NORTH SAILS BLOG

A historic fleet convenes in Bermuda for the America’s Cup J Class Regatta The J Class boasts an incredible blend of classic allure and the latest advancements in modern technology. With roots in the world’s oldest international sporting event, the heyday of the J-Class was in the 1930s when ten yachts (six American and four British) were built to race in the 1930, 1934, and 1937 America’s Cup. Since then six replicas have been built to original lines, the earliest being Ranger in 2003. Still today, the unique beauty of the J Class captures the heart of sailors and spectators alike. This June the fleet will take to the waters off of Bermuda for a historic regatta, boasting the highest attendance the fleet has ever seen, as part of the 35th America’s Cup. Russell Coutts, CEO of the America’s Cup Event Authority, said, “The Js still epitomize grace and power with cutting-edge design and engineering. Having the J Class join us in Bermuda will create a spectacular blend between the old and new, showcasing the best of America’s Cup challengers and defenders from almost 90 years apart.” How to Follow The J Class America’s Cup regatta will take place on the 16, 19 & 20th June 2017. Due to their deeper draft, the Js will race off of Bermuda’s North Shore in Murray’s Anchorage. The first start is scheduled each morning at 1135. Depending on conditions, the race committee will run two races, each just over an hour long. Can’t make it to Bermuda? Stay in touch with exclusive updates and race coverage from North Sails, and track racing live from the J Class Association. North Sails is proud to be the Official Sailmaking Partner of the J Class Association, and looks forward to a historical summer of racing ahead! READ MORE

North Power Dominates J/24 North Americans with 1,2,5,6,8, and 10th Overall Team ‘Bogus’. 2017 NA Champions! © Chris Howell Another solid weekend under our belts as J/24 sailors headed to Houston, Texas for the North American Championship. Mother Nature dished up some great sailing conditions, ranging between 10-20 knots of solid breeze. Twenty-nine teams came to Houston to represent their hometown clubs, with only one winner in the end! North Sails Saturday kicked-off with expert Mike Ingham giving a thorough morning weather briefing, providing insights on trending conditions that were expected that day, and assisted competitors with their rig set up. Expert Will Welles joined Mike after sailing, debriefing sailors on what they saw on the water and facilitating a group discussion about what worked well, and what didn’t. Great competition and perfect conditions made for an all around successful event with North Sails three-time champion Will Welles, securing 1st place yet again with his all-star crew on ‘Bogus’: Jeff Linton, Erik Rexford, Chris and Monica Morgan, earning 4 bullets out of 10 races. Mike Ingham took 2nd with his team ‘Nautalytics’, Carter White with team ‘Sea Bags Sailing’ placed 5th, followed by St. Petersburg local Todd Fedeszyn with his team ‘Spoony Tactics’ in 6th. Natalie Harden close behind in 8th with team ‘Giggles’, and ‘Muy Muy’ with skipper Patricio Sly in 10th; all powered by North Sails. Congratulations to our clients for their amazing performance this weekend. Keep up the hard work- Worlds is only 3 months away! Full Results © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell READ MORE

Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Mission Bay, CA- Snipe sailors are making waves all over North America! Jensen McTighe and crew Andrew Guarangua, top junior team at 2017 North Americans. © Matthew Ditzel Last weekend, Snipe sailors gathered on both coasts to take part in the competitive racing and friendly sailing the class is known for. On the west coast, Mission Bay YC hosted the Herb Shear Invitational and meanwhile on the east coast, Lauderdale Yacht Club put on the 2017 North Americans. Both events were a success for the Snipe fleet, with new friendships made and old friendships rekindled. In Ft. Lauderdale, blustery conditions welcomed the fleet with sunshine and 18-23 knots of fresh sea breeze. Twenty-six boats from five different countries were rewarded with great conditions; 4-6 foot waves to ride all weekend, and technique-oriented upwind and downwind legs for a challenge. Slightly lighter pressure on Sunday gave the sailors somewhat of a break, gradually building to a nice 8-12 knots. The race committee scored eight total races, granting the fleet one one discard. The racing was close all weekend, especially within the top positions in the fleet. No room for errors with this group! Big thanks to Peter and Connie Commette for running a great event at LYC. With the added help of Tom Lihan, the Race Committee never ceased to disappoint. A special congratulations goes to North-powered 3rd place finishers, Jensen McTighe and Andre Guarangna, the youngest crew at the event who sailed very well against the World Champion and Olympic-level competition. Full Results In California, Mission Bay Yacht Club and Fleet 495 hosted the Herb Shear Invitational. The West coast competition was prominent in beautiful 18-20 knot winds and flat water inside Mission Bay. The scoreboard did a bit of a shuffle when the breeze lightened up on Sunday, before the regatta wrapped up with nine total races including one throwout. The family-friendly scene of the Snipe class can be felt worldwide, with widespread support and strong traditions that have been maintained throughout the class’ history. Friends sail with friends, family with family, and couples can be found all over the fleet. The highlight of the Herb Shear this year was a visiting couple from Norway cruising around the world on a 44-footer. They hadn’t sailed a Snipe in years but wanted to participate if they were able to get the equipment to do so. Members of Fleet 495 got them a boat and all the parts needed to sail the regatta, proving again that making new friends and sharing great memories is what this class is all about. Full Results For more information on how to get the fastest sails for Snipe, visit North Sails One Design: Snipe or contact your North Sails Local Expert today! Andre and Jensen, Top Junior Team at 2017 Snipe North Americans, placing 3rd overall. Ft. Lauderdale, FL © Matthew Ditzel Herb Shear Invitational © Judy Tillson Herb Shear Invitational © Judy Tillson Herb Shear Invitational © Judy Tillson Herb Shear Invitational © Judy Tillson Herb Shear Invitational © Judy Tillson Herb Shear Invitational © Judy Tillson Herb Shear Invitational © Judy Tillson Herb Shear Invitational © Judy Tillson Herb Shear Invitational © Judy Tillson READ MORE

