Team Hvergang, med skipper Esben Keim, rormann Trygve Leergaard, trimmer Stein Broch Olsen og fordekk Tellev Tveit seilte overbevisende gjennom hele serien og kunne endelig smykke seg meg NM-tittelen. Laget valgte for 2019 sesongen å seile med North Sails. Vi syns derfor det var interessant og ta en prat med Esben for å høre hva han mente om seilene og hvordan de trimmer for maks fart.
Foto: Morten Jensen
Intervju med Esben Keim
Dere er kanskje det laget som har lengst erfaring i Express i Norge, dere har seil sammen i hvor mange år?
Vi har seilt sammen i 20 sesonger nå, både Trygve Leergaard, Stein Broch Olsen og meg selv. Tellef Tveit kom om bord før 2018 sesongen og er superivrig etter å lære og bidra. Han har nå lært seg å se etter vind og trykk, det hjelper oss alle.
Ryktet fra NM-banen var at dere var feltets raskeste båt? Hadde dere fartsoverskudd?
Vi er veldig raske i år. Spesielt opp til 5-6 m/s. Vi har alltid vært raske opp til 2-3 m/s,nå på slutten og spesielt under NM fant vi supergearet også på litt sterkere vind. I første racet hadde vi ikke det, vi gjorde så noen grep med flytting av skjøtepunkt på fokken. Det ga veldig uttelling og vi opplevde deretter at vi hadde overskudd hele veien.
Eller var dere bare smarte?
Med 52 båter på linjen er det selvsagt viktig å være smart, det smarteste vi gjorde var å bruke en hel kveld i uken før mesterskapet på startdrill, timing og gearing av båten. Vi hadde gode starter på alle regattaene med unntak av den vi ble påseilt ca.1,5 minutter før start, da var vi på rett side av linjen, men ca 10 sekunder for sene. Vi bestemte oss umiddelbart for å seile oss fri og gikk for fri vind hele første kryss i kombinasjon med vindskift. Det traff bra og vi ble tilslutt nr. 6.
Dere brukte North Sails/Ottoson for en del år tilbake, så hadde dere en annen leverandør noen år, og fra 2019 var dere tilbake på North Sails. Hvordan opplever du de nye North Sails modellene?
Sammenlignet med tidligere North Sails/Ottosson så ser vi jo at verden er gått videre. Vi gjorde det enkelt med Ottosson seilene før; hadde stort sett samme riggsetting, alltid stramt uthal på storseil og et fast gir på fokken. Med de nye seilene får vi bedre respons på justeringene, spesielt uthal på storseil gir større effekt. Vi tror nok at disse seilene er de raskeste vi har hatt, det gir det litt ekstra som kan bety en båtlengde på en kryss, det kan være nok til å gå foran rundt toppmerket og kunne seile fritt.
Følger dere tuning guiden? Seilte dere på noe annet enn base rig-setup under NM?
Vi har ikke fulgt tuning guiden så mye. Mulig vi burde gjort det mer. Vi har stort sett valgt å konsekvent seile med ca 5-10 mm pre-benn på masten. Litt løsere setting i lite vind (sluppe ca 2 hele turn på over og undervant ut fra base setting).Det fungerer på vår rigg. Hadde vi hatt en annen mast og andre salingshorn er det ikke sikkert det ville fungert like godt. Nøkkelen for oss er pre-ben på masten.
Hva hadde dere av rake?
Vi har ikke målt dette, vi skiftet mast i 2018 og testet med samme lengde på forstag. Det viste seg at forstagsinnfestingen ikke var på samme plass og det ble for lite rake. Vi testet og justerte med sjakler og konkluderte med at vi måtte forlengemed ca. 1,5 cm (mener jeg å huske). Vi har nå lik rake med alle de andre expressene som ligger parallelt på expressbryggen i Oslo Seilforening. Det er vi fornøyd med og har ikke planer om å endre dette. Vi har ikke målt hvor mange mm det er fra mastefot og ut til møtepunktet mellom dekk og fall dersom vi slipper alt og det er vindstille.
