NORTH SAILS BLOG

'HOW TO' MED BOUWE BEKKING En video-serie i 7 dele til cruisere Vi har slået os sammen med vores venner hos X-Yachts og er stolte over at kunne præsentere en helt ny 'How To' video-serie tilegnet alle slags cruisere. Alle syv videoer er live og kan ses på North Sails YouTube kanal. Den professionelle hollandske sejler og 8 gange Volvo Ocean Race veteran, Bouwe Bekking, deler ud af sin viden og erfaring ombord på en X-Yacht i selskab med North Sails Ekspert Jesper Feldt. Bekking taler os igennem de vigtigste aspekter af tursejlads, fra bådmanøvre til trimning af alle sejl i sejlgarderoben. Videoerne er filmet på Øresund henover sommeren og indeholder tips og tricks til håndtering af en cruising båd fuldt udstyret med North 3Di ENDURANCE. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS CLIENTS DOMINATE DRAGON EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP 5- 30 Knots of Breeze - Competitors Faced it all in Sanremo 📸 Sanremo Yacht Club / Elena Razina A fleet of 63 Dragons from 18 countries raced in Sanremo, Italy, to determine the 2022 European Champions. Crowned after five races are Wolf Waschkuhn and his team Charles Nankin and North Sails expert Ruairidh Scott (SUI 318). With Wolf at the helm and Charles trimming the genoa and spinnaker following their regatta win, we caught up with Ruairidh, mainsail trimmer, and tactician onboard to hear how they did it. Joining the team for the ‘Paul and Shark Trophy’ just three weeks before filling in for Joao Vidina, Ruairidh, Wolf, and Charles raced the Italian Championships (also held in Sanremo) in very windy conditions before going on to race for the European title in the more traditional lighter winds of Sanremo. “Our speed was excellent in the varied conditions we had all week. We raced with the A-14 Mainsail on a standard petticrow mast alongside the V-6L, V-6M and V-6H Genoas. However, we mainly used the V-6M as we were never sure if conditions would change during the race.’’ 📸 Sanremo Yacht Club / Elena Razina “We sailed with lots of twist as the conditions were quite choppy all week. Careful adjustment of the runner and mainsheet ensured we were fast as the wind fluctuated. A key ingredient to our speed throughout the week was the work rate from our headsail trimmer Charles Nankin. He stayed active on the headsail sheet in light, choppy and shifty conditions. When a gust hit, we responded quickly by easing the genoa sheet and trimming back in as the boat pointed higher. The sheet ease allows the boat to accelerate and naturally turn up to point higher, so the result was sailing higher and faster than before. In these conditions, little mainsheet adjustment was required until we were sailing at the new angle, which allowed me to get my head up and look around more often. Charles and Wolf did this very well all week, and the constant communication between them meant we were quick all the time.’’ Between the two regattas, Wolf’s team showed excellent speed in 5 - 30 knots. “Thanks to the nice, big crossovers with the North sail designs," Ruairidh explains, “we were fast even if we were not on the perfect sail for the conditions all the time.’’ Congratulations to all North clients who raced at the Europeans and Wolf, Charles, and Ruairidh for fighting through the pack to finish with the title. Shop the North Sails winning Dragon sail designs today. RESULTS 📸 Sanremo Yacht Club / Elena Razina READ MORE

Läs Berättelsen om Argo: Del 2 här Berättelsen om OPAL 46: AN Argo, och de traditioner som omger henne, fortsätter Efter många års segling med sin pappa på den älskade skonaren Argo har John Ingvar Ravelius blivit delägare i båten och äger den nu tillsammans med sin bror och sin pappa. Han har uppdaterat och utrustat henne med drömmen om att skapa nya minnen med sin unga dotter och föra familjetraditionen vidare. Här delar Ravelius med sig av andra delen av berättelsen om hur en segelbåt, och det arbete som följer med den, kan knyta samman tre generationer. Läs Berättelsen om Argo: Del 1 här. Förberedelserna inför den långa seglingen Efter att ha kappseglat med Argo under två säsonger i Stockholms skärgård, kände sig Ingvar allt mer hemtam ombord. Drömmen om en jorden runt-segling var på att uppfyllas. Men först behövde båten förberedas för den långa resan. Ingvar hade planerat att segla iväg med en god vän. Någon uttalad destination fanns inte, de skulle bara segla iväg och se vart vindarna förde dem. 1983, innan Ingvar gav sig iväg, träffade han min mamma Leena. Hon var 25 år gammal och hade ingen erfarenhet av segling. Hon hade aldrig ens varit ombord på en segelbåt. Invar ändrade sina planer och bad min mamma att segla med honom på resan. Hon sa ja, och Ingvar tog nu språnget han väntat så länge på och sålde allting som inte behövdes ombord på Argo, inklusive huset i Sollentuna på vars tomt han hade byggt båten. En eftermiddag lämnade de hamnen i Stockholm med drömmar om varmare breddgrader och utan planer på att återvända. Deras resa började, och de gick genom Kielkanalen och ut på Engelska kanalen. Min mamma förde dagbok. 21 augusti 1984 – Biscayabukten I sin dagbok skrev mamma: ”Vinden ökade mer och mer och regnet kändes som vassa nålar i våra ansikten. Vi hade revat seglen och hade en fart på sex knop. Jag kunde höra vinden som ett vrål. Natten var så mörk, och jag kunde inte se en enda stjärna.” Några dagar senare: ”Loggen visade sex knop när vi seglade fram över havet. Det var ungefär sex sjömil till kusten när loggen helt plötsligt visade noll. Vi undrade om den var trasig. Det kändes fortfarande som sex knop och vi hade vind i seglen. Det visade sig att Argo hade fastnat i ett fiskenät. Vi funderade på vad vi skulle göra. Ingen av oss hade lust att hoppa ner i vattnet och skära loss nätet som fastnat runt båten, så Ingvar och jag väntade och visste inte vad vi skulle göra. Så såg vi en fiskebåt passera oss på ungefär 500 meters avstånd på väg mot hamnen. Vi vinkade åt dem och de såg oss och vände kurs mot oss. Lyckligtvis var de villiga att hjälpa oss, och de skickade över en lång käpp med en kniv fastsatt i ena ändan. Ingvar började skära i nylonnätet men hade ingen större framgång. Till slut klättrade en av fiskarna ombord på Argo. Han vässade kniven och skar loss oss!” Motorn startade men de hade ingen styrförmåga, de insåg att nätet hade skadat Argos roder. Efter att ha vridit rodret fram och tillbaka lossade till slut delar av nätet från rodret, och de kunde fortsätta sin färd. När de började färden igen hörde de ett konstigt dunkande ljud och blev rädda att propellern hade lossnat. Senare insåg de att fiskenätet höll sig flytande med hjälp av fotbollar i plast, och att ljudet de hörde uppstod när bollarna slog mot skrovet på ömse sidor av rodret. Senare på kvällen kom de fram till La Coruna Yacht Club, och besättningen på en fransk båt skrek och vinkade att något hade fastnat på Argo. Leena och Ingvar skrek tillbaka: ”Ja, vi vet!”, log och vinkade tillbaka, lätt skamsna för det som hade inträffat. De sparade fotbollarna under många år som ett minne. Flera år senare skulle en av dessa röda bollar bli den allra första fotboll som jag sparkade på. Efter att ha tillbringat en tid i Biscayabukten bestämde de sig för att segla in i Medelhavet, och en vän till familjen bjöd in paret till det hotell som denne ägde på Ibiza. När de passerade Gibraltar och styrde in i Medelhavet visste de inte att Argo skulle bli kvar där de närmaste fem åren eller att Ingvars och Leenas två barn skulle födas där. Utdrag från min mammas dagbok Den 5 oktober 1984 skrev Leena: ”Solen lyste på den mäktiga Gibraltarklippan när vi passerade den röda och vita fyren vid Europa Point och satte kurs mot Puerto Banùs. Vi seglade in i Jose Banús Marina med sex knops fart i plattvatten med vinden från sidan och det kändes som att vi flög fram över vattnet.” Håll utkik efter del 3 och läs om hur mina föräldrar tog hand om ett nyfött barn samtidigt som de seglade omkring i Medelhavet. READ MORE

ULTIMATE FAMILY CRUISING ONBOARD OYSTER BELLE Around-the-World Adventures with Stefan and Emily Hunger With tales of adventure, fickle winds, good food and wonderful wildlife, we spoke to Stefan Hunger, North Sails client and owner of Oyster 435 Oyster Belle. He talks about his recent ocean crossing and his family's biggest adventure yet. Stefan Hunger has always had a passion for the water. Stefan grew up dinghy sailing in Austria, venturing further afield to the UK and Mediterranean after meeting his wife Emily. This is where the young couple decided to give ocean sailing a go. Following the discovery of ocean sailing, they soon began the search for the perfect yacht to sail around the world with their young children. International salesman Stefan, and geologist Emily, spent a long time looking for the boat that fit their dreams and once Oyster Belle was found, they set out on a mission to get her ready for their adventure. A few years were spent getting to know Oyster Belle; living on board, cruising in the mediterranean with some longer passages to introduce their young children to the ocean. Oyster Belle underwent a full refit before they ventured further afield - a fresh deck was installed, the engine had a full revamp and the couple also purchased a new sail inventory. Their first experience with North Sails was shortly after they bought Oyster Belle and discovered that they urgently needed a new Genoa. “The fit of our North Sails Genoa is exactly what we are looking for. The cut and shape is perfect for our boat.” A year later, the couple decided to replace their mainsail, opting for an NPC Radian Mainsail with three reefing points to ensure that they were ready for anything that the Atlantic Crossing may throw at them. Speaking positively about their experience with the team of experts at North Sails UK, Stefan commented: “We had fantastic service, our mainsail was very bespoke. The shape, the way the sail behaves is beautiful - so good that we have since ordered a storm jib/staysail and an asymmetric spinnaker.” When Stefan decided to enter the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) he worked with Jeremy Smart to replace his old symmetric spinnaker with a furling asymmetric. They installed a small bowsprit per Jeremy’s recommendation. “It works beautifully, it drives the boat forward much better, it’s easy to handle, and we can use it at many different angles. It’s a joy to sail with.” In January 2022, it was time for Stefan to pursue a lifelong goal to cross the Atlantic Ocean and the family decided to join the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers trip from Gran Canaria to St Lucia. Oyster Belle set sail on the ARC, heading for the Caribbean with a crew of two Austrians and two British sailors, one of whom was the person who introduced Stefan and his wife to ocean sailing who is now a good family friend. Stefan and Emily would have loved to take their kids on the journey, but with the older of the two in school the timing didn’t work out. Oyster Belle dealt with the crossing perfectly. The crew reflected on the trip on their daily blog which mentioned weather extremes of gale force winds to no wind, torrential rain and tropical sunshine, stunning moon rises, spectacular sunsets, and a clear view of the Milky Way with an array of shooting stars on many occasions. And as if all that wasn’t enough excitement for one trip, the crew had a near collision with a whale and their onboard ‘masterchef’ treated them to deliciously prepared fresh Mahi Mahi. The weather they encountered during the crossing wasn’t exactly what they were expecting, Stefan recalled. “Something is changing in the global systems, they used to say to go south until the butter melts and then you turn right. That didn’t happen for us. The trade winds didn’t really set in.” Stefan explained that they had to go a long way south in search of some solid breeze. As a result, the crew on Oyster Belle didn't have the usual expected downwind weather conditions which meant that their North G1 Furling Gennaker with Spinex system was a ‘godsend.’ The sail came into its own during the crossing, helping the crew a lot against the other boats that didn't have asymmetric sails. Looking forward to future adventures, Stefan is working on a twin head sail solution with Jeremy and North Sails. The goal of this is to make crew work easier when it’s just Stefan and his family on board. Oyster Belle is now tucked up in Grenada awaiting the family’s arrival, where they plan to take advantage of the school holidays to cruise around the Caribbean. Longer term, the plan is to go further afield, potentially towards the Pacific. They hope to use their kids' school holidays to hop around the world under sail. North Sails is inspired by Stefan and Emily’s family cruising adventures and we wish them fair winds on their travels. To speak with Sail and Cruising Expert Jeremy Smart about your sail inventory, get in touch today. READ MORE

BEHIND THE SCENES: NORTH SAILS AT THE ST BARTHS BUCKET SUPERYACHT REGATTA Watch as Our Experts Work Around the Clock to Keep the Boats Racing The North Sails commitment to our sport and the art of sail repair knows no bounds, evidenced as a team from North Sails Palma takes their show on the road to ensure clients are race-ready at the St Barths Bucket Regatta. The portable onsite North Sails loft is a testament to the lengths North will go to offer an easy and accessible solution for all boats competing. It may be a bit of an understatement to call the loft in St Barths “portable” as the service team from Palma brings everything they need, literally from floor to ceiling, to create an environment uniquely suited to handle the logistical needs of superyacht sail repair. Tune in for a behind-the-scenes look at how service expert Brad Favelle and his team work around the clock, repairing any rips, tears, or fails throughout the regatta; a service offered to all participating yachts. It’s hard work with long crazy hours, but if you stop to ask any of the guys where they would rather be, the answer is unanimously “nowhere.” 📸 Atila Madrona READ MORE

SEAHORSE TECH BRIEF: NORTH SAILS PERFORMANCE COLLECTION The Fastest Sailors in the World Are Outfitted With the Most Advanced Gear in the Market 📸 Yann Riou Seahorse Magazine has given us special permission to republish the Tech Brief featuring the North Sails Performance Gear. Performance Director Nigel Musto teamed up with Matt Sheahan to talk about how North Performance is innovating foul weather gear and making history by looking ahead. North President Ken Read and Director of Design and Engineering JB Braun, teamed up to provide their insight and explanation on what’s hype, what’s fact, and why we feel the North Sails approach with Helix sails is a massive step forward for customers. ‘Our first year has been an outstanding one for us at North Sails Performance,’ says North Sails performance director, Nigel Musto. ‘We’ve been delighted that several of the world’s top sailors, onboard some of the most exciting boats – like the Gitana Team – have chosen to wear our kit. In particular the performance of 4DL, our “4-layer durable laminate” reinforcement, was way beyond even our expectations and the feedback has been superb.’ Bold talk from the man who heads the North Sails Performance team. In the competitive world of offshore clothing it would be easy to dismiss such enthusiasm as being the talk of the trade. But Nigel Musto’s hands-on approach and considerable racing and clothing experience is well-known in the racing world and means that along with his famously ebullient nature, when he talks of a breakthrough it’s worth taking note. But to understand why the new approach is so effective it’s important to understand a few background matters. ‘When we started the North Sails Performance project in 2018 we set out to solve several issues that the marine clothing industry has never been able to resolve. One was the problem of leaking knees and seats. Historically, when it comes it creating a robust garment that’s resistant to being torn or damaged by the anti-slip treatment on decks, and other snagging points around the boat, it’s been commonplace to put a Cordura patch over the top of the Gore-Tex fabric and then sew that patch into the side seams, but there are several problems with that.’ ‘The Cordura patch is heavy and it holds a lot of water when it’s wet, which makes it even heavier. It also creates a pocket between the patch and the Gore-Tex fabric and when that pocket fills with water it never dries out. Then, when you warm the water in that pocket you get reverse breathability which is why your knees and seat always feel damp.’ ‘Another problem is that when you sew the Cordura into the side seams you create a very thick seam. The result is that when you waterproof tape this seam there’s a significant risk of failure because you’re asking a lot of the pressure rollers on the PTFE tape machine when they are a forced to go over this very thick seam. If the membrane in the tape cracks, you’ll have a leakage.’ ‘With all this in mind we believed that the only sensible solution was to use a completely non-absorbent fabric as the patch and, to apply it in a way that eliminates the pocket and the thick side seams. ‘The logical route was to try and laminate something to the outside because with a laminated patch, you don’t need to go to the side seams. A laminated patch also means that there are no pockets and using a material that is totally non-absorbent means there is no weight gain when the garment gets wet. With all this in mind we went on the search for the ideal fabric and a solution as to how to laminate it to the outside.’ Nigel is tight lipped about the material itself, but when it came to the lamination, the expertise is close to home and not available to the opposition. ‘As many will appreciate from the North Technologies Group’s pioneering work with 3DL and laminated sails, we have a considerable number of experts in this field which was very useful in both finding the right material and then having the knowledge to create the perfect laminate.’ Two years of rigorous testing then followed resulting in some impressive feedback including a serious thumbs up from Imoca 60 sailor Kévin Escoffier. ‘I tested the same North Sails smock and trousers over 40,000 miles of hard sailing including the Transat Jacques Vabre, Le Defi Azimut, Vendee Atlantique – and the kit is absolutely reliable,’ he says. ‘What is just amazing about the North Sails Performance kit is how light it stays even in very wet conditions. The 4DL patches just don’t take in any, any water at all – it’s great and so comfortable.’ And Escoffier is not alone in singing the praises of the new kit. Being lightweight yet extremely robust, 4DL is proving to be popular with offshore sailors and by the end of the 2021 Transat Jacques Vabre in which teams went from cold, dark and wet to the heat of the Tropics in one race, Maxi Edmund de Rothschild’s (Gitana 17) skipper Charles Caudrelier didn’t hold back in his praise. ‘For the Transat Jacques Vabre whenever we did manoeuvres the North Sails gear is just magic,’ he said shortly after taking the Ultime class win in the race. The North Sails Performance Team is understandably delighted. ‘It’s clear that whether they’re racing or training, extreme offshore teams like Escoffier aboard his Imoca or the Gitana Team spend their life on the edge in some pretty serious conditions yet in the last 12 months there were no reported issues, not a single one.’ It’s hardly surprising therefore that North Sails Performance are so bullish and confident about their new product. 4DL has proved already to be robust, effective and by the accounts of those who have been riding the weather rail for hours on end, dry. ‘The funny thing is that because the sport has never had this type of product we’ve ended up accepting what has become the norm. The fact is that people don’t really appreciate what dry is until they’ve experienced being properly dry – they’re so used to being damp that dry is a bit of a new feeling. And this is what we’re bringing to the party. You really won’t get a damp backside,’ Nigel explains. As the testing went on there were other advantages that started to appear. ‘While we hadn’t set out with an intent to make a garment that was significantly lighter than anything else on the market, that’s what we ended up with. This lamination fabric is so much lighter than Cordura we’ve saved 30 per cent in weight on dry trousers when compared with our opposition’s equivalent. And that’s when they’re dry. Because everyone else uses Cordura patches, which hold a lot of water, my guess is that we’ll be at least 50 per cent lighter in very wet conditions.’ Tapping into the French offshore scene proved to be invaluable for the North Sails Performance team. While many of the world’s major events were postponed or cancelled, parts of the shorthanded offshore scene were able to continue, most notably the Imoca 60 scene and the Vendée Globe. ‘There are very few sailors that have clocked up the kind of miles that the French sailors have over the last two years and that’s been great because one of the main things we need in testing is hours on the water because that’s usually what causes failures,’ Nigel Musto says. In some ways the Performance team wasn’t surprised. Secret testing in Australia during training for the 2019 Sydney Hobart Race as well as in the race itself had suggested that 4DL was already delivering more than they had expected. The following year had seen many offshore miles completed in the Imoca scene, culminating in the Vendée Globe. Once their secret was out of the bag, teams took 4DL into the 2021 season and delivered North Sails Performance with plenty of validations and feedback as the wide range of conditions provided the perfect environment to put theory into practice once again. From the punchy, wild upwind start of the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race, to the intensity of the Copa del Rey and Les Voiles de St Tropez it was difficult to imagine a wider range of conditions. North Sails president Ken Read is in no doubt as to just how big a step the new clothing represents and doesn’t hold back. ‘Whenever North Sails sets out to build something, it’s a given that we plan on it being best in show. And the North Sails gear that Nigel Musto and his team have designed and built, for all marine applications, is quite simply better,’ he says. ‘He utilized a number of us who have a bit of time on the water to present what we thought were important features. Combine all of that with the new 4DL technology and voilà… the best foul weather gear, made of the best fabric, that the world has ever seen.’ But while the 4DL project gets a big tick, the North Sails Performance team is working on another area that has been neglected and overlooked for many years, women’s offshore kit. Which takes us full circle because, if you think this is marketing speak, when Nigel explains what the North Sails team has been working on you start to wonder why it is only now that solutions are appearing and those answers are on their way. In the meantime, he remains in no doubt about the significance of the move to 4DL reinforcement. ‘When breathable foul weather gear came onto the scene, many people thought that it was a luxury item, great if you could bear the additional cost. Within a few years, no one was considering anything else. We believe 4DL has the potential to do the same.’ SHOP PERFORMANCE READ MORE

HOW TO SAIL SAFELY THROUGH A STORM Tips And Tricks To Help You Get Home Safe 📸 Kurt Arrigo/ ROLEX Compared to the quick response and sudden nature of a squall, sailing through a storm in open water is an endurance contest. In addition to big wind, you’ll have to deal with big waves and crew fatigue. Sailing in Waves Sailing in big waves is a test of seamanship and steering, which is why you should put your best driver on the helm. Experienced dinghy sailors often are very good at heavy air steering, because they see “survival” weather more often than most cruisers. Avoid sailing on a reach across tall breaking waves; they can roll a boat over. When sailing close-hauled in waves, aim toward flat spots while keeping speed up so you can steer. To reduce the chance of a wave washing across the deck, tack in relatively smooth water. A cubic foot of water weighs 64 pounds, so a wave can bring many hundreds of pounds of water across the deck. Sailing on a run or broad reach in big waves is exhilarating, but be careful not to broach and bring the boat beam-to a breaker. Rig a preventer to hold the boom out. 📸 Carlo Borlenghi / ROLEX Storm Sails If reefing isn’t enough to reduce power, it’s time to dig out your storm sails — the storm trysail and storm jib. They may seem tiny, but since wind force rises exponentially, they’re the right size for a really big blow. Storm trysails are usually trimmed to the rail, but some modern ones are set on the boom. The storm jib should be set just forward of the mast to keep the sail plan’s center of effort near the boat’s center of lateral resistance. This helps keep the boat in balance. Storm Strategy The first decision before an approaching storm is the toughest: Run for cover, or head out to open water for sea room? With modern forecasting, a true storm will rarely arrive unannounced, but as you venture further offshore the chances of being caught out increase. While running for cover would seem the preferred choice, the danger lies in being caught in the storm, close to shore, with no room to maneuver or run off. Two classic storm strategies are to try to keep away from land so you’re not blown up on shore, and to sail away from the storm’s path — especially its “dangerous semicircle,” which is its right side as it advances. Storm Tactics Storm tactics help you handle a storm once you’re in it. There are several proven choices, all of which aim to reduce the strain and motion by pointing one of the boat’s ends (either bow or stern) toward the waves. No one tactic will work best for all boats in all conditions. Sail under storm jib and deeply reefed mainsail or storm trysail. This approach provides the most control. Sails give you the power to steer and control your boat in the waves. Run before the storm with the stern toward the waves, perhaps towing a drogue to slow the boat. This tactic requires a lot of sea room, and the boat must be steered actively. Another concern is that you will remain in front of an approaching storm, rather than sailing out of its path. Heave-to on a close reach with the jib trimmed to windward. Heaving-to can be an excellent heavy weather tactic, though some boats fare better than others. Deploy a sea anchor while hove-to or under bare poles. A sea anchor is a small parachute set at the end of a line off the bow. A sea anchor helps keep the bow up into the waves so the boat won’t end up beam to the seas. One concern is the load on the rudder as waves push the boat aft. Another alternative is lying ahull, simply sitting with sails down. This passive alternative is less reliable than the other tactics, as you lose the ability to control your angle to the waves and may end up beam to the seas. Furthermore, the motion of the boat rolling in the waves without the benefit of sails can be debilitating. Want to order a storm trysail or storm jib for your boat? Contact a North Sails Expert here. How to Heave-To Wouldn’t it be great if, during a heavy air sail, you could just take a break, and relax for a bit? Imagine a short respite from the relentless pitching and pounding: a chance to rest, take a meal, or check over the boat in relative tranquility. Well, you can. The lost art of heaving-to allows you to “park” in open water. To heave-to, trim the jib aback (i.e., to the wrong side), trim the main in hard, and lash the helm so the boat will head up once it gains steerageway. As the jib tries to push the bow down, the bow turns off the wind and the main fills, moving the boat forward. Once the boat begins to make headway, the lashed helm turns the boat toward the wind again. As the main goes soft the jib once again takes over, pushing the bow down. The main refills, and the rudder pushes the bow into the wind again. The boat won’t actually stop. It will lie about 60 degrees off the wind, sailing at 1 or 2 knots, and making significant leeway (sliding to leeward). The motion will be much less than under sail, and dramatically more stable and pleasant than dropping all sails and lying ahull. You will also be using up less sea room than if you run before the storm at great speed. Achieving this balance will require some fine tuning, depending on the wind strength, your boat design, and the sails you are flying. Also, fin-keeled boats do not heave to as well as more traditional designs. In storm seas, some boats will require a sea anchor off the bow to help hold the boat up into the waves while hove-to. 📸 ROLEX Alternate Storm Strategy: Don’t Go If conditions are wrong, or are forecast to worsen, don’t go. If you can avoid the storm, then do so. If you’re at home, stay there. If you’re mid-cruise, button up the boat, make sure your anchor or mooring or dock lines are secure, and then read a book or play cards. Relax. Enjoy the time with your shipmates. Study the pile of Owners’ Manuals you’ve accumulated with each piece of new gear. Tinker with boat projects. Put some soup on the stove, and check on deck every so often to make sure the boat is secure. Shake your head as you return below, and remark, “My oh my, is it nasty out there.” If your boat is threatened by a tropical storm or hurricane, strip all excess gear from the deck, double up all docking or mooring lines, protect those lines from chafe, and get off. Don’t risk your life to save your boat. Misery and Danger Although everyone will remember it differently years later, a long, wet, cold sail through a storm can be miserable. As the skipper, you need to make the best of it: watch over your crew, offer relief or help to those who need it, and speak a few words of encouragement to all. “This is miserable, but it will end.” Take the time to marvel at the forces of nature, and at your ability to carry on in the midst of the storm. Few people get to experience the full fury of a storm. It may not be pleasant, but it is memorable. While misery and discomfort can eventually lead to fatigue, diminished performance, and even danger, do not mistake one for the other. Distinguish in your own mind the difference between misery and danger. Don’t attempt a dangerous harbor entrance to escape misery; that would compromise the safety of the boat and crew, just to avoid a little discomfort. Interested in a new sail quote or have questions about your sails? Fill out our Request a Quote form below and you will receive a reply from a North sail expert in your area. REQUEST A QUOTE READ MORE

19mm & 25mm BATTEN BOX Installation Guide North Sails full-batten mainsails come with North Sails adjustable batten boxes installed on the luff end of the pockets. Our batten boxes eliminate batten loss through “shake out,” allow easy compression adjustments, and create a closed, low-profile leech end. They are easy to use and require just five simple steps to install. Step 1: Using the supplied 3mm Allen Key, remove the retaining screw in the luff end of the batten box door by turning it CLOCKWISE. Step 2: Rotate the batten door down to get it out of the way. Step 3: Insert the batten into the pocket, making sure the batten is oriented correctly. Step 4: Close the batten door and tighten the retaining screw by turning it COUNTER CLOCKWISE. Step 5: Apply the desired amount of batten compression using the supplied 10mm driver to adjust the screw on the aft end of the batten box. Note: After sailing, the battens need may need additional compressing. If there are vertical creases along the batten pocket, increase batten compression until the wrinkles disappear. READ MORE