Tough loss for Artemis Racing, a welcomed win for Softbank Team Japan Race 13 – Land Rover BAR vs Groupama Team France In the first race of the day, Ainslie and Land Rover BAR matched up against Cammas’ team on Groupama Team France. BAR had the advantage from the start and seemed to be running away with the race, until Groupama came back with impressive speed in Leg 3 – it took nothing but a shaky rounding from BAR for Groupama to the steal lead. Before the next gate BAR had closed back in on the Frenchmen, hitting a fascinating 40 knots boat speed, but still a boat length or two behind. Groupama managed to hold them off and ultimately secured a lead of 53 seconds at the finish, claiming their 2nd race in two days. Race 14 – Emirates Team New Zealand vs Artemis Racing Next, in the most action-packed race we’ve seen so far, Emirates Team New Zealand and Artemis Racing faced off in the second match of the day. Over seven legs we saw nine lead changes, starting and finishing with a penalty. Artemis Racing punched the start a half-second early, and ironically fell victim to another penalty around the final mark – a close call initiated by the Kiwis, asking for more room to round. From the looks of it, Artemis gave way to the inside boat, but according to Pete Burling on ETNZ more room is needed when approaching a rounding at speeds up to 40 knots. Otteridge and crew were unable to exonerate the penalty before the finish, seeding the win to Burling and Emirates Team New Zealand. Note: America’s Cup Race Management (ACRM), the independent organization that oversees the rules of the America’s Cup, shed light on the umpires decision here. Race 15 – Groupama Team France vs Softbank Team Japan In Race 3, Groupama Team France aimed to continue their winning streak when they faced off with SoftBank Team Japan. Unfortunately for Groupama, the Japanese pulled off a beautiful start and crossed the line to windward, with about 10 knots more pace on. Barker and Softbank Team Japan crushed ahead with boatspeed hitting 38 knots, and maintained 100% fly time until a slight nose dive in Leg 5. A comfortable, yet welcome win for SoftBank Team Japan. READ MORE

NEUE TELEFONNUMMER! Gültig ab 1. Februar 2017: +41 71 680 00 80 READ MORE

GRAF-ZEPPELIN REGATTA 2017, BODENSEE Sieg in der ORC 2 Klasse mit NS 3Di !! Graf Zeppelin Regatta 2017 Start Bericht von Jan Eckstein, X-34 „EMMA“, GER-133 Bereits bei der morgendlichen Überfahrt von Langenargen nach Friedrichshafen auf teils spiegelglatter See wurde erkennbar, dass die Windverhältnisse wie angekündigt nicht einfach für die diesjährige Graf-Zeppelin-Regatta werden würden. Dennoch fuhren wir nach der Steuermannsbesprechung um kurz nach 10Uhr hoch motiviert in die Friedrichshafener Bucht um mit dann doch einsetzenden Nordwest Wind (bis 6kn) pünktlich um 11Uhr zu starten. Als erstes galt es für die 34 Teilnehmer die in den Wind gelegte Ablaufboje zu runden. Ein unglücklicher Winddreher hatte zur Folge, dass die von uns gewählte linke Seite der Startlinie trotz freieren Winden sich nach dem Start als schlechtere herausstellte. Ein weiteres kleines Luv-Duell mit der „Capricorno“ einer modifizierten ILC-40 kostete uns weitere Zeit auf das restliche Feld. So befanden wir uns im Mittelfeld auf dem Weg zur nächsten Boje vor Immenstadt. Für unsere Renntaktik sich bei diesen unstabilen Verhältnissen klar unter Land am deutschen Ufer zu halten wurden wir mit guten Bedingungen für unseren Code Zero belohnt und arbeiteten uns Stück für Stück an den Booten, welche den direkten Kurs gewählt hatten vorbei. So befanden wir uns nach einer kurzen Kreuz zur Boje Immenstadt, bei Sonnenschein und Westwind mit bis zu 8knt, wieder im vorderen Teilnehmerfeld, mit schneller bewerteten Booten hinter uns und in unserer Nähe. Lediglich die ganz schnellen ORCRacer um die Wilke 49 „Wild Lady“ schienen zumindest nicht mehr einholbar. Mit guter Laune und Aussicht auf eine schnelle Regatta rundeten wir, mit der „Brava“ aus ORC-1, als erste Verfolgergruppe die Boje Immenstadt. Doch schon nach kurzer Strecke Richtung Schweizer-Ufer, da die nächste Boje vor Utwil zu runden galt, schlief der Wind komplett ein. So schrumpfte unser Abstand auf die nachfolgenden Boote fast wieder komplett zusammen und es gab wie so oft den der Flaute geschuldeten „Neustart“. Wir entschieden uns daraufhin gewagt und als einziges Boot erst einmal in Richtung Konstanz zu segeln, da wir dort mit besserem Wind rechneten und der direkte Weg nach Utwil wirklich komplett im Flautenloch zu liegen schien. Mit wirklich mehr Wind wurden wir durch unsere Route aber nicht belohnt, dennoch parkten wir zumindest nicht wie die anderen Boote auf dem See, segelten dafür aber mit einem großen Bogen gefühlt die doppelte Strecke an die Schweizer Seite des Sees. Dennoch schien es sich zu lohnen, denn je weiter wir uns der Boje näherten, desto mehr schlossen wir auf die schneller bewerteten Boote vor uns auf. Inzwischen hatte sich die Regattaleitung auch dazu entschieden aufgrund des mangelnden Windes die Bahn an der Boje Utwil zu verkürzen. So segelten wir am Schweizer-Ufer, bei stark drehenden Winden (zwischen Am-Wind und Vor-Wind Kreuz) mit dem Ziel in Sicht, die letzten Meter bis zur neuen Ziellinie. Mit unserer Zielzeit von etwas mehr als vier Stunden konnten wir berechnet unsere Gruppe, ORC-2, gewinnen und sind zu unserer Freude auch nach gesegelter Zeit vor den meisten unserer Konkurrenten sowie Booten der ORC-1 Gruppe ins Ziel gekommen. Alles in Allem war es eine super Regatta, die nachdem sie letztes Jahr ausgefallen ist, sich hoffentlich wieder in den Regatta-Kalender etabliert hat um auch nächstes Jahr mit zahlreichen Meldungen vertreten zu sein. Fazit: Manchmal lohnt es sich einen längeren Weg als alle anderen zu segeln, auch wenn zwischendurch Zweifel auftreten. Vielen Dank an das Team welches bis zum Schluss positiv geblieben ist und der Flaute getrotzt hat. Anmerkung der Redaktion: North Sails Schweiz gratuliert der Crew der 'EMMA' ganz herzlich und freut sich, dass die neuen 3Di Race Segel so laufen...!! Sollten auch Sie Interesse an den nahtlosen 3Di Segeln haben, melden Sie sich bei uns: schweiz@northsails.com! PS: NEU gibt es auch 3Di für den Fahrtensegler! READ MORE

SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION FOR NZ ONE DESIGN SEASON The summer season might be over, but the hard work is just beginning for a pack of young Optimist sailors — and the team at North Sails. The Optimist nationals were held at Easter, at the Napier Sailing Club, but now the top competitors are preparing for a range of international competitions to be held over the coming months. North Sails One Design manager Derek Scott says several sailors will be looking for new sails to take with them to the Worlds in Thailand in July, and to the IODA Asian, North American and European championships over winter. Winning the nationals, and heading the national rankings with a clean sweep of all four ranking events this summer, is Seb Menzies from Murrays Bay Sailing Club, who uses a North cross-cut MZX4 sail. Menzies will now compete in the Optimist Worlds in Thailand in July, along another sailor using a North sail, George Lee Rush of Wakatere Boating Club. Rush, who uses a radial cut main, finished sixth Kiwi and fourth equal in the rankings. Joshua Hyde, also from Wakatere and using a radial North sail, finished ninth Kiwi at the nationals and sixth equal in the rankings, so has qualified to compete at the IODA North American champs, in Toronto in late June–early July. Slightly older youth sailors also got their chance to compete at Easter, at the Starling national championships at Wakatere, on Auckland’s North Shore. Around 100 skippers competed in this prestigious event, with Torbay Sailing Club’s Sean Herbert winning the regatta in the final race, over the home club’s Luke Cashmore, with Oliver Cowley of Worser Bay third. “It was a really challenging regatta,” says Scott. “Conditions just got lighter and lighter, until the last couple of races in the finals had to be called off.” And at the 420 national championships, the top crew was Robbie McCutcheon and Jono Weston from Wakatere, who sailed very consistently over 12 races to take the title at Wellington’s Evans Bay. Both McCutcheon and Weston and the second-placed crew (and female champions), Xanthe Copeland and Annabel Cave, use North sails, as do many other boats in the fleet. A large fleet of Etchells turned out for their nationals in Auckland, with Lincoln Fraser the top Kiwi in second behind Australian Martin Hill, and North Sails sales manager Andrew Wills and his crew third on countback. “Again, pretty much that whole fleet has North sails,” says Scott. In the Pied Piper nationals held at Milford in early April, Sam Marshall and his crew on Motamouse, with the aid of old hands Alastair Gair, Jayson Herbert and Tom Kerney. Motamouse had a brand new North jib for the regatta, which Marshall said was “a weapon upwind. North just nailed the new design.” Skiff racers using North sails also rounded off their season with some great results. Ben de Fluiter and his new crew Rod Chave, sailing One and In, won the 12 footer nationals in mid-March. “Both Ben and Rod work for North Sails, so they have spent a lot of time working on their wardrobe and getting the sails just right,” says Scott. “They’ve got four different rigs, so there’s lots of potential for sail development.” The team on 18 foot skiff Yamaha, skippered by David McDiarmid, recovered from their disappointment at the JJ Giltinan series in Sydney to take out the Anzac Championship in late April, ahead of C-Tech, skippered by Alex Vallings, and US sailor Howie Hamlin, on Harken. All three of the top boats carried North wardrobes. In other results for boats with North sails, James Sandall won the Ross 780 nationals in Strait Enz with a full wardrobe of North sails; Anne Hirst won the Magic 25 nationals at Taupo; and Hamish Hall-Smith of French Bay Yacht Club won the Jollyboat nationals at Howick, after earlier finishing second in the 3.7 nationals and fourth at the R class Leander Trophy series. “It just goes to show what a wide range of classes we are involved with, and how many sailors we are helping to find success,” says Scott. “Now it’s back to the loft to start working on the sails for next year.” READ MORE

