NORTH SAILS BLOG

Jedna neobična godina došla je kraju! 📸 regate.com.hr Za 2020. mnogi će se složiti da je godina koju treba zaboraviti, ali vjerojatno će zbog te odluke mnogima ostat u sjećanju, istina lošem, ali što je tu je... nadajmo se da će iduća biti mnogo bolja i ugodnija! Ograničenja zbog Korone bila su na snazi do svibnja kad se kao prva regata u novozapočetoj sezoni organizira Komiška regata. Regata je održana u jednakom formatu kao i ranijih godina, a također i u originalnom terminu. Za North Sails klijente to je bila više nego dobra regata, pa je najbrža jedrilica generalno bio Polet Furioso, a s mjestima na postolju mogli su se pohvaliti i Mila 8, Gringo 3, Mareus 2 - Poliklinika Drinković, Mr.J, Big Grin... Zatim slijedi najpopularnija regata dvojaca na Jadranu, Sušac 100x2. Ovogodišnji start s čak 54 jedrilice bio je stvarno lijep prizor, a također i kasniji pogled na rezultate. Pobjedu i u realnom vremenu i po premjeru odnosi Dubrovnik, dok je Swan Club 36 - Bracing Breeze na drugom mjestu. Toto Travel je četvrti, a Gracious Style peti itd. 📸 regate.com.hr Što se tiče Dalmacije, tu je uslijedila pauza do Južnodalmatinske regate na kojoj se okupilo 18 posada od kojih je većina bila izrazito sportski nastrojena. Ponovno su naši klijenti imali više nego zapažen nastup i pokazalo se da neovisno o godištu jedrilice, ako imate naša jedra možete planirati penjanje na jednu od stepenica pobjedničkog postolja. Nakon konačnog zbrajanja rezultata Mareus 2 - Poliklinika Drinković osvaja ukupno drugo mjesto, Gringo 3 završava na trećem, Mr.J je peti, Lero je drugi u prvoj etapi, a Dubrovnik s maksimalno pomlađenom posadom drugi u trećoj etapi. Za to vrijeme na sjevernom dijelu hrvatske strane Jadrana jedri se niz regata koje se boduju za Kup hrvatskog primorja na kojem dominira Damaco koji je ove sezone kompletno obnovio North Sails "ormar". Pred kraj ljeta na Lošinju se organizirala jedna od regata Kupa hrvatskog primorja na kojoj su uz Kvarnerske jedriličare jedrilo i nekoliko krstaša iz južnih krajeva. Regata je bila dosta teška zbog uvjeta nestabilnog vjetra, ali NS jedra rade dobro svoj posao i u sam vrh dovode Damaco i Gringo 3. Ubrzo nakon Lošinjske regate, u novom terminu, organizira se ovogodišnja Fiumanka. 130 jedrilica na startu, predvođenih apsolutnim favoritom Molom Longom, borilo se s tradicionalnom bezvjetricom Riječkog zaljeva. Naravno, najvisočiji jarbol hvatao je zračna gibanja nedostižna jedrilicama normanijih dimenzija i time imao izrazitu prednost pred ostalima, ali zato su Damaco i Tacit Consent uspješno hvatali priključak za njim i ponovno pokazali da je oznaka North Sailsa na jedrima stvarno pokazatelj kvalitete i u tim, skoro pa nemogućim, uvjetima. Iza nje odjedrila se najmasovnija dalmatinska regata, 89. Mrduja. Uvjeti slični onima u Rijeci, ali s mnogo više sunca i bez kiše i jednako zahtjevna za navigatore prijavljenih 150 jedrilica. Koliko je teško bilo na moru kazuje podatak da je kompletnu rutu odjedrilo samo 39 posada, dok je do pomoćnog cilja na Mrduji dojedrilo 65 posada. Pobjedu u realnom vremenu odnosi Polet Furioso. Odmah iza njega završavaju Molo Longo i Toto Travel, potom momci s jedrilice Mareus 3 - Poliklinika Drinković koji su završili na korak do postolja, na šestom mjestu završava posada Bare V, sedmi je Barba Branko, osmi Damaco, a deveti Gringo 3. 📸 regate.com.hr I posljednja velika regata krstaša koju organizira JK Labud bila je u znaku naših jedara i naših zadovoljnih klijenata. Naravno, riječ je o Viškoj regati koja se ove godine nije jedrila do Visa, već do Starog Grada na otoku Hvaru, pa je shodno tome prigodno promijenila naziv u Pa(v)iška regata. Ovog puta line of honor odnosi Mareus 3 - Poliklinika Drinković, a treća najbrža jedrilica je Polet Furioso, dok je Dubrovnik završio na četvrtom mjestu, Overload na petom i Bare V na šestom. Što se tiče bodovanja po ORC-u, Dubrovnik je ovog puta bio naš najuspješniji predstavnik s drugim mjestom nakon bodovanja obiju etapa zajedno. Zadarska koka bila je još jedna organizacijska uspješnica vremenskim prilikama unatoč. 59 jedrilica jedrilo je ispred Zadarske rive i u popriličnoj gužvi regatnih jurilica u vrhu flote završavaju Gringo 3, Damaco, Lucky, Mr.J... Potom slijedi jedina isključivo ORC regata sezone 2020. JK Val je organizirao Prvenstvo Hrvatske na kojem je bilo prijavljeno 10 jedrilica, od kojih je samo 8 odjedrilo cijelu regatu, a još 6 posada je otkazalo sudjelovanje u posljednji tren zbog desetkovanja posada uzrokovanih Kovid samoizolacijama. Jedrilice koje su zajedrile u Zlarinskom akvatoriju imale su izvrsne uvjete za jedrenje i osim uobičajenih štapova jedrile su i jedan navigacijski plov. North Sails klijenata je ovog puta bilo čak šest, a najuspješniji od njih bio je Damaco, koji je s ovom regatom zaokružio jednu vrlo uspješnu sezonu. 📸 regate.com.hr I za kraj trebamo spomenuti jedinu off shore regatu koja se ove godine jedrila u jesenskom periodu. Riječ je o 2. Susku, regati koja se organizira za dvojce i posade. Ove godine se nije odjedrila kompletna ruta zbog iznimno jake rute, a jedrilica zbog koje nam je i ova regata posebno zanimljiva bila je ponovno Damaco, čija dvočlana posada je odnijela pobjedu i u realnom vremenu i po ORC-u i u kategoriji dvojaca i u apsolutnoj kategoriji. Za razliku od ostalih regata, na ovoj su koristili "obična" dacron jedra, a ne karbonska kao na ostalim regatama! I za kraj najzanimljiviji dio, koja NS jedra koriste jedrilice o kojima ste čitali: Dubrovnik: glavno jedro, flokovi, genakeri Damaco: glavna jedra, flokovi, genakeri Bracing Breeze: glavno jedro, flokovi, genakeri Tacit Consent: glavno jedro, flokovi, genakeri Gracious Style: glavno jedro, flokovi, genakeri Lucky: glavno jedro, flokovi, genakeri Mr.J: glavno jedro, flokovi, genakeri Bare V: glavno jedro, flokovi, genakeri Gringo 3: glavno jedro, flokovi, genakeri Mareus 2 Poliklinika Drinković: glavno jedro, flokovi, genakeri Mareus 3 Poliklinika Drinković: genakeri Polet Furioso: glavno jedro, flokovi, genakeri Molo Longo: 3Di flokovi Toto Travel: flokovi Barba Branko: glavno jedro, flokovi, genakeri Mila 8: flokovi i genakeri 📸 regate.com.hr READ MORE

WE’RE LEAVING 2020 AT THE DOCK Cheers to the New Year and a Fresh Perspective 📸 The Ocean Race We’re starting the new year cautiously optimistic for what lies ahead. A global pandemic is an event none of us expected or had prepared for, but there were bright spots that we hope to carry forward into 2021. First of all, this is an exciting time in sailing. We have a trifecta of adrenaline-pumping events – the Vendee Globe, the 36th America’s Cup, and the Ultims back on weather-watch for their Jules Verne attempt. We rarely get to play witness to some of the most exciting sailing all at once, and watching the skippers and crews handle these high-powered boats is for sure a welcome treat to close out 2020. While it’s disappointing to see many of our sailing events canceled, the effort to get on the water gave way to new opportunities. We saw a surge in interest in doublehanded racing and local sailing with friends and family. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the travel, the big-crew programs, and winning a regatta on the world stage. In a sense, 2020 brought us all back to grassroots sailing, and you know what, it was fantastic. It was simple, fun, and personally, it reminded me why I love our sport. And finally, thank you to the North Sails team worldwide, both employees and our clients. This past year was an exercise in patience, hard work, and teamwork. We move into 2021, looking forward to the new year. See you on the water. READ MORE

ITALIAN OWNER ROBERTO LACORTE PRESENTS FLYINGNIKKA The First New Generation Foil Mini Maxi Designed by a Team of Specialists Captained by Naval Architect Mark Mills Republished with permission from the FlyingNikka Team Futuristic, unique, extraordinary. A real “weapon”, ready to amaze from the first day it touches the water in middle of 2022. FlyingNikka is the new highly anticipated boat by Roberto Lacorte, a successful entrepreneur with a passion for regattas – with the Mini Maxi SuperNikka he has won everything possible, including four Maxi titles in Porto Cervo and the FIV Owner-Helmsman of the Year, followed by victory in the first year of the new Persico 69F foiling monohull circuit. FlyingNikka is something unique, unprecedented, a dive into the sailing of the third millennium which, as is clear from the main sailing events in progress – the Vendée Globe round the world and the America’s Cup regattas – no longer sails on water but flies above it. 19 meters long, equipped with latest generation appendages that allow foiling in excess of 40 knots, FlyingNikka is being designed by a team coordinated by Irish designer Mark Mills of Mills Design. She will be the first foiling Mini Maxi in the world, an evolution suitable for longer trips than the current AC75, with which to compete in coastal and offshore races in record time. “It will be a different boat, the first of a new generation that will definitely set sail in the coming years. We are the first, with the pros and cons of the case, but my professional and sporting life has always been marked by innovation and the desire to explore, so I could only take this direction”, explains Roberto Lacorte, also involved in motorsport with the Cetilar Racing team driving his Dallara prototype, including four years at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. “We have been working on the project for a long time, with Mark Mills and the professionals with whom I have shared many victories with SuperNikka and the Persico 69F circuit. Now we know which path to take precisely and we are ready. I can count on an exceptional group, which is making a fundamental contribution to the realization of FlyingNikka. And it is the most important aspect, when you embark on an undertaking like this, outside the comfort zone, which might even seem a bit crazy”. Alessio Razeto, Team Manager and Head of the Sails Project, Lorenzo Bressani, Enrico Zennaro, Andrea Fornaro and Lorenzo de Felice are the five, experienced and titled sailors who together with Lacorte himself, the Commander of the boat Fabrizio Turini and the design team set up by Mark Mills and the Project Manager Micky Costa, will work closely on the development of the innovative FlyingNikka project until the day of launch, scheduled for the middle of 2022, with the colors of the Yacht Club Repubblica Marinara di Pisa. Designer Mark Mills is very enthusiastic about this new direction: “Mills Design is proud to be developing the most exciting new design project outside of the America’s Cup. The vision of repeat client and Italian Owner of the Year Roberto Lacorte is to be the first to have a Mini-Maxi sized foiler capable of coastal racing and to bring true big boat foiling performance to a wider audience. This will take the lessons and some of the technology from the America’s Cup AC75 foiling monohull and put them together in a more user friendly and cost-effective package which can sail in a wider range of conditions. Given the very challenging design brief we assembled a team of specialists to ensure we could deliver Roberto’s vision. Among the 10-man group are members with experience of 3 of the 4 AC teams currently competing in Auckland. Our R&D Partners KND provide the analytical tools to evaluate the novel design topography, with aero input from North Sails design specialists, while Pure Engineering provides their relentless drive and technical knowledge to produce the lightest and most reliable platform. The initial six months of preliminary design work has been focused on validating the concept, using the TNZ-developed Gomboc dynamic simulator and the North Sails VPP to evaluate various configurations and foil geometries both when flying and in displacement mode. Led by founder Gio Belgrano, Pure have developed an entirely new wing articulation solution to reduce foil cost and improve reliability appropriate to a project operating outside the rarefied conditions of the America’s Cup. Our vision for the design is a robust simple platform able to foil in winds below 10 knots true, and capable of passing the various requirements for entry into mainstream race events, such as WS Offshore Special Regs categorisation including stability. The need for limited Archimedean sailing in sub-optimal wind speeds and increased contact with the sea surface in a wave pattern leads to a hull shape differentiated from its AC75 siblings by greater concern for wetted surface. Powered controls and winches assisted by a flight augmentation system reduce the burdens on the 5 man crew, allowing the helm to focus on steering without also having to directly control ride height. Now that the project is moving at full speed, the design team is focusing on development and optimisation of the design geometry and systems. Over the next three months the hull, deck, and crew configuration will be finalised prior to the commencement of construction. Builder selection is at an advanced stage, guided by experienced Project Manager Micky Costa who fills a crucial role linking the designers, builder, and sailing team to produce a reliable, simple and effective sailing machine”. A boat ready to amaze – which will be able to race with an ORC certificate thanks to the close collaboration with the Offshore Racing Congress for the definition of the VPP relating to full foil boats – of which the first technical details will be revealed in the coming months, in addition to name of the construction site and of the members of the design team. In the meantime, the crew will be engaged again in the Persico 69F circuit with the two “small” FlyingNikka 47 and 74, as confirmed by Team Manager Alessio Razeto. “We will have to defend the first and second places won this year. And continue to accumulate specific experience on foils, a constantly evolving world that must be followed daily and on which there is still so much to learn. Our experience on the Persico 69F ”, continues Razeto,“ was very important in this first phase of conception of the new project, because the contribution of those who go by boat is crucial. And ours is a very high level sailing team ”. READ MORE

FIRST IMPRESSIONS FROM A SAIL DESIGNER What Did JB Braun See During the America’s Cup World Series? Ask a sail designer what they saw during the America’s Cup World Series, and you won’t be surprised by their answer – sails of course! JB Braun, our Director of Design and Engineering, is a six-time Cup veteran and one of the most respected sail designers in the world. Like many of us around North Sails, he was glued to his screen last week to watch the action unfold on the water in Auckland. We asked JB to share his unique perspective on this edition of the Cup and how the North-powered engine above deck helps the AC75s fly. READ MORE

CRUISING THE PNW WITH KIDS Sailing Fun And Adventure For The Whole Family Jamie and Cathy Copeland cruise the PNW with their two kids Will and Belle. Jamie and Cathy are both airline pilots and the founders of the Online Booking Platform www.swiftharbour.com and the home organization app for iPhones www.housemanual.app. How did you and Cathy get into cruising? Jamie - My folks had long been into the sailing and racing scene after moving to Vancouver from Antigua. In 1985 after selling his portion of Specialty Yachts, my father picked up the family Beneteau First 38 Bagheera in France and we started a 6 1/2 year circumnavigation. I was 2 when we started, and I've found that my passion for boating has only really increased with time. Cathy - I was born and raised in Winnipeg, so cruising and racing was not a natural thing for me. My Aunt and Uncle cruised offshore and we had spent time on their boat, but it certainly wasn't something I did much of before Jamie and I met. Within 6 months of meeting in Smithers, BC, Jamie and I were in the Caribbean cruising on Bagheera, and that was the beginning of my falling in love with boating. What type of boats have you owned and what is your favourite? Jamie - We started with a Martin 242 that we used to race and occasionally camper cruise on. It was a great boat for us as a couple, and great for Cathy to learn on. From there, with the arrival of our firstborn, Will, we moved into our Beneteau First 285, Sundowner. The 285 is a small, big boat, with an inboard diesel, running water, proper head with holding tank and separated cabins. It's a lot of boat for a 28 footer, and the majority of our family cruising memories were on Sundowner. We lived on her for 2 months of summer cruising in 2015, with a 3-year-old and a 10-month-old, and it was magical. Cathy and I were doing so much flying locally at the time and Sundowner gave us the chance to explore all the areas we were flying over from the water. We loved that boat and I still check on her when I'm in False Creek where her current owners keep her looking beautiful. What boat are you currently cruising on? Cathy - In 2017, Jamie's parents began pondering the idea of selling Bagheera, which by this point was back in Vancouver after approximately 115,000 nm of offshore cruising visiting 114 countries with no plans for more. After some family discussions, we elected to sell Sundowner and purchase Bagheera to keep her in the family. Bagheera has been a nice upgrade for us. She is very comfortable in heavy seas, sails beautifully and has a lot more space than we were ever used to in our previous boats. She is great for longer-term provisioning so we can get away for longer and also take guests. The more we get to know her, the more we love her. What are your favourite family cruising spots? Jamie - I think we share many popular favourites with the local cruising community in the Southern Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound, San Juans etc. There is just so much to love cruising in these waters that are so unique to this part of the world. After flying up and down the coast, and now overseas, Cathy and I have come to realize how lucky we are with the destination options at our doorstep in BC. Cathy - So much of our cruising is now influenced by the experiences that our kids will enjoy and the somewhat limited time we have off in the summers (the historical busy season in the airline world). Locally we've had some magical experiences on the little beach on the north side of Montague Harbour, stern tying in Princess Cove on Wallace Island, enjoying the summer scene in Plumper Cove, and visiting the numerous communities in southern BC by the sea. One of our top spots, if we have a bit more time, is Princesses Louisa Inlet, and of course, along with most boaters we always endeavour to visit Desolation in the summer. Any tips or tricks for parents wanting to start cruising with kids? Cathy - Firstly, for anyone new to cruising, the more you do it, the easier it gets. It's the first few times that feel daunting, but it just gets better and better. Second is the high-level importance of safety. There is a solution for every stage of development for kids. You can, with creativity, child-proof for any age. We had both kids on the boat as newborns, through the toddler stage and beyond. The key is not to commit to one style of doing things and to keep adapting with your kids. A trick we have learned is the power of audiobooks on long passages. The kids seem to soak them up and it's a nice way for them to enjoy a day at sea in a unique way. We also have little boats (and an airplane) that we often tow behind the big boat and the kids have spend hours jumping them over waves and making them bob in the wake. Jamie - Spending so much time around boats in my life I've heard a lot of first-hand stories about safety issues at sea and been part of a few too. The theme always is that safety always needs to be taken seriously and be at the front of one's mind on a boat, particularly with kids. We take quite a conservative approach overall and focus on both ensuring the kids are well supervised, have knowledge of risks (as age-appropriate) and operate carefully. They live in their life jackets, we often have them wearing life harness teathers connected to a padeye or jackline. We have some quite strict rules about where they can go and what they can do while underway particularly if the sails are up, and ensure that they understand the why's of how things operate, what's safe and what's not. On a lighter note, kids soak up the passion we all feel for being on the water and almost always embrace that passion themselves. There are so many fun activities to do. Boating is one of the few pastimes that seems universally fun for all ages - even teenagers seem to enjoy cruising with parents - and something that they very likely could continue for life. It's such a cool thing. You grew up racing on the RVYC sailing team, do you still race and what are your favourite races to do these days? Jamie - Yes, but never as well as I would like. We were a pretty strong team of little sailors on the Royal Van Race Team back in 90s and I would love to race on one-design circuits again and refine my craft. The racing we do now is a lot of fun though, and in normal years I charter a boat with 3 other old race team friends which is a blast. Cathy and I also love participating in the Round Bowen Race hosted by one of all time favourites the Union Steamship Company Marina. Now that the America's Cup is heating up again (with the great Kenny Read in the commentator's booth), I can't wait for some racing, any type of racing, to get started again. Cathy - I crew with Jamie from time to time on Royal Van Wednesday nights and enjoy getting back into it again like when we used to own the Martin. Have either of your kids gotten into racing? Yes, our eldest Will is in his first year of racing at Royal Van in the Optis. He seems to be enjoying it and the program and coaching staff have a well-structured and professional program while they manage the challenges of COVID. I think soon it will be time to buy Will his first proper racing sail from North Sails. READ MORE

BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE WITH KEN READ What Is It Like to Call the AC36 Play-by-Play? If you’re looking for a sailing expert for your next racing event on TV, you call Ken Read. The former America’s Cup competitor who became an around-the-world skipper with a maxi-yacht speed record, and our current President of North Sails, Read is one of the most respected names in the sport. He is also one of the four voices behind the all-star line up of commentators for the 36th America’s Cup. The 36th America’s Cup is Read’s third stint as a play-by-play commentator, having performed the same role in San Francisco in 2013 and Bermuda in 2017. We snuck into the broadcast booth to get a behind-the-scenes experience of what most of you are hearing from your screens. Read makes it look easy but the amount of practice and effort to pull off a smooth show is immense. We just tried to stay out of the way! Let’s go on air with Ken. READ MORE

FROHE WEIHNACHTEN … und ein gutes, neues Jahr! Ein besonderes und herausforderndes Jahr neigt sich dem Ende zu. Es ist uns ein grosses Anliegen, Ihnen allen für das Vertrauen, dass Sie uns auch 2020 entgegen gebracht haben, zu danken. Ihnen und Ihrer Familie senden wir die besten Wünsche für gesunde, erholsame und friedvolle Festtage und ein erfülltes und segelreiches 2021, in dem wir hoffentlich etwas zur Normalität zurückkehren und Sie sich Ihrer Segelleidenschaft wieder vermehrt widmen können. Herzlichst, Ihr North Sails Schweiz Team Daniel Schroff, Claudia Böhm, Christoph Burger READ MORE

