEL LE CLÉAC’H & CLARISSE CRÉMER Masterclass Takeaways from the Live Webinar with Ken Read Armel Le Cléac’h & Clarisse Crémer during the Transat Jacques Vabre 2019 📸 Alea North Sails were lucky to have the two doublehanded experts Armel Le Cléac’h & Clarisse Crémer host a webinar for an in-depth masterclass. Best known as a singlehanded sailor with notable race wins in the Solitaire du Figaro, Transat AG2R and the singlehanded Transat, Le Cléac’h’s accolades also include a record-breaking finish in the 2016-17 Vendée Globe. Crémer is an up and coming sailor, making a name for herself during the Transat 6.50 in 2017, where she finished second in her class. Did your partnership come naturally? Le Cléac’h and Crémer began their partnership in 2019 when Crémer was scouted to join the Banque Populaire team, racing the IMOCA platform with Le Cléac’h. The team’s training gave Crémer the confidence and experience to pursue a singlehanded campaign for the 2020 Vendée Globe later this year. Although sailing with the best-brought pressure, Crémer explains that “Armel is confident, calm and explains everything well on these kinds of boats.’’ Together, the French duo finished sixth overall and took the top spot in both the non-foiling and mixed crew classes in last years’ Transat Jacques Vabre (TJV). How did you go about choosing the right teammate? Define your roles at the start. Even though the responsibilities may change over time, it is important to have defined roles onboard, with the most important being safety. Both team members must know where everything is onboard and what to do if there is a problem. During the TJV, Le Cléac’h was responsible for weather, strategy, and route planning, but as Crémer gained experience on the boat, her role evolved as her confidence developed, to the point where she was able to make decisions and changes whilst sailing. Know how to do every job onboard. Try changing roles in training so you understand and realize what your teammate is doing. Choosing the right teammate. Time on the water training helps you get to know people better, so sailing and training together lots before doing a high-pressured race. There are three important factors in finding the right teammate: having the right personality to be able to work together, physical ability to handle the job, and mental state to know what to do and figure out how to solve problems. Understand your boat. To get into offshore racing, you can’t just be a sailor anymore. You’ve got to be a sailmaker, boat builder, electrician, rigger, as well as being a trimmer, navigator, and helmsman! 📸 Easy Ride Videos Why Shorthanded Sailing? Shorthanded sailing is an important part of France’s culture, sparked in 1964 by the French legend and offshore sailor, Eric Tabarly. Tabarly made a mark in history when he won the singlehanded Transat, arriving into Newport, Rhode Island, two days earlier than the next sailor. He went on to win future offshore races and became an inspiration for France. France now provides some great racing platforms for singlehanded sailing, which is how Le Cléac’h got involved. When asked if single and doublehanded sailing are similar, he advised: “Doublehanded sailing is like sailing solo, for two. To perform well in doublehanded sailing, you almost need to be two-single handed sailors.’’ Crémer got hooked on the thought of adventure, completing the singlehanded Mini Transat Race as her first offshore race. “Shorthanded sailing is a good opportunity to do more strategic roles and learn as much as possible, especially when sailing alone,’’ she says. “It gives you the chance to do everything and make all the decisions – the best way to learn!’’ “Doublehanded sailing is like sailing solo, for two. To perform well in doublehanded sailing, you almost need to be two-single handed sailors.’’ Clarisse Crémer: A Women on the Rise in the Sailing World As well as being important for women sailors in general, role models are vital for new, young female sailors coming up through the sport. Crémer started sailing as a hobby when she was young on holidays and began racing at the age of 16, discovering the world of offshore racing in 2010 through University. Saying yes to every opportunity led to her decision in 2015 to take part in the Mini Transat, marking the time when she became fully committed to the sport. “I always loved sports, competition, and the sea in general. I was especially driven for the adventure of the Mini Transat. This race gave me my love for offshore sailing.’’ “Shorthanded sailing is a good opportunity to do more strategic roles and learn as much as possible, especially when sailing alone.’’ Up next for Crémer is another exciting opportunity to be part of the Banque Populaire team for the 2020 Vendée Globe, leaving from Les Sables d’Olonne on the 8th November 2020 for a non-stop race around the world. Her advice? “Progressing and reaching the stage where you feel useful (and not just a weight moving from one side to the other), can be hard on a crewed boat.” This is why singlehanded sailing appealed to Crémer, as it provided more opportunity for tactical decisions and driving. “Have confidence if you want people to trust and choose you for different positions on the boat. Otherwise, only results and other experiences will allow you to be legitimate. The more I practice, the more my confidence grows which is the only answer to my doubts. One thing I did learn is that you can be confident without being loud!’’ Missed the live webinar with Ken Read? Catch up now. 📸 Easy Ride Videos 📸 Jean-Marie Liot/Alea READ MORE