A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP CAMPAIGN The Road to Monaco with North Sails Experts Giulio Desiderato & Alex Curtiss 📸 Studio Borlenghi Who’s going to win the J/70 Worlds in October? We can’t yet make a prediction, but we do know that the winning team is already well into their preparations—and most likely, they’ve already hired a coach. So we thought it would be helpful to ask two North Sails J/70 experts why they think this adds so much value—even for a regatta when coaches can’t talk to sailors on the water. North Sails expert Giulio Desiderato is a European champion in the J/70, but for the first part of the 2022 season he has stepped away from the mainsail trimmer/ tactician role to coach Elvis—and says he’s learned a surprising amount. “Off the boat, I can see the fleet from outside and also see the dynamics of the team. And every time, I find something that I want to try when I jump back on board. That’s not only interesting, it’s a great way to improve.” Of course no coach can help sailors unless they really want to learn, he points out. “The Elvis guys are a Corinthian team, and they are really motivated to improve and become better overall sailors. As a coach, that definitely makes life easier when you can work with a team with this attitude, I’m sure that they will be on the top soon.” 📸 Studio Borlenghi Data Overload? When he first started working with Elvis, Giulio was concerned about overwhelming them with too much information. “What I tried to do is divide it up into different areas: the start, boat handling, boat speed, tactics, and communication. Then we tried to improve a little in each area every day. It’s been interesting, because compared to a professional team, they were very open to new ideas. We had to decide together: What’s the routine each day? What is the best approach to the starting line? How do we accelerate?” Daily Routine Giulio says he keeps the mornings and evenings pretty much the same for both training and racing. “We have a short morning briefing, which includes a video that is similar to the day’s conditions. I have quite a lot of J/70 material in my database, so I can show a particular maneuver or technique based on the forecast. It’s always helpful to show a video, because it helps the team to visualize what they have to do on the water.” On training days, Giulio helps the team prioritize what to work on, striving for a mix of both boat speed lineups and practice races. He follows the teams closely, taking video and photos that will help him communicate what he sees to the team. On race days, Giulio can’t speak to his team once they leave the dock nor can he get too close during racing. “You cannot go in the middle of the fleet, so you have to find the right moment and the right angle to take a picture. It’s easier to take video at the start or at mark roundings, and then maybe downwind you can follow from the side and do some videos to understand if the technique is good or not. I think a good coach should also take video and pictures of the top boats, in order to copy them. You have to be curious, and think all the time as a sailor. I feel strongly about the regatta and it feels like I’m sailing with my guys too.” After sailing, they sit down for a debrief right away, “to speak immediately about what was most important and show video. Afterward I work on the photos, which help me explain in more detail about the tuning and the trimming. Usually the next morning I send the best pictures to the team, and we might discuss them at the morning meeting, especially if the conditions will be similar.” 📸 Studio Borlenghi From the Sailor’s Perspective Though his team on Good to Go used to send their coach home once racing started, North Sails expert Alex Curtiss says they have already locked in Mark Ivey for the entire Worlds—and for all of their lead up regattas. That’s because they’ve set the Monaco event as a top priority. “Doug Rastello, the owner, really likes it there,” Alex says, adding that they raced there three times over the winter. “It’s a really dynamic place to sail, because it’s a microclimate between the mountains and the Med. And the chop is really big; the whole city is concrete, and there’s a long seawall. The waves come in and hit it, and then you get these crazy reverbs; sometimes you’ll be sailing upwind with five foot waves coming from astern! We’ve had to learn to set the boat up differently on each tack.” Biggest Advantage? Asked to choose the biggest single value of coaching, Alex says it would be optimizing sail shape. “That’s a big thing, especially in a place like Monaco. Just having that outside eye on guys that are faster than us; Mark will say, ‘Okay, they’re slightly flatter than you’ or ‘these guys are slightly fuller.’ And a lot of times when we get off the water, he’s thinking about something he saw that was not even on our radar. I definitely think that if you’re a Corinthian team, and you’re looking to crack into that next group or get in the front of the pack, having a coach for a whole event is wildly helpful.” Be Adaptable When we spoke, Giulio wasn’t yet certain whether he’d be in the RIB or onboard a J/70 for the Worlds. He also says that it will be a “really difficult championship” to forecast. “The only thing that we are sure about is that it will be wavy,” he says. “And for that reason, whether I’m a coach or a sailor, it will be very important to be really adaptable with the sail configuration. At the last Primo Cup regatta, which we consider as a world championship test event, there were 17 North Sails boats in the top 20. Our F1 mainsail and J2+ jib also won the Bacardi Invitational Regatta in much different conditions. That’s for sure a combination that will give a lot of chances to perform.” Interested in buying a new set of sails for the summer, or for the World Championship? Contact a North Sails J/70 Class Expert or order directly from the button below. J/70 CLASS PAGE Alex Curtiss onboard Good To Go | Monaco Act IV 2022 READ MORE

SYDNEY TO HOBART YACHT RACE NAVIGATION DEBRIEF Watch the Live Webinar with North Sails expert Mark Bradford + Black Jack's Navigators Rewatch this live webinar with North Sails expert Mark Bradford debriefing the 2021 Sydney to Hobart Race with Black Jack navigators Alex Nolan and Kevin Costin. More on the 76th Edition of the Sydney Hobart Race Line Honors Winner Black Jack - When Black Jack’s mast fell over the side during a record-setting run last April, the team quickly decided to turn their devastating loss into a performance upgrade. That decision paid off when Peter Harburg’s team claimed line honors in the 76th edition of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. The RP100 had always struggled upwind against Christin Beck’s wider LawConnect, a Juan-K design. So we wanted to understand how an experienced team of sailors and North Sails design engineers overcame this boat’s known weak point. The answer? A new aero package that took advantage of Helix’s load-sharing technology. Story continued below... BLACK JACK'S WINNING COMBINATION READ MORE

2022 LIGHTNING SOUTHERN CIRCUIT Team Patstrong Takes Midwinters Title, Solidifies Their Southern Circuit Win Tom Starck, Jenna Probst and David Starck – Team Patstrong | 2022 Southern Circuit Champions The final leg of the 2022 Lightning Class Southern Circuit wrapped up March 25th with the Lightning Midwinters being held in Miami Florida. 25 teams sailed on beautiful Biscayne Bay with the racing and regatta events being hosted by the Coconut Grove Sailing Club. Conditions were challenging over the 2 day event with big chop and wind speeds of 12-22 knots. This combination created ample opportunity for crews and boats to be thoroughly tested leading to a few breakdowns and capsizes. However, by the end of each day, all the boats were fixed and crews (while perhaps sore and tired) were smiling and excited to have been able to be back racing in Miami. The Midwinters began with 3 races being held in Thursday’s big breeze and waves with 1/3 of the fleet suffering some sort of mishap that caused them to miss at least one race. Friday’s forecast looked only marginally better, but as the day wore on the breeze moderated dramatically giving many of the tired crews a small break with more manageable 12-15 mph shifty breeze, allowing the race committee to complete 3 more races to give the teams a drop race. Getting the drop race was critical for regatta and circuit champions David Starck, Tom Starck and Jenna Probst as they were one of the teams that suffered a breakdown on Day 1 and carried a DNC into Friday’s racing but with a final scoreline of 4,1,(DNC),2,1,2, “Team Patstrong” asserted their dominance on the circuit and bested the Chilean team of past World Champion Tito Gonzalez, with his son and daughter Alberto and Trinidad by 5 points to win the 2002 Midwinter Championship. Rounding out the top 3 was our own Ched Proctor with Madeline Gill and Jeff Eiber only 5 points behind team Gonzalez. Last but not least, Sabrina Starck, David and Jody’s daughter (and long time Lightning sailor) won the Youth Award at the 2022 Winter Championships. “It is a super one-design class for youth sailors who want to experience a high level of competition, international venues, and a family atmosphere,” mentioned dad and Southern Circuit winner, David Starck. The Midwinters wrapped up the 2 regatta Southern Circuit for the class and it was exciting to see the successes our clients had using North Sails, with every race on the circuit won by a North Sails team. We are proud that so many Lightning sailors trust North Sails to help them succeed on the race course with 9 of the top 10 teams, and 20 out of the top 23 teams racing with North inventories. Our team is looking forward to a great 2022 season and the World Championships May 2022. Reach out to any of our North Sails Lightning team and see how we can help make you and your team championship winning fast! CONTACT AN EXPERT “Top Newcomer” to the Lightning Class – Augie Diaz View Full Results Here – Winter Championship Midwinter Championship Lightning Southern Circuit Overall 1. Team David Starck, Tom Starck and Jenna Probst 2. Team Augie Diaz, Jackie Morrison, Kim Couranz and Christine Maloney 3. Team Tito Gonzalez, Trinidad Gonzalez and Alberto Gonzalez Jr. 4. Team Jody Starck, Bill Faude, Ian Jones and Tim Crann 5. Team Ched Proctor, Jeff Eiber, Madeline Gill, Ethan Bixby and Meredith Killion Top Newcomer- Augie Diaz Interested in joining the class, or getting to know more about the Lightning? Check out the Class Website here. READ MORE

Nova Generacija North Sails Flokova za Klasu Zvijezda Radi Izvrsno! 📸 Martina Orsini Pozivna regata kojoj je glavni sponzor tvrtka Bacardi, a koja se jedri u Miamiju, okupila je neke od najboljih svjetskih jedriličara u klasama Zvijezda, Melges 24, J70, Viper 640, 69F i VX One. Među njima našle su se i dvije hrvatske posade u klasi Zvijezda, a riječ je o Marinu Mišuri i Tonku Baraču, odnosno Tonču Stipanoviću i Tudoru Biliću. Dvojcu Mišura - Barač ovo je bio već šesti nastup na ovoj regati, dok su Stipanović i Tudor imali premijeru. Ukupno je sudjelovalo preko 160 posada, a ovisno o formatu natjecanja nisu svi krenuli s regatom u isto vrijeme. Posade u klasi Zvijezda krenule su prve jer je njihov program jedrenja predviđao samo po jedan plov u danu, dok je za jedrenje bilo predviđeno šest dana. Ostale klase imale su nešto kraće boravke u Miamiju, ali zajedničko im je svima bilo to da su kraj jedrenja svi imali istog dana. Što se tiče logističkog dijela regate, domaćinstvo je podijeljeno između više klubova, jer smještaj tolikog broja jedrilica traži dosta prostora, što na kopnu, što u moru. Da je u pitanju ozbiljan organizacijski zahvat mogli su se uvjeriti i svi koji su prošlog ljeta bili u Splitu za vrijeme Europskog prvenstva klase Zvijezda, odnosno svi koji prate događanja oko regata klase Melges 24. Vremenski uvjeti su po riječima naših jedriličara bili zahtjevni, jer je puhao južni vjetar od prosječnih petnaestak čvorova s oscilacijama od 3 - 4 čvora. U klasi Zvijezda to zahtjeva dosta truda, jer je ovaj vjetar bio u kombinaciji s kratkim i oštrim valovima koji su i inače uobičajeni u Miamiju, a ako posada nije dobro pripremljena za takve uvjete može imati ozbiljne probleme s jedrenjem u orcu jer ako se ne jedri koncentrirano jedrilica značajno uspori. S obzirom na njenu popriličnu masu ponovno ubrzavanje zahtijeva dodatno vrijeme i malo po malo se gube dragocjene sekunde i prejedreni metri. Unatoč predviđenih šest dana za jedrenje jedrilo ih se pet. Razlog je što je posljednjeg dana regate Obalna straža zabranila isplovljavanje zbog prejakog vjetra koji je ostao kao posljedica noćne nevere. Zato su se rezultati računali na osnovu najbolja četiri rezultata s obzirom da je bilo moguće jedno odbacivanje. Naše dvije posade na kraju su završile na 10. i 14. mjestu s tim da je ovogodišnji ulazak u top ten posade Mišura - Barač njihov najbolji rezultat do sad ostvaren u Miamiju. Jedrili smo dobro s obzirom da praktički nismo trenirali. Jedini trening pred regatu bio je nastup na Kairos Kupu u Trogiru. Ali kad se pogledaju rezultati mislim da ne možemo biti nezadovoljni. Istina, u Miami smo stigli tri dana prije početka regate, ali dva dana je bio previše jak vjetar pa nismo htjeli ići u rizik oštećivanja opreme s obzirom da smo morali uzeti charter brod. Najlošiji rezultat nam je 33. mjesto iz drugog plova. Tada nam je najveći problem bilo to što smo na bovu od orce stigli na lijevim uzdama i nismo se uspjeli ubaciti, a kad se to desi onda nema se što nego propustiti flotu. Kasnije smo nadoknađivali izgubljeno, ali bolje od ove pozicije nije moglo. Najbolji rezultat bilo nam je 3. mjesto četvrtog dana regate. Taj plov smo dobro jedrili od starta pa do cilja. Dobro smo odradili krmu, ali orca nam je ove godine stvarno bila najbolja do sada. Promijenili smo model floka i to nam se u orcu pokazalo kao izvrstan potez. Mislim da mogu reći da so čak i bili malo komodni po pitanju brzine u orcu. Riječ je također o North Sails floku, jer inače jedrimo samo s Northom, i to o najnovijem modelu kojeg su izbacili na tržište. Mislim da je od rujna prošle godine i još uvijek ga se dosta ljudi boji staviti. Mi smo ga naručili i nismo puno razmišljali već smo ga tamo odmah podigli i već prvi dan vidjelo se da je to bio dobar izbor, pa nismo dalje ništa mijenjali. Što se nas kao posade tiče mislim da je jako dobro to što smo iz regate u regatu tehnički bili sve bolji. S obzirom da ne treniramo to nam je izrazito drago... jer nismo stagnirali već smo radili progres. Marin Mišura, CRO 8531 - kormilar Regata u Miamiju bila je samo prva stavka u popisu regata posade Mišura - Barač, a iduća je Prvenstvo istočne hemisfere koje će se jedriti u Napulju od 27. travnja. Potom slijedi Europsko prvenstvo u srpnju u Danskoj, pa povratak na sjevernoamerički kontinent na Svjetsko prvenstvo u rujnu u Bostonu. Druga Hrvatska posada, Stipanović - Bilić, također je jedrila s charter jedrilicom, ali od proizvođača s kojim surađuju posljednjih godinu - dvije. Međutim, ipak postoje razlike jer jedrilica na kojoj jedre u Europi napravljena je baš po njihovim karakteristikama i potrebama. 📸 Martina Orsini Bodovna razlika između naše dvije posade, nakon odbacivanja, bila je deset bodova. Mišura i Barač imali su u konačnici 41 bod dobiven zbrojem 11., 14., 13. i izvrsnog 3. mjesta, dok su Stipanović i Tudor uknjižili 51 bod dobiven od 9., 17. 13. i 12. mjesta. Ovo nam je bio prvi Bacardi Cup, a konkurencija je bila izvrsna. Bilo je sigurno 10-15 najboljih svjetskih posada. Mi smo jedrili u posuđenom brodu, kao i svi što iz Europe koji dođu u Ameriku, pa smo iskoristili priliku za testiranje neke druge opreme poput mekšeg jarbola, drugog floka itd. Tako dok se nismo utrimali nismo bili baš zadovoljni brzinom kakvu smo inače imali, pa se nismo nešto pokazali na početku regate. Imali smo i par dobrih i par loših starteva, tako da je rezultat stvaran preslik našeg jedrenja... nije ni dobro ni loše... Jedrili smo po jedan plov dnevno, a regate su trajale oko sat i 50. Puhalo je između 12 i 20 čvorova, a mi s našim oscilacijama nismo bili u vrhu kao što smo jedrili na prošlom svjetskom. Razlog za to je jednim dijelom bio manjak treninga, ali i to testiranje opreme. Mislim, Zvijezda nije samo ono sjedneš u brod i voziš. Osnovni problem bilo je to što smo stavili taj novi jarbol, a to napraviti pred regatu nije baš dobra stvar. S novim jarbolom mijenjaju se sve mjere, ali sve u svemu bilo je OK. S druge strane Marin i Tonko jedrili su malo bolje od nas, jednom ušli i kao treći i ostvarili svoj najbolji rezultat na ovoj regati. A sama regata kao regata je stvarno veliki event koji zajedno organizira nekoliko klubova. Tudor Bilić, CRO 8540 - flokist Stipanović i Bilić preskočit će Prvenstvo istočne hemisfere zbog Stipanovićevih obaveza u njegovoj matičnoj klasi ILCA i Bilićevih poslovnih obaveza, ali zato planiraju nastupiti na EP u Kopenhagenu i to s novim brodom koji im stiže u travnju. Također planiraju nastup i u Bostonu gdje će braniti srebro osvojeno u Kielu, a posebnu draž jedrenju u Massachusetts dat će obilježavanje stote godišnjice od kad su se počela jedriti svjetska prvenstva klase Zvijezda. Zanimljiv detalj vezan uz regatu klase Zvijezda na Bacardi Cupu je što tu ne vrijedi ograničenje u masi koje se inače primjenjuje po pravilima klase na svim ostalim regatama i iznosi 200kg. Po pitanju klase Zvijezda u Hrvatskoj, mora se reći da je ponovno ušla u fazu stagniranja, jer na spomenutom Kairos kupu, koji je izvorno regata klasa Optimist i ILCA, jedrilo je samo pet posada iako je to bila prva regata klase nakon EP u Splitu. Trenutno je u Hrvatskoj između 10 i 15 ovih jedrilica, a s povratkom u kokpit koketira i naš olimpijac iz Londona Marin Lovrović mlađi. Pitanje je kako ih motivirati i privući na regate, ali to je sad neka druga tema s kojom se susreću i u drugim klasama. READ MORE

Universitas Nova savršenim skorom prvog dana do ukupne pobjede u Opatiji 📸 regate.com.hr Treća regata CRO Melges 24 Cupa za 2022 odjedrena je u aranžmanu YC Croatia, a na njoj je sudjelovalo 15 posada među kojima su po prvi put zajedrile Fjonda, She i Razjaren, a i jedna slovenska posada došla je u ispitivanje konkurencije pred nastup na prvoj regati iz ciklusa Europskog kupa koja će se između 1. i 3. travnja jedriti u Rovinju. Marčanska bura puhala je i 19. i 20. ožujka, oba dana regate, te stvarala poprilične probleme kako Regatnom odboru tako i natjecateljima. Ali s druge strane dozvolila je svima da se naspavaju, pogotovo u odnosu na prethodnu godinu kad su se jedriličari u ACI marini Ičići okupljali već od 5 sati ujutro da bi stigli jedriti na Vološčanskoj tramontani. U subotu najviše problema imali su suci na brodu RO-a, jer su imali problema sa sidrenjem s obzirom da je puhala vrlo jaka bura, a sidrenje velikog Firsta 45 se moralo obaviti na dubini većoj od 60 metara. Kad su se potopili svi lanci i produljili sidreni konopi moglo se krenuti s jedrenjem. Bura je i dalje puhala, ali problem jedriličarima više su predstavljali prateći valovi. To su redom kasnije priznali svi sudionici, jer na svim dosadašnjim regatama nikad nije bilo ovako jakog vjetra, kao ni oštrog vala od bure. Subotnji program odrađen je do kraja. Odjedrila su se sva tri predviđena jedrenja. Međutim, kako je dan odmicao vjetar je pomalo slabio i u jednom trenutku otišao je u drugu krajnost u odnosu na jutro. Da se nastavilo s tendencijom slabljenja realna je bila mogućnost prekida jedrenja zbog nedovoljnog vjetra. Da jedriličarima bude još teže pobrinula se mareta koja je i dalje bila značajna i u takvim uvjetima još neugodnija. Treći plov ipak je odjedren po malo boljim uvjetima jer je vjetar ponovno malo pojačao, ali bilo je to daleko od jutarnjih petnaestak čvorova. U sva tri jedrenja apsolutni primat imao je Universitas Nova, jedrilica za čijim kormilom je Ivan Kljaković Gašpić, a u čijoj posadi jedre i dva člana AJK Universitas Marin Golem i Filip Miroić i Ivanova kćer Mia, te Šime Markić. Jedini koji su im se uspjeli bar donekle približiti bili su momci s Panjića Luke Šangulina. Oni su u prvom i trećem jedrenju zauzeli drugo mjesto, dok je u drugom plovu to pošlo za rukom slovenskoj posadi na Ariji s Peterom Podunavcem za kormilom. Inače, oni stariji će se sjetiti, Peter je osvojio broncu na Europskom prvenstvu klase Optimist 1988. godine. Dosta dobro ponovno su jedrili i momci s Matarana, te ekipa s PointOne, dok je možda neke iznenadila ekipa Fjonde koji su kiksali samo u drugom plovu kad su završili 10. dok su u prvom i trećem jedrenju u cilj ušli kao 4. i 3. Inače, to je posada iz susjedne Opatije i riječ je o vro iskusnim jedriličarima s Goranom Ivankovićem za kormilom. Nedjelja se još u prognozama najavljivala kao mnogo teži dan od subote, a to se i potvrdilo prilikom dolaska u marinu Ičići. Stalno je puhalo preko 15 čvorova, a s početkom regate i bura je počela jačati. Takvi uvjeti stvarali su dodatni pritisak na natjecatelje za hvatanje što bolje pozicije na startnoj liniji, pa su se na ovom startu dogodila čak tri prijevremena prelaska startne linije. Tada su po 16 nepotrebnih bodova dobili PointOne, Aria i Obi Wan. Zanimljivo je da je oba dana izniman pritisak bio na lijevoj strani startne linije, što je u subotu rezultiralo i s naslanjanjima na pin brod. Naravno, nije to bilo bez razloga, pogotovo što je to bio i izbor, odnosno preporuka poznavatelja lokalnih vremenskih prilika. Definitivno je lijeva strana bila opravdano poželjan izbor. Po ovim, značajno težim, uvjetima Universitas Nova nije uspio dominirati kao dan ranije. U prvom plovu malo brži od ovog Melgesa bio je Mataran 24, dok je u drugom plovu da, koji je inače bio i skraćen, pobjedu odnio Panjić. Taj drugi plov startao je po više od 20 čvorova vjetra, a u trenucima obilaska privjetrinskih oznaka puhalo je i preko 25. Posljedica svježih refula bilo je skoro pa istovremeno izvrtanje na bok nekolicine jedrilica! Nakon prolaska kroz gate slijedio je povratak u vjetar i sigurno je bila riječ o najnapornijem jedrenju u Melgesima do sada za većinu sudionika. Regatni odbor je bio više nego svjestan situacije i kako je donesena odluka da se regata pusti dalje, da bi se bar malo olakšalo svim natjecateljima, odlučeno je da se postavi pomoćni cilj na idućoj oznaci. Osim Panjića, ovaj plov, vrlo dobro je odjedrio i PointOne. Ovako su se bar malo "iskupili" za kiks s prethodnog starta, dok je Mataran ovog puta ušao kao treći. Pobjeda iz prethodnog plova i ovo treće mjesto osiguralo je posadi Matarana titulu najuspješnije posade dana. Vjetrovita nedjelja sigurno će u lijepom sjećanju ostati i posadi Melgesa - Razjaren. Kao što je već spomenuto ovo je njima bio premijerni nastup, a kako im je za kormilom Ante Ćesić i očekivanja su im bila velika. U subotu su još hvatali ritam broda, dok su u nedjelju osvojili 3. i 4. mjesto. Inače, za neupućene, Ante Ćesić je u kombinaciji s Antom Kujundžićem 2004. godine osvojio titulu svjetskih prvaka u klasi 470, dok su godinu ranije bili srebreni iza Šime Fantele i Igora Marenića. Na kraju, kad se obavi finalni izračun, subota je Universitas Novi osigurala uvjerljivu pobjedu, dok su se srebrom i broncom okitili Panjić i Mataran 24 koji je imao jednak broj bodova kao PointOne. Ukupne rezultate regate možete pronaći na ovom linku, a idući event klase Melges 24 u Hrvatskoj bit će velika međunarodna regata u Rovinju koja će se jedriti od 1. do 3. travnja. 📸 regate.com.hr READ MORE

In Episode 2, the North Sails podcast is joined by our friends from North Actionsports, the brand behind North Kiteboarding and North Windsurfing. READ MORE

MAKING THE WORLD’S LARGEST SAIL Meet the Designer, Builder, and Cloth Supplier of the Superyacht Perseus^3’s New Spinnaker, a Sail the Size of 10 Tennis Courts 📸 Ryan Borne “It’s substantially bigger than anything else out there,” says Glenn Cook in a typically measured fashion. The North Sails superyacht sail designer is calling from St Barth, where he’s testing the sail out for the first time, a process he says is both “nerve-racking” and “the best part of the job.” Because to bring this 2,604 sqm A2 sail to life, it’s taken a lot of people, time, and resources. In fact, it’s taken a design team in the US, an eight-week custom order from Contender Sailcloth and a team of 10 sailmakers and 2 graphic installers working over 15 days to build this sail. “The boat was specifically looking for a target area from a rating perspective,” explains Cook. “So the design was driven by that. And because Perseus^3 is a huge boat (her length overall is 58.60m), you can’t turn very quickly and trimming adjustments are also slow, so we looked to make a sail that had a very stable flying shape. Plus the sail has to work across a variety of conditions. The design is more forgiving than you would do on a smaller sail.” Handling issues drove the design, too: the luff is so long that it can drop into the water when gybing. “We developed a system above the tack to collect the sail and keep it clear of the water during a gybe.” With no other sail of that size or real benchmark, the chosen base material is a Contender Sailcloth Superkote 350 – the top of their offering – and the ply patching a Superkote 250 to keep some weight off. “These boats are huge, the loads that are involved are pretty exceptional,” adds cloth supplier Duncan Skinner, President of Contender Sailcloth USA. “We go from a fabric that weighs 32 grams per square meter up to something that weighs 150 grams for the Superkote 350 in this kite. As the weight goes up, the strength goes up and that’s what you need in a sail this size. “The fiber selection comes first – it’s high-tenacity Nylon. Second, constructions, ie. how many yarns we weave in each direction. Once the fabric is woven, the finishing comes in – that’s the real trick. You have to dye the product first, then finish it. We finish it with a coating process that gives stability and zero porosity to the fabric. A well-proven chemical process that makes fabrics that withstand the kind of loads you see on these giant boats.” Skinner smiles. “This thing is so big!” Producing a consistent finish throughout is key to ensure the sail’s uniform performance. “On these big kites, the fabric is specifically engineered so that there is a little bit of elasticity built into it. That way, big shock loads don’t run back through the rigging and the boat itself – the kite absorbs a little bit of it.” Surprisingly though, it’s the sail’s custom grey color that caused the most headache. “The coloring took us the longest because you can’t take that amount of material and dye it all at the same time. The machines just aren’t that big. You have to pay a lot of attention to the dye formulation and to the timing… and when you look at the kite, it’s pretty damn close! That was also very good on Manolo’s part when assembling the sail.” Manolo Lastra’s loft in Northern Spain was the last part of this gigantic puzzle. “It took about eight weeks to receive the material,” says Lastra on the phone, explaining how they ordered around 400 linear meters extra to get the panel color right. In total, his team received 3,323 linear meters of material divided into 48 rolls, used 3100, plus another 500 meters of the Superkote 250. With 3,500 sqm over three floors, Lastra’s team assembled the different sections step by step. And to fit the cutting tables, the sail has four sections across its foot, where most sails have two. “Two people were cutting for five days,” says Lastra. “Once cut, the 850 panels were sorted by groups and sent to production to be assembled by sections. Then they went through the sewing machines.” The parts were sewn separately before being put together. “That’s when we started adding the plies in the corners,” he adds. “That took 10 people and 10 days. Two more people were working on the graphics in parallel. “Once the sail and graphics were done, it dried for four days, got folded, and shipped to Antigua.” And it’s on the neighboring Caribbean Island of St Barth that we find Cook testing it out. “I’m down here sailing with them for the St Barths Bucket this week. It took probably 16 people two hours to unfold the sail and put it into the spinnaker sock.” At 550 kilos, did he try lifting it? “We can’t!” he laughs. “We use winches on the boat. We can drag it, but that still takes 10, 15 people to move it. “It’s big.” READ MORE

