NORTH SAILS BLOG

BLUEWATER CRUISING ON WAKAKI: PART II Kilian Goes Cruising North Sails Expert Warwick Kerr (Wazza) owns a Spirit 36 called Wakaki, hull #45, built in 1991. She had one owner before Wazza. “This boat was a good compromise between my modern racer mentality, and my wife’s more traditional long keel, heavy cruiser mindset.” Hear about their trip, their boat, and their sails in part I of Bluewater Cruising on Wakaki. Kilian and his parents cast off in October of 2019 from Mallorca with nothing but a vast open ocean in their sights. Sailing south to the Caribbean is where they’d find their stride, bouncing from port to port, having fun, swimming, and learning new things. The family cruising life has taken hold of each family member, and Kat, Wazza, and three-year-old Kilian couldn’t be happier to share this experience together. So far the family has been all over the Caribbean, currently residing in Sint Maarten with hopes of heading down to Grenada in a few weeks to meet new friends and fellow cruisers. “The day we arrived to the Caribbean from our Atlantic crossing, we told him we would go check out a beach so he could run and ride his bike. Kilian shook his head and replied; ‘No mama, I want to keep sailing.” 📸 Ryan Borne Kilian has had some unique opportunities living his new cruising lifestyle. He is learning how to snorkel and has vastly improved his swimming skills. He’s been getting tips from his dad on how to catch fish, too. He is learning the basics of surfing, and wants nothing more than to get up close and personal with sea life. Snorkeling with mom and dad is a real treat, with the safety of his parents and his eyes down in the sand spotting fish, rays, and the colorful corals. “He gets very excited when he sees turtles and dolphins. We aren’t sure there is anything he doesn’t like out here,” says Wazza. Wazza and Katrin couldn’t be more proud. Kilian plays a part when it comes to setting their anchor by helping his mom and dad communicate from bow to stern. “When it comes to helping his mom and I with our 3Di NORDAC sails, he is in charge of furling our headsails at the end of the day.” “It couldn’t be possible if Kilian didn’t like what we were doing. Kids are incredibly adaptable and live in the moment. No thoughts of consequences, the future, or a pandemic– just living life to the fullest each day.” Kilian loves eating freshly caught fish. “He is intrigued by lobsters, (which he calls ‘lobbers’), but he doesn’t eat those…yet. He has taken up a new hobby in cracking coconuts drinking the milk and eating the meat. He also digs just about anything that comes off the BBQ,” says Wazza. While cruising around, the family enjoys kitesurfing and has recently taken up surfing, “which is especially fun with the little one,” says Wazza. So far, the family couldn’t be happier living onboard and traveling around the Caribbean. “It’s incredible the experiences we can share with our son,” says Wazza. “We don’t even have to try. Every day is a new adventure for Kilian, and he loves it all.” So far, Kilian’s primetime cruising highlights include exploring ashore in Gibralter, where he got to see monkeys. Onboard is most entertaining since the dolphins are always coming by the boat. He also likes to look for stingrays. Kilian is looking forward to sailing and being free to adventure. “Swimming and snorkeling are his main priorities at the moment”, says Wazza, “but he seemed keen to go kiting with me at some point.” The family has shifted most of its land activities to water activities, which has made a whole new world for their son. “He’s most interested in what’s happening underwater, and now that he knows how to wear his mask and snorkel, he can be part of it.” “He’s learning a ton about the outside world, and he’s not as shy as he was at first with getting to know people and being open to meeting new people.” Wazza and Kat are teaching Kilian new things every day. “He knows the weather and the wind, and knows when it’s going to rain.” When the family is looking for a new spot to anchor its Kilian’s job to communicate between his parents on maneuvers. When they pull up to a new mooring, he helps make sure both mom and dad know what is going on. Helping his family fix things onboard, and being part of the action is what he’s all about. When it comes to eating, the family keeps it very healthy yet exciting. “We make our own muesli and granola,” says Wazza. “We’ve caught tuna, Mahi Mahi, and Wahoo. There are some places where you are permitted to spearfish so that we can catch lobster and grouper, too.” Porridge with fruit or our boat-made granola is his go-to for breakfast. “We have a fun tradition with Kilian, where we find a new spot and anchor for the night and make pancakes the next morning in our ‘new’ place.” Kilian has taken to the lifestyle and being onboard Wakaki very well. It’s like the perfect world for him. He has his toys, his cabin, his swing, and ropes and lines to climb. “He just loves the boat. He’s very comfortable when he’s onboard. His cabin has turned into his calm space,” says Wazza, “giving him all the feels of a safety blanket where he can relax if he’s a little tired and gets cranky, or if we are out and about and he’s ready to go back ‘home’.” Kilian has met a lot of people along the way, but his favorite person tends to be the one who he is spending time with at that moment. He really enjoyed catching up with some old friends from Mallorca who were visiting Antigua a few weeks back. He’s recently made friends with the daughter of the dock owners, where Wakaki is stationed at this time. “He’s learning a ton about the outside world, and he’s not as shy as he was at first with getting to know people and being open to meeting new people.” With certain islands strengthening their lockdown procedures, we’ve been limited to certain places and we are now in Sint Maarten for the time being. We plan to head south to Grenada after this, where they have a friendly cruising community. After we get there we plan to stick around there for a bit, exploring the island, and other islands if possible during hurricane season.” “Kat and I were talking about this the other night. While all of this seems amazing, easy, so perfect, it couldn’t be possible if Kilian didn’t like what we were doing. Kids are incredibly adaptable and live in the moment. No thoughts of consequences, the future, or a pandemic– just living life to the fullest each day. Luckily Kilian doesn’t get seasick. He’s a pretty chilled little dude. This type of life isn’t for everyone, but fortunately, we all enjoy it.” READ MORE

LET’S TALK J/111 Upwind-Downwind Performance Tips J/111 webinar featuring North Sails Class experts Seadon Wijsen, Jack Orr, Jeremy Smart and Allan Terhune. Topics covered include: 2:35 Upwind Trim 39:12 Downwind Light Air & Superlight 44:30 Downwind Soak Mode 10-17 knots 51:34 Downwind Wing on Wing 13-15 knots 56:51 Downwind Moderate Plane/Lazy Plane 16-20 Knots 1:09:30 Downwind Heavy Air – 20+ knots 1:11:53 Downwind – 25+ knots 1:16:00 Broach and Recovery Learn more about North Sails fast J/111 designs. READ MORE

SAIL TO CATALINA: PART TWO The Best Sails To Use When Sailing To And From The Island Part two of North Sails experts Alex Curtiss and Bill Herrschaft advice for which sail is the best to use when heading to Catalina Island from Marina del Rey. Catalina Island is a fixture in Southern California. North Sails Bill Hershaft had an incredible article on efficient, fun sailing from Marina Del Rey. Now we build on that by talking about sailing from Long Beach and San Pedro over to the island. With summer right around the corner people will be eager to get over to the island faster. My good friend Erik Shampain used to have a fun way to know if you need new cruising sails. He says, “If your partner likes drinking wine, and sailing, the quickest way to ruin that is to have baggy sails. That's because baggy sails make the boat tip over and the wine will spill. New sails are flatter and will keep the wine in the glass.” This is especially the case when sailing from Long Beach. If you are traveling to Whites Cove from San Pedro, you are probably sailing with a TWA at 90 degrees and your AWA is probably closer to 45 degrees. With this in mind a nice 135% genoa is the correct head sail to have. In racing we always say the quickest way to get faster is a new genoa. This is the same case when cruising. New technology which has been developed the last few years even allows sailors to take away sail area with what is called a “foam roller reefing pad” which is along the luff. That way if it is above 17 knots and you are feeling overpowered? No problem just roll the sail up a little and you are instantly more stable. When it comes to materials, North Sails offers several levels of high quality material based on budget. For those who maybe aspire to head to Mexico or beyond one day, the 3Di material is a low stretch, high durability option. For those who are intending on just heading over to the island a few times a year, the cross cut may be the sail for you. Head to North Sails cruising page for more information. I also want to talk about the way home from Moonstone cove to Newport Beach. Some of the most fun I have had sailing in my life is that sail. Usually, in a traditional westerly, a running spinnaker is the way to go. Spinnakers can be a little intimidating but with the invention of the Snuffer, spinnakers are now very easy to use. Usually when sailing back to Newport, you are usually sailing TWA 125-145 depending on the day. For that angle of sail we would recommend a G2 runner. In part one of the Catalina series, Bill talked about how these lightweight nylons make any sail home perfect. If you don't have a tack point, feel free to contact your local North Sails rep to discuss possible options. There is a surplus of low cost ways to create tack points. But making sure you set it up properly will prevent headache down the road. READ MORE

LET’S TALK J/70 What to Expect at the 2021 Worlds in Marina Del Rey North Sails Experts and Southern California locals Eric Doyle and Alex Curtiss talk about the conditions and what to expect in Marina Del Rey, home of the 2021 J/70 World Championship. Topics covered include: 9:35 – Typical Southern California seabreeze 12:51 – What’s the California Eddy? 16:35 – Current 21:48 – Keys for Success – Setup & Tactics 29:45 – Recommended sail line up 43:22 – Lead up regattas Learn more about North Sails fast J/70 designs. READ MORE

GÉNOIS SUR ENROULEUR ET TAUDS DE SOLEIL : CE QUE VOUS DEVEZ SAVOIR Comprendre le bon fonctionnement d’un enrouleur peut vous éviter de sérieux ennuis 📸 Billy Black Que se passe-t-il si vous enroulez votre voile dans le mauvais sens ? C’est-à-dire avec la protection solaire à l’intérieur et non à l’extérieur de l’enrouleur ? Les UV détériorent sérieusement la partie de la voile exposée au soleil. Malheureusement, nous constatons très souvent les effets de cette erreur de manipulation dans nos ateliers de réparation du monde entier. Cela se produit fréquemment lorsque la protection anti-UV est de la même couleur que le tissu de la voile. Par exemple, une protection blanche sur une voile blanche ou une protection grise sur une voile grise. Lorsque la voile est enroulée autour de l’étai dans le mauvais sens (avec la protection UV à l’intérieur du rouleau), il n’est pas toujours évident de faire la distinction entre les deux côtés. Dans certains cas, cette situation peut se produire sur une voile neuve qui a été mal installée – la bande UV se retrouve à l’intérieur du rouleau selon la direction dans laquelle tourne le tambour (sens horaire ou antihoraire). Cela peut également se produire en début de saison lorsque le bateau n’est pas gréé ou mis à poste. Si la drosse d’enroulement est remontée, elle doit être enroulée autour de l’enrouleur dans le bon sens pour être compatible avec la voile. Chez North Sails, nous plaçons toujours en prévention un autocollant pour marquer visuellement le côté où la protection UV est appliquée et ainsi montrer le bon sens d’enroulement. 📸 Michael Egan/ Egan Images Pour éviter cette erreur qui peut entraîner des frais de réparation sur la voile, voici quelques conseils pour vous assurer que votre voile est correctement installée avec la bande UV à l’extérieur : Vérifiez de quel côté de la voile la bande UV est positionnée – pour les matériaux UV colorés, c’est facile, mais cela se complique si les couleurs sont similaires. La couverture UV est du côté bâbord ou tribord de la voile. Si vous avez le moindre doute, contactez votre conseiller North Sails. Il répondra à toutes vos questions et vous aidera à déterminer le côté de la voile protégé. Il existe de nombreuses façons simples de savoir de quel côté votre protection UV est posée. Vérifiez ensuite que la drosse d’enroulement a été correctement chargée dans le tambour, pour que la voile s’enroule dans le bon sens. La règle est que la drosse doit entrer/sortir du tambour du côté opposé à la protection UV : c’est-à-dire que si la bande UV se trouve à bâbord de la voile, la ligne d’enroulement doit sortir du côté tribord du tambour. Normalement, c’est très facile de remonter votre drosse d’enrouleur en la déroulant complètement, puis en l’enroulant dans le sens opposé (avant de hisser votre génois). Une fois que vous êtes certain du bon sens de l’enroulement, vous pouvez laisser votre voile hissée et enroulée pendant de longues périodes en toute confiance. Veuillez noter que le type de matériau anti-UV et votre position en latitude font une différence substantielle quant à la durée et le niveau de protection que vous pouvez attendre de vos protections UV. 📸 Michael Egan/ Egan Images READ MORE