FINDING THE RIGHT SOLUTION FOR THE ULTIMATE CRUISER Sails, Support, and Service Go the Distance 📸 Mark Albertazzi Point Loma native, Morgan Dene Oliver (Dene) started sailing when he was eight years old on his North-fitted Sabot out of Mission Bay Yacht Club. “I was thrilled when my dad bought me a Sabot. I’ll never forget it. Since then, I’ve owned six different sailboats from 35-62 feet, and all of them have had a North Sails wardrobe.” Dene was in the market for a different type of boat this time around. He wasn’t going to be racing, purely focusing on enjoying his time on the water. “This time I wanted something different,” said Dene. “But not a racer. Something for ultimate day sailing in San Diego. I found this extraordinary boat built at the Morris yard in Northeast Harbor in Maine. It’s the largest boat but also the most sophisticated model Morris has ever built. Commissioned four years ago, the engineering team collaborated with Sparkman Stephens and Ted Fontaine to did a fantastic job. She’s like the prettiest girl at the prom. No matter where I go, everyone wants to see her. Everything is a push-button; Up and down, in and out.” My idea of the perfect sail consists of sailing straight out into the Pacific from San Diego, CA. I could go for 24 hours or so, then turn around and come back. Throw in an 80-mile downwind or broad reach with a nice swell behind me; that’s what I’m all about now.” Dene Oliver, excited for another great day on Solutions II in San Diego! The big delivery Dene acquired his Morris 52 Solutions II in January. She got a new paint job in Camden, ME, where she was safely stored for the winter season at Lyman Morse. Solutions II was then trucked across the country from Camden, ME to San Diego, CA, in February. “Imagine a 52-foot sailboat with an 82-foot mast (that’s 20 feet sticking out behind the trailer!). Boy was that a sight to see!” said Dene. “She arrived here in San Diego, and because of the state shut down for COVID, I had to wait a month and a half to get her in the water. She was launched in the beginning of May, as the team at North Sails in San Diego went above and beyond to get her ready to sail, and I’ve spent as much time as possible with her since. Solutions II is a work of art on the water.” Expertise, sail service, support, and friendships “My experience working with North Sails has been a great one,” says Dene. “To me, it’s about the people you meet and the relationships you develop. With North, I’ve always been taken care of, treated fairly, respected; there’s trust in our relationship. Feeling important and knowing I am in good hands is what I like best about the whole deal. The team here in San Diego is a team I can rely on–hands down.” Dene explains, “My service expert Eric Heim, with the help of sail expert Brian Janney, Marnie Jenkins, and John Gladstone quickly supported my new program once Solutions II made it to the West Coast. I can’t thank them enough for their help.” Longtime friend, sail expert, and now boat broker John Gladstone enjoying the sail testing with Dene and the North crew. John Gladstone is now Dene’s boat broker (Fraser Yachts) and has played an intricate role in helping Dene not only find the best boat, but help the San Diego team coordinate to find sail solutions to suit Dene’s needs. John explained, “Although I am working with Dene from the other side of the industry these days, I still find myself supporting him with the whole package. Time has gone by, but we’ve worked together for so many years. It’s just as fun and rewarding as it was back then. My first interaction with him was in the 80s as his primary North sailmaker on several of his earlier yachts. Dene has always done things well, first-class– and all with a contagious passion. We are having a blast with his latest addition, Solutions II, the most exquisite Morris 52 you’ve ever seen. Solutions II is not your average day sailor!” The value of seasonal service “When you buy something,” says Dene, “you aren’t investing in the asset alone, you are investing in the care of the asset, and you have a program plan to keep things running smoothly. Like all features of the boat, the hull, through-hull fittings, your sails–these things need attention. Tweaking here and there is part of normal maintenance, but most important, having your sails inspected regularly ensures you have a good day on the water, every time.” 📸 Mark Albertazzi That #firstsailfeeling Once the boat left the dock, the mainsail and jib were deployed. John said, “I anticipated that when we got the sails up, he may be in the market for replacing them, knowing they were a bit old. Unbelievably, his 3DL sails still look amazing! That goes to show not only how well the previous owner and now Dene takes care of things, but how involved Dene was in finding the perfect boat that had top-notch gear. He was looking to add more excitement to his off-wind sailing, which is where the idea for an optimized downwind sail came into play.” Solutions II is now equipped with a new G1 top-down furling gennaker. With the top-down function, Dene can set it all up before he even leaves the dock. He can hoist it and have it ready to deploy at the touch of a button. Powered winches allow for easy furling and unfurling, all leading back to the cockpit. The advantage of his new sail addition is that it’s a ready-made system. When he’s done using it, he furls it and then drops it into a zipper bag on deck to safely store for next time. It fits perfectly in the custom length bag without being folded or compressed into the forward storage locker.. “I don’t mind a little challenge here and there, but I need to have options that work best for my type of sailing,” said Dene. “Many reasons led me to add a more performance-based sail option to my inventory, like this hot new downwind sail. It’s added significant speed off-wind, and it’s unbelievably easy to use.” Why top-down? John commented, “We knew he needed something big enough, but also something he was comfortable using shorthanded, which is most of his sailing these days.” “By adding the new G1 to Dene’s inventory options, Solution II’s performance downwind has increased tenfold!” said John. “Working with Dene is always a great experience. Just being able to get out on the water, let alone on such a beautiful yacht with an appreciative owner, is such a treat.” Client support is key to any sailing program. “Dene likes to know that his best interest is at the top of the list. Having trust in his longtime sailmaker enables him to make the best decisions so he can enjoy his sailing which is the most important thing. Dene has exquisite taste and appreciates perfection, and everyone who’s worked with him appreciates that about him too,” said John. 📸 Mark Albertazzi   READ MORE

TRAINING UP IN THE M32 Closing The Gap 📸 M32 World / Stephen R. Cloutier In the M32 class, the knowledge gap between pros and amateur racers gets smaller. In the highly competitive M32 Newport fleet, not one of the high-speed catamarans is sailed by a professional skipper. Instead, the owner-driven class has tapped some of sailing’s household names, including Rome Kirby and Taylor Canfield, to sharpen the skills of the skippers. They have also managed to snag their own pier space behind Midtown Oyster Bar in downtown Newport to serve as a summer base for the North American fleet. Their model has proved excellent for fleet building and kept high-performance racing from feeling unattainable to the average sailor. “It’s been a blast sailing down at Midtown Sailing Center, down at the pier there.” Says Rome Kirby who sails on Midtown Racing as crew for driver Larry Phillips, “Larry has created a cool little haven in this crazy world we’re living in right now.” Kirby has a Volvo Ocean Race and two America’s Cups to his resume. When the pro could pick up a ride any given weekend this summer, he chooses to spend his time sailing on the M32. “Racing the boats within inches of each other at 20+ knots is probably not normal for some guys, but when you’ve got pros on each of the boats you take that fear away.” 📸 M32 World / Stephen R. Cloutier While the M32s are not foiling, they are high-speed, and the transition from a monohull is not an easy one. Taylor Canfield is one of the most seasoned M32 sailors in the fleet, racing onboard Convexity, “I think the class kind of started more as a pro-driver class and has slowly migrated into an owner-driver class, which is awesome. I think a lot of people saw the boats as super intimidating, they are high-speed, everyone’s wearing helmets. If you go for a first sail with the right people and trust in your crew, the boats are very safe and they’re built well.” The fleet boasts an all North inventory of a 3Di main and a Carbon Fiber code zero we have kept the same design for the past 4 years. M32 and the M32 class association has been working closely with North to deliver the most consistent and highest quality product. At the request of the class, the sail shapes are remaining unchanged in 2020 with only changes to ensure increased durability and smoother finishing. “My immediate impression getting on the boat was just the sheer speed,” says Doug Newhouse. “The boat will accelerate from zero to 20 knots very quickly. The boats only weigh 1300 pounds. They have a huge sailplane.” Doug Newhouse is no stranger to the sailing scene, but he is the latest team to join the M32 fleet with his boat, Yonder Racing. “You don’t have a cockpit, you have a trampoline. Literally moving on the boats, there’s a different movement pattern and there’s a different level of physicality to sailing an M32 that you just don’t have on a monohull.” Newhouse says that any given event in the fleet feels ‘like a pro-am’ with the sharing of knowledge from the high caliber competition on Narragansett Bay. “The pros on the M32s are at the top of the game, and the drivers are quite skilled but aren’t full-time professionals like these other guys. Having them involved on the boats really gives you the confidence that you actually can sail these kinds of boats.” Newhouse credits Jeremy Wilmot with his M32 education. “Jeremy’s a very, very talented sailor and he is great to go out with, and he’s a lot of fun, but he’s also very strict. My goal with Jeremy is to see how little he can correct me. The better I do the less he has to say.” 📸 M32 World / Stephen R. Cloutier The fun and physicality are just two of the reasons that the class is attracting new owners and competes at a high level. The M32 class association itself has made entry into the class easy by managing their own races, not relying on a yacht club. The organization of the events is phenomenal, with professional race committees, safety ribs and umpiring on the water means no flags, no yelling, and no wasted time in the protest room. Ryan McKillen is the owner/driver for team Surge, who made the transition from the J/70 fleet to the M32, they most recently finished second in the Midtown Surf Cup, despite McKillen having only a few years of experience in the sport at all. “It’s like night and day from the J/70 where you’re pretty much on your own,” says McKillen. “Dave Doucet, Who Is the fleet Manager and Director of M32 North America, really held my hand through the whole thing and they made it super easy to get set up. You get good help from the class at the individual owner level. Most one-design classes set the rules and put the events on, and as an individual owner, you’re not going to get help from the class. It’s not like that with the M32.” 📸 M32 World / Stephen R. Cloutier The racing itself makes it easy and exciting for teams to get on the water, the races are fast-paced and short, only around 17 minutes. Teams are pushing off the dock around noon, meaning they can log 5 or 6 races before they head in for the day. Newhouse testifies that it’s hard to have a bad day of M32 racing, “Everybody wants to win. Everybody wants to be on the podium, but the boats themselves are so much fun. And they’re so exhilarating that even if you came in last place, you’re probably going to come in with a smile on your face because you’ve had a good time. You’re just flying across the water and that by itself as special.” The class has two more events planned in Newport, Rhode Island for September and October. READ MORE