Yale, BC and Coast Guard claim ICSA Women’s National Podium, wrapping up the first event of College Sailing Nationals The ICSA College Sailing Nationals kicked off on this week in Charleston, SC with the Women’s semi-finals, where 32 universities competed for the top nine positions in the Eastern and Western conferences. Nine races in each division rounded out a rainy series on the Cooper River. Winning the Eastern semi-finals was the University of Rhode Island, and claiming the Western semis was Yale University. The 18 teams in the finals sailed a total 18 races in a variety of conditions, spanning from yesterday’s 15 knot Southwest pressing into a three-knot current, to today’s contrast of minimal wind yet still plenty of current. Yale has proven to be the most consistent on the water, with the Boston College Eagles a near match. Yale’s secret weapon was the pair of freshman skipper Louisa Nordstrom and crew Claire Huebner ’18, who held a strong hold on B-division for most of the week. The first day of finals (Thursday, May 25th) closed with Yale 13 points ahead of Boston College, who were 29 points ahead of the US Coast Guard Academy in third place. Four races were sailed in Friday morning’s light breeze and, perhaps too many sailors’ relief, the wind picked up a bit for tricky, oscillating conditions in the afternoon. With Yale and Boston College holding strong in first and second place, the battle for third was on. The University of Rhode Island, Stanford University and U.S. Coast Guard Academy all put up a good fight. It ultimately came down to the last race in B Division, with U.S. Coast Guard able to pull ahead of URI by just two points, rounding out the podium for the 2017 Sperry College Sailing Women’s Nationals. North Sails is a proud sponsor of College Sailing. Still to come in the week ahead are the team racing nationals (May 27-29) and the coed fleet racing nationals (May 30-June 2). Follow live results and tune into live stream coverage of the finals here. Congratulations to the Women’s fleet for a competitive week of racing, and hats off to the finalists for fighting to the very end! Sailing for Yale is Casey Klingler ’18 with Natalya Doris ’17 and Christine Klingler ’20 in A-division, and Louisa Nordstrom ’20 with Claire Huebner ’18 in B-division. Sailing for Boston College is Erika Reineke ’17 with Fiona Walsh ’17 in A-division, and Allyson Donahue ’17 with Tara Ferraris ’19 and Madeleine Loosbrock ’17 in B-division. Sailing for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy is Nikole Barnes ’17 with Anna Maria Vaccaro ’19 and Anna Morin ’19 in A-division, and Dana Rohde ’18, Madelynn Widmeier ’19, and Maddie Ekin ’20 in B-division. READ MORE

America’s Cup racing kicks off tomorrow on Bermuda’s Great Sound. In a series of events from May 26 – June 27, the 35th America’s Cup will feature six top teams battling it out for the oldest trophy in international sport. READ MORE

Mast rake Is measured from the top of the mast/gaff to the centre top of the transom. Wooden Hulls – 4950mm – 5000mm (These measurements work for both Gaff and Bermudanrigs). Goodwin hulls – 4975 – 4850mm Winder Hulls – 5000mm – 5100mm Rig Tension 12 to 16 on the shrouds using a Loos tension gauge for older boats. New boats both wood and frp will take 18-22.This isn’t as critical as it would be if the mast had spreaders, however it still controls the amountof jib luff sag and mast rake so care should be taken to keep a record of your setting so it is thesame every time. Outhaul Upwind, set the outhaul so that the foot just touches the leeward side of the boom. If the conditions are choppy and you are not overpowered ease the outhaul so that there are 2cm between the leeward side of the boom and the foot. In strong winds pull the outhaul tight. Downwind, you can ease the outhaul 5cm if you want more power. Fairleads and Jib Height The fairleads should be positioned as far back as possible on the thwart and as high as possible.You are allowed to fix the fairlead on a block 25mm high. The distance between the bearing surfaces of the fairleads should be roughly 750mm. Start with the tack corner of the jib 30mm above the deck. Raise it to 50mm above deck for light and moderate wind and waves. Lower the tack corner to level with the deck for strong winds. Pull it down 10 – 20mm below deck level for very strong winds. Kicker and Twist I think twist is the key to making a Mirror fast. A closed mainsail leech will make you point but if you overdo it the sail stalls, the boats slows, and you go sideways, giving the same effect as notpointing. Keep leeches open enough to stop the telltales stalling. This isn’t so much of a problemonce you are both hiking because there is pressure on the mainsail leech to keep it open, but it isstill possible to oversheet the jib. If the boat slows down compared to the boats around you or theboat feels as though its bouncing up and down on the spot, ease the jib sheet 1cm and see ifthings improve. Marks on the jib sheets are very helpful here and even calibration marks on the kicker will helpyou re-produce your fast settings. Spinnaker Pole Setting Good luck on the water! READ MORE

North Sails powers F4 catamaran to Bermuda and beyond The F4 catamaran made its world debut in 2016. This exciting new 46’ one design catamaran teamed up with North Sails, DNA/Holland Composites, and other marine industry partners to support Foiling on Water, a Red Bull athlete project with Oracle Team USA skipper Jimmy Spithill. Foiling on Water sent Spithill and crew on a 932 nautical mile mission from New York to Bermuda, home of the 35th America’s Cup. A daydream-come-true reality for Volvo Ocean Race and America’s Cup veteran Shannon Falcone, the F4 DNA project is a high-performance foiling catamaran designed with sheer speed and grace in mind. After a winter of testing, refits, and repairs in Antigua, Hull #1 is currently preparing for the 1000 nm trip back to Bermuda to join the America’s Cup spectator fleet. “The team at DNA gave me the opportunity to propose new concepts and features that integrate my past America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race experiences. Thanks to the support of our partners this boat is the result of an industry-wide collaboration to help bring one-design production foiling into a real world racing environment.” The ultimate goal of the F4 Class is to build the Tour de Foil one design racing series. Falcone and class manager Thomas Loughborough are hoping owners will be attracted to the idea of a high performance, stable foiling platform, combined with one design principles to make ownership as cost effective as possible. The F4 Class will be based out of Newport, RI in the summertime, and will enjoy Caribbean sailing in Antigua during the winter season. Their plans are to maximize the F4’s potential by pushing her to the ultimate challenges: 400 miles a day with key landing points in Block Island, Long Island, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. In the winter months, their landing points include the BVI’s and St. Barths. World-class snowboarder Travis Rice joined the F4 crew last fall in the post Foiling On Water delivery from Bermuda to Antigua. Rice is an avid sailor who owns a 60’ Gunboat outfitted with North 3Di sails and has compared his experience to his extreme snowboarding adventures, “I don’t know how to better describe it except for me it’s just like tree riding….I don’t know, this boat is blowing my mind.” © Shannon Falcone © Shannon Falcone © Shannon Falcone © Shannon Falcone © Shannon Falcone © Shannon Falcone READ MORE

