ONE DESIGN DEBRIEF : ROAD TO J/70 WORLDS
ONE DESIGN DEBRIEF: ROAD TO J/70 WORLDS
Experts Collaborate in Three-Day Training Session in Newport, RI
North Sails one design experts met in Newport, RI for a three-day collaboration featuring North’s exclusive two-boat testing system. Attendees brought a range of expertise, from sail experts to sail designers, augmenting the further development and advancements in sail design, techniques, tuning, and boat speed. This on-the-water convention combined the intellect and talent of the North team from all over the U.S. Strength in design has kept North Sails ahead of the curve, and their commitment to excellence enhances future performance and evolving designs within North’s J/70 product line.
“We had an awesome in-house training session last week in Newport. It was great to have our J/70 team working together to learn as much as we could. The amount this group accomplished as a team this last week is incredible. It just goes to show what a strong team can achieve when we all work together. We all got pieces from each other and I am more confident than ever that we are working together to get the most out of the boat for our customers.”
– Allan Terhune, Sales Expert, North Sails Annapolis, MD & Chicago, IL
“It was an awesome three days of two- boat J/70 testing in Newport, RI in a variety of conditions. Some of our best sail designers and sailors worked together as one to improve sail designs, rig tuning and trim techniques. I was proud to be apart of this long-term recipe of making sure our customers have the fastest sails available and the best possible trim and tuning techniques and information. Just as North Sails dominated the highly competitive J/70 Europeans winning overall, five out of the top ten and top Corinthian, our North team was at home already working to make improvements for the the upcoming World Championship in Marblehead. It’s a recipe for success.”
“It was great to get together with the North One Design team in Newport. The energy that the younger guys bring combined with the experience of the veteran sailmakers really makes for a great learning and teaching environment. When we add in the technical expertise of our designer Mike Marshall in the coach boat, we have an incredibly strong team for developing sails. Lots of ideas about sail trim, boat set-up and sail shape were thrown around and tested and we have a much more detailed understanding of our product line and how to help our customers go faster throughout the wind range. I think everyone is looking forward to testing our ideas on the racecourse this summer leading up to the world championships in Marblehead.”
“It was excellent working with some of the best J/70 sailors in the world that strive so hard to make the fastest sails in the world go even faster! The two-boat testing system ran by Mike Marshall is simply unmatched providing real time feedback about sail trim, and boat speed, while coordinating this information with real time wind analysis at the same time. The system eliminates any unknown variables and allows us to focus on exactly how the different sail designs are working separately. It’s quite astounding how educational this process is, and how any kind of doubt can be so minimized. Our technology, research, and design efforts are simply unmatched in the sailmaking world.
–Jackson Benvenutti, Sales Expert, North Sails New Orleans, LA
“It was excellent to bring together a large group of J/70 experts from the North Sails team to evaluate our sail designs. As with any class, you have to try new things in order to improve, but the high level of the team helps to narrow those ideas into the best ones which can then be evaluated on the water with the help of the Two-Boat Testing System. Lucky for us, we had perfect conditions the confirm what is the best sail for our clients for the 2018 Worlds in Marblehead.”
“We had a great session with our One Design team last week evaluating and testing sails . Using our two-boat testing system was invaluable as it gave us accurate feedback as to what was happening on the water. Sometimes with small differences in boat speed and wind shifts over the course of a test it is hard to tell decisively which boat is performing better. With the two-boat system, the answers are clear. This is really valuable when evaluating what products we have and deciding what to look at in the future.”
-Chris Snow, North Sails San Diego, CA
“What a productive week of sailing with many of our J/70 gurus, sharing ideas and looking at sails. I had the pleasure of sailing with many of them who have been on the circuit over the last few years sailing with lots of different teams. Having Mike Marshall in the powerboat running our two boat system was invaluable at confirming our current sail line up is easy to tune, trim and go fast in a wide range of conditions that we saw over the week of testing.”
-Will Welles, Sales Expert, North Sails Portsmouth, RI