YOU’RE INVITED: DOUBLEHANDED DEBRIEF Join North Sails President Ken Read and Special Guests on Monday, August 24th Live on Zoom 📸 Billy Black Diving headfirst into a new style of sailing has made for an exciting and competitive summer for North Sails President Ken Read. Join Ken live with special guests Suzy Leech and Brad Read as they debrief their recent of doublehanded sailing experiences. Ken’s year of doublehanded sailing kicked-off in February, a few weeks before we knew close-to-home, short-handed sailing would be so popular this summer. Luckily for Ken, talented crew and world-class competition are never hard to find in Newport, Rhode Island. Inspired by the growing doublehanded trend, Ken has been alternating races with his brother Brad and Suzy Leech. They’ve been getting to know their boat Alchemist, a Jeanneau Sunfast 3300, and bonding as teammates. Putting in their miles on the Sunfast has brought them several successes. Alchemist has won on handicap in all three races entered and took line honors in the New England Twin/Solo. Monday, August 24th, 1500 EDT Keeping It Simple | Mistakes & Recovery | Choosing Your Teammate Register Now Please submit any questions in advance to webinars@northsails.com or ask live via the Zoom chat. We look forward to having you join us! READ MORE

Q & A WITH ONNE VAN DER WAL A North powered restoration project. Onne Van der Wal’s Snoek wasn’t always the cruising gem she is today. Onne Van der Wal’s Pearson 36 didn’t always shine as she does now. Before she was Snoek, she was tired and tangled on her mooring in Newport Harbor. Now, she’s a gem of the New England cruising scene, but it took months of hard work and grit to get her up to speed. Onne’s PBS documentary chronicling the restoration of Snoek is now airing in select cities, so we caught up with the famous yachting photographer and cruiser to learn about his experience and how he upgraded his performance with new North Sails. North Sails: Why did you choose to work with North Sails? Onne: I was doing an early morning photo shoot over at Dutch Harbor, and I hear a bicycle come down behind me and it stops, and it’s Dan Neri, CEO of North Sails Group. I said, “I was going to give you a shout. I’m rebuilding an old Pearson, and I wanted to talk to you about working with me on it.” And he said, “Deal. Count me in ” And that was literally the conversation. Well, from Dan that’s a lot. And that’s all I needed to hear– the confirmation and the thumbs up. And so I got back in touch with him, and arranged a sail with Dan and cruising expert Bill Fortenberry. We sailed around the bay and they measured everything and looked at every detail, and took pictures. Dan got very involved in the design process. With the old sails, the boat had a lot of weather helm, and I told Dan this. The sails were too deep, and the main– there was just too much power. So, they got me set up with a brand new set of Radian sails. Everything arrived during the winter, all boxed up from Sri Lanka. We laid them out on the lawn and had a look, and it was ‘oohs and aahs.’ When the boat was finished and put in the water, it was just Bill and me, and my daughter to test them out. The three of us hoisted the sails and immediately noticed that the new main was a lot flatter. And even then if you put a reef in, oh my goodness, it’s even flatter– it’s just great. They fit beautifully. And we went sailing and we were all pretty psyched. North Sails: What made you choose Radian sails? Onne: I just think that the weight of the cloth is so manageable. I sail with my wife and my wife’s not a huge sailor, so she normally stays in the cockpit. I have a stack pack with lazy jacks to store the main. The fabric is pliable enough that I can just drop the halyard and the sail, and it literally falls all the way down into the bag onto the boom. From there, I can just pull the leech a little bit aft, and it flakes nicely into the bag. It is just such a big advantage to have that nice, soft pliable workable fabric. Yet when we’re sailing with that main up, and we’re hard on the wind, in let’s say 17-18 knots of breeze–I mean the main looks beautiful. My headsail is a 135%, and has a nice high clew and a foam luff. We were coming back from the vineyard the other day in a southwesterly, and it was a fetch home. So we cracked off, but not tons, and with a nice high clew like that, the bow stayed above the waves. When we had furled the sail a bit to minimize the sail area, it looked nice and was perfect for shorthanded cruising sailing. Just perfect. The red and white gennaker that we have, it’s just so easy to fly. I do it on my own. I just tack it down on the bow and pull it out. I preset the sheets and can hoist from the bucket bag right there. he launching tube with a bucket and a nylon tube, I just hoist away. and bingo. As soon as I’m ready to let it go, I just make sure it’s a little bit in the lee of the main, and I trim on the sheet a bit. I pull the bucket down and I lash the bucket to the deck, and then when I’m ready I drop the halyard, it’s easy. That’s how cruising should be. Nice and easy, and no stress. North Sails: Tell us about choosing Radian over something sporty like 3Di? Onne: Some members of my family gave me a hard time for not going with 3Di and all that kind of stuff. And I said, “I am a cruiser who prefers to use traditional sail materials. I take them off the boat and fold them up. I like traditional materials like Dacron too when it comes to trimming. For me, they are easy to handle, hoist, and trim. North Sails: What was the best part of the new sail process? Onne: I’m very happy with the service I received. Having gone for that first sail with the old sails, and how extensively the Dan and Bill measured everything, looked at everything, and checked where the leads were ideally placed made the entire experience worthwhile. When the sails arrived, nothing needed to go back to the loft. It was bingo– out of the bag it fit, and when I trimmed it on and cranked the halyard, it looked good. North Sails: What is the best trip you’ve ever taken onboard Snoek? Onne: We did a trip two years ago and we sailed to Block and from Block, we sailed down to Shelter Island. We sailed in about 20 to 25 knots easterly, so it was DDW. We deployed our full jib and a full main. And I have a nice carbon pole on the boat, so I ended up pulling out the headsail. And we just made super good time and surged up to about nine and a half knots. For an old heavy cruising boat from 1972, to do nine knots was pretty remarkable with the three of us on the boat. When we got to Shelter Island, we poked around and then we sailed across to Stonington, CT. We tacked up the coast from Stonington to Watch Hill, RI in a northerly, and had a beautiful and fast beam reach all the way along the south shore of Rhode Island. As we got to Watch Hill, the wind shifted the west. So as you can imagine, we’ve got a beam reach to Point Judith. The wind clocked around to the west and we had another reach up Narragansett Bay, all the way home. My wife said to me, “You know, this sailing stuff is pretty comfortable and easy.” I think that trip from Block to Shelter Island to Stonington and back just epitomized perfect sailing, and having the right breeze and the right sails– it was just so comfortable and so fast. We’ve had a lot of nice sails on the boat, but these stand out the most. North Sails: Any behind the scenes you can share with us on the PBS documentary? Onne: North Sails President Ken Read said in a documentary, “What is Onne tackling? I mean, that’s so much work.” And yeah, it was. It was a long winter spent restoring Snoek. I enjoy working with my hands, and I’m fortunate that I went to trade school to learn how to do boat work. But more than that, it was a very rewarding project to grab an old boat from 1972 that was borderline dump material. It could have so easily gone the other way, where somebody said, “This boat, it’s done, it’s not worth anything. We should just scrap it.” In February when it was dark and cold, I thought “What the hell am I doing?” But I just knew what I was heading for and what I could do with it once it was completed. We’ve had some amazing experiences. Everywhere we go, I always take my camera, and early in the morning or late in the day, I end up mostly going for a sail on my own or with one of my family members, and we go and take some nice pictures of where we are.we’ll take a rod with us sometimes and fish a bit too. For my photography, I’ve been able to grab some really nice images of New England, Shelter Island and Nantucket, and everything in between. One thing, when you go and do an assignment and you stay ashore in a B&B or a little hotel, you’re a little stuck and then you’ve got to get a ride or you’ve got to find a little boat or whatever to go and shoot. But when you’re staying on the boat, and wake up in the morning at sunrise and look up at portlight, you say ‘damn, it’s bloody perfect’. There’s no wind, the sun is beautiful, there’s a little bit of a cloud. I just say to my wife, “I’m going to go shoot, see you later.” And I jump in the dinghy and I go and shoot. Because you’re literally sleeping on location, I mean, you’re sleeping where it’s all happening. And just with one eye open, you can see if it’s worth getting up or not. We’ve enjoyed it very much. And quite honestly, I’ve sailed all over the world in many different places and I think we live in one of the most beautiful cruising spots in the world. It’’s been a very worthwhile thing to restore and save this old boat and be able to fix her up and enjoy every moment. 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