WATCHING THE AMERICA’S CUP WITH LOCAL SAILMAKER BEN COSTELLO In the loft and on the water for Day 1 of racing in Auckland On Day 1 of the PRADA America’s Cup World Series, we tagged along with Ben Costello— a 21-year veteran sailmaker. Ben is the service manager at our loft in Auckland, New Zealand. He’s the guy who keeps the loft floor in check, and he’s also the man to speak with if you want to hop a ride to watch the AC75s up close and live. Ben is lucky enough to experience the 36th America’s Cup close to home. In this edition, there’ll be no getting up in the middle of the night like most of us around the world! Yesterday, his day began like any other – dropping the kids off at school, then heading into the loft on Archers Road. But, yesterday had a very special ending. After work, Ben and a few of the North Sails New Zealand crew took the tender and ventured out onto the Hauraki Gulf for the first day of racing. This is Ben’s story. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS PRESIDENT KEN READ JOINS AMERICA’S CUP BROADCAST ALL STAR COMMENTARY LINE UP Read is a veteran play-by-play expert commentator, having performed the same role in San Francisco and Bermuda. 📸 © COR 36 | Studio Borlenghi Racing for the 36th America’s Cup with four days of match racing during the PRADA America’s Cup World Series Auckland, New Zealand (Dec 17th- 19th) and the PRADA Christmas Race (Dec 20th). It will be the only time that all the entrants for the 36th America’s Cup will race against each other and provide a unique opportunity for the teams to assess all their rivals’ strengths and weaknesses. Fans of the America’s Cup all around the world will be able to enjoy coverage via all forms of media on every screen. The primary objective is to make this the most viewed and accessible America’s Cup competition ever. Set against the picturesque background of the Hauraki Gulf of Auckland, New Zealand, with a new title sponsor, PRADA, and in a dramatic new class of racing yacht, the AC75, the world’s best sailors will race to win the oldest trophy in international sport. Each AC75 is equipped with ten cameras supplemented by chase boat, helicopter, and drone cameras. Coverage will include the world feed with commentary from Ken Read & Stephen McIvor together with Olympic gold medallists Shirley Robertson and Nathan Outteridge. In addition to the world feed, there will be two dedicated yacht channels and a data feed offered with expert sailing commentary. Live, highlights and news coverage will be generally available free-to-air in English on www.americascup.com and all the usual official 36th America’s Cup social channels. YouTube Facebook Instagram Twitter To ensure both the most accessible and most complete live and highlights coverage from broadcasters covering 195 territories, the 36th America’s Cup is delighted to announce a further range of partnerships with free-to-air and pay networks. View the full viewing details on americascup.com MEET THE AC36 COMMENTATING TEAM Ken re-joins the AC36 host broadcast commentary team, having performed the same role in San Francisco and Bermuda. Widely respected, Ken is an America’s Cup competitor, Round-the-world skipper, twice-named American Yachtsman of the year, maxi-yacht record holder, and has won 50 World, North American, and national championships in a variety of cases, with ten of those being World Championship titles. Ken will work alongside Stephen based from the International Broadcast Center (IBC). Stephen will lead the play-by-play Race call ashore. An experienced sportscaster, he has a wide variety of live sports credits, and will lead the AC36 commentary team for host broadcast, based from the IBC. Shirley is a double Olympic gold medallist, making it into the history books by becoming the first British woman to win two Olympic gold medals at consecutive games. Named female World sailor of the Year in 2000, appointed an MBC in 2000 and OBE in 2005. She was the regular presenter of CNN Mainsail, which ran for a decade and a half. She will contribute as on-water live commentator during the live race coverage, and assist with other production roles, such as news and feature production. Nathan helmed Artemis Racing in the 2013 America’s Cup in San Francisco and the 2017 contest in Bermuda. He won gold in the 49er class in the 2012 London Olympics, and silver in Rio, 2016. He brings a rare commentary insight to the complexities of racing high performance, foiling yachts in the America’s Cup. READ MORE

THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS The Similarities Between Aussie 18s + 100-Footers with Sailor Jack Macartney 📸 Australian 18-Footers League For Sydney sailor Jack Macartney, it’s all about apparent wind—whether he’s sailing an 18 foot skiff or a 100-footer. “The 100-footer is a giant 18,” he says. And both have very talented fleets, which creates tight racing. “Australia has almost all of the 100-footers from around the world racing here,” he points out. “They all have their own strengths and weaknesses, so the racing is close. It’s a unique situation having so many supermaxis racing together so frequently. All of the teams are strong and like the 18-footers, the small things make a big difference. Downwind is what they both have most in common.” Because, he repeats, “It’s all about the apparent wind.” 100 footers The modern 100-footer generates so much horsepower that the sails are flatter and the speeds much higher; “you’re really trying to make the boat hum.” And even with a crew of 20 people, teamwork is crucial. “You might not be hanging off the side, but it’s the same crew dynamic on a 100-footer. You’ve got to have seamless crew work to get through the gear changes and do well.” There are also differences between the two, of course. On a 100-footer, you can’t steer with your weight or throw in a quick tack or jibe without warning. “Things happen a lot slower and the loads are higher, and you have big, loud winches that handle massive loads. But it’s high-intensity and very close racing.” 📸 Les Voiles de St Barth Aussie 18s Jack grew up on Sydney Harbor and started sailing at age 7. His father established the Grand Prix 18 Foot Skiff League seen on television around the world through the 1990s, so Jack and his family traveled all over with the high-performance skiff fleet. “I spent 12 or 13 years following my parents around and growing up with the sailors, so I’ve always had a strong passion for sailing and was immersed in the sport from a young age. “Growing up on Sydney Harbor, you don’t really get a better opportunity to enjoy sailing than rigging up an 18 on a Sunday and going for a rip around. The 18-Footer class has great people and camaraderie is an important part of it, sharing a beer in the bar afterwards. The class competitors have such a strong mutual respect for one another.” Jack finished second in the JJ Giltinan in 2013 before turning to bigger boats and the Volvo Ocean Race. When he decided to get back into the 18-Footer class last year, he spoke with sponsor Tech2 and started a program. With only small changes to better fit their crew weight, Jack says he and his team were instantly competitive with the standard North Sails package. “It’s been a great experience and the North team in Sydney. They have always very helpful. If I need anything done, it’s done quickly and done right.” Tech2 won the 2019 Australian Nationals and club championships, and now Jack and his crew of Charlie Wyatt and Lewis Brake are full speed ahead- with multiple back-to-back wins in the 2020 class club championships over the last month. “Our boat is going fast, our crew work is at a pretty high level, plus our sail development with North Sails is going very well!” 📸 Australian 18-Footers League Unbeatable North Sails Technology Jack hasn’t always sailed with North inventories, but he’s really impressed with 3Di. “3Di is special because of the consistency of shape over a long period of time. It’s robust, stiff, and the sail shapes and longevity of the material is fantastic. In the last two years, I’ve done a lot of racing on the 100-footer Scallywag, including Sydney Hobart, the Caribbean circuit, the Transatlantic, the Fastnet, and the Sydney Hobart again. We are still using the same sails and they are looking pretty good, considering the wear and tear 100’s generate with the extreme loads.” In the 18’s, Jack says North Sails has created a platform that is hard to beat. “Michael Coxon and his experience set the tone. If you want to campaign at a high level, North Sails gives you a platform to do so. You don’t have to develop your rigs and profiles from scratch, instead you get straight on the pace and have the ability to compete at the front. North Sails has so much history and knowledge in the class, combined with excellent technology. I was able to design our setup to our specifications within the already-fast one design package available.” 📸 Les Voiles de St Barth Preparation + Fitness “From what I’ve learned,” Jack says, “you can never prepare enough to sail a 100-footer.” Countless hours are spent developing the boat, the program and getting the crew up to a high level. “Next is understanding the boat and what it needs to perform at 100%.” Though the hours may be a little less, preparation is also key to his 18-Footer program. Both teams I sail with are driven when it comes to fitness—and team communication. “When we are not on the boat sailing together or in the gym, we’ve got our WhatsApp chat going. We’re always thinking and talking about sailing. It’s important to surround yourself with people you trust, you can get flicked off the boat in a second if something isn’t done properly. I’m lucky to have great teammates.” 📸 Australian 18-Footers League READ MORE

CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT: COHO Local Legend With A Long Sailing History In Vancouver Grant Brandlmayer shares the history of locally known Spencer 34 Coho, still raced out of Royal Vancouver Yacht Club going on 35 years. What made you decide to build Coho? The decision was made to build the Spencer 34 Coho to race and feature the Spencer 34 in local races; while at the same time enjoying sailing this modern IOR boat. Why did you choose to build with Spencer Boats? In fact Spencer Boats Ltd. was a family boat building company that was formed in 1954 by my parents, an uncle of mine and a good friend of my parents. The company started by building plywood and glass runabouts as finished, as well as selling them as frame kits that many people then built at home. In 1958 they built the first moulded fibreglass sailboat from a female mould. It was 28ft. in length with a wooden deck. A total of 12 were built. Spencer 34, first manufactured in 1978. The Spencer 34 was designed by the well-known Vancouver sailor, Vladimir Plavsic. The first Spencer 34 Spearhead was built for David Spears for the North American 3/4 Tons Worlds held in Victoria in 1978. The Spencer 34 Coho was then built for the Brandlmayr family in 1979 with sails by North Sails. At this time the sails were built under the guidance of David Miller. In addition I recall that Rob Pallard was working for North Sails in Vancouver and was very involved in the build of the first set of sails for Coho. In fact he sailed on Coho during the first Juan de Fuca race that we did in 1980. Tell us a bit about the design process of building Coho. As noted above the Spencer 34 Coho was designed by Vladimir Plavsic. He developed the overall hull form, rig dimensions and all aspects of the boat to meet the IOR Rule of that time to be able to race in the ¾ Ton division. Spencer Boats Ltd, as a very experienced builder of FRP sailboats, then prepared the production design including the lofting of the hull, deck, keel and rudder to allow construction. What challenges did you face while building your dream boat? No specific challenges that I recall. The construction procedures and methods, which had been developed by Spencer Boats Ltd. during the building of the earlier semi production models, had developed into a rather mature process. The original sails are North Sails, who at North did you work with to design and build your sails? As mentioned above it was a pleasure to work with Dave Miller who designed and built the sails for Coho. In addition, I had the pleasure to work with Rob Pallard who was with North Sails at that time in Vancouver. What were your favorite races when you owned Coho? Starting in 1980 and until Leslie (my wife) and I sold Coho (Spencer 34) to Sarah and James McDonald, we entered Coho in many races and many different types of races all of which we very much enjoyed. To name a few, we did the VARC, both regatta and distance series for every year of the 35 years that we raced Coho. The Wednesday night race series at RVYC, which we did almost every Wednesday night race for the same 35 years on Coho. We also did the Whidbey Island Race Week for 10 years in a row starting in 1995. We enjoyed all the races plus the delivery trips with family and friends. Any interesting facts you would like to share about Coho? I think that any of those are generally covered in the combination of the other sections. What are your favorite cruising destinations? We enjoy sailing so the delivery rather than the destination has always been our favourite part. You sold Coho to James and Sarah McDonald, what was it that prompted you to purchase a new boat, what is the new boat and how are you enjoying your new boat? The size of our family had been growing with the addition of our wonderful grandchildren and having a slightly larger sail boat with three cabins but still a high performance cruising boat that we could race had become more inviting. That said we still very much enjoyed and appreciated the all round pleasure we had both racing and cruising Coho. It was a tough but wonderful choice/decision to make. When our close friends Dan and Carolyn McGreer asked if we would consider being boat partners with them in their Beneteau 36.7, it seemed to be the best of both worlds. We had sailed as two families with Dan and Carolyn and their three beautiful girls for over 25 years; not to mention Dan being an integral part of our racing for over 25 years. For several years we had been racing Coho in VARC and RCYC racing in the spring, summer and fall and the Beneteau during the winter months in Point Roberts where the McGreers were keeping the Beneteau. So, the decision was made to combine forces and we put Coho up for sale. When Sarah and James McDonald showed an interest in Coho this just seemed like all things were falling into place as we could not think of two more wonderful people to enjoy a boat that sails so very nicely and was well built. We are very happy that Coho found a new home with people that continue to enjoy racing and cruising the boat. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS HOLIDAY GIFS Add Some Holiday Flare to your Instagram Stories + Reels Remember what it was like when GIFs didn’t exist? Over the last few years, they’ve become our favorite social addition so this year we’ve added some fun options for you to enhance your next Instagram story or reel. Want to add some spice to your next post? Express your holiday spirit with a few new special effects made by your favorite sailmaker. Not sure where to start? Open Instagram, select your image, and then follow the video instructions below to add your favorite holiday GIF to any post. Open Instagram. Take a photo -or- select a photo or video to post. Scroll up and select “GIF”. Search: “North Sails” to view our collection of GIFs. Select, click and drag to place anywhere you want in your photo or reel. TIP: You can make the GIF larger by using two fingers to zoom in, or out. You can select multiple GIFs to include in each post. Just repeat steps 1-4 and add as many as you want! READ MORE

I HAD SOME TROUBLE WITH MY BOAT PRB Skipper Kévin Escoffier Checked In from Onboard Yes We Cam! This past weekend Kévin Escoffier jumped into the sea once again, he gave Jean Le Cam a heartfelt farewell and joined a French Navy vessel to commence his journey home. While still onboard Yes We Cam!, Kévin shared how he’s doing and gave us an insight into why he chose to work with North Sails, his sailmaker of choice, on our new technical clothing, and his thoughts on the range. Fair winds Kevin – we can’t wait for the debrief. You embody our motto – Go Beyond – and are an example of what can be achieved with 101% performance. The new North Sails Performance Clothing range launches in Spring 2021. Sign up below to be on the list for early access. SIGN ME UP! READ MORE

Here’s what Sarah O’Kane from Shorebase, a logistics company, says is important to properly provisioning for your next offshore adventure. READ MORE

Formirana Melges 24 CRO flota Foto: regate.com.hr Melges kao jedriličarski brand krenuo je 1945. godine, a od tada su iz njihovih hala izašle mnoge sportske jedrilice, a neki modeli su se etablirali u svijetu jedrenja kao globalne monotip klase. Jedna od njih je i Melges 24, malena sportska jedrilica u kojoj može jedriti 4-5 jedriličara u tehničkim regatama oko oznaka, dok se s njima kvalitetno može jedriti i u dvoje. Jedan primjer, istina malo ekstreman, je sudjelovanje Melgesa 24 - Blue Label na ovogodišnjem Susku. Jedrilice ove klase na Jadranu se mogu vidjeti već neko vrijeme. Prva pod Hrvatskom zastavom bila je u Rijeci, a kormilarka joj je bila Niki Keser. Par godina nastupala je na međunarodnim regatama klase koje su bile organizirane u Italiji, poput Garde i San Rema. U međuvremenu nekoliko jedrilica je stiglo i u Sloveniju pa su mogli zajedno raditi treninge i regate, a povremeno bi nastupali i na regatama krstaša poput Mrduje u nas i Barcolane u Italiji. Nakon par godina ova dvadesetčetvorka odlazi u Dansku, a obitelj Keser nabavlja Melges 32. Nakon DSK u Hrvatsku stiže spomenuti Blue Label, nastupa uglavnom na Kvarnerskim regatama i sve do 2017. je jedini Melges u nas. Te godine u Dubrovnik stiže čuveni Lero. Lera ne treba posebno predstavljati jer je to jedrilica s kojom Ivo Kvestić nastupa na svim važnijim Dalmatinskim regatama. Redovito pobjeđuje kako u svojim skupinama, nerijetko i na cijelim regatama, a možda najzvućniji trofej u posljednje vrijeme je i pobjeda na Melges 24 monotip regati koja se ove godine jedrila u Trstu kao uvod u Barcolanu! Nastavak priče je u Splitu gdje se u kratkom razdoblju pojavljuju Cezibordo i The Pimp. Cezibordo je doveo Srđan Ninčević i parkirao (jer su Melgesi uglavnom na trailerima kad nisu na regati) kod Labuda, dok je The Pimp na sjevernu stranu Marjana doveo Roko Štambuk. Nakon toga kreće lavina u Splitu u kojem se trenutno nalazi većina Hrvatske flote. Kroz godinu bi imali najmanje četiri regate klase koje bi se bodovale za Kup i jedna bi bila Prvenstvo Hrvatske. Tako da bi sve to bilo službeno zadovoljeno krećemo s akcijama oko formiranja klase i zadovoljavanja svih formalnih zahtjeva. Za sada smo se dogovorili da će JK Mornar biti domaćin regati početkom studenog, JK Labud bi organizirao regatu zadnji vikend listopada i ostale bi bile ili u svibnju ili u kolovozu. Plan nam je da ih naporavimo tako u serijama i da su ti datumi usklađeni s datumima Europskog Kupa za klasu Melges 24, tako da možemo službeno pozivati i posade iz inozemstva tako da im možemo ponuditi da ostave brodove kod nas između dvije regate. Tako da se mogu vratiti doma i kasnije na drugi event u skorom periodu. Također planiramo i službene treninge u veljači za koje već imamo neslužbeno najavljeno nekoliko brodova iz vani, jedriličara iz Mađarske i Italije i jednog Nijemca, koji bi došli u slučaju da se ova situacija oko nas normalizira. Za 2020. smo izvukli maksimum koji smo mogli. Brodovi se množe skoro na tjednoj bazi. Evo neslužbeno sam čuo da je još jedan kaparan ovih dana, također čujem da su u tijeku pregovori da jedan stigne u Pulu. U Splitu imaju još dva ozbiljno zainteresirana buduća vlasnika... Filip Jurišić, Melges 24 - Strilica U sklopu organiziranja klase u planu je i angažiranje službenog premjerača koji bi vodio računa da sve bude po pravilima i da naša flota može regularno i bez stresa putovati i na regate u inozemstvu. Foto: regate.com.hr O tome koliko dobro je Melges 24 prihvaćen u Splitu govori i podatak da su neke jedrilice kupljene zajedničkim ulogom po nekoliko jedriličara i u floti su trenutno nalaze i imena vrlo iskusnih jedriličara poput Tonija Bulaje, Borisa Bakotića, Tonka Kuzmanića, Matije Longina, Jakova Šokote, a kalkulira se i s još nekim imenima olimpijskih jedriličara... Stvarno sam oduševljen ovom klasom. Ono što mi je najdraže kod nje je to što i nama starijim jedriličarima pruža šansu da konkurentno jedrimo protiv aktualnih olimpijaca, svjetskih i europskih prvaka, što inače više ne bi imali prilike u malim klasama. Jedrilica je stvarno fenomenalnih mogućnosti, a o adrenalinu koji se razvije kad se jedri niz vjetar s genakerom ne treba posebno trošiti riječi! U svakom slučaju mislim da je ovo izvrsna stvar! Toni Bulaja, Melges 24 - Obi One Kao što se iznad moglo pročitati, trenutno se bazama klase mogu smatrati Pula, Ičići, Zadar, Split i Dubrovnik, a s obzirom na očite prednosti malobrojne posade i toga što nije potreban vez, te relativno male cijene jedrilice u dosta dobrom stanju, za očekivati je da se priča brzo proširi i u drugim gradovima. A ako još uvijek niste sigurni o čemu pričam povirite fotogaleriju snimljenu na jednom od treninga u Splitu ili doživite užitak koji se pokušao dočarati u ovom videu. READ MORE

OFFSHORE + INSHORE GEAR DISPATCHED TO THE RACETRACKS The Launch of North Sails Performance Collection Last week we announced the launch of our new Performance range of foul weather gear that will be available in Spring 2021. Each week, until launch, we’ll unpack how our team conceived the range, the new “must-haves” for your kit bag, and how we’ve made sure our foulies uphold the expectations you’d have for gear from the world’s leading sailmaker. Our gear development team was diligent in ensuring our gear adheres to Lowell North’s scientific method; the design, build, and testing process used for all North Sail products. Our design work doesn’t end when the first prototypes ship out of the factory. This is just the beginning. Every piece of North Sails kit is the result of the same extensive process; research, innovate, design, build, test… rinse, and repeat. Over, and over, and over again. Our foul weather gear has already been tested in the most extreme conditions. The Offshore and Inshore gear has been dispatched to the racetracks of the world in the hands of North’s experts and sail designers – a team of the most experienced sailors in the world, who cover hundreds of sea miles aboard many different types of vessels…you couldn’t dream up a better kit testing team. PRB skipper and Vendée Globe 2020 competitor Kévin Escoffier, also joined our testing team. One of the most experienced and successful ocean racing sailors of his generation, Escoffier has emerged from a backroom role running Team Banque Populaire’s design office to win a Jules Verne Trophy and the last Volvo Ocean Race. Escoffier did a lot of sea miles before he crossed the Vendée Globe 2020 start line as skipper of November 8 2020 – and he did them all in North kit. He achieved a second-place finish in the IMOCA class of the Rolex Fastnet Race and the Transat Jacques Vabre. It’s been the perfect testing environment for the Ocean range and Escoffier’s thoughtful, analytical feedback was essential to the refinement of the final designs. Escoffier decided that the kit was so good that he took it to race in and, whilst his Vendée 2020 journey hasn’t ended as any of us would have wished, we’re still looking forward to a valuable debrief when he returns to shore – design, build, test…..rinse and repeat. The Offshore prototypes also went south to Sydney for the start of one of the world’s classic bluewater races, Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. In 2019 North Sails designer and trimmer Dick Parker was wearing our kit when he secured his first Hobart win. He had plenty of praise for the kit and lots more ideas – as did everyone else. Research, innovate, design, build, test… rinse, and repeat. LEARN MORE JOIN THE WAITLIST Catch up with the latest from a key member of the North Sails Performance Testing Team, Kévin Escoffier, aboard Yes We Cam! READ MORE

STARTING THE ONE DESIGN SEASON WITH SUCCESS Etchells and Young 88 National Titles Claimed by North Clients 📸 Andrew Delves North Sails One Design clients have started the season off with a bang after winning both the Etchells and Young 88 New Zealand Nationals last month. Etchells Nationals Hosted by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in Auckland, North-powered teams had a great event in windy conditions, finishing with a clean sweep on the podium. Defending champion and Sales Manager of North Sails New Zealand, Andrew Wills (Willzy), helmed the winning boat Cruel Jane with One Design Manager, Derek Scott, on the bow. “It had been a long time since Derek and I sailed together,’’ Willzy explains, “but it was an absolute pleasure. We have been friends since we were teenagers and have worked together for about 15 years.’’ Sailing with them as the mainsheet and kite trimmer was Anatole Masfen who has also been sailing with Willzy for many years. As well as having a good crew dynamic, the three sailors are experienced Etchells sailors but only sailed the boat twice this year in the lead up to the Nationals, which Willzy said made him feel a little nervous as some of the other teams were well prepared and were sailing fast. “The standard and depth of the New Zealand fleet have really improved as of late, which is great to see,’’ Willzy explains. “Alongside Fifteen + and Alliance who finished second and fourth overall respectively, we chose two newly designed headsails (MAL & GT) for the event. They were fast out of the box which meant we had a great first day, winning three of the four races which set us up well for the last day which brought a little more breeze, but nice flat water. Racing was tight with everyone keeping a close eye on the competition and their points. Special mention to Jannet Airey - this was her first nationals as Race Officer and the courses were faultless.’’ Harken Young 88 Nationals After a postponed Harken Young 88 Nationals, the regatta successfully went ahead at the end of November with 16 boats on the line raring to go. Racing between St Heliers and Rangitoto, congratulations to North powered team Raging Hormones who took home the National title after eight races. Sailing as tactician with owner Zane Gifford helming, Andrew Wills raced with fellow North expert Matt Kelway on the bow: “It was awesome to see so many teams out for the Nationals as it has been such a disruptive year for sailing in general,’’ says Kelway. “The racecourse was tricky with shifty conditions and a decent breeze on the final day. The key to the event this year was consistency; you had to be quick but also patient with the wind shifts and just find little moments to fight your way back in each race. The new sails complimented the existing inventory and were able to change modes really well through the range. I hope to see the class numbers up for the remaining Sprint Series and of course the Nationals next year.’’ “We had a new 3Di genoa and Radian mainsail for this event, both of which seemed fast from the get-go,’’ Willzy comments. “The fleet size is increasing again which was good to see. Our strong point was consistency and being able to dig out of bad situations. I also felt very confident with our boat handling, crew work, and physicality which really helped, especially on the last day when the breeze built. The wind was oscillating so it was key to stay in phase, both upwind and downwind. Being able to foot off, fast, to the next header seemed really important. It was great to do well against such strong competition and equally, to see so many of our customers sailing fast and achieving strong results. I know many of them are very passionate about sailing their boats and have put lots of time in, so seeing them being rewarded for their efforts was brilliant.’’ Sailing onboard Nick Gillies’ Waka Huia, One Design expert Matt Steven comments on the level of competition within the event: “This regatta was probably the most competitive in recent history for the 88's. The 16 teams brought very mixed results, so consistency was the winning formula. On Waka Huia with a full North inventory, we put the boat in too many tight spots on the first day, and as a result, did multiple penalty turns. On day two, we got the boat sailing in a really nice groove and placed really well, clawing ourselves back up the leaderboard. Raging Hormones were a class act and well-deserved winners." To discuss inventory options for either the Etchells or Young 88, visit the class page and talk to a local expert. Etchells Young 88 READ MORE