North Sails clients take 9 of top 10 positions at 2017 J/24 US Nationals J/24 Nationals is a wrap! Thirty two boats participated in the three-day championship, with strong participation and support from local J/24 Fleet 26. Aside from racing, the sailors enjoyed making new connections and learning what they could from each other. Lots of factors in the game for this event, with light air and strange current in Puget Sound keeping sailors on their toes. Nine races with a generous discard gave sailors a break, however the scores stayed very close in the top 10 positions. Thursday was designated as a practice day, though without enough wind to sail, the North Sails on-site team hosted a dock talk. Lead by North Sails experts Will Welles and Brian Janney, who finished 2nd on USA 5208, the dock talk allowed for a beneficial group discussion among competitors. Many questions were asked and answered. Local sailors shared knowledge of the sailing area and sailors from around the country shared techniques. The fleet was very competitive in light air, which was prominent throughout the event. Current and eddies along the shoreline were considerations, which made decisions tricky and the importance of making the right decision even more of a priority. Playing the current well served huge gains, as well as spending as much time as possible on the lifted tack upwind. Keeping your head out of the boat and eye on the dark water was also very important and made a big difference within the top 10. © Chris Howell “It was never the same way twice it seemed,” said Welles, who placed 2nd at the event. Local sailor Keith Whittemore and his crew on Tundra Rose leveraged their intel particularly well on the 2nd day, judging when the wind wouldn’t shift any farther right. They placed their bets on the left side early which proved beneficial. The current was also much stronger on the left, but that being said it was hard to decide if it was worth getting into. The wind was still so light there was concern that it could be impossible to get out of the strong current when it was time. Boat speed was important, but so was staying between your competition and the marks. The breeze filled in much sooner in the day on Sunday, allowing the committee to get in three good races before the event came to a close. Keith and his team were able to minimize mistakes, allowing them to stay out ahead of the pack the majority of the time. “They were unbelievably fast,” said Will. A fun regatta with newfound friends and experiences to remember, are the things every sailor in the J/24 fleet can take away from this event. Welcoming new sailors to your home club and sharing your knowledge of the craft shows a lot for the J/24 class and its sailors as a whole. Big thanks to Seattle Fleet 26 and RC volunteers for making this event a success. Will commented, “Sailing with friends is what it’s all about”. Congratulations to our clients for their strong performance in the top 10, and special congrats to Keith Whittemore and his team Tundra Rose for taking the overall win. © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell READ MORE

MATT STEVEN JOINS NORTH SAILS, NEW ZEALAND North Sails New Zealand has recently appointed 27-year-old Matt Steven to its Auckland sales team, bringing with him plenty of experience in keelboat and dinghy sailing. Matt was brought up on boats, cruising with his family. He spent several years as mainsheet trimmer and tactician on the World Match Racing Tour and the Extreme Sailing Series, and was in the crew that finished second in the Youth America’s Cup in 2013. Matt is a previous New Zealand national keelboat and match racing champion, completed the 2014 SSANZ two-handed Round the North Island race, and is the current Mark Foy world and New Zealand national 18-foot skiff champion. Starting his sailing career in Wellington in Optimists, P Class and Starlings, he moved into a Laser for four years, but started racing keelboats after deciding not to pursue an Olympic campaign. He was part of the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club’s youth training programme and learned the sailmaking trade in between competing overseas, developing his interest in the art and science of how to make boats go fast. He has worked for North since 2015. Over winter Matt will be sailing regularly with various North Sails clients, including on Young Guns, which recently won its division at the Jack Tar Regatta. He is also part of New Zealand’s top 18-foot skiff crew aboard Yamaha, sailing with David McDiarmid and Brad Collins. The team narrowly missed out on a historic win in this year’s JJ Giltinan series in Sydney, and have success in the 2018 event firmly in their sights, after competing against European skiffs at Lake Garda, Italy in July. "We are trying some new, innovative things with the engine above the deck this year to try to give us an edge," Matt says. "It’s great working with the team at North Sails, and meeting lots of new people. I am enjoying the challenge of using my knowledge to provide the best sails for customers." READ MORE

The J Class represents an incredible blend of classic yacht and the latest advancements in modern technology © Amory Ross The J Class has its roots in the oldest sporting event in the world, The America’s Cup. In 1929 Sir Thomas Lipton, owner of Lipton’s (famous for his import of Lipton Tea from India), issued his fifth challenge to the Americans for the America’s Cup. He commissioned the build of the first J Class Yacht which signified the start of a new era in design evolution and racing. The Universal Rule came into effect in 1930. The size of a yacht was determined (by waterline length) and this was shown as an alphabetical list. “J” signified yachts with a waterline length of between 75 to 87 feet. The addition of the newly designed Bermuda mast allowed the yachts to carry a huge sail plan. Nothing so large and “awesome” had been built previously. The J Class yachts raced under the Universal Rule throughout the 1930s, which used waterline length, displacement and sail area to control the racing condition and rating of these Formula One racing yachts of their day. Now in the present day, there is a mixture of refitted surviving yachts along with a number of new yachts built to original hull lines. Even more are planned to be built in the future. So a specific J Class handicap system was developed in order to enable all yachts built to J Class designs to race against each other regardless of size, sail area or hull construction. The new rule is a VPP (Velocity Prediction Program) based rating system which puts limits on the performance. The aim of the J-Class Association (JCA) and the rule is to bring fair and close racing to the fleet and to give all designs a chance of winning on a handicap based system ensuring competitive, exciting and unique racing wherever this fleet goes. Combining unprecedented experience and heritage in the class, North Sails is the leading sailmaker of the J Class fleet. Reinforcing the relationship further, this year North Sails also becomes the Official Sailmaking Partner of the J Class Association. © Amory Ross © Amory Ross © Amory Ross READ MORE