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 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

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

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

#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

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

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

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

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

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

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

LOCAL SPOTLIGHT: NIRVANA GETS A NEW NORTH SAILS WARDROBE New Zealand Team Upgrades to 3Di for Winter Series Wind-Up While most of us are sweating it out during the summer months, local sailors in New Zealand are gearing up for coastal racing later this season with the RNZYS Winter Series. Nigel Hendy and his super crew on Dufour 45e Nirvana kicked off their sailing season with the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Winter Series, where they just finished the third weekend of racing with their brand new 3Di RAW sails. Launched in 2012, this racer/cruiser team has been sporting North Sails for eight years now and decided this year they would upgrade their 3DL wardrobe to 3Di to help them reach their performance goals this 2020 season. The Sails Before upgrading to 3Di, Nirvana carried the now-retired North 3DL string laminate, which was used to its full extent, hoisted over 200 times before officially retiring from the program. “I upgraded because I realized I’d have a better shape over a longer period, which would extend the life of my sails. Our new sails are just great.” Says Nigel, “They are customized to fit my mast and boat, which has made all the difference. We went with a larger overlapping genoa this time around, which has also increased our power upwind, which was exactly what we needed. The shape of 3Di is fantastic–it’s just perfect.” “It’s lighter air this season, so it was a true test for the sails over the last few weeks to show us how much power we had been missing out on. After three weekends getting familiar with our new set up, we’ve now got the sails locked in, traveler mid-ship, using a bit more vang when we need to. We can control the main a lot better, as before we were only using about 50% to keep us on our feet. The new 3Di sails allow us better control and much easier trimming.” “The boat has everything it needs, including downwind. It’s options galore. We’ve got three asymmetrical sails, and three symmetricals. The genoa we keep on the furler, which helps when there are new crew members on board. The new sails are much lighter in general, he remarked. “They are the perfect fit. I am a happy customer.” 📸 Robert Delves North Sails Service & Support Nigel has been working with Andrew Wills, sail expert in Auckland, New Zealand for many years. The relationship-building aspect was something he didn’t know he would be guaranteed after purchasing sails. “I didn’t just buy a sail,” he said. “I bought a whole package of support, sailing, friends, and crew. It’s a lot of fun going to the loft. It’s like going to a toy shop. To me, the North Sails customer experience has been just fantastic.” Every part of the service and support aspect was covered thoroughly by the team in New Zealand, and Nigel can’t thank his sailmaker enough for providing top-notch support all around. “The advice on the rig set up and tuning, it just keeps going. You invest in a sail, but you really get so much more than you would think. You become part of the North Sails family. The way they make you feel like you are part of a team, part of a network; the way they care has made it a positive experience.” The Crew “I bought a racer/cruiser because my wife enjoys the cruising aspect mostly in the summer. We’ve got the dining room table set up, all the cruising amenities; she’s a great boat for that. But once the real racing season picks back up, we take out the dining table and fill Nirvana with all the sail inventory options one could ever need to race and be competitive. Nigel picks up additional crew here and there that come from small boat dinghy racing clubs. In many ways, Nirvana is a vessel to get more sailors out on the water. “Nirvana is fully capable of any type of racing. She’s got everything she needs to go for it. We are 100% Corinthian crew, all amateurs on board, and the nucleus of my crew I’ve known for years through our children growing up together. We are quite competitive and we’ve shared many victories together.” Nigel usually sails with 12 crew and since New Zealand has officially been cleared of Covid-19, Nigel is looking forward to having his full crew back and having the right weight on the rail. 📸 Robert Delves Results “We recently sailed a 50nm race and did very well. We finished second across the line. Every series we’ve entered, we’ve won at some point, in some corrected time fashion. We’ve been Club Champs, Commodore’s Cup Champs; We don’t always win on the line, because we race with a handicap–but we still obtain excellent results when we show up to compete.” “Traditionally, it’s not very windy in New Zealand in the winter months, which is June through August. In the spring and summer, the breeze turns on. We could get 25-35 knots every day easily during that part of the season. I prefer the longer races, and there’s a lot of those on our calendar. It’s easier to find crew for those too, rather than weeknight one-off sailing. It takes a big commitment for the team, and myself so we do what we can.” What’s next? The next big gig for Nirvana is the Yates Cup, which is a 230nm race that goes up the coast of New Zealand in July. After that, the team plans to sail the Coastal Classic, a 110nm race from Auckland to Bay of Islands. “We are looking forward to seeing how our new 3Di sails will maximize our sail power this season, said Nigel. “We can’t wait to see how she goes.” 🎥 Video courtesy of crew on Nirvana during a White Island Race edition, hosted by Royal Akarana Yacht Club.   READ MORE