BIANCA COOK’S NEW CHALLENGE LOOKS DIFFERENT THAN EXPECTED Aspirations Ahead to The Ocean Race in 2022 📸 Georgia Schofield / NZ Ocean Racing North Sails expert and Auckland native Bianca Cook has logged plenty of ocean miles as part of delivery crews and on the last Volvo Ocean Race with Turn the Tide on Plastic. Now she’s taken on a new challenge: putting together a New Zealand-flagged entry for the 2022 Ocean Race. In November, she and partners Tony Rae and Daryl Wislang launched their V065 for the first time, just in time to win the Coastal Classic—though Cook says a boat without logos wasn’t at all what she envisioned. “We covered up all the old Turn the Tide> branding with black,” she explains. “It looked very plain and simple.” But logos weren’t necessary to achieve their short-term goals: giving sailors and an onboard reporter the chance to race 120 miles from Auckland to the finish line in Russell, and gain some much-needed visibility. If the boat stayed in the shed, “nobody would know what was happening. We thought, ‘Let’s put the boat in the water and let’s do this.’ So that’s what we did.” Winning the race was a nice bonus—even though that didn’t look anything like what Cook expected either. Very light conditions meant they didn’t finish until dawn the following day. “It’s actually quite funny, because it’s the biggest boat I’ve ever done the Coastal Classic on, and it’s the longest it’s ever taken me to get there.“ But “a win’s a win,” she says, adding how grateful she was to North Sails and the rest of the marine industry in Auckland for their enthusiastic support. “Without that, we’d still be in the shed.” : Daryl Wislang, Ryan Houston, Gemma Jones, Bianca Cook, Tony Rae. : Logan Andresen, Aaron Reynolds-Lovegrove, Paige Cook, Thomas Rutter, Bex Gmuer Hornel l📸 Georgia Schofield / NZ Ocean Racing Raised on stories of “the Blakey days” Bianca was born the same year Steinlager 2 won the Whitbread Round the World Race, and she grew up in an Auckland shipyard listening to stories about Peter Blake and “that romance of sailing around the world. The whole country got behind it, and knew what was going on.” She learned to sail with her family on classic boats and then campaigned in Women’s Match Racing until that discipline was eliminated from the Olympics. In 2012, she was just about to fly to Antigua to help deliver the J Class Endeavour to Portugal when the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) fleet sailed into Auckland. “That’s when my real passion for it grew.” Working on Superyachts around the world introduced Cook to a lot of VOR sailors. “I was always asking how I could get involved,” she says. “When they brought out the rule to have more females on board, I sent my CV to anyone that would listen.” Nothing quite clicked, though—until a month before the start, when Dee Caffari called. “I remember seeing Dee for the first time, I was a little bit petrified. As soon as I arrived, the first thing she said to me was, ‘okay, so we’re going to announce that you’re joining the team on Friday, don’t screw it up.’” Until that moment, Cook hadn’t been quite sure what was expected of her. “But when she said that I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m actually on the team. Okay.’” Sailing around the world with Dee was incredible, Cook says. “You can be in a situation where you’re just over it or tired or hungry, not too much left in the tank. And she always has something to say that will give you that little bit of motivation to keep going.” But sailing into Auckland on a boat that represented “the United Nations” didn’t grab her fellow New Zealanders the same way that having their own boat to root for had in previous races. “As a country, we haven’t had a team to really get excited about and really invest Kiwi pride since 2012, so New Zealand’s love affair with the race has kind of gone away.” For the rest of the race, Cook began to imagine sailing into Auckland again as part of a New Zealand-flagged crew. “I got talking to Tony Rae, and he’d been trying to get a New Zealand team in the race for the last two cycles. When I heard that, I thought, ‘Oh, okay, well then why don’t we actually try and make this happen?’” Sailmaking beckons After the VOR, a new opportunity appeared in Auckland: joining North Sails as a salesman. “I jumped at that,” she says. Though Cook didn’t know much about sailmaking, she soon recognized the significant overlaps between building 3Di sails and modern boatbuilding. “Building sails, you lay carbon down in a certain way over a mold—exactly the same as you do in boatbuilding.” Cook continues to be impressed by North Sails emphasis on constant improvement. “It’s fantastic the way that the designers are always trying to make sails faster. They’ve got the technology to just keep pushing.” She also appreciates the way America’s Cup technology is starting to trickle down to Auckland fleets like the Young 88s. “We don’t have double-skin mainsails yet, but you never know! The level of design work that goes into grand prix sails is exactly the same for what you’ll be selling to your local guy who’s just going cruising around the local area. It’s fantastic to see that amount of time and effort going into any job.” 📸 Georgia Schofield / NZ Ocean Racing The Ocean Race journey begins Cook and her partners bought the old Turn the Tide on Plastic in 2019. It was a big commitment, but as Cook puts it, ”We’ve got to have a boat, otherwise we’re not in it. And so we bit the bullet and got it down here to New Zealand.” The goal was to get the boat in the water and “get as many young people on the boat as we could.” 2020 had other plans, though. “We were actually due to launch the day that we went into a nationwide lockdown.” Instead the boat stayed in a shed until the following November. Looking back, “I’m not really sure if was the smartest thing to do,” confesses Cook. But her enthusiasm is infectious, and she’s not the only New Zealander to remember the previous races. “I’ve gone to give talks and people go, Oh, the Ocean Race. Is that the same as the Whitbread?” She laughs. “Here in New Zealand, the last time we had a boat in the race was Camper in 2011/2012. Almost ten years ago now!” Sponsor search Cook thinks they’ll have to look outside New Zealand to get to the start line, but for now they’re focusing on building local support and getting out sailing as much as possible. The lockdown has enabled them to tap into some great ocean racers who are currently stuck in Auckland. “We’ve had all these incredible sailors onboard, coaching the younger guys. But also going, ‘Whoa, I never thought I’d step back on one of these boats again!’” They’re also training onboard reporters. “So we’re getting footage, but it’s also giving them an opportunity to experience it. These guys haven’t necessarily been on a Volvo 65 before, or even gone offshore.” 📸 Lissa Photography / 2020 Coastal Classic First female NZ skipper? The New Zealand media has jumped on the idea of Cook as skipper; she’d be the first female Ocean Race skipper, ever. ““Not so fast” , says Cook. “I’ve always said that I’ll do absolutely everything I can to get that boat on the start line, but how the team looks could be completely different.” Her ambition remains consistent: to have a Kiwi flagged boat on the start line in 2022. Right now, the priority is to give as many Kiwi sailors as possible the experience of racing a VO65. “When we get closer, we’ll start worrying about proper trials. At the moment, anytime we can get out on the water, we’re just making the most of it.” Dreaming of a new wardrobe Cook and team have modified an old Maxi kite into a training version of the new A4 specified for The Ocean Race, but Cook’s already anticipating all the improvements North designers will make to the entire inventory. “It’d be interesting to see the difference in the sails that we have now, and the sails for the next race.” Meanwhile, the group is planning a sailing tour of New Zealand in 2021 and hoping to get a different group of sailors onboard for each leg. “If we manage to inspire some kids down at the bottom of South Island to get involved in sailing, then I feel like we’ve achieved something pretty great.” 📸 Georgia Schofield / NZ Ocean Racing READ MORE

KÉVIN ESCOFFIER SAFE AFTER SUCCESSFUL RESCUE MISSION PRB Skipper Onboard Yes We Cam! in an Amazing Display of Seamanship 📸 Team PRB All of us in the North Sails family as well as the rest of the sailing world have breathed a collective sigh of relief upon hearing of the rescue of a healthy Kévin Escoffier from his life raft. To Jean Le Cam, we can’t fathom the heroic seamanship needed to pull off this successful retrieval in such rough conditions. And to the rest of the skippers who lent their support, you are an example of the code of seamen – that safety for yourself, your boat, and all fellow sailors comes long before any race or result. We bid safe passage to the fleet of exceptionally brave adventurers who are competing in the hardest competition on earth, The Vendée Globe. Just yesterday we were cheering that Escoffier had reached 3rd place after a successful 24-hour run. Our excitement quickly turned to anticipation upon learning that Escoffier was forced to make the heartbreaking decision to activate his distress beacon and take to his life raft about 840 miles SW of Cape Town, South Africa. The news especially hit us hard as Escoffier is a long-time client, a close friend to many within North Sails, and more recently, a key member of our testing team for the North Sails Performance foul weather gear. Vendée Race Control immediately alerted the nearest competitor Le Cam to divert to Escoffier’s aid. A hugely experienced five-time Vendée competitor, Le Cam was diverted to Escoffier’s aid. Three other competitors were also called to the zone to support, which resulted in a successful rescue operation. Mercifully Le Cam was successful in locating Escoffier and he climbed aboard Le Cam’s boat Yes We Cam!, in the early hours of this morning having spent 11 hours in the life raft. It’s an interesting turn of fate, in the Vendée Globe 2008-2009 the former skipper of PRB, Vincent Riou, rescued Le Cam from his capsized IMOCA 60 200 miles west of Cape Horn. Just proving that one good turn really does deserve another! A huge congratulations to both Escoffier and Le Cam on a phenomenal display of seamanship. Also, our utmost respect and thanks go to Vendée Race Control and the PRB Team for their swift and professional coordination of the situation that resulted in a positive outcome. We look forward to beers on the dock with Escoffier a little earlier than initially planned – but damn they’ll taste sweet. Click here for a full report. READ MORE

X-YACHTS LAUNCHES NEW PERFORMANCE CRUISER North Sails Proud to be Sailmaker of Choice 📸 X-Yachts X-Yachts are excited to introduce their new model of cruising yacht, encompassing 56 feet of luxury and performance with an emphasis on comfort. The X5⁶ is one of the biggest X-Yachts models ever to be produced in Denmark, and North Sails is incredibly proud to be the sailmaker of choice. We talked to the Manager of North Sails Denmark, Jesper Feldt, about this new addition to the cruising world: “Together with North Helix Structured Luff and Future Fibre’s Helix bluewater luff cord for the Code sail, the X5⁶ is a perfect match for our 3Di OCEAN product line.’’ Launching for the first time in Haderslev, Denmark, the X5⁶’s full 3Di OCEAN inventory was fitted by the North Sails team for sea trials in light to medium conditions. The perfect fit for a performance cruiser like the X5⁶, 3Di OCEAN evolved from the original 3Di and strikes a balance between performance and reliability. The material is continually refined and the most rugged version of our composite molded sail technology. “Together with North Helix Structured Luff and Future Fibre’s Helix bluewater luff cord for the Code sail, the X5⁶ is a perfect match for our 3Di OCEAN.’’ Though there is some ‘homework’ still to do, X-Yachts is very proud that, after extensive organization and development, they have accomplished their aim to create a magnificent performance cruiser that will give future owners superior sailing pleasure. “The first hull has already provided a distinct big-boat feeling of safety and comfort, where almost everything can be operated by the touch of a button if you so want,’’ explains Thomas Mielec, Director of Design & Engineering at X-Yachts. “This also means that vast amounts of technical equipment must be tested, adjusted, calibrated, etc. to ensure they work as designed and engineered.’’ The first set of sea trials focused on sail handling, sail balance, rig trim, alignment, and tuning the twin rudder system. The North Sails team are looking forward to launching the boat again this weekend for a heavier-air test of the remaining sail inventory, which includes a Helix Structured Luff Code sail and Jib Staysail. This will allow them to get an even better feel for the capabilities of the yacht before she goes back to the assembly hall for the final fit-out of the interior. The world premiere will take place in the X-Yachts showrooms (Haderslev, Denmark) on 16th January 2021. Please get in touch with Jesper Feldt to discuss sail inventory options or X-Yachts CEO Kræn Nielsen. 📸 X-Yachts READ MORE

WINTER SAIL SERVICING : PROTECTING YOUR GREATEST ASSETS November Update from Your North Sails Service Team The loft busy as winter closes in A Note from Shane Hughes, Loft Service Manager, North Sails Ireland: As we enter our 6th month of trading I have finally had a little time to reflect on how our opening has gone. 2020 has been a remarkable period in all of our lives and for me personally has seen the arrival of a new baby girl and the opening of a new business! If you had told me I would be here one year ago.... First of all, I would like to thank all of our clients for supporting the new loft opening thus far. It has been a busy 6 months with us taking in and completing over 200 individual sail repairs and we are still receiving many more contacts as we head into the winter months despite all of the disruption wreaked by the Covid 19 pandemic and the lack of sailing in 2020. After UV replacement on a furling genoa. Protect your investment! With that in mind and with one eye on 2021, now is the time to book your sail(s) or canvas for annual inspection. Our Certified Annual Inspection will provide you with a full spectrum of services which include: racing re-cuts, replacement UV strips on cruising sails, reinforcement patches on your sail covers or canvas, and more! A recent project involved supporting Pam Lee and Cat Hunt on their successful Round Ireland double handed record attempt. It was a pleasure to host Pam and Cat in the loft, both super enthusiastic and committed sailors, to run through some of the do’s and dont's around repairing sails in an offshore environment. We were delighted to see all the repairs and modifications we made work out so well for them on their record attempt, but even happier for them to have achieved what they set out to do. Supporting clients in achieving their goals is important to us and we enjoy the interaction on projects like this. Find out more on their project. As the only North Sails Certified Service loft in Ireland, we are the only repair facility with access to specific North Sails products and expertise in terms of servicing some of North Sails unique product types such as 3Di. Our location in Wicklow allows us quick and easy access up to all of the East coast clubs And marinas. We can deal with bigger sails by providing a direct service to and from the boat making life easier for clients in some cases. As well as direct pick up and drop off service in the local area (inc. all of Dublin), we also offer a full nationwide service leveraging the DPD courier network. So wherever you are located and whatever your requirements, we are ready to assist. Stiffening around batten pocket on J109 3Di Mainsail using NS pure composite and 3Di PSA allowing the sail to sheet more cleanly on the leech. So please get in touch to discuss your specific needs and how we can help you prepare for sailing in 2021. Learn more about North Sails Service offerings + Scheduling an appointment with your local sail experts. In the mean time stay safe and best regards! North Sails Certified Service Contact Shane Adding reefing point to Xi Aramid mainsail New stack pack installed on Puppeteer 330 READ MORE

A PASSION FOR SAILING FROM A YOUNG AGE How One's Passion Influenced Their Move To The Pacific North West A passion for sailing brought this enthusiastic 26 year old sailor from Nakhodka, Russia to Vancouver, British Columbia. Learn how Alexander Levkovskiy's passion developed from a young age and still brings him great joy in life. Local North Sails expert Drew Mitchell caught up with Alexander to learn his story. How did you get into the sport of sailing and how old were you? When I was a kid my family had a Carter 30 sailboat. I spent a lot of time on it going out cruising and doing some clubhouse racing. Then at the age of 7 I started to sail an Opti. Everybody has a sailing role model growing up, who was yours and why did you look up to him? Can’t say that I had a role model but I had a group of sailors who I was keeping eye on. Top 3 on my list were: Dean Barker, Karol Jablonski and Ben Ainslie. All of those guys were incredibly talented match racers and I have been in love with match racing ever since I saw the America’s cup finals in 2003. What dinghies are most popular in Vladivostok, which ones did you sail/race? The most popular are Optis, Cadets, Lasers and 420’s. I went through Opti, two-person dinghy Cadet, Laser 4.7 / Radial. When I turned 18 keel boats took me over. What is the racing scene like in Vladivostok and what are the popular keel boats to race? Which one did you enjoy racing on the most and why? You can sail 6-7 months a year before it gets too cold and then you can sail ice boats. Summer racing schedule is pretty good. Wednesday nights start in the middle of May and finish in late August. You can find a regatta to sail almost every week. They can be as short as 2 days and be up to a week. As winter season comes and the bay gets covered in ice you can sail Ice Optis and DN’s. Ice boats are great to learn how apparent wind works and can go pretty quick. I would definitely recommend trying it! Two main one design fleets are Conrad 25R’s and Platu 25’s. This year guys got into Melges 20’s and it sounds like this fleet is going to grow. Also various sizes and types for boats in the ORC fleet. I really enjoyed sailing the Platu 25, great design by Bruce Farr. It feels like a big dingy, requires physical work and the fleet is super tight! After University you decided to move to Canada, you got yourself on the Vancouver racing scene pretty quickly. Are there many differences between racing in Vladivostok to racing in Vancouver? Can’t say that it’s super different. Maybe not as many windward leeward races. The biggest difference is that the season never stops. You can sail 12 month a year but it can be a little bit chilly in January. Also it’s pretty awesome that you can go sailing, skiing and mountain biking on the same day. What do you find the most challenging part of racing in Vancouver and around PNW? Tide and current. Local knowledge is a huge factor in the coastal races here. You better have good instruments on the boat so that you can keep track of those things. What is your favorite race in the PNW and why? Can I pick two? Southern Straits and the outside legs of Van Isle 360. Both races delivered great weather and champagne downwind sailing when I was doing it. Local guys say it can be pretty rough and wet weather sometimes but I’ve been lucky. You joined the Wet Coast Sailing Team, Melges 24 team based in Victoria, in 2018. You guys have had quite the success on the race course. Could you list off some of your results? As a team we sailed pretty much all the events of the V.I.R.C ( Vancouver Island Race Series) in 2018-2019 and pretty much all one design events available in the Pacific Northwest. I guess the biggest achievement for the team was winning the Corinthian division/ 5th overall in North American championships in 2019 which was held in Traverse City, Michigan. You would travel to Victoria almost every weekend to train with the team. You must really like your teammates. Who are they and can you list off everyone's position on the boat? I did so many ferry rides that potentially I could become a BC Ferry shareholder! But it's 100% worth it when you have such an incredibly good group of guys! We always have a lot of fun on and off the water. Alright I’ll start stern to bow: Fraser McMillan is our skipper, Aidan Koster does tactics, Keegan Moynihan trim and me as the lightest but most hungry guy on the boat do bowman/floater. At least this was how we planned to sail 2020 Worlds but with the pandemic and world changes we may have some changes to come too. With most all big Melges 24 events canceled what other sailing/racing have you been up too? It was frustrating to realize that sailing season was not going to be as exciting as planned but I’ve been doing some online sailing! Even organized a virtual regatta during Easter weekend in April. It was fun to experience the Race Committee job on a virtual course; glad I didn’t have to move marks all the time. Since we didn’t have much racing going on I got the opportunity to do some cruising with some of my closest friends and see some cool places. It was a great feeling to sail downwind while cooking steaks on the barbecue! I know that team won’t allow me to do that on M24 when racing is back on so I enjoyed that moment. You also co-own Martin 242 with your Dad. Looks like you guys have done some upgrades since the purchase. What's your guys plan with this? When we got the boat it was desperately looking for some upgrades! The majority of the jobs were done at the deck level: running rigging, standing rigging, hardware, some fibreglass work and other things. More upgrades to come! The plan for 2020 was to make the boat able to compete on the race course, do some day time cruising in English bay and race it. The boat did its first official race in October and it felt pretty good. I had a great opportunity to have my buddies from North Sails Vancouver on board and heard their opinion about how we can improve the boat and sails and make it ready for the Nationals in Nanaimo next year. That’s about it. Are you following the Vendee Globe? Who are you cheering for and why? I do! Cheering for everyone in the fleet. You have to be a super tough sailor to do this kind of race so I support all of them and wish them fair winds. Last fun question: If you could buy any boat in the world and race it what boat would you purchase and why? Also who would you buy your sails off? Oh that’s easy, a TP 52 built by Botin Partners powered by North Sails. Your phone number would be on speed dial; It is a high performance fleet with great sailors in it. As you know dreams come true, so maybe one day. READ MORE