PERFORMANCE DES VOILES DE CROISIÈRE Au-delà de la vitesse North Sails est fier de vos nombreux succès sur l’ensemble des plans d’eau, mais saviez-vous que plus de croiseurs comptent sur North que tout autre voilier? Chez North Sails, nous sommes passionnés par la performance. Mais pour les marins de croisière, cela signifie beaucoup plus que la vitesse pure. Sur la base de ces antécédents, vous pourriez supposer que chez North Sails, nous nous concentrons uniquement sur la course. Mais en fait, beaucoup d'entre nous chez North somment des croiseurs. Nous avons grandi en croisière avec des amis et la famille, possédons des bateaux de croisière et profitons de nos aventures de voile. Oui, nous naviguons pendant notre temps libre, tout comme vous. La croisière est une grande partie de la navigation et la voile est notre passion. En tant qu'entreprise, notre histoire, nos traditions et notre technologie nous ont donné les compétences, l'expérience et les outils nécessaires pour construire les meilleures voiles au monde. Lorsque nous parlons de performances de croisière, nous n'essayons pas de gagner la prochaine course. Au lieu de cela, nous cherchons à fournir un ensemble de voile qui aide un bateau et nos clients à réaliser leur plein potentiel, et une expérience sûre, facile et agréable pour tout le monde à bord. La bonne voile . Faible allongement La gite, l’angle de barre et la dérive nuisent aux performances et au confort de croisière. Un bateau qui gite trop est inconfortable, une dureté de barre excessive tue la vitesse et lorsque vous dérivez, il faut beaucoup plus de temps pour progresser contre le vent. Une voile doit conserver sa forme aérodynamique sur une grande variété de vitesses de vent et pour une durée de vie appropriée. Quand les voiles s'allongent dans le vent forcissant et qu'elles vieillissent, elles deviennent plus creuses et perdent leur forme optimale. L'augmentation de la traînée qui en résulte entraîne une dégradation des performances du bateau. Chez North Sails, nous utilisons des outils sophistiqués pour adapter la densité et le module de la fibre (résistance à l'étirement) au moment de redressement de votre bateau. Cela permet à nos experts de sélectionner le tissu de croisière qui gardera sa forme et fournira des performances optimales sur une large plage de vent et une période de temps plus longue. Haute résistance La durabilité est sans doute la plus haute priorité de tout marin de croisière. L'intégrité structurelle, la résistance à la rupture, aux UV, au raguage et à la résistance à la flexion sont toutes des qualités qui rendent la voile robuste et tenace. Les voiles de croisière North sont dessinées et construites en tenant compte de ces facteurs, et les matériaux de croisière North sont conçus pour résister à des conditions extrêmes. Les détails de finition tels que les coutures, les patchs divers et les renforts structurels sont construits selon les conditions rencontrées par les marins en croisière. Nous sommes confiants dans nos produits et notre qualité et nous supportons chaque voile que nous livrons. Manoeuvres faciles Sortir sur l'eau ne devrait pas être un problème. Nos voiles sont faites pour monter et descendre facilement et s'enrouler et sortir correctement. Chaque voile North est dessinée sur mesure et spécialement conçue pour s'adapter à tout système d’accastillage. Nous proposons également une large gamme de fonctionnalités pour faciliter la navigation. Les voiles à faible élasticité et haute résistance ne doivent pas être excessivement rigides ou lourdes. Nos techniques de conception et de fabrication garantissent des voiles légères relativement à leur solidité et leur durabilité. Ajustement et fonctionnement corrects Le dimensionnement 2D de toute voile est une caractéristique importante des performances et de la durabilité globales de la voile. Si les points d'attache ne sont pas correctement alignés, des points de contrainte sont créés qui peuvent abimer et déchirer une voile. Si la voile n'est pas conçue pour s'adapter au gréement, des frottements et une abrasion peuvent se produire. Les patchs de barre de flèches, de chandeliers et de radar doivent tous être positionnés et installés avec précision. Le dessin et la construction des voiles ne sont qu’une partie des performances globales des voiles. Chez North Sails, nous nous assurons que chaque voile que nous construisons s'adapte et fonctionne correctement. Forme correcte Une voile de croisière doit avoir la bonne forme aérodynamique, être facile à régler et doit bien fonctionner dans un large éventail de conditions. C'est là que notre pedigree de course porte ses fruits. Chez North Sails, nous savons ce qui fait une voile rapide. Nous savons également ce qui rend une voile facile à régler et polyvalente sur une gamme de vitesses et d'angles de vent. Une voile de croisière North a une forme conçue pour correspondre aux performances de votre bateau. Elles ont aussi une large plage de réglage et sont faciles à vriller, ce qui rend leur réglage et la conduite plus conviviaux. Matériaux de qualité La qualité globale de la voile est la somme des composants. La conception et la fabrication reposent sur des matériaux de qualité aux propriétés prévisibles et fiables. North Sails a été le pionnier dans l'approche scientifique de la fabrication des voiles. Nous testons chaque rouleau et inspectons chaque centimètre de tissu à voile que nous utilisons. Nous ne nous associons qu'avec les meilleurs fournisseurs de matériel et de tissus et si nous ne pouvons pas trouver des matériaux qui répondent à nos normes, nous le faisons nous-mêmes. Conception et ingénierie Utiliser les meilleurs matériaux et avoir la meilleure fabrication n'est pas utile si une voile n'est pas dessinée et conçue pour répondre aux exigences de la croisière. Une voile de croisière de qualité doit être conçue sur mesure et construite à cet effet. Les concepteurs de North Sails comprennent la nature dynamique des charges et les propriétés physiques des matériaux des voiles. Ils utilisent cette connaissance et l'appliquent à la structure de voile avec des outils de conception de pointe. North Sails est capable de modéliser tous les aspects d'une voile, de la géométrie du gréement et du pont en 3D aux formes des voiles volantes avec FEA et l'analyse du flux d’air. Chez North Sails, les meilleurs designers travaillent avec les meilleurs outils pour créer les meilleures voiles de croisière. Service de qualité Même les meilleures voiles du monde ont besoin de soins périodiques. Chez North Sails, notre réseau mondial d'installations de maintenance de voile certifiées vous couvre partout où vous allez. Nous accordons tellement d'importance au grand soin de la voile, que nous le proposons gratuitement pendant la première année d’acquisition. Que vous déchiriez une voile sur le quai ou que vous soyez pris dans une tempête, notre offre d’entretien de voile gratuite fait partie de notre promesse de garder votre voile performante. Excellent rapport qualité-prix En répondant à toutes ces normes élevées, une grande voile de croisière offrira un grand retour. L'achat d'une voile de croisière North Sails signifie plus de «performances de croisière» et plus de plaisir sur l'eau. READ MORE

DURABILITÉ DES VOILES DE CROISIÈRE Les marins de croisière exigent l'endurance Les croiseurs exigent la durabilité. Pourtant, la durabilité n'est pas un élément facilement quantifiable des performances. Prédire la durabilité est un défi difficile, car les voiles sont soumises à de nombreuses formes et conditions d'utilisation. Cela dit, la question la plus fréquente des croiseurs est: "Combien de temps dureront mes voiles?" Ici, nous allons essayer de fournir quelques conseils. Le facteur contribuant le plus à la durée de vie d'une voile est son matériau. Le tissu à voile de croisière doit être solide et à faible allongement. Il doit également être solide - résistant à l'abrasion, à la flexion, aux chocs et à une variété d'expositions environnementales à long terme, notamment les UV, la chaleur, l'humidité, le sel et la moisissure. À mesure que les voiles de croisière vieillissent, la forme de la voile et l'intégrité mécanique du matériau se dégradent. Les marins déterminent la durée de vie de leurs voiles lorsque les performances de forme ou la fiabilité structurelle sont compromises au-delà de leurs normes personnelles. Aucun navigateur ne devrait jamais accepter la possibilité d'une rupture de voile en cours de route. Matériaux Construction Maintenance Use & Longevity Demandez un devis Les matériaux Les matériaux de croisière sont disponibles en trois styles distincts: le polyester tissé («dacron»), les laminés de croisière et les matériaux composites 3D. Chacun offre un équilibre différent de durabilité et de performance. Les tissus Dacron sont les plus résistants et les plus stables structurellement. Les laminés Croisière offrent un poids plus léger et une meilleure tenue de forme. Les composites 3D sont une nouvelle génération de matériaux de croisière avec une tenue de forme et une intégrité structurelle exceptionnelles au-delà de nombreux laminés. Dans chaque catégorie, différentes fibres et constructions sont combinées pour répondre à différentes exigences de prix et de performances. Pour un aperçu complet, voir le Guide North Sails sur les fibres et les tissus. La qualité du tissu est primordiale dans toute discussion sur la durabilité. Les tissus à voile bien conçus et bien fabriqués durent plus longtemps. Les matériaux de la plus haute qualité sont produits dans des installations de fabrication spécialisés et utilisent des fibres, des films, des résines, des revêtements et des systèmes adhésifs de qualité supérieure. Les voiles de qualité sont bien sûr issues de matériaux de la meilleure qualité. Voyez ci-dessous un tableau qui vous aidera à comparer les différents types de matériaux de voiles de croisière. Construction Des voiles bien faites durent plus longtemps. Les voiles de croisière doivent être dessinées sur mesure et spécialement conçues pour répondre à la géométrie exacte du gréement. Les points d'usure tels que barres de flèches, chandeliers et radar doivent être recouverts de patchs. Les coutures doivent être cousues correctement avec du fil résistant aux UV, une largeur de couture et un nombre de coutures appropriés à la taille du bateau et au style de matériau. La conception et la construction des patchs, des goussets de lattes, des nerfs de chute et de bordure et autres accastillages, tous affectent la longévité de la voile. Utilisation et maintenance La façon dont les voiles sont utilisées et comment elles sont entretenues sont les autres facteurs les plus importants dans la durée de vie des voiles. Laisser une voile hissée et faseiller dans un grain pendant 30 minutes peut représenter 50 heures de navigation «normale». Naviguer régulièrement avec une voile au-delà de la plage de vent pour laquelle elle a été conçue peut également la faire vieillir bien avant son heure. De même, laisser la chute vibrer sans utiliser le nerf de chute endommagera autant le matériau de la voile. Les petits problèmes laissés sans surveillance deviennent de gros problèmes plus tard. Un service régulier permet aux voiles de durer plus longtemps, tout comme avec le moteur de votre voiture. Une inspection régulière détectera les points de raguage non identifiés, les dommages causés par les UV, les coutures tirées ou cassées et les éventuels problèmes d’accastillage. Un rinçage régulier élimine le sel, qui contribue au frottement et dégrade également les laminés de croisière en retenant l'humidité. Mais LA plus grande menace environnementale est l'exposition aux UV. Les voiles laissées au soleil doivent être couvertes. Un vieux taud de soleil perd de sa protection UV avec le temps, donc un nouveau taud devrait idéalement accompagner la fourniture de nouvelles voiles. La question de la longévité Combien de temps faut-il s'attendre à ce que votre voile de croisière dure? Les flottes de charter prévoient 2 à 3 ans d'utilisation des voiles en polyester tissé basique, ce qui se traduit par environ 1 500 à 2 500 heures. Après 2000 heures, ces voiles sont généralement considérées comme usées. Une saison typique pour de nombreuses familles pourrait être de 5 heures par jour pendant 30 jours par an - pour un total de 150 heures. Cela signifie qu'un croiseur moyen peut s'attendre à environ 10 ans d'utilisation d'une voile de croisière en polyester de qualité supérieure. "Côté performances, sachez que le multicoque Ultim Sodebo a utilisé une grand-voile composite 3Di pour traverser l'océan Atlantique neuf fois avant d'établir un record de distance de 24 heures en solitaire de plus de 600 miles. Nous voyons régulièrement des bateaux océaniques de haute performance faire le tour du monde et continuer à faire campagne avec le même jeu de voiles en composite." Demandez un devis Retour en haut de page READ MORE

ARE YOU ONBOARD? Follow the North Sails Social Media Channels for a Curated View of Our Favorite On-The-Water Moments Fill your social feeds with all things sailing. Each day North Sails is curating our social media channels with content that showcases our passion for being on the water. We’re collecting images that inspire us and passing along expert tips to help you maximize your time on the water. Our team has fun dreaming up each post and we hope you enjoy and follow North Sails. Check out our profiles in the links below. From sailing news to exciting events, the North Sails Facebook page is the only place to stay up-to-date on all facets of sailing. From one-design regattas to the latest in superyacht racing. Like our page to be a part of the latest news and connect with sailors who share your interest. Follow us on Facebook Energize your feed with stunning photos and videos from sailing events around the globe. Get exclusive tips from our experts and top sailors, and engage with North Sails in the comments section on hot topics in the sailing arena. Follow us on Instagram Follow @NorthSails on Twitter for everything sailing from breaking news and webinar commentary to client victories, interviews, and more! Join the conversation and interact with North Sails here! Follow us on Twitter Showcasing our technology and educating our clients. Learn about our game-changing sails and rewatch webinars at any time, any place, for free. Discover how North innovations are leading the sport and how the North experts are making a difference in sailing all over the world. Follow us on YouTube Follow us on LinkedIn, the professional networking platform where you can connect with us and our Sail Experts, hear the latest news on our sail technology, industry news, leadership, job opportunities, and our top recommendations on choosing the right sails for your type of sailing. Follow us on LinkedIn Get the North News that matters to you! Whether you are a racer, cruiser, or grand prix sailor, we’ve got something for you. We target our emails to help you find events in your area, products that fit into your style of sailing, and help you find your local North Sails loft. Sign up for North News today! Sign Up For North News READ MORE