NORTH SAILS DOMINATES 2022 POLAR BEAR WINTER SERIES Exciting Racing For Vancouver Rowing Club North Sails sponsored the 2022 Polar Bear series run by the Vancouver Rowing Club and it wrapped up this weekend with two final races. 43 boats were registered and raced over 4 Sunday's between February and March. Results were very tight which made for very exciting racing, some of the division winners were decided on the last leg on the final Sunday. Congratulations to North Sails customers who finished with podium spots. Full Results here. Drew Mitchell from North Sails Vancouver was on the water taking video and pictures for the 2nd race of the series. He ran a webinar debrief and it can be viewed here. PRO of the event Jennifer Ross shared, "We had 19 race committee volunteers join us on 4 different VRC member volunteered committee vessels. We had three different race officers run race days this year, including Kathy Parslow and Mike Hughes from WVYC. We had 45 boats register from 6 clubs. (Including 20 boats with a PHRF rating under 100, necessitating a split up into a new Div 0 this year). North Sails Vancouver loft returned as the Polar Bear Series sponsor, continuing to provide support to the event and racers on and off the water. An assortment of North Sails swag from bags and belts to books was appreciated by door prize winners this year, won via ticket raffle during the reading of the day's results back at the club after racing." READ MORE

NORTH SAILS PROUD SUPPORTERS OF THE RC35 CLASS IN SCOTLAND A Busy Season Awaits… North Sails are proud to support the RC35 Class again for the 2022 season. The RC35 encompasses Racer-Cruiser yachts in Scotland with an IRC Banding of 1.010 to 1.040. They also attract teams over from Ireland thanks to the Irish events on the circuit. The class is looking forward to a full season on the water, especially after a difficult two years due to the pandemic. The Scottish IRC Championships at Scottish Series is at the beginning of June, so the class will be blowing away the cobwebs at their first event of the year in May – Kip Regatta. We spoke with Robin Young, Class Chairman and owner of J/109 Jings: “The RC35 class are looking forward to getting back to Tarbert after two years away. With at least two new boats? to the class, everybody is chomping at the bit to battle it out on the spectacular waters of Loch Fyne. Of course, we are also looking forward to catching up with old friends in the local hostelries. Jings – 📸 Neill Ross Animal – 📸 Neill Ross Reigning Scottish Series Overall Champion and three time RC35 Class Champion Animal will undoubtedly be the favourite. However, their rivals won’t make it easy for them as it looks to be another competitive and close series. With the fleet comprising of four J/109s, the ever popular class could present a new winner this season. “The biggest improvement I see with 3Di is durability. On the 36.7 we have overlapping Genoas and with 3Di we are seeing double the life compared to string sails. With North we are fast and they last.” says Kevin Aitken of First 36.7, Animal (RC35 Overall Champions for the last 3 years powered by a full suite of North Sails 3Di RAW). “It’s great for the RC35 Class to be associated with a sailmaker with such an impressive reputation worldwide. Also as a client with a full set of North Sails, I can vouch for the product quality and performance.” Robin continued. With 80% of the fleet using North Sails, we are delighted to continue supporting the RC35 Class in Scotland. Tight competition and a vast array of racing venues means we cannot wait to see what the busy season ahead brings. Who will be crowned RC35 Overall Champion and who will pick up RC35 Celtic Cup? 2022 RC35 Events RC35 Championship 2022, 6 events with 1 discard 14th-15th May – Kip Regatta 3rd-6th June – Scottish Series 23rd-26th June – Bangor Town Regatta 23rd-24th July – RC35 Championship Weekend 27th-28th Aug – Largs Regatta 10th-11th Sept – GSS/CCC North Clyde Regatta RC35 Celtic Cup 2022, 4 events with 1 discard 14th-15th May – Kip Regatta 3rd-6th June – Scottish Series 23rd-26th June – Bangor Town Regatta 11th-15th July – Volvo Cork Week READ MORE

NORTH SAILS CERTIFIED SERVICE HAS YOU COVERED Summer Sail Service on the South Coast This summer on the south coast of England, North Sails Certified Service will be available from our lofts in Gosport, Plymouth and Cowes. Our service loft in heart of Cowes Yacht Haven is now open every Monday and Thursday from 09:00 - 17:00. The loft has you covered for regatta support at the main events running out of Cowes throughout the season, kicking off with the RORC Easter Challenge on the 15th - 17th April. With our onsite team of experienced sailmakers, we aim to provide the best local service for you. With the summer season just round the corner and some teams taking advantage of the nicer spring weather, now is a great time to make sure your sails have been serviced. Having your sails inspected at least once a season can prevent small problems from becoming big ones. Whilst this may serve as a reminder to get your sails serviced by the professionals, here are some tips for you to make sure you and your crew are looking after and getting the most out of your sails. 📸 Tim Wright SAIL CARE & MAINTENANCE TIPS Use your sails in their designed wind ranges. If you don’t know the recommended wind ranges for your sails, contact your North sailmaker. When leaving the boat, ease the jib halyard, main halyard, and outhaul to prevent permanent luff and foot stretching. Releasing batten tension also reduces distortion at the batten ends. Limit exposure to the sun for extended periods of time. UV rays are one of your sail’s worst enemies. Roller furling genoas should have UV-resistant material covering the leech and foot. If you store your mainsail on the boom, make sure it is always covered when not in use. Rinse your sails with fresh water and dry thoroughly before storing, to prevent mildew and colour bleeding in spinnakers. Rinse fittings in fresh water to help prevent corrosion. Store dry sails in a well-ventilated location. And remember, making sure they are dry is as important as the initial rinse. Wet sails create mould issues. Avoid folding sails on the same fold lines so that small creases don’t become permanent. Regularly rinse sail bag zippers or lubricate with silicone spray. Patch minor tears as soon as possible with a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA). Avoid using duct tape! Check nylon/polyester downwind sails a few times each season for small tears. Catching small holes early can reduce the chance of them becoming bigger tears. Spray luff tapes on both genoas and mainsails as they slide up the track, using a Mclube-style lubricant. This will help clean the tracks and make hoisting and dropping easier. Have your North Sail Certified Service expert inspect your sails at least once a season. Regular inspection will prevent small problems from becoming big ones. Ask your local loft to create an onboard sail repair kit for your specific sails.   Opening Times Gosport- Monday-Friday | 0900-1700 Cowes Yacht Haven- Monday and Thursday | 0900-1700 + key regatta weekends Plymouth- Monday – Friday | 0900-1730 READ MORE

Hur mycket stryk tål egentligen ett racingsegel? En titt på utvecklingen i några av världens tuffaste kappseglingar 📸 Studio Borlenghi Kappsegling på högsta internationella nivå har utvecklats enormt mycket på senare år. Båtarna är snabbare än någonsin och bjuder på spektakulära scener som kan få adrenalinet att rusa även hos den som bara följer seglingarna från TV-soffan. I senaste America’s Cup fick vi exempelvis se de 23 meter långa och 6,5 ton tunga båtarna bokstavligt talat flyga fram i farter på upp mot 50 knop. Liknande scener utspelades ungefär samtidigt under Vendée Globe, där de 18 meter långa IMOCA-båtarna dundrade fram över världshaven i farter som ibland närmade sig 40 knop. Båda båttyperna är extrema kolfiberbyggen utrustade med foils som lyfter skrovet ur vattnet och möjliggör de höga farterna. Men i övrigt är de varandras motpoler: Om America’s Cup är motsvarigheten till Formel 1-seriens sprintrace så kan Vendée Globe liknas vid att köra Paris-Dakar utan ett enda pitstop. En America’s Cup båt har en besättning på elva personer, ett race tar sällan mer än en halvtimma, banan ligger på skyddat vatten och man seglar inte i över 21 knops vind (knappt 11 m/s). Vendée Globe är en solokappsegling nonstop runt jorden. Det 24000 sjömil långa racet tar ungefär tre månader att segla och under resans gång passeras några av världens mest stormdrabbade farvatten. Bara att ta sig i mål är en bedrift. Av de totalt 165 seglare som deltagit sedan starten 1989 har bara 88 lyckats fullfölja. Övriga har tvingats uppsöka nödhamn eller räddats under dramatiska former från sjunkande eller kappsejsade båtar. Att Vendée Globe utsätter seglarna och all utrustning för oerhörda påfrestningar är närmast ett understatement. Det gäller inte minst seglen. De måste tåla stormarna i ”The Roaring Forties” och vid Kap Horn. De måste tåla hettan vid ekvatorn och kylan utanför Antarktis. Och de måste tåla det fladder och den omilda behandling som är ofrånkomligt när en ensam, ständigt trött person måste sköta allting ombord. 📸 Pierre Bouras 3Di – en unik segelteknologi North Sails har sedan länge en dominerande ställning i egentligen all kappsegling på internationell toppnivå. Det är bara att titta på resultatlistorna. I senaste America’s Cup var det bara en båt som inte hade North-segel, och det var den som först eliminerades från tävlingen. Och i Vendée Globe var 75 procent av de 33 startande båtarna – inklusive de åtta första i resultatlistan – utrustade med North-segel. En anledning till populariteten hos världens kappseglare är det som North Sails kallar 3Di. Det är en unik segelteknologi som bygger på helt andra principer än de konventionella, filmbaserade segel som resten av branschen förlitar sig på. Den största skillnaden är just att ett 3Di-segel inte innehåller någon mylarfilm. Det är istället en kompositkonstruktion och seglet byggs på samma sätt som ett båtskrov eller en kolfibermast: Riktad fiber, tunn som ett hårstrå, mättas med ett tvåkomponents resin och läggs upp i otaliga lager på en tredimensionell gjutform. Värme sätter igång härdningen och när det har härdat färdigt har de två materialen omvandlats till ett enda homogent material. Konstruktionen är extremt stabil, seglet kan inte delaminera och fiberhalten är nästan dubbelt så hög jämfört med ett konventionellt membransegel. Resultatet är marknadens lättaste och stummaste segel. Men den kanske viktigaste skillnaden är att de även har en slitstyrka och en livslängd som andra prestandasegel inte kommer i närheten av. 📸 Jean Marie Liot Alea Det finns ett 3Di-segel för alla typer av seglare 3Di-teknologin lanserades 2010 och var från början inriktad mot kappsegling. Men idag har vi tre olika typer av 3Di-segel som tillsammans täcker in i stort sett alla typer av båtar. 3Di OCEAN är utvecklat för cruising men levererar prestanda i nivå med konventionella, mylarbaserade racingsegel. 3Di ENDURANCE innebär ytterligare ett kliv uppåt på prestandastegen och har använts i allt från Gotland Runt till Volvo Ocean Race. Och så har vi 3Di RAW. Modellen är utvecklad enbart för maximal prestanda och är strippad på allt som inte ökar farten. Här saknas bland annat de två yttre skyddande lager som finns på de andra 3Di-modellerna. Det gör 3Di RAW till världens mest potenta racingsegel alla kategorier, men det är inte lika robust och hållbart som de andra 3Di-modellerna. Det kan man förstås stå ut med i America’s Cup, där 3Di RAW är det självklara valet. Intressant nog har seglarna i Vendée Globe nu kommit till samma slutsats. I senaste upplagan var det några som valde 3Di ENDURANCE, kanske för att verkligen vara på den säkra sidan, men de flesta förlitade sig faktiskt på 3Di RAW. 3Di RAW må vara det minst hållbara av våra 3Di-segel. Men jämfört med konventionella, mylarbaserade segel får det ändå betraktas som skottsäkert. READ MORE

#NSVICTORYLIST: 2022 ST. BARTHS BUCKET REGATTA The Must Do Superyacht Regatta of the Winter is Back The 35th edition of the St. Barths Bucket Regatta drew 30 magnificent boats to the starting line, 27 superyachts and 3 J Class boats graced the waters of the white-sand Caribbean island. 2022 celebrates the return of racing after a two-year hiatus due to Covid restrictions. In the end, North-powered teams piled onto the podium and claimed 60% of the total podium positions, including overall winner Hetairos. The Bucket also marked the debut of Perseus^3’s new North Sails 2,604 square meter A2. This spinnaker is the largest sail ever built with sail area equivalent to approximately 10 tennis courts! 📸 Ryan Borne Getting back to Bucket racing was a welcome treat for everyone participating: owners, crews, North Sails, and sailing fans worldwide. The St. Barths Bucket Regatta is an all-hands effort for North Sails whose event support was evident both on and off the water. There were close to 20 North experts sailing as crew, and our Palma-based superyacht service team ran an on-island pop-up loft to ensure all participating yachts were race-ready throughout the four-day regatta. 📸 Atila Madrona / Corinna Halloran Noteworthy Regatta Shoutouts: Herairos won both her class, and the Hermès Bucket Trophy for her overall regatta win. This is the second consecutive victory for the 59.9 meter Dykstra ketch, who took possession of a new North sail inventory just weeks ago. North CFO Andrew Schneider and Superyacht Expert Mike Toppa were on board for Rosehearty’s Class D first-place victory. Schneider has raced with and managed the yacht’s sail program for the last six events, resulting in four class wins. North Technology Group Chairman Tom Whidden called tactics on Class C winner Kawil. Though high winds blew out the final day of racing, Whidden was happy with the team’s result. “It’s not the ending we wanted, but it’s the results we wanted, so how are you going to do better than that?” 📸 Atila Madrona The J Class got the most sailing in, with four races completed. 2022 was the first time the boats have participated in official class racing since 2019. North Technology Group President Ken Read was the skipper on Hanuman with a crew comprised of many familiar faces from his Volvo Ocean Race veteran teammates. Sail Designer Glenn Cook and longtime program contributor Peter Grimm joined as race crew on board Perseus^3. We’re guessing both North experts held their breath for a few minutes as they hoisted the new A2. Helix Downwind and Helix Upwind sails were prominently on display throughout the fleet, further proof that Helix Structured Luff technology has infiltrated superyacht sailing. While other sailmakers also promote structure luff sails, the revolutionary Helix design philosophy uniquely reaps the benefits of 3Di and is available exclusively from North Sails. 📸 Atila Madrona Read more about the four-day event on the St. Barths Bucket Regatta website. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS SIGNS ON AS OFFICIAL PARTNER TO THE MELGES 24 WORLDS A Robust Support Program Planned for the Class Championship on May 7-15 at Lauderdale Yacht Club The world’s leading one design sailmaker is proud to announce their participation as official sailmaker to the 2022 Melges 24 Worlds. Matching the best products with the best support, North Sails will offer multifaceted educational support starting with a regatta prep webinar in advance of the event and hosting clinics on and off the water during the 2022 Melges 24 World Championship. Our expertise and experience in the Melges 24 class ensures racers will have in-depth, cutting edge knowledge at their disposal to improve their overall performance. “We want to support those teams that can benefit from good coaching, but might not have the budget for it,” said John Bowden, a North Sails Melges 24 class expert. Constantly looking to push the envelope, both performance and design wise, John is the go to person for teams looking to leave it all out on the water. “I am the go-between for the sailors and our production and design team. It gives me a chance to work on a product and see how it helps our teams.” Bowden is looking forward to sharing his fleet specific tips with competitors leading up to racing in a pre-event webinar. Bowden, alongside Taylor Canfield and Mike Buckley have an unparalleled depth of class experience. Together these three will be at the sailors’ disposal during the webinar in April, and Bowden will be onsite for the event with on-water and post-race support. Racers can assess their daily performance while gaining insight and tuning tips from Bowden during shoreside debriefs. These contributions are sure to raise the level of competition. North Sails Support Schedule: Tuesday April 5: Pre-Event Webinar - John Bowden, Taylor Canfield and Mike Buckley will cover regatta prep, long and short term preparation for the Worlds. Tuesday May 10: Practice Day 1 - On-water coaching followed by shoreside debrief featuring photo & video analysis Wednesday May 11: Practice Day 2 - On-water coaching followed by shoreside debrief featuring photo & video analysis Thursday May 12: Race Day 1 - Shoreside debrief featuring photo & video analysis Recently North Sails Melges 24 teams have been topping the leaderboards in events like the Bacardi Series, North Americans, and Charleston Race Week. The 2022 Worlds allows North Sails experts to engage with sailors looking to get more out of their race days. Lauderdale Yacht Club Regatta Chairman Tom Lihan praised the partnership, “North Sails is helping level the playing field for more sailors, and we look forward to the competition.” 2022 Melges 24 World Championship Racing begins May 11 in Fort Lauderdale, with pro-teams and amateurs, taking to the water seeking victory. North Sails invites racers to get prepared for the race and sign up for the upcoming webinar today. READ MORE

North’s Aaron Cole Breaks Down Salt’s Custom Sail Design Package. READ MORE

TRAILERS READY, BLADES SHARP DN Sailing: In Search of Perfection 📸 Gretchen Dorian Things happen fast in DN Iceboat racing—and we’re not just talking about whiplash turns, skid outs, or cheek-flapping straightaways. We’re talking about locations, too, as in where, when, and how races happen. For “soft-water” sailors (yes “hard-water” sailing is ice sailing), planning a regatta is easy: pick a venue, nail a date, and pray for wind—but for hard-water racers, finding good ice, and better yet, scoring the rare combination of slick black magic with the right amount wind is up there with blue moons and flying pigs. More often than not, finding the ideal racecourse is a task darn near impossible, but for the nomadic and diehard ice yachters of the International DN class, it’s just another part of the sport. Our case-in-point is the most recent International DN Yacht Racing Association’s National Championship. This past January, icemen and women gathered in Madison, Wisconsin, at Lake Monoma. The lake had good ice as far as the eye could see, but in the forecast was also an iceboater’s four-letter foe: snow. “We knew it was coming,” says Deb Whitehorse, longtime DN Class secretary and treasurer who’s superpower is orchestrating a full regatta relocation mission from her kitchen table. “We gambled, hoping would be on the low side, but it ended up being more.” Whitehorse and fellow DN class officers had two backups: Green Lake, about an hour and a half north of Madison, and Senachwine Lake, two hours south in Putnam County, Illinois. “Scouts” were dispatched to both locations and soon reported back: Green Lake was no good, and Senachwine was good enough. Scouts are higher-ranked DN sailors who know what to look for. 📸 Gretchen Dorian “The first thing is ice conditions,” Whitehorse says. “There can be a little snow, but not too much. We can’t have too many hazards, heaves or cracks. It has to be a large enough area for a racecourse and have access to landings for people to get their trailers to it.” Once Whitehorse gave word Senachwine was a go, the DN armada was en route from all points, and among them was DN newcomer Eric Doyle, a North Sails sailmaker of 30 years at the sun-kissed loft in San Diego. Doyle relocated to Minneapolis two years ago and promptly joined the DN scene. He hasn’t collected a garage full of stainless runners, planks, rigs, and sails yet, but it’s only a matter of time. “It is, as they say, the sport of gypsies,” says Doyle. “They’re ready to go, ready to wait, or ready to change venues and drive six hours . DN sailors will do anything for good ice conditions because, when it’s right, it is by far the most fun sailing I’ve ever done. It’s just so fast, so effortless and so cool to take this little 12-foot boat and fly 25 to 30 miles per hour upwind. Then to go 40 downwind is really incredible.” Doyle purchased his first two DNs last summer, a “woodie” from the 1960s and a “real race boat” from Rob Evans, his friend and mentor of all things iceboat racing. And like the erratic movements of DN regattas and the winter gypsies themselves, Doyle’s experience has been all things fast and unpredictable. “I’m still learning how to get around the bottom mark,” says the Star World champion and sail designer with a distinguished career in one-design racing. “At the start, first you have to sprint—and I haven’t done any all-out sprinting since high school—and then you have to figure out how and when to jump into the boat smoothly. There’s a lot of technique involved. “The bottom mark is really challenging because the boat starts to slide,” Doyle says. Whitehorse bears witness to his early attempts: “I remember watching him try to figure it out,” she says. “It was very fascinating to watch.” How so? Well, there’s an art to going around the leeward mark, she says. “He spun out a few times. You kind of have to let out the sheet when you come around, and once he was told that, he got it immediately.” “I just have to learn how to control it at the bottom, to have that smooth turn. There’s just this moment in time where, if you judge it wrong and you’re in that power zone… oh, man, it’s all on and you’re just sliding out of control. Plus, everyone who is waiting to start in the next fleet is there to watch you spin out,” says Doyle, who in his first DN National Championship appearance, finished fourth in Silver. There was a fair bit on when Doyle and 54 other competitors eventually slid their three-bladed flyers onto the snow-streaked Senachwine for the first races of the Nationals in January. As a low-ranked newcomer, Doyle was automatically assigned to the Silver fleet, where he eventually faced the likes of Karen Binder, a petite museum executive director and past college sailor from Bristol, Rhode Island, who was winning every race. Binder, who is also relatively new to the class and a quick learner, is Gold Fleet material but bum luck with conditions in qualifying races relegated her to the Silver Fleet for the Championship. “She works really hard at the technical parts,” Whitehorse says of Binder, one of several women at the top of the male-dominated class. “She’s only done it for a few years now but she works hard at it.” Binder’s partner is James Thieler, who introduced iceboating to her in Rhode Island a few years ago. Thieler is the reigning North American champion, so one can only imagine the quality debriefs and knowledge sharing over the many daylong drives in search of good ice. “Yes, it helps to have the right gear and the good people surrounding you,” Whitehorse says, “but Karen is the nut behind the tiller—she’s really good.” “Karen and I had some really good battles on the last day,” Doyle says. “It was back and forth. She was too tough to beat and sailed incredibly well. That’s one cool thing about this class: I haven’t raced in big breeze yet, but in medium conditions it’s no problem at all for the women to compete at the same level. It’s about being smart and smooth and having good equipment and taking care of it. She had it down and smoked us.” On the long drive home to Minneapolis, however, Doyle’s Senachwine experience cemented his new fascination with DN sailing. Yes, it’s unlike anything he’s ever done under sail but it’s the unpredictability of DN sailing that has his full attention. The parallels between sailing the boat and getting to the regattas is obvious to him, expressed in one rambling thought: “Everything about it is much bigger… It’s the big ninety-degree course changes to keep the boat going. It’s the excitement of stopping, where if you stop, you have to get out and push, and while you’re doing that, there are guys still going 25 miles per hour and you’re thinking ‘oh man, I’m really losing a lot right now. And then there’s the whole thing with the regatta’s location. You’re in one place and then you gotta go somewhere else, but don’t worry, it’s only six hours. Just like the sailing, it all happens so fast. It’s just so cool.” 📸 Gretchen Dorian READ MORE

Lošinj Spring Cup 2022 - 420 CRO Nationals 📸 Zoran Matusan Nakon duljeg vremena JK Jugo iz Malog Lošinja bilo je domaćinom nacionalnog prvenstva u klasi 420, a osim dvosjeda na regati su jedrili i kolege u jednosjedima klasa ILCA 6 i ILCA 7. Generalno jedna vrlo lijepa juniorska regata na koju je stiglo i nekoliko Ukrajinskih i Slovačkih posada. Trajanje natjecateljskog dijela regate bilo je tri dana, od petka 11. pa do nedjelje 13. ožujka. Međutim, zbog vremenskih uvjeta jedrilo se samo u nedjelju kad je odrađen stvarno impresivan program! Detaljno o događanjima na i oko regate ispričao je član Organizacijskog odbora Vedran Kabalin: Regatu su obilježili i promjenjivi smjer i promjenjiva jačina vjetra, vrlo teški uvjeti, a u petak je stvarno bilo nemoguće bilo što napraviti. I subota je bila prekrasna kad se pogleda sa strane, ali ni tada nismo uspjeli organizirati niti jedan plov. Vjetar je stalno vrtio... puhalo je sa sjevera, pa je otišlo na zapad, pa na jugozapad... tako da je bilo stvarno nemoguće išta napraviti. Inače kad je svugdje u ostatku Kvarnera bura kod nas bude jedan bezvjetreni jezičac čija posljedica je bila vidljiva i ovog vikenda. Uglavnom, u subotu navečer mi iz Organizacijskog odbora nismo išli na spavanje baš opušteni, jer JK Jugo stvarno dugo vremena nije imalo na svom repertoaru bilo što drugo osim Optimista. Također ovo nam je bio i treći pokušaj organizacije ove regate, jer su nam prethodna dva propala zbog Korone. I stvarno smo htjeli da regata završi onako kako treba, pogotovo jer cijeli posao pada na leđa grupici volontera. Ali u nedjelju navečer više nismo bili napeti :) Tog trećeg jutra rano smo izašli na more, već oko 08:30, a prvi start bio je prije 10. Regate su tad išle jedna za drugom, te su ILCA 6 i 420 odradili po četiri plova, a ILCA 4 tri plova. Stvarno cmo bili vrlo zadovoljni što se toliko posla uspjelo napraviti, pogotovo kod klase 420. Ipak je u pitanju Prvenstvo Hrvatske i drago nam je da su natjecatelji dobili priliku odbaciti najlošiji rezultat. I ILCA 6 je dobila istu mogućnost odbacivanja najlošijeg rezultata, dok kad su ILCA 4 krenuli u četvrtu proceduru vjetar odlazi u desno i pada, pa su oni ostali bez te bonus opcije. Nažalost, zbog potrebe pakiranja i hvatanja trajekata flotu ILCA 4 odmah potom smo poslali na kopno jer su ipak najsporiji i kako nije bilo dosta vjetra njihovo jedrenje bi predugo trajalo. Vedran Kabalin, JK Jugo U klasi 420 nastupilo je 12 domaćih i jedna posada iz Slovačke i standardno u svim kombinacijama, čisto ženske, čisto muške i mješovite, bez nekog posebnog naglaska na niti jednu od njih. Raspored snaga na kraju bio je sličan onome iz Zadra dva tjedna ranije na prethodnoj kriterijskoj regati. Iako nisu bile dominantne u svim jedrenjima, najbrže su bile članice Uskoka Noela Petešić i Petra Gambiraža. Najlošiji (odbačeni) rezultat bilo im je treće mjesto, dok je u skoru ostala pobjeda iz prvog plova i dva druga mjesta. Iduća dva mjesta otišla su posadama iz JK Sveti Nikola iz Zagreba. Srebro su osvojili Ema Samaržija i Leon Scheidl, dok su se broncom okitile druga sestra Samaržija, Mara i njena flokistica Marta Mavar koje su i pobijedile u posljednjem plovu. Najbolja čisto muška posada bila je iz Riječkog Galeba u sastavu Mark Maglica i Luka Kamber koja je bila najbolja u drugom plovu, dok je preostala pobjeda bila najbolji rezultat četveroplasiranih Mie Močinić i Mare Uroda Plevko iz Uskoka. Analizom rezultata vidi se da su uglavnom pokazana dosta ujednačena jedrenja uz povremene bljeskove i "anti bljeskove", ali prosjek je na kraju i ovog puta pokazao pravo stanje one flote. Druga najbrojnija klasa na regati bila je ILCA 6. Od njih 20 čak 12 je bilo dečkiju, ali svejedno zlato odnosi jedna od djevojaka. Najbrža je bila Ursula Balas (JD Val). U prvom plovu je prerano startala i zaradila je UFD, te je vrlo vjerojatno bila jedna od najzadovoljnijih što su se uspjela održati četiri jedrenja, pa se ovaj kiks mogao odbaciti. U iduća dva plova pobjeđuje, a u posljednjem ulazi kao treća iza Maxa Gjidere i domaće jedriličarke Dorotee Spišić. Pobjedu u prvom plovu odnio je spomenuti svježi Labudaš Max Gjidera koji je ovu zimu u izvrsnoj formi. Najlošiji rezultat bilo mu je 8. mjesto, a suma ostalih rezultata osigurala mu je osam bodova što mu je bilo dovoljno za drugo mjesto u generalnom plasmanu! Pet bodova iza Maxa završava mu klupski kolega Antun Tomašević koji broncu osvaja s jednim trećim i dva peta mjesta. Treće mjesto u muškoj konkurenciji osvaja Ukrajinac Semen Khashchyna, nakon kojeg završavaju preostale dvije djevojke sa ženskog postolja... Dorotea Spišić (JK Jugo) i Petra Marendić (JK Mornar). UFD kojeg je Ursula "osvojila" u prvom plovu nije bio jedini, a sličnom natjecateljskom žaru podlegli su još neki u tom i u idućem plovu. O kome je točno riječ možete vidjeti na ovom linku. A najbrojnija klasa bila je ILCA s najmanjim jedrom - ILCA 4. U njoj je zajedno jedrilo 28 momaka i djevojaka, a situacija u vrhu bila je suprotna od one kod starijih kolega i kolegica. Generalnu pobjedu osigurao je član JK Vega, Tedi Leonardelli s najboljim rezultatom na cijeloj regati, koji pobjeđuje u sva tri plova! U generalnom plasmanu članovi Vege uzimaju i preostale dvije medalje. Katja Rabak i Lea Rakovac su srebrena i brončana i predvode skupinu od pet djevojaka. Tek na 7. i 8. mjestu završavaju iduća dva najbolja jedriličara, Karlo Ugrin (JK Galeb) i Jan Komadina (JK Vega). Na startu je i ova flota pokazivala znakove nervoze, ali sa značajno manjim brojem UFD-ova nego društvo iz flote ILCA 6. Što se tiče kompletnih rezultata, njih možete pronaći na ovom linku, a vijesti iz Lošinja, obećaju iz JK Jugo, nastavit će redovito pristizati tijekom cijele godine. Po riječima Vedrana Kabalina imaju u planu još nekoliko regata što krstaša, što malih klasa u kojima ove sezone imaju raspoložene mlade snage - osim Dorotee Spišić koja je bljesnula u posljednjem plovu ILCA 6 flote, jednak rezultat ostvarila je i Barbora Čulmanova u posljednjem plovu flote ILCA 4 i time nadoknađuju izostanak Grigora Pettenera s regatnog polja koji je zbog zdravstvenih razloga morao od subote ostati doma. READ MORE