HUR VET MAN NÄR DET ÄR DAGS ATT BYTA SPINNAKER? Vad du ska titta efter och hur du förlänger livslängden 📸 Cate Brown / BIRW I den här artikeln tar vi en närmare titt på nylonduk, förklarar hur du kan bedöma skicket på din spinnaker och tipsar om hur du maximerar dess livslängd. Om du har haft en ny spinnaker minns du säkert det prasslande ljudet och hur det lite styva materialet skrynklade sig när du packade ner seglet i säcken. De vita panelerna var vita och de färgade panelerna var djupt mättade. När spinnakern hissades och fylldes kändes det i hela båten att den ville framåt. Dina sinnen – synen, hörseln, känseln – registrerade att seglet var nytt, och samma sinnen kan nu hjälpa dig att förstå om den har gjort sitt eller kan användas ett tag till. Alla segel är förbrukningsvaror, på ungefär samma sätt som däcken på din bil. De slits lite varje gång du använder dem, och till slut är de utslitna bortom räddning. Och precis som med däck är det bra att dels känna till vad du kan göra för att minska slitaget och förlänga seglets livslängd, dels kunna förstå när det faktiskt är läge att skaffa något nytt. Spinnakern är det segel som det är svårast att bedöma skicket på, men det finns några enkla tumregler som tar dig en bra bit på vägen. En titt i mikroskopet En spinnaker opererar i relativt låga skenbara vindhastigheter. Duken behöver därför vara lätt, vilket är anledningen till och de flesta spinnakers görs av nylon. Fibrerna är tunna och lätta och väven är inte särskilt tät. Det här varierar i och för sig. En spinnaker eller gennaker gjord för cruising är vanligtvis gjord i duk med tätare vävteknik. Mikroskop-bilden till vänster visar en traditionell 0.75 oz (i verkligheten 1,1 oz) nylonduk. Lägg märke till hur varpen och väften överlappar varandra utan några egentliga mellanrum. Porositet, som är ett begrepp som används för att beskriva mängden luft som kan passera genom ett material, är låg i en spinnaker gjord av den här sortens duk. Låg porositet är förstås en värdefull egenskap i alla segel, men det är extra viktigt vid spinnakersegling, där man ju kämpar för att omvandla varenda liten pust till framåtdrivande kraft. Samtidigt är låg vikt en lika värdefull egenskap. Duken i en renodlad racing-spinnaker kan vara 40 procent lättare än duken i en mer cruisingbetonad variant. Bilden till höger visar hur en racing-duk kan se ut. Om du tittar noga ser du att varpen och väften bara delvis överlappar varandra och att det alltså finns tomma ytor utan några fibrer. Dessa ytor täcks istället av en tunn "coating", i det här fallet en uretanbeläggning. Det är knappast förvånande att denna uretanhinna har sämre hållbarhet än själva väven. Även kostnaden stiger, eftersom nylonduk med coating är dyrare att tillverka än nylonduk utan coating. Precis som med bildäck och en rad andra produkter är det priset man får betala för högre prestanda. Hur ser jag att spinnakern börjar bli sliten? De skillnader du kan se över tid är subtila. Men om panelerna nära hornen börjar påminna om korrugerad plåt, så är det ett tydligt tecken på ålder. Likaså den så kallade "elefantrumpan", det vill säga att det uppstår en vertikalt rynka mitt i spinnackerns övre del. Ytterligare tecken att hålla utkik efter är om ytterpanelerna tenderar att vika över på ett mer abrupt sätt än tidigare när du trimmar spinnakern. I takt med att spinnakern åldras kommer du också kunna märka att det blir svårare att nå dina målfarter. Om du förr brukade ha en "extra växel" när du lovade upp för att exempelvis passera en båt i lovart, och den effekten nu verkar ha klingat av, så är det också ett tydligt tecken på att din spinnaker har sett sina bästa dagar. 📸 Cate Brown Och som sagt, hur duken känns i handen kan säga mycket om dess skick. Om skillnaden är stor jämfört med när den var ny beror det på att duken har börjat tackla av. Här behöver du inte bara förlita dig på minnet. Du kan ju allltid ta med spinnakern till din segelmakare och jämföra med hur en sprillans ny duk känns. Se bara till att du känner på en duk med liknande karaktär, så att du inte jämför äpplen med päron. Att din spinnaker ofta får hål och revor kan också vara ett tecken på ålderdom – samtidigt som det antyder att du nog bör ta ett varv runt rigg och båt med tejp och kanske till och med fil. En mjuk nylonduk har ingen chans mot vassa spridarnockar, lösa kardeler, saxpinnar och liknande. En helt ny spinnaker är faktiskt mer känslig för den här sortens slitage än en som har använts ett litet tag, så det här är extra viktigt när seglet hissas de första gångerna. Men det är ju under en kort. övergående fas, och det påverkar inte det faktum att en äldre spinnaker tål mindre slitage än en nyare. Håll också uppsikt efter färgförändringar. Att vita paneler gulnar eller att färgade paneler mattas av är ett uppenbart tecken på att seglet är ute på sista benet. Och för att återknyta till det där med porositet – om du märker att det går att blåsa aldrig så lite luft genom seglet, så har gränsen passerats för länge sedan. Tips som ökar din spinnakers livslängd Vi avslutar med fem snabba råd som hjälper dig att få ut max av din spinnaker: #5: Vi har nämnt det tidigare men tar det igen: Tejpa eller ta bort alla vassa detaljer ombord som seglet kan komma i kontakt med. #4: Använd inte ditt segel i högre vindstyrkor än vad det är konstruerat för. #3: Försök undvik att "tråla" med spinnakern. Att dra upp den ur vattnet medan båten gör fart framåt utsätter duken för oerhörda påfrestningar. #2: Håll spinnakern torr, så långt det är möjligt. Lämna aldrig en blöt spinnaker i säcken, utan ta med den hem eller lägg den på ett sätt som gör att den kan torka. Om den har fått saltvatten på sig är det bra att skölja den med sötvatten. Men tvätta den aldrig med någon form av klor-baserat medel. Det är som kryptonit för nylon! #1: Torka aldrig spinnakern efter segling genom att hissa den på masten och låta den fladdra i vinden. Det skär i hjärtat på varje segelmakare – och ett segel som fladdrar kan åldras mer under en halvtimme än under flera säsongers normal segling. Intresserad av en ny spinnaker? Kontakta oss så hjälper vi dig att få mer ut av din undanvind. Request A Quote Color Code READ MORE

North Sails & Swan 45 - recept za Susak Foto: regate.com.hr Yacht Club Croatia uspješno je nastavio s postavljanjem temelja novoj tradiciji Istre i Kvarnera organiziranjem drugog izdanja regate od Ičića do Suska i natrag za dvojce i posade. Nažalost ove godine nije odjedrena kompletna ruta, ali i na skraćenom izdanju svi sudionici imali su ispred sebe vrlo naporno i zahtjevno jedrenje! Prilikom prijavljivanja regate za ovogodišnji kalendar HJS-a, rezervirani su petak, subota i nedjelja 20 - 22.11. međutim, zbog vremenske prognoze cijeli tjedan ranije se moglo očekivati da će doći do nekih promjena u službenom programu, jer su svi meteo modeli najavljivali jaku buru na skoro cijeloj ruti između Ičića i Suska. Inače, start je trebao biti dan u petak ujutro u 10:00, ali unatoč želji organizatora da organizira jednu zahtjevnu jesensku, pomalo avanturističku, regatu taj termin definitivno nije dolazio u obzir! Po najavama zainteresiranih jedriličara iz Istre i Kvarnera, na startu se moglo očekivati preko 25 posada, kako u dvočlanom formatu, tako i u punom sastavu. Najavilo se i pet posada iz Slovenije, pa bi se nakon lanjskog nastupa jedne Ruske posade nastavio međunarodni karakter regate. Ali s jedne strane zaključana Dežela i olujna bura na putu posada sa zapadne strane Istre srezali su startnu listu na 19 imena većinski iz Riječkog zaljeva. Iz najdaljeg su stigli samo momci s Dolce far niente, članovi JK Horizont iz Poreča i mix dvojac Kostelić - Kliba kao predstavnici JK Uljanik iz Pule. Prvi potez Organizacijskog odbora po pitanju odgode starta povučen je par dana pred start kad su svi sudionici obaviješteni da se start pomiče na subotu ujutro u 10:00. Ova dvadesetičetiri satna odgoda po tada aktualnim prognozama još uvijek je omogućavala da se odjedri kompletna ruta, jer su po jakoj buri jedrilice trebale stići do Suska, a već u očekivano vrijeme njegovog obilaska bura bi bila u padu i povratak bi išao mnogo ugodnije, a definitivno brzo s obzirom da bi se većina rute mogla odjedriti na jednim uzdama, čak i u laškoj orci. Sastanak kormilara odvio se u subotu ujutro u ACI marini Ičići, bazi YC Croatia u 9:00. Foto: regate.com.hr Svima, ili bar većini, bilo je jasno da je stanje već ispred same marine bilo više nego zahtjevno za jedrenje i s obzirom da je DHMZ izdao crveno upozorenje za Kvarner, isplovljavanje nije dolazilo u obzir. Također, organizatori su raspolagali s informacijama da je na otvorenom moru između Istre i Cresa, kao i na Susku, izmjereno pa i preko 50 čvorova bure. Odluka je samim tim bila vrlo jednostavna, odnosno odgoda starta u trajanju od deset sati. Idući sastanak kormilara zakazan je za 19:00, a mogući start najavljen je za 20:00. Tijekom dana bura je i dalje vrlo jako puhala i ispred Opatije, ali kako je sunce počelo zalaziti tako je sve više slabila i bar na milju od kopna pala na desetak čvorova. S obzirom da je vremenski interval koji je bio ispred jedriličara bio značajno skraćen u odnosu na prvotni, odgoda starta od dan i pol povlačila je za sobom i skraćenje rute. Regatni odbor obavijestio je nazočne kormilare da se neće ići do Suska, već da će točka obaveznog obilaska biti lanterna Zaglav na sredini zapadne obale Cresa. Ugrubo, ruta je skraćena na pola. Na raspolaganju je bilo još nekoliko točaka na izvornoj ruti koje su mogle biti iskorištene umjesto Zaglava, ali prognoze su najavljivale drastičan pad bure u nedjelju ujutro. Takav rasplet doveo bi u pitanje povratak većine sudionika, pa je izabrana spomenuta opcija. Do ovog izdanja regate Susak noćni start u ovom akvatoriju nije baš prakticiran. Iznimka je jedino nekoliko Galijola koje su se jedrile u kasno ljetnom terminu, što je ipak mnogo ugodnije doba za jedrenje, pa je samim tim i noćni start bar psihički manje zahtjevan a i tada su skoro sve posade bile u punom sastavu. Na ovom Susku od 19 prijavljenih posada 11 su bile u doublehanded kategoriji, a 8 u punom sastavu. Noćni start, prateću hladnoću i ostale eventualnosti tri posade su prepoznale kao elemente s kojima bi mogle imati poprilično problema i službeno su se povukle iz regate, a s druge strane već u petak poslijepodne posada Molo Longa javila je organizatorima da odustaju od sudjelovanja. Tako da je na start pristupilo 15 posada. Uglavnom, među njima nije bilo dvočlanih posada, svi koji su stigli u Opatiju odlučili su jedriti, a posade u punom sastavu su predstavljali samo Finally i Žut. Predstartna procedura odbrojavala se na istom mjestu kao i godinu ranije... Regatni odbor na valobranu marine u Ičićima, pored "tri antene", i bova označena bljeskalicom na oko 200-300 metara okomito na obalu. S obzirom da bura ovdje puše skoro okomito na obalu start je bio u laško i odvijao se po maksimano desetak čvorova, ali po vrlo uzburkanom moru kratkog, oštrog vala. Vrlo nezgodni uvjeti kad je u jedrima malo vjetra, a s obzirom da se uvijek nakon starta svi nastoje izvući što više od obale Istre u zonu jačih zračnih strujanja, trebali su su se koristiti drifteri i genakeri kojima nisu bili svi opremljeni. Uglavnom su se koristile genove i jedinice, a nekolicina s odgovarajućim laganim jedrima u zonu za koju su očekivali da će biti vjetrovitija stigli su malo ranije. Međutim, tamo ih nije dočekalo pretjerano mnogo vjetra i sa stvarno malenim brzinama skreću na pravi kurs i nastavljaju na jug. Jedine dvije jedrilice koje su izabrale značajno drugačiju taktiku bili su Damaco i Bokeljka. Oni su prvih pola milje jedrili bliže kopnu i tek onda su se priključili na "autoput". Kao što se može vidjeti na početnom dijelu playbacka Bokeljka je bila bar za 20% brža od najbržih u ostatku flote i na momente hvatala i preko 7 čvorova. Slično je bilo i s Damacom, ali zbog tehničkih problema nedostaje prvih pola sata njegove snimke. Nakon prebacivanja vani flota sustiže Bokeljku, ali Damaco zadržava vodstvo koje u nastavku regate nije niti jednom ispustio. U ovom dijelu regate možda je najveće iznenađenje JOD 35 - Skradin. On se probio na drugo mjesto i predvodio je potjeru u kojoj su još sudjelovali maleni Mini 650 - Libera i Elan 340 - Dolce far niente. Dalje je regata bila praktički natjecanje u brzini, jer nije bilo nekih posebnih taktičkih poteza s kojima su se neki izdvajali od drugih. U ovoj etapi najviše su se isticali Melges 24 - Blue Label i Bavaria 38 Match - Fly 5. Oni su iskoristili posjedovanje genakera i s vanjske strane pokušavali su hvatati priključak s vodećima. Uglavnom, nekako u visini Mošćeničke drage bura ponovno jača i sad cijela flota ima vrlo visok prosjek brzina. Više o situaciji na moru ispričao je član kasnije pobjedničkog dvojca, Hrvoje Petrović, koji je jedrio zajedno s Niki Keser na Swanu 45 - Damaco: S obzirom da smo kasnili na start i brod je velik, pa kad smo u dvoje sve ide relativno sporo, nismo stigli ništa pametno dignuti. Istina, dignuli smo puno jedro i veliki flok za mezzonave, ali nismo stigli pripremiti genaker. Kasnije smo ga uspjeli spremiti, ali mislim da je na sreću bura počela probivati kad je sve bilo spremno, tako da nismo ništa veliko dignuli. Na startu su ispred nas bili Bokeljka i Libera. Mislim da je Bokeljka imala genaker, a Libera drifter. S tim su počeli voziti na razne strane, jer vjerojatno to sve nisu uspjeli spustiti na vrijeme, a mi smo sve to prošli na flok. Jer relativno brzo je s 5-6 čvorova na startu dignulo na 15 čvorova iz smjera Krka! Znači bio je čisti bok, a dok smo se izvlačili vani imali smo orcu prema Cresu. Kako smo išli prema Velim vratima to je sve više jačalo. Mi smo i dalje imali puno jedro i jib top. I kad smo stigli u Vrata na instrumentima smo čitali 32-33 čvora. Tu nam je vjetar već bio u pola krme i krma i tu zonu smo proletjeli s tim punim jedrima. Sve je prošlo bez stresa i ja sam čak uspio malo odmoriti, odraditi neki polu san. Niki je vozila. I onda je iza Cresa krenuo zanimljivi dio, dio patnje. Kad smo prošli puntu Porozine sve je stalo. Bonaca... oko 6 čvorova iz svih smjerova malo krma, malo orca... Srećom, nismo išli puno pod Cres. Bili smo oko milju - milju i pol van, kad vidim tracking znat ću točno... i relativno brzo smo to prošli. Nakon toga ponovno smo imali vjetar u bok prema Zaglavu... refuli od 30 čvorova, pa pad na 5... pa ponovno 30 čvorova... Nekoliko puta smo mijenjali na jedru prvi krat, pa prvi, pa ponovno drugi, pa puno jedro... i sve s istim flokom. Cijelo vrijeme bok, krma i max laška orca. Uglavnom bočni kutevi. I onda na 3-4 milje pred Zaglavom, kad smo se spremali priječi na trojku za natrag, dignulo je na 35 čvorova. To je dio koji ćese na trackeru vrlo jasno vidjeti :) Tih 35 čvorova je bilo zadnje što sam u tim trenucima vidio na instrumentu jer sam otišao na provu čupati flok prema dolje. Kako smo mi to "mudro" zaključili da ćemo spuštati u krmu, šteke koje imamo u floku su se omotola oko štraja. Bila je prava mala karamela. Niki je na timunu uspjela to odvrtiti, a ja sam uspio spustiti flok. Međutim, umjesto da je to sve trajalo 3 minute, trajalo je 23... Kad smo to spustili zavozili smo na Zaglav i tamo smo imali između 25 i 30 čvorova, ništa previše strašno. Jedro nam je tada bilo na prvom kratu i dignuli smo trojku. Na Zaglavu smo imali jednu viru koja je bila posljednja do Ičića. Desne uzde sve do gore... na desni bok smo nakrcali sve flokove i spinakere koje smo imali... sve na palubu. Mislim da oko 15 minuta iza Zaglava ponovno dižemo jedro na puno i do kraja više ništa nismo mijenjali do kraja. U Vratima smo imali 15-20 čvorova, ful orca i na izlasku iz vrata do 35 čvorova laške orce. Brod je išao kao metak, najljepši dio regate što se mene tiče! Tu je već i iskopalo val, pa je bilo i malo mokro. A na provi smo izgubili dvije naglavne lampe. Taktika za kraj nam je bila da se držimo čim više vani, da ne odemo pod Istru gdje je uvijek po buri dosta lošije... ako nema tramuntane uvijek treba ići van prema Kvarneru. Negdje u visini Ike dobili smo prvi znak da idemo u bonacu, pa smo se s dvije-tri vire izvukli još više vani i tako smo skoro prošli Ičiće i u krmu se spustili prema cilju. U Ičićima je sve zabonacalo i zadnjih milju smo morali jedriti orcu da bi ušli u cilj. Rezime je da nije bilo panike, osim te jedne izmjene floka, kod nas to stvarno nije izgledalo strašno. Mislim da je primarni razlog to što je brod spreman! Ja znam brod napamet. Imam hrpu milja i sati u brodu, Niki također. Jedrili smo puno regata zajedno ove sezone i mislim da nam je to bio najveći plus, što smo znali brod. Točno sam znao koje jedro i kada, kako brod podnosi pojedini setup, kako mogu voziti i ponavljam da je brod spreman za offshore. Ja i Bero (Berislav Vranić, vlasnik Damaca, op.a.) spremamo se za Sv.Nikolu za dvojce, jer Niki radi, ne može dobiti slobodno... a inače nas dvoje planiramo jedriti dalje, a čak razmišljamo i o mixed offshore kombinaciji da i nas dvoje pokušamo s kvalifikacijama za olimpijadu. Što se tiče treniranja, Swana imamo uvijek na raspolaganju, također možemo jedriti na X-Treme 37 od Nikijine obitelji, možemo posuditi i Mini 650 od prijatelja Darija... sad samo čekamo službene informacije koje u stvari sviju i zanimaju da mogu krenuti s ozbiljnim planovima za kvalifikacije. Hrvoje Petrović, Damaco - Swan 45 Krenuvši od Damaca, pa dalje, u pitanju su bile jedrilice za koje se po potrebi dio posade može skloniti u kabinu, ako je sve u redu čak malo i odspavati, a i u većini ako uvjeti na moru dopuštaju normalno i opušteno pripremiti neki topli napitak ili topli obrok. Sušta suprotnost tome bila je jedrilica Blue Label, Melges 24 na kojem je jedrio dvojac YC Croatia, Jelača i Smojver. Foto: regate.com.hr Tijekom regate čak 5 jedrilica se povukla iz regate zbog uvjeta na moru. Neki su morali odustati ranije, neki u blizini Zaglava, a dvojac s Blue Labela taj potez je morao povući prilikom pokušaja okreta ove lanterne. Kako je u prvoj polovici regate jedrenje bilo uglavnom u bok i niz vjetar oni su se dobro snalazili, a i stvarno brzo prešli tih 22-23 NM. Ali upadaju u probleme pred obilazak... detaljnije o tome, kao i o organizacijskim izazovima ispričao nam je Petar Smojver: Mogu reći da smo kao organizatori iz ove regate stvarno puno naučili i izvukli puno iskustva, pogotovo da slušamo sami sebe i da ne upadamo pod tuđi utjecaj. A tako smo i postupili pogotovo po pitanju odgode starta. Za iduću godinu planiramo da jedan ozbiljni gumenjak budu uz flotu cijelo vrijeme. Da bude pri ruci ako nekom bude trebalo... bez obzira što se to ne radi na drugim regatama... ali ja bi to zbog svog mira. Mislim, bez obzira što smo mi ovog puta spašavali sebe i tražili zaklon, meni je cijelo vrijeme puno više u glavi bilo pitanje kako druge posade to rješavaju i da im se nešto ne desi. Imali smo mi dogovoreno i spremnu pripravnost Sea Helap, ali oni su u Lošinju i treba im sat vremena do tamo gdje smo mi bili... nezgodno je... stvarno treba netko s tom ulogom biti bliže! A što se tiče nas na Melgesu, jasno je da to nije jedrilica za ovakvo vrijeme. Međutim, po svim prognozama bura je bila u padanju do dvadeset čvorova i to se može. Pripremili smo i olujna jedra baš za njega i moglo se s tim jedriti do 30 čvorova, a to smo i isprobali za vrijeme regate. NAs dvojica smo bez problema upravljali brodom, išli smo 14 čvorova... s kratom i flokom jedrili krmu... glisirali smo noću po velikom valu i to je bilo kako treba. A kasnije kad smo upali u nekakvu bonacu od Porozine, pa tamo negdje do Velog Boka. Bila je bonaca, pa val iz Valuna, pa val po krmi od Porozine, vjetar čas čista orca, pa čas čista krma... to je bilo nekih sat i pol borbe i kad smo to prošli nekih 3 milje pred Zaglavom je zapuhalo. Očekivali smo da će refuli odmah biti jaki i odmah smo ih dočekali s kratom. Tako smo normalno mogli jedriti do Zaglava i onda je tamo još pojačalo i tu smo počeli imati prve probleme jer nas je štraorcalo i nismo mogli zapojati. Tada smo spustili glavno i dignuli olujno glavno i uspjeli proći Zaglav i ići prema Cresu. Tu je ponovno pojačalo i nikako nismo mogli ni virati ni napraviti pojalabandu, niti zapojati. I sad kad smo došli pod Cres nije bilo druge... tu nije bilo niti jedne rupe među refulima... mi smo čekali neku rupu da zapojamo, a nikako dočekati. I kad smo stigli pre blizu Cresu spustili smo glavno i samo s flokom smo uspjeli okrenuti. Naravno, nismo uspjeli okrenuti Zaglav, jer samo s flokom nismo imali potrebni kut i tu smo donijeli odluku da je to to i da odustajemo od regate jer ne možemo s ispravne strane okrenuti Zaglav. Sve ovo što sad pričam traje dvadesetak minuta. Za to vrijeme refuli su još i pojačali i onaj flok koji nam je bio podignut trebalo je zarolati jer smo se previše naginjali. Kasnije su nam rekli ovi što su iza nas stigli do Zaglava da su neki mjerili 37, neki 42 čvora i to ne refule, već konstantnog vjetra! Flok smo skroz zarolali. Po tom vjetru se zarolao skroz na tanko i kako je taj konop od rola na Melgesu napravljen na mjeru, a sad koliko je tanko bio zarolan ostalo je vani viriti nekih 40-50 cm jedra. I tek to malo jedra je brod mogao podnijeti! jedna od opcija koje smo tad imali na raspolaganju je da na lijeve uzde idemo prema Susku ili na desnim uzdama na Pomer, to su bile opcije za krmu. Ili eventualno probati to što smo na kraju i napravili, a to da smo na desne uzde i tuči mezzonave koliko nas pusti. Nekako smo procijenili da ćemo uhvatiti Crnu puntu, a ako nju ne uhvatimo ušli bi u Rašu i tamo hvatati neku zavjetrinu. I tako smo mi to i napravili... je da je to tražilo prelazak preko otvorenog mora od Cresa prema Istri, ali da smo išli prema Susku opet bi nas čekali udari pod Lubenicama i pred Martinščicom i to bi bila katastrofa, a da smo išli na Pomer išli bi na otvoreno more, a tu je i val i sve što ide uz to. Uglavnom, rekli smo idemo poprijeko za Istru. Naravno, ovisiš o brodu i opremi. Hočće li jarbol puknuti ili izdržati, međutim s obzriom da smo imali samo tih kvadrat - kvadrat i pol jedra mislim da to nije bila tolika opasnost bez obzira na jačinu. Po mojoj procjeni valovi su bili oko tri metra. U jednom trenu... dok smo prelazili nismo puno pričali... ali čim smo pristali sjetili smo se jedne situacije. Vidi se svjetlo Rapca, a Rabac je dosta visoko u brdu i u jednom trenu ne vidiš više njegovo svjetlo jer 100 metara dalje bio je val i sad taj val dolazi prema tebi nije više crn nego bijel! Tako da je povremeno bilo tih ogromnih valova. Brod je to OK podnosio. Kad ne bi izdržao reful u mezzo onda bi ga malo zapojao, a to je opet novi par rukava. Kad okreneš u krmu i zaglisiraš na valu, zabiješ se u slijedeći i u jednom trenu nam je prova bila cijela u moru sve do kabine, situacja kao kad se vide video klipovi kad ljudi jedre sa spinakerom u krmu, tako se to nama desilo s tih kvadrat i pol jedra! Ali što je tu je, izvučeš se i onda opet u mezzonave šibaš dalje. Kad smo stiglo do Crne punte tamo je bila zavjetrina, uspjeli upaliti motor, uplovili i vezali se na prvu bovu ispred cementare i odmah je bilo zavlačenje u kabinu. Slijedeće je bilo da moramo zadržati temperaturu, ne se pothladiti. Naravno, vreće nismo uzeli, jer idemo "samo" do Zaglava i digurno nežemo morat bježati. Dok smo planirali odlazak do Suska znali smo da ćemo se negdje trebat skloniti i pričekati da prođe vjetar, a ovo je bilo kao idemo na sigurno :) Tako da nam je to bila velika greška i tako smo morali čekati dok se prva birtija otovori da možemo ući unutra da se zagrijemo, pa da možemo krenuti natrag. Po prognozi je bilo da će ujutro oko dva sata bura kompletno stati, a na kraju je tamo u Koromačni bura puhala sve do 11 ujutro... eto, svi modeli su totalno pogriješili! Vjerojatno je bura toliko lokalnog karaktera da oni ne mogu sve to tako precizno odrediti. Petar Smojver, YC Croatia Ono što posebno veseli organizatore je to što se na regati okupio toliki broj dvojaca i koji nisu odustali unatoč vremenskim uvjetima, a što znači da su bili dobro pripremljeni i oni i brodovi. S druge strane također su zadovoljni i s ozbiljnim pristupom onih koji su u jednom trenutku rekli da oni ne mogu odjedriti cijelu rutu po takvim uvjetima i na taj način sačuvali i sebe i svoje jedrilice. U svakom slučaju regata je pokazala da postoji dovoljan broj ozbiljnih jedriličara s kvalitetnim jedrilicama i što je najvažnije da su spremni jedriti i u jesen i po teškim vremenskim uvjetima, kratiti na vrijeme i nikog dovoditi u rizik! Karakteristika područja oko Zaglava je da čak i noćni burini u toj zoni mogu vrlo jako puhati, tako da kad je na širem području bura na Zaglavu će sigurno vladati uvjeti poput onih koje su doživjeli sudionici ove regate. Ovog puta, po riječima Slovenskog meteorologa Jure Jermana, situaciju je dodatno pojačalo još uvijek toplo more. Gradijent bure uzrokovan tlakom, spoji se s noćnim burinom. Kopno je vrlo hladno zbog bure, a more je još uvijek dosta toplije. I onda se po noći to spoji, pogotovo do otprilike ponoći. Dok se more ne stigne ohladiti, upravo vrijeme kad su jedriličari obilazili Zaglav, dobije se još dodatnih 78 čvorova na buru. Inače u toj zoni, bura je najjača na potezu od Zaglava do Osora. Kad se pogleda smjer puhanja, to je točno preko puta Senja. Rezultate regate po različitim podjelama možete pronaći na priloženim linkovima: OPEN - svi OPEN - x2 OPEN - grupe svi OPEN - grupe x2 ORC - x2 Kvarner Yardstick - x2 U nastavku se može napraviti i kratka analiza statistike koja je izračunata posebno za dionicu od Ičića do Zaglava, a potom i za kompletnu rutu. Treba primijetiti da su se prvi statistički podaci računali na osnovu procjene dolaska do visine Zaglava, odnosno kad je u pitanju Damacov široki obilazak, vrijeme kad je stigao u njegovu blizinu. Statistika dionice Ičići - Zaglav Jedrilica Trajanje jedrenja Prejedreno Prosječna brzina Max. brzina 1. Damaco 03:42:00 27.95 7.55 13.09 2. Fly 5 03:48:00 24.55 6.46 13.25 3. Libera 03:53:00 24.13 6.21 13.27 4. Žut 03:54:00 26.72 6.85 16.79 5. Ariel 03:59:00 24.25 6.09 12.34 6. Bokeljka 04:02:00 24.10 5.98 13.54 7. Beba 04:19:00 24.22 5.61 11.82 8. Skradin 04:25:00 25.99 5.88 12.84 9. Blue Star 04:53:00 24.02 4.92 11.58 Blue Label 04:30:00 25.10 5.58 14.14 Dolce far niente 04:36:00 25.07 5.45 10.35 Statistika kompletne rute Jedrilica Trajanje jedrenja Prejedreno Prosječna brzina Max. brzina 1. Damaco 07:49:48 53.50 6.83 13.09 2. Fly 5 08:34:23 50.63 5.91 13.25 3. Ariel 08:53:32 50.88 5.72 12.34 4. Bokeljka 09:20:31 50.62 5.42 13.54 5. Skradin 10:28:23 53.64 5.12 12.84 6. Žut 10:40:18 57.66 5.40 16.79 7. Libera 10:40:39 54.56 5.11 13.27 8. Blue Star 13:15:00 56.13 4.24 11.58 Playbacko jedrenja možete pronaći na priloženom linku. Molim jedino da one koji se odluče na analizu snimljenih putanja obrate pažnju na jednu anomaliju u snimljenim podacima, a izgleda da je vezana uz točno određenu geografsku širinu na kojoj svi trackeri, bilo u prilasku ili odlasku od Zaglava, pokazuju pogrešne pozicije. Ako netko zna razlog takvog ponašanja molio bi ga da to podijeli s ostalima! PLAYBACK A malena fotogalerija snimljena na regati može se pronaći na ovom linku: FOTO - SUBOTA READ MORE