Har dere gjort noen spesielle forberedelser med båt / mannskap. Andre punkter du tror vil være nyttig for andre Express seilere?
Skal man seile mesterskap med mange båter som i utgangspunktet går like fort (en-type), er det lurt å få gode starter. Det gir valgfrihet og muligheter for å følge en strategi (seiler der man tror vinden og strømmen er mest optimal). Bruk tid på å trene start, det gir mye mer enn å slipe kjøl i tilsvarende tid.
Hva er planene for neste år?
Neste år skal vi fortsette å seile Express. Vi håper båten lar seg reparere og bli like god igjen, det er en stor skade etter kollisjonen i NM. Vi seiler OS tirsdagsseilingen på vår og høst i 2020, det er den beste plassen for å lære og ha det moro. Så blir det spennende å se om vi kan vinne 3 færderseilaser på rad. NM Express i Kr. Sand blir jo litt «hjemmebane» for meg….. jeg kan ikke huske å ha seilt annet enn optimistjolle der…. Det blir uansett moro å teste uten bane med mye strøm, varierende og periodevis mye vind og solgangseffekt. Vihar pt ikke tatt stilling til HRW, jeg har lyst, men det er krevende å få alle til å kunne ta seg fri da.
Team Hvergang benyttet følgende Express modeller i 2019:
Upcoming Regatta Repair Schedule
North Sails Certified Service Experts will repair your sails overnight. Our Service van is on-site at select events, offering regatta venue pick-up and drop-off. Tears happen, but they shouldn’t leave you without a key piece of race inventory. Look for our North Sails Certified Service Experts at the following regattas this season. *All pickups will be 4:30-5:30pm and drop offs will be 7:30-8:00am.
NYYC ANNUAL REGATTAJune 9-10 | Sail Newport, The Alofsin Piers
BLOCK ISLAND RACE WEEKJune 17-22 | Block Island Maritime Center
SAIL NEWPORT REGATTAJuly 8 | Sail Newport, The Alofsin Piers
ORC ECC / IC37 NATIONALSJuly 14-15 | The Alofsin Piers
12M WORLDSAugust 1-4 | IYRS Pier
SAFE HARBOR RACE WEEKENDAugust 11-13 | Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard Pickup
NYYC INVITATIONALSeptember 9-16 | New York Yacht Club Harbor Court
IC37 NORTH AMERICANSOctober 6-7 | Sail Newport, The Alofsin Piers
Talk To A Service Expert
North Sails-powered TP52 Crush is victorious in the 700 nautical mile Fremantle to Exmouth Race.
David Davenport’s North Sails powered TP52 Crush has added a third race record to their long list of achievements in 2023, with the latest line honors win taken in the Fremantle Exmouth Race and Rally along Australia’s iconic western coast. North Sails Expert Andrew Harry commended the team’s efforts in the complicated race, “it was a great race for a lot of our clients. It’s the first time that the boat has done this race, and they add another race record to their names.” “Previously this year, they set a new record for the Bunbury return, which is 180nm, and the Cape Naturaliste and Return race which is 210nm, so three race records this year for the team, and all have been standing for quite some time. They won IRC overall in the race as well, which is part of our Bluewater Pointscore and secured the overall win for them this year in the series, so it’s a great win for the guys.” There was another win for North Sails customers in the long-distance race, with Alan Stein winning both the Overall PHF and Division 1 titles in his Pogo 40 called Fat Bottom Girl. “North Sails Expert Kyle Dodds onboard with Alan for the race, as he used to work in the Perth loft and sail with him before moving over to Sydney.” Andrew highlighted the development the team has worked with Alan on recently, saying, “Just three months ago, we put new sails on the boat, including all new 3Di inventory, and it really has transformed the boat. Alan’s really loving the sailing, and in this race, he won PHF, and he was fourth across the line as well. He’s stoked and really happy with the boat’s progress!” Unfortunately for Andrew and the crew on Obsession, they weren’t able to finish the race to Exmouth. “It wasn't the greatest for us, we got 100 nautical miles in and in a bare headed change, the breeze increased to about 35kts and we destroyed our headfoil, so therefore it gave the rig a bit of a shake, so we had to turn around. But the team and I all made our way up to Exmouth so we’re all here to support the rest of the fleet as they come in!” commented Andrew. “The first six hours of the race was really fresh, with easterly breezes between 18 to 38 knots, giving the fleet great power reaching conditions straight up the coast. As they got further north, there were a lot of shutdowns in the breeze, and it got a little trickier and more complex tactically. There was some great sailing going on out there, and everyone had fun with a big smile on their face as they arrived, so all in all, a successful race!” “It’s a great race. It's only the third time it’s been run, so over the last 30 years, it’s typically a long-distance race with a 1500nm around Bali, but as things changed over the past few years, it got moved to the beautiful Exmouth.” See full results from the 2023 Fremantle to Exmouth Race and Rally here.