UNE VICTOIRE POUR UNE PREMIÈRE Après avoir longtemps régaté sur de grands bateaux, Isabelle a récemment décidé de faire également ses armes à la barre d'un "petit" bateau. Pas si petit que ça en réalité, puisque le Esse 850 mesure comme son nom le laisse présager 8m50 de long. A quoi bon réduire la monture diraient certains ? C’est qu’au-delà du simple "plaisir de naviguer sur un monocoque ergonomique et bien né", Isabelle a une idée derrière la tête…naviguer avec son fils, Alex, âgé de 15 ans qui usait jusqu’ici ses combis sur les listons d’Optimist. Pour sa première régate en Esse, Alex préparant ses sélections d’Opti aux épreuves internationales, Isabelle s’entoure de deux de ses amis cannois. Et bien lui en a pris puisqu’ils s’offrent le week-end dernier la victoire toutes classes confondues sur la Haute route du Rhône, devant 26 autres concurrents habitués du parcours dans le haut lac entre Vevey, La Tour, Pully, Clarens et retour à La Tour. Entrée en matière réussie pour les trois compères et le SUI 104 voilé North Sails ! READ MORE

Class 40 Imerys tackles the uniquely challenging offshore race, powered by renewable energy and North 3Di sails © Rick Tomlinson On Friday, May 19th, Phil Sharp and Pablo Santurde won the Normandy Channel Race, crossing a line off of Hermanville in the wee hours of the morning. Not only did the pair sail their Class 40 Imerys on renewable energy alone, they finished the race in record time to set a new benchmark: 4 days, 11 hours 15 minutes and 50 seconds. Originating in 2010, the Normandy Channel Race is a popular double-handed offshore challenge in France. The course is varied and challenging, covering 1,000 offshore miles between the English Channel and the Celtic Sea as well as coastal portions off of France, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Challenging navigation zones brought on tight competition throughout the week-long journey, forcing sailors to be relentless and maintain focus to make sound tactical decisions. Imerys crossed the line just under three hours ahead of Jeand Galfione and Nicolas Ttroussel in 2nd place on Serenis Consulting, also powered by North. The following seven boats all finished in a busy two-hour span between 6:17 am – 8:19 am. Upon reaching the dock, lots of wide smiles from sailors and spectators alike gave the great feeling of a race sailed and finished well, with plenty of challenges in between. Phil began working with the North Sails team based in the UK before his entry in the Quebec – St Malo Race in 2016. A new mainsail was delivered on short notice, the same 3Di ENDURANCE main Phil and Pablo had up when they won the race this week. In the past year, Phil has expanded the inventory on Imerys to include a North Sails 3Di ENDURANCE J1, NPL SPORT J2, and a code zero, A6 and code 5. “Massive congratulations to Phil Sharp and Pablo Santurde on winning the highly competitive Normandy Channel Race on their Class 40 Imerys, on behalf of all of us at North Sails. It has been a pleasure to work on the sails for Imerys and collaborate with Phil on maximizing the boat’s performance.” – Jeremy Smart, North Sails in Gosport, UK © philsharpracing.com © philsharpracing.com © philsharpracing.com © philsharpracing.com READ MORE

One of the most dramatic events in modern sailing occurred in 1983. Australia II, with its famous winged keel, defeated US defender Liberty and took the America’s Cup abroad for the first time in its 200 year history. It was a stunning victory for the Aussies that resonated far beyond the sailing world. As both boats carried North sails, the company also rode the wave. Both Liberty and Australia II used revolutionary warp-oriented sail cloth for the first time. Aboard Australia II, a crew led by skipper John Bertrand hoisted sails of different material split front-to-back: polyester panels worked out of the luff and the layout switched to woven aramid, or kevlar, at the leech. The sails used a tri-radial layout, designed and developed by Tom Schnackenberg of North Sails in New Zealand, and were thought to be considerably lighter and less stretchy. Aboard Liberty were skipper Dennis Conner and tactician Tom Whidden. In 1987 Conner and Whidden would have their revenge. With the whole world watching, the pair guided American challenger Stars & Stripes to victory over Aussie defender Kookaburra III in a tense, windy series held in Perth. The Cup returned to US shores, Dennis Conner became a household name and Tom Whidden was hired as President of North Sails. Today, the America’s Cup remains a key platform for North sail development. Whether racing 12Metres, IACC sloops or wing-masted foiling catamarans, AC teams have helped North pioneer breakthroughs in sail technology such as 3DL aramid/carbon laminates, asymmetric spinnakers, 3Di composite sails, and the design horsepower behind a wing and soft sail working together. Commissioned by Alan Bond as a challenger for the 1983 America’s Cup, Challenge 12 (KA-10) was a point of reference for Australia II (KA-6). Here the two yachts are shown in the Challenger Series prior to the 1983 Cup. At the launching of Kookaburra III in Freemantle, before the 1987 Cup where she lost to Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes ’87, returning the Cup to US shores. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS TRIM CUP 2017 TAKKER AF FOR I ÅR North Sails Trim Cup begyndte fredag d.11 maj med en blæsende træningsdag i Lomma, nord for Malmø. North Sails Regatta Service team, bestående af Chuck Allen og Charlie McKee, gav råd om planlægning før start, bådhåndtering, hårdtvejrs trim og kommunikation på båden. Efter en dag med tips og coaching på vandet, præsenterede North teamet en detaljeret debrief til de fremmødte besætningerne, hvor der blev vist video og billeder for at hjælpe holdene med at forbedre deres præstation før weekendens kapsejlads. Lørdag formiddag gik med træningsstarter og coaching på vandet med de lokale North Sails eksperter Jesper Feldt og Henrik Ottosson, hvilket gjorde opvarmningen og optakten til selve kapsejladsen helt perfekt for de 35 deltagende både. Eftermiddagen bød på 2 kapsejladser efterfuldt af en detaljeret debrief, hvor der blev fokuseret på trim, besætningsplacering og kommunikation ombord. Søndag bød på let vind, dog nok til at 3 taktisk svære sejladser blev gennemført. Herefter en detaljeret gennemgang af let-vejrs stagvendinger og bomninger, for at hjælpe besætningerne med at maksimere deres præstationer. Tæt race mellem Melges 24 under North Sails Trim Cup 2017. North Sails Trim Cup blev afrundet med præmieuddeling, øl og de bedste burgere i regionen! Stor tak til alle deltagere og Lomma Sejlklub LBS. Vi glæder os til at gentage succeen til næste år! Du finder resultaterne her: http://www.lbs.nu/Kappsegling/northsailstrimcup13-1452017/resultat2/ READ MORE