THE YOUNG AND TALENTED Local Sailor Aidan Koster Shares His Sailing Story Aidan Koster, 26, grew up in Victoria, British Columbia and started sailing out of Caddy Bay with his parents at a young age. By age 8, he was hooked thanks to summer sailing camps. By age 10 he was racing Opti's. Fast forward to now, he is currently racing out of Royal Victoria Yacht Club and crewing on Sunnyvale, a local Melges 24, who finished 5th overall, 1st corinthian at the 2019 Melges 24 North Americans. He shares his sailing story with local North Sails expert Drew Mitchell. How old were you when you really started fall in love with racing and what was it about the sport that intrigued you? I got to go to my first away regatta in Comox in 2004. A couple friends and I loaded the Opti's into the back of my dads truck, and he drove us up there for the weekend. The regatta was sponsored by Red Bull (like an 11 year old needs more energy), and I remember having a blast with my friends. This regatta was when I realized if I really pursued sailing it was not only an opportunity to travel, but to also do it with my friends. You were pretty successful in dinghies at a youth age, what do you think helped you find success on the course at such a young age? Not long after I joined the race team Karen Douglas became the Opti coach. She was very patient, and taught me lots of tips and tricks. It was under her guidance that I qualified to go to the Opti Europeans In Varkiza, Greece. Joining the race team around the same time as me were two friends, Reid Cannon, and David Berry. We were all roughly the same age/size/skill level, which created a healthy competition improving our skills and making racing enjoyable. As I graduated into Laser Radial, and eventually Laser Stephen McBride was the head coach and once again was very influential in turning me into the racer I am today. Growing up in Victoria there is a lot of racing and good racers, who did/do you look up as mentor and why Robert "Bob" Britten has been a great mentor for me at RVicYC. From racing against him in Lasers, to more recently in Melges 24's he has always been a great mind to bounce ideas off of, and exchange banter with. I learned at a fairly young age that if you are racing in and around Caddy Bay it is always a good idea to keep in mind which side of the course Bob is on. I admire his ability to engage with the youth of the club and stay in a Laser for so many (100?) years. The sport looses a lot of good dingy sailors after they “age” out of junior sailing, what made the transition from dinghies to keel boats seem so effortless for you? I have to credit Mike Turner for this. While I was racing Lasers on the Race Team with his son, Matt, he invited me on to his Elliot 770 for the local beer can racing. This was my introduction into the keelboat/sport boat racing scene, and I was hooked from there. As the local Melges 24 fleet grew it turned into a One Design fleet which peeked my interest. Before long I was racing on Psyclone, Light Scout, and Goes to 11 before starting the Sunnyvale program with the Wet Coast Sailing Team. The other turning point for me was answering a Facebook message to crew on "Shadow" a 1D35 out of West Vancouver for a Swiftsure race. This got my foot in the door for big boat distance racing. Through racing with them I met Drew Mitchell who I got along with like a house on fire. He has been responsible for many of the introductions that have enabled me to race in the keelboat scene. What do you think was the biggest adjustment moving from dinghies to keelboat racing? The biggest adjustment for me was moving from a single handed boat where I had control of everything, to a multiple person crew where I was just a piece of the puzzle. The game moved from managing the entire boat/fleet/conditions, to just focusing on the tasks that I needed to perform as a part of that team. Learning to depend on my teammates to collectively try and achieve a good result has been one of the biggest takeaways from moving into keelboat racing. Moving into bigger boats with multiple people made the social aspect of sailing much more fun. In 2015, you and four other sailors under the age of 30 joined forces and started campaigning a Melges 24. Why did you guys choose the Melges 24. Correct, In 2015 "Wet Cost Sailing Team' was inaugurated. At the time Melges 24 was the strongest One Design keelboat fleet at Royal Victoria Yacht Club. It was announced that Victoria was going to host the 2018 World Championships so we decided to put a team together for it. Fraser McMillan, Keegan Moynihan, Kieran Horsburgh, and Harry Miller bought hull #151, and I joined them to make a bid for a good result at the 2018 Worlds. Since the 2018 worlds Alex "The Machine" Levkovskiy joined the team, and we purchased hull #415 with the goal of winning the 2020 Corinthian worlds. This event has now been cancelled, so we will have to wait and see what the future holds for us. You guys had a pretty young team relative to the rest of the local and international Melges fleet. You seemed to have success right out of the gate, what would you contribute your early success too? I would attribute the majority of our success to time spent on the water. As a lower budget team without pro sailors on board, we figured our best shot was to try to improve our boat handling to be one of the best in the world. In the three year lead up to the 2018 worlds the majority of my spare time outside of work was spent either on the water, or working on the boat. While watching the Match Race World Cup I heard an audio clip from Phil Robertson, "We can out hike these guys, they are OLD Men". Having the youngest average age in the local fleet this became a common tag line on our boat, being younger and more agile is an advantage in handling the Melges 24. In 2018 the Melges 24 world championship was held in Victoria, BC, your teams home waters. Your team hoped to win the corinthian title but came short of the goal. What did you learn from the event and what would be your advice to teams struggling in a big event? What I learned from that event is that no matter how hard you train, or how much you plan for something, it isn't always going to go your way. My advice is to enjoy the journey; looking back on that campaign, it didn't have the intended result, but I have many fond memories of the build up to that event. On a personal level I met my lovely girlfriend who is also a sailor, at this event. So not all bad right? After the 2018 worlds you guys switched the crew up after loosing two crew members and adding one. Melges 24’s are usually sailed with 5 and right at the class weight limit. Your team was now racing with 4 and under the class weight limit. What adjustments did you and the team need to make ? When "The Machine" joined the team in 2018, we were roughly 180 lbs. under the class weight limit. All 4 of us went from a "loose weight" lifestyle to a "gain weight" lifestyle. By the next summer's events we had collectively gained around 90 lbs. to to offset our weight deficit. As we learned our new roles sailing the boat with 4 we made several adjustments. Keegan had moved from the also bow position to trimming, as Alex took over the bow. In order to create more righting moment I, being the heavyweight, moved forward one position to place myself closer to the widest part of the boat, and middle of the hiking strap. We learned little tricks to sailing light with 4 such as tensioning the rig to de-power a little earlier than before. Some bonuses we found to sailing with 4 was amount of room in the cockpit for maneuvers, and the increase in downwind speed and angle. Again this team of 4 seemed to be fast if not faster. You guys did well at North Americans in the Gorge and then again at US Nationals in Michigan walking away with the corinthian title in both. I noticed you guys switched from UK sails to North Sails, why the switch ? The Gorge One-Design regatta was our first real test since the worlds to see if our adjustments had paid off. We were pleased to note that though our upwind speed wasn't anything special in the big breeze we were able to hang with the "Big Boys". On the downwind we used a P-2 spinnaker for most of the event, combined with our light crew weight made for some fast rides. This gave us a lot of confidence going into the North Americans in Michigan. North Americans was for the most part a light-medium air event (Other than 1 race on the last day) which made our light crew weight an advantage. Switching to North sails was very beneficial in allowing us to tune with our competitors. Racing with a North inventory gave us the ability to be competitive in a wide wind range with the top of the fleet. What are the challenges and on the flip side the benefits of being a corinthian team in a heavily dominated pro class? I welcome the challenge of competing against the pro sailors/boats in the class. In my opinion there is no better way of learning how to become a better sailor than being in and amongst the best. Being able to talk to the pro sailors before and after racing is a great way to dramatically improve the learning curve. Having both divisions race together makes for good racing, and when you do well, makes the victory that much sweeter. You have also done quite of bit of distance racing around the PNW. What would you consider your favourite race and why ? My favourite distance race in PNW is the Van Isle 360. I consider it "adult summer camp", It is hard to think of a better way to spend two weeks in the summer than doing 9 distance-sprint legs around Vancouver Island. On top of the great racing and beautiful scenery you spend countless evenings with all the other crews, in remote locations all over the island. I have made many connections, and even more great memories on the two times that I have done this race aboard "Zulu". Last question, what advice would you give a young corinthian team looking to put together a team to race internationally? My advice to a young team would be to find a group of like-minded people that want to achieve the same goals as you. If everyone is on the same page and buys in, the possibilities of what you could achieve are endless. Be ready to put the time in to train hard, and enjoy the ride! READ MORE

BLUEWATER CRUISING ON WAKAKI Spain to the Caribbean with the Kerr Family 📸 Ryan Borne Warwick Kerr (Wazza), Sail Expert based in Palma, Spain, set off on a cruising trip with his wife Katrin and his three-year-old son, Kilian. They departed from Mallorca in October of 2019 and have been all over the place since, from Mallorca to La Linea, Gibraltar, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, and more recently has made landfall in Antigua and is now in St Maarten. Working remotely, Wazza and his family have fully embraced the bluewater cruising lifestyle and couldn’t be happier doing what they love. Being able to share this experience with Kilian has made it even more special. Wazza owns a Spirit 36 called Wakaki, hull #45, built in 1991. She had one owner before Wazza. “This boat was a good compromise between my modern racer mentality, and my wife’s more traditional long keel, heavy cruiser mindset.” When the family set off from the docks in Palma; they didn’t have a firm plan on how long they’d be gone. They had a general idea of spending two seasons in the Caribbean and then heading into the Pacific, which has been a life-long dream to tick off their family bucket list. Other than that, it’s ocean traveling from port to port, seeing new places, meeting different people, and making memories together. “We don’t have any fixed plans, just cruising around to see where we end up. As long as we are enjoying it, which we are! We will keep on cruising!” Wakaki is fully equipped with a North Sails 3Di NORDAC mainsail, a genoa, and a staysail. Their spinnaker is a little older, but she’s holding strong, Wazza says. “I have my sights set on a tradewinder at some point to give me even more options.” 📸 Ryan Borne Wazza worked with North Sail Designer Kevin George to fine-tune his custom refit. “Kevin is a good friend of mine, and we spent a good amount of time working on the designs to find the right shape that would optimize my family sailing trip. Everything is working out great,” Wazza says. “I can say the reefs in our mainsail are perfectly positioned, which gives us a lot of wiggle room, or a little if we choose. Our sails now have a little over 5,000 nm on them, since they were installed in September of 2019.” Wakaki’s genoa and staysail are furling and reef-able too, which makes things even more ideal for his easy cruising lifestyle. “We don’t have any fixed plans, just cruising around to see where we end up. As long as we are enjoying it, which we are! We will keep on cruising!” From an overall sail perspective, Wazza feels that his 3Di NORDAC sails are the best investment he’s made for the boat. “My original plan was to build a set of cross-cut dacron sails. I had planned to go old-school, and hand-cut them myself, and build them like I did when I was a sailmaking apprentice, which was in 1996.” 📸 Ryan Borne “Getting caught up in the dream as we all do, I ended up choosing 3Di NORDAC, which was a one-and-done decision that has made it all possible for us. I have to say, after the miles they’ve seen, and the handling they’ve received, they are still in great shape. They have the same shape they did when I bought them, and are an image of perfection, in my opinion. We do our best to take care of them, but you know how it is, sometimes we are a bit rough on our sails, but they are holding strong regardless of our treatment.” Wazza agrees, a cross-cut sail would have done a great job, but for longevity and hard use over an indefinite period of time– 3Di was the way to go, no question. “Cruisers are supportive, friendly, and the only regret you can have is not to give it a try!” Katrin is also making the most of their cruising adventure. “She has always had the dream of cruising the Pacific, so being able to do it now with a family, is her definition of living the dream,” explains Wazza. “Katrin’s parents cruised the world in the ’70s, and my parents did also in the late ’90s and early 2000s. It’s part of our blood, so it’s no surprise we both enjoy it. What’s unique is that both grandparents to our son have sailed around the world, and now we can all share it together, and that is special for us.” Kat’s dad bought Wanderer III from the Hiscocks (pioneer cruisers and authors of some of the first yacht cruising guides), and he sailed around the world for five years, during which he met Kat’s mother. Wazza’s parents left home when he was 17 to complete their dream journey, which lasted a little less than nine years. Bluewater cruising is a significant part of their family history. Kat is not new to the sailing world; having grown up cruising and sailing from a young age, Katrin started as chef/mate nearly 20 years ago in the BVI’s with The Moorings and has since been working in the Super Yacht industry. Now the sailing duo can arrive at any port, and offer just about any type of assistance, whether it be sail and cover related expertise, or if someone needs a chef to cater a charter; both Wazza and Kat can do it all. So this cruising life; Why should we do it and what makes it so special? “Why not!” says Wazza. “Do it, live your dream! The worst thing that can happen is you go back to what you had on dry land. Cruisers are supportive, friendly, and the only regret you can have is not to give it a try!” Read Part II: Killian Goes Cruising 📸 Ryan Borne READ MORE

LET’S TALK STARS Rig Tuning with Eric Doyle & Markus Koy Star Class champions Eric Doyle and Markus Koy present a in-detail presentation on Star Boat Rig Tuning. This great presentation is moderated by Maurice “Prof” O’Connell. Topics include: 6:20 – How to set up your mast 34:20 – Mast position in the boat 1:01:01 – Tuning on the water Learn about North Sails fast Star designs. READ MORE

NOS SERVICES SUR MESURE Découvrez en détail tous les services sur mesure proposés par notre équipe North Sails Suisse. Web séminaires De votre salon à chez nous, nous vous invitons à rejoindre notre équipe d'experts pour des séminaires sur différentes thématiques ! Ecoles de voiles, classes spécifiques, thème personnalisé : n'hésitez pas à nous contacter pour organiser votre web séminaire sur mesure. Coaching et conseils personnalisés avec North Experience Que ce soit en Surprise, Grand Surprise, Luthi, Psaros, Esse ou M2, profitez d’un moment unique afin d’apprendre tous les trucs de nos navigateurs professionnels, autant lors d’une navigation qu’à terre ! 3 types d'accompagnements ; à bord "in situ spécial régate", depuis un coach boat relié par VHF, ou théorique à la voilerie, profitez de l'expérience de nos experts. Exemple en détail ici. Mise à bord, aide aux réglages, livraison et mise en place En début de saison, contactez-nous pour organiser la livraison et la mise à bord de vos voiles. Nous vous proposons également une aide pour les premiers réglages. Listing de voiles d’occasion Nous proposons une série de voiles d'occasion. Découvrez la liste complète ici. Réparation et nettoyage de vos voiles toutes marques Confiez-nous vos voiles, quelque que soit la marque, et nous vous les réparons dans la semaine. Si vos voiles sont pliées dans le cockpit, un service d'enlèvement et de rapatriement sera mis en place. Inspection annuelle "Certified Services" En 10 points, profitez de notre contrôle service certifié : détail ici. Travaux de sellerie Protéger votre voile, votre bateau ou vos meubles extérieurs avec une housse ou une bâche, c’est garantir leur longévité. Une housse protègera des agressions extérieures et mettra votre matériel à l’abri des changements climatiques. Une voile est solide, mais ne résistera pas longtemps au soleil et aux UV si elle n’est pas protégée. Contactez-nous dès maintenant par mail ou téléphone et discutons des possibilités en terme de matière, de tailles et de couleurs ! Toutes nos réalisations sont faites sur mesures et coupées dans des matériaux de première qualité. Toiles d’ombrage et décoratives : North Sails Sun Besoin d'une housse pour votre parasol, d'une toile pour ombrager votre terrasse ? Prenez contact avec nous et expliquez-nous votre projet. Forfait hivernage Comprenant l'enlèvement à bord, le contrôle complet, le renforcement et le stockage durant l’hiver Service assuré en Suisse et en mer Plusieurs manières de contacter, par email ou par téléphone, notre équipe à la voilerie ou chez nos revendeurs ! Pour un service de proximité, faites appel à nos collaborateur qui sillonnent la région ou utilisez nos points de dépôts autours des lacs romands. Nos collaborateurs descendent régulièrement sur le pourtour méditerranéen et atlantique pour prendre des mesures, assurer une livraison ou mener des essais en mer. De plus, nos voileries de service situées à proximité des grands ports peuvent en tout temps effectuer des interventions, recoupes et réparation en coordination avec notre bureau technique de Genève. La liste de nos revendeurs et services points ici. READ MORE