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Fun For Sailors Of All Ages
The Dutch Shoe Marathon is almost a 5-mile race, a long-distance race in the world of 8-foot dinghies. The race starts in between San Diego and Southwestern Yacht Clubs and finishes at the Coronado Yacht Club. Every year almost 200 jr and sr. sailors come to race this fun race. For most of the Jr. sailors ,this will be a challenging and difficult race to complete. We asked rockstar coach Jon Rogers and last year's winner Ronan Servais for some tips.
How do you help prepare competitors for a race like the Dutch Shoe?
It's a long race. The first thing I do is to remember that it is as much an experience as it is a race. I triple check everything during the week before to try and ensure nothing breaks. I also check the weather forecast and tide so that I know what point of sail I will be on mostly on.
Why do you like the T6 mainsail?
The T6 is a good sail to cover all the conditions that we experience. It is especially good in events that have lots of boats and the related disrupted wind and chop that come with that. The T5 is a great sail, especially for smaller kids, but once the conditions get chopped up, the T-6 has a little more power to deal with it.
What is your advice for fuelling up for such a long journey?
I always remind competitors to bring a good amount of food, snacks and something good to drink. It can be a long race and all those little “pick me ups” help keep the mind focused. I tell kids to always bring something sweet that they really like. For me, it’s a frozen Snicker bar. Previous 2022 Dutch Shoe Winner Ronan Servais shares his tips on how to prepare for the race and what he likes most about the North T6 mainsail.
How do you prepare for a race like the Dutch Shoe? It's a long race!
It's a long race, so I get my snacks, fill up my water bottle and make sure my boat is ready to go. Last year my Dad and I reviewed my boat checklist the week before, which included a trip to North Sails, to inspect and pick up my new T6. I also suggest trying to get a good night's sleep and eat a big, healthy breakfast.
Why do you like the T6 mainsail?
I like the T6 mainsail because I go really fast with it. I have two hiking straps in my sabot so I can hike out farther and handle the power of the T6.
Do you bring any snacks with you for such a long journey?
Yes. I like cookies, candy bars and root beer.
What are your sabot sailing goals in 2023?
My sabot sailing goals for 2023 are to move up to Sabot A Fleet, and get a podium finish in an A fleet regatta. I’d also like to compete in the Dick Sweet Team Race for the first time with my SDYC teammates.
What are your future goals in sailing?
I’d like to learn to sail the C420 very well and then win a regatta in the Class.
Stop by the Dutch Shoe Marathon this year at San Diego Yacht Club where you can enter to win a North Sails Pace SUP. Must be present to win. The winner will be drawn and announced at the awards ceremony on July 21st, 2023 at Coronado Yacht Club. Don’t forget, order now and save 15% on Sabot sails plus have your new sail delivered before the Shoe!
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