ORC Prvenstvo Hrvatske - jedina ovogodišnja regata za ORC Cup Jedriličarski klub Val još jednom je u suradnji s D-Marin Mandalina og 6. do 8. studenog uspješno organizirao Prvenstvo Hrvatske po ORC-u, a spletom aktualnih okolnosti to je bila i jedina ovogodišnja ORC regata koja se vozila i za Kup. Naime, kalendar je predviđao da se većina regata za Kup jedri u proljeće za vrijeme kad je i Hrvatska bila "zaključana", a u jesenskom dijelu planiran je samo Šibenik ORC Cup koji je potom preimenovan i prekategoriziran u Prvenstvo Hrvatske. Najave su ovog puta išle malo konzervativnijim nego tijekom prijašnjih godina. Sve posade koje smo ranijih godina naučili gledati na ovim regatama imale su namjeru sudjelovati, ali svi su bili rezervirani po pitanju slanja prijava zbog konstantne opasnosti od desetkovanja broja članova posade. U posljednjem tjednu taj scenario se i desio na nekim od jedrilica, ali srećom nitko od jedriličara nije bio razlogom samoizoliranja, već su to bili "kontakti od kontakta" i slično. Uglavnom, dovoljno da se poremete planovi svim ostalima na jedrilicama. Ono što posebno veseli kad se pregleda popis posada, a i onih koji su htjeli sudjelovati, je to što se prijavilo i nekoliko jedrilica koje do sada nisu sudjelovale na ovom tipu regata, dok su neke posade nastupile na svojim novim bolidima. Naravno, nije im to bila i prva regata na tim jedrilicama, ali prvo pravo testiranje u tehničkom jedrenju, odnosno na tipu regate gdje je potrebno biti koncentriran prvenstveno na maksimiziranje vlastite izvedbe, a ne toliko na pokrivanja i taktička nadmudrivanja s protivnicima. Također je na ovom PH bilo zanimljivo i to što se značajno povećao udio posada koje krmu jedre s genakerima... sa spinakerima je ove godine jedrilo manje od pola flote, odnosno četiri posade, a također treba reći da je čak šest jedrilica imalo svoju premijeru u ORC-u, pa kad se sve uzme u obzir ovo je bio vrlo zanimljiv test po mnogim pitanjima. Foto: regate.com.hr Tjedan pred početak regate očekivalo se 14 jedrilica, ali u četvrtak se što u Mandalinu, što u Vodice, vezalo devet posada: Molo Longo, Damaco, All 4 One, Gringo 3, Elaya, Mr.J, Mareus II, Orca i Pixel. S obzirom na odgovarajuće CDL koeficijente koji ih svrstavaju u pojedine ORC skupine i broj jedrilica u pojedinoj skupini, Regatni odbor davao im je zajedničke starteve i bodovao ih je na zajedničkoj ljestvici, pa su proglašeni prvaci Hrvatske samo u ORC A skupini. Vremenska prognoza za cijeli vikend bila je povoljna u smislu temperatura i izostanak kiše, ali tako stabilno vrijeme dozvoljavalo je samo lagane vjetrove. U petak, prvog dana regate, na more se izašlo najkasnije i uspješno su organizirana dva plova. Oba su se jedrila po laganoj tramburi koja je malo pojačavala kako se sunce približavalo horizontu. Tako je prvi plov odjedren po brzinama vjetra od 6-9 čvorova, a što je kasnije softver za proračun rezultata najbržoj jedrilici po ORC korekciji izračunao da joj je prosječni izvedeni vjetar bio 7-9 čvorova (stupac Implied Wind u rezultatima), dok je u drugom plovu računalo "izbacilo" da je korigirano najbrži jedrio po prosječnih 10.5 čvorova. Softver koji proračunava rezultate inače podatak Implied Wind-a ispisuje za svaku pojedinu jedrilicu i ranije su se rezultati ispisivali s tim podacima za svaku pojedinu jedrilicu. Međutim, posljednje dvije-tri sezone taj podatak o vjetru uzima se od jedrilice koja je bila korigirano najbrža i "fiksira" se svima u floti i kalkulacija se potom mora ponoviti. Tako dobiveni rezultati su konačni. Na kraju se ispostavilo da su ta dva prva štapa ujedno bili i najdulji štap kursevi po kojima se taj vikend jedrilo. Duljine su im bile preko 6NM, odnosno prva orca je bila dulja od milje i pol. To je otprilike neka optimalna duljina po uvjetima laganijeg do umjerenog vjetra. Jedino je posada Molo Longa mogla malo negodovati po tom pitanju, jer jedrilici te veličine definitivno više odgovara polje veće duljine, ali većina flote je bila prosječnih četrdesetak stopa duljine pa je taj podatak prevagnuo prilikom postavljanja polja. S druge strane, ovo je bila prva ORC regata jedrilice Molo Longo. Kako je riječ o plovilu koje je ciljano dizajnirano za sudjelovanje i pokušaj osvajanja Trščanske Barcolane, njen karakter je čisto openaški i praktički je riječ o velikoj surf dasci. Primjera radi u njenom trupu nema stajaće visine, silueta je vrlo niska, ima canting keel, a o snasti ne treba previše trošiti riječi. Uglavnom, njeni koeficijenti nakon premjeravanja su bili vrlo blizu granice po kojoj bi se uopće mogla svrstati u ovu flotu, a sredstvo s kojim postiže svoje najbolje performanse (canting keel) u ORC regati ne smije koristiti, odnosno, kobilica mora biti fiksirana u sredinu kao što je na svim ostalim jedrilicama. Koliko to ima posljedicu na njeno jedrenje najbolje se vidi u orci u kojoj je Swan 45, a ponekad i Salona 42, stizao prije ovog Ceccarellija 53. Naravno, u dionicama niz vjetar Molo Longo je to sve nadoknađivao, ali svejedno matematika nije bila na njegovoj strani. Pobjedu u prvom plovu odnijela je posada jedrilice All 4 One. Od ove sezone viđat ćemo je na Jadranskim regatama s novim vlasnikom, Karlom Kuretom za kormilom, a njegova prethodna Salona 34 prešla je pod zastavu JK Zenta i nadamo se da će se ponovno vratiti na naše ORC regate od iduće sezone, ali ovog puta s novom posadom. U ovom plovu Kuret i posada su dojedrili 21 korigiranu sekundu ispred sviju, a na drugom mjestu završila je posada iz Pule na jedrilice Orca, dok je Zadarski Gringo 3 završio na 3. mjestu. Rezultati All 4 One i Gringa 3 nisu toliko iznenadili koliko rezultat Puležana koji su tijekom nastavka prvenstva pokazali da to ipak nije bilo slučajno! Inače, na regatnom polju primjetno je bila bolja lijeva strana na kojoj su se sve jedrilice nalazile veliku većinu vremena. Taj pritisak je u nastavku dana imao za posljedicu da se za drugi plov cijelo polje moralo zarotirati u lijevo za dvadesetak stupnjeva jer je to prethodilo odlasku vjetra u lijevo za toliki kut. Na ovom novom polju totalni rezultatski preokret... Orca dominantno osvaja prvo mjesto s 42 sekunde ispred Mareusa II i skoro dvije minute ispred Damaca! Tako da nije bilo nimalo upitno tko se u petak vratio u marinu na liderskoj poziciji. Prognoza za subotu nije nagoviještala toliko dobre uvjete za jedrenje štap polja, pa je ta situacija iskorištena za jedrenje navigacijskog plova. S uvrštenjem navigacije na klasičnu ORC regatu kalkuliralo se i diskutiralo dosta vremena i od ove sezone je to trebala postati konstanta, pogotovo što je ORC odredio da se od lani na svjetskim prvenstvima jedri po dva navigacijska plova. Tako su se naši ORC jedriličari usuglasili da se to kod nas uvrštava u službene Oglase regata koje se jedre za Kup i da se za navigaciju ostavi dan kad su najnepovoljniji vremenski uvjeti. Startna linija navigacije ponovno je postavljena između Zlarina i Obonjana, a kako je puhala lagana bura postavljena je jedna bova u smjeru orce i koja se morala obavezno okrenuti. Nakon toga ruta je vodila oko Šibenskih otoka. Lijevim bokom trebalo je ostaviti Prčevac na sjeverozapadu i Komoricu na jugoistoku, te desnim bokom hrid Galijola ispred Prvić Luke i završiti u cilju u Zlarinskoj luci. Duljina rute koja je uzeta u kalkulaciju bila je 19.5NM. Formula po kojoj se radila korekcija jedrenog vremena bila je Offshore TMF (Time Multiplaying Factor, ranije poznato kao Time on Time - ToT). Prvi realno u cilj ulazi Molo Longo nakon malo manje od tri sata jedrenja, ali ORC softver je izračunao da je zakasnio za All 4 One više od pola sata iako je u cilju bio više od dvadeset minuta prije njega. Na drugom mjestu završio je J 111 imena Mr.J. Inače je to jedrilica na koju je prešla posada koja je do prošle sezone jedrila na malenom Firstu 34.7 - Ladies First s Damirom Desabotom za kormilom. Foto: regate.com.hr Dok se jedrila navigacija vjetar je s bure ponovno okrenuo na tramontanu i svi su do cilja stigli dovoljno brzo da se po tramuntani može odjedriti još jedan štap. Start je signaliziran u 15:15, postavljena orca duljine 1.43NM i jedrilo praktički do zalaska sunca. Uvjeti na moru su bili vrlo slični onima iz drugog plova, pa čak i brzina vjetra koja je fiksirana po All 4 Ona na 9.3 čvora. Flota je podjednako jedrila na obje strane regatnog polja, osim što je većini taktičara procjena bila da favoriziraju lijevi gate. U svakom slučaju dan je bio maksimalno iskorišten, jedino što se od regate nakon završetka četvrtog plova morala oprostiti jedrilica Elaya, novi Elan E5. Naime, ova jedina slovenska posada na regati, morala se vratiti doma do ponoći zbog epidemioloških pravila u Deželi koja nisu dozvoljavala izbivanje iz Slovenije dulje od 48 sati. Unatoč tom ograničenju, tolikom putu i transferu iz i u Biograd, te jedrenju s jedrilicom koja trenutno nije dovoljno konkurentna za ozbiljniji rezultat u ovoj floti, ova posada je ipak stigla na regatu da uživa u jedrenju i definitivno ih treba pohvaliti zbog toga i mnogi drugi bi takav pristup trebali uzeti za primjer! Na kraju dana u generalnim rezultatima dolazi do smjene na tronu i vodstvo preuzima posada All 4 One, dok Orca pada na drugo mjesto, a Mr.J preuzima treće mjesto od Mareusa koji pada na četvrto s jednakim brojem bodova kao i petoplasirani Gringo 3, dok im je samo jedan bod iza Damaco. Program (Oglas) regate dozvoljavao je mogućnost jedrenja još tri plova u nedjelju. S prvim plovom krenulo se u 11:55, ali nešto kraće polje s najjačim vjetrom tog vikenda omogućilo je da jedrenja idu jedno za drugim. Ponovno se jedrilo po tramontani koja je sad u prvom plovu dana puhala brže od 10 čvorova, da bi u posljednjem plovu softver izračunao da je prosjek bio 11.6 čvorova. Po pitanju biranja strane regatnog polja ponovio se scenario od prethodnih dana. Prvi plov pritisak po polju bio je ravnomjerno raspoređen i jedrilo se i na lijevoj i na desnoj strani. Međutim, kako je tramontana jačala skoro svi su birali jedrenje na lijevoj strani, a najvjerojatniji razlog ovakvog gradijenta vjetra po regatnom polju je što je polje postavljeno praktički kao nastavak Zmajanskog kanala. U dva od tri odjedrena plova pobjedu je odnio All 4 One, dok je u trećem slavila Orca. Uz Kuretovu posadu u top tri jedini konstantni su bili momci i djevojke s Damaca s dva druga i jednim trećim mjestom. Na kraju, kad su se zbrojili svi bodovi i odbacili najlošiji rezultati pobjeda odlazi posadai jedrilice All 4 One, drugoplasirana je Orca, a na trećem mjestu ekipa s jedrilice Damaco. Evo što su o regati izjavili predstavnici najzadovoljnijih: Jedna stvarno lijepa regata, ne samo zbog toga što smo na kraju pobijedili, naravno to podiže cijeli dojam. Uvjeti za jedrenje su bili odlični, rekao bi i idealni. Možda je nedostajao još neki brod, ali skupilo se 5-6 ekipa s ambicijama, pripremljenim posadama i brodovima. U svakom slučaju smo uživali jedriti! Konkretno gledajući ekipu na mom brodu odavno nisam jedrio neku regatu gdje baš sve tako dobro štimalo. Možda je i mene to malo iznenadilo. Osim druge regate kad sam napravio krivi taktički potez, nepotrebno odvajanje, sve ostalo je prošlo glatko. Nije bilo nikakvih problema u manovrama, komunikaciji i odlukama... tako da sam baš ugodno iznenađen kako su prošla ta tri dana. Ovo mi je bila prva regata s genakerom nakon što sam na staroj Saloni puno jedrio u klasičnoj konfiguraciji i mogu reći da sam i po tom pitanju vrlo ugodno iznenađen. Downwind VMG nam je stvarno dobar, pogotovo gledajući neke od brodova s kojima se možemo mjeriti... npr. Gringo 3 i Damaco. Tako da sam iznenađen kako u odnosu na Gringa dobijemo par duljina broda u krmu na jednu stranicu, a sa Swanom smo po malom vjetru tu negdje, ako ne i brži. Kad bi zapuhalo Swan bi nam napravio 2-3 dužine na tih milju i pol stranice. Mislim da je to super jer sam očekivao da bi s njima mogli imati problema, pogotovo kad vjetar digne na 14-15 čvorova, ali zadnja regata kad je vjetar digao nije bilo nikakvih problema. Također i kut koji smo vozili u odnosu na Swana bio je možda samo 7-8° orcaniji, što me stvarno ugodno iznenadilo. S druge strane rejting nije toliko nastradao. Dobro na 5-6 čvorova "plaćamo" dosta, ali smo i brži, a onda se ta razlika anulira kako zapravo spinaker postaje efikasniji u odnosu na genaker. Ali s druge strane manovra je neusporedivo lakša i jednostavnija i na kraju, suma sumarum, ne namjeravam se vraćati na spinaker tako lako. Osim ako neki brojevi kasnije ne pokažu da će rejting biti isplativiji sa spinakerom, ali sve ostalo je na strani genakera. Karlo Kuret, All 4 One - kormilar Regata je bila odlična, organizacija također, čak nismo mislili d aćemo uspjeti odraditi tih šest štapova i navigaciju. Stvarno bez greške! Što se nas tiče moram reći da smo možda jedrili i najbolje do sada iako na ovom brodu jedrimo već 4 godine u manje više jednakom sastavu. Vrijeme i vjetar su nam odgovarali, odnosno što je manje vjetra trenutno nam više odgovara za približiti se brodovima koji su ispred nas. Što se tiče posade ne bi nikog posebno izdvajao jer je svatko na svojoj poziciji odradio izvrstan posao! Bili smo maksimalno sinkronizirani... od mene za kormilom, pa taktičara, do trimera jedra i genove, pitmana i bowmana. Moram reći da nam se bowman ozlijedio u nedjelju prije isplovljavanja. Uganuo je zglob, ali svejedno dao je sve od sebe. Uglavnom, sve smo odradili kako treba, osim što smo bili preko linije na posljednjem startu, pa smo se morali vraćati... mislim da smo tri sekunde bili vani... probali smo zapojati, ali što sam više išao u poju to nam je krma više izlazila vani, a brodovi od ispod su stiskali. Tako da nismo imali dovoljno prostora ispod nas da se vratimo na vrijeme. Ali niti tada se nismo predali. Rekli smo što je tu je, tu smo gdje jesmo i pokušali smo dati maksimum koliko možemo. A kad smo vidjeli u petak da smo ispred sviju i da možemo biti tako visoko nismo mogli vjerovati. Naša očekivanja su bila da ako budemo unutar pet da smo napravili odličan rezultat. Sam odlazak na regatu visio nam je u zraku, jer par dana prije nego je brod krenuo prema Šibeniku na popisu nas je bilo samo četvero. Još nismo znali idemo li... ovaj može, onaj ne može... ali nekako smo se skupili i evo rezultat je to sve nagradio! Malo mi je žao što se nije skupilo još nekoliko posada, jer znam koliko teško je okupiti osam ljudi ili deset ljudi za četiri dana... Svidjela mi se i navigacija. Bova od orce i kasnije kroz otoke. Vjetra je bilo OK za navigaciju... prvi dio regate bilo je manje vjetra. Startali smo odlično i do bove smo se držali s ostalima. Malo teže je bilo držati korak kad je krenulo laško. Neki su dizali driftere, neki genakere... mi nemamo tog "oružja", ali zato kasnije nakon što smo okrenuli Prčevac i krenuli u krmu bilo je odlično. Nama je odgovaralo za spinaker i tu smo se jedno vrijeme držali s Mr.J. On nam je kasnije pobjegao jer je bio brži s genakerom, ali zato smo ostale iza sebe pokušali držati na distanci. U jednom trenutku smo dobili čisti vjetar iz vani, sa zapada i to nas je još više odvojilo od Pixela, Mareusa i Elaye. Onda smo vidjeli da nas prvi nisu nešto puno ostavili, pa smo stisnuli još do cilja. Čak smo u posljednjoj orci imali i dosta dobru brzinu i radili smo do cilja bez prestanka... ni jesti ni piti :) I za kraj svi zajedno, kao posada, želimo se zahvaliti Davoru Zaniniju koji nam je ustupio brod i koji ima veliko povjerenje u nas! Goran Zuban, Orca - kormilar Teo Piasevoli me zvao na regatu i rekao da ćemo jedriti na Swanu 45, a ja kako ne pratim premjere nisam znao kako stojimo i kakve su nam uopće mogućnosti. Tako da meni osobno rezultat nije bio toliki motiv koliko da zajedrim sa Šibenčancima s kojima mi je to uvijek zadovoljstvo. Ono što mi je posebno drago za regatu je to što se održalo sve što je planirano, cijeli program, pogotovo što su sad kraći danni, a s druge strane ORC traži stabilne uvjete. Ali taj Šibenski akvatorij nije podbacio i moram reći da mi je on uvijek zanimljiv za jedriti i mislim da su tu najbolji uvjeti za održavanje bilo koje regate. Mi smo na početku malo platili danak nepoznavanju broda. To nam je u stvari bilo ono što nas je u stvari najviše koštalo, jer prvi dan smo jedrili sporije nego što smo jedrili posljednji dan... dok smo spoznali što ide, što ne ide, što može bolje... ali s druge strane nisu nam ni jedra baš odgovarala uvjetima na regatnom polju. Naš setup je optimalan za vjetrove od 10 do 15 čvorova. Nismo imali ni jedinicu genovu, ni spinaker jedinicu... nas je to stvarno koštalo kad smo jedrili po laganijim uvjetima. Mislim, rejting to plaća, a nemaš jedra s kojim to možeš opravdati! A generalno gledajući mislim da smo odjedrili vrlo dobru regatu. Da smo bolje poznavali brd na početku moglo je biti dosta bolje... recimo prvu regatu, prvu orcu, napravili smo ogromnu prednost koja se prebrzo topila u krmu, jer je vjetar bio prelagan za naša jedra, nismo znali kakav nam je optimalan trim... ali stalno smo ubrzavali i to je najvažnije. S druge strane na brodu je stalno vladala dobra atmosfera, dečki su bili motivirani za rad i kako smo rezultat stavili u drugi plan jer s ORC-om je to uvijek teško prognozirati mogli smo opušteno jedriti i bez presinga dati sve od sebe. Na kraju, u nedjelju, vjetar je počeo ulaziti u taj range koji odgovara našim jedrima i da ga je bio još neki čvor više vjerujem da bi rezultati bili još bolji. Tomislav Bašić, Damaco - taktičar Što se tiče rezultata sa svim relevantnim podacima za analizu, njih možete pronaći na slijedećim linkovima: REZULTATI - 1. PLOV REZULTATI - 2. PLOV REZULTATI - 3. PLOV - NAVIGACIJA REZULTATI - 4. PLOV REZULTATI - 5. PLOV REZULTATI - 6. PLOV REZULTATI - 7. PLOV U rezultatima posljednjeg plova može se primijetiti da nedostaje jedrilica Pixel, a razlog su bile neodgodive obaveze posade zbog kojih su morali ranije napustiti regatno polje. Foto: regate.com.hr Kako su na regati bili postavljeni trackeri, kako na bove, tako i na jedrilice, od snimljenih podataka napravljeni su playbackovi i izvučena statistika za svaku pojedinu jedrilicu za regate u štap poljima. Snimljene statističke podatke možete pronaći na priloženim linkovima: STATISTIKA - 1. PLOV STATISTIKA - 2. PLOV STATISTIKA - 4. PLOV STATISTIKA - 5. PLOV STATISTIKA - 6. PLOV STATISTIKA - 7. PLOV Playbackove pojedinih jedrenja možete pronaći na slijedećim linkovima: PLAYBACK - 1. PLOV PLAYBACK - 2. PLOV PLAYBACK - NAVIGACIJA PLAYBACK - 4. PLOV PLAYBACK - 5. PLOV PLAYBACK - 6. PLOV PLAYBACK - 7. PLOV Naravno tu su i bogate fotogalerije snimane sva tri dana, kako iz gumenjaka, tako i iz drona, a mogu se pronaći u fotogaleriji za 2020. godinu ili direktno na slijedećim linkovima: FOTO - PETAK FOTO - SUBOTA FOTO - NEDJELJA Foto: regate.com.hr Eto toliko o ORC-u za ovu natjecateljsku sezonu, koja je srećom ipak održana unatoč svim zaprekama, a s obzirom na prikazani duh i entuzijazam na ovom Prvenstvu Hrvatske za očekivati je da iduća sezona ponovno privuče pozornost jedriličara i ovoj tehničkoj disciplini, koja jedina na našim regatama krstaša traži puni sportski pristup i angažman. Još par tjedana je ostalo do objavljivanja službenog kalendara HJS-a za sezonu 2021. i tada će se točno znati raspored regata za ORC Kup iduće godine, ali ono što je za sada poznato je da će vjerojatno broj regata ostati jednak kao i posljednjih godina, a po dosadašnjim informacijama sponzor ORC toura i dalje će biti D-Marin. To bi i dalje sa sobom trebalo vući uobičajene beneficije za članove Udruge ORC jedriličara, ali konkretno o cijeloj temi kad za to stignu službene potvrde! READ MORE