BERÄTTELSEN OM ARGO: DEL 1 En Opal 46 som delats av tre generationer i familjen Ravelius Efter många års segling med sin pappa på den älskade skonaren Argo har John Ingvar Ravelius blivit delägare i båten och äger den nu tillsammans med sin bror och sin pappa. Han har uppdaterat och utrustat henne med drömmen om att skapa nya minnen med sin unga dotter och föra familjetraditionen vidare. I den här första delen berättar Ravelius om hur en segelbåt, och det arbete som följer med den, kan knyta samman tre generationer. 1974 var min pappa, Ingvar Ravelius, en 24-årig ung man som gick runt på båtmässan i Stockholm tillsammans med sin pappa och drömde om att segla jorden runt i en egen båt. Ingvar hade stor erfarenhet av mindre segelbåtar, men tankarna på en jorden runt-segling gjorde att han ville ha en större och säkrare båt. När far och son gick runt på mässan stötte de på en vän som kände till en välrenommerad båtbyggare som höll på att bygga en båt som hette Opal 46. Det var det första av de blott sex skrov som skulle komma att byggas. Ett par veckor senare kontaktade Ingvar konstruktören av Opal 46 och besökte tillsammans med sin pappa varvet där båten byggdes. Efter att ha sett hur arbetet fortskred tog det inte lång tid innan min pappa bestämde sig för att det här var båten han ville segla runt jorden med, öppnade plånboken och betalade handpenning för hyra av formen. Detta trots protester från hans pappa, som inte trodde att den 24-årige Ingvar, som saknade erfarenhet av båtbyggeri, skulle klara av att bygga en sådan båt. Min pappa svarade: ”Det här är båten jag vill ha, jag vet ännu inte hur jag ska bygga den men det ska jag ta reda på.” Så påbörjades bygget av Argo. Ingvar gav sig på det slabbiga och tidsödande arbetet med att plasta skrovet. Han la på lager efter lager med tanken att han skulle ut på oceanerna och att skrovet måste kunna klara hårda slag och smällar utan att skadas. Tolv centimeter plast blev det på det tjockaste stället. När skrovet härdat fortsatte han arbeta med båten utanför sitt hus i Sollentuna. Pappas grannar kunde inte veta att de skulle komma att bo bredvid ett båtbygge i sex år. Ingvar besökte ofta varvet där den första Opal 46:an byggdes för att ställa frågor och ta mått. Han gjorde noteringar i ett anteckningsblock och åkte hem för att bygga sin båt på samma sätt som de professionella båtbyggarna. Ett par år in på pappas bygge var det dags för sjösättning och dop av den första Opal 46:an. Pappa blev god vän med ägaren, och blev inbjuden att vara med på en Atlantsegling till Karibien. 1980 tog Ingvar en paus från byggandet av Argo för att korsa Atlanten med systerbåten. Under den här färden lärde han sig hur Opal 46 hanterar sjön men upptäckte också att det fanns sådant som han ville göra annorlunda på sin egen båt. En av de saker som han gjorde annorlunda än i original var matbordet i salongen. Det var svårt att använda det under segling, så till Argo byggde han ett balanserat bord som håller sig horisontalt även när båten kränger. Efter ett och ett halvt år återvände Ingvar från sitt seglingsäventyr och 1982 sjösattes Argo för allra första gången. Sju långa år efter att han kläckte idén på båtmässan hade Ingvars dröm gått i uppfyllelse. Familj och vänner var med på den första provturen och alla firade. På Argos första resa höll de på att krocka på grund av en felkoppling i det hydraliska styrsystemet, men de märkte att hon var en sund och robust båt redo för nya äventyr. Senare samma år deltog Argo och hennes besättning i Gotland Runt och en svensk båttidning publicerade en bild av Argo tagen under racet. Min pappa var väldigt stolt över att de använt en bild av hans bygge samma år som båten blev färdig. Ingvar är en speciell person, och nu när Argo är mitt projekt också vill jag att alla detaljer ska bli perfekta. För några år sedan började pappa och jag bygga om och konvertera Argo till slup. Vi gav henne nya North-segel och nytt liv. När jag var liten brukade han visa mig en special metallfil och säga: ”Jag byggde Argo med den här filen”. Jag trodde honom inte, men nu när jag har arbetat mycket tillsammans med honom förstår jag att han verkligen gjorde det. Han byggde Argo med sina händer och sin metallfil. Han drog i varje skruv med skruvmejsel, och Argo har tusentals skruvar. All teak på Argo, på däck såväl som i inredningen, är gjort av råsågade teakplankor som han sågade till utanför sitt hus i en Stockholmsförort. Håll utkik efter nästa del i historien om Argo, där Ravelius berättar om hur han som ettåring seglade runt i Medelhavet med sina föräldrar. READ MORE

TRAVLE DAGE PÅ SEJLLOFTET I KØBENHAVN Masser af nye sejl bliver leveret til vores glade kunder og der er ligeledes en stor mængde service sejl, der bliver færdiggjort inden den nye sejlsæson starter. Vi har som sædvanligt modtaget rigtig mange sejl fra lokale kunder i Københavnsområdet, og vores afhentningssteder rundt omkring i Danmark er blevet brugt flittigt af masser af kunder til at aflevere sejl til service. Vi kommer i år til at servicere omkring 500 sejl, nogle med små og og nogle med store reparationer, og det er altid en fornøjelse at levere "friske" sejl til vores kunder. Generelt tager vores kunder sig godt af deres sejl, men vi vil gerne minde alle om at følge disse 9 gode råd, som vil forlænge levetiden på sejlene: 1. Undgå at sejlene blafrer langvarigt, da det kan nedsætte sejlenes levetid betragteligt. Undgå at sejle for motor i modvind med blafrende sejl. 2. Brug dine sejl i deres designede vindområder. Hvis du ikke kender de anbefalede vindområder for dine sejl, skal du kontakte os her hos North Sails. 3. Når du forlader båden, skal du lette faldspændingen og udhal for at forhindre at sejlet bliver overstrækket. 4. Undgå foldning af sejl på samme foldelinjer, hvilket forhindrer at små folder ikke bliver permanente. 5. Beskyt dine sejl mod sollys med en presenning og lad dem blive i posen så længe som muligt. 6. Skyl dine sejl med ferskvand og tør dem grundigt inden opbevaring, for at undgå mug. Dette kan også gøres løbende gennem sæsonen. 7. Skyl fittings på sejlene i ferskvand for at forhindre korrosion. Opbevar tørre sejl på et godt ventileret sted. 8. Gå jævnligt sejlet efter for slidtage. 9. Send dit sejl til eftersyn og service hos North Sails efter hver sæson. Håber I alle får en dejlig sejlsæson på vandet, og hvis I har spørgsmål til sejl, trim etc., så er I altid velkomne til at ringe her til loftet. God vind! READ MORE

Zadar ORC Cup 2022. Otvaranje ORC sezone u Zadru ponovno su zajedničkim snagama organizirali JK Uskok i generalni sponzor CRO ORC Cupa, tvrtka D-Marin, odnosno njihova marina Borik. Za razliku od lani na regati nije sudjelovalo deset jedrilica, već sedam, a i nije bilo jakog vjetra poput juga koje je puhalo prvog dana regate 2021., već je sve prošlo u znaku laganih povjetaraca. Sudionici su bili uglavnom standardni koje viđamo na ovom tipu regata, a izostale su samo posade na manjim jedrilicama sa Splitskog područja i Mr.J kojem nije na vrijeme završio sezonski remont, te Damaco koji je planira sezonu otvoriti s idućom regatom koja je po rasporedu u Šibeniku. Vremenski uvjeti u Zadarskom kanalu bili su idilični za promatrače s kopna, ali za boravak na moru trebalo se opremiti dodatnim toplim slojem odjeće. Zubato sunce sjalo je i u subotu i u nedjelju i stvaralo je iluziju topline koja bi bila rasplinuta prvim refulom koji je donosio hladnoću. Prvi plov u subotu trebao se jedriti po burici koja je puhala s rubnom snagom od 6-7 čvorova. Regatno polje postavljeno je ispred Puntamike s bovom od orce skoro ispred lanterne na istoimenoj lokaciji. Predstartna procedura odrađena je u mirno i ugodno, ali kako se flota udaljavala od startne linije tako je vjetar postupno gubio na snazi, da bi na oko pola distance do privjetrinske oznake RO morao označiti prekid jedrenja. Kako se već značajno približavalo podne RO je htio odmah reagirati i s obzirom na trenutnu neizglednost za poboljšanje situacije po pitanju osiguravanja regularnih uvjeta za jedrenje u štap polju odlučeno je da se pribjegne rezervnoj varijanti a to je jedrenje navigacijskog plova. Ponovno se pokrenula startna procedura nakon koje se trebalo zajedriti prema Ošjaku i Mišjaku, otočićima uz obalu Ugljana, ali dvije minute prije njenog isteka RO prekida odbrojavanje. Razlog je bilo ubrzano približavanje značajnog "raza" sa zapada. Tamna crta svježeg vjetra obećavala je da će se ipak formirati uvjeti za ono po čemu je ORC specifičan, a to je tehničko jedrenje u štap polju. Vrlo brzo su kurs seterice Anđi i Rita postavile polje, te se po 7-8 čvorova zajedrilo u kursu 320°. Ovaj start bio je dosta dinamičniji od onog s početka dana. U posljednjih minut - dva čak tri jedrilice priuštile su publici na leutu RO-a glasnu predstavu nakon koje nije nitko podigao protest. Posljedica je bila da su dvije jedrilice prestupile i da su se morale vratiti i ponovo startati, te su se tim potezom sebi značajno smanjile šanse za dobar rezultat s obzirom da je u ovom tipu regate doslovno važna svaka sekunda. Za razliku od njih ekipa s Gringa 3 odjedrila je svoju regatu sezone. Oni su od početka bili u svakom pravom dricu i maksimalno su iskoristili svaki reful, te u cilj ulaze s impresivnom prednošću od 5 minuta u odnosu na drugoplasiranog Filipa. Međutim, nakon ubacivanja brojeva u ORC kalkulator Uskokova posada doživljava hladan tuš. Matematika je pokazala da su kasnili čak 4 korigirane minute iza X-Citea! Razlog ovako, slobodno se može reći, šokantnom rezultatu je J0 koji je ostao prijavljen u popisu jedara, a čija upotreba je bila moguća po polarnim dijagramima i ovogodišnjoj verziji ORC formule. Zanimljivo je da je potpuno jednak "sail inventory" bio i u prošlogodišnjoj verziji Gringove svjedodžbe, ali tad ova situacija nije bila moguća. Slučaj je prijavljen glavnom ORC službeniku u Hrvatskoj, pa sad treba vidjeti da li će dodatna analiza ovog slučaja natjerati "centralu" na neke poteze. U svakom slučaju, Gringo je penaliziran s ovim jedrom baš u dijelu polara koji se odnose na vjetrove koji su puhali za vrijeme prvog plova, dok ga se više ne uzima u obzir kod vjetrova jačih od 8 čvorova. Vjerojatno bi od velike koristi bio u slučaju da je vjetar na regatnom polju tijekom jedrenja otišao u jednu stranu i da ga je posada mogla na vrijeme otvoriti ili da se jedrila navigacija s jednom od etapa u kursu neke laške orce... međutim, zajednički zaključak svih nazočnih na regati bio je da se u ovom slučaju kao zaključak nameće da je možda u pitanju pogreška ekipe iz ORC-a zadužene za redovne godišnje nadogradnje "formule". Idući plov startao je nakon pauze od desetak minute nakon ulaska posljednje jedrilice u cilj. Ovog puta orca je skraćena par kabela. Razlog je još slabiji vjetar i očekivanje da bi ubrzo mogao skroz oslabiti. Na samoj startnoj liniji nije bilo gužve kao za vrijeme prethodne procedure i dosta čisto se krenulo prema sjeverozapadu. U rasporedu sličnom onom iz prethodnog plova flota obilazi privjetrinsku oznaku i offset, a za vrijeme jedrenja etape niz vjetar ovaj odlazi desetak stupnjeva u lijevo te se mora reagirati s Charlijem. Osim postavljanja novog kursa druga orca je i dodatno skraćena. Borba za čelo flote ovog puta malo je zanimljivija, jer su se Gringo 3 i Filip dosta nalazili jedan uz drugog, a ovaj dvoboj traje do samog kraja i finiša u kojem je Gringo 3 za tri realne sekunde brži od Filipa, dok nakon korekcije ta razlika ide u Filipovu korist i raste za dodatne tri minute. Između ove dvije posade ponovno završavaju X-Cite i Mareus II, a Erco D', Sky i Elaya ponovno među sobom dijele peto, šesto i sedmo mjesto. Nedjeljno jutro bilo je dosta hladnije nego subotnje, a prognoza je najavljivala lagano jugo koje je trebalo puhati cijeli dan. Od izlaska na more i kratkog čekanja ispred Puntamike vidjelo se da su prognostičari ovog puta precizni i da se ne može očekivati ništa jači vjetar nego što trenutno puše. Sreća u tome bila je da je bio skoro pa točno iz smjera Ošjaka, pa nije bilo potrebe da se nakon starta postavlja i dodatna privjetrinska oznaka. Točno u 11:05 flota kreće s navigacijskim plovom i kao vrlo važan dio regate postaje izbor jedrenja bliže kopnu ili sredini kanala. Većina sporijih jedrilica bira sredinu kanala i to se ovog puta pokazuje boljim izborom i flota do Ošjaka i Preka stiže u malom razmaku. Kao druga skupina, Gringo, Filip i X-Cite ipak stižu prvi do ove točke obaveznog obilaska, ali razlika nije bila tolika kolika bi bila da su se nakon starta svi odmah prebacili na lijeve uzde i zajedrili prema Ugljanu. U svakom slučaju na čelo ponovno izbijaju Gringo i Filip koji potom par milja jedre čisti match race. Jedrenje bliže Ugljanu donijelo je Gringu svježiji vjetar te on prvi okreće Mišjak i ostvarenu prednost ne ispušta do cilja. Ostale jedrilice u ravnomjernim razmacima slijede za njima i nakon okreta Mišjaka sa spinakerima i genakerima po najjačim refulima tog Zadarskog vikenda jedre prema cilju koji je posatvljen ispred Uskokova mula. 📸 regate.com.hr Rezultati - ORC A & B 1. plov 2. plov 3. plov - navigacija konačno Statistika STAT - 1. PLOV STAT - 2. PLOV Playbackovi P L A Y B A C K - 1. PLOV P L A Y B A C K - 2. PLOV P L A Y B A C K - 3. PLOV - NAVIGACIJA READ MORE

SÅ NEMT TRIMMES STORSEJLET Det er især trimning af storsejlet, der gør båden velafbalanceret at styre, og behagelig at sejle, under næsten alle vejrforhold Et veltrimmet storsejl i god form giver altid den mest behagelige sejlads, hvor båden ikke krænger unødvendigt og går godt gennem søerne. Det er en af de mest effektive måder at skabe sejlglæde og komfortabel sejlads for hele familien på kurser fra bidevind til halvvind. Der er også mindre slid på sejl og rig, når storsejlet er veltrimmet, og det er godt for tegnebogen. Desuden mindsker det risikoen for havarier, der ellers kan stoppe ferieturen brat. Det er en meget almindelig fejl, at for-liget ikke bliver strakt nok med faldet. Så bliver sejlet for hult, især fra midten og opefter, og det bliver sværere at styre båden og skøde sejlet ordentligt. Det bliver også sværere at styre lidselinen, der skal forhindre at sejlet blafrer i agterliget mellem sejlpindene. Når sejlet står og blafrer i agterliget, går sejlets syninger meget hurtigere i stykker og i værste fald kan man risikere at sejlet revner. Især med ældre sejl, der har fået meget sollys gennem mange år. Manglende eller for bløde sejlpinde i storsejlet slider også på sejlet, ligesom båden ikke vil kunne gå så højt til vinden. Desuden kan det i nogle tilfælde medvirke til at riggen står og ryster. Så snart skødes slækkes til dybere kurser end bidevind, ”skødes” storsejlet til det rigtige twist med bådens kickingstrap. Selv på læns bør sejlet ikke twiste nævneværdigt mere end på kryds. Her ses hvordan sejlet bliver fladere, og lukker mere i toppen, når man haler i storskødet. Sejlet bliver fladere, især forneden, når man haler i bomudhalet. Storsejlets 7 vigtigste trimfunktioner anvendes således: Storfaldet Faldet skal som udgangspunkt altid hales, så forliget ikke rynker, og der-udover trimmer man dybde og facon med faldet. Når faldet tottes bliver sejlet fladere og sejlets største dybde flyttes fremad i sejlet. Faldet skal derfor tottes, når vinden frisker fordi sejlet skal gøres fladere, og ved at hale faconen frem modvirker man at sejlets facon skrider for meget agterover, når sejldugen giver sig i den friske vind. Hvis man sætter faldet for løst, bliver sejlet meget åbent i toppen, og når man så skøder hjem for at få toppen med, bliver sejlet dybt i bunden, og båden bliver hård på roret. Storskødet Skødet bruges især til at trimme sejlets twist og dybde på bidevind. Når man haler i storskødet bliver sejlet fladere og faconen rykker en anelse agterover. Sejlet ”lukker” også mere, dvs. at det twister mindre i toppen. Mange vil opleve at de ikke kan trimme sejlet fladt nok uden at lukke sejlet for meget, så øverste sejlpind peger ind mod bomnokken. I dette tilfælde skal man få trimmet twistet korrekt med skødet og desuden flade sejlet yderligere med fald, bomudhal, cunningham og hækstag. På dybere kurser end bidevind overtager kicking-strap’en trimningen af sejlets twist. Bomudhalet Udhalet på bommen er et effektivt og nemt trimhal, som tursejlere burde anvende mere. Ved at hale bomudhalet bliver sejlet fladere – især i den nederste del af sejlet. Bomudhalet skal tottes i opfriskende vind, og slækkes i let og mellemluft med tung krapsø, hvor man behøver mere ”sejtræk” eller ”bundmoment” til at trække igennem. Løjgangen Løjgangen bruges til at trimme stor-sejlets vinkel i forhold til vinden og forsejlet og til at fintrimme rorbalancen, så båden nemt kan sejle ligeud og man kan styre båden med et minimum af kræfter. En velafbalanceret båd skal kunne styres med en let hånd på rorpinden eller rattet. Bådens grundlæggende balance på roret trimmes med riggen, men fin-justeringen af rorbalancen sker med løjgangen. Her er det enkle princip, at man skal køre løjgangsvognen mod læ, hvis man føler båden er lidt for luvgirig, dvs. at der er lidt for meget pres på roret. Tilsvarende skal løjgangsvognen køres mod luv, hvis båden føles lægirig, eller det bare er svært at holde båden oppe på højden. Har båden ikke løjgang, kan man bruge kickingstrap’en. Løjgangsvognen trimmes ofte med fordel lidt til luv i mellemluft og lettere vindstyrker, for at give mere højde og eventuelt lidt ekstra rorpres til at føle båden med. I opfriskende vind skødes løjgangen mod læ. Kickingstrap Bådens kickingstrap er beregnet til at holde bommen nede og sejlets profil in-takt, når kursen er dybere end bidevind. Det er vigtigt for en behagelig sejlads og balancen på roret, at sejlets facon og twist bibeholdes ned forbi halvvind. Når bommen holdes nede med kicking-strap’en, kan man mindske eller øge rorpresset, balancen på roret, ved at slække eller hale storskødet. Hvis båden ikke har løjgang, kan kickingstrap’en overtage skødets twistregulerende funktion på bidevind, mens man lader skødet overtage løjgangens funktion. På kurser mellem agten for tværs og læns er det også vigtigt at hale kickingstrap’en så hårdt, at sejlet ikke twister ret meget mere end på kryds. Det giver roligere sejlads og lettere styring i frisk vind. Hækstaget På brøkdelsriggede både anvendes hækstaget ikke kun til at totte forstaget med, men også til at hjælpe til med at åbne, twiste, toppen af storsejlet. Ved at hale hækstaget i frisk eller opfriskende vind, bliver toppen mere åben. Derved kan man flade storsejlet yderligere, ved at hale i storskødet, indtil toppen igen har det rette twist. Cunningham Sejlets facon bliver lidt fladere og en anelse mere åben i toppen, når man haler i cunningham. Samtidig trækkes sejlets facon frem og lidt nedad i sejlet. Cunningham bruges til at "stramme op", når sejldugen strækker sig i frisk vind og til at hale faconen frem på sejl i strækstabil sejldug, når man bukker masten ved at hale hækstaget hårdt. Når man trimmer storsejlet, kan man åbne toppen af sejlet lidt med hækstaget. Reb i tide Tursejlere skal altid huske at rebe i tide, og der skal rebes, så sejlføringen passer til pustene. Storsejlet skal altid rebes først. Det giver den mest behagelige sejlads. De fleste nyere cruisingbåde sejler mindst lige så hurtigt med rebet storsejl i frisk vind. Husk også at holde rebegrejet i orden, så det er let at betjene. Hver bådejer bør prøve sig frem til, hvornår og hvor meget båden skal rebes, for at sejle godt og behageligt. Reb hellere for meget end for lidt. Her er sejlet også for hult, fordi faldet er for løst. Forstaget falder også ud, fordi riggen står for løst. Trim af rullestorsejl Der er en del forskel på trimmulig-hederne med et rullestorsejl efter om det er et sejl i en blød polyesterdug (Dacron) med negativ kappe, eller et moderne rullesejl i strækstabil dug med lodrette sejlpinde. De sidste er mere effektive end de gammelkendte rullestorsejl og giver mere sejlglæde. Alle rullestorsejl flades til vindstyrke og sø med udhalet, og sejlets twist kan til en vis grad trimmes med skøde eller kickingstrap som beskrevet. Det kan dog være umuligt at twiste toppen på sejl i blød sejldug uden sejlet bare står og blafrer. Når sejlet er halet helt ud af masten, kan faldet bruges til at trimme sejlets dybde. Pinden parallelt med bommen Twistet i storsejlet er vigtigt for både komfort, fart og højde, men mange sejlere har vanskeligt ved at bedømme, hvornår sejlet twister rigtigt. Her er det en nyttig håndregel for tursejlere, at den øverste sejlpind skal stå parallelt med bommen, når man kigger op i sejlet. Tips Det er en god og sjov måde at tjekke sit eget sejltrim ved at tage billeder lige op langs sejlet, og så kigge nærmere på trimmet i fred og ro hjemme ved computeren. Det bliver endnu nemmere at se trimmet, hvis man taper vandrette trimstreger på sejlet. Læs også: Nye sejl giver ekstra sejlglæde Sådan sættes masten rigtigt Så nemt trimmes genua og fok Så nemt trimmes spiler og gennaker Trim-tjekliste Download hele vores trimguide til cruising her! Få et tilbud på nye North sejl READ MORE

