TWO-HANDED SAILING KICKS-OFF IN AUSTRALIA

North Expert Alby Pratt Shares Insights on What's to Come

"2021 looks to be a bumper year for two-handed racing in Australia", says Alby Pratt, NS Sydney Sales Manager. "New teams are meeting to plan their campaigns, and several new boats are hitting the water with the team at North Sails Sydney heavily involved in sail development for multiple clients." In Sydney, the new Dehler 30 has been racing out of Middle Harbour. This boat is going from strength to strength in Europe, with over 30 boats on the water to date. With a layout and rig optimized for shorthanded sailing, the boat is different from many other similar-sized boats and turns heads as she blasts around the harbor. The Dehler 30's inventory includes a square-top mainsail and full-size jib with a reef from 3Di Raw. An NPL Helix staysail and Code Zero are also included with North Gradient asymmetric for downwind performance. In designing an inventory for shorthanded sailing, big sail ranges and making the boat easy to sail is a priority, and this has been a significant focus with the Dehler 30. Sail changes are slow with an entire crew and more so with only 2. By utilizing 3Di Raw for the working sails, North designers have put together an inventory that will keep the boat fast with minimal fuss allowing the crew to concentrate on other aspects of the race such as navigation without worrying about the sail trim. In Melbourne, Aaron Cole, NS Melbourne loft manager, has been sailing with the Cole-Walker offshore team in the Melbourne to Devonport race over the Christmas/ New Year period winning the IRC, AMS, and ORCi divisions & 2nd in PHS. The Cole Walker team has a full year planned to compete in RMS's two-handed events on their Sunfast 3300. With several sisterships racing competition will be challenging in this fleet. The next few months will also see the launching of the new Farr X2. Bret Perry and the team at Hyperform yachting have been working with the Farr design office to build a boat that is sure to get plenty of attention. Bret comes from a Mini transit background and is very experienced in the smaller two-handed sailing style and has used all this knowledge to optimize this new design. Innovation composites south of Sydney are the chosen builder for the JPK range of boats which have been very successful in Europe, winning many shorthanded and fully crewed events. The team at JPK pacific will have four boats on the starting line for this years' Hobart. Later this month, the first Beneteau Figaro to arrive in Australia will launch. With its unique foil setup, this boat should attract a lot of interest to see how she performs in Sydney conditions. With a full schedule of events planned all over Australia and more and more people looking at competing in some shorthanded events, it is shaping up to be the place to be for 2021!