3Di RAW UPGRADES J/109 CHIMAERA‘s SAILING TEAM Top-Notch Service and Expertise Yield Success 📸 Brendan Fogarty / photogroup.ie Andrew Craig purchased a J/109 in late 2016 and made a plan with his friend and North Sails expert Maurice’ Prof’ O’Connell based in Ireland to optimize his inventory. Over the next two years, the two put together a plan for a fresh new inventory of 3Di RAW upwind sails and spinnakers to help propel Chimaera to success. Why a J/109? Most importantly, It’s an excellent platform for racing in Ireland. Prof’s brother Aidan is a fan, so he was able to talk Andrew into it. Chimaera’s first event was a windward/leeward series, so the first sail built was a new asymmetrical spinnaker. “It was an immediate success,” Andrew says. “We were able to run deeper than any other boats out there. My newfound competitors started asking questions because that’s how fast we were DDW.” Next, Andrew upgraded to a 3Di RAW mainsail and an NPC club racing A2. “By the end of that first season, I had a good suit of racing sails, and that brought on the desire to be more competitive,” he explains. “We were sailing well, and we were ready to start traveling to events outside of Ireland.” 📸 Marc Turner / CCC A Program Built for Speed By the end of 2018, Andrew had acquired a complete “battle stock” of sails: a new 3Di RAW J1, J2, J3, mainsail, and an A4, and A5. “That stock we keep rolled in my sail loft, separate from our weeknight club racing. It’s important to have the best sails for the main events.” In 2019, Chimaera won the six-race Scottish Series, one of the most significant keelboat events in the UK, by a full eight points. They also earned Boat of the Week honors. “This year, we planned to defend our crown,” Andrew says, “and of course, everything got canceled! We had two days of club racing in September– which we won. We are happy to have that, at least!” Andrew says 3Di changed the power, feel, and handling of the boat. “Our trimmers found it instantly easier to trim the 3Di sails. It became easier to respond to pressure changes. From what I’ve seen, I can sail higher, for longer.” Maintaining the right heel angle is essential on the J/109, and Andrew says that’s easier now that he and the trimmers are working together better. “Settling into a groove, so your helm is neutral is what you want, and we’ve been able to achieve that.” Lightweight + Shape Holding He was also impressed with the shape-holding abilities of 3Di over four seasons of hard use. “My J2 was my predominant sail, and she’s got great shape–still. The firmness, coupled with the trim settings, allow us to reach a higher point of sail, and we could feel that it was more stable. It’s nice to know that I can hang in situations where I am fighting for a lane or need to create a new one, with less interference from the helm, allowing the crew to work the jib.” He also noticed how light the sails were compared to his old suit. “My mainsail is just 15 kilos, and for having a mast that is 45 feet tall, that’s pretty great. I packed up the sail bag and was prepared to lift some considerable weight, but realized right away it was significantly lighter than I would expect. Carrying less weight and being able to have options is great. I believe that 3Di has the one-up on any sail made of laminated materials.” 📸 Brendan Fogarty / photogroup.ie Working with the North Sails Network Andrew says the service he’s received from Prof and the North Sails network has been exceptional. Just a couple of weeks before the first event of the Scottish Series, Andrew requested a J3 to cope with Scotland’s windy conditions. “Prof turned that around very quickly. It was delivered to the event location just in time, with only two weeks’ notice. Prof has not only worked with me on sails, but he’s also helped me optimize everything from lines to halyards—everything we can do to make the boat handle fast and well. Having his support helped guide our way to success.” Prof is a regular part of the crew as well, serving as an onboard coach and tactician. “When Prof joins us, he heightens our energy levels, which reminds us of all the things we need to focus on. Sailing with A-sails is a new thing for me, so it has taken some time to get used to. Now I am very confident, and we are fast on all points of sail. What Prof has done to help us achieve our goals.” Prof has also helped grow the J/109 class in Ireland, Andrew adds. “North Sails have a close association with the class, running clinics, coaching sessions, and debriefs after racing. It’s a great way to help raise the bar in the local competition.” Chimaera and her sails are stored away for the winter, but Andrew’s already looking forward to 2021. “The Dun Laoghaire Regatta has a three day one design series, followed by IRC racing. We plan to be there!” The Value of Sail Care + Service When Andrew isn’t racing, he keeps his sails dry and clean. After each season, he is diligent about getting them serviced. “It’s important to stay on top of that. It’s a fraction of the cost when you are considering the cost of new sails. It’s absolutely worth it to have your gear regularly inspected by your sailmaker, and keep an eye on things to make sure you are doing your part to maintain your investment.” 📸 Brendan Fogarty / photogroup.ie READ MORE

CRUISING CLIENTS GET A NEW 3Di WARDROBE North Sails Expert Austin Powers Shares All On Cruising Clients with New 3Di OCEAN As we all know this year has been unlike any other in the sailing world. In the last couple of updates, we have been focusing heavily on all of the amazing results that our customers have been achieving around the Chesapeake Bay. This month we have decided to shift more towards a cruising focus, as we are also in the great migration season where cruisers up and down the East coast start to chase warmer weather. For those lucky few, they are able to head south to paradise on their sailboats. For this month we want to highlight two boats who both received new suits of performance cruising sails in North’s 3Di family. The first is a Beneteau 473 called Flight Risk who took delivery of some new 3Di OCEAN 330 series sails. Specifically, an In-mast furling mainsail and 140% roller furling genoa. The owner of this boat, previously had woven polyester sails and was ready to take a step up in performance over his previous set. The 330 series utilizes the same polyester fiber that is found in woven sails, but when paired with the 3Di production process you get a significantly more durable, lower stretch sail, with no extra weight from Mylar to stabilize the fiber. Both the In-mast mainsail and roller furling genoa had stable shapes that could be de-powered easily which means better pointing, less healing, and arriving to the destination quicker. 140% Roller furling genoa has a rope luff on opposite side for roller reefing The North Sails service team along with Will Keyworth to help with the test sail (Will Keyworth Photography) Also this month, the North Sails Annapolis loft put new 3Di OCEAN 700 sails on a Swan 77. The boat was captained by Peter Horton who decided to go with North Sails after receiving sails on a previous Swan. This boat had just gone through a full refit including new decks, rigging, mast painting. The only piece left was to bend on the new sails. North’s OCEAN 700 series which is geared to be the most durable Superyacht-centric product that we offer. This series uses a blend of Ultra PE and Aramid Fibers to make a rugged low stretch composite sail that makes little compromise on weight. Next month we plan to check in on the various Frostbite series happening around the bay. We hope to see all of our customers out on the water! 3Di OCEAN 700 with White Surface tapes, Full Carbon C tech battens READ MORE

NORTH SAILS DOMINATES MELGES 24 CHARLESTON OPEN North Sails Jeff Bonanni Shares Replay Credit: Daniel Bergey What factors do you believe led your team to the win? Team owner and helm John Brown did a great job managing thin lanes, which allowed us to execute our strategy in every race. What was your inventory at the open. What sails did you use? What difference did you notice between you and other teams? We had light to medium breeze, with flat water, so we used the North Sails AP-3K mainsail, J-7K jib and P-1 Reacher. These designs are the gold standard in the Melges 24 class, and we like these particular sails for the lighter breeze in Charleston. They react to sail control changes very well, which is important on a short race track like Charleston when you need to work through a few upwind modes. How was your overall feelings like heading into the last day? Any nervousness? Was there anything your team had to do well to remain in standings? I wouldn’t say nervous, our team has a lot of strong personalities with even more self-confidence. The breeze was very light on the final day, and ultimately the only race was abandoned. I find it very difficult to stay engaged when waiting for breeze, but we kept the energy up and remained prepared. List your top three takeaways from this event. In Charleston, stay disciplined with regards to current strategy. Current trumps all other factors in this location particularly. Always stay in touch with the pack of boats in front of you. There are many opportunities to pass and even more opportunities to gain as long as you stay close to the pack just ahead of you. Ensure that you’re tuned and trimmed for the conditions! With the flat water conditions we had at the regatta, a firm leech seemed to work best for us. What’s next on the racing circuit for the Melges 24 class? What are you most looking forward to? Our next event is the Atlantic Coast Gulf Coast Championship in Mobile, AL. We plan on sailing all the events through the 2021 Worlds in Charleston, which we’re most looking forward to. Why do you like racing in the Melges 24 class? What keeps you coming back? We think this is the best sport boat design ever! It’s very rewarding to sail, takes us to beautiful venues all over the US and World, and we all have life-long friends sailing in the class. Credit: Daniel Bergey Shop Inventory Contact an Expert Request a Quote READ MORE

THE AMERICA’S CUP HEATS UP IN AUCKLAND Key Developments from an Evening with Burns Fallow 📸 Emirates Team New Zealand Time is closing in on the 36th America’s Cup which commences in Auckland on the 6th of March 2021, and with the recent launch of Emirates Team New Zealand’s (ETNZ) second boat, competition is heating up between the teams. North Sails and ETNZ were delighted to host an evening of discussions at the ETNZ base, kicked off by an exclusive virtual video from North Sails President, Ken Read in Newport, Rhode Island, announcing his plans to come to New Zealand to commentate for the duration of the America’s Cup. North Sails Auckland General Manager, Richard Bicknell, introduced North Sails designer and speaker for the evening, Burns Fallow. As one of the most sought-after sail designers in the world and a colleague of Bicknell’s for 20 years, Fallow started working for North Sails in 1988 and has since been heavily involved in the Whitbread, Volvo Ocean Race, and the America’s Cup, with this cycle marking his sixth Cup; a special milestone to reach. From Grand Prix to Superyacht sails, Fallow holds an international presence in sailmaking and takes great pride in designing sails for more local boats as well. He also spent time mentoring younger designers across the globe, namely Gautier Sergent in 1999 who is now the chief sail designer for INEOS TEAM UK. We have compiled our key takeaways from the in-depth discussions had by Burns Fallow and teammate Rob Salthouse: 1. The AC75’s are the fastest monohulls ever to sail upwind: Reaching speeds of 20 knots velocity made good (VMG) upwind, the AC75 marks the evolution of sailing over the last 20 years. No other sport in the world has seen improvement like this over such a short time. “The AC75 Class Rule is the bible that we have to abide by in terms of specifications of the yacht,’’ Fallow explains. “The rules can sometimes get in the way of great ideas, but in this class, unlike the last couple of Cup cycles, it has been left reasonably ‘open-ended’ to let different teams express themselves from a design point of view.’’ 2. Why do we want boats to fly? It is a reduction of drag. Carrying a hull through the water when sailing upwind or downwind, the boat is going to travel slower than if you can just rely on the foils to balance all of the aero-forces. 📸 Emirates Team New Zealand 3. Key Design Areas: Hull: With an overall length of 75-feet (including bowsprit), the four teams weigh within 1 kg of each other. The foils and cant-axis are fixed, and so is the displacement. All of these factors are tightly policed. Foil Wings: Sitting at the bottom of the foil, the wings are an active area of development and a highly critical part of the design process. The tab on the back of the foils is controlled manually to make the boat fly high or low. Rudder: The AC75’s have a single rudder on the centerline with a horizontal wing (elevator) at the back. The elevator is an actively controlled surface and thus has limits in width, height, and length to help maintain flight. Rigs: The rigs are only just longer than the boat at 26.5m compared with the AC72, which had a 40m mast length. The AC72 and AC75 weigh about the same with a similar righting moment, but in place of a keel, the AC75 has two foil arms, so a taller mast would affect the stability of the boat when off the foil. This can make the transition period tricky when trying to get the boat to take off, so requires a lot of management. Double-skin Mainsail: Large D-Section spar with a pair of mainsails hoisted together to retain traditional concepts of sail design. The double-skin reduces drag by stopping the sails flapping through the tacks and is also very stable through manoeuvers. 4. Racecourse: Races will start later in the day (~16:00 NZDT) to increase the chances of a good sea breeze developing and also working better for coverage around the world. The pre-start will be between 2.5-3 minutes, starting upwind with a windward leg followed by two or three laps to the finish. The typical race length is expected to be approximately 25 mins. 5. All North Sails teams are using full 3Di inventories: Fallow comments, “It gives me a huge amount of flexibility as to where I want to put tapes. If I’ve got a problem area in a sail which I spot in the simulations, I can put some tape there. The makeup of the fabric is the same as what we might use for any boats with 3Di sails. The primary difference is the percentage of carbon we might put in relation to the Dyneema from a longevity/toughness point of view. But our sails are built on the same machines, same molds, same design software.’’ 6. All the operations and functions of the foils are manual: There is no ‘follow-the-dot’. Controlling the foils lies all in the hands of the guys onboard who are doing other jobs as well. They’ve got a lot on! Looking ahead, the four teams have a series of match races over 2-3 days in December (Christmas Cup), followed by the PRADA Cup in January to determine which of the Challenger teams will take on the defender Emirates Team New Zealand. To win the America’s Cup, first, you have to win the PRADA Cup. So now it’s time to sit tight and wait to find out who will take home the oldest trophy in international sport. 📸 Emirates Team New Zealand READ MORE

#NSVICTORYLIST: IRISH CLIENTS STAND OUT IN 2020 A Successful Year Despite Unusual Circumstances Light air sail set-up session on Beneteau 31.7 'After you Too' Dublin Bay in July. Nigel Young: Cork Here at North Sails Ireland, we wanted to celebrate our clients' fantastic achievements in 2020. Despite this being the shortest Irish sailing season on record, our amazing clients still made the best of it whenever they could get on the water. We put together our traditional Victory List for 2020, thinking it might not add up to much and we were very pleasantly surprised; congratulations to all the winners powered by North Sails. It was like letting off a champagne cork in July when suddenly all the racers were released from captivity! Sometimes you have to stop what you are doing and take stock to realize how much you enjoy something. I think that was the case for so many other sailors and me when we could finally get back sailing again—remembering why we love this sport so much and just enjoying the simple act of sailing. The beauty of limited travel was that I was home to participate in lots of local races that I may have missed in the past. New experiences with new teams and sailing different types of boats made it all the more fun. We had lots of sail orders in the process when the pandemic hit, so once the restrictions were lifted, we were all swamped, checking out new sails and working with our clients out on the water. We are all looking forward to 2021 and a slightly different sailing season ahead, fingers crossed! : 'Lambay Rule's winning HYC Wednesday flying her 3Di 780 Mainsail and Code 1 Jib. : Aboard JPK 1080 'Rockabill VI' winning DBSC Thursday race in August flying her 3DL 860 Mainsail and 3Di 780 Code 2 Jib. : DBSC Racing on Beneteau 40.7 'Tsunami' © Onboard Images by Prof Maurice O'Connell: Dublin We all know that 2020 continues to be a strange one! What I loved about it was the sheer unbridled joy that our fantastic clients all over Ireland experienced once they got out racing again in July. I was chomping at the bit! In that short two-month window, I fitted sails, raced with clients, and coached teams in the HYC Wed night series, the DBSC Thursday and Saturday series, the truncated RCYC Autumn League, and the epic Fastnet 450 race co-hosted by the National YC and Royal Cork YC. I also visited Bangor in Co. Down and several clubs in Strangford Lough to deliver new sails and coaching sessions with our clients there. Well done, and thanks to all our amazing customers for squeezing in these fantastic results in 2020. Sail FAST, and here's to lighting a BIG Christmas candle for 2021! https://youtu.be/-SnGH8uxpJQ Shane Hughes: Wicklow 'Well, 2020 will have to go down as the most bizarre sailing season in my (and I'm sure most of our) living memory. Looking back, it is hard to believe we got any sailing in at all, but we did! Actually, for the few months that restrictions allowed us out on the water, the appetite for competition and often just the option to be on the water enjoying fresh air and sailing generally left me with a very positive feeling about how 2021 will pan out. Far from a reluctance to get out there, the pervasive attitude was positive and proactive. I hope this spirit is carried forward into 2021. Sailing wise, I got over to Howth for the midweek series running over there. DBSC, as always, was well supported, as was the ISORA series. One design racing for me was restricted to the J80 Nationals in Dun Laoghaire. As for minimal events, I managed to get some socially distanced Fast 40 sailing in the UK, including around the Isle of Wight race with just 6 of us onboard; that was busy! Near the end of the year, we managed to get one regatta sailed on the Club Swan 50, but all in all, the international regatta calendar was a washout this year. In June, I also took ownership of the North Sails Ireland sail service operation from Richard Marshall. The support I have received so far from North Sails clients has been truly amazing, and I am very grateful for that. As a new start-up business in the current pandemic, I did not expect such a positive response, but we are fully up and running now and getting a great response so far. We are looking forward to working with existing and new clients in 2021 and are standing by to help with all your sail care needs, so please get in touch and get prepped for a busy 2021. Fingers crossed! Nieulargo takes the winning gun overall in the Fastnet 450 Chris Power Smith and his J122 team take line honours in the Fastnet 450 Denis & Annamarie Murphy overall winners Fastnet 450 READ MORE