TRIM-TJEKLISTE Denne liste er et trimtjek og en hurtig guide til at kontrollere riggen og trimme sejlene 📸 X-Yachts Bådens trim Riggens grundtrim Har vantskruerne fået fedt eller olie, så de ikke brænder sammen, når de spændes hårdt og efterspændes? Står masten helt lige sideværts? Har masten den rigtige hældning, så båden balancerer på roret (sejl først med båden)? Forkrummer masten en halv til en hel profilbredde? Står overvantene meget hårdt? (de må ikke stå slække i læ under sejlads). Står mellemvantene korrekt? Er kickingstrap’en i orden og velfungerende? Sejlenes grundtrim Er genuaen eller fokkens skødevisere sat til at twiste (åbne) forsejlet korrekt under de mest almindelige vindforhold? Er der sat mærker på genua- eller fokkeskødeskinner til placering af skødevognene til forskellige vindstyrker? Er der sat mærker på storskødet og evt. hal til løjgangen til hurtigt at trimme båden korrekt til de mest almindelige vindforhold? Er der sat mærker på bådens fald, hækstag og evt. bagstag til det mest almindelige vind- og vejrforhold? Båden rigges af Dette afrigningstjek er vigtigt, fordi eventuelle skader kan blive udbedret i løbet af vinteren, så de er klar, når båden skal rigges til igen. Gå alle syningerne i sejlene efter og tjek om de er i orden. Især i agterliget. Er lommelukningen til sejlpindene i orden? Virker lukninger med velcro stadig som de skal? Er alle fald, skøder og trimliner i orden med intakt strømpe? Vask dem evt. i vaskemaskinen i en lukket stofpose. Er alle vant, stag og andre wirer i orden og fri for lus? Hvad kan jeg gøre? Når båden krænger for meget på kryds og halvvind? Åbn kappen i toppen af storsejlet med hækstag og storskøde, og åbn genuaen ved at flytte skødeviseren bagud. Flad sejlene yderligere med faldet, bomudhalet og cunningham. Reb altid storsejlet først, hvis båden stadig krænger for meget. Rul ind på genuaen, hvis båden stadig krænger før meget, når 2. reb er taget. Hvis båden krænger for meget og storsejlet ikke kan flades tilstrækkeligt med trimhalene, så overvej at udskifte det. Når båden er hård på roret med gennaker eller spiler? Slæk så meget på skødet at båden bliver helt eller næsten neutral på roret. Når båden ruller for meget på rumskødssejlads? Tjek om kickingstrap’en er sat tilstrækkeligt, for ellers bliver sejlet for åbent. Ellers hal lidt ind på storskødet. I nogle kombinationer af vind og sø er det dog uundgåeligt at båden vil rulle. Ved spilersejlads kan båden også rulle, hvis stagen står for højt og/eller skøde og gaj er sat for løst. Når båden er lægirig? Lægirighed er, når båden hele tiden selv vil falde af og skal styres op mod vinden. Tjek om storsejlet er skødet for løst, eller løjgangen er skødet for langt mod læ. Husk at øverste sejlpind skal stå parallelt med bommen. Hvis det ikke hjælper at trimme storsejlet, så flyt om muligt mastefoden lidt tilbag i båden. Ellers læg masten lidt ned. Når båden er luvgirig? Luvgirighed mærkes på at man skal bruge kræfter på forhindre båden i at skære op. Tjek om storsejlet er skødet for hårdt, eller løjgangen er halet for langt mod luv. Husk at øverste sejlpind skal stå parallelt med bommen. Tjek om genuaen er halet tilstrækkeligt hjem, og at den ikke åbner for meget. Hvis det ikke hjælper at trimme sejlene, så flyt om muligt mastefoden lidt frem i båden. Ellers rejs masten lidt op, dog aldrig længere end til lodret. Hvis båden er luvgirig og storsejlet hult på grund af alder eller blød sejldug, så overvej at udskifte sejlet. Læs også: Nye sejl giver ekstra sejlglæde Sådan sættes masten rigtigt Så nemt trimmes storsejlet Så nemt trimmes genua og fok Så nemt trimmes spiler og gennaker Download hele vores trimguide til cruising her! Få et tilbud på nye North sejl READ MORE

SÅ NEMT TRIMMES SPILER OG GENNAKER Spiler og gennaker er en spændende udfordring til sjovere og hurtigere cruisingsejlads 📸 X-Yachts Alle cruisingsejlere kan have stor fornøjelse af at sejle med spiler eller gennaker, og det behøver hverken være besværligt eller skræmmende. Man skal bare ikke sætte disse sejl i for meget vind, og huske at bjærge dem i tide. Vindstyrke afhænger af besætningens erfaring, men de fleste bør ikke sejle med spiler i over 7-8 m/sek. Sejlere uden erfaring med flyvende forsejl, bør først øve sig i let vind. Code 1 ideel til cruising "De fleste cruisingsejlere vil have større glæde af en gennaker eller Code 1, end en spiler, fordi disse sejl er meget lettere at håndtere," fortæller Theis Palm fra North Sails Danmark. "Personligt vil jeg anbefale en Code 1, der dækker hele halvvindsområdet. Det er et utroligt godt sejl, især i let luft, hvor man ellers ville starte motoren. Med Code 1 kan man ofte sejle lige så hurtigt for sejl som for motor. Bare uden støj. En Code 1 er ideel til moderne både med selvslående fok eller 105 % genua. Code 1 er monteret på en rulle, så den kan rulles som en rullegenua. Man kan sagtens sejle agten for tværs med Code 1, men her er den ikke så effektivt som en gennaker. Man kan også sejle læns med en Code 1, ved at spile den til luv med spilerstagen." En gennaker er enklere at trimme end en spiler, fordi der ikke er nogen spilerstage at holde styr på, medmindre man spiler den til luv på læns. De flyvende forsejls 9 vigtigste trimfunktioner: Gennakeren Halsbarmen Halsbarmen på de fleste gennakere til cruising sættes blot med en kort fast strop til fx bådens ankerrulle eller et lille bovspryd. Man kan dog få mere udbytte af gennakeren med en trimline, tack-line, i halsbarmen, der skal gå gennem en blok i stævnen eller bovsprydet, og føres tilbage til cockpittet. Halsbarmen trimmes så i forhold til, hvor meget man skærer. På hård skæring sættes trimlinen hårdt. Det totter forliget, faconen flytter mere mod luv og det åbner agterliget. Med vinden mere agtenfra, slække man trimlinen, så sejlet får en mere jævn facon og mindre åbent agterlig. Gennakerskødet Gennakeren trimmes til vindretning og kurs med skødet. I praksis skøder man gennakeren på næsten samme måde som en spiler. Man trimmer skødet så gennakeren er lige ved at klappe i forliget ca. 2/3 oppe i sejlet. North Sails’ gennaker er designet til at være meget overbærende med et stort vindue til at styre på, så man kan sætte skødet fast i læ. I frisk vind skal man helst slække 5-10 cm på skødet, på forkanten af pustene, så båden ikke skærer op. Barberhalet Med barberhalet trimmer man gennakerens skødepunkt, som man trimmer genuaen med skødevognen. Agterliget lukkes ved at hale barber-halet, og det gør man, hvis toppen af gennakeren har tendens til at blafre. Man skal dog passe på ikke at lukke agterliget, så båden krænger for meget. Spileren Spilerstagen Stagen skal stå vandret, så man ud-nytter stagens længde maksimalt, og den skal stå vinkelret på vinden. Luv og læ skødebarm skal så vidt muligt stå lige højt. Stagens højde trimmer spilerens facon i toppen. Op- og nedhalet Ved at hæve eller sænke stagen, regulerer man dybden i midten af spileren og hvor meget sideligene åbner. Stagen holdes vandret og i ro med nedhalerlinen, aldrig med barberhalet. Nedhalerlinen bør være fæstnet til stagen med en hanefod. Ophalet bruges til at hæve stagen inden spileren sættes og til at holde den oppe i let vind. Gaj’en Det luv spilerskøde, kaldet gaj’en, trimmer stagens vinkel til vinden, og styrer spilerens nedre facon. Hvis skødet skal hales hårdt, for at undgå spileren klapper, så skal stagen skødes længere frem med gaj’en. Spilerfaldet I let vind og på meget rumme kurser sættes faldet, så toppen flyver mellem 20 og 40 cm foran masten. I over 4-5 m/sek. og på skærende kurs, skal spileren hales tættere til masten, så den står roligere. Spilerskødet Spileren skødes så luv side hele tiden er ved at klappe ca. 2/3 oppe i sejlet. Barberhalet Med barberhalet trimmer man spiler-ens skødepunkt, som man trimmer genuaen med skødevognen. Man lukker spilerens læ sidelig og gør den lidt dybere i faconen ved at hale barberhalet. Det er vigtigt, at halet ikke sættes for hårdt på skæring, hvor læ sidelig gerne må åbne lidt. Tips En gennaker eller Code 1 skal altid sættes og bjærges i læ af storsejlet på en kurs mellem agten for tværs og plat læns. Så ruller Code 1 lettere, og gennakeren er næsten håndtam, med eller uden snuffer. Man skåner også sejlet. Sæt gennakeren med Snuffer Det er meget nemt at sætte gennakeren med en "snuffer", hvor gennakeren ligger pakket i sin fulde længde. Man sætter gennakeren ved at først at hale snufferen til tops i spilerfaldet i læ af storsejlet. Derefter hales tragten til tops, så gennakeren kan folde sig ud. Man bjærger ved at hale tragten ned over gennakeren, også i læ af storsejlet, og sænke snufferen i faldet. Husk altid at følge vejledningen, der følger med snufferen. Stagen skal stå vandret Cruisingsejlere bør sejle med vandret stage. Hvis man hæver stagen, bliver spileren fladere og mere åben i siderne og man gør spileren dybere og mere lukket i siderne, ved at sænke stagen. Stagehøjden trimmes med stagens fæste på masten og stagenedhalet. Trim storsejlet 15-20 grader til stagen Stagen skal stå vinkelret på vinden . Spileren bliver for flad i toppen, med stagen for langt mod luv (blå) og for dyb i toppen og urolig, med stagen for langt mod læ. Storsejlet trimmes, så der er en vinkel på 15-20 grader mellem stagen og bommen. Måleskema til bådens rig Når riggen er trimmet korrekt ind til bådens balance på roret, er det en god idé at måle trimmet op, så det er hurtigt og nemt at genskabe mastetrimmet næste sæson. Målene tages fra overkanten af vantets terminal og ned til den nederste pindbolt i vantskruen. Til næste år spænder man bare riggen op igen efter disse mål. Læs også: Nye sejl giver ekstra sejlglæde Sådan sættes masten rigtigt Så nemt trimmes storsejlet Så nemt trimmes genua og fok Trim-tjekliste Download hele vores trimguide til cruising her! Få et tilbud på nye North sejl READ MORE

SÅDAN SÆTTES MASTEN RIGTIGT Al trimning starter med riggen, fordi mast og rig skal være sat rigtigt, før man kan trimme sejlene korrekt Heldigvis er det hverken indviklet eller tidskrævende at rigge rigtigt. Riggen på en moderne turbåd skal altid stå meget tot, og meget mere tot end de fleste bådejere forestiller sig. Desuden skal masten sættes helt lige og lodret tværskibs, mens den bør være forkrummet i langskibs retning. Moderne cruisingbåde har en rig med bagudvendte salinger, og det er specielt vigtigt, at sætte den rigtype hårdt, fordi det ellers ikke er muligt at holde forstaget tot. Moderne både er netop bygget til at sætte riggen hårdt. Myten om at man kan stramme forstaget med hækstaget er til dels rigtig, men hvis over- og undervant er for løse, så komprimerer man i stedet masten med hækstaget. Det giver den modsatte effekt - nemlig at forstaget og riggen bliver for løs. Når forstaget ikke er helt tot, bliver genuaen for dyb i faconen og det vil få båden til at krænge mere end nødvendigt. Man kan ikke bare klare det ved at hale hårdere i skødet og åbne toppen af forsejlet med skødevognen, fordi derved mister båden noget af fremdriften og det vil også medvirke til at båden krænger mere. Bådens balance på roret grundtrimmes bedst med mastens hældning og placering ved mastefoden. De følgende fire trin til at sætte masten, giver et godt udgangspunkt for, at kunne trimme sejlene optimalt til balance og større sejlglæde. Tilrigningens 4 nemme trin til en tot rig: Sættes lodret Først sættes masten helt lodret i båden med forstag og overvant, og det kan tjekkes ved at hænge lidt vægt i storfaldet og lade det hænge ned bag masten. Båden skal være i sin naturlige balance og man skal enten gå i land eller stå midt i cockpittet, når man bedømmer det. Det er god idé at måle længden på vantene inden masten sættes på båden. Så kan man nemlig se om de er lige lange i begge sider, og fx sætte mærker på vantskruerne eller terminalerne Derved får man identiske punkter på vantene, som man kan måle fra og ned til dækket. På den måde er det lettere at sætte masten helt lodret. Sættes helt lige Når masten står helt lodret, sættes undervant og mellemvant i forhold til topvantet, således at masteprofi let er helt lige hele vejen op. Dette kan tjekkes ved at flugte op langs hulkehlen eller med et fald i stille vejr. Overvant Dernæst sættes overvantene meget hårdt. Husk at de skal spændes lige hårdt og skiftevis i begge sider. Det er en god håndregel, at de skal spændes, indtil man selv synes de er spændt for hårdt. Man kan også måle spændingen på de enkelte vant med en rigspændingsmåler. Undervant Derefter spændes undervantene lige knapt så hårdt, således at masteprofilet står med en let forkrumning på en halv til hel profilbredde. Bådens rigtype og især storsejlets mastekurve afgør, hvor meget den præcist skal krumme. Mastheadriggede master skal bare have en let krumning, moderne master med bagudrettede salinger skal have en krumning på godt en profilbredde, mens rullemaster skal stå næsten uden krumning. Mellemvant skal sikre at masten står helt lige under sejlads. Sejl med båden og efterspænd Riggens wirer strækker sig lidt, når de kommer under belastning i starten af sæsonen, så derfor skal man huske at efterspænde riggen, efter årets første sejlture i lidt frisk vind. Under sejladsen skal man holde et vågent øje med vantene i læ. De må ikke være det mindste slappe på bidevind. Hvis vantene er lidt slappe i læ, er det nemt at totte dem under sejladsen, og derefter totte vantene i den modsatte side efter en vending. Bare husk at vantene skal tottes præcist lige meget i begge sider, når masten én gang er sat lige. Masten skal forkrummes Kun på rullemaster skal masten stå ret i langskibs retning. Alle andre master skal forkrummes med en halv til en hel profil-bredde. Hækstaget skal kun krumme mastetoppen De fleste moderne cruisingbåde har en form for brøkdelsrig, og her skal masten sættes så hårdt i over- og undervant, at masten primært bukker i toppen, når man haler i hækstaget. Ellers kan man ikke totte forstaget med hækstaget. Masten skal stå snorlige Alle master skal trimmes til at stå snorlige sideværts, som den viste mast. Man kan kontrollere at masten er lige, ved at kigge op langs hulkehlen eller ved at hænge et lod i storfaldet og lade det hænge lige bag masten. Masten skal samtidig stå så hårdt, at den stadig står helt lige, når der er belastning på riggen under sejlads. Trim rortrykket med masten Mastens hældning trimmes enkelt med forstagets længde, og fodens placering i mastesporet. Det er især bådens balance på roret, man grundtrimmer med mastens placering og hældning. Princippet er enkelt. Hvis båden er luvgirig og føles hård på roret, så skal masten stå mere lodret, eller flyttes frem i mastesporet. Jo mere luvgirig båden er, jo mere skal masten fl yttes frem. Den må aldrig rejses mere end til lodret. Hvis båden er bare let lægirig, så skal masten lægges ned. En cruisingbåd bør altid være en anelse luvgirrig. Så er den let at styre på foran-for tværs og bidevind, med et let tryk på roret. Roret bør ikke vinkle mere end 2-3 grader. Det er en håndregel for mastehældning, at masten skal hælde 1 grad på mastheadrigge, 2 grader på 9/10s rigge og 3 grader på 7/10s rigge. Læs også: Nye sejl giver ekstra sejlglæde Så nemt trimmes storsejlet Så nemt trimmes genua og fok Så nemt trimmes spiler og gennaker Trim-tjekliste Download hele vores trimguide til cruising her! Få et tilbud på nye North sejl READ MORE

NYE SEJL GIVER EKSTRA SEJLGLÆDE Det er dejligt at få nye, flotte og velfungerende sejl, der er lette at trimme Og trimningen er vigtig for cruising-sejlere, for det handler om at sejle en komfortabel og glad båd i god balance. Nye sejl giver cruisingbåden en klart bedre og mere komfortabel sejlads, med mindre krængning, bedre balance på roret, bemærkelsesværdig bedre højde og ekstra tiendedele på loggen. Så klar var konklusionen, da vi testede et ældre mod et nyt stel sejl på en Granada 31. Først målte vi fart, højde og krængning med de ældre sejl og der-efter skiftede vi til et nyt stel North Sails. Begge storsejl var syet med horisontale baner, også kaldet "C-cut" eller "cross cut", i en vævet polyester sejldug, bedst kendt som Dacron. Tætvævet sejldug De nye sejl var fremstillet i en sejldug fra Norths Sails egen dug-fabrik i USA. Det er en effektiv sejldug, der bliver vævet meget tæt med de mest stabile "high tenacity" polyestertråde der findes. "High tenacity" sejldug anvendes til kapsejladssejl og tursejl, hvor stabiliteten er vigtig. Den aktuelle sejldug til det nye storsejl er specielt konstrueret til at klare de belastninger sejlet udsættes for langs agterliget. Det gør sejlet bedre i stand til at holde faconen i kappen. Det nye storsejl var desuden bygget med fire gennemgående sejlpinde, der sikrer sejlets optimale facon længere levetid. Et roligt sejl De gennemgående sejlpinde får også storsejlet til at stå roligt ved sætning, bjærgning og rebning, og sikrer at sejlet glider let og pænt foldet ned i bompresenningen. Bådens gamle rullegenua var traditionelt syet i "C-cut" med horisontale baner, mens den nye North rullegenua var konstrueret i et avanceret tri-radialt D-cut design, hvor paneler af sejldug stråler ud fra top, hals og skøde efter sejlets belastninger. Bedre balance Resultatet af sammenligningen var, at båden krængede langt mindre med de nye sejl. Desuden fik vi en klart bedre balance på roret, med mindre rortryk og dermed en lettere, roligere sejlads, fordi båden ikke blev så hård på roret i pustene. Alt i alt blev det en sjovere og mere komfortabel sejlads. Højde og fart Med de nye North sejl gik båden klart tættere til vinden og 0,3 knob hurtigere på kryds. Det giver ikke kun hurtigere, men også sjovere sejlads og gør det nemmere for cruisingsejlere at krydse, fordi den bedre balance på roret, også gør det lettere at styre båden i pustene. Strækstabilitet Der er især forskellen i sejldug, der giver dramatiske forskelle på nye og ældre sejl. I ældre sejl strækker sejldugen sig mere i pust og frisk vind, fordi sejldugen mister meget af sin strækstabilitet. Derfor glider faconen også mere agterover, og fordi det samtidig bliver for dybt, kan det i værste fald få båden til at skære ukontrolleret op i friske pust. Det er derfor vigtigt, at få syet sine nye sejl i en god strækstabil dug. Så sejler de markant mere komfortabelt og holder meget længere. Med en billig, ikke stræk-stabil sejldug, mister sejlene deres facon langt hurtigere, og kan efter få sæsoner ikke trimmes fornuftigt. Trim de nye sejl Nye sejl i god facon og strækstabil sejldug er dog ikke alene nok. Sejlene skal også trimmes, og det bør alle cruising-sejlere tage alvorligt. For cruisingsejlere handler trimning mere om at få en komfortabel sejlads med en glad båd i god balance. "Når jeg er af sted med familien på sommertur, ser jeg desværre for mange både, hvor sejlene ikke fungerer ordentligt, fordi de er trimmet forkert, eller riggen ikke er sat rigtigt," fortæller Theis Palm fra North Sails Danmark. "Det er synd, for det kræver kun en beskeden indsats, at trimme rig og sejl ordentligt, så familien får en behagelig sejlads, hvor de bedre kan slappe af. De får samtidig den ekstra gevinst, at båden også vil sejle hurtigere." Beskyt sejlene Der var anvendt en sejldug med indbygget UV-filter, der beskytter sejl-dugen mod solens nedbrydende UV-stråler, og det forøger markant sejlets levetid. Den ekstra UV-beskyttende dækdug på agter-og underlig beskytter ogsågenuaen mod solen, når den er rullet op. Storsejlet er ikke beskyttet mod sollyset, selvom det ligger pænt pakket sammen på bommen i havn, og derfor er det vigtigt at hele sejlet bliver dækket af en bompresenning, der også holder sejlet rent og pænt. Sejlene skal også beskyttes mod mekanisk slid fra især riggen. Alle kanter og skarpe spidser på salingerne og vantskruerne skal tapes til, eller på anden måde beskyttes, så sejldugen og syningerne ikke kan blive revet i stykker. Det er også vigtigt at storsejlet bliver lagt, eller rullet, pænt sammen efter brug. Hvis man lader riggen stå på båden vinteren over, bør sejlene altid afmonteres og tages med hjem. Læs også: Sådan sættes masten rigtigt Så nemt trimmes storsejlet Så nemt trimmes genua og fok Så nemt trimmes spiler og gennaker Trim-tjekliste Download hele vores trimguide til cruising her! Få et tilbud på nye North sejl READ MORE

SÅ NEMT TRIMMES GENUA OG FOK Genuaen er cruisingbådens vigtigste trækkraft Vi anbefaler at også cruisingsejlere anvender strækstabile fald til at holde den gode facon i sejlene. Hvis faldene kan strække sig under sejladsen, må faldene tottes løbende, da sejlene ellers bliver dybere og mere lukkede. Det er forsejlets trimning, der skaber den fartgivende vindstrøm hen over sejlplanet og gør sejladsen komfortabel under alle vindforhold. Den gode trimning af bådens forsejl er vigtig, fordi forsejlet former vind-strømme hen over sejlplanet, og i korthed handler trimning af forsejlet om at forme vindstrømmen således, at vinden trækker båden bedst muligt fremad og skaber mindst mulig krængning. Det er hverken indviklet eller besværligt at trimme sin genua optimalt, blot man følger nogle få og helt enkle principper, der er de samme for nye som for gamle sejl. "På mine sommerture med familien ser jeg desværre alt for mange både, hvor sejlene ikke fungerer ordentligt, simpelthen fordi de er trimmet forkert", fortæller Theis Palm, North Sails Danmark. "Jeg har set mange både, hvor de fx ikke har halet ordentlig hjem i genuaskødet eller sejlet twister så meget, at det meste af sejlet bare står og blafrer. Det er synd, fordi det nedsætter sejlets levetid og fordi disse familier kan få meget mere glæde af deres båd med en blot en beskeden indsats. Ved at bruge bare et par minutter på at grundtrimme, kan de få sejlene til at fungere ordentligt, og få en sjovere og mere komfortabel sejlads. Båden vil også sejle hurtigere, men det er ikke det vigtigste her. Store overlappende 135-150 % genuaer er bådens motor, og man kører vel ikke rundt på tre cylindere i bilen uden at gøre noget ved det. Mange nyere både har mindre og familiemæssigt mere håndterlige ca. 105 % fokke eller selvslående fokke. De er også en del af bådens motorkraft og er med til at forme vindstrømmen over storsejlet, der er hovedmotoren i disse både. Endelig er forsejlenes trimning medvirkende til at give en mere stabil sejlads med mindre krængning, blødere krængning i pustene og ikke mindst til at give en god rorbalance. Desuden har jeg gang på gang konstateret at faldet, på alt for mange turbåde, ikke bliver rørt efter sejlet er halet på rulleforstaget først på sæsonen." Den følgende trimvejledning sigter på at trimme rulleforsejlene, så båden sejler velafbalanceret og behageligt under næsten alle vejrforhold. Det hele handler faktisk kun om at justere på tre ting: Faldet, skødet og skødevognen. På moderne selvslående fokke svarer placeringen af skødet i skødbarmen til at trimme skødevognen. Vi forudsætter at bådens rig er sat rigtigt og hårdt, så forstaget reelt kan tottes med hækstaget i opfriskende vind. En helt ny genua, der er trimmet korrekt på en hårdt sat rig, hvor forstaget kun falder minimalt ud i læen. Bemærk flyvingefaconen med den største dybde fremme i sejlet og den næsten rette afgang for vindstrømmen i agterliget. Forsejlets 3 vigtigste funktioner anvendes således Faldet Faldet trimmer dybde og facon i sejlet og princippet er enkelt. Når faldet tot-tes, bliver sejlet ikke overraskende fla-dere og faconen flytter lidt frem i sejlet. Tilsvarende får man et dybere sejl, med faconen liggende længere tilbage i sejlet, når faldet slækkes lidt. Her taler vi om justeringer på op til ca. fem cm på faldet på en mellemstor familiebåd. Princippet for trimningen er enkelt Faldet tottes med opfriskende vind, så sejlet bliver fladere og båden krænger mindre. Modsat kan det være en fordel at slække lidt på faldet i lettere vind. I samspil med lidt løsere skødning vil det give en dybere facon, der giver mere kraft til at holde fart i båden. I krap eller tung sø i mellemluft har man også brug for dette "sejtræk" som et lidt slækt fald giver. Pas blot på ikke at slække for meget. Sejlet må kun lige akkurat trække små vandrette rynker fra forliget. Skødet Skødet bruges til at trimme sejlet til vindretningen og på bidevindkurser til at trimme balance og fart i båden. På rumme kurser kan man bruge sejlets ticklers til at trimme til vindretningen, for også på rumskøds sejlads bør begge ticklers, på hver side af sejlet, flyve vandret og parallelt. På foran-for-tværs hales genua- eller fokkeskødet efter de aktuelle forhold med vind og sø. Når man vil gå højt i mellemluft, eller vinden er frisk til hård, så skal forsejles skødes hårdt. Det flader sejlet og trækker faconen lidt frem i sejlet. I mellemluft kræver det også at man styrer mere præcist, for at opretholde farten. Modsat giver det en lidt dybere og rundere facon, hvis man lige slækker et par cm på genuaskødet, og det giver mere råstyrke i sø og gør båden lidt mere tilgivende overfor styringen. Det kan lidt sammenlignes med bilens gear, hvor de lavere gear bruges til at accelerere eller sejtrække, mens man kører hurtigst i de høje gear. Et knap så hårdt sat skøde svarer til de lave gear, mens man går op i et højere gear, ved at skøde hårdere. For at blive i sammenligningen, så kan man ikke accelerere så hurtigt, hvis man sætter bilen i for højt gear for tidligt, og tilsvarende skal man ikke hale for hårdt i skødet efter fx en vending, men hale hjem efterhånden som båden accelererer. Mange tursejlere skøder genua og fok alt for løst, men som tursejler skal man heller ikke skøde for hårdt, hvis man vil sejle afslappet med lidt ”tilgivelse” for rorsmandens håndtering af rorpind eller rat. Husk at det kun handler om at slække mellem 2-5 cm i forhold til at hale hårdt hjem. Det er også vigtigt at sejle med yder-ligere lidt slæk på skødet, hvis søen er grov i forhold til vindstyrken. Ellers ligger man bare og hugger i bølgerne. Skødevognen Bådens skødevogn til fok eller genua bliver desværre alt for sjældent brugt på mange turbåde, og det er netop med skødevognen tursejleren kan trimme god balance i båden. Skødevognen trimmer skødepunktet, der afgør sejlets vigtige twist op gennem sejlet. Når sejlet twister for meget er det for "åbent", og så blafrer toppen af sejlet unødigt, ubehageligt og det er dyrt for sejlets levetid. I de lettere vindstyrker betyder det, at sejlet ikke trækker effek-tivt og at rorpresset bliver forøget. I frisk og hård vind betyder for meget twist at sejlet blafrer larmende i toppen, og især at denne "flageffekt" kun får sejlet til at holde kortere tid, i stedet for at sejlets top giver stabiliserende fremdrift. Hvis sejlet twister for meget, skal skødevognen flyttes fremad. I princippet skal skødevognen stå for enden af en linje trukket fra midten af forstaget ned gennem øjet i sejlets skødbarm, men sejlets facon og alder kan betyde afvigelser fra dette. Når sejlet twister for lidt, er det for "lukket". Så trækker hele den øverste del af sejlet ikke ordentligt og båden vil krænge unødigt meget, når det blæser en frisk mellemluft. Båden kan blive hård og ubehagelig at styre, fordi den krænger mere brat og huggende i pustene. Endelig kan nogle både blive let lægirige af en stor overlappende genua, der lukker for meget i toppen. Når sejlet twister for lidt, skal skøde-vognen flyttes agterover. Stort set alle cruisingbåde sejler i dag med rullegenua eller -fok, og reber sejl ved at rulle sejlet nogle omgange om forstaget. Når forsejlet rulles ind skal skødevognen flyttes fremad. Ellers vil toppen af sejlet blive for åben og blafrende. Rul vognen frem med sejlet Skødevognen skal køres lidt fremad, når man ruller genuaen lidt ind for at mindske sejl i opfriskende vind. Hvis man ikke kører skødevognen frem, når genuaen rulles lidt ind, så vil sejlet blive for åbent i toppen. Det vil blafre i toppen og og ødelægge sejlet. Skødet trimmer dybde og form Her ses hvad der sker med dybden i sejlet, når man trimmer genuaskødet. Vi forudsætter at skødevognen er placeret rigtigt. Når man haler fokke-eller genuaskødet hårdere, bliver sejlet fladere og sejlets dybeste punkt trækkes lidt fremad, som på den grønne faconkurve. Når man slækker fokke-eller genuaskødet bliver sejlets facon dybere og sejlets dybeste punkt flytter lidt agterover. Sjæklen i skødebarmen På moderne selvslående fokke, hvor skødevognen kører på en fast skinne, trimmes skødepunktet ved at flytte skødets sjækkel til et andet hul på skødbarmen. Man twister sejlet mere ved at fl ytte skødet til et lavere hul eller frem på skødepladen, og man lukker sejlet med mindre twist ved at flytte skødet opad i skødbarmen eller tilbage på skødepladen. Princippet er det samme, som at flytte skødevognen tilbage eller frem i båden. Stil skødevognen efter sejlets ticklers Øverst er sejlet trimmet optimalt (A) og de tre sæt ticklers i sejlet blafrer alle fint og parallelt. I midten (B) lukker sejlet for meget, der er for lidt twist i sejlet, og derfor slår den øverste læ tickler opad, mens den læ tickler i midten også er urolig. Nederst twister sejlet for meget (C), det er meget åbent, og derfor løfter den luv uldtråd sig i toppen. Ved (B) skal skødevognen flyttes agter-over til sejlet ser ud som i (A), og i (C) skal skødevognen flyttes fremad. I (B) sejler man for lavt med den øverste del af sejlet, mens man i (C) sejler for højt med toppen af sejlet. På tegningerne er de læ ticklers røde, mens de luv ticklers er grønne. Tips Skødevognene er med faste stop på hovedparten af alle cruisingbåde, men det er lidt bagvendt at man skal på dækket og flytte skødevognen i fx opfriskende vind og sø, når nu alt andet normalt kan trimmes fra cockpittet. Det kan derfor være en god ide at skifte til en såkaldt "flydende" skødevogn, der kan trimmes kontinuerligt fra cockpittet med et enkelt hal. Det forlænger sejlets levetid, hvis man slækker 5-10 cm på faldet lige inden man ruller genuaen ind og går i havn, hvis båden ikke skal ud at sejle de næste dage. Det belaster sejlet unødigt, altid at stå med tot genuafald. Læs også: Nye sejl giver ekstra sejlglæde Sådan sættes masten rigtigt Så nemt trimmes storsejlet Så nemt trimmes spiler og gennaker Trim-tjekliste Download hele vores trimguide til cruising her! Få et tilbud på nye North sejl READ MORE