FAISONS ÉQUIPE ENSEMBLE POUR UN SERVICE DE PROXIMITÉ Réseau de revendeurs et points de dépôt autour des lacs Léman et de Neuchâtel : contactez nos revendeurs ou nos services points les plus proches ! Depuis la fondation de l’entreprise il y a plus de 60 ans, North Sails s’investit pour les techniques révolutionnaires et les idées innovantes. Aujourd’hui, le nom de North Sails est synonyme de technique de pointe, de qualité et de service de proximité. Lors de l’achat d’une voile, un bon conseil est indispensable : vous ne profiterez pleinement de votre voile sur le long terme que si elle convient parfaitement à vos besoins. Nous vous conseillons en détail et restons à vos côté, même après votre achat, avec des conseils d'utilisation et des astuces de réglage. Plusieurs manières de nous contacter, par email ou par téléphone auprès de notre équipe à la voilerie ou chez nos revendeurs. Pour un service de proximité, faites appel à nos collaborateur qui sillonnent la région ou utilisez nos points de dépôts autours des lacs romands. Notre réseau de revendeurs HAUT LAC Chantier naval Ygor Yachting Route d’Ariel 15 / ZI B.55 1844 Villeneuve +41 79 947 08 59 ygor-yachting@bluewin.ch www.ygor-yachting.ch Chantier naval Birbaum & fils Route de Préverenges 10 1026 Denges +41 21 802 65 15 birbaum.fils@gmail.com www.birbaumfils.ch LA CÔTE Pro-sailing Patrick Tosh Huguenin Case Postale 1063 1180 Rolle +41 79 413 5911 / +41 21 808 06 41 patrick@pro-sailing.ch www.pro-sailing.ch LÉMAN FRANÇAIS Léman Plaisance Philippe Raphoz 62 route de la Pointe FR - 74140 Messery +33 4 50 94 73 07 courrier@lemanplaisance.com www.lemanplaisance.com Nos services point NEUCHÂTEL Chantier Naval L. Burkhalter Rue du Parc 15 1400 Yverdon-les-Bains 024 425 74 64 chantierburkhalter@bluewin.ch Centre de Formation Nautique Jean-François Zesiger Port du Nid du Crô 2000 Neuchâtel 079 242 12 88 info@cfn.ch LAUSANNE Chantier naval de Vidy Allée du Bornan 2 - Port de Vidy 1007 Lausanne 021 616 08 48 info@bateau.ch www.bateau.ch Marine Pro Sàrl Chemin des Pêcheurs 9 1007 Lausanne 021 616 41 81 info@marinepro.ch www.marinepro.ch GENÈVE MW Matelotage Denis Ménétrey Route de Compois 23 1252 Meinier/GE 079 203 41 11 denis.menetrey@mwmatelotage.ch CULLY Chantier Naval de Moratel Yves Estermann Route de Moratel 4 1096 Cully 079 565 69 60 yves@c-n-d-m.ch www.c-n-d-m.ch CONTACTEZ NOS COLLABORATEURS NORTH SAILS SUISSE Direction Julien Monnier : mob : +41 79 574 11 15 - julien.monnier@northsails.com Pierre-Yves Jorand : mob : +41 79 418 63 91 - pierre-yves.jorand@northsails.com  Experts Julien Monnier : mob : +41 79 574 11 15 - julien.monnier@northsails.com Michel Vaucher (monotype specialist) : mob : +41 78 898 20 24 - michel.vaucher@northsails.com Nicolas Groux : mob : +41 78 736 96 90 - nicolas.groux@northsails.com David Guertzenstein : mob : +41 361 08 05 - david.guertzenstein@northsails.com Pierre-Yves Jorand : mob : +41 79 418 63 91 - pierre-yves.jorand@northsails.com Bernard Schagen : mob : +41 78 803 60 58 - bernard.schagen@northsails.com  Atelier: +41 22 782 32 22  Bureau d'études et dessins: +41 22 782 32 22 Patrick Mazuay (patrick.mazuay@northsails.com) & Kilian Wagen (kilian.wagen@northsails.com)  Administration et comptabilité +41 22 782 32 22 - info@ch.northsails.com  Marketing, communication et événementiel +41 22 782 32 22 - info@ch.northsails.com READ MORE

LET’S TALK J/24 Upwind & Heavy Air Techniques North Sails J/24 experts Will Welles, Andrea Casale and Mike Ingham talk about J/24 heavy air techniques. Webinar topics include: 5:03 – J/24 Blade Jib vs Genoa decision 11:45 – Balancing the J/24 26:45 – Trimming the J/24 Genoa 54:00 – Trimming the J/24 Blade Jib 1:05:56 – Sailing the J/24 in 25+ knots Complete information on J/24 sails READ MORE

LET’S TALK MELGES 24 Upwind Trim with Special Guest Mike Buckley Melges 24 World Champion Maurice “Prof” O’Connell (North Sails Ireland) hosts Melges 24 experts John Bowden (North Sails USA), Giulio Desiderato (North Sail Italy) and special guest Mike Buckley (“Monsoon” tactician and Stars & Stripes CEO) to talk how about how to make the Melges 24 go FAST upwind across the wind range. 3:30 – Upwind roles on the Melges 24 9:15 – Light air upwind trim on the Melges 24 23:12 – Medium air upwind trim on the Melges 24 44:45 – Heavy air upwind trim on the Melges 24 More on Melges 24. READ MORE

A SAILING LEGEND: DAVE MILLER Local Vancouver Resident Makes Big Splash In Sailing Dave Miller was born in 1943 in Vancouver and since then has created a life impacting the sailing world both locally and globally. His Olympic results include 7th place in the Star Class at the 1964 games in Tokyo, Japan, 4th place in the Dragon Class at the 1968 games in Acapulco, Mexico and Bronze at the 1972 games in Germany in the Soling class. His offshore racing includes two Admirals Cup in England, Sardinia Cup, Kenwood Cup in Hawaii, SORC in Florida, Vic-Maui and TransPac. His Canadian North American and World Championships include 1st North American Junior (Sears Cup) in 1960, 1st at Geary 18 North American Champion in 1960, 1st in 19731 at the Albacore North American Championships and 1st at the 1984 Dragon North American Championships. He has been elected to the Inter Collegiate Hall of Fame in 1973 and British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame in 1989. Most recently though, he has been inducted into the Canadian Sailing Hall of Fame. Dave shares with us his story of sailing and sailmaking. Where did you grow up sailing/home club? Our home was only a 6 block walk from RVYC and so you could say I started going to the club pushed in a pram by my Mother. My Dad and Uncle joined in 1936. I officially joined in 1954 and started racing that same year and also started sailing in the junior sail program. At what age did you start sailmaking? My Dad and Uncle started making their own sails in the late 1940’s and decided to start their own sail loft in 1950, Miller Brothers Sails. So as I grew up I started working in the loft part time as I went through University, UBC- Commerce. Who did you look up to in the sport while you raced? There are so many great racing sailors out there but I think Paul Elvstrom would have to be at the top of my list. Four successive Olympic Gold Medals as well as World Championship titles in seven of the most competitive of the international classes. Close behind would be Buddy Melges, one of the most natural sailors anywhere. Gold Medal in the 1972 (soling) bronze in the 1964 Olympics. Dutchman two time star class World Champion. Three time 5.5 meter world champion and numerous ice boat championships. And he won the America’s Cup. Which America’s Cups were involved in? Played a role as a coach for the two Canadian America’s Cup efforts. In 1983 helped out with Canada in Newport R.I. and in 1987 helped before the boat was shipped to Perth for the American’s Cup. You owned the first North Sails Loft in Canada. Why do you think North Sail decided to choose Miller Brothers Sails to purchase? Well it’s an interesting story and all comes down to the albacore dinghy. After winning the bronze medal in solings at the 1972 Olympics, which were sailed in Keil Germany, I got a call from the Albacore Dinghy Association. They wanted to invite myself and three others to come and race in the 1973 North American Championships in Ottawa. They thought it would bring some interest to the class and the event. As well as myself they invented Peter Barrett who was running one of the NOrth Lofts out of Wisconsin and was an Olympic Gold and silver medalist (crewed with Lowell North in the 1968 Olympics); Bill Shore, lightning world champion and Bruce Kirby, top dinghy racer and yacht designer. I asked Steve Tupper if he would like to crew, I sailed with Steve in the 1968 Olympics and he said it sounded like fun. I barely know what an Albacore looked like and had never sailed one. We found out they had some over at the Holyburn Yacht Club so we thought it would be a good idea to see what they are like. There was Hardly any wind, we drifted around for about an hour and then came ashore. The next thing I could not go to a Regatta with someone else's branded sails so I got the rules out and made a set of Miller Sails. Well you know what happened, there were 58 boats and we won the regatta! Peter Barrett was second. About a week later, back in Vancouver I got a call from Peter Barrett asking if I would like to start up North Sails in Canada. How long did you run North Sails Vancouver with your wife Marcia? Marcia started working for North Sails in 1981 and worked with me till we retired in 2010. She was perfect for the job, bright, organized and wonderful with people. The loft was very fortunate to have her “running the show!” How Long was North Sails Vancouver a Production Facility? In 1974 North bought out Miller Sails. The loft was on Hamilton Street in Downtown Vancouver and stayed there till 1979. At that time the company moved to its current location in Richmond. It continued to produce sails till 1983 at which time the company decided to centralize production so the loft became a sales and service facility. Sailmaking has changed drastically since you started. What was the biggest game changer you saw in the industry? There have been a lot of changes to sailmaking over the years. Fabrics have developed, sail design has advanced and construction has changed. To0 me the big game changer was the introduction of moulded sails which North called 3DL. Sails were now made by laying fibers over a full size mould. An advancement of this has been 3Di which is currently the best for controlling shape. A little bit of nostalgia on how Miller Sails made some very large sails for the Navy’s 90’ Oriole. Because the sails were so large we could not lay them out at the loft so we ended up laying them out at the Forum Ice Rink. To hold the fabric in place we would press the palm of our hand on the fabric, the ice would melt and then when we lift our hand up it would refreeze hold the cloth in place. How low tech is that. What was your most memorable accomplishment as a sailor? There is no doubt that my most memorable accomplishment was winning the bronze medal at the 1972 Olympics. The Olympics is special, only held every 4 years and only one person per country. It is not easy to medal and that makes it so special. What was the most challenging event you had as a sailor and how did you deal with it? My most challenging time, well I have had a few but think about an incident while doing the Southern Straits Race on Roy Hossack and Bill Longs J36 HARWAR GOES TO THE TOP. We had just finished rounding Ballenas Island. It was blowing really hard from the west, gusting in the 35-40 knot range. We were on starboard tack and rapidly closing on the shore. I decided to jib the boat and got all the crew to get as low as possible. My plan was to then turn the boat quickly and the main would jibe on its own. Well I turned the boat as fast as I could, the main slammed over but the problem was that the main sheet caught the steering pedestal. It ripped the compass off into the water and the pedestal got bent forward 3-4”. Bottom line I should have tack jibbed rather than jibbed. Fortunately no one was hurt but it was a lesson learned. What was your favorite regatta in the PNW Pacific NorthWest? I would say swiftsure would be my number one race. Challenging winds and currents, great scenery and large numbers of boats. It was alway fun! Favorite regatta was Whitby Island Race Week. It was a location that worked for both Canadian and American boats and alway had a good turnout. Why has North Sails become the industry Leader? Its always been about getting the best people. Lowell used to refer to his sailmakers as”Tigers”. They were a collection of some of the world's top sailors and bright minds. The company was always pushing for some better design or process. When 3Di was introduced did you think it would be as successful as it is? I remember at one of our managers meetings Jay Hansen brought a proto type of a 3DL sail to the meeting for us to see. When we saw it I think we knew it was going to be special. As they say a real “game changer” and it was. Are you still involved in racing? As much as I loved getting out there on the race course the time has come for me to “hang up my wet gear”. I do get out and do the odd local race, subject to the weather of course! What advice would you give to the next generation of young sailors looking to go to the Olympics or sail professionally? First you really need to have a love for this sport. That passion needs to be there. Assuming you have that then learn all you can- boat handling, rules, tactics ect. Then get out there and see how high you can go! READ MORE

NORTH SAILS CUTTING PPE FOR FRONT LINE Local Marine Industry Business Team Up to Support Their Community The North Sails loft in Gosport UK has stepped up to show their support to local front line workers by manufacturing PPE. In collaboration with EXE Sails & Covers who is providing the material, North Sails is providing the equipment to cut scrubs. The initial cut files were provided by Cedric Bontemps of Iktus Wings and a troop of volunteers are sewing and driving the finished goods to NHS Exeter and South West Hospitals. Customer service has always been at the core of the North Sails mission, and we’re honored to be able to support our community during this time. A big thank you to Sam Woolner and Matt Reeves of EXE Sails for organizing this initiative. Get in touch with EXE Sails to learn more and ask how you can get involved. Learn More READ MORE

UPDATE FROM NORTH SAILS NEW ZEALAND Time to Get Your Annual Sail Service North Sails New Zealand will be re-opening the production and service lofts in Auckland and Opua during alert level three. The sales experts will continue to work remotely. We will offer a complimentary pick-up and delivery service from the major marinas in Auckland. We are also accepting drop-offs to our loft during business hours, whilst adhering to health and safety precautions in order to protect both you and our team. Leave your sails in a drop box at the loft by following the posted instructions. There is no better time to have your annual sail service than now. Get ready to be back on the water as soon as we can with North Sails Certified Service. For general queries, please call our team on 09 3595999 or contact our Service Manager, Ben Costello, on +6421878875 or nz.service@northsails.com. READ MORE

LET’S TALK SAIL TRIM AND MATERIALS Join North Sails experts Brad White and Stan Schreyer for a discussion on sail trim and materials. Topics include: mainsail shape controls, headsail trim controls, downwind sail trim and sail materials. READ MORE

SPRING CLEANING Enhance Your Sails or Canvas As we wait for an opportunity to get down to our boats and begin spring cleaning, now is a perfect time to get your sails and canvas work cleaned and serviced with our 10 Point Inspection. With clean sails, and new UV covers you will be ready for the season. Why clean your sails or install a new UV? Covers older than 10 years offer poor UV protection leading to fabric and seam failures, torn and frayed covers tend to roll up with folds and flaps that can unfurl in storm winds leading to significant damage and lastly new covers make the boat look fresh and clean. Furthermore, exposure to the UV will eventually dry rot your stitching, Velcro and zippers and should all be checked over yearly. Additionally, the canvas on your boat is exposed to the UV and weather more than anything on your boat. Its never too late to get work done on your canvas; our experts are available to speak with you on the condition and what we can do to expand the life, purchase new, or modify old. Sails always come out of sail washing brighter, looking like a new sail due to the solution used. The sail itself is cleaner as the dirt is removed during the soaking process. As a result, the life of your sail is extended because you’re getting rid of any mold or mildew therefore it does not rot the sail. The process itself is pretty simple and takes about a week to complete from start to finish. When sails come in we soak them in a highly concentrated formula overnight and then spray them down to remove any final bits of dirt. Once this is complete we hang the sails to dry for 2-3 days before completing our 10 point inspection. In addition to sails, we also have the ability to wash canvas! Anything from dodgers to biminis to wheel covers – we do it all. Spring Cleaning Services Available: Sail washing Bimini and Dodger washing UV cover replacement for furling headsails New mainsail covers Contact us to schedule a drop off, or to arrange shipping of items to our Toronto location. READ MORE

LET’S TALK 420 Sail Trim with Diogo Costa, Pedro Costa, Lollo de Felice and Hugo Rocha Webinar presented in Portuguese featuring guest speakers and 420 Champions Diogo Costa and Pedro Costa moderated by North experts Lollo de Felice e Hugo Rocha. READ MORE