NEW LIFE WITH NEW SAILS Customer Spotlight: Matthew Henderson Local North Sails expert Drew Mitchell sat down with Matthew Henderson, owner of C&C 29 MK2 Mariah, to discuss her new sails and the impact they've had. In the last 18 months you have purchased a full set of upwind and downwind sails off North Sails for Mariah. Why did you choose North Sails over other sail makers and how was the experience? North Sails and Drew Mitchell were recommended to me by Dave M on Boondoggle (J/160). Being my first set of sails on my first boat (which I had only owned for a year) I was still figuring out what I wanted from new sails and how I was going to be using the boat long term. Drew helped explain some materials, construction, PHRF size limits, battens, etc. rather than just turn around a quote like some others and it earned my business. I was very happy with the upwind sails and chose North again for two new kites a few months later. I’m very happy with the new sails and the difference they make. With the current state of the world people are sailing with less crew. You are a racer/cruiser that is usually sailing short handed, how have you set up your boat differently than say a full time racer/cruiser that sails with a full crew? Fortunately the boat was well setup for singlehanded sailing when I bought it: Nice 40 speed Andersen self-tailors, traveller and mainsheet easy to reach from the wheel, and all control lines led aft. Being a bit of a tender boat I’ve focused a lot on mainsail control. I’ve added temporary means to add tension to the babystay, added a Cunningham, and led the Vang aft to the cabintop. I’ve also focused on sheet leads with inhaulers, barberhaulers, and tweakers to get a bit more out of the sails I’ve got up and avoid a peel. When switching from cruising to racing does much change on the boat? If I happen to have some casual crew I tend to do very little. If I’m single-handing or with crew that cares I give the bottom a scrub and unload everything I can: 200ft of anchor chain and the primary anchor, the two 10lb propane bottles, crab traps, cockpit cushions, tools, spares, 600ft of stern line, barbeque… the list goes on. I follow you on instagram and it seems like you are out on the water all time. How many days have you got out this year and how do you manage to get out so often? As of November 8th I’ve been off the dock 102 days this year with 400 hours underway. 65 days were single-handed. With working remotely all spring/summer using the boat just became habitual with every sunset sail after work, morning coffee on the hook, and hoist of the sails reinforcing it. There’s plenty of daylight after work all summer and the Espar works well when it’s cold. I can’t understand why marina’s aren’t empty every weekend. What was your longest trip this year and where did you go? What is your favorite part about cruising in the PNW? I had three big trips this year; 10 days in Desolation in early July and 10 & 20 day trips throughout the Gulf Islands. Swimming in the dark with phosphorescence glittering over my entire body is definitely a favourite. What was your favorite cruising moment this year? The dinghy shenanigans were certainly memorable. Took the 8ft inflatable through some 10kt rapids in Von Donop Inlet and got four dinghies lashed together up on plane just to name a couple. What races have you done this year and what is your favorite part about sailboat racing? I did the unofficial round Bowen, Great Gambier Gallivant, Big Breakfast Bonanza, RNSA, Jack & Jill, and a couple other unofficial laps. I enjoy comparing my skills and boat performance to everyone else and learning as much as I can. Learning all of the local tactics with respect to tides and winds helps me stay sailing while cruising longer and get to my destinations faster. Every sailboat owner is always working on his/her boat. Do you have any projects on the go or planned for the near future for Mariah? I’m hoping to replace all of my running rigging over the winter with some higher tech stuff, I’ve got new clutches and deck organizers to install, new v-berth hatch to install, a transmission to rebuild, and some lights I want to replace. If you had a choice of any racer/cruiser to race and cruise in the PNW which boat would you choose and why? I’ve had a big crush on the J/112e lately. Modern rig and sail inventory, great performance uphill and downhill, moves in light air, it isn’t trying to be a floating apartment, and I’d be happy to take it to Hawaii and back if I can get the time away from work. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS EXPANDS SERVICE NETWORK IN GERMANY Fehmarn & Wilhelmshaven Added to the Roster of Certified Service Lofts North Sails is committed to providing its customers with high-quality service, professional repairs, and maintenance on-site at any time or place. Through two new locations in Fehmarn and Wilhelmshaven, we have gained further experienced partners. “We are looking forward to the cooperation and are sure that we have found an optimal extension of our distribution network in Germany with both locations,” comments Stefan Matschuck, Sales Manager of North Sails Germany. NORTH SAILS FEHMARN Coast Sails is partnering with North Sails to provide a Certified Service presence in the north-east of Germany. Since 2015, the team of sailmakers at Coast Sails provide expertise in sail and tarpaulin repairs, rigging, and yacht services. “With North Sails on Fehmarn, we are creating more proximity to our customers in the north-east by offering them an even more comprehensive sailing service directly on-site”, reports Stefan. Managing Director of Coast Sails, Martin Jannsen, holds the 2011 X-99 World Championship title and sailed as part of the Heizkörper Match Race Team; currently the best German team in the world ranking. “The incentive of first-class customer service connects Coast Sails with North Sails,” Jannsen explains. “North Sails is a market leader in technology, logistics, and quality. In the first years of my self-employment, I learned how important it is to have strong and reliable partners who share the same goals. In North Sails, I have found this partner”. NORTH SAILS WILHELMSHAVEN Jade Yachting and North Sails have partnered to provide another experienced and professional service location in Wilhelmshaven. “At North Sails, the international network of experts and the broad range of knowledge is a huge advantage. Together with the innovative ideas for the cruising sector, we are able to offer our customers tailor-made products,”, comments Jade Yachting Managing Directors, Tobias Schadewaldt and Hendrik Kohrs. READ MORE

SKIMMELSVAMP, JORDSLAG OG MUG PÅ SEJL Hvad gør man 📸 Michael Egan / Egan Images Vores Gør Det Selv guide til sejlpleje gælder kun traditionelle dug og laminater. 3Di er en komposit teknologi og ikke et laminat sejl!. For information om pleje af 3Di-sejl, se artiklen Sail Maintenance. Her er, hvad du har brug for at vide når traditionel sejldug er blevet jordslået. Jordslåede sejl. Der er mange gæt på, hvorfor nogle sejl bliver mere jordslåede end andre, men desværre ikke så meget fakta. Tre ting vi ved: Skimmelsvamp, jordslag og mug er ikke et strukturelt problem i sejlet. Skimmelsvamp, jordslag og mug ser grimt ud. Det er ikke rart at se på sine sejl, når de har sorte pletter. Et par ting vi har observeret på sejl, der er og ikke er blevet angrebet af jordslag: Sejl i varme fugtige områder er i høj grad udsatte for at få skimmelsvamp, jordslag og mug. Det ser ud til at hjælpe, hvis man forsøger at holde sejlet tørt. Ved for eksempel at tage en kort sejltur for at lufte en fugtig rullegenua, især hvis du ikke skal bruge båden i en længere periode, og din sidste sejltur involverede en masse regn og skumsprøjt. Saltvandrester tørrer langsommere end ferskvand, så saltvandets fugtighed er værre end ferskvandets fugtighed. Områder med mere luftforurening eller pollen har tendens til at give flere problemer med jordslag og mug. Laminerede sejl er mere modtagelige for skimmelsvamp, jordslag og mug end vævede Dacron-sejl. Rengøring af skimmelsvamp, jordslag og mug Sejldugsproducenter har gennem tiden udviklet forskellige kemiske behandlinger for at hæmme vækst af skimmelsvamp, jordslag og mug når dugen produceres. Det er dog en fin balance da folk helst ikke skal blive syge af kemien, derfor er den nuværende løsning ikke perfekt, hvilket betyder at problemet ikke er helt forsvundet. Skimmelsvamp, jordslag og mug på overfladen kan renses af sejlet med en fortyndet Rodalon-opløsning. Men når skimmelsvampen kryber ind mellem lagene af stof, skal sejlene sendes til industriel rengøring. For mere information, se artiklen Vask af sejl fra A-Z Det er vores erfaring at når først et sejl får skimmelsvamp, vil det altid have skimmelsvamp. Et godt rengøringsmiddel kan reducere de sorte pletter, men hvis båden forbliver i det samme område, hvor skimmelsvampen opstod, er det desværre oftest kun et spørgsmål om tid, før de bliver sorte igen. Hvordan undgår man skimmelsvamp og mug Luft dine sejl regelmæssigt, især efter en regnvejrsdag. Soltørring fungerer rigtigt godt, men for meget sol kan give UV-skader. Læg ikke sejlene væk mens de er fugtige eller fulde af salt. Saltet tiltrækker og bevarer fugt. Opbevar sejlene tørt. Hvis du ikke bruger din båd i mere end en uge eller to, skal du tage sejlet af riggen og opbevare dem tørt eller sørge for at nogen “lufter” dem med jævne mellemrum. Hvis skimmelsvamp opstår Behandl jordslaget så hurtigt som muligt. Jordslag og mugpletter er lettere at behandle, når de er nye, relativt små og tæt på overfladen. Hold jordslags- og muginficerede sejl adskilt fra de rene sejl da jordslag og mug desværre “smitter” Den mest populære fungicid er Rodalon, der sælges i en opløsning specifikt til bekæmpelse af skimmel og mug. BRUG ALDRIG KLORIN UNDER NOGEN OMSTÆNDIGHEDER! Ved dybtliggende pletter nedsænkes pletten i et fungicid i 12 timer eller mere. En høj koncentration er ikke nødvendig. Ingen skrubning af overfladen vil kunne gøre, hvad en god gennemblødning kan. Brug aldrig blegemidler! Klorin kan forårsage skader på langt sigt. Hvis mugpletten ikke kan fjernes ved ovenstående behandlinger, er der desværre ikke meget mere du kan gøre. Yderligere behandlinger kan forårsage skade på sejlet. Scotchguard® og lignende vandafvisende midler har ikke vist sig at hverken dræbe eller forhindre skimmelsvamp. Lysol® husholdnings desinfektionsmiddel er et effektivt fungicid og hæmmer udviklingen af skimmelsvamp. Nogle sundheds- og miljøstyrelser forbyder brugen af stærkere fungicider. Alt, hvad du bruger til at dræbe eller fjerne skimmelsvamp, vaskes eller slides væk på relativt kort tid. North NorLam™ dug bliver behandlet med det kraftigste kommercielle fungicid, der er tilladt. Det er 100% effektivt under laboratorieforhold, men alligevel påviseligt mindre effektivt i den virkelige verden. Slutteligt om skimmelsvamp: Det er ikke nogen hemmelighed, at skimmelsvamp vokser på sejl. Selvom vi ikke helt forstår det og ikke har mange gode råd til forebyggelse og udbedrelse, er det her, hvad vi ved, og hvad du bør vide, når du håndterer problemet med skimmelsvamp. Skimmelsvamp er en svamp. Ligesom andre svampe vokser den bedst under fugtige forhold og trives ikke i dagslys. Skimmelsvamp trives i alle slags klimaer, både de varmeste og de koldeste. Skimmelsvamp lever af mikroskopiske organismer, som det får fra luften, vandet eller sejlets overflade. Skimmelsvamp dannes på moderne syntetisk sejldug, inklusive lim og andre klæbemidler, overflader, film osv., Men forårsager ikke strukturelle skader. Skimmelsvamp påvirker ikke sejldugens ydeevne, så det er udelukkende det kosmetiske og æstetiske udseende, som tager skade. Skimmelsvamp kan vokse på ankerliner og fortøjningsliner, skøder og sejlcovers, dodgers, cockpitpuder, madrasser, skotter osv. Skimmelsvampesporer bæres i luften, især i regnvand, og overføres let ved kontakt. READ MORE

VASK AF SEJL FRA A-Z Vores team af sejlmagere fortæller dig alt, hvad du behøver at vide om sejlvask Vi får ofte spørgsmålet: 'hvordan vasker jeg mine sejl' og 'hvordan får jeg mine sejl til at se ud som nye igen'. Det korte svar er (ikke overraskende), at få dine sejl vasket. De tre vigtigste fordele ved sejlvask er: Hvidere sejl Renere sejl Forlænget holdbarhed Sejl ser altid lysere og nyere ud efter vask. Selve sejlet er renere, da snavs fjernes under processen. Resultatet er forlænget holdbarhed på dit sejl, fordi du slipper af med mug og skimmelsvamp, som dermed ikke nedbryder sejlet. Selve processen er ret enkel og tager cirka en uge fra start til slut, inden vi gennemfører vores 10-punkts service inspektion. Ud over sejl, har vi også mulighed for at vaske bompresenninger, sprayhoods og andet kanvas. Prissætningen er baseret på størrelsen på dit sejl. Lad os repetere! Hvad kan en sejlvask fjerne? Insekter Snavs Salt Oliepletter, Mug og skimmelsvamp kan oftest fjernes, men i 100% rent bliver det desværre ikke. Kan man vaske 3Di? Ja. Som alt andet, der er i kontakt med saltvand, kan 3Di-sejl skylles med ferskvand og tørres inden opbevaring. Hvilke materialer er enkle at vaske? Dacron Kanvas Hvilke materialer skal man være forsigtige med at vask. Laminat sejl bør spørge sin sejlmager til råds, hvis sejlet kræver mere end blot fersk vand for at blive rent. 3Di er ikke et laminat sejl Hvordan fungerer prissætningen? Størrelse på sejlet Forlig x Fod /2 Se flere tjenester, der tilbydes af dit North Sails certificerede serviceteam! READ MORE

Stipanović i Bilić 4. na Europskom za Stelle Foto: ISCYRA Facebook Od 28. listopada, pa do 1. studenog na sjevernom kraju jezera Garda jedrilo se Europsko prvenstvo klase Zvijezda. Nažalost, zbog raznoraznih blokada proglašenih u mnogim državama po Europi broj natjecatelja nije bio reprezentativan, ali u ovom slučaju najvažnije je bilo da se tradicija održi, a to je organizatorima pošlo za rukom uz podršku osamnaest posada iz devet Europskih zemalja i Argentine. Administracijski dani, rezervirani za premjeravanja i registraciju bili su srijeda i četvrtak, 28. i 29. listopada, a jedrenje je bilo na rasporedu od petka do nedjelje. Ukupno se odjedrilo 7 plovova po laganim i umjerenim vjetrovima, a jedini hrvatski predstavnici, posada Tonči Stipanović i Tudor Bilić zauzeli su izvrsno 4. mjesto! Na kraju ih je samo pet bodova dijelilo od postolja na kojem su završile posade s 21, 23 i 24 boda. Kao što se analizom rezultata može vidjeti, prvih 6-7 posada jedrilo je prilično stabilno i uglavnom su oni između sebe podijelili mjesta u top 10. Jednako tako je i naša posada osvajala dosta dobre rezultate i jedino su u prvom plovu bili lošiji od 10. mjesta. S obzirom na broj odjedrenih regata taj rezultat su na kraju mogli odbaciti, ali tijekom prva dva dana malo im je kvario rezultatsku sliku. Inače je ista ova lokacija bila poprištem Europskog prvenstva klase godinu ranije kad je na njemu jedrilo 80 posada, a ponovne organizacije se klub Fraglia della Vella Riva uhvatio jer se ovogodišnje EP na planiranoj lokaciji otkazalo. Domaćini su trebali biti jedriličari iz Stockholma, ali je procijenjeno da je epidemiološka situacija u talijanskim Alpama dosta povoljnija i da će regata imati bolji odaziv ako se održi u Italiji. Brojevi s kojima se pred regatu baratalo najavljivali su sudjelovanje tridesetak posada, ali kako su pojedine države krenule s mjerama zbog očekivanog jesenskog vala Korone, broj je spao na spomenutih 18. U petak, prvog dana regate odjedrila su se dva plova po laganim uvjetima dijametralno suprotnih vjetrova. Prvo se jedrilo po sjevercu od desetak čvorova, a drugi plov po laganoj verziji Ore, lokalnog poslijepodnevnog vjetra koji ovog puta nije prelazio 8-10 čvorova. Tonči i Tudor su dojam 12. mjesta iz prvog plova u drugom poboljšali s finišem na drugom i kraj dana su dočekali kao četveroplasirani s jednakim brojem bodova kao i trećeplasirana posada iz Argentine koja je za kormilom imala jednu dizajnersku legendu Juana Kouyoumdjiana. Idućeg dana odjedrena također su odjedrena dva plova. Ovog puta naši momci nisu dozvolili da im se desi kiks iz prvog plova i regatu otvaraju s 3. mjestom, dok u četvrtom plovu kroz cilj prolaze na sedmom mjestu. Stvarno im se ne može ništa zamjeriti s obzirom da je riječ o stvarno solidnom prosjeku, ali još četiri posade su odjedrile regatu na jednako dobrom nivou i na kraju je bodovna situacija bila krajnje napeta. Osim prvoplasirane švicarsko-portugalska posade Eckert-Melo, koja je i drugi dan završila kao vodeća s 5 bodova, drugoplasirani Austrijanci imaju 11, zatim Argentinci, Nijemci i naši sa po 12 bodova i najbolja talijanska posada s 13 bodova. Primjenom pravila broja boljih mjesta i boljeg plasmana u posljednjem plovu naši su najlošije plasirani u skupini od 12 bodova i na spavanje odlaze kao 5. u generalnom plasmanu. Pretposljednji dan regate Regatni odbor je organizirao još dva plova. Tonči i Tudor su i dalje u dobroj formi. Jedrilo se po jakom sjevercu i dan otvaraju s petim, a zatvaraju ga s još jednim drugim mjestom. U odnosu na konkurenciju bili su koncentriraniji i subotnja jedrenja završavaju na trećem mjestu s dva boda razlike od drugoplasiranih Austrijanaca. I za kraj, u nedjelju 1. studenog, odjedrio se još samo jedan plov. Zanimljivo je da su do tada vodeći uglavnom lošije jedrili nego prethodnih dana, a da su profitirale posade iz, može se reći, drugog plana. Jedini iz liderske skupine koji su ponovili dobro jedrenje su bili Talijani Negri i Lambertenghi koji su od 4. plova bili u neprekinutom nizu pobjeda i drugih mjesta. Naš dvojac nažalost upisuje plasman na desetom mjestu i taj bodovni teret ih udaljava na korak do medalje. Foto: ISCYRA Facebook Bilo nam je baš lijepo. Sedam dana smo jedrili svaki dan, tako da smo stvarno zadovoljni što smo uspjeli izdvojiti taj tjedan ranije da osjetimo brod i da budemo koncentrirani isključivo na Stellu. Tako da je ukupni dojam stvarno dobar iako je četvrto mjesto nekako najgore... Stvarno smo davali maksimum. Bilo je i dosta grešaka... vožnja u krmu je totalno drugačija i ja sam imao nekoliko krivih procjena, tako da smo tu prosuli nekoliko bodova. Ponovno smo u odnosu na konkurenciju bili slabiji po pitanju opreme. To je bila ekipa koja je totalno nabrijana. Imaju brodove ne starije od tri godine, a na svaku regatu dođu s novim jedrima! Dok smo mi jedrili s brodom iz 2008. i glavnim jedrom starim tri godine. Jedino smo flok imali novi i to se moram zahvaliti Marku Marinoviću koji nas je počastio s njim i to nas je stvarno spasilo. Da nismo imali taj flok i da smo jedrili s našim starim ne bi sigurno bili ovako dobri. Na kraju kad se sve zbroji i oduzme mislim da je ovo stvarno bio maksimum koji smo mogli pružiti i ono što je dobro je to da smo se doma vratili s još većim željama i ambicijama za jedrenje u ovoj klasi, a prvi korak nam je da se bolje opremimo za slijedeću regatu. A što se vremena na regati tiče, jedrili smo uglavnom kroz jutro i nije baš da su bili lagani vjetrovi. Puhalo je nešto slično našoj buri i vjetra je bilo čak i do 16-17 čvorova. Jedino smo jednu regatu odjedrili po Ori i tada je puhalo 7-8 čvorova. Tako da je na kraju bila vitraška regata. Tonči Stipanović, kormilar Prva iduća regata koju planira ova posada je Europsko prvenstvo koje se treba jedriti u Splitu. Međutim, Stipanović će tada biti maksimalno fokusiran na Olimpijadu u Tokiju, pa će Bilić najvjeroajtnije morat pronaći drugog kormilara za tu regatu. Možda će čitateljima biti zanimljiva još jedna uloga Argentinskog dizajnera Kouyoumdjiana u svijetu klase Zvijezda. On je ovog puta jedrio na trupu čiji je on bio dizajner. To je malo drugačiji brod od dosadašnjih. Jarbol ne ide u trup do dna kokpita, nego je "mast track", što je novost u klasi i niti jedna od ostalih na regati nije imala taj sistem. U svom dizajnu iskoristio je sve što nije striktno zabranjeno u pravilima, ali određen broj jedriličara počeo je protestirati protiv tih noviteta, pa će ove promjene vrlo vjerojatno završiti na službenom očitovanju vodstva klase. READ MORE

AS THE FLEET SET OFF Vendée Globe 2020 – Episode 7 “We know when we are departing, but we do not know when we will return,” recalls Loïck Peyron in this seventh and last episode of our Vendée Globe video series. Although an absent crowd marked the 9th edition’s departure, emotions ran high on Sunday, November 8th. Each skipper acknowledges the incredible magnitude of this race: their story, their challenge, their competition, but also the team, sponsor, and the public with whom they will share their adventure that is full of moments of joy or sadness. Because completing the Vendée Globe remains an incredible achievement, the arrival home to the Sables d’Olonne after three months at sea is a moment as emotional as the start. READ MORE

Sustav jedrenja bio je klasičan. Prvo su se jedrile kvalifikacije, nakon kojih su se trebala jedriti finalna jedrenja, a cijela flota bila je podijeljena u pet skupina. READ MORE