#NSVICTORYLIST: RORC CARIBBEAN 600 A Strong Showing For North-Powered Teams. Here’s Our Race Recap The RORC Caribbean 600 is a much-anticipated event on the winter sailing schedule. With pro teams and amateurs alike gunning for victory, the combination of North Sails products, on-island support, and expertise is proven to deliver results. For the 13th edition of the race, North Sails was on board for a new multihull race record, multi and monohull line honors, and held a commanding presence amongst the fleet claiming 70% of the possible podium positions. And to top it off, Warrior Won’s 3Di sails carried owner Chris Sheehan and crew to the top of the overall leaderboard. A navigational channel in, out, and around eleven islands in almost perfect condition, the race is as much a showcase for sailing as it is for the Caribbean’s beautiful islands. “There is a reasonable amount of reaching in the 600-mile course, and it becomes a real test of a sail’s range,” explains Andrew Dove, manager of North Sails Antigua. “Our Helix Structured Luff Code Sails can make a huge difference here. Many of the legs are challenging, with conditions varying amount different islands; a hallmark of the race and a true test of a sails range. This is where 3Di and Helix sails excel.” We’re incredibly proud of the North-powered results; they’re overwhelming in the best way and inspire us to keep coming back for more. 📸 RORC / Tim Wright / Arthur Daniel READ MORE

SMALL BOAT, BIG RACES Richard Palmer’s JPK 1010 Jangada Takes On The Doublehanded Offshore Scene 📸 Rick Tomlinson Highlight Results Twostar Transatlantic Race 2012 – 2nd IRC Round Britain & Ireland 2-handed 2014 – 1st IRC RORC 2018 – 2nd IRC overall AZAB 2019 – 3rd IRC (1st family) RORC Transat 2019 – 1st IRC overall RORC 2020 C600 – 1st IRC 2-handed RORC 2020 Summer series – 1st IRC 2-handed RORC 2021 Morgan Cup – 1st IRC 2-handed RORC 2021 De Guingand Bowl – 1st IRC 2-handed UKDHOS 2021 – 1st Corinthian/Masters RORC 2021 Series – 3rd IRC 2-handed RMSR 2021 – 1st IRC 2-handed RORC Transat 2022 – 1st IRC 2-handed / 3rd IRC1 RORC 2022 C600 – 1st IRC 2-handed / 3rd IRC2 Richard Palmer’s JPK 1010 Jangada has been turning heads as the doublehanded team on board continues to win multiple international offshore doublehanded trophies whilst also claiming some of the top spots against fully crewed teams. In 2020, they won RORC Yacht of the Year following their overall win in the RORC Transatlantic Race and RORC Caribbean 600 doublehanded win, they also took the Corinthian Trophy in the UK Double Handed Offshore Series. 📸 Arthur Daniel Aiming for the coveted RORC Jazz Trophy for IRC overall and having just finished the RORC Transatlantic Race, bettering their 2019 record by just under 2 hours, we caught up with Richard to hear how a physicist turned finance professional who grew up dinghy sailing in Salcombe on family holidays is now winning international yacht races doublehanded. Richard started sailing through a local club at 11 and caught the bug’ when his parents signed him up to an RYA course on the Thames. During family holidays in Salcombe, he was inspired to take up windsurfing as well and was later recruited for the Oxford University Windsurfing Team. Whilst working at the National Physical Laboratory he continued windsurfing competitively but also took up yachting after seeing an advert for the Civil Service Offshore Racing Club. This led to years of club racing, Junior Offshore Group (JOG) racing, and introduced Richard to Offshore racing. He was then thrown in at the deep end as a navigator on the club’s Sigma 33. His first two Rolex Fastnet Races were with the BT Offshore Racing Club in 1991 and 1993. Following a busy few years starting a young family and focusing on his career, Richard joined the Yacht Owners Club in 2006 buying a J/109, Jangada Too. The decision to buy the J/109 was made over a glass of wine in Cowes with his friend Jeremy Waitt. After doing the first few seasons crewed, Richard and Jeremy decided to give doublehanded offshore racing a try in 2009 and haven’t looked back! Richard had several successes in the J/109, most notably winning the 2014 Royal Western Round Britain and Ireland Race with co-skipper Trevor Drew after being ‘pipped’ to the overall win by Pip Hare in the previous edition. Jangada Too sparked Richard’s relationship with North Sails. 📸 Rick Tomlinson 📸 Rick Tomlinson “It became clear to me that most of the winning boats in the fleet at the time all had North Sails, that’s when we first got in touch with North and we have been with them ever since.” remarks Richard. The reputable JPK1010 Jangada hit the scene in 2016. After a long stint in the J/109 getting fed up with being beaten by some of the French boats, Richard admitted “it was a case of, if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em. When the 1010 was delivered it had a full suite of French sails, but the first thing we did was get North Sails down to do an audit of the wardrobe to work out which were fit for purpose and which needed replacing.” Over the course of the next two years, Richard replaced the full suite of sails with North Sails. “The scale of the North operation is the main attraction, they have a great design team and the appeal is that they are always developing the materials, the shape, the cut. They’re always leading in the field. Our latest batch of sails in particular are great and very reliable. We saw that in the RORC Transatlantic Race this year. We had very little chafe or damage.” As doublehanded sailors, Richard and his co-skipper’s often have slightly different priorities to fully crewed teams. Their priorities, amongst safety and energy/sleep management, include making maneuvers as easy as possible and minimizing sail changes, in particular headsail changes. Both their heavier jibs are reefable which means they can reduce the sail area without totally changing sail. This was added by North for the benefit of the team and tailored to their specific requirements. Jangada’s newest addition to the sail wardrobe was the new Helix Structured Luff Code Zero. Richard and Jeremy tried it for the first time on the RORC Transatlantic Race and are very impressed. “We can carry it in higher wind strengths and to higher angles. We’re still pushing the boundaries with it, but it’s a very versatile sail.” Jangada finished the 2022 Transatlantic Race in an elapsed time of 16 days 11 hrs 59 mins 46 secs, winning IRC Two-Handed and placing third in IRC One. On top of this, Jangada’s IRC corrected time set a new race record for Two-Handed teams, bettering their 2019 triumph, and establishing the IRCRecords™ corrected time for the course of 16 days 13 hrs 58 mins 34 secs. The team has recently completed the RORC Caribbean 600 having finished the race twice before. In 2018 they, unfortunately, had to retire due to injury but returned in 2020 and 2022 with back-to-back wins in the IRC Two-Handed class. With the RORC Caribbean 600 over, Jangada is now on a mission to be back in the UK in time for the next RORC race of the season. Richard is also planning on taking on the Round Britain and Ireland Race again this year with Rupert Holmes, his co-skipper from the first Transat Race. Keep an eye out for “Team Jangada” – big personalities, with big results on a relatively little boat! 📸 Rick Tomlinson READ MORE

VAD DU BEHÖVER VETA OM LATTOR Instruktioner för montering och spänning av lattor Seglingssäsongen närmar sig och vi vet att det är många som har funderingar kring sina lattor. Med all rätt. Oavsett om du planerar en långsegling eller ser fram emot vårens klubbkappseglingar är det viktigt att dina lattor monteras korrekt och att de har den rätta spänningen. Det innebär att seglet får en bättre form med högre prestanda – och säkrar upp att du inte tappar dem i ett slag eller en gipp. Rätt montering ger den rätta segelformen Se till att lattan sticks in i lattfickan med den mjuka (tunna) ändan mot förliket och den hårda (tjocka) mot akterliket. Vi ser ibland lattor som monterats på motsatt håll, och resultatet blir att seglet vare sig får rätt djup eller rätt kurvatur. Så det är värt att dubbelkolla att lattorna sitter åt rätt håll. Se till att dina lattor är säkrade En del lattor monteras framifrån och andra bakifrån, och beslagen ser lite olika ut, så det är viktigt att du säkrar lattorna på rätt sätt. I North Sails kardborre-lås finns det en särskild ficka för själva lattan och en annan ficka som låser kardborrebanden mot varandra. Andra lattsystem fungerar på andra sätt. Oavsett vilket system du har så kommer korrekt montering se till att dina lattor sitter på plats under hela säsongen. Rätt lattspänning ger dig ett slätt segel Det är också viktigt att du spänner dina lattor med omsorg och noggrannhet. Om spänningen är för låg kommer det uppstå vertikala rynkor längs lattfickan. Med för hög spänning blir resultatet synliga, horisontella kraftrynkor ovanför och under lattfickan, och duken ser överbelastad ut. Med korrekt spänning är lattfickan slät och lattan harmonierar perfekt med den inbyggda, designade formen. 📸Mike Egan Har du frågor kring lattor? Eller behöver du hjälp att få dem korrekt monterade? Kontakta oss på North Sails i Stockholm eller Göteborg, så hjälper vi dig med instruktioner och råd om hur du installerar dina lattor på bästa sätt. READ MORE

LETTER TO MY YOUNGER SELF Andreas Heide Helmsman, Marine Biologist and Ex-Navy Diver, Takes on the Polar Atlantic Ecosystem 📸 Matthew Ferraro The sailors and designers in the world of North Sails are some of the most inspiring people on the water, and we’re hoping to share more of their story with you. “Letter to my younger self” is a series told from our North Sails ambassadors. In each article, we bring to life their advice and personal journeys centered around the question: if your “now self” could give your “younger self” advice, what would it be? Dear 12-year-old Andreas, As you read this, I reckon you have just returned from a trip in your little boat or from freediving somewhere. Your parents might have been upset with you for coming home late, but shrug them off because this is the path you should stay on. Stay true to your own journey, not the one expected by your parents or your surroundings. Let curiosity continue to drive you. Follow your instincts my boy and go for it. Know that everything you do now from climbing trees, skiing in the mountains, and rowing out to fish will help you better understand the great outdoors that you already love. When you look at the horizon, wondering about the world that lies beyond the outer jetties, realize that one day you will adventure beyond the comforts of your home. When you look at the ocean wondering about what magnificent creatures live in the big blue ocean, know that you one day will get to meet many of these animals that fill your childhood dreams. 📸 Peter Svanberg You will swim with whales of all sorts as well as the world’s second-largest fish, the basking shark (yes the kind you just read about in your favorite book), and have close encounters with polar bears, perhaps even a bit too close! And one day, you will sail as far north as you can, to the pack ice around the North Pole. Getting there is not going to be easy though, sacrifices will have to be made. You will have to work hard and train harder. Join the Navy, learn to use a parachute, dive out of submarines and go on endless winter marches in the barren land of Northern Norway. But every day and every step is just a little closer towards your dream. It’s not only about the physical side of what you do, having the smarts is just as important. Your teachers and parents will do a poor job of explaining why you have to go to school, but you have to suck it up. Trust me. If you realize that everything you learn will become useful later in life you will have fewer problems sitting still while doing your Algebra. (By the way, Algebra will become particularly helpful as you travel by boat in the high North) So listen to your parents and please be a good student. You will find marine biology studies a bit boring, but go with it because one day it will come to great use. And whilst you should follow your instincts, make sure you surround yourself with good people and friends. Be humble and ask for advice when you need it. Nonetheless, self-confidence is really important as well. You will need that confidence at times, as it’s a lonely path you have chosen and few will understand what drives you. But you know: it’s the wonder of what lies beyond the horizon and beneath the surface; it’s the thrill of exploring; the excitement of pushing the limits that drives you through the challenges. If you stay true to your path then one day you will find many people like yourself. People with the same drive and same curiosity. These people will become your community to go out into nature and to sea, for the passion and for the love. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Andreas B. Heide (@andreas.b.heide) It’s only when you grow up that you will discover sailing. Sailing is a wonderful platform that lets you sail beyond the horizon, from where you will see the white cliffs of Dover, the icebergs of Greenland, and the solid ice of the North. It will allow you to dive into remote caves of the Arctic and, ultimately, sailing will help you share your love for the ocean with the world. But it’s not always going to be smooth sailing (pun intended). At times you will be cold, scared, and wishing you had chosen an easier path. There will be highs and lows, excitement and struggle. It will be a challenge. But this will also be what you will come to love, the challenge of going out there and working hard to reach your goals. At times you will fail. But failing is fine, as long as you have done your best. Just make sure you push on, get back at it, and do better. Never give up, my boy, stay true to your path. It might be that you never achieve all your goals, but rest assured, that you will have an exciting journey regardless! And one last thing, as you get older, keep reminding yourself never to lose your curiosity. As you stare out at the horizon and wonder, fret not, you will soon see so much. Trust me there is so much to explore! Andreas 📸 Conor McDonnell READ MORE

18FT SKIFF SPEED READING 3x World Champion Matt Steven Provides Insights To Racing 18 Footers © 18 Footers Australian League / Frank Quealey David McDiarmid, North Sails Expert Matt Steven, and Bradley Collins (NZL) have claimed the most desired prize in the 18-footer class, the JJ Giltinan Trophy in 2018, 2019 and 2020, making them three-peat Champions in the competitive class. The 2018 win was the first time in 45 years that New Zealanders won this event, which is considered the world championship of 18-foot skiff racing. As a result of their big win in 2018, David, Matt, and Bradley were awarded Orbit World Travel Sailors of the Year at the Volvo Yachting Excellence Awards, along with Dongfeng’s 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race winning sailors Daryl Wislang and Stu Bannatyne. We checked in with middle crew Matt Steven about sailing 18-footers. Learn about what he has to say about choosing rigs, techniques, and how to sail an 18 to its full potential. Crew work on an 18-footer can be challenging, especially in breeze. “We have pretty defined roles on the boat to keep consistency with boat handling,” says Matt. “It’s all about having as few crossovers as possible and not letting the boat slow down.” Crew weight also affects the technique. “I am the heaviest onboard, so it often pays to keep me out on the wire. Sometimes Brad , our bowman, gets loaded up with a few more jobs during the maneuvers. Luckily he is very fit and strong and lighter than me!” One of the toughest things about 18’s, Matt explains, is rig choice. “You have two rigs for two wind ranges (0 -13 and 12-30 knots). However, within these ranges, there are a lot of different modes, so compromises have to be made, either at the top end or bottom end of each rig. It’s hard to have the ideal setup to cover an entire day’s worth of racing.” Though his team preferred their #2 rig, figuring out the right mode for each helped them adapt to changing wind ranges throughout each race day. They weren’t the only ones wrestling with rig choice each morning. “There is often a standoff on the ramp,” Matt explained, as teams wait for others to make their choice. “Normally we are happy to be on the same rig as the majority of the fleet, but sometimes you just need to back yourself on the weather forecast.” Rig tuning isn’t like other boats in the 18ft skiff. Matt explained that “the tuning tricks we have figured out ourselves over time, through practicing and spending time in the boat.” The 18ft skiff is fairly complicated, since almost every mast is custom built depending on crew weight and style, so there is not one specific guide for sailors.” Michael Coxon at North Sails in Sydney has a formula that most teams use. We have control over the rig with heel, and two sets of lower caps and primaries which we adjust accordingly as needed.” ©18 Footers Australian League /Frank Quealey Starting line technique is pretty similar to other fleets concerning positioning and acceleration however, the 18-footer can accelerate a lot faster. “One of the hardest parts,” Matt says, “is staying stationary and holding your position. Once you lose flow over the foils, it can be very challenging to stay in control.” Upwind and downwind techniques Matt said have similar concepts. “Body weight fore and aft, as well as knowing when to press hard are the keys to speed. Regarding tactics, staying in pressure is key… two knots of wind could make a 2-3 knot boat speed difference and a 10-degree angle change.” Matt’s team typically replaces two or three sails a year, depending on the number of events they compete in. “We have a good relationship with our design team,” Matt says, “so we understand our gear and how to use it efficiently.” He says it’s helpful to understand shape changes, even though only minor tweaks were made for the 2018 season. Matt’s team is sponsored by Honda, which enabled a wardrobe upgrade to 3Di for the 2019 season. This is a nice addition not only because of performance factors, but it meant they won’t need to replace sails as often. “The best thing about North Sails 3Di is that you know the shape is going to be the same each time you go sailing, and there is never a worry about structural failure. We have much confidence in the product. The added stiffness will allow us to have another dimension of rig tuning that was not available to us before. The sail controls will be more ‘tweaky,’ in a significant way.” 3Di + 18 FOOTERS The Orbit World Travel Award came as a surprise to Matt, who was just happy to win the JJG Worlds, as it has been his primary goal since he started sailing 18-footers. “We were very honored to be recognized alongside some amazing sailors for the Orbit World Travel Award. We are just normal guys who work day jobs that try and fit in as much training and sailing into our normal life. We have a desire to keep the trophy in New Zealand and make our fellow skiff sailors proud. We are happy to win for them, as well as ourselves and the New Zealand sailing community.” CONTACT MATT ORDER SAILS NOW © 18 Footers Australian League / Frank Quealey READ MORE