SHORTHAND SAILORS TAKE OVER THE SOLENT SORC Kicks Off with the Covid Shakedown Regatta Peter and Duncan Bacon’s Sunfast 3300 Sea Bear 📸 Rick Tomlinson Single and doublehanded sailors took to the water for the first time in months last weekend for the Solent Shakedown Race organized by the Solo Offshore Racing Club. 36 participants took to the Solent, welcomed by warm weather and a building sea breeze. Every sailor was happy to finally get out on the water to enjoy the sport they love. With North clients claiming the top seven places in Class 1 Solo IRC, it was Richard Palmer’s JPK 1010 Jangada who took the overall win, made even sweeter as it was the boat’s first outing since returning from the Caribbean at the end of May. We spoke with Palmer to find out how it felt to return to racing on home waters: “With winds building from 8 to 14 knots throughout the day, the conditions were ideal for checking the rig set-up. Starting with the J1.5 and staying in the tide off Gurnard, I had slightly over-stood the first layline, which actually put me in a position to control the fleet. I used the S2 to the next mark, soaking low to avoid having to jibe. I then took the call to hold onto the J1.5 in the building breeze, twisting the leech open slightly to help me depower. Despite many thousands of miles, my North sails are holding up well and I am still competitive. I am very pleased with the results.’’ North expert Ronan Grealish with Nick Lee’s Projection 920 Wee Bear North expert Ronan Grealish was on the water in the North Sails RIB, offering coaching, sail trim tips, and support to all. Based on our experience last weekend, we’ve come up with three key tips for shorthanded sailing: Sail Trim: Optimize your sail controls so you can control the mainsail and headsail from the same position. Cross sheeting the headsails is a good option to allow both sails to be trimmed from the windward side. It is important to have your sheets marked for average upwind trim so you can quickly pull them to the mark before fine-tuning once settled on your new tack. Planning Ahead: Thinking two steps ahead will mean you are always ready and anticipating the next manoeuver, reducing the likelihood of sailing past a turning mark. Sailing the shortest distance will pay more than keeping the sail up until the last moment. Having an Autopilot: A good autopilot is crucial, allowing you to concentrate on sail trim which powers the boat and gives you the best speed. Keeping your head out of the boat to look for changing conditions and tactical decisions will pay dividends when paired with effective sail trimming. Did you miss our doublehanded webinar with renowned offshore sailor Armel Le Cléac’h and phenom Clarisse sur l’Atlantique? The duo joined North Sails President Ken Read for an inside look into the trials of doublehanded sailing and the grit it takes to race shorthanded. Watch here. Winner of Class 1 Solo IRC, Richard Palmer’s JPK 1010 Jangada 📸 Rick Tomlinson Ole Bettum’s Grand Soleil 34 Almara IV sailing against an impressive backdrop 📸 Rick Tomlinson The fleet of single and doublehanders on the downwind leg 📸 Rick Tomlinson James and Charlie Owen’s J/99 Jet 📸 Rick Tomlinson Sam Cooper sailing the J/88 Tigris 📸 Rick Tomlinson Sign Up for North Sails News READ MORE

SAIL1DESIGN + NORTH SAILS 420 CLINIC Sailors Joined S1D and North Experts in Maryland 📸 North Sails Organized soon after the State of Maryland lifted boating/sailing restrictions and careful to mind all social distancing policies and procedures, the 29-31 May North Sails “C&I” 420 Clinic found some very eager participants, who could not wait to get out on the water and get back to sailing. Limited to six top local teams, chosen by experience and resume, the clinic featured Coach Lior Lavie, an Olympic-level sailor and a highly experienced and successful coach, and North Sails rep Tom Sitzmann. The Clinic was held at Sail1Design, a private venue on the Magothy River, just north of Annapolis, MD. 📸 North Sails As many know the 420 class sailboat has, in fact, two separate organizing classes, the International 420, and the Club 420. Coming soon will be a detailed article on these two classes, compared, so stay tuned. For now, and very briefly, here is a quick look: International 420 Class • Truly an international class, with fleets around the world • Tapered spar, high performance foil and sailmaker options. The class maintains strict rules but does allow sailors to buy their own favorite brand of foils and sails. • Rig tuning includes allowing spreader adjustment • Minimum hull weight is 176.4 lbs. • Boat will plane upwind and downwind in moderate wind conditions • Class organization is very strong; USA class participation is good, attracting many of the most talented youth sailors in the country • The choice for the US Youth double-handed championship Club 420 Class • USA only • Non-tapered spar, can use only class foils and class sails (North Sails is the sailmaker for the C420 class). Hull must have rail bumper. Rules are designed to promote durability. • Minimum hull weight is 230lbs. • Boat will plane downwind, not nearly as much or as often upwind when compared to the i420 • Class organization is very strong, class participation is excellent, often with 60+ boats attending major National-level events. 📸 North Sails One of the goals of this clinic was to expose sailors, first-hand, to the distinctions between the i420 and the C420. North Sails expert Tom Sitzmann, who is currently working on an all-new NS i420 tuning guide, shared some of the tips and tricks that make the North Sails i420 sails set up as they should be (for more information on North Sails i420 options, contact Tom) While both classes offer incredible opportunities for youth sailors, their tuning, trim, and focus points are distinct, and successful teams know these differences. Ultimately, the difference in each boat’s performance characteristics requires teams to dial in to the boat’s capabilities, and recognize tactics must change with boats that go different speeds. On the first day, 2 i420’s rigged up along with three C420’s, and teams interested in trying out the i420 were able to do so. Coach Lior had both C and i420’s do the same drills, and it was really neat to see the boats out training together. One sailor commented “The i420 was planing upwind for us, almost right out of a tack; I was amazed at how that boat accelerated and seemed to lift up right away.” Graeme Woodworth, whose son Luke participated in the clinic and was himself a top youth i420 and All-American collegiate sailor, noted that these two classes, back in the 1990’s, did have some overlap, and that the c420 National champion used to be given a spot at the i420 World Championship. For the rest of the weekend the group all sailed C420’s to make things even, and Coach Lior had the group work relentlessly on boat-handling, and spinnaker sets, jibes, and take-downs. It’s quite likely that the teams did more spinnaker work in these three days than at any other time in their lives, and the improvements were noticeable and impressive. In the end, the group had three days of near perfect weather conditions, and all learned a great deal. For more information on 420 sailing and i420 sails, contact North Sails today! 420 Tuning Guide Contact Tom 📸 North Sails READ MORE

2020 NORTH A-CLASS INVENTORY Optimized Designs for Boat Types, Masts and Sailor Weight The North A-Class Catamaran inventory is customized to complement your gear. Find below our sail selection charts which shows the sail that best suits your weight, mast and sailing conditions. Foiling Boats SAILOR WEIGHT All 14 & 15 Untapered Fibrefoam DNA Tapered Fibrefoam 6.3 to 6.5 Hounds Height Saarberg Mast Above 78 kg Decksweeper 2F Decksweeper 2 Decksweeper 2 Below 78 kg Decksweeper 2F Decksweeper 2F Decksweeper 2F Classic Boats SAILOR WEIGHT All 14 & 15 Untapered Fibrefoam DNA Tapered Fibrefoam 6.3 to 6.5 Hounds Height Saarberg Mast Above 78 kg Classic Decksweeper 1F Classic Decksweeper 1 Classic Decksweeper 1 Below 78 kg Classic Decksweeper 1F Classic Decksweeper 1F Classic Decksweeper 1F SAIL MODEL BOAT TYPE Classic Decksweeper 1 Classic Classic Decksweeper 1F Classic Classic Decksweeper 2 Foiling Classic Decksweeper 2F Foiling SHOP SAILS READ MORE