CRACKER GAINS PERFORMANCE BOOST WITH 3Di RAW 330 Local Sailing Team Embraces the Power of their New Wardrobe 📸 Robert Bateman Photography Denis Byrne’s Trapper T250, Cracker, was built in the early 1980s in England. Not only is she nearly 40 years old, but she’s also the smallest boat on the starting line in the local racing fleet at the Royal Cork Yacht Club in Ireland. Now she’s winning races, thanks to her new sail inventory. It all started in 2018 when Denis decided to upgrade his sails to be more competitive. “Denis was looking for high-performance club racing sails, said North Sail expert Nigel Young. “He bought the first part of his inventory in January of 2018 and has had nothing but great results.” In 2019, Cracker won the Royal Cork Yacht Club’s club boat of the year award. “It is unusual for a small boat like Cracker to win such an award in the biggest yacht club in the country,” said a proud Denis. In 2020 with the same inventory, he’s continued his winning streak. Cracker took her class first and the overall win in the annual Cove to Blackrock Race, winning the coveted Moonduster trophy. Winning the Moonduster trophy against much bigger competition was a real thrill for Denis. “It’s a lovely trophy dating back 20-some years. The Moonduster is arguably the most famous boat built in Cork Harbor and won the Round Ireland race a number of times, setting the official record at the time. It’s special to win a trophy like this.” Denis is the third owner of Cracker and hasn’t made any changes to the hull—though the boat did come with a brand new mast. “She’s still the same color; all I’ve done is add new sails. The entire boat concept is modern for its age. It is quite different from many of the other boats built in the 80s. It’s well suited for IRC racing.” Cracker’s Winning Inventory Cracker is equipped with a 3Di RAW 330 mainsail, 145% #1 genoa, a #3 blade headsail with battens, and a Contender SK75 symmetrical spinnaker. Denis is pleased with how much of an impact his new 3Di RAW 145% genoa makes. “When the boat gets going, especially in relatively flat water and breeze– wow, is she powerful! Even when the breeze picks up into the 15-17 knot range, we can still carry it with confidence, and the boat goes like a train. It is effortless to trim. The larger boats would step down to a #2, and we could easily carry our #1 longer and still be competitive.” Cracker’s new mainsail has excellent shape. Denis adds, “We took Nigel’s recommendation to move to a slightly bigger roach and larger sail. The shape is just beautiful. It brought up the handicap, but that paid off in terms of overall boat speed without question.” “Comparing 3Di to standard sail materials, 3Di is easier to trim. Before, I found it tricky to visualize the sail’s shape at the top-end when trying to distinguish the draft and how that relates best with sail controls, like the cunningham. Now it is much easier to see, and the sail looks cleaner. It’s easier to tell what you need more of, whether it’s vang, cunningham, outhaul, etc. What I like about 3Di is that it’s one solid piece with no joints. The sail is smooth and clean, and as a result, easier to trim.” Denis says the sails make sailing easier, and he also loves the fact that they are easy to maintain. “They aren’t heavy. They can take a lot of punishment. They are durable. I was pleasantly surprised when the mainsail arrived; it was very light.” “Nigel designed us a symmetrical spinnaker that was slightly larger than the one that came with the boat,” Denis explains. “It’s a general all-purpose and really pulls us forward and reaches effectively. I didn’t want to carry multiple kites because the boat is so small, and we don’t have a large crew for sail changes. The AP symmetrical Nigel provided us is all we’ve needed, all season long.” Cracker’s new symmetrical spinnaker in North Design Suite The Value of North Sails Expertise “Nigel has sailed with us quite a bit. He showed us how to trim and how to adjust our settings according to condition changes. It wasn’t just about selling me sails and me going on my way. He has worked with us during regattas and in between, helping us fine-tune and better our maneuvers. Techniques for sailing with less crew and even better hoisting methods, dropping and packing the spinnaker. It’s the entire package of support we’ve received, not just sails.” With no previous sailmaker experience, Denis was impressed with how things came to be. “Nigel was straightforward. He sold me a product that was right for my boat. He didn’t try to oversell me on a different product; he said, ‘this sail would be the right fit for your size boat and the loads on the rig.’ I am thrilled with my decision, and it’s nice to know Nigel had my best interest at heart. I am looking forward to a new race season in 2021.” The Crew Cracker typically sails with four crew, though in under 12 knots, Denis says three is fine. “Five would be a lot. Any more than five would be a crowd! We carry just what we need, and we get around the corners just fine.” Cracker’s crew is composed of a variety of experience levels. “What’s great is that everyone can understand what Nigel is saying,” says Denis. “And he was happy to spend the time, not just with the more experienced crew members, but with everyone, providing tips and tricks to make things flow. Many people you meet in the sailing world have jargon or terminology that can go right over your head if you are not used to it. Nigel speaks a language we can all understand. Nothing flowery; how he describes things makes it easy for everyone to pick up on.” From us at North Sails, we wish Denis and the Cracker team the best of luck! READ MORE

WANT TO JOIN OUR CREW? North Sails in Toronto is Hiring! Would you like to work in a fun, fast paced environment with the Worldwide leader in sailmaking? North Sails in Toronto is looking for a Service Advisor/Sailmaker. Since 1957, North Sails has led the sailmaking industry with our cutting-edge technology and knowledgeable staff. Key Responsibilities include: Interacting with customers, greeting customers, reviewing repairs, quoting of work to be done Managing inventory, purchase orders, shipping and receiving for the service department Must be comfortable driving a service van and attending events on weekends and evenings Communication with customers as a service advisor Providing quotes, organizing pickups and deliveries in a fast-paced environment Job Type: Full time / $20 per hour / Starts December 1st, 2020 Experience: Experience with commonly used software platforms Proficient writing skills Familiar with sailing terminology Experience in customer service Energetic, positive attitude, team-oriented High school or equivalent education Ability to lift 50 lbs Tech savvy Valid G drivers license Speaks English Not required, but ideal: Familiarity with AX Dynamic system Sailing experience Sewing experience Speaks French If you are interested in this position, please send your resume to: toronto@northsails.com READ MORE

THE FUN STARTS NOW Today We Switch from Race Prep to Tracking the Vendée Globe 2020. Who’s With Us? 🙋🏼‍♀️ 📸 Olivier Blanchet/Alea Thirty-three skippers have set off on their around-the-world, non-stop, solo, and without assistance adventure. Departing from Les Sables-d’Olonne, the Vendée Globe 2020 fleet will travel 40,075 km over three months. The competition will be intense. The favorites will be vying to be the first to finish and attempting to beat a record of 74 days, 3 hours, 35 minutes, 46 seconds set by Banque Populaire VIII’s Armel Le Cléac’h, winner of the 2016 Vendée Globe. While winning the Vendée is the ultimate honor, the race is a relentless experience, and completing the course is considered an extraordinary accomplishment. North Sails powers 22 IMOCAs competing in the 9th edition of the race. The Vendée requires skippers to push themselves and their gear to the most extreme limits. We’re proud these 22 programs have chosen North 3Di to deliver the reliability this race demands. If you’re anything like the North Sails team, you’ll be joining us following the race (and obsessively checking the online race tracker!). Below is a cheat sheet of links we’ll be bookmarking. VENDÉE GLOBE RACE TRACKER OFFICIAL RACE CHANNELS: Leaderboard / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / YouTube PRESS PLAY North Sails teamed up with Loïck Peyron and polaRYSE to create a seven-part video series to celebrate the Vendée Globe 2020. Peyron joins North Sails to lend his voice as our narrator and offers his perspective on this legendary race by telling the story of the exceptional skippers who dare take on the challenge, the passion that drives them, and the quest for open-ocean adventure. Beyond, the modern Vendée features the emergence of women and international sailors, the ever-evolving technology of the IMOCA, not to mention the growing enthusiasm amongst spectators and all those who are passionate about this unrivaled competition. The first six episodes are on YouTube now. Episode 7 will feature footage for the start and drops later this week. READ MORE

THE IMOCA ENGINE ABOVE DECK Vendée Globe 2020 – Episode 6 Among the 33 skippers who will be advancing tomorrow, Sunday, November 8th, from Sables-d’Olonne at 13:02 CET, 22 are equipped with North Sails 3Di, (17 have a full inventory and 5 have a partial inventory). Onboard their IMOCA, the skippers will cover 40,075 km, which will take up to three months to reach the finish line. Episode 6 of our Vendée Globe video series drops just in time for the start of this around-the-world adventure. In this episode, we have a masterclass on the sails that power the super-charged IMOCAs. Charal skipper Jérémie Beyou, and PRB skipper Kevin Escoffier join North sail designers Quentin Ponroy and Yann Andrillon on the evolution of sails and what it takes to outfit the latest generation foiler. READ MORE

CRUISING ADVENTURES: WALLACE ISLAND Explore Your Own Backyard Avid sailor and office manager for the Vancouver loft of North Sails, Sarah Unwin shares one of her favourite cruising spots in British Columbia, Wallace Island. My husband and I race and cruise on a Spencer 34 named Coho. As we are all doing more exploring in our own backyards this year my Husband, James, and I have been exploring new anchorages. We added a day to the Canada Day long weekend and decided to go to Wallace Island which is located in Trincomali Channel and was originally a resort, some of which is still standing today. We sailed from Vancouver to Silva Bay on Gabriola for the night then caught the tide through Gabriola Pass and caught a great beam reach run down Trincomali Channel. Wallace Island offers excellent walking and camping that is accessible from the Saltspring Island Government dock by kayak, water taxi or private boat. We chose anchored in the smaller of the accessible coves that are deep enough for sailboats, Conover Cove, where the government dock is located. We spent the day exploring most of the island trails, all of the coves and swimming. Conover Cove is also home to an old cabin where visitors can leave placards with their boat names and where they are from, so bring along some driftwood and art supplies. When we came back from exploring there was beautiful acoustic guitar music playing in the cove, we thought someone had a great sound system, as it turns out we were treated to an amazing on water concert after dinner. Conover Cove is shallow and you need to navigate reefs at the entrance so what your tides and charts. We truly enjoyed our time on Wallace Island and will be back, I highly recommend packing walking shoes and visiting some of the coves for an afternoon picnic and swim. READ MORE

SALON NAUTIQUE VIRTUEL : 12 - 19 NOVEMBRE 2020 Votre équipe North Sails est heureuse de vous présenter sa nouvelle plateforme en ligne permettant de se connecter en direct par vidéoconférence avec l’un de nos conseillers : "en direct avec un expert" et se réjouit de vous rencontrer virtuellement, en toute sécurité, pour répondre à vos questions, programmer un essai, ou vous faire découvrir nos nouveautés. Rendez-vous virtuels Avec l'annulation du Salon Nautique du Léman, nous ne pourrons pas vous rencontrer en personne, mais nous nous réjouissons d'échanger en ligne sur nos dernières gammes de produits, notre technologie et notre service. Et, bonne nouvelle, les promotions flash "spéciales salon" sont d'actualité du 12 au 19 novembre 2020 ! Offres spéciales salon Du jeudi 12 au jeudi 19 novembre 2020, votre équipe North Sails vous fait profiter de remises exceptionnelles. Prenez un rendez-vous virtuel ! Comment prendre rendez-vous ? Comment prendre rendez-vous avec un expert via Zoom ? - Cliquez sur le lien ci-dessous - Choisissez la plage horaire qui vous convient le mieux - Réservez votre rendez-vous avec l'un de nos experts EN DIRECT AVEC UN EXPERT Voilerie fermée au public Sur décision du Conseil d'État de Genève, la voilerie est physiquement fermée au public jusqu'au 29 novembre, mais nous restons opérationnels pour vous servir au mieux. Nos collaborateurs sont à votre disposition par téléphone, WhatApp, email ou vidéoconférence, afin d'organiser votre hivernage ou de discuter de nos derniers produits. Nous espérons vous revoir en personne au plus vite, sur l'eau ou à la voilerie. D'ici là, prenez soin de vous et de vos proches ! Votre équipe North Sails Suisse READ MORE

NORTH SAILS MNR OPTIMIST SAILS UPWIND QUICK TIP Sprit Tension is The Key In lighter wind the clew-masthead crease is very well defined. This is max crease ease. When you think about it, your Optimist sail has a really big job to do; it has to have a great shape in really light wind, when most sailors wish they wouldn’t run a race, and it has to also hold its shape all way to 20 knots +, when some other sailors wish they wouldn’t run a race. The North MNR sail can handle it and is very dynamic. It is designed to excel in all wind ranges, but you have to help it by following the cues and tuning guide as you sail in different conditions, and trim the sail properly. Here’s one secret: if you want to unlock your North MNR mainsail’s full potential upwind, focus hard on sprit tension. One of the big drawbacks of tight mainsheet tension upwind, especially with traditional Optimist sail designs, is that the back end of the sail, the leech, has a tendency to close down, sometimes in a vertical line right along the forward end of the battens. I liken this to the flaps on the wing of a plane being deployed to slow the plane and stall flow. Deploy flaps…. flow stalls; pull in your mainsheet too much…. leech closes off and you lose lift. This is s-l-o-w. Most sails have one sweet spot, but after that you cannot pull it in any more, and if you do… you really slow down. Here’s the good news: the MNR bi-radial sail is designed with all this in mind, and with the right sprit tension, the sail can be very fast in most all wind conditions.. To unlock its potential, follow the simple guidelines below: LIGHT WINDS (0-8 knots) Ease off the sprit halyard quite a bit. You want to clearly see wrinkles/creases coming from the clew to the top of the mast. This may look weird, but it will keep the leech open when you sheet the sail in, and will give you great pointing height. MEDIUM WINDS (9-15 knots) Here is where you need to experiment. Depending on your weight, rig, and the chop, the sprit can come in a bit, but if there is any real chop of waves at all, err on the side of slightly less tension, so you still want to see some wrinkles. In very flat water, you can pull it in so the wrinkles are barely there, and you will just point higher. In moderate wind (there were higher gusts on this day), the crease is less noticeable, but still there. HEAVY WINDS (16-20 knots) If you can keep the boat flat with the mainsheet in so that the boom is on, or slightly inside, the transom corner, feel free to tension the sprit so that the wrinkles are gone (but definitely not too tight). Once you are overpowered though, ease off just a bit to open the leech and de-power. All boats/sails/rigs/sailors are unique, so everyone should experiment and work to find what setups are fastest for you. There’s more to the story for sure, so if you are interested in learning more about your North Sails MNR sail, please don’t hesitate to contact North Sails expert Tom Sitzmann. Remember, fun is fast! READ MORE

NORTH SAILS PODIUM SWEEP AT THE INAUGURAL I-420 MID-ATLANTICS Congratulations Tommy Sitzmann & Luke Woodworth The very first International-420 Mid-Atlantic Championship was held on 17-18 October at a new, community sailing venue called The Chesapeake Experience which lies E/NE of Baltimore on the Gunpowder River; a fantastic sailing spot! Day One, Saturday 17th October – Constant Gear Shifting The fleet had to wait a bit, but the forecasted northerly came in around 11:30, and four races were run in very light conditions as well as full trapeze sailing. The key to success was constant gear shifting. Unlike an ocean venue, where many i420 regattas are sailed, this inland location threw constant wind shifts and breeze-strength changes at the sailors. Teams that quickly shifted their sail and weight trim were faster as this responsiveness allowed them to link puffs and stay in the phase for longer. Day Two, Sunday 18th October – Patience, Patience The Race Committee actively sought wind, moving the racecourse from one part of the river to another to allow two more races to be completed. These races tested the patience of every team, and the young duo of Freddie Parkin and Thomas Whidden (name sound familiar?), outperformed the fleet winning both races. This moved them up to third overall in the final results. Great fun was had by all, and an i420 training fleet is now born at this venue! Congratulations to Tommy Sitzmann and Luke Woodworth for winning the very first i420 Mid-Atlantic Championship, and Cordelia Burn and Sarah Moeder for their close second-place finish. Boats powered by North Sails dominated this event, finishing 1,2,3,4,5. Most teams used the M-9 mainsail and the J-12 jib, and there were both S-1 and S-5 spinnakers doing very well downwind. Keen to know more? Contact North Sails expert Tom Sitzmann for a full discussion and we look forward to seeing you next year! READ MORE

THE WOMEN OF THE VENDÉE GLOBE Vendée Globe 2020 – Episode 5 A record of six women are included on the 33 skipper roster for the Vendée Globe 2020. This is historic, considering only seven women have participated, and six have ever completed the race since its inception in 1989. This trend is a reflection of what we’re seeing elsewhere in sailing, as more women take on leadership positions and compete at the highest level of the sport. The IMOCA is a big boat with big gear, and female sailors bring a unique approach to solo sailing. Our fifth episode of the Vendée Globe video series features their story. Loïck Peyron is joined by Clarisse Crémer and Isabelle Joschke to discuss how these six women will approach this great adventure around the world. READ MORE

TOM WHIDDEN RECEIVES AMERICA AND THE SEA AWARD An Industry Leader, Tom has logged Extraordinary Achievements in Maritime Exploration, Competition, Scholarship, and Design which Best Exemplify the American character. Mystic Seaport Museum honored Thomas A. Whidden, President and CEO of North Technology Group, 2004 inductee into America’s Cup Hall of Fame and 2017 inductee into the National Sailing Hall of Fame, with the 2020 America and the Sea Award. The prestigious award recognizes those individuals and organizations whose extraordinary achievements in maritime exploration, competition, scholarship, and design best exemplify the American character. The award was presented at a virtual gala fundraiser on Friday, October 23, 2020. Fellow Hall of Fame Sailor and 8th America and the Sea Award Recipient Gary Jobson presented the award to Whidden at a small socially-distanced gathering of Whidden’s family and friends in the River Room of Latitude 41° Restaurant in Mystic, Connecticut, from where the event was live-streamed. Jobson shared a brief history of the America’s Cup, followed by the award presentation, commenting that Whidden has contributed two essential things to the sport of sailing:” As an industry leader, he has made sailing more efficient, with better sails that last longer and go faster…and he’s been outstanding on the racecourse.” Tom Whidden, who grew up in Connecticut and learned to sail on Long Island Sound, has had an extraordinary career both on and off the water as an accomplished tactician for Dennis Conner in eight America’s Cup campaigns, winning three, and as a revolutionary sailmaker, bringing sailmaking from the manufacturing of paneled sails in a vast network of sail lofts to the current centrally managed, technologically driven, manufacturing system. Thanks to Whidden’s remarkable vision, North Sails has become a leader in the industry, with every America’s Cup winner and every Volvo Ocean Race winner choosing to race with North Sails since 1992 and 1993, respectively. Mystic Seaport Museum President Steve White said, “Tom is a perfect fit for this award. Not only does he have a distinguished record as a competitive sailor, but he has also served as an important ambassador for the sport and the maritime community. For young sailors across the country and beyond, he has been a positive role model and mentor.” In his wonderfully modest, graceful demeanor, Whidden remarked on receiving the award, “What a wonderful honor it is to be this year’s Mystic Seaport Museum America and the Sea Award recipient. I join an amazing group of previous recipients who have made incredible contributions in so many different aspects of maritime, sailing, and ocean life. I have spent my life racing sailboats and making products that make those boats perform their best. For me to be recognized alongside other abundantly accomplished previous honorees, for doing what I most love, by the most prominent maritime Museum in the United States, is a dream come true.” The virtual event was joined by friends and supporters from Nantucket to New York to Florida to Los Angeles, and Whidden was congratulated from around the world with remarks from Jimmy Buffett; NYYC’s American Magic Skipper Terry Hutchinson in New Zealand; Sir Lindsay Owens-Jones, L’Oréal Honorary Chairman and owner of Magic Carpet 3; Peter Dubens, Managing Partner of Oakley Capital and Chairman of North Sails Technology; Christopher J. Culver, Vice Commodore, NYYC; and Jes Staley, CEO, Barclays. The virtual event generated $520,284 through sponsorships, single tickets, live and silent auctions, and a virtual paddle raise appeal. The Museum would like to express a sincere thank you to the gala committee, Board of Trustees, and the myriad supporters who gave in honor of Tom Whidden and to further the mission of Mystic Seaport Museum. Past recipients of the America and the Sea Award include American businesswoman and philanthropist Wendy Schmidt; groundbreaking America’s Cup sailor Dawn Riley, philanthropist, and environmentalist David Rockefeller, Jr.; boat designers Rod and Bob Johnstone and their company J/Boats; author and historian Nathaniel Philbrick; maritime industrialist Charles A. Robertson; Hall of Fame sailor and author Gary Jobson; WoodenBoat Publications founder Jon Wilson; former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman; oceanographer and explorer Sylvia Earle; America’s Cup sailor William Koch; President and CEO of Crowley Maritime Corporation, Thomas Crowley; historian David McCullough; and legendary yacht designer Olin J. Stephens, II. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS GLOBAL NETWORK POWERS FAMILY TEAM Class Experts + Designers From All over the World Aid Success of Annapolis Local Racing Team North Sails expert Allan Terhune has loads of experience tuning up one design keelboats, but he didn’t have any idea what would make an Italia 9.98 go fast when his in-laws first bought one of the 34-foot racer-cruisers. So he reached out to the incredible global network of North knowledge and asked his colleagues across the pond for help. The result was three wins at the first four regattas Das Boot sailed, in the very competitive Annapolis ORC fleet. “North sail designer Henrik Søderlund in Denmark had already designed a bunch of sails for these boats,” Terhune explains, adding that the five year old design has won the ORC Worlds a few times. “Rich Bowen and I were able to get a lot of good stuff right away, like the sails chart and polar numbers and tuning. If we’d started from scratch, it would’ve been six months of development.” Getting a less well-known boat up to speed was a fresh challenge. “There’s only two or three Italia 9.98s in the US right now, but we got sails that fit right from the get-go—because we have this global network, and the Europeans have done a lot more learning than we have. ” Das Boot’s very first regatta was the Leukemia Cup, a pursuit race—which they won with a family-based crew of seven. They also won an around-the-buoys regatta, and even after breaking a halyard in regatta #3, they came back to finish fifth overall. In early October, the boat won Annapolis Yacht Club’s 24-Hour Doublehanded Race, which Terhune sailed with his wife Cate. The boat’s versatile inventory starts with a 3Di ENDURANCE 760 mainsail that handles both racing and cruising. Racing headsails include a medium-light and medium-heavy jib (both 3Di RAW 780), a paneled storm jib, and a Helix Code Zero—which Terhune says is the most important sail of all. “They really nailed the sizing. Other Code Zeros are just too big, but we have sailed tighter angles with this one, which is really nice.” Downwind, there’s a choice of three spinnakers—symmetrical, A1.5, and A3—and Terhune and Cate used all of them to win the light-air 24 Hour Doublehanded. “We did so many sail changes, it was ridiculous. And a lot of fun too.” Another place Terhune says the North Sails global network really helped was suggestions for modifying the deck layout—an important piece of winning (and enjoying) shorthanded races. “Obviously the guys in Europe combined their experience with the US design in making sure everything was right; the right sails, the right tuning, and all the stuff we needed to win. We couldn’t have done it without all the advice we got from class experts within the North network.” READ MORE

CONSEJO NORTH SAILS ¿Sabías para qué son las líneas horizontales que van desde el grátil a la baluma en cualquier vela North Sails? Se llaman líneas o bandas de trimado, están dispuestas al 25, 50 y 75% del grátil, y su función principal es la de facilitar la visión de la forma de la vela en esas tres alturas. Los expertos las utilizan como referencia para escanear la forma de la vela y obtener datos analíticos que permitan sacar conclusiones sobre el trimado y las prestaciones del barco. Puedes descargarte la aplicación Sail Trim Simulator (disponible para móvil, PC y Mac) y optimizar tu navegación analizando la información que te facilitan las bandas de trimado. READ MORE

ÉXITO EN LA ROLEX MIDDLE SEA RACE La 41ª edición de la Rolex Middle Sea Race reunió a 40 barcos de 15 nacionalidades © Rolex / Kurt Arrigo La 41ª edición de la Rolex Middle Sea Race reunió a 40 barcos de 15 nacionalidades para enfrentarse al mítico circuito de 606 millas náuticas que desde Malta circunnavega Sicilia en sentido contra horario tomando como baliza de paso el volcán activo de Estrómboli. Ni la situación mundial provocada por la pandemia ni las condiciones de viento en el recorrido permitieron la consecución de ningún récord, pero la regata dejó hitos como el triunfo en tiempo real más ajustado de la historia, la del VO70 I Love Poland (el primer barco polaco que gana una regata oceánica) sobre su compatriota E1 por sólo tres minutos; o la segunda victoria absoluta consecutiva para el First 45 maltés Elusive 2 de la familia Podesta, una defensa del título que no se veía desde 1980. El Multi 70 Maserati se proclamó ganador en tiempo real en categoría multicascos. Tanto Elusive 2, como I Love Poland y Maserati equiparon velas North Sails. Desde North Sails España les felicitamos por sus resultados. READ MORE