WE'RE MORE THAN SAILMAKERS Customer Appreciation for North Sails Charleston Photo Credit: Priscilla Parker "What a great team at North Sails Charleston! These guys are so much more than just sailmakers. In addition to giving expert advice on new sail inventories and making timely repairs, they make themselves available to sail with customers and help get the crew and sails up to speed. They are truly a full service loft. "Expert Advice, timely repairs, and they help get the crew and sails up to speed." Also they are all leaders in the sailing community. North Sails Charleston sponsors the Summer Wednesday Night Series and have been instrumental in organizing and promoting the Southern Offshore Collegiate Regatta. Tripp, John and Ervin can always be found at practically every sailing event in Charleston Harbor. We are fortunate to have such a talented and energetic team in Charleston." Miles Martschink -J105, Skimmer Photo Credit: Priscilla Parker READ MORE

LET’S TALK FURLING Furl Everything with Jack Orr and Austin Powers Furling and stowing systems used on both Racing and Cruising boats make sailing easier and safer. North Sails experts Keith Church and Austin Powers discuss sails, systems and the best applications for you. READ MORE

LET’S TALK OPTIMIST All Things Optimist North Sails experts Kicker Schäfer and Miklas Meyer talk all things Optimist. READ MORE

LET’S TALK OFFSHORE SPRIT BOATS Boat Setup and Tactics With the J/109 North American Championships coming up August 13-16, 2020 and the growth in the One Design sprit boats in Chicago, Keith Church and Jack Orr share some insights in boat setup and tactics on the racecourse. READ MORE

THE NORTH SAILS DECKSWEEPER CUNNINGHAM SYSTEM Alex Hayman and Moth Class Leader Rob Greenhalgh Provide Rigging Instructions for the New 9DSX Decksweeper 📸 Susanne Souter The Cunningham system for the new North 9DSX Decksweeper is slightly more complicated than past versions. It is necessary to distribute the load between the main part of the conventional sail (the 3Di blank) and the Decksweeper portion to obtain an ideal sail share. The load-ratio is approximately 65% in the 3Di blank and 35% in the Decksweeper. You achieved this by using a single line system configured as per the description below. It is not necessary to use all four hooks for the Decksweeper portion, and it’s acceptable to use one hook each side attached to the outside of the sail. Two hooks on each side of the sail add an 8:1 purchase into the Decksweeper, where single hooks each side add 4:1. The amount of purchase you choose to use on the center purchase running to the main tack of the sail (the 3Di Blank) is your choice; 8:1 or 12:1 centrally and then 2:1 or 4:1 on each Decksweeper panel is recommended. For reference, Tom Slingsby used: 8:1 in the middle and 2:1 on each Decksweeper panel at the 2019 Moth World Championship in Perth Australia, whereas Robert Greenhalgh used 12:1 in the middle and 4:1 on each Decksweeper panel. In the system shown below, we use a standard Exocet cunningham system but have added in four Allen a2020shk, two Harken 2698, and one Harken 2158. The system starts with a 3:1 starting at the lead ring, going down to the double cheek block, then up around the lead ring, and finishing on the double block. You then need to tie two blocks onto the eye straps on the bulkhead and two around the king post loop. Once you have done this, you can pass the rope through all of the blocks, as shown in the photo, using the hook blocks, and then the system is complete. Once set, the lead ring attaches to the main point at the base of the sail, and then the hooks attach to the webbing loops on the outside and inside of the Decksweeper. Picture 3 shows the system inside the Decksweeper once rigged. READ MORE

ETCHELLS AUSTRALIAN SETUP Q&A Your Webinar Questions Answered by the North Experts 📸 Corpus Christi Yacht Club Etchells sailors from all over the planet gathered online to watch North experts Noel “Nitro” Drennan, Eric Doyle, and Alex Curtiss talk about the new intriguing Australian setup for the Etchells. The setup that powered Iain Murray dominate the 2019 Worlds in Corpus Christi and Graeme Taylor to win the Australian Nationals. We received a massive amount of questions during the webinar, and here they are compiled for you: Does the North MAL jib have a different batten strength, and at what range is the change? Nitro: Yes, the MAL jib is supplied with a selection of batten stiffness. I like to use the standard batten for the majority of wind speeds since the MAL is quite full, and the relatively stiff standard batten downrange helps with increasing the leech twist. I would definitely change the battens when super light and well up-range conditions. What are the ranges for MAL and GT jibs? Alex: The general range of the MAL is from 0-14 knots. The GT is designed to start around 14 knots and take you all of the way to the top of the wind range. What I would say is the sails are very versatile and if you are sailing in flat water/12 knots, you might consider switching to the GT earlier. These sails are designed to simplify the jibs across the breeze range. At what wind speed do you get max aft with the shrouds? Nitro: 14 knots trying to combine changing to the GT jib and moving the shrouds aft at the same time. If in doubt about windspeed dropping, I would stick with the shrouds forward and only change jibs. It is definitely better to be caught with shrouds forward up-range than downrange with the shrouds aft. What is the purchase system with the inhauler 4:1? 8:1? Nitro: The inhauler is pretty loaded 8:1 at least Can you talk about the measure of the 3rd spreader mark inboard from the other two that have been there previously? Nitro: Previously, the tuning guide spreader measurement called for 490mm and 540mm from the sidewall of the mast. Now it will be 450mm(17 ⅝) 490mm(19 ¼) and 540mm (21 ¼). What is the inhaul range on the standard LM2 style jibs? Are you able to inhaul them as aggressively as the new jibs, or do they stall earlier? Eric: I have seen teams have good success with the LM2 jibs trimmed into the edge of the cuddy cabin. Any further than that, you better have the forestay pretty tight, or the sail will be too deep, and as a result, you will have to ease the sheet so that the head doesn’t shut down too early. How do-able is this system, for Corinthians, club sailors? It’s cool, I grant you, but for a small minority of the boats. Am I overestimating this? Alex: I do think you are overestimating the process. Really, this whole package was designed to make sailing the Etchells easier. Instead of standing at the dock and reading the forecast and deciding what jib to leave in the trailer box, now there is no problem just taking both sails with you. The tighter headstay is easier to drive too, specifically in choppy conditions. Like Eric had mentioned in the webinar, if you were sailing with your LM2L with a lot of sag and you are heading to chop, you have to pull on the backstay to get the forestay tight. Well, that’s counter-intuitive! With a firmer headstay, you can now look to power the boat up while going through chop. Personally, I think this will make it easier for club and corinthian racers to learn about jib trim, and boat set up. I know once we incorporated it into our program, it made etchells sailing more fun! Do you need to have movable shrouds? Spreaders? Eric: For sure, a nice noticeable gain has the spreaders rock forward the maximum amount (75mm) for downwind. They stay out of the main a bit more and help the sail shape a lot. Upwind, stiffer masts often don’t bend enough in the middle, and as a result, the main is too full in that area- a little spreader sweep would help this. It also really helps even out the entry angle of the main. The new Whale spare averages about 30mm of aft sweep (max is 100mm). This also loads the spreaders a bit more and helps to lock in the mast and, therefore, the sail in that area. We do offer two mainsail models with two different luff curves for soft and stiff masts. The PC+ has more luff curve and is better when sailing with more mast bend. Many customers with softer masts use this sail or if they sail in very windy venues where lots of mast bend is used on typical days. So, back to the question about moveable spreaders – yes, I think they definitely help. Not a ton, but if you do 4 or 5 little things like this on your boat, you will certainly see a difference. I’ve noticed there are much less main pre-bend wrinkles in the new setup from the recent photos I’ve seen. Why? Please comment Eric: Wrinkles along the luff of the main come from tension on the luff tape and bolt rope. This helps to keep the draft aft in the main when trying to power up the boat in lighter air. With the spreaders swept and lower shrouds aft, it does lock in the lower part of the mast very nicely, and therefore you might see less overbend wrinkles. When the wind is light, and the sailcloth doesn’t load up and stretch at all, the main is too full. In these conditions, we pre-bend the mast and get over bend wrinkles down low. A general rule is to bend the mast enough for the wrinkles to come back at least to the middle of the vision windows. This makes the main flat enough down low so that it is not too draggy and keeps the draft aft to help load the helm. Is there a risk of over in-hauling the jib? Nitro: Yes, definitely, there is a risk, and it’s hard to identify if you do see the lower luff of the mainsail lifting or unsettled is one indication or difficult to accelerate. Does this new thinking mean that the old technique of sagging the forestay in light air is no longer thought best? Alex: Like Eric mentioned in the webinar, this is just another way of sailing your Etchells. In Miami this winter, the majority of the fleet still used the traditional San Diego jibs, and they still went just as fast. If you have the LM2L jib, you still need the sag because that’s what the sail needs to get the boat moving. At 8085, the jib leech seems too long even sheeting through the clew ring. Do you hoist the jib? Nitro: Yes, the jibs just fit, and occasionally you do have to raise the tack up the headstay. The clews have been raised slightly to help this situation. What is the range of max to min mast height? Resultant error in forestay measurement? Eric: The B (or mast bury measurement) tolerance is 15mm. However, there is also a tolerance for the actual mast step location in the boat, so altogether boats can be up to 45mm different on the overall mast height. This adds up to quite a big difference on the rake the way we have always measured in the past, the new method of measuring the rake takes this difference away and makes for a much more comparative number between different boats. How does the setup differ between the newer stiff rigs vs. the older softer rigs when it comes to moving the shrouds? Eric: I think the new stiffer masts necessitated the need to move the shrouds. A stiffer mast is nice when it’s windy and choppy, but is hard in light air-hence the need to sweep the spreaders and move the shrouds forward to achieve proper pre-bend. In general, a softer mast is more forgiving in light air as it is easier to get pre-bend, but it will require a more aggressive approach to tuning when it’s windy. It is easier to achieve a tight forestay in the breeze when you have a stiff mast so you don’t have to be as aggressive as the wind starts to come up. If you do decide to switch to the new AUS tuning, take some time to get your tensions correct at the dock when you move the shrouds. This will pay dividends later and take out some of the guesswork on the water. Are the +/- turns measured in the tuning guide based on Bolga or PKM turnbuckles? Nitro: The turns on the tuning guide are based on the finer thread PKM turnbuckles I don’t have money to replace my rig just yet, what are some cost-effective easy changes I can do to get better performance out of my Circa 2012 boat? Eric: No one is suggesting that you need to replace your mast in order to stay competitive. Spreader brackets can be retrofitted to older masts, which will help overall performance. The new inhauling system can be installed, and with the appropriate jibs, upwind speed should improve. Nothing beats time in the boat though! (Well, new sails really help, too!) The new setup – sails and all, if you get it wrong, is it super slow? Alex: Like any sailing or any change, there are some growing pains to getting it right. What I would say is, this setup is very forgiving. READ MORE

LET’S TALK MULTIHULL SAILING North Sails experts Brad White and Stan Schreyer discuss downwind multihull race tactics. READ MORE

YOUTH RACING IS THE FUTURE OF SAILING How You Can Help Propel The Next Generation Chris Bobyk of Mimico Cruising Club shares his thoughts on the importance of giving youth sailors opportunity to sail on keelboats and shares ideas on ways to involve them. When asked by the Toronto North Sails Loft if I could provide my perspective and experience in promoting youth racing , it was with great enthusiasm that I responded with a resounding YES! Why? Because the youth are the future to the sport of competitive racing on the lake. As our racing fleet numbers continue to decline often due to either lack of crew or reduced yacht participation , or both, fostering the next generation of owners and crew has become very relevant to ensure the future success of racing. So being given an opportunity to share my efforts over the years to involve the younger generation on our family boat Blast, my hope is that it will motivate local owners, either currently participating in racing or wanting to participate in racing, to outreach to our sailing youth, to provide them the experience and the opportunity afforded by keel boat racing. The more sponsors to the progression of our young racers into the sport of Keel boat racing the better the chance of their future long-term involvement in the sport. It's all about the transition of our junior dingy racers into keel boat racing either as crew or future owners. It's one aspect of contributing to the future of our sport. I can take no credit for the desire to promote youth racing, it was bestowed upon me by the generation of sailors before me when I was a youth sailor. My experience in the sport of sail boat racing started as a kid as it did for many in our existing sailing community. My desire to pass the torch to sailing youth is not something I came up with but rather what I feel is a responsibility that was passed onto me as a young racer by others with a passion for sharing a sport that was important to them. I was fortunate to have had wonderful mentors who welcomed me to gain experience and learn with them on their boats during and post my sailing school and dingy racing endeavors. This is where it all starts as it's the youth of today in the sport that will be the mentors for the youth coming up behind them. I am a believer in empowering our younger sailors, let them make decisions, step in when asked/required or when your experience dictates in critical situations. You will be rewarded as an owner, you will be inspired with what you observe and the result, you will be developing the future of yacht racing. The model for promoting youth racing is simple - its all about providing junior racers the experience of both regatta racing and long-distance offshore racing. At a young age both my father and godfather and close family friend Don Green and their sailing futurity of friends involved me in their collective yacht racing adventures. My dad as a young man was brought into the sport by Don by providing the experience on his father's boat. We actively raced as a family out of National Yacht Club on our family boats with my dad often taking other junior sailing school keeners with us , and my Uncle Don as I called him provided me the opportunity of racing with him on a number of distance races on Lake Ontario on his C&C 35 Motivation, as well as having me assisting in shore support for Evergreen during the Canada's Cup. I was given the opportunity at a young age to sail with remarkable sponsors on not only the family boat but on other members boats at NYC, actively participating in racing around the lake. Beyond my parents and Uncle Don other owners also provided me the opportunity to be involved in the maintenance and caring for their boats, providing best practices and education beyond racing and crewing which for a perspective future boat owner I found invaluable. In all this forged my passion for sailing and racing. I was even given the opportunity in my early 20's to help transport a Whitby 45 from the Annapolis boat show to Florida off shore on the Atlantic. These opportunities provided by owners gave me seamanship and yacht handling skills that I rely on today, transitioning me into an owner and active adult racer. I am a believer that mentor ship of our young sailors is a critical element of the process for long term engagement in the sport either as adult crew or future owners /racers. Its giving back with the same passion I have to the sport instilled in me by others. Our younger generation of racers need a continued platform of support beyond sailing school to provide them with experiences that will keep them passionate and involved- racing boat owners have the opportunity to provide the vehicle (mentoring youth crew) on their racing boats. The Etobicoke Yacht Club (EYC) sailing school program is where my initial focus was, in part being close to Mimico Cruising Club (MCC) but also due to my association with the junior racers , resultant from our boys Ryan and Trevor both attending sailing school at EYC and Ryan instructing , and later joining the dry sail program with a laser followed by a 29er. Recruitment of young racers grew from there to Oakville/Brontë and the NYC programs. The experience provided by keel boat racing being the natural progression from dingy sailing can only in most circumstances be provided by existing owners that participate or want to participate in racing. It's a two-way street they learn big boat handling, navigation and other essential skills beyond dingy racing and owners learn from them , not to mention the enthusiasm and athleticism junior sailors bring to the crew. Having watched these junior sailors learn and grow with my two boys on Blast as competent skilled racers, starting in their teenage years has been extremely rewarding. Some have purchased their own boats which they race today while joining the Blast team on select events. Its common place today that Blast is on the race course with a younger generation of crew. I often get on the boat not as the skipper or crew, but rather to provide support and suggestions. It's inspiring to be in a position today to observe the magic of them working together, arriving at tactics, problem solving, navigating and doing well on the race course. It's about providing the opportunity and experience to the younger generation to ensure the successful future of racing on the lake and elsewhere. It has been well worth it and very fun. I know they will do the same as I have done to promote the next group of junior racers. READ MORE