NORTH SAILS PARTNERS WITH WORLD CRUISING CLUB Supporting Bluewater Around the World Adventures with Expert Support and Global Service North Sails announces an exciting new partnership with leading sailing rally organizers World Cruising Club. The aim of the partnership is to inspire sailors around the world to embark on a cruising adventure, using North Sails experts and resources to guide the way. World Cruising Club are organizers of Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) and World ARC circumnavigation adventure, helping thousands of sailors annually cross oceans safely. North Sails is excited to provide the bluewater cruising community with access to its 110 sail and service lofts around the world and support to help advise them at every step of their journey. With over six decades of experience, North Sails is the industry leader in sailmaking and service. Reliable equipment is paramount for cruising safely. North Sails can provide that comfort to cruising customers, who know their experts are never more than a satellite call, cell phone call, or email away. “Welcoming North Sails as our preferred sailmaking partner for World Cruising Club rallies will benefit cruising sailors on their journeys across the Atlantic and around the world.” This partnership comes at an exciting time, as North Sails has fast-tracked its development for an expansion of key cruising products. These are strictly for sailors who want to look at and trim beautiful, modern, and incredibly durable cruising sails. In a typical year over 1.5 million ocean miles will be sailed by boats in World Cruising Club’s rallies, so having the right sails is vital for successful ocean voyages. “North Sails is extremely proud of their cruising products, and we make more cruising sails than anyone in the world.” Said North Sails President, Ken Read, “We have always been a part of the cruising community and we are committed to serving our cruising customers in the same capacity we support racers. I, personally, am looking forward to local racing, yacht club cruises, and day sailing this summer.” World Cruising Club Managing Director, Andrew Bishop says “Welcoming North Sails as our preferred sailmaking partner for World Cruising Club rallies will benefit cruising sailors on their journeys across the Atlantic and around the world. Our partnership means the experienced North Sails team will be on hand to provide reliable advice about the selection, care and maintenance of sails for long-distance cruising at our forums and seminars supporting our participants, as well as delivering a long-lasting, quality product to help our participants achieve their sailing dreams with our rallies.” Cruising boats are a unique sanctuary in which to escape from day-to-day pressures on land. The pure fun of time spent away from shore with family and friends is of greater benefit than ever before. A partnership with World Cruising Club is just one of the ways that North Sails is supporting its customers in new and innovative ways. Keep an eye on your inboxes as North Sails has an exciting product announcement on the horizon. Join the waitlist today. 📸 Amory Ross / North Sails READ MORE

IMOCA CORUM L’ÉPARGNE CELEBRATES HER LAUNCH First Impressions From North Sails France 📸 Matthieu Hacquebart / CORUM L’Épargne After a year of construction and the launch in Port-la-Forêt (Britany, France) last week, CORUM L’Épargne, French skipper Nicolas Troussel’s brand new IMOCA, made her first tacks on last Saturday equipped with North Sails to reach her home port of Lorient la Base (Britany, France). The latest foiler designed by Juan Kouyoumdjian and built by Michel Desjoyeaux’s Mer Agitée will soon be fitted with its foils. Nicolas Troussel is looking forward to starting the reliability phase, getting up to speed and familiar with his new boat. Here are the first impressions since the launch. A Colorful Grand Prix Monohull “The launch of CORUM L’Épargne was both a great moment and a relief, as we were keen to move on to a new stage in our campaign, to finally be able to sail and test the boat’s performance once the foils are fitted,” expressed Nicolas Troussel, the two-time winner of the Solitaire du Figaro (2006 and 2008), and one of the 37 candidates to take part in the 9th edition of the Vendée Globe. “The boat is in line with what was expected in terms of cockpit ergonomics, deck shape and maneuvers.” “We’re proud of this boat,” adds Greg Evrard, Director of CORUM L’Épargne project. She is singular, her colors are beautiful and harmonious. There’s not much that hasn’t been thought out in her design. Nicolas was involved in all phases of the project, from hull construction to sail design, to create a boat that resembles him. From the outset, we considered strong biases to respect Nicolas’ choices. “There’s nothing that has not been thought of for this boat.” This launch represents a beautiful chapter in our project, which is coming to an end after one year of construction,” continues Greg Evrard. We’re going to write a lot of other pages now. The next essential step is to spend as much time on the water as possible, with priority being given to the boat’s reliability and the validation of the technical choices, including the final inventory of sails by the end of June.” Also, in June Nicolas will have to complete his qualifying course for the Vendée Globe, a 2,000-mile course off the coast of Brittany, which has to be validated by the race organizers. This will be followed by a first race on the water at the start in Les Sables d’Olonne on 4th July, which should bring together all the racers entered in the Vendée Globe. Fully Suited with North Sails CORUM L’Épargne is the latest new generation IMOCA boat to be launched, the eighth since the previous Vendée Globe and the seventh to be equipped with a complete 3Di wardrobe from North Sails. With five and a half months to go before the start of the Vendée Globe, nothing should be left to chance for Nicolas and his team to make the most of this precious time. That is why, right from the start, the team has incorporated a strong time constraint into the project with the aim of strengthening its ability to adapt and its agility. “As far as the sails are concerned, it’s a real upstream preparation work which was done in the initial phases with strong choices made,” explains Evrard. “We anticipated the sailing part, taking into account this time constraint. This first set of sails will enable us to tackle the following stages with serenity.” 📸 Matthieu Hacquebart / CORUM L’Épargne The shape of the sails, a crucial parameter for the balance of the boat Nicolas Troussel has been actively involved with Nicolas Lunven, sailing and boat performance project manager for CORUM L’Épargne in the design of the sails. The first exchanges with Quentin Ponroy and Gautier Sergent of North Sails started a year ago. “Sail design is a subject that interests me and is an integral part of the performance as well as the feeling of the boat when sailing,” says Nicolas Troussel. Even though the boat was still under construction, we used our experience and the tools put in place by the designers. We tried to project our ideas and imagine ourselves on the boat to come up with an inventory of sails that meet all the sailing conditions. It also had to be in line with my sailing style and the Vendée Globe program. All the choices were made with that in mind.” With the addition of foils, which accelerate the boat, the shape of the sails has become an even more important parameter than before for the boat’s balance,” explains Nicolas Troussel. For the moment, the first impressions are in line with the specifications. The triangulation as well as the shape of the sails are satisfactory. We’ll have to confirm our initial choices with numerous sessions on the water to perfect the sail trim and consequently the boat’s balance. And this selection phase remains tricky even if the set of sails is limited to eight (including the storm jib) and it is all the trickier for downwind sails, which require more complex thinking,” continues Nicolas. Indeed, there are many compromises to be made. Sometimes they are small details, but 10, 20 or 30 meters squared difference between the sails can change the game. It’s on the water that we will definitely validate our selection. We will still have the possibility to adjust, but without considering major modifications. In the approach to sail design for CORUM L’Épargne, the goal was not to create radical sails that involve a long development on the water,” confirms Quentin Ponroy, designer at North Sails. It was necessary to set a framework to design an efficient first set of sails based on our expertise and know-how. Serenity, Reliability and Performance For the moment, Nicolas is feeling rather serene and is looking forward to racing on the water. “I’m not apprehensive, the stress will rise soon enough, and that’s far from being the case today. I’m surrounded by a very competent and quality team, which is reassuring for the preparation for the Vendée Globe. I can’t wait to try out the boat with its foils and get a feel for its behavior, as last year, I sailed on a daggerboard boat, Jean Le Cam’s IMOCA. The sensations are inevitably different. “During my training sessions with Jean Le Cam, we talked a lot about sail trimming. He had just acquired a set of sails, also designed by North Sails, which enabled me to explore different configurations, reefing, how to handle the sails single-handed and the particularities of sailing in a Vendée Globe. We also focused our attention on the small details that can quickly get out of hand if you’re not careful. It was an enriching learning experience.” The next few days will be dedicated to structural, systems and gauge testing. Then Nicolas will begin the performance and technical phase alongside experts, Nicolas Lunven for sailing and boat performance, and Sebastien Josse and Thomas Rouxel for technical and sports training. “Time on the water is the key to this preparation for the Vendée Globe,” concluded Greg Evrard. To date, the start of the Vendée Globe is still scheduled for 8th November and two thirds of the fleet taking part in this solo round the world race without assistance are equipped with North Sails. 📸 Matthieu Hacquebart / CORUM L’Épargne READ MORE

