3Di POWER FOR THE COBH TO BLACKROCK RACE

Winners of Each Class Set New Race Record

North Sails clients demonstrated the power of 3Di last weekend in the Cobh to Blackrock Race taking a clean sweep across all the classes. The top two boats in each class used 3Di upwind sails, which drove the leaders to set a new race record. Congratulations to all the winners; we are very proud to be your sail suppliers:

IRC Spinnaker 1

1st: Nieulargo - Denis & Annamarie Murphy 2nd: Miss Whiplash - Ronan Downing

IRC Spinnaker 2

1st: Cracker - Denis Byrne 2nd: Luas - Sean Hanley

White Sails

1st: Prince of Tides - Frank Caul 2nd: Magnet - Kieran O'Brien North Sails Ireland Loft Manager, Nigel Young, took part in the Blackrock Race this year for the first time, so we got his account of the race: "This year's race was a really quick one. It was my first ever Blackrock Race and I was lucky enough to be sailing with Frank Caul and John Molloy on Prince of Tides, the Grand Soleil 37 from the RCYC. Prince of Tides had the fastest elapsed time of all the classes at just 57 minutes and 18 seconds, although hard to compare with Spin 1 as we started 10 minutes after them, but even so, a great performance from the team. North Sails got involved with the Prince of Tides team in November 2019, helping them with a few key bits and pieces over the winter. Then in the spring of 2020, we added two 3Di Endurance 760 sails with a third one on the way. The old sails were very tired and it was really hard to keep the boat in the groove upwind - flat at the front and round in the back is not a great combination. The new sails mixed with the boat modifications over the winter have resulted in a complete change of performance from the boat. It is like sailing a different boat thanks to Mark Mills for his help and advice, as well as the new North sails. Back in Spinnaker 1 Class Nieulargo stuck to their winning ways and it was great to see the family sailing together and sharing the helm between sisters Molly and Mia. There is nothing better than family sailing and it's very nice to be a part of it. Congratulations to the Murphy family for another Trophy race win. Keep up the good work. Nieulargo also uses 3Di Endurance 760 sails for their upwind inventory and the race-winning sail for them this year was the Helix Xi Aramid Code Zero. Talking to Denis after the race, he said the new Zero had won the race for them. They flew the sail from the start of the Foaty Channel almost right up to the Blackrock Castle. It's one of those sails when the wind angle is right, they are unbeatable. I could not finish the report without a shout out for Denis Byrne and the mighty Trapper TS250 Cracker. Denis has been getting faster and faster in that little boat and although he could be a long way back on the water, you can never write him off from the podium! The Blackrock Race was no different this year and Denis won both Spinnaker Class 2 overall as well as the coveted Moonduster Trophy. Congratulations Denis; great work from you and your crew. For more information about North Sails unique 3Di product, please get in touch. See you on the race track!''