IT ALL BEGAN OUT EAST WITH FAMILY One Sailors Story To 3Di NORDAC Dave Rankin grew up sailing at a young age with his family in PEI and has kept that passion for sailing going throughout his life. From J/24's to Albacore's to his FinnGulf 33, Dave has always loved cruising and racing. Last year, it was time to upgrade his mainsail for his FinnGulf 33, Dave shares insight as to what led him to go with North Sails 3Di NORDAC. How did you get into sailing? Now as far as sailing goes, I started sailing when I was pretty young. My family, there's two parts of my family. One part in the East and they've been sailing for many, many, many years and the other half of my family was here on the lakes. Sailing was not quite as important to them as it was back East, but certainly sailing lessons and then belonging to the Hamilton Burlington Sailing Club when I was pretty young was certainly something that started me off in the right direction. Every summer I would go out East and sail with my cousins and then come back here and sail on Lake Ontario. So I was pretty, pretty lucky. Were you mainly doing cruising when you went back out East? No. No, no. All racing. It was all racing out of CYC (Charlottetown Yacht Club), that's where my cousins and uncle and aunt they're all members. That's the exposure sailing from an early age was getting that kind of influence and then coming here, staying in Ontario and sailing with family, I guess from my teens. Then of course with Hamilton Burlington Sailing Club I was able to race Albacores and we had an Albacore fleet there. Would you say that if you had to choose between doing weeknight racing or long distance racing, let's say, because you're heavily involved in both, do you have a preference of one over the other or do you enjoy both equally? I enjoy regattas with windward/leeward racing probably more than distance racing. That may be because of how I was brought up. You might get three or four chances during one day of racing, whereas on a distance race, you only got one chance at a start and if you get fouled well then that's quite damaging throughout the entire race or it could be the difference between first or last. But I think as one grows older and becomes less agile, your feelings could change. The other thing is dependency on crew, which can get harder to figure out if you are doing a distance race. For example, with the J/24 , there were challenges with getting crew organized because we sailed with five people. The time available for the boat was key for all the different crew members. It worked for when we're pretty young. But as one gets older, it's difficult to keep accruing the right number of people at the right times. What do you think are some suggestions or ways we need to adapt to getting more people involved? I think from the top North is more advanced. It has more of an opportunity than other sailmaker has provided. And the reason I say that is because North's technology is what is driving newer, faster boats. So I think the cloth that North is developing is really better to attract more youth and to attract a different type of caliber of sailor. The types of cloth that they use generates foiling technology. This high-performance aspect is what attracts young sailors. I think staying ahead with technology and offering technology through new cloth and new types of designs of sails is really something that a company like North can contribute to the sailing world. I think, to be honest, I mean there's lots of discussion about attracting more youth into sailing. That's one thing for sure that has to happen. But at the same time you're doing part of that just by offering new technology. Would you say that that technology helped influence your decision to purchase the 3Di Nordac? Or was it more of you really needed a main sail? It was both. My main was nine years old and it was a North mainsail. It was in good shape, but it was nine years–almost 10 years old. And it was heavy. So I wanted something that was lighter to hoist and that in fact had better shape with reef points. So yes, for sure it was an easy decision for me to go with the main and the next in the lineup is actually the headsail. I contacted North Sails expert Pete Colby because Pete had it on his J/30 and I just wondered about his view on it. So he got back to me and let me know how things were going with it. Because he had it for a year and a half I think at that point. He was really happy with it. I know him well enough to know that he would tell me exactly how he felt. So I thought, well that's a good investment for me to make with the boat, for sure. Would you say that it perform right to your expectations, or exceeded or it's just exactly what you kind of needed? I've only had it for one season really so I'm still playing with it but I can tell you Shelley's happy with it. It's a good sail. I have high expectations for it after hearing different comments. At this time, I can say that my new sails meet my expectations and in some cases, it exceeds them! READ MORE

KEN READ SITS DOWN WITH THE OCEAN RACE’S OFF WATCH SERIES The President of North Sails and Offshore Veteran Talks About his Journey in Sailing and Leading the Industry’s Most Innovative Sailmaker A formidable force in the marine industry Ken Read has three Ocean Races under his belt, has been a part of three America’s Cup campaigns, has collected more than a handful of offshore sailing records, and has seen more of the planet’s oceans than most people. He is a two time Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, has won nine world championships and is considered one of the world’s most accomplished and celebrated sailors. Read’s career at North Sails began in 1996, but in 2013, Read stepped up to helm North Sails as a business leader, taking on the role of President of North Sails Group. As one of the most influential figures in sailing, Read is an expert, not just on the water, but in running one of the most successful global brands in the marine market. Ken Read’s legacy at North Sails is a testament to why strategists often refer to businesses as ‘a ship’ and Read has mastered the ability to run a tight crew. READ MORE

LET’S TALK DRAGON Upwind Sailing and Boat Speed North Sails class experts Markus Koy & Stefan Matschuck discuss upwind sailing and what factors are important to get the most out of your boat speed. READ MORE

LET’S TALK ETCHELLS New Australian Boat Setup Class Experts Noel “Nitro” Drennan, Alex Curtiss and Eric Doyle discuss the new Australian setup and new sail designs for the Etchells Class. Webinar Chat Questions Answered READ MORE

LOFT SPOTLIGHT: NORTH SAILS MAINE Sailmaker Supporting The Local Community, Featured on CBS Sunday Morning From his small North Sails loft on Casco Bay in Maine, Eric Baldwin is making a big difference in his community. Baldwin and his team at North Sails were featured on CBS Sunday Morning this past weekend for his initiative in kick-starting the North Sails mask-making efforts in North America. Baldwin, as well as several of our Certified Service Centers across the country, have been producing masks for their local communities. Customer Service has always been at the core of North Sails mission, and now, sailmakers are stepping up in a new way to serve their North Sails families. North Sails will continue to help where possible with the fight against COVID-19. That said, our Certified Service Centers are built for repairing sails both in staffing and machinery which limits our ability to make a dent in the demand for cotton masks. What we do have are proper cutting machines that can be easily diverted away from sailmaking. This got us thinking, why not use these machines to create a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mask kit, and get supplies out to the public quickly? DIY masks are already popular on the internet, and we believe that by creating and distributing our own template and materials to the DIY warriors at home is the best way for North Sails to make a difference. We can’t think of a better excuse to dust off your old Singer Sewing machine. Available for order through northsails.com, the DIY kits are available in packs of 20 masks and come with step-by-step instructions. We hope you remember how to wind that bobbin! Learn More READ MORE

LET’S TALK J/70 Downwind Techniques In this J/70 webinar, North Sails experts Tim Healy, Ruairidh Scott and Allan Terhune talk winning downwind techniques. Topics covered include: 3:21 Displacement VMG Mode (2-7 knots) 15:31 Displacement Soak Mode (8-12 knots) 25:14 Displacement Wing-on-Wing (8-13 knots) 47:15 Marginal Lazy Planing (14-16 knots) 1:01:28 Planing (16 knots) Learn more about North Sails fast J/70 designs. READ MORE

FAMILY CRUISING WITH JB BRAUN The North Sails Director of Design and Engineering Shares How Sailing Brought His Family Together on an Adventure to Halifax After the 35th America’s Cup ended in June 2017, I didn’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the ‘what-ifs’ or the ‘could’ve beens’. I was already focused on the next adventure, which would start just twelve days later—racing from my hometown of Marblehead to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and then cruising home again with my family. Idea and Prep I first mentioned what’s known around Marblehead as “the Halifax Race” or just “Halifax” on a visit home from Bermuda during the summer of 2016. The race runs every two years, and it’s usually two days of reaching or running against an impressive fleet. My sons were both interested. Tucker, who was sixteen at the time, asked “Dad, can my friend come?” I responded, “Yeah, who’s your friend?” and it turned out to be Garrett McKinnon. I was friends with Garrett’s dad, so we quickly formed a double father-son team: three McKinnons and three Brauns, joined by Todd Barbera, who brought along some valuable offshore experience. For that final year of the Cup, planning for Halifax was like having a little carrot out in front of me, “Hey, after this, you’re going to do this other race.” Win or lose, even when our catamaran’s Achilles heel of light air was forecast for the second and deciding weekend, there was some excitement ahead, beyond The Cup. Our family boat is called Eos, a 38-foot performance cruiser designed by Jim Taylor that we’ve owned for three and a half years. Over the winter of 2016-17, because I was based in Bermuda, it was a matter of grabbing little pieces of time to check off certain things we needed (or wanted) to do to get the boat ready. For sails, we upgraded our racing inventory with a 3Di genoa and added a prototype 3Di main and polyester Code Zero that would handle both racing and cruising. We also re-cut an old jib into a storm trysail and storm jib. I had the decks painted with non-skid. Over Christmas, we took all the winches apart on the boat. My older son Ryan took on several tasks, including a last-minute scramble to organize a life raft. Alan McKinnon took care of the food preparation. When I got back from Bermuda, I was able to fit in a few days of rest before loading the boat and pushing off the dock. Race to Halifax It’s 365 miles from the start outside Marblehead Neck to the finish in Halifax Harbour. As the log says, “We had a great start and a good beat and led at the weather mark. Then we had a mile reach to the second mark, where we set the spinnaker and never brought it down.” Watches were established by family, with Todd as a floater. Along with a twenty-foot shark and some whale spouts, we spotted sixteen mylar balloons. We had a shot at winning our class, until we made a classic mistake and got too close to Brazil Rock, on the southeast “corner” of Nova Scotia. We were becalmed for an hour, accompanied by a pod of dolphins who communicated with me and said to go offshore. The dolphins were right because a quarter-mile farther out boats were sailing by us at eight knots! We finally made it out to the breeze, and once we had enough wind again, we experimented with sailing wing and wing; the log reports that “we think it went well,” and putting us back to third overall on corrected time… but then we were becalmed again right at the finish, and it took four hours to sail the last ten miles. We ended up third in our class and eighth in our division. Of course, I would’ve liked to have done better, but the best part was racing with my boys; the camaraderie of doing an adventure together was fantastic. And we’d arrived in a totally different part of the world! My wife and daughter met us in Halifax and brought along the cruising genoa, dodger, outboard, and other gear. With so many hands, we quickly transitioned from racing to cruising, and after we said goodbye to most of the race crew we headed west again. Gunkholing The four of us (my wife Kelley, daughter Hayley, and Tucker, who’d stayed on for the sail home) took seven days to sail back to Marblehead. Having Tucker onboard was great because he knows the boat, and we both enjoyed sharing this next phase of the adventure with Kelley and Hayley. The wind was mostly light, so the most memorable experiences were in between the sailing: all the little towns and harbors we discovered. After clearing with Halifax control, we set off westward planning to go into Peggy’s Cove. I was too chicken to navigate through the narrow entrance, and the wind was good, so we just took a peek before setting main and jib for an excellent power reach to Lunenberg. After dinner, we went ashore for ice cream and walked into the bookstore, which had stacks of books everywhere. Behind one pile was a man who told us if we were looking for something, he knew exactly where it would be! Tucker found a book about an adventurer in the 70s who departed from Tucker’s Wharf in Marblehead in an inflatable boat to sail across the Atlantic. The next day after blueberry pancakes onboard and a grocery run ashore, we motor-sailed to La Have Island and dropped the hook. All four of us took a dinghy tour around Bell Island, and then the kids went farther afield on their own. Tucker’s write up in the log reports, “The dinghy ride began with the journey under the bridge connecting Bush and Jenkins Islands. The water was calm and crystal clear. We passed a few houses with lobster traps and boats in their yards. We headed south through the Wolf Gut, which was a narrow channel (6 ft) with lobster shacks and boats decorating the land on either side. In Bell Channel we beached the dinghy on two small islands. The sand was warm and dark, and when wet, could sink your feet into it about six inches. The muddy bottom was filled with crab holes and minnows. The water was pretty warm.” The next day’s weather alternated between foggy and sunny, with no wind. We motored to Little Port Joli Basin on the outskirts of the Kejimkujik National Park. The best memory of all was approaching the land, when we escaped an offshore fog bank and anchored off a beach that looked just like the Caribbean. Aqua water, white sand, and all by ourselves in this special spot; that was completely unexpected. Tucker and I went swimming in our “Nova Scotia bathing suits” (wetsuits) while Hayley and Kelley did jellyfish watch from the dinghy. That afternoon we went back out into the fog and motored to Little Port l’Hebert, about ten miles farther west. “Motor was foggy and not windy. About one mile away, the fog lifted, the sun came out and we could see our oasis. It was a circular bay with a couple small beaches and four houses around the bay. We anchored in 16 feet of water. It was beautiful. We had a seal friend throughout the evening that would check on us.” The next morning, we spotted a horseshoe crab and lobster on the sandy bottom. Our last port in Nova Scotia was Shelburne, where we spent two nights and visited several museums before leaving for an overnight run home. Overnight passage The passage from Shelburne to Marblehead is just over three hundred miles, which took twenty-nine hours of sailing and motoring. At night we were down to a couple of hundred feet of visibility in the fog, but close reaching in 10 or 12 knots of breeze with AIS and radar running, we had no real drama. Kelley and I took one watch, and Tucker and Hayley took the other; I was proud of Tucker for taking control. It can get kind of scary out there, especially at night with other boats around. That morning offshore started with a spectacular quarter moonrise, so red we first mistook it for a port running light. The fog burned off after sunrise, but the wind never materialized, and the last eighty miles, I worried about our fuel consumption. We motored into Marblehead after dark, tired but happy to be home. Making Memories It’s been almost a year since the America’s Cup ended, and our family adventure began, and it might be hard to find two more different sailing experiences. They both had camaraderie; there’s simply no better place than wet, tired, and hungry on a boat for relationship-building. But I’ll never forget sharing such a great experience with my family, especially since it’s improved our communication. I’m still pretty driven and pretty critical, but we’re able to laugh and enjoy things more, which makes all those America’s Cup memories sweeter too.   READ MORE