Sailors gather in Lomma, Sweden to kick off the season North Sails is a proud sponsor of the Trim Cup, a unique event in Lomma, Sweden with an emphasis on improvement. Sailors worked on their performance on the racecourse with training drills and personal coaching provided by North Sails experts. This year was no different than the last, making for a highly engaging training regatta, and a great way to start the sailing season off right! A beautiful 16-22 knot breeze satisfied the fleet on Friday. Crew communication, maneuvers and starting techniques were key focuses of the day. With the help of North Sails’ Jesper Feldt and Henrik Ottosson, the race committee ran some practice starts coupled with short races for the fleet to warm up. Throughout the day, North Sails’ Chuck Allen and Charlie McKee took photos and video to review with the fleet after racing. All competitors showed great improvement in the span of the day, and awards were given to teams with the best starts and good communication, noted by experts on the water. On Saturday morning, the North Sails team of experts collected training priorities from the fleet. First step was to drop a weather mark so boats could practice mark roundings upon arriving to the race area, with coaches Chuck and Charlie close by to provide feedback. The race committee gave the 35 boat fleet a few practice starts and some short races to warm up before an afternoon of racing. Chuck and Charlie focused in on sail trim throughout the afternoon, sharing pointers and planning a debrief of the afternoon with photo and video. Every boat was seen on camera, emphasizing their trim, weight placement, and crew communication. On Sunday the breeze softened, giving sailors a chance to test their light air settings and crew work. North Sails experts reviewed notes and briefed sailors on the plan for the day. After three good races, Chuck and Charlie ran a short debrief on light air tacking and gybing with footage collected that day. Sailors appreciated hearing about individual techniques that worked for other members of the fleet. Awards were given out to competitors from their host, the Lomma Yacht Club, making for a great learning and racing experience for all. A whole-hearted thanks goes out to all the volunteers who made this a wonderful, welcoming event. Melges 24 downwind working on crew communication Debriefing after racing at Lomma Yacht Club 1/2 Tonner Antheor won “Most Improved” on Friday. FAREAST 28R working on boat speed in the lighter conditions on Sunday. Sunday’s Awards Ceremony READ MORE

NORTH SAILS PARTNERS WITH U.S. J/22 CLASS SCHOLARSHIP BOAT PROGRAM U.S. J/22 Class Initiative Gives Talented Young Sailors the Opportunity to Experience World Class One-Design Competitive Sailing North Sails One Design is proud to partner with the US J/22 Class Association its J/22 Scholarship Boat Program. North Sails has committed to providing new sails for the program for the 2017 season for the team using the boat. We are looking forward to being able to foster youth sailing in the J/22 and see the Scholarship Boat Grant program as a prime opportunity to further our goals. We are thankful to all the donors who have made the programs possible so far and want to encourage more people to become a part of the programs to help it succeed. Mike Marshall, J/22 World Champion and North Sails J/22 Class Leader, worked with the Class to organize the partnership. “I am so pleased and excited that our group is able to join with the J/22 Class to help provide opportunities for younger sailors to be involved with such a great Class. We are looking forward to continuing our support of the program for the next several years and help the Class build on its success.” “We are super excited to welcome North Sails as a major sponsor and are looking forward to working with Mike Marshall and North Sails to further promote the J/22 Scholarship Boat Program,” said Mark Stuhlmiller, President of the US J/22 Class Association. ABOUT THE PROGRAM The J/22 Scholarship Boat Program was designed to encourage talented youth sailors to experience the J/22 and the Class’ tremendous community of one-design sailors – at virtually no cost. Recipients of the award receive a fully outfitted J/22 sailboat and trailer for the entire season. It is the hope that recipients’ experience in the program will escalate their level of competitiveness and inspire them to accomplish great things in the world of sailing. THE 2017 WINNERS We caught up with the winners for a brief interview: WHY THE INTEREST IN THE J/22? The J/22 Class is a highly competitive Class that is always willing to share their knowledge to grow the Class. The sailors in the J/22 fleet will not only provide great sailing experiences for us, but will also introduce us to a higher level of competitive racing. HOW WAS THE TEAM WAS SELECTED? The team is constructed of the Jacksonville University Sailing Team by choosing four sailors who have a good chemistry together and have previous experience on similar boats to the J/22. However, the team is not limited to these four sailors. Since we are a collegiate team of about 30 sailors, we can easily move players around and train less experienced sailors to create a team that we believe will perform best in certain conditions. Our teamwork will allow us to select the right sailors to be the perfect fit for each event. FROM COLLEGE SAILING TO COMPETITIVE J/22 CIRCUIT College sailing has prepared us for the J/22 Class by improving our teamwork skills and by teaching us to always keep our heads out of the boat. Through college sailing, we’ve learned how to be prepared for the unexpected which will help us in sailing as a whole. In college sailing we have a nice variety of racing exposure that goes from fleet racing to match racing to team racing, along with our team workouts which make us very dedicated and team-oriented sailors. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED SO FAR? Learning how to tune the boat by adjusting the upper and lower shrouds was hard to grasp, but everything made sense as soon as we had our first practice. Something that we would like to continue to learn about is finding the balance between the upper and lower settings when we sail in different conditions. Having a better understanding of proper rig tuning will also teach us how to properly adjust the rake and backstay. EVENTS PLANNED? For this summer, we plan to attend Cleveland Race Week, J/22 North Americans, J/Fest, and the 2018 J/22 Worlds in Annapolis. For more information contact: Mike Marshall (401) 683-7997 mike.marshall@northsails.com READ MORE