ARE YOU ONBOARD? Follow the North Sails Social Media Channels for a Curated View of Our Favorite On-The-Water Moments Fill your social feeds with all things sailing. Each day North Sails is curating our social media channels with content that showcases our passion for being on the water. We’re collecting images that inspire us and passing along expert tips to help you maximize your time on the water. Our team has fun dreaming up each post and we hope you enjoy and follow North Sails. Check out our profiles in the links below. From sailing news to exciting events, the North Sails Facebook page is the only place to stay up-to-date on all facets of sailing. From one-design regattas to the latest in superyacht racing. Like our page to be a part of the latest news and connect with sailors who share your interest. Follow us on Facebook Energize your feed with stunning photos and videos from sailing events around the globe. Get exclusive tips from our experts and top sailors, and engage with North Sails in the comments section on hot topics in the sailing arena. Follow us on Instagram Follow @NorthSails on Twitter for everything sailing from breaking news and webinar commentary to client victories, interviews, and more! Join the conversation and interact with North Sails here! Follow us on Twitter Showcasing our technology and educating our clients. Learn about our game-changing sails and rewatch webinars at any time, any place, for free. Discover how North innovations are leading the sport and how the North experts are making a difference in sailing all over the world. Follow us on YouTube Follow us on LinkedIn, the professional networking platform where you can connect with us and our Sail Experts, hear the latest news on our sail technology, industry news, leadership, job opportunities, and our top recommendations on choosing the right sails for your type of sailing. Follow us on LinkedIn Get the North News that matters to you! Whether you are a racer, cruiser, or grand prix sailor, we’ve got something for you. We target our emails to help you find events in your area, products that fit into your style of sailing, and help you find your local North Sails loft. Sign up for North News today! Sign Up For North News READ MORE

LET’S TALK 420 Sail Trim with Diogo Costa, Pedro Costa, Lollo de Felice and Hugo Rocha Webinar presented in Portuguese featuring guest speakers and 420 Champions Diogo Costa and Pedro Costa moderated by North experts Lollo de Felice e Hugo Rocha. READ MORE

LOFT SPOTLIGHT: NORTH SAILS MAINE Sailmaker Supporting The Local Community, Featured on CBS Sunday Morning From his small North Sails loft on Casco Bay in Maine, Eric Baldwin is making a big difference in his community. Baldwin and his team at North Sails were featured on CBS Sunday Morning this past weekend for his initiative in kick-starting the North Sails mask-making efforts in North America. Baldwin, as well as several of our Certified Service Centers across the country, have been producing masks for their local communities. Customer Service has always been at the core of North Sails mission, and now, sailmakers are stepping up in a new way to serve their North Sails families. North Sails will continue to help where possible with the fight against COVID-19. That said, our Certified Service Centers are built for repairing sails both in staffing and machinery which limits our ability to make a dent in the demand for cotton masks. What we do have are proper cutting machines that can be easily diverted away from sailmaking. This got us thinking, why not use these machines to create a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mask kit, and get supplies out to the public quickly? DIY masks are already popular on the internet, and we believe that by creating and distributing our own template and materials to the DIY warriors at home is the best way for North Sails to make a difference. We can’t think of a better excuse to dust off your old Singer Sewing machine. Available for order through northsails.com, the DIY kits are available in packs of 20 masks and come with step-by-step instructions. We hope you remember how to wind that bobbin! Learn More READ MORE