LET’S TALK FLYING SCOTS Q&A With Greg Fisher Experts Brian Hayes, Zeke Horowitz with Special Guest Greg Fisher lead a Q+A interactive session, open to all topics. Viewers brought questions and experts shared their answers and expert tips with the group. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS INTRODUCES DIY MASK KITS Do-It-Yourself Masks are Packed and Ready for Delivery Personnel, lofts, clients, and friends of North Sails are navigating this global crisis together. Many of our local Certified Service Centers have taken the initiative in their areas to build masks when possible and support their communities. We are humbled by the positive feedback we’ve received and have done our best to supply usable yet non-government approved cotton masks yet in limited quantities. Sail lofts like ours across North America are set up with machines built to repair big, heavy sails, and these machines, unfortunately, don’t lend themselves to any small item manufacturing, including masks. But, there has recently been a surge in interest for people to build their own masks with home sewing machines. There are many “how-to” videos online showing how easy it is, so we have incorporated this idea with our ability to cut large quantities of fabric and elastic. North Sails are now offering pre-cut and sew mask kits that provide the material and instructions for Do-It-Yourself (DIY) masks. DIY mask kits are available to everyone (even our non-North sailmaking friends) and can be ordered now. The kits come in a pack of 20 and are $20 USD plus shipping and handling. All orders will be shipped from our manufacturing loft in Milford, Connecticut. We feel that DIY kits are a way to offer mask support in a real quantity and get them to families in a hurry. Time to break out your old Singer sewing machine that has been gathering dust in the back closet! *Update – we’re doing our best to keep up with the demand for the DIY kits. You can still place orders and we’ll be in touch if stock is running low. Your credit card will not be charged until your order is ready to ship. Download Instructions Order a Kit Disclaimer: Please note that we not promoting use of fabric masks as a good alternative to medical grade masks. We are not making any claims as to the effectiveness of the homemade masks. We are not trying to say medical professionals should not have or do not deserve to have N95 masks. Instead, we are simply sharing the fact that some hospitals, care centers, etc., have asked for these masks to be donating so they can use them as a last resort due to the extreme shortage of N95s right now. These masks may be used in lower risk situations so N95s can be conserved during this extreme shortage. Please see the info from the CDC and contact your local health care institutions if you would like to help. READ MORE

LET’S TALK J/22s Keys to Upwind Success Join Experts Mike Marshall & Zeke Horowitz as they walk us through their top tips on how to make your next upwind leg the best one yet. READ MORE

MELGES 32 FLEET BUILDS IN GREAT LAKES Popular Class Extending Reach Into Fresh Water Territory Sooner or later all the boats will be launched, and summer will come. This season will be especially sweet. There is no end to the type and size of sailboats on Lake Ontario, but it is worth noting a small burgeoning fleet of Melges 32’s moving into the GTA, and the Great Lakes. There is a long standing tradition of older designs finding their way to fresh water. And why not, older boat prices will have depreciated by a huge margin, boat longevity is longer in freshwater, and maintenance is easier. What is notable about the Melges 32 is that there is no pretext of amenities. These boat owners have all had larger cruise/race boats in the past with lots of creature comforts, but they have found that they didn’t enjoy overnighting aboard them. At the same time the extra weight of all that furniture, and the upkeep of all those systems, diminished their excitement for racing. On the other hand the fun versus nuisance ratio of Melges 32 ownership is a bargain. The Melges 32 was first built in 2004. During the intervening years the class enjoyed a great deal of international success, with a long list of high powered owners and well known professionals battling for glory. Most of those players have now moved on to other venues, but the class persists. The boat is a bit dated now by east coast standards, but it still has plenty of attributes that make it ideal for western Lake Ontario including its competitive design, rating, and how exciting it is to sail. There have been plenty of boat reviews and youtube footage of these boats so no need to recap all that here. But let’s take a look at why the Melges 32 is enjoying a second life on the Great Lakes. The price of the boat is very reasonable. Some of these boats were campaigned at the extreme high end. Nothing was spared to make the boats faster, and easy to transport. Often they come with trailers full of valuable sails and spare equipment. There are covers and pads for everything. All the boats come with a trailer, and the keels retract into a trunk. That makes trailering dead easy, and it allows for the possibility of racing at distant locations. There are currently a number of small fleets around the great lakes, and in Florida. The last few winters Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa has hosted a winter circuit of three separate weekends. They have allowed the boats to be stored there with the masts left up. Traveling to regattas is a nice way to maintain excitement, but more importantly the boat owners are all like minded. They are talking to each other, and coordinating regattas where they can get together. There is a lot of camaraderie. The focus is on fun racing, and sharing skills, rather than expensive diners or elaborate awards. The atmosphere at the boat park is friendly and helpful. If you need a tool, or some help pushing a trailer around there is always someone there with a smile because they may need something from you soon. The main reason the Melges 32 is a good fit for western Lake Ontario is because the boat lights up in as little as 6- 8 knots true wind. Unfortunately, this part of our lake is notorious for light air. Too many evening races have us sitting on the leeward rail minimizing tacks. For example Port Credit Yacht Club has had two Melges 32’s racing Wednesday evening PHRF fleet for the past three seasons. It isn’t uncommon to have the wind drop, and have the entire race/cruise almost stop. While the rest of the fleet is just trying to maintain steerage the battle rages on between the Melges 32’s. Sometimes it is like racing through an obstacle course where the heavier boats appear to be motionless. The 32’s are always the first boats back to the dock sometimes hours before the rest of the fleet. The boats are all cockpit, and easy to sail, but they aren’t for everyone. When there is a bit of breeze the boats are lively, and capable of unbelievable downward speed. With that speed can come the occasional “spinout” That is the exciting part. But, they recover well and are easy to get them pointed back downhill. It is the kind of boat where you get suited up “before” you push off the dock. The extra large cockpit is also perfect for après race socializing. For those sailors who don’t enjoy overnighting aboard their boat, and who enjoy the racing, and the social aspect of it the Melges 32 may be a good option. Stop by one of the 4 or 5 boats that will be racing in the GTA this summer. I am sure the crew will be smiling and happy to give you a tour. If you have any interest in joining in on the fun, feel free to contact local North Sails expert Geoff Moore. Explore more information on Melges 32 tuning guides, latest information and sail options today. READ MORE

NORTH 3Di: INNOVATIVE SAILMAKING TECHNOLOGY Unique. Lightweight. Reliable. Watch How the Most Advanced Sails in the World are Made Lightweight, reliable, unique. North 3Di sails are engineered to minimum weight and maximum performance. By eliminating the use of mylar, 3Di will not delaminate. Each 3Di sail is precisely shaped on full-sized molds and built to outlast your adventure. 3Di™ is a patented sailmaking technology that produces the world’s fastest and most reliable sails. 3Di sails mimic the balanced load-bearing and shape-holding of a rigid airfoil wing. They are composed of ultra-thin unidirectional spread filament tapes, pre-impregnated with thermoset adhesive, arranged in a complex multiple-axis array, and three-dimensionally molded into a one-piece, flexible composite membrane. A spread filament tape is an individual yarn that has been spread out until the individual filaments lie side-by-side; forming an ultra-thin “tape.” This exclusive technology enables 3Di sails to be made from fiber and adhesive only—without the need for Mylar film. The North Sails proprietary automated tape laying system allows designers precise control over the placement and orientation of material within each sail. This unitary, monolithic construction produces an airfoil that has balanced resistance to distortion in all directions. LEARN MORE FIND A LOFT REQUEST A QUOTE READ MORE

VICTORY AT THE 2020 NEW ZEALAND MOTH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS A Look Into The Winning Combination North Sails Photo: James Tomlinson A bit of teamwork and North Sails 3Di technology proved to be a winning combination for Auckland sailor Graeme Sutherland at the 2020 Moth national championships — sailed just days before the nationwide lockdown took effect. Sutherland, who finished top Kiwi at the Moth world championship in Perth in December, sailed a strong and consistent series over two days out of the Sandspit Yacht Club north of Auckland, to finish clear ahead of Olympic bronze medalist Sam Meech. “The final results probably make it look easier than it actually was,” says Sutherland, who dropped a second and an eighth placing to finish with a perfect scorecard. The development class regatta was held in Sutherland’s home waters of Kawau Bay, which he says provided ideal conditions and plenty of open water. There were almost twice as many entries for the regatta than for the 2019 nationals, with 22 entrants, including young up-and-coming sailors such as George Gautrey and Nick Egnot-Johnson. The first day’s racing was light and shifty, with some up-and-down performances, and Sutherland was tied for the lead with Stu Goodes after four races. However, on the second day, Goodes was knocked out of the regatta after breaking a spreader, and Sutherland found himself having to stay in front of Meech to take the title. These three sailors were the top three Kiwis at last year’s worlds, and Sutherland says they have worked together to raise their performance. All three sailors have worked with the North Sails One Design team, led by Derek Scott, to optimise their 3Di sails for their New Zealand-built Bieker Moths. “We decided to get the same gear and work as a squad, all using the same boat, rig and sail, and try to play off each other to improve,” Sutherland says. “It’s a hard class for sailmakers to keep up with, as things change so much. There’s always a bit of last-minute development, and before the worlds we managed to go into the North loft and do some small modifications to the sail and deck-sweeper area. “After the worlds we went back into the loft and made a couple more minor tweaks, so coming into the nationals we were all on the same page and up with the latest developments.” Sutherland says the sail he is currently using has increased depth in the luff curve, which allows him to power up a lot more, especially in light conditions and downwind. The big question now is whether the next worlds, scheduled for Weymouth, England, in September 2020 will go ahead. The New Zealand nationals were held under the increasing threat of Covid-19, which saw the country move to alert level 2 on the Saturday of the regatta. “It was good that we got the regatta done in time, but it was a pretty close thing,” Sutherland says. Also managing to complete its nationals series before Covid lockdown was the Flying 15 class, hosted by the Onerahi and Marsden yacht clubs in Northland. Finishing third overall, and securing a spot at the next Flying 15 world championships, scheduled to be held in Fremantle in February 2021, was the new pairing of Napier sailors Nathan Percy and Scott Pedersen. Both are also keen Paper Tiger sailors, with Pedersen normally sailing with Nathan’s brother Hayden, a former Paper Tiger national champion. However, after Hayden was injured, Nathan stepped into the helmsman’s role in the Flying 15. Despite their lack of experience together, they won one race and chalked up four second placings in the nine-race series. Derek Scott of North Sails One Design says using a new set of North Sails, including a radial-cut mainsail developed by North Sails UK, was key to Percy and Pedersen’s success. “Having not really sailed the boat together before, they still managed to be absolutely on the pace and also pick up some top placings,” he says. READ MORE

LET’S TALK CRUISING SAILS 10 Things To Look For Join North Sails expert Austin Powers, Peter Grimm and Bob Meagher for a discussion on 10 things to look for in cruising sails. READ MORE

LET’S TALK MOTH WITH TOM SLINGSBY AND ROB GREENHALGH Session Three Moth World Champion Tom Slingsby and North Sails class leader Rob Greenhalgh talk us through the in’s and out’s of race day strategy, and provide tuning tips for the newly released 9DSX Decksweeper mainsail in the third webinar, ‘Let’s Talk Moth’. READ MORE

A LOOK INSIDE THE NORTH SAILS LOFTS: SPINNAKER SAIL CARE Our Certified Service Experts Explain Review and Repair of Downwind Sails No matter where you are in the world, you can prepare for your next event or be ready for when sailing season picks up again by knowing what to look for when it comes to a healthy spinnaker. A few months ago we published ‘When to Replace Your Spinnaker;’ a how-to on what to look for and advice on prolonging the life of nylon downwind sails. Many of the tips were visual cues for when you’re out sailing, but our service experts also have a process where they can inspect your spinnaker inside our lofts, and help to determine if it’s in repairable condition or if you should think about replacement. We called on Certified Service managers Bacci Sgarbossa and Nick Beaudoin, from Italy and Australia respectively. Below is an explanation of their simple, but effective process for assessing the lifespan of your spinnaker. This North Sails Blue Book process holds true for spinnakers of all sizes, from one design to supermaxis. Step 1: Rinse That Salt Off It’s important to rinse spinnakers after sailing. Salt retains humidity making the kite heavier and more elastic. Plus, dried salt crystals in spinnaker cloth add weight. Let your service expert know if your sail needs to be rinsed when it arrives at the North loft. Step 2: Hang Dry Once your spinnaker arrives at the loft, it is draped and hung up to dry overnight. Once dry, it is ready to “fly” (inside!). Depending on the size of the spinnaker, two to four staff “fly” it in the air, which allows the team to get underneath and inspect the sail for any tears and/or holes. As the sail is being flown, damaged areas are marked with fluorescent stickers. Step 3: Repair The service technicians use fluorescent stickers to easily identify areas that require sail repair. Pinholes and tears are patched with the appropriate cloth. Once all work is completed, each sail is flaked and bricked for easy transport and storage. Step 4: Replace (if necessary) There are times when a sail is beyond repairable. Your Certified Service expert will let you know when the sail is on its last legs and then get you in touch with the proper loft contact.   Find A Loft Find An Expert Request a Quote READ MORE

LET’S TALK VIPERS Latest Tuning & Trimming Tips Class Experts Zeke Horowitz, Austin Powers, and Jackson Benvenutti give the latest on tuning and trimming tips, and how to put yourself at the front of the pack. READ MORE