SEGEL FÖR CLUBRACING Vad Finns Det För Möjligheter? Clubracing är ett engelskspråkigt begrepp som inte har någon självklar svensk motsvarighet. En rak översättning skulle ju bli ”klubbkappsegling”, men det känns för begränsat och fångar inte den innebörd vi är ute efter. Clubracing är en mycket bred företeelse. Det kan innebära avslappnad kappsegling utanför hemmahamnen en kväll i veckan, utan spinnaker och med ankare och kätting hängande i stäven. Men det kan också innebära ambitiös kappsegling med ett erfaret, samtrimmat gäng i en planande sportbåt. Redan här står det klart att frågan om vilka segel som är ”bäst för clubracing” egentligen inte har något svar. Samtidigt har nog ändå de flesta clubracing-seglare en likartad utgångspunkt. Man har inte en obegränsad segelbudget och är ofta ute en liten men effektiv segelgarderob med så få segel som möjligt. Seglens prestanda är viktig – i många fall helt central – men om investeringen ska kunna motiveras måste seglen även ha bra slitstyrka och lång livslängd. Ofta använder man dessutom samma segel för både kappsegling och semestersegling. Som clubracingseglare måste man alltså kompromissa. Det man söker är egentligen inte seglen med absolut högst prestanda, utan snarare de segel som – på lite sikt och utifrån en given budget – ger mest pang för pengarna. Vilken typ av segel behöver du? Även detta är förstås en fråga utan generella svar. Vad som passar just dig beror ju på vad du har för båt, budget och ambitioner. Och så har vi det här med SRS, som ju är det helt dominerande respitsystemet för det vi kallar clubracing. Är det något särskilt man ska tänka på? Det talas ibland om ”SRS-optimering”, och det är uppenbart att det finns en del som ägnar sig åt sådant. Vår bild är dock att SRS i allmänhet ger din båt det mätetal den förtjänar och att det egentligen inte lönar sig att försöka ”lura” regel. Värt att påpeka är att dock SRS är en breddregel och att en stor segelgarderob påverkar mätetalet. Du bör särskilt tänka dig för innan du beställer ett segel med smalt register. Detta eftersom du ju ”betalar” för seglets prestanda även när det inte används. Om du inte vill ge bort något i onödan bör du se till att ditt mätetal baseras på korrekta uppgifter. Så gott som alla serietillverkare båtar väger avsevärt mer än vad tillverkaren har uppgett. Vikt är en central komponent i regeln och genom att väga båten går det ofta att få en klart märkbar sänkning av SRS-talet. Passa gärna på att mäta in seglen också. Även segelytan har stor påverkan på mätetalet och det har visat sig att många båtar seglar omkring med mindre segel än vad som anges i båtdatabladet. Dessutom är det så att segel krymper med tiden. Inmätning av segel kan vi hjälpa till med. Att väga båten kräver en del arbete och lite pengar för lyft och hyra av en kalibrerad våg. Men om man går ihop några stycken i klubben behöver det inte kosta så mycket. Överlag är annars SRS en enkel, välfungerande och rättvis regel. Så det enkla tipset är helt enkelt att skaffa de segel som passar bra till din båt och som gör den så rolig som möjligt att segla. Om du upplever din båt som underriggad och trög får vi fundera över hur segelytan kan utökas – och tvärtom om den känns överriggad och svårseglad. Var du seglar spelar också in. En båttyp som i Stockholms skärgård ”kräver” en stor, överlappande genua kan på väst- eller sydkusten klara sig med enbart kryssfock. Om du har fock som enda försegel och förväntar dig förhållanden med mycket öppna bogar kan det vara motiverat att investera i någon form av code-segel. Vilket segel ska du byta först? Nya segel är en stor investering. För att sprida kostnaderna har många av våra kunder en plan som löper några år framåt och som innebär att de byter ut ett segel i taget i lagom takt. Då är förstås frågan: Vilket segel ska jag byta ut först? Om inte dina segel helt uppenbart är färdiga för återvinning, så är det en bra början att göra en analys av deras skick. Ta gärna några bilder av seglen och mejla eller ta med dem till oss. (Fotografera seglen rakt underifrån, med kameran eller mobilen placerad exakt på mitten av underliket.) Om vi även får ta en titt på själva seglet kan vi göra en bra bedömning av dess potential. Ibland kan vi medganska enkla medel ge nytt liv åt ett äldre segel som har börjat tappa formen. Genom att exempelvis sätta i hårda, profilerade lattor i ett storsegel går det att förlänga prestandalängden med ytterligare ett par år. Det kostar ett par tusenlappar men skillnaden kan vara förbluffande stor. Att byta från vertikala lattor till horisontella lattor kan göra en liknande skillnad på en fock. (Dock går den ju då inte längre att rulla in.) Generellt kan man annars säga att det nästan alltid är bättre att ha ett bra försegel och ett sämre storsegel än tvärtom. Storseglet är ju trimbart på ett helt annat sätt än en fock eller genua – oavsett skick går det nästan alltid ”häcka ur” ett storsegel. Så om budgeten bara tillåter ett nytt segel är det sannolikt förseglet du ska byta ut först. Vilket segelmaterial är bäst? Okej. Du har insett att du behöver nya segel. Du har – på egen hand eller med hjälp av oss på North Sails – skaffat dig en bra bild av vilken typ av segel du behöver. Därmed är vi inne på nästa fråga: Vilken typ av material ska dina segel vara tillverkade av? Det är nu det roliga börjar. Men det är också möjligt att det kan upplevas som något av en djungel. Vad finns det egentligen för alternativ? Och hur ska man tänka som clubracing-seglare? – Dacronsegel Först som sist ska sägas att gammal hederlig dacron många gånger är ett alldeles utmärkt alternativ. I Express, H-båt, 606. J/70, Drake, Starbåt och en uppsjö andra entypsklasser är detta det enda som är godkänt. Tar du en titt i resultatlistorna ser du att de presterar bra även på SRS-seglingar, trots att de då ofta konkurrerar med båtar med mer avancerade segel. Detta förutsätter att seglet är tillverkat i rätt sorts dacron. Det finns en uppsjö olika dacrondukar på marknaden och de skiljer sig oerhört mycket ifråga om kvalitet, pris och egenskaper. Det du behöver för kappsegling är en högkvalitativ, hårt vävd prestandaduk med rätt ytbehandling. Den kostar en del extra men ger dig den formstabilitet du behöver för att vara konkurrenskraftig. Tar vi ett steg upp från den klassiska crosscut-duken så hamnar vi på NPC Radian. Även detta är en vävd dacronduk, men den är starkare på varpen (längden) än väften. Det gör den lämpad för radialskärning, vilket gör att den hanterar krafterna på ett bättre sätt. För clubracing kan Radian vara ett alternativ för båtar upp till cirka 34 fot. Du kan då förvänta dig väldigt lång total livslängd men bör vara medveten om att det tappar formen tidigare än segel i mer avancerade material. – Laminatsegel På större båtar än så är krafterna som regel så stora att dacron inte länge räcker till. Om du bryr dig om i fall du vinner eller förlorar en minut på en timmes kryss är det läge att se dig om efter mer prestandabetonade material. Laminatsegel är baserade på mylar. Panelade laminatsegel är oftast radialskurna och den bärande fibern kan vara allt från polyester till aramid och kolfiber. Fördelen gentemot dacron är att de har en helt annan formstabilitet och dessutom väger mindre. De flesta segelmakare erbjuder också en typ av laminatsegel som brukar kallas för ”membransegel” eller ”stringsegel”. De tillverkas genom att knippen av kraftupptagande fibrer limmas in mellan två yttre lager av mylarfilm, och där fibrerna följer de förmodade kraftriktningarna i seglet. Ytterst lägger man ibland även på en taffeta som skyddar mot slitade, eller ett tunt skikt av ett svart eller grått non-woven-material som gör att seglen nästan ser ut som våra 3Di-segel. I det här segmentet har vi på North Sails dock inget att komma med. Produktionen av våra 3DL-segel, som var föregångaren till dagens membransegel, avslutades nämligen redan i december 2017. Anledningen var att de, precis som alla segel tillverkade i mylar, hade en del inbyggda nackdelar som vi visste att det aldrig skulle gå att komma tillrätta med. Dessutom hade vi redan en ersättningsprodukt – 3Di – som var helt överlägsen på alla punkter. – 3D-gjutna kompositsegel 3Di är en unik teknologi som North Sails är ensamma om. Ett 3Di-segel innehåller ingen som helst film, utan byggs på samma sätt som ett båtskrov eller en kolfibermast: Prepreg-behandlad fiber (fiber mättad med ett tvåkomponents resin) läggs upp på en tredimensionell gjutform, värme sätter igång härdningen och när det har härdat färdigt har de två materialen omvandlats till ett enda homogent material. Konstruktionen är extremt stabil, seglet kan inte delaminera och fiberhalten är nästan dubbelt så hög jämfört med ett membransegel. Idag har vi tre olika produktlinjer – 3Di OCEAN, 3Di ENDURANCE och 3Di RAW – som tillsammans täcker allt från små och stora cruisingbåtar till små och stora racingbåtar. Det är inga vattentäta skott mellan de olika kategorierna. 3Di OCEAN 330, som byggs helt i polyester, är exempelvis ett populärt val för clubracing i båtar upp till ca 40 fot. Prestandamässigt levererar det ungefär i nivå med ett bra membransegel i aramid eller kolfiber. Det är aningen tyngre men å andra sidan har det en livslängd som är skyhögt bättre. Det är inte på något sätt billigt men det kostar mindre än 3Di-segel i mer exotiska material. 3DI ENDURANCE–serien är utvecklad med tanke på seglare som vill kunna kombinera cruising med kappsegling på hög nivå. Har du en båt runt 40 fot är 3Di ENDURANCE 760 så nära det perfekta seglet du kan komma. Med ett sådant segel ger du inte bort en sekund till dina konkurrenter och sköter du om det kommer det leverera under många, många år. Som clubracingseglare behöver du inte vara rädd ens för våra 3Di RAW-segel. De är visserligen våra minst hållbara 3Di-segel, men erfarenheter från bland annat Volvo Ocean Race och Vendée Globe visar att de klarar extrema förhållanden under lång tid. 3Di-teknologin resulterar i segel med prestanda, styrka och livslängd som går långt utöver alla andra typer av segel.De har bara en enda nackdel: Tillverkningsmetoden är kostsam och det återspeglar sig i priset på den färdiga produkten. Vilket undanvindssegel passar bäst för clubracing? Första steget är att bestämma dig för om du ska ha ett asymmetrisk eller symmetrisk segel. Generellt sett kan man säga att en asymmetrisk spinnaker (gennaker) halsad till stäven inte är ett konkurrenskraftigt alternativ. Däremot kan det funka med en gennaker halsad på ett fast eller utskjutbart peke. Om du har en båt utrustad med spinnakerbom är en traditionell spinnaker vanligtvis det bästa alternativet. Nästa fråga är vilken typ av duk din spinnaker ska ha. Det finns två olika grundtyper av nylon. En är mer inriktad för cruising, en för racing. Fibrerna i den cruisingbetonade varianten är mättade med melaminresin, men saknar så kallad coating. Om du kan leva med ett lite tyngre segel är den klassiska 0.75 ounce-duken ett bra val. Den är tålig och klarar sig bra även om du skulle råka släpa den i vattnet några gånger. Mer prestandabetonade nylondukar är vävda på ett tunnare sätt, vilket sänker vikten – en bra racingduk väger 35-40 g/m2 istället för närmare 50 g/m2. För att stabilisera duken har den istället en tunn uretan-coating ytterst. Denna coating bryts ner med tiden, vilket gör att den tappar i prestanda. Om du bara vill ha en enda spinnaker (och detta gäller såväl symmetriska som asymmetriska segel) bör du sikta in dig på en allroundbetonad design. Med ett sådant segel kommer du vara konkurrenskraftig i de flesta clubracing-sammanhang. Om du vill ta ett steg till och kunna konkurrera i hårdare konkurrens vill du förmodligen ha två spinnakers. Den ena skulle kunna vara en väldesignad allroundspinnaker i en bra prestandabetonad 0.75-duk. Den andra skulle kunna vara en mindre och lättare spinnaker med smalare skuldror, designad för brantare vinklar. Det ger dig en fördel i lättare vindar där man brukar skär mer. Vad ger just dig mest pang för pengarna? Så där ja. Nu har vi gått igenom de möjligheter du har och vi har kort beskrivit de olika material som kan vara aktuella. Så här mot slutet vill vi bara påpeka att det förstås är möjligt att välja en kombination av olika material. Ett sätt att komma ner i pris är att lägga extra krut på förseglet och välja ett enklare material i storseglet. Lite extra vikt i storseglet påverkar sällan prestandan på något märkbart sätt och det är möjligt att jobba med lattor som stärker upp konstruktionen. På många mindre båtar (som låt säga NF eller Cumulus) är storsegel i dacron och en 3Di 330-fock eller en radialskuren genua i en bra laminatduk riktigt bra kombinationer. Har du en modern 35-fotare kan ett 3Di OCEAN 330-storsegel och en ENDURANDE 760-fock vara den lösning som ger dig mest prestanda och livslängd för pengarna. Nyfiken? Kontakta oss så tar vi ett snack och tittar närmare på vilken kombinationen av prestanda, slitstyrka och livslängd som skulle ge just dig allra mest pang för pengarna. READ MORE

Lost boys i NS Dugopolje na RORC Caribbean 600 📸 Tim Wright/Photoaction.com Jutros su u cilj dojedrile prve jedrilice iz skupine Class 40 koje jedre na kultnoj regati RORC Caribbean 600, a pobjednika je odlučila sama zona finiša. Ekipa koja jedri pod imenom Lost boys, a koja je dio North Sails tima Dugopolje bila je na čelu skupine skoro cijelu regatu. U jednom trenutku su imali čak i dvadesetak milja prednosti. Međutim, nedostajalo im je sportske sreće i upali su u zonu laganog vjetra i bonace pred samim ciljem, a što je iskoristila posada na Class 40 Finnimo i u posljednjih nekoliko milja preuzela vodeću poziciju, te sa 61 sekundi razlike ušla u cilj prije Charles-Louis Mourruau’s Guidi i njegove posade. Detaljniji izvještaj možete pročitati na ovom linku. READ MORE

Ovog puta Panjić i Cro-a-sail na vrhu CRO Melges 24 flote 📸 regate.com.hr Prije godinu dana u Biogradu odjedrena prva regata klase Melges 24 u Hrvatskoj, a prošli vikend je odjedrena druga ovogodišnja regata za Kup nakon što je otvaranje sezone 2022. odjedreno u Dubrovniku. Na regati koju je organizirao JK Briva zajedrilo je 14 posada od najavljenih 15. Petnaesta posada trebala je imati premijerni nastup, a riječ je o ekipi jedrilice Razjareni, registrirana pod JK Split. Jedrilica je stigla u Biograd, ali nažalost nije niti skinuta s trajlera jer je jedan član posade morao ostati doma zbog Kovida. Ostali nisu imali takvih problema, pa su od četvrtka i petka uživali u gostoprimstvu Biograjaca. Program regate bio je standardan za dvodnevne regate. Dolazak jedrilica, njihovo bacanje u more, podizanje jarbola i trimanje, zajednički trening u petak, vaganje, roštilj party nakon vaganja i pripreme za dva službena natjecateljska dana. Vremenska prognoza je najavljivala brzu i atraktivnu regatu za oba dana. Donekle je bila u pravu u subotu kad je puhalo jugo. Puhalo je od ranog jutra i kako se približavalo vrijeme isplovljavanje vjetar je postupno jačao, a svoj vrhunac imao je tijekom drugog plova. Do kraja tog plova bio je stabilan po snazi, ali nakon idućeg startnog signala postupno je slabio. Za nedjelju je prognoza također bila vjetrovita, ali ovog puta iz smjera bure. Međutim, ponovno dolazi do pogreške prognostičkog modela pa cijelu nedjeljno jutro prolazi u iščekivanju bilo kakvog vjetra sve dok nije počela probijati tramontana koja je na kraju donijela i sunce i u jednom trenutku najjači vjetar po kojem se jedrilo tog vikenda u Biogradu. Vjerujem da ne treba posebno isticati da su se po ovako dobrim uvjetima uspješno odjedrila tri plova. Da budem precizniji, samo u četvrtom plovu RO je bio primoran signalizirati promjenu kursa u drugoj orci kad je vjetar otišao u lijevo, ali taj novi smjer ostao je takav do kraja nedjeljnih jedrenja. Što se tiče taktike ovo je vjerojatno bila jedna od težih regata koje je do sada jedrila ova klasa, subota pogotovo. Regatno polje je tada bilo postavljeno južno od Biogradske rive. Južni dio Pašmanskog kanala u tom dijelu je sasvim dovoljne širine i za regate mnogo većih jedrilica, pogotovo kad je u pitanju jugo. Međutim, konfiguracija terena i posljedično dvije različite zone po pitanju valovitosti, odnosno utjecaj vrlo jakog kurenta, stvarali su dosta glavobolje jedriličarima zaduženim za izbor prave strane regatnog polja. Ako se htjelo jedriti po manjem valu trebalo je ići bliže Pašmanu, ali jači kurenat bio je s druge strane, međutim u koliziji s jugom stvarao je oštriji i visočiji val, a samim tim i jedrilice su više "skakale" u orcu. Posljedica ovih kalkulacija bila je da se vrlo teško moglo prognozirati tko će biti u vrhu u pojedinoj orci, a pogotovo krmi. Tako da se još jednom potvrdilo pravilo da je kod klase koja jedri krmu s genakerom ta faza jedrenja najpresudnija za finalni raspored. Prvi dan regate u Biogradu bit će zapamćen i po relativno velikom broju izlijetanja na startu, što se u rezultatima može vidjeti pod oznakom UFD. Naime, RO je sve starteve organizirao sa Uniform zastavom. Za one koji nisu upoznati s njenim značenjem i posljedicama djelovanja kad je ona istaknuta, treba reći da je ona u stvari blaža verzija crne zastave. U stvari njih dvije imaju jednako značenje u predstartnoj proceduri u dijelu koji kaže da niti jedna jedrilica u posljednjoj minuti pred start ne smije biti unutar trokuta određenog sa startnom linijom i oznakom orce. Ako se jedrilica u posljednjoj minuti nađe u toj zoni automatski se isključuje iz tog jedrenja. Naravno, u ovo ulazi i preuranjeni start. A razlika između Uniform i "Black flaga" je u tome što u slučaju ponavljanja starta jedrilice isključene zbog preuranjenog starta kad je podignuta zastava "U" ponovno mogu pristupiti predstartnoj proceduri, a u slučaju prijestupa kad je podignuta crna zastava ne dobivaju novu šansu sve do idućeg plova. U subotu su četiri jedrilice "skinute" s UFD-om. U prvom i trećem plovu po jedna, a u drugom dvije. Prvi (ne)sretni dobitnici bili su momci i djevojčica s Universitas Nova-e. S obzirom na kvalitetu sudionika i svoje ambicije nisu smjeli sebi dopustiti ovakav početak. Istina, u nastavku dana su se donekle iskupili, ali značajno su sebi povećali pritisak po pitanju budućih rezultata i smanjili svoje izglede za penjanje na postolje. Ovaj plov ostat će trajno zapisan i u memoarima jedrilice Cezibordo jer im je stotinjak metara nakon starta, nakon prve vire, popustila ogradica i cijela posada osim kormilarke završila je u moru. Naravno, brzo se vraćaju na svoju jedrilicu, skupljaju spužve po moru i moraju odustati da bi popravili štetu i mogli normalno nastaviti s regatom. U drugom plovu ova ekipa pokazuje da je dovoljno koncentrirana na jedrenje i da im taj nesretni slučaj nije pomaknuo fokus, te u iduća dva plova ulaze u cilj kao trećeplasirani, te na kraju dana imaju jednak broj bodova kao i Universitas Nova koja je prvo završila kao 5., pa potom odnosi pobjedu. Ta pobjeda u trećem plovu pokvarila je namjeru posadi Panjića da se s idealnim rezultatom vrate u Marinu Šangulin, ali bar se mogu utješiti da su pobjedu izgubili za samo nekoliko metara. Posade koje su u drugom plovu dobile UFD bile su Amor Wave i Palmina. Inače, Amor Wave-u ovo je bio premijerni nastup, ali unatoč ovom UFD-u mogu biti zadovoljni cijelom regatom s obzirom da su stalno bili u sredini flote, a u posljednjem plovu u cilj čak ulaze i kao četvrti, a i finalni plasman u regati im je u prvih deset. Zadovoljni sa subotom bili su i momci s Point One-a. Istina, počeli su s izvrsnim drugim mjestom, a u nastavku dana su padali u plasmanu za po dva mjesta, međutim kad se uzmu u obzir oscilacije i problemi direktne im konkurencije, može se zaključiti da su uspjeli održati vrlo visok bodovni prosjek. Također su se s osmjehom na licu u marinu vratili i momci s Matarana 24. Oni su se kao tim predstavili već u Dubrovniku, ali tada su jedrili na Strilici, a ovog puta na svojoj jedrilici. S novom jedrilicom u cilj ulaze kao 3., 8., pa 5. a posebnu draž ovako dobrom danu dalo im je i to što su im to bila i doslovno prva jedrenja. A posljednji UFD subote, ujedno i cijele regate, osvojila je ekipa s Yikes-a. Do tada su bili bodovno izjednačeni s Mataranom i Tutta Forzom, ali bar su dobili šansu prvi se vratiti na suho. Nažalost, na kraju dana na jedrilici Point One, kormilar Karlo Kuret, doživljava nezgodan pad na rame i nakon odlaska u Biogradsku bolnicu i obavljenog snimanja saznaje da mu je pukla ključna kost. Za njega jedrenje u nedjelju ne dolazi u obzir i posada se do jutra mora snaći naći dogovarajuću zamjenu! U noći između subote i nedjelje očekivala se kiša nakon koje je trebala nastupiti promjena s juga na buru. Do promjene je stvarno i došlo, ali tek u zoru. Kiša je bila obilna i taj oblak je nastavio prema jugu, ali za njim se nastavila valjati oblačna masa koja je zatvorila cijeli obzor. Nisu postojali nikakvi uvjeti niti za isplovljavanje i čekanje nastavka jedrenja na regatnom polju, ali srećom kiša nije više padala. Tek iza podne počelo se osjećati pomicanje najnižeg sloja atmosfere i dolazak vjetra iz pravca sjever - sjeverozapad. RO nije dvojio niti sekunde i odmah poziva flotu na more u sjevernu zonu koja je bila smještena točno ispred ulaza u marine. 📸 regate.com.hr S dolaskom tramontane naoblaka se kida, dolazi sunce i transformacija vremenskih prilika bila je apsolutno na strani jedriličara. Regatno polje postavljeno je na smjer od oko 310°, duljina orce bila je ako i u subotu oko 1.2NM i moglo se krenuti s jedrenjem. Ni u ovom, a ni u ostalim jedrenjima nije više bilo izlijetanja prije startnog signala, a jedini problem imala je Palmina koja je imala problema sa spuštanjem genakera u prvoj krmi drugog nedjeljnog plova. Regatno polje bilo je manje zahtjevno po pitanju taktike i flota je ravnomjerno jedrila i na lijevoj i na desnoj strani. Istina, prve jedrilice odmah nakon okreta offseta odmah bi nastavile jedriti s genakerom na lijevim uzdama i to je na jedan način bila šablona ove pozicije. Po pitanju rezultata, Panjić više nije dominirao kao dan ranije. Prvi plov ulazi kao četvrti, iza Cro-a-saila, Universitas Nove i Matarana. Ova pobjeda posadi JK Opatija bio je najbolji rezultat na ovom regati. U iduća dva plova završavaju kao 4. i 5., a u konačnom skoru im je ta pobjeda donijela prednost koja im je osigurala srebro. Ekipa koja je u konačnom skoru imala jednak broj bodova kao i Cro-a-sail i osvojila broncu, bila je posada Ceziborda. Nakon dva 3. mjesta u subotu, na popis dodaju 5., 3. i 2. mjesto. Total od 16 bodova im je jednak kao i Cro-a-sailu, ali eto, ta pobjeda u četvrtom plovu prevagnula je na stranu Opatijaca. U idućem plovu Panjić ponovno pokazuje da je najbolji poznavatelj lokalnih uvjeta na moru. To mu je ujedno i posljednja pobjeda na regati, te s obzirom na izvrsne rezultate u svim prethodnim jedrenjima opušteno ulazi u posljednji. U njemu završavaju kao 7. i taj plasman odbacuju kao najlošiji rezultat. A posljednji plov, šesti ukupno, po tramontani koja je pomalo krenula sa slabljenjem, od početka pa do kraja na čelu flote je Mataran 24. Tijekom cijelog plova jedrili su bok uz bok s Tutta Forzom, lanjskim prvacima Hrvatske. Nadmudrivanje je trajalo od početka do kraja ovog plova, ali kako to uvijek biva, treći iskoristi priliku. Ovog puta treći nije uspio proći obje jedrilice, već samo Tutta Forzu. Između njih se ubacio Cezibordo kojem je to ujedno i najbolji rezultat regate u Biogradu. Analizom rezultata može se primijetiti da je najviše turbulencija u prosjecima svih posada bilo baš u posljednjem plovu. Neki su taj kiks mogli odbaciti, dok je neke taj uspjeh pomaknuo za mjesto ili dva prema gore. U svakom slučaju, rezultatski jedna od najneizvjesnjih regata klase Melges 24 do sada! A što se tiče Point One-a, Karla Kureta je za argolom zamijenio Zvonko Jelačić. Zvonku je na Melgesu 24 jedrio lani u Dubrovniku kao član posade Yikesa. Brzom usporedbom rezultata od subote i nedjelje može se zaključiti da je Zvonkom izbor bio vrlo dobra odluka, jer je prosjek nedjeljnih rezultata s njim za kormilom bio 6. mjesto, dok je Karlov prosjek bilo 4. mjesto. Iduća regata za CRO Melges 24 Cup je 19. i 20. ožujka, a u Ičićima će je organizirati JK Croatia, za koju jedri posada na Blue Label. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS 2022 NEWPORT BERMUDA RACE TECH BRIEF Sail Selection and Inventory Optimization 📸 The Ocean Race When planning your offshore racing it is crucial to manage your sail inventory. An optimized inventory and sail selection will allow you to maximize performance and ensure your crew is prepared if and when conditions change. While necessary, multiple sail changes are time consuming and draining and having the right sails onboard will greatly contribute to a successful race. As Performance Partner to the Newport Bermuda Race, the North Sails team shares their expert advice on how to build a well planned sail inventory for the 2022 race. Sail inventory preparation requires extensive research, forethought and planning to get right. One tool used in planning, as Peter Isler referenced in the webinar, is a heat map which uses historical data to predict wind speed and angle for future time periods. Weather and routing data used in conjunction with your boat’s crossover chart will help guide inventory recommendations. Headsail and Spinnaker Selection On a non-overlapping rig, jibs are coded with a J and a corresponding number. As the number goes up, the higher the intended wind range of the sail. J1 – Performs best in 0-10 knots, while sailing close-hauled or close-reaching. J2 – As the wind increases to 11-20 knots, a J2 comes into play. J3/ J4 – Above 20 knots, a boat will carry a J3 and sometimes even a J4 (typically not full hoist, and sometimes set on an inner stay). Jib Top (JT) – A high clewed (provides a better sheeting angle), non-overlapping headsail that is used when you need to bear off, but don’t want to lose your leech tension. The Jib top will be deployed at different wind speeds (boat- dependent), as it is less area than the big reaching sails, and it helps to bring the effort lower down to the boat, allowing more control over the boat as wind speed increases. Overlapping boats will typically carry the following sails: #1 – 155% Genoa #2 – Typically between 130%- 140% depending on the track length and location #3 – Non-overlapping blade jib Genoa Top – Can be any LP smaller than the biggest Genoa. Handles the close reaching angles. Has the same high clew as a Jib Top for cracking reaching angles especially in breeze. When it comes to asymmetric sails for the Newport Bermuda Race, North Sails experts recommend an A1 and A3, which will cover the 0- 20 knot range, reaching angles. The A5 would cover a higher wind range, however may not be as relevant for this year’s race, due to the fact that most forecast predictions do not call for this wind range. An A2 and A4 are considered broader winded, running sails. Your A2 will be your biggest sail, as it is intended for VMG running, straight downwind. Staysails are often referred to as a “free sail,” in terms of a ratings hit. These sails increase performance when seeking extra height and essentially feed the wind on the back of the main. They also help reduce the gap between the headsail and the mast. Reach out to a North Sails expert to discuss options and recommendations for using a staysail. Code Sail Selection When thinking about your Code Sails, it is important to ensure your sails will cover the forecasted wind range and play to the strengths and weaknesses of your boat. Consider the rating penalties that correspond with each sail and your rig type. Try running a test certification and consult your North Sails experts for further insight. The graphic above shows the difference in the luff curve as you move through the Code Sail range. The more you decrease the mid-girth, the flatter the sail becomes, allowing you to sail tighter angles to the wind. Anything between 55% and 75% mid girth is considered a “tweener”, and counts as a “large roach headsail”. Again, your North Sails experts can help you decode what is best for your inventory. One option to increase range is using Helix Structure Luff sails. A radical design innovation once limited to Grand Prix Racing, Helix Structured Luff is now standard on all North Code Sails. A Helix sail uses load sharing technology with the sail’s structure to improve its aerodynamics and in many cases reduce the load on your equipment. The benefit in a distance race like the Newport Bermuda Race is maximizing performance since these versatile sails carry across a wider range. When looking at the typical Newport Bermuda Race weather, there is a lot of time spent sailing at various reaching angles between 0-15 knots. An advantage of Helix is it allows for a wider crossover with other sails, whilst providing better luff projection for a more powerful sail shape through the range. By engaging the structured luff, trimmers can change sail shape on demand to meet the wind and weather conditions. When considering your course speed, Helix can help you limit multiple sail changes to maintain full power across more miles. HELIX CODE SAILS Safety Requirements and Precautions Lastly, safety preparation is vitally important to ensure a successful offshore race and should be a deciding factor in sail choice. A storm jib and storm trysail should be in your inventory, but a mainsail with a reef that is 50% of P is an acceptable substitute for a trysail. It must attach from a different point than your main boom, be a highly visible color such as orange, red, or green, with easily visible sail numbers. Make sure your sail repair kit is reviewed and freshly stocked prior to the race. The North Sails service experts recommend having glue, shammys/ towels to properly dry a ripped sail, denatured alcohol, a good knife, palm, leatherman, seam rippers, needles, thread and webbing in your inventory. North experts can provide tutorials for any repairs needed and can also provide a custom patch kit of sail cloths/colors to match your spinnakers. Connect with Your Local North Loft Get your sails into the loft ahead of time and consider remeasuring headsails if you are looking to help your rating. Connect with your local North Sails loft to get started today. GET IN TOUCH WITH AN EXPERT Still have questions? Watch the Newport Bermuda Race Sail Selection and Inventory Optimization Webinar with North Sails Experts Tim Dawson, Austin Powers, Jack Orr and Will Bomar. READ MORE

A LOOK AT THE SEASON AHEAD North Sails UK Must-Do Regattas In 2022 📸 Rick Tomlinson With the 2022 racing season just around the corner, North Sails UK has outlined its highlight events of the upcoming year. Your local North Sails experts will be sailing and on the dock for all of these regattas, so keep an eye out and we are looking forward to seeing you there. If you haven’t placed your order for the upcoming season yet, to avoid disappointment, get in touch with the team of local experts today. TALK TO AN EXPERT Poole Regatta: 30th April – 2nd May The first date for the diary is Poole Regatta, and with over 18 classes expected to line up in Poole Bay, what a way to start the season. As sponsors of the rapidly growing Cape 31 class, the North Sails coaching day on the Friday before racing will be the prime time to quiz Cape 31 Class Expert Ben Saxton. Teams will have the opportunity to utilise their skill and experience in sail trim and crew work to get the most out of the first Cape 31 regatta this year. To reserve your spot, reach out to Ben Saxton today CONTACT BEN SAXTON Round the Island Race: 25th June Round the Island Race is one of the world’s largest yacht races, with the extensive entry list comprising of Grand-Prix race yachts, superyachts, foiling trimarans, cruising boats, and small keelboats, all competing for the Gold Roman Bowl. Over 1000 boats are expected to take part, and the local North Sails team will be busy making sure your sails are delivered in time for the race. Cowes Week: 30th July – 5th August Following a slightly quieter event in 2021 due to the pandemic, you will not want to miss this years’ Cowes Week. One of the world’s most famous regattas, yachts will be coming from all over for a great week of racing on the Solent. Cork Week, Ireland – 11th – 15th July Following the cancellation of its 300th Anniversary event in 2020 due to the pandemic, the Royal Cork Yacht Club is raring to go with a rerun of their big anniversary of Cork Week. Welcoming everything from stately classics to the most modern race boats, all can expect a warm Irish welcome and great racing. We can’t wait for this renowned event to be back. IRC Europeans, Netherlands – 25th – 28th August Finally, at the end of August, the European IRC Champion will be crowned in Breskens at the seventh edition of this event. Other notable events include – RORC IRC National Championship Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race Volvo Round Ireland Race SIGN UP FOR NORTH SAILS NEWS   READ MORE

BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE CARIBBEAN 600 Q + A With Andrew Dove, Manager Of North Sails Activities In Antigua 📸 Roddy Grimes-Graeme In anticipation of the 13th Edition of the RORC Caribbean 600 Race, we sat down with Andrew Dove, the manager of North Sails activities in Antigua to get a closer look at the preparation for this event from the loft manager’s perspective. Situated close to the docks, the loft is a gathering spot for crews from all over the world, and is the center of the excitement during the weeks leading up to the event. What makes the “600” different? What is the “je ne sais quoi” of the race? The 600 is a showcase of our beautiful islands. As the boats progress through the 600 mile-course, there are numerous challenges to keep it interesting: wind holes under islands and the currents running between them. In this race the navigator and tactician are especially vital to a team’s success as one wrong decision can be extremely costly. For the Caribbean 600, both professional and amateur crews prepare in almost perfect conditions on the docks of English and Falmouth Harbour. There is a real buzz of energy about the village before the start. Then as the boats return, the whole community shares the stories that the crews have written during the regatta. It never gets old; even after 13 years, the buzz is still going strong. Why is the 600 important to North Sails, and how is North Sails important to the race? The North Sails loft is an unofficial regatta HQ from morning to night every day and has been for years. The loft comes alive with this event, and crews gather here often late into the night. So many North colleagues from around the world are on-island with us, and we all fly the North Sails logo proudly and with enthusiasm. With such a diverse fleet on the water, racing in varied conditions, our many North Sails experts are ready to assist the teams in every way we can. As customers have booked in, our team has managed to stay ahead with a seven-days-a-week schedule, basically since the New Year. And now, as the boats are in their final practice sessions, we are confident we will meet the expectations that our customers bring, and our sails will meet the demanding conditions. I have developed a strong team over many years, and we approach our work seriously, but always with an Antiguan smile. In your opinion, what will be the essential sails during this race? There is a reasonable amount of reaching in the course, and it becomes a real test of a sail’s durability. Our Helix Structured Luff Code and A Sails can make a huge difference here. Also, 3Di is invaluable because of its unique performance and durability. Many of the beats are challenging, with steep, choppy seas, so the powerful and stable 3Di headsails give any boat a cutting edge. The Caribbean 600 provides ideal conditions for us to differentiate ourselves from our competitors and highlight the breadth and range of the North Sails products. 📸 RORC/ Tim Wright In a race like the TJV, many teams worked with the North Sails France team to design and build sails; the sailors then provide feedback to the designers once they returned to France. The Caribbean 600 is different, though, but equally important– do teams (ex Skorpios) give feedback to you upon their return to Antigua? How does the feedback loop work with you? The Antiguan loft sees sails used in extreme conditions. The seas and wind are much more demanding than one would believe. So after each event and especially the 600, we can give feedback to the North designers regarding what we see coming through the loft and suggestions for improvements based on the conditions experienced. There is a wealth of knowledgeable feedback with so many experts on the water. Previous 600s have helped to prove that 3Di is exceptionally durable, as I mentioned, and overall a vastly superior product. We do very few repairs on them, and when we do, the materials available ensure the sails remain structurally sound and visually neutral. We are looking forward to seeing the Helix sails in the race this year. However, we don’t expect to see too many in the loft for repair. In terms of performance and practicality, Helix sails are incredibly durable and versatile across a wide range, reducing the number of sails required. This race should prove a great testing ground to further the Helix Structured Luff design philosophy. Why is it important for the top teams to have the most technologically advanced sails on the market? In these regattas, the teams have a lot to manage. Not having to worry about sail structure or wondering if the sail will perform, plus having top notch service removes a lot of pressure on the teams. In addition, the boats equipped with North Sails have more time to focus on non-sail-related race preparation. 📸 Roddy Grimes-Graeme READ MORE

ÄNNU ETT SM-GULD 2021 Och 2022 års första EM-guld! När vi i höstas summerade säsongen 2021 kunde vi konstatera att våra segel varit med om att erövra 28 SM-medaljer (varav 11 guld) i 19 olika entypsklasser. Men det var faktiskt lite förhastat, för säsongen var inte riktigt slut, och strax innan jul trillade det in ytterligare ett SM-guld. Detta genom att Fredrik Lönegren vann SM i DN-jakt. Stort grattis! Isjaktssäsongen är nu i full gång och vi kan redan nu föra in ett EM-guld på 2022 års vinnarlista. I början av februari var nämligen Bernhard Rost och Thomas Tennström över i Litauen och vann EM i XV-klassen. Grattis även till er! READ MORE

Nu har Pär Larsson mönstrat på! Vi har fått förstärkning Vi har fått förstärkning: Sedan 1 december 2021 är Pär Larsson serviceansvarig på North Sails i Göteborg. Efter 23 år som segelmakare och ännu längre som framgångsrik kappseglare är han ett välkänt namn i seglingskretsar. Pär är 58 år och har seglat sedan han var fem, då han fick en optimistjolle av sin pappa Tore. När han växt till sig lite började han segla kölbåt med pappa. Familjen Larsson började, som så många andra under sjuttiotalet, med Maxi 77, men när kraven på seglingsegenskaper ökade byttes den mot en NF. Bara några år senare byttes den i sin tur mot en Smaragd, och man kan säga att det var nu Pär började kappsegla på allvar. I mitten av åttiotalet var Smaragd en stor och aktiv kappseglingsklass. SM brukade samla mellan 40 och 50 båtar – ibland ännu fler. Bara i hemmahamnen, KMS Nordön några sjömil innanför Marstrand, fanns en handfull Smaragder så det var full kubbning på tisdagarnas klubbkappseglingar. En av Smaragderna i klubben seglades för övrigt av familjen Ottosson, med det då unga brödraparet Thomas och Henrik i besättningen. Ja, det är samme Henrik Ottosson som idag är chef för North Sails Sverige och som nu alltså har anställt Pär. Ett roligt minne var SM i Smaragd 1986. Regattan seglades i Smögen med 54 båtar på startlinjen och familjen Larsson slutade fyra, alldeles efter OS-seglaren Magnus Holmberg. Det kändes som en stor framgång. Pär kom att ägna nästan tjugo år åt Smaragden. Han har varit med på ett tiotal SM och fått med sig ett par silver och ett brons hem till prisskåpet. Det har fyllts på med åtskilliga bucklor och medaljer sedan dess. Pär har alltid varit en flitig kappseglare. Mest hemma på västkusten men även internationellt. Han har varit med på fyra ORCi-EM, sju Gotland Runt och 44 Tjörn Runt. Han har två totalsegrar i West Side Cup och har varit med om att vinna ORCi B-klassen i Gotland Runt. Men kronan på verket är ändå de två VM-medaljerna, ett guld och ett brons, från VM i IOD. Guldet bärgades 2009, då VM gick på hemmaplan i Stenungsund, med Urban Ristorp – också det en gammal Smaragd-seglare – som skeppare och rorsman. Segelmakare av en slump Pär började jobba som segelmakare ganska sent i livet – och att han alls kom kom in i yrket berodde mest på en slump. Det var som så att Pär skulle börja kappsegla med en First 40.7. Det var ett ganska ambitiöst projekt med segelmakaren Bengt Falkenberg som frontfigur. Bengt drev då som nu Albatross Segel, och i upplägget ingick att seglen skulle tillverkas på lediga tider och att någon eller några i besättningen skulle bistå Bengt i arbetet. Pär kände sig manad och kom att ägna i stort sett varenda helg under en hel vår på Bengts loft i Göteborg. Man kan beskriva det som en lång praktikperiod som innebar att han fick lära sig att göra segel från ax till limpa. Pär tyckte det var kul och Bengt tyckte väl att han hade fallenhet för yrket, så det hela slutade med att Pär började jobba heltid på Albatross. För att göra en lång historia kort blev han kvar i sjutton år innan han tog steget över till Lundh Sails vid Nya Varvet i Göteborg. Och nu i december började han alltså hos oss på North Sails i Göteborg. På Albatross och Lundh jobbade Pär huvudsakligen med produktion och service men även försäljning. Någon produktion blir det inte för Pärs del framöver. Det var länge sedan vi tillverkade segel i Sverige. Däremot är båda våra loft fullt utrustade för service, och Pär är nu ansvarig för service och reparationer i Göteborg. Det som blir nytt för Pärs del är att han får en ny ”bibel” – North Sails Bluebook – att följa. Han kommer också få lära sig att att jobba med delvis nya material. Våra 3Di-segel innehåller ju inte någon film utan bara fibrer och resin, och de byggs och repareras på helt annat sätt än andra typer av segel. Man kan förenklat säga att de ”plastas” ihop på samma sätt som ett glasfiberskrov eller en kolfibermast. En minst sagt flitig seglare Pär och hans fru har en First 40 döpt till La Veuve Noire. Man kan inte säga annat än att båten utnyttjas. I somras kombinerade de semester med barnledighet, och hela familjen – två vuxna, två barn och en katt – var ute med båten i åtta veckor. Båten ligger i Skärhamn och trots att familjen bor i Göteborg, runt 70 km därifrån, nyttjar de båten nästan varje helg under den någorlunda varma årstiden.. Det brukar bli sisådär 55 till 65 övernattningar om året, säger Pär. Då har ändå familjen Larsson trappat ner lite på seglingen. Pär och hans fru har seglat 505 i drygt fem år, men nu är båten såld. Med två små barn gick livspusslet helt enkelt inte ihop. Det betyder inte precis att Pär tänker sluta kappsegla. La Veuve Noire är en fantastisk kappseglingsbåt, utrustad med bland annat kolfibermast, och lär luftas en del även framöver på västkustens kappseglingar. Och så har han ju IOD:n. Och en Drake. Med tanke på att Pär har seglat Smaragd i tjugo år, IOD lika länge och nu alltså är delägare i en Drake kan man möjligen ana en viss förkärlek för klassiska, långsmala båtar. Må så vara. Men det här med Draken är i första hand ett resultat av att han, Urban Ristorp och några till i IOD-gänget i Stenungsund tyckte att det efter tjugo år hade börjat gå lite rutin i IOD-seglandet. De sökte kort sagt nya utmaning, och inför Dragon Gold Cup i Marstrand införskaffades en Drake. Mer att skruva på jämfört med en IOD, en kul och växande klass på hemmaplan och oerhört hård internationell konkurrens med välbetalda proffs i var och varannan sittbrunn. Exakt vart det där Drake-projektet tar vägen är ännu inte riktigt bestämt. Men om man – som Pär Larsson – verkligen älskar segling och kappsegling så öppnar sig här nya möjligheter: Om man trailar ner Draken till Medelhavet över vintern kan man faktiskt kappsegla i stort sett året runt… READ MORE

HVAD DU SKAL VIDE OM SEJLPINDE Instruktioner til montering og spænding af sejlpinde til alle slags sejlere Har du styr på dine sejlpinde? Uanset om du planlægger at få din båd tilbage på vandet, forbereder en længere sejltur eller sætter dine sejl til kapsejlads i klubben, er det vigtigt at sikre dig, at dine sejlpinde er installeret og spændt korrekt. Det giver bedre trim og ydeevne på sejlene - og sikrer, at du ikke mister dem efter den første vending eller bomning! Vores eksperter giver her nogle tips, der er værd at huske på: Korrekt installation sikrer korrekt sejlfacon. Sørg for at sejlpindene er indsat med den bløde (tynde) ende mod forliget og den stivere (tykke) ende mod agterliget. Vi ser nogle gange sejlpinde indsat den forkerte vej, og som et resultat vil sejlet ikke få den rigtige dybde og krumning - så det er værd at dobbelttjekke, at sejlpinden er sat korrekt i lommen. Sørg for, at dine sejlpinde sidder fast. Nogle sejlpinde indsættes fra forliget, andre fra agterliget, så sørg for at sikre, at lukkesystemet, hvor sejlpindene er sat ind, er ordentligt sikret. I North Sails velcrolukninger er der en specifik lomme til sejlpinden, og en anden lomme til at de to velcroflader kan få ordentligt fat. Andre systemer lukkes på andre måder. Uanset hvilket system du bruger, vil korrekt installation i alle tilfælde holde sejlpindene sikkert på plads for sæsonen. 📸Mike Egan Korrekt spænding skaber et glat sejl. Spændingen på dine sejlpinde skal også kontrolleres. Hvis der ikke er nok spænding, vil der være lodrette rynker langs sejlpindens længde. Hvis der er for meget spænding, vil der være en synlig vandret fold eller rynke, der trækker langs begge sider af lommen, så stoffet ser "stresset/overstrukket ud". Når spændingen er korrekt, er sejlpindslommen glat og understøtter sejlets facon korrekt. Har du spørgsmål til dine sejlpinde? eller har du brug for hjælp til korrekt installation? Kontakt din lokale North Sails ekspert for gode råd til, hvordan du sikrer, at dine sejlpinde er installeret korrekt, og at dine sejl er klar til sæsonen. Lær mere med North Sails installationsvejledninger til sejlpinde. READ MORE

OUR UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE: THE RORC CARIBBEAN 600 A Behind The Scenes Look Into The North Sails Antigua Sail Loft Final prep for offshore races can mean long days and late nights for the North Sails team on the ground. On Monday 21 February, the RORC Caribbean 600 sets off from Antigua’s very sunny (and very warm) waters. The race then loops up, down, and around through the Caribbean’s windward and leeward islands. Antiguan photographer Roddy Grimes-Graeme joined North expert Andrew Dove and his team as they gear up for the days before the start. Located in English Harbour, just a short walk from the docks, the North Sails loft serves as an unofficial pre-race clubhouse stocked with a bench of sailmakers on hand to assist in any way they can. Following Dove from sunrise to sunset, Grimes-Graeme shows us how jam-packed the days leading up to the Caribbean 600 are; sail testing, adding finishing touches, and checking sails, both big and small. “The loft comes alive with this event, and crews seem to gather here often late at night,” Dove explains. “Many North colleagues from around the world are on island too, and we all fly the North Sails logo proudly and with enthusiasm.” Join us on the ground in Antigua for a glimpse into what it’s like to get ready for a signature event of the winter sailing season. READ MORE

Young 88 Quick Reference Chart True Wind Speed (knots) Cap Tension (Loos) Lower Tension (Loos) 0-8 13 Slack 9-12 (Base) 17 7 13-18 21 13 19+ 24 19 True Wind Speed (knots) Mast Step Chocks* 0-8 Aft 15 mm 10-20 mm behind 9-12 (Base) Base 5370 mm Neutral (Float) 13-18 Fwd 5 mm 10 mm front 19+ Fwd 10 mm 10 mm front *Chocks: Measures from Neutral. Neutral is floating position of mast ad deck with slack out of forestay NOTES: Dock Rig Measurement Position: measure rig with chocks taken out and slack out of forestay by pulling on backstay. Base Mast Rake - Top of mainsail track to top of boom: 11.140 m; to deck: 11.950 m; to transom: 14 m Mainsail Track at Hounds Height to transom - 11.380 Mainsail Track at spreader height: 7.785 cm Arc measured from underside of bottom mast band on forestay Young 88 Playbook MORNING Prior to Dock Out Bow Check spinnakers are packed Mast Run Sheets etc Pit Interior chief, check essentials are onboard, food/water Floater/Brace Run sheets etc. Bail boat out etc Main Check batten tensions Helm Check weather, tide, noticeboard, team briefing prior to dock out Jib/Spin Trim Check correct Sails are onboard before you leave the dock Pre-Start Warm-Up Bow Set up spinnaker and pole on correct side. Get line transit. Mast Help Bow with set up. Pit Check Headsail halyard tension with trimmer. Floater/Brace Practice calling breeze, looking up the course. Main Check settings for first beat (outhaul, cunningham, etc) Helm Check in with the Committee boat. Go through course with team. Practice runs at the line, lay lines etc. Look up the course to plan your first beat. Jib/Spin Trim Select Headsail and Spinnaker to plug in. PRE-START Light Air Bow On bow calling time and distance. Mast Weight on rail where required. Pit Calling time every 10 seconds from 3 minutes down. Floater/Brace Looking at wind up the course. Tactical input. Main Mainsail trim, set traveler for the final approach. Helm Steering, work on final approach getting a good lane. Jib/Spin Trim Trimming and relay if there are boats to look out for. Heavy Air Bow Weight up where possible, only on bow for final approach at line to call time and distance. Mast Weight on rail where required. Pit Calling time every 10 seconds from 3 minutes down. Floater/Brace Looking at wind up the course. Tactical input. Main Mainsail trim, set traveler for final approach. Helm Steering, work on final approach getting a good lane. Jib/Spin Trim Trimming and relay if there are boats to look out for. UPWIND Light Air Bow Weight on rail where required. Relay obstacles like weed. Mast Weight on rail where required. Lean in and out for lulls/puffs. Pit Weight on rail where required. Lean in and out for lulls/puffs. Make sure Headsail Halyard is left on Winch. Floater/Brace Calling breeze for the Helm/Trim team. Main Main trim, work with the helm to keep the boat balanced and fast. Traveler up. Helm Steering, looking at Headsail Woolies etc. Jib/Spin Trim Headsail trim, work with the helm to keep the boat balanced and fast, full power. Check Luff tension. Heavy Air Bow Weight out. Relay obstacles like weeds. Mast Weight out. Pit Weight out. Make sure Headsail Halyard is left on Winch. Floater/Brace Calling breeze for the Helm/Trim team. Main Main trim, work for the helm to keep the boat balanced and fast. Traveler down in puffs. Helm Steering, looking at Headsail Woolies, etc. Jib/Spin Trim Headsail trim, work with the helm to keep the boat balanced and fast, de-power (car aft) if needed. TACK Light Air Bow Cross boat around mast, skirt headsail if need be. Mast Cross boat under boom. Pit Cross boat through companionway. Floater/Brace Cross boat through companionway. Main Traveler up on new side ASAP. Speed build, then final trim. Helm Call "Standby to Tack," followed by "Tacking in 3,2,1..." Jib/Spin Trim Cut and tail, speed build out of tack, final trim. Heavy Air Bow Cross boat around mat, skirt headsail if need be. Mast Cross boat under boom. Pit Cross boat through companionway. Floater/Brace Cross boat through companionway. Main Ease a little mainsheet going into the tack. Sort traveler, speed build, back to final trim. Helm Call “Standby to Tack”, followed by “Tacking in 3,2,1….”. Be very loud so Bow team can hear. Jib/Spin Trim Cut and tail, speed build out of tack, final trim. Indicate if Headsail Skirt is required. TOP MARK Light Air Bow Pole up on final approach. Get ease in Windward Spin/Jib sheets. Drop Headsail after rounding. Mast Weight on rail. Bounce topper if needed. Hoist Spinnaker once Helmsman calls it. Pit Topper Up, Headsail halyard off winch ready to drop. Tail Spinnaker Halyard to Full Hoist with clutch CLOSED, Drop Headsail ASAP. Floater/Brace Weight on rail. Move to Brace if needed. Main Ensure Mainsheet is free to run, ease cunningham, outhaul at a suitable time. Helm Steering around mark. Call “Ready to hoist”, “Hoisting in 3,2,1…”. Jib/Spin Trim Ease Headsail and lock off for Hoist. Set Spin/Brace up. Sheet/Brace on. Trim. Heavy Air Bow Pole up on final approach. Get ease in Windward Spin/Jib sheets. Mast Weight on rail. Bounce topper if needed. Hoist Spinnaker once Helmsman calls it. Pit Topper Up, Headsail halyard off winch ready to drop. Tail Spinnaker Halyard to Full Hoist with clutch CLOSED, Drop Headsail ASAP. Floater/Brace Move to Brace for hoist. Brace on and Trim. Main Ensure Mainsheet is free to run, ease cunningham, outhaul at a suitable time. Helm Steering around mark. Call “Ready to hoist”, “Hoisting in 3,2,1…”. Be loud! Jib/Spin Trim Ease Headsail and lock off for Hoist. Set Spin/Brace up. Sheet/Brace on. Trim. STRAIGHT LINE DOWNWIND Light Air Bow Weight in front of mast. Holding downhaul. Mast Weight to leeward holding out boom. Call wind. Pit Weight forward where needed. Floater/Brace Weight forward where needed if Spin Trim can do own Brace. Main Set Traveler, Main trim is crucial when sailing angles. Helm Concentrate on driving smoothly. Work with Trimmers. Jib/Spin Trim Be dynamic with Spin Trim, call pole forward/ aft where needed. Talk helm about pressure in spinnaker. Heavy Air Bow Weight behind mast. Hold downhaul if you can. Mast Weight aft where needed. Call wind. Pit Weight aft where needed. Can stand in companionway hatch. Floater/Brace Trimming brace. Pole forward if needed to stop boat rounding out. Main Main eased. Look out for other boats, wind, etc. Helm Keep the boat on its feet, work with trimmers. Jib/Spin Trim Be dynamic with Spin Trim, call pole forward/ aft where needed. Talk to helm about pressure in spinnaker GYBE Light Air Bow Wait for Gybe Call, Trip both pole ends, clip new Brace in, push pole forward to clew as you push out and onto mast. Mast Human pole on new side. Hold shrouds for balance. Pit Weight across or in companionway. May need to ease more Downhaul for Gybe. Floater/Brace Grind Brace aft as you go into Gybe to help rotate the spinnaker. Main Pull Leeward Tweaker on for Gybe. Release Tweaker on Spinnaker sheet after Gybe. Helm Call “Standby for Gybe”, “Gybing in 3,2,1…”. Steer the boat smoothly. Only Gybe when Spinnaker is set! Jib/Spin Trim Keep Spinnaker Set throughout the Gybe! Heavy Air Bow Wait for Gybe Call, Trip both pole ends, clip new Brace in, push pole forward to clew as you push out and onto mast. Mast Human pole on new side. Hold shrouds for balance. Pit Weight in companionway. May need to ease more Downhaul for Gybe, then pull back on once set. Floater/Brace Grind Brace aft as you go into Gybe to help rotate the spinnaker. Main Make sure tweakers are on for Gybe! Helm Call “Standby for Gybe”, “Gybing in 3,2,1…”. Only Gybe when Spinnaker is set! Be very careful about your exit angle, not too high or too low! Jib/Spin Trim Keep Spinnaker Set throughout the Gybe! DROPS Windward Drop Bow Wait for Jib Up and Pole off Call. Pole off and stowed between Jib Car and Cabin Windows Leeward side. Make sure Lazy Jib Sheet is behind the Hatch. Open Hatch ready for Drop. Human Pole will hand you the Clew for the Drop. Close Hatch and double check sheets are clear, then relay to the back of the boat “Clear for a Tack”. Mast Hoist Headsail once call is made, then shift to Human Pole as the Pole comes off. Hand Windward Clew to Bow person for Drop. Pit Tail Headsail Halyard, leave on winch and get to the correct setting for the Trimmer. Gently ease Topper as pole goes to Deck. Spin Halyard should already be run. Control the Spinnaker Drop for Bow team. Floater/Brace Ease Brace for Bow Team. Main Trimming Main. Get set up for Upwind – Outhaul, Cunningham etc. Helm Angle for Drop is critical! Cannot be reaching, you must be low downwind! Call “Ready to Drop”, “Dropping in 3,2,1…”. Jib/Spin Trim Release Spin Sheet and set up working Headsail sheet. Trim on Headsail for Drop. Final trim around Mark, then set up for a Tack. Leeward Drop Bow Wait for Jib Up and Pole off Call. Pole off and stowed between Jib Car and Cabin Windows. Make sure Lazy Jib Sheet is behind the Hatch. Open Hatch ready for Drop. Reach under Headsail and grab Leeward Sheet to Drop. . Close Hatch and double check sheets are clear, then relay to the back of the boat “Clear for a Tack”. Mast Hoist Headsail once call is made, then shift to Human Pole as the Pole comes off. Help Bow person drop Spinnaker if needed. Pit Tail Headsail Halyard, leave on winch and get to the correct setting for the Trimmer. Gently ease Topper as pole goes to Deck. Spin Halyard should already be run. Control the Spinnaker Drop for Bow team. Floater/Brace Ease Brace for Bow Team. If Pole is on for the Drop, ‘smoke’ the brace out all the way off the winch! Main Trimming Main. Get set up for Upwind – Outhaul, Cunningham etc. Helm Angle not as critical, but make it as easy for the team. Call “Ready to Drop”, “Dropping in 3,2,1…”. Jib/Spin Trim Release Spin Sheet and set up working Headsail sheet. Trim on Headsail for Drop. Final trim around Mark, then set up for a Tack. POST RACE After Races Bow Rig check, area check, pack Spinnakers. Mast Area check, pack Spinnakers, flake sails. Pit Area check, Clean out interior. Check Water for following day. Floater/Brace Bail boat, help with Sails, get beers for team. Main Check Mainsail for chafe, Batten damage etc. Helm Check sheets etc are all in before turning engine on. Check noticeboard for protests, amendments etc. Team Debrief, Plan for next Race Day. Jib/Spin Trim Check Headsails as they are getting flaked up for chafe, Batten Damage etc. A note about repairs/damage: Deal with it right away, do not leave for the morning! Take ownership of all your areas. Race hard & have fun! READ MORE

NORTH SAILS TOP 10 SOCIAL POSTS I 2021 Her er vores mest populære social posts fra 2021, samlet ét sted Én ting kan man sige om 2021: der var ikke mangel på sejlere, som delte deres lokation rundt om i verden. Fra det vidunderligt smukke blå caribiske hav, Palma de Mallorca og Saint Tropez, til den isnende kulde i Solent og Bassin Paul Vatine i Le Havre, til at foile Down Under – North Sails lagde det ud på de sociale medier, hvor dine "likes" afgjorde hvilke, der blev de 10 bedste indlæg i 2021. 10. Vi starter nedtællingen med den fantastiske video ombord på Gitana Teams Maxi Edmond de Rothchild, forud for dette års udgave af Transat Jacques Vabre, iklædt North Sails Collection’s Ocean-serie, Syet og lavet i GORE-TEX Pro, som er det mest holdbare, åndbare og vandtætte sæt sejlertøj på marked. View this post on Instagram A post shared by North Sails (@north_sails) 9. Slap af og nyd livet ombord på 191,6 fods Kokomo, bygget hos Alloy Yachts og selvfølgelig med nye #North3Di OCEAN-sejl. View this post on Instagram A post shared by North Sails (@north_sails) 8. Du elskede vores gætteleg, og endnu en video af en superyacht var bestemt ikke dårlig... View this post on Instagram A post shared by North Sails (@north_sails) 7. Optagelser fra Palma Superyacht Cup efterlader os altid mundlamme. Det er ærgerligt, at du muligvis ikke selv var der, men vi har den næstbedste måde at se med på... View this post on Instagram A post shared by North Sails (@north_sails) 6. Dmitry Rybolovlevs ClubSwan 125 Skorpios, levede op til forventningerne og vandt den prestigefyldte monohull line hæder ved 2021 #RolexFastnetRace. Skorpios, som er den største båd i kapsejladsens lange historie, satte ny banerekord i sin debut. Denne højtydende racermaskine brugte North Sails #EngineAboveDeck fuldt ud, ved hjælp af vores revolutionerende #HelixStructuredLuff-teknologi. View this post on Instagram A post shared by North Sails (@north_sails) 5. Vintersejlads fotokonkurrence 2021 – vi ved alle, at sejlere elsker en god konkurrence. Klik her for vores 2022 vintersejlads fotokonkurrence. View this post on Instagram A post shared by North Sails (@north_sails) 4. Det ville ikke være en top 10-recap uden en #FuldSendFriday! Ocean Race skuffer aldrig i denne afdeling... View this post on Instagram A post shared by North Sails (@north_sails) 3. Lidt Americas Cup - AC75 action fra finalen i Prada Cup... View this post on Instagram READ MORE