FAMILY CRUISING WITH JB BRAUN The North Sails Director of Design and Engineering Shares How Sailing Brought His Family Together on an Adventure to Halifax After the 35th America’s Cup ended in June 2017, I didn’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the ‘what-ifs’ or the ‘could’ve beens’. I was already focused on the next adventure, which would start just twelve days later—racing from my hometown of Marblehead to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and then cruising home again with my family. Idea and Prep I first mentioned what’s known around Marblehead as “the Halifax Race” or just “Halifax” on a visit home from Bermuda during the summer of 2016. The race runs every two years, and it’s usually two days of reaching or running against an impressive fleet. My sons were both interested. Tucker, who was sixteen at the time, asked “Dad, can my friend come?” I responded, “Yeah, who’s your friend?” and it turned out to be Garrett McKinnon. I was friends with Garrett’s dad, so we quickly formed a double father-son team: three McKinnons and three Brauns, joined by Todd Barbera, who brought along some valuable offshore experience. For that final year of the Cup, planning for Halifax was like having a little carrot out in front of me, “Hey, after this, you’re going to do this other race.” Win or lose, even when our catamaran’s Achilles heel of light air was forecast for the second and deciding weekend, there was some excitement ahead, beyond The Cup. Our family boat is called Eos, a 38-foot performance cruiser designed by Jim Taylor that we’ve owned for three and a half years. Over the winter of 2016-17, because I was based in Bermuda, it was a matter of grabbing little pieces of time to check off certain things we needed (or wanted) to do to get the boat ready. For sails, we upgraded our racing inventory with a 3Di genoa and added a prototype 3Di main and polyester Code Zero that would handle both racing and cruising. We also re-cut an old jib into a storm trysail and storm jib. I had the decks painted with non-skid. Over Christmas, we took all the winches apart on the boat. My older son Ryan took on several tasks, including a last-minute scramble to organize a life raft. Alan McKinnon took care of the food preparation. When I got back from Bermuda, I was able to fit in a few days of rest before loading the boat and pushing off the dock. Race to Halifax It’s 365 miles from the start outside Marblehead Neck to the finish in Halifax Harbour. As the log says, “We had a great start and a good beat and led at the weather mark. Then we had a mile reach to the second mark, where we set the spinnaker and never brought it down.” Watches were established by family, with Todd as a floater. Along with a twenty-foot shark and some whale spouts, we spotted sixteen mylar balloons. We had a shot at winning our class, until we made a classic mistake and got too close to Brazil Rock, on the southeast “corner” of Nova Scotia. We were becalmed for an hour, accompanied by a pod of dolphins who communicated with me and said to go offshore. The dolphins were right because a quarter-mile farther out boats were sailing by us at eight knots! We finally made it out to the breeze, and once we had enough wind again, we experimented with sailing wing and wing; the log reports that “we think it went well,” and putting us back to third overall on corrected time… but then we were becalmed again right at the finish, and it took four hours to sail the last ten miles. We ended up third in our class and eighth in our division. Of course, I would’ve liked to have done better, but the best part was racing with my boys; the camaraderie of doing an adventure together was fantastic. And we’d arrived in a totally different part of the world! My wife and daughter met us in Halifax and brought along the cruising genoa, dodger, outboard, and other gear. With so many hands, we quickly transitioned from racing to cruising, and after we said goodbye to most of the race crew we headed west again. Gunkholing The four of us (my wife Kelley, daughter Hayley, and Tucker, who’d stayed on for the sail home) took seven days to sail back to Marblehead. Having Tucker onboard was great because he knows the boat, and we both enjoyed sharing this next phase of the adventure with Kelley and Hayley. The wind was mostly light, so the most memorable experiences were in between the sailing: all the little towns and harbors we discovered. After clearing with Halifax control, we set off westward planning to go into Peggy’s Cove. I was too chicken to navigate through the narrow entrance, and the wind was good, so we just took a peek before setting main and jib for an excellent power reach to Lunenberg. After dinner, we went ashore for ice cream and walked into the bookstore, which had stacks of books everywhere. Behind one pile was a man who told us if we were looking for something, he knew exactly where it would be! Tucker found a book about an adventurer in the 70s who departed from Tucker’s Wharf in Marblehead in an inflatable boat to sail across the Atlantic. The next day after blueberry pancakes onboard and a grocery run ashore, we motor-sailed to La Have Island and dropped the hook. All four of us took a dinghy tour around Bell Island, and then the kids went farther afield on their own. Tucker’s write up in the log reports, “The dinghy ride began with the journey under the bridge connecting Bush and Jenkins Islands. The water was calm and crystal clear. We passed a few houses with lobster traps and boats in their yards. We headed south through the Wolf Gut, which was a narrow channel (6 ft) with lobster shacks and boats decorating the land on either side. In Bell Channel we beached the dinghy on two small islands. The sand was warm and dark, and when wet, could sink your feet into it about six inches. The muddy bottom was filled with crab holes and minnows. The water was pretty warm.” The next day’s weather alternated between foggy and sunny, with no wind. We motored to Little Port Joli Basin on the outskirts of the Kejimkujik National Park. The best memory of all was approaching the land, when we escaped an offshore fog bank and anchored off a beach that looked just like the Caribbean. Aqua water, white sand, and all by ourselves in this special spot; that was completely unexpected. Tucker and I went swimming in our “Nova Scotia bathing suits” (wetsuits) while Hayley and Kelley did jellyfish watch from the dinghy. That afternoon we went back out into the fog and motored to Little Port l’Hebert, about ten miles farther west. “Motor was foggy and not windy. About one mile away, the fog lifted, the sun came out and we could see our oasis. It was a circular bay with a couple small beaches and four houses around the bay. We anchored in 16 feet of water. It was beautiful. We had a seal friend throughout the evening that would check on us.” The next morning, we spotted a horseshoe crab and lobster on the sandy bottom. Our last port in Nova Scotia was Shelburne, where we spent two nights and visited several museums before leaving for an overnight run home. Overnight passage The passage from Shelburne to Marblehead is just over three hundred miles, which took twenty-nine hours of sailing and motoring. At night we were down to a couple of hundred feet of visibility in the fog, but close reaching in 10 or 12 knots of breeze with AIS and radar running, we had no real drama. Kelley and I took one watch, and Tucker and Hayley took the other; I was proud of Tucker for taking control. It can get kind of scary out there, especially at night with other boats around. That morning offshore started with a spectacular quarter moonrise, so red we first mistook it for a port running light. The fog burned off after sunrise, but the wind never materialized, and the last eighty miles, I worried about our fuel consumption. We motored into Marblehead after dark, tired but happy to be home. Making Memories It’s been almost a year since the America’s Cup ended, and our family adventure began, and it might be hard to find two more different sailing experiences. They both had camaraderie; there’s simply no better place than wet, tired, and hungry on a boat for relationship-building. But I’ll never forget sharing such a great experience with my family, especially since it’s improved our communication. I’m still pretty driven and pretty critical, but we’re able to laugh and enjoy things more, which makes all those America’s Cup memories sweeter too.   READ MORE

NORTH SAILS OFFICIAL SUPPLIER TO THE VO65 CLASS IN THE OCEAN RACE The World’s Leading Sailmaker Ready for Round Three with One Design Fleet North Sails is honored to be selected as the official one design sail supplier to The Ocean Race 2021-22. Known as the most grueling offshore team race, the Ocean Race has attracted the most skilled sailors and competitive teams since 1973. Equipping the VO65 teams with the industry’s most reliable high-performance products is paramount to the success of The Ocean Race, its sailors, sponsors, and fans across the globe. The relationship between this storied race and North Sails goes back decades. Many within North Sails have sailed onboard various teams and have won the race, while numerous designers and sailmakers have supported the technical side of programs in their quest to finish first around the world. Collaboration between North Sails and Ocean Race teams has resulted in breakthrough technologies, including North 3Di, which was born in response to skipper requests for reliable shape-holding, durability, and of course lightweight performance sails. The extreme nature of The Ocean Race requires sails that can withstand upwards of 55,000 nautical miles and four equator crossings. In 2013 North Sails was first named the exclusive supplier to the then brand new VO65 one design class. Two editions later, North Sails has once again proven itself worthy of delivering consistency across the one design fleet and a superior product which allows the teams to push their boats harder than ever. “We are profoundly proud that our sails will have gone three editions on the VO65, and look forward to working with the new race organizers, partners and the teams in their upcoming adventure” “The Ocean Race is one of the most prestigious events in our sport and is the ultimate proving ground for the reliability of 3Di,” remarked North Sails President Ken Read. “By introducing drones into the last event we have gotten to see how much abuse our sails can withstand. We are profoundly proud that our sails will have gone three editions on the VO65. North Sails and North 3Di are 100% on board for the 2021-22 race and look forward to working with the new race organizers, partners and the teams in their upcoming adventure.” The 2021-22 edition of The Ocean Race is scheduled to start from Alicante, Spain in October 2021, with stops in Cabo Verde; Cape Town, South Africa; Shenzhen, China; Auckland, New Zealand; Itajaí, Brazil; Newport, Rhode Island; Aarhus, Denmark; The Hague in The Netherlands; before the Grand Finale in Genoa, Italy. The race course takes on some of the toughest ocean miles on the planet. “Over the past two editions of the Race, our arrangement with North Sails to equip the VO65 fleet has contributed to the closest racing in the long history of the event,” said Phil Lawrence, the Race Director for The Ocean Race. “This competitiveness comes when the teams know they have sails they can push to the absolute limit, without compromising safety, durability or performance. “We consulted with our VO65 teams who made clear their preference to again have a single-supplier for sails as in the past two races, and we’re very happy to be able to continue our relationship with North Sails into the next edition of The Ocean Race.” Discover more at NorthSails.com, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@north_sails). Follow The Ocean Race at TheOceanRace.com and @theoceanrace on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. READ MORE