SAIL TO CATALINA: PART 1 The Best Sails To Use When Sailing To And From The Island North Sails experts Alex Curtiss and Bill Herrschaft share their advice for the best sails to use when heading to Catalina Island from Marina del Rey. Bill shares, "Back in the early 70’s, my mom, dad, two brothers and I would do weekend trips to Catalina from Marina del Rey on our Catalina 22. That’s right, a family of five on a 22-foot boat towing a dinghy all the way there, 42 miles. Needless to say, it took forever. It was a fun adventure and we would play with the other yacht club kids once we got there." Nowadays, production sailboats have evolved with better hull, rig, and sail plan designs that make sailing easier and certainly a lot more comfortable. With the advent of modern sail handling systems, it’s easier to hop on your boat and get out of town. Almost all production boats come with a furling genoa, and your choice between an in mast furling main or the “Classic” mainsail you have to actually hoist. Great stuff for a new boat owner in terms of sail handling convenience. One thing Bill likes to look at with a typical round-trip sail from Marina del Rey to Catalina; How can we add performance and fun when the wind goes aft and the stock genoa looses pressure and just sags? Enter the G1 All Purpose Cruising Spinnaker, or Gennaker as we call it. It’s an asymmetric spinnaker, designed to be flown without a spinnaker pole, on a beam or broad reach. Usually built out of ¾ or 1.5oz Nylon, they’re easy to trim and do not add any complicated rigging or huge expense. You hear a lot about racing Asymmetric spinnakers that take a crew of 15 to handle, but these sails have been around for over 30 years and designed for short handed sailing. Gennakers come with a Snuffer, a long sock type arraignment with a molded cone at the bottom to help control, deploy, and take down (snuff) the gennaker. So, what are the weather conditions you can expect on a typical trip from MDR to Catalina? Starting out in the early morning the breeze will be a light southerly, probably motor sailing or sailing upwind with main and Genoa. Once past Palos Verdes, and away from land influence, the wind should increase and move aft. This is the perfect time to try our your new Gennaker in the wide open Catalina Channel before it gets too windy. Hoist the Gennaker in its Snuffer all the way up. The sail is contained in the Snuffer until you’re ready to deploy. Bear away to a broad reach, snug the sheet a little and use the Snuffer control line to raise the sock and open up the Gennaker. Slowly head up and sheet in until you feel the Gennaker fill and pressurize the boat. Once sailing a comfortable course, ease the sheet until the Gennaker luff curls, then sheet in slightly to achieve the proper trim. Now is the time to get a feel for your new Gennaker and try sailing up (closer to the wind) or down (a deeper angle to wind direction). Alex points out, " These sails are more sensitive to wind speed and angle than a genoa so it’s good to learn how high or low you can effectively sail in a given wind speed." Generally, a tight reach in light air, or a broad reach in higher wind speeds. You do not need complicated wind instruments to sail with a cruising spinnaker. Just a mast head fly for wind direction, and a simple anemometer for wind speed. Or, the old fashioned way, a feel for wind on your face. To douse or Snuff the Gennaker, do these easy steps. Simply bear away and sail low enough so the mainsail helps block the wind and “relaxes” the pressure in the Gennaker. Go forward and pull the sock’s control line down so the sail is contained in the sock all the way to the clew. You now have time to safely ease the spinnaker halyard and snake the entire package on deck. How about coming home from Catalina? Depending on the time of day, the wind in the Catalina Channel could fill-in nicely. If you can maintain a comfortable sailing angle heading to Palos Verdes, then deploy the Gennaker. Sometimes the wind will head, or go forward, as you get closer land (Palos Verdes Peninsula) and you might need to douse the sail to get around the point. Once past the point, you will almost always have a good wind angle to use the Gennaker all the way back to Marina del Rey. A Gennaker will add fun and horsepower to your boat for shorthanded sailing without unnecessary complication. Read Cruising to Catalina, Part II Learn more about cruising with our Cruising Tool Kit. READ MORE

LET’S TALK OPTIMIST WITH ANDREW WILLS, DEREK SCOTT, AND CHRIS STEELE Session One Optimist class experts Andrew Wills and Derek Scott talk all things Optimist with special guest Chris Steele who won the Worlds in 2007 with Wills as a coach. This session covers planning, daily routine, race routine and how to maintain a good training mindset. READ MORE

THISTLE HEAVY AIR TIPS A Recap From the Midwinters East with Mike Ingham 📸 Cory Hall, St. Pete Sailing Center Breeze on! The 2020 Thistle Midwinters East was sailed in overpowered conditions for the entire weekend. It was a lot of fun! Going fast was about hiking hard, steering for waves, playing the main to keep the boat flat, and good on board communication. Here are Mike’s top 5 points on sailing fast in a breeze: Sail Flat Flat defined: I define this as a few degrees of heel (not necessarily totally zero degrees flat) Helm check: You should have no noticeable helm, and to check this you should let go of the tiller and see how fast you head up. You will likely find that at 0 degrees you go straight, and with a few degrees you head up slowly. If you head up at all quickly, you are too heeled! Hike Hard Hard hike defined: 100% hike is unsustainable. 80% or something like that is a sustainable hike for long races on multiple race days. Pain: 80% still hurts! There is no way around it, hiking hard is work. Your 80%: Everyone’s 80% is different, all you can do is what you can do. Find your 80% and stick with it. Hike steady: Don’t hike harder in a puff and softer in a lull (assuming the lull is still overpowered as most were at MWE). Sustain that 80%. DO hike harder in critical situations. Occasionally I would say something like “100% hike until we cross this pack”. DO hike less when not critical. “50% hike, there is a gap ahead and behind, lets save our energy to the finish” Vang is a Big Depower Tool Vang flattens the sail: It bends the mast down low by ‘ramming’ the boom forward into the mast. You will notice more overbend wrinkles when vang is on, less when it is off. More wrinkles means your sail is flatter, less means it is fuller. Ease in lulls: If you do need power in a lull, ease the vang and sheet in. Still at 80% hike until you are clearly underpowered. Pull on vang in breeze: If you need to depower more, tighten your vang. There is a limit; our boom bends a lot with vang on full. Our limit is just before we feel we will break the boom. Main and Steering Keep the boat flat: To state the obvious, easing the main and steering up keeps the boat flat in a puff, and vise-versa in a lull. It takes both: It is always a combo of the main and steering, I know of no condition where I do one without the other, its the % of each changes depending on the wave condition Main and Steering in Waves and Wind Foot: In waves, pinching up can be super slow because the boat is slowed by waves. Aggressive steering: I steer all over the place looking for the best path through waves. I find low spots and avoid steep waves, or in smoother waves to steer up the face and down the back. Steer to waves, trim to heel: To do this, I have to prioritize steering where I need to for the wave while trimming the main to keep the boat flat Main and steering in flat water: OK to pinch: In flat water, I can steer wherever I want with no worry that I will slam into a wave Pinch to depower: In flat water when I am overpowered, I prioritize trying to steer to the wind (up in a puff, down in a lull) Mainsheet to fine tune: I will still need small main changes to keep the boat flat where I can’t keep up with it steering It’s Rarely All Waves or All Flat Most of the time, there is some combo of steering for wind and steering for waves. In the flattest water, 100% of my steering is to the wind because there are no waves. In the roughest water, I probably steer to the waves 80%, and steer to the wind 20%. I would say a typical thistle heavy wind race at MWE was 50% / 50%. The bigger waves I would have to steer through, but flat spots would allow me to steer up in a puff ALWAYS play the main Waves: In waves, I am steering a lot through waves, so I need to play the main constantly and aggressively. I go through a large (at times an armlength) range. Flat: In flat water, even though I want to steer mostly to keep the boat flat, I find I need to constantly adjust the mainsheet to keep the heel just right. These are small (a few clicks here and there) but frequent adjustments Jib When we are overpowered, we set the jib to the main backwind bubble. That means when the main is eased a lot, we have to let the jib out too. If our main flogs the jib is to blame (until it blows about 30, then there is nothing left to do but flog both sails!) A gentle bubble of about 1 foot behind the mast is about right. More and you need to ease. Less and you need to trim. Stay ahead of the curve by calling wind and waves “Puff in 3, 2, 1 puff on” allows me to start easing at “2” and that prevents an initial heel in the puff. Very effective. “Big wave”, or even better something descriptive like “Square wave” or “A lot of waves” is super useful. “Flat spot” is great info on a bumpy day. If there are lots of waves, it seems silly to call them all, I need to just assume there are waves until told otherwise That should cover it. Sailing flat by being proactive on depowering (vang…), then sailing the right combo of steering and main sheet is the way to go fast in big breeze. Oh yes, almost forgot – hike hard! READ MORE

FRIENDS REFLECT ON A GREAT SAILOR AND PARTNER Remembering Travis McGregor Travis was a great sailor and a great friend of mine. I contacted the sailor who spent the most time racing with him on Turnagain as well as his partner and asked them a few questions. Here are their responses to the questions I asked Uncle Vern Burkhardt. Your first time meeting Travis. I met Travis in Victoria during the Swiftsure International Yacht Race while I was the Chair of this event. A great friendship subsequently began when Travis was a student in 2013 of an Offshore Personal Survival Course (Safety at Sea) where I was one of the three instructors. Early on it was apparent that Travis was a highly skilled mariner who loved to sail and to compete in sailboat races. How many races/deliveries have you done with him? I raced with Travis in about four Oregon Offshore Races (since renamed the Pacific NW Offshore Race), four Swiftsure International Yacht Races, two Southern Straits, a Snowflake winter series run by the West Vancouver Yacht Club, and two Vic Maui Races (2016 and 2018). I also helped him deliver his SV Turnagain from San Diego to Vancouver. Also, we jointly arranged and took turns skippering various legs in the delivery of John and Judie Abel’s Beneteau 49 from Puerto Rico through the Panama Canal and back to Victoria via the Galapagos Islands, Marquesas, and Hawaii (over 11,000 nautical mile delivery). We also helped Abels deliver their newly acquired yacht from Halifax NS to New York City. A funny experience with Travis. Travis and I had many wonderful times together and shared some funny and also some very challenging conditions. We both loved to fish while offshore by dragging behind the boat a 1/8” line attached to a leader and lure. Whenever we had a fish strike Travis would become highly excited, unusual for Travis, and rush to grab the line to bring in the fish. The only time I would get to the line before Travis was when he was sleeping, but even then a few times he rushed out from below and grabbed the line with the fish before anyone in the cockpit could get to it. With a “fish on” he became very animated and excited when it was landed. Whenever we raced in the Pacific NW Offshore Race we would sail to Astoria a week in advance presumably to be in Astoria in time for the start of the race. The real reason, it seems, was that Travis loved to sample the libations offered by the many brewpubs. Almost every time we headed offshore for a delivery or a race, Travis would be seasick for the first several days. When asked why he didn’t quit sailing and instead take up golf he replied, “You can’t golf at night.” One of the most memorable experience with Travis was during the delivery of SV Turnagain from San Diego to Vancouver. We were off the Oregon coast at night and it was pitch black with no moonlight. Travis and one other crew member were below decks as they were off watch, and I was on the helm. A wave hit the side of the boat hard and washed over the deck knocking me off the helm and with great force against the pushpit. Travis bolted out of the cockpit and yelled, “Are you still on the boat” as the MOB ring and light were disappearing behind as its bracket attaching it to the boat had been bent by the wave. In a few hours Travis lamented that we missed a great opportunity to practice a MOB recovery drill in the extreme wind and sea condition by retrieving the MOB ring and light. He didn’t mention, but I’m sure it was in his mind, and save the cost of replacement. Two years later the life ring was retrieved by a mariner off the Brooks Peninsula, and through luck the MOB life ring minus the light was returned to Travis only a week before his death. What was the best attribute Travis brought to a sailing team? Travis was meticulous in his preparation of SV Turnagain for any race. He knew every aspect of his yacht and had thoughtfully equipped it with incredible attention to detail. He was one of the best helmsmen, and a highly competent navigator and leader on a boat. Travis never lost focus and was always thinking about how to go faster and in the right direction to gain advantage. A time Travis went above and beyond to make sure his team was safe. Travis always went above and beyond to make sure his team was safe by ensuring the boat was well prepared, and he was physically and mentally up for any challenge that came along. He showed his leadership skills when we lost the quadrant in the steering system in the 2016 Vic Maui Race. His first priority was the safety of crew and leading the crew in making a decision whether or not to continue racing with our emergency steering system knowing we were no longer competitive or change our mission to arrive in Lahaina, Maui in time for the Awards Party. The party option was the chosen option. Travis’ crew briefings prior to each race or offshore passage were thorough and clear. He had a checklist of items to cover and did so in a manner that all crew were aware that a safety first culture prevailed on the boat. And he led by example. What do you think Travis should be remembered for? Travis loved his two children and was often melancholy about being away from them when we were offshore. He often spoke about them and how proud he was of them—a great role model for a father. He should also be remembered as a highly accomplished mariner who loved being on the water. He was a wonderful gentleman, a great friend, and respected and admired by an incredibly large number of people. Kaitin Brunt: When was your first experience sailing with Travis? The first time Travis and I went sailing was for a few days cruising in the Gulf Islands. He picked me up at a tiny dock where he maneuvered Turnagain (in reverse!) into this super tight slip and made it look effortless, as he did with most things. As I was stepping onboard I thought to myself, "Oh my god, who is this guy??" What was your favourite memory on Turnagain? We were sailing back from Wigwam with Travis's kids. It was sunny, we had a beautiful breeze behind us, and Sylvia (his daughter) was driving. He loved being out with his kids and having them participate in the sailing. Sylvia was doing an amazing job and Travis was such a proud dad! What were Travis's favourite activities/passions outside of his boat? He loved to explore, be active and be in nature. He loved skiing, diving and hiking, anything that brought him outdoors. He was also a fantastic cook! Who did you consider Travis favorite person to be on a boat with? He was definitely happiest when his kids were onboard. He really wanted to show them the world by boat. Where was Travis' favorite or top spot he enjoyed sailing ? Tough question... I think he loved all his sailing adventures, whether it was Gulf Islands, Hawaii, or Galapagos. He really wanted to see it all by boat, but I think his heart belonged to the coast. Secret Cove, Tribune Bay, Princess Louisa .. he always said he wanted to end up here. Which do you think Travis enjoyed more cruising or racing ? Travis was definitely a cruiser. He enjoyed racing because it got him on the water but he was happier to explore on his own time. He liked racing because it was a great excuse to sail to Hawaii, but he would have cruised there if he could have justified it! Our sailing community lost an amazing sailor and friend. Before Travis passed he was co-chair of the Vic Maui and one of the reasons that the race has been as successful as it has been over the last few editions. He also helped a local couple deliver their boat home from the Caribbean. Travis always had his next adventure on his mind and I hope that his legacy will live on in the memories of his friends. READ MORE