SUR TOUS LES FRONTS, SUR TOUS LES PONTS ! Avec le retour des beaux jours, la saison nautique sur le lac est bel et bien lancée ! Quel que soit votre bateau, un membre de l’équipe North Sails n’est jamais bien loin de vous :) Ca c’est passé la semaine dernière… > North Experience des PS 33 (cliquez ici pour en savoir plus sur notre concept North Experience) > Grand Prix des TCFX à Genève (cliquez ici pour l’album photos) > North Experience à Neuchâtel (cliquez ici pour en savoir plus sur notre concept North Experience) > Epreuve d'ouverture du Championnat du Petit-Lac au CNC (cliquez ici pour l’album photos) C’est à l’agenda de cette semaine : > 2ème Grand Prix des Décision 35 à Versoix > 2ème épreuve du Championnat du Petit-Lac à la Nautique (Genève) > Bol d'Or de Neuchâtel (cliquez ici pour en savoir plus) > Critérium des Grand Surprise à la SNG (1ère manche du Challenge North Sails - cliquez ici pour en savoir plus) Pour tout renseignement, cliquez ici ou appelez-nous au 022 782 32 22. Bon vent à toutes et à tous ! READ MORE

Tom Partridge and Susie Plume recount their journey of selecting new sails for their Hylas 46, Adina © Tom Partridge Coming from a racing background, we set out with a goal of getting the best from Adina, our Hylas 46. Adina is an outright bluewater cruiser, designed to take on oceans while keeping her crew safe. She has an in-mast furling mainsail system which makes reefing easy and safe from inside the cockpit, something that proved particularly beneficial in big open seas. Deteriorating sails Her first set of sails were made from Dacron, the theory being they were sails made to last. The mainsail included full-length vertical battens and when new we were impressed how they helped the sail’s shape; all too often we had seen dacron sails that had lost their shape and the owners suffering inefficient sailing. Our mainsail was soon to go the same route; it wasn’t long before the battens were failing to furl straight, slowly but surely twisting. What shape there was also disappeared, the draft moving aft. Our genoa we struggled to trim effectively, telltales would dance in different directions no matter what we tried. After constant sailing in the tropics the sun was taking its toll and much to our horror our mainsail was starting to get tears in it. We’d repair them but more and more appeared. The leech started to deteriorate, and we knew the sail’s days were numbered. Selecting new sails Like most sailors we reached out to various sail makers, considering the different options. North Sails was quick to respond, asking relevant questions about the conditions we sailed in, what we saw as important in a sail, making us think and helping us choose the right sails for our needs. We were curious but slightly nervous about laminates. We’d heard they had a good reputation for shape and performance, but we weren’t sure about their longevity in the harsh sunshine we typically sail in. North Sails encouraged us to go this route, saying their NPL TOUR product is designed to last longer and would give us superior performance. This would tick both of our ‘most wanted’ boxes – performance and durability. Measuring up We had heard many a tale from fellow cruisers of having to make their own measurements with no comeback and costly adjustments having to be made if there were errors. Not so with North Sails; they had experts come on board taking what felt like over one hundred measurements, checking, re-checking, filling in forms and also happy to share information with us as they went. An in-mast furling laminate mainsail is a complex sail and measurements needed to be spot on. The right size genoa for our boat was designed from scratch and we have a stay sail that we planned to use not just in strong winds but light winds too. Fitting Delivery day dawned and a North Sails representative arrived with our shiny new sails – it felt like Christmas, we were so excited. Time was taken to fit them and check them. The representative added value, stitching up batten pockets to ensure they would stay in place on the long ocean passages ahead before we took a test sail to make sure everything looked good and in order. © Tom Partridge Immediate performance We’ll never forget our first passage from Thailand to Sri Lanka. We left on a moderate wind day and we were able to get all the sails hoisted. Suddenly Adina was off. The difference was immediate and electrifying. It was almost as though she had sensed she had a new set of clothes and she wanted to give of her best, we couldn’t stop smiling. Lightweight strength from laminates The sails certainly delivered on shape and there was no doubt our performance was boosted but there were additional surprises too. The lighter laminate sails were so much easier to control than our old chunky sails; furling and unfurling the genoa became so much easier, no longer lots of grinding, trimming was a joy. The mainsail, with its short battens, furled away effortlessly, working in the cockpit was easy. With the carbon fiber, you can see the strength in the sails; the shape in our main was spot on, the draft in the right position. In fact, the sails had so much power we later opted to replace our outhaul with a Dyneema line to hold the sail better; new running rigging is something people should consider when buying new sails. Benefits in both light and strong winds We learned some new tricks. In really light winds going upwind, we’d get the stay sail out in addition to the genoa, which would give us an extra knot of boat speed. Leaving the Maldives for Chagos in the company of friends on other boats, they were all impressed as Adina literally took off. In strong winds too, the sails still held their shape and, if anything, were more powerful; we pay more attention to reefing. And it is this power that got us through open seas with Adina carving through the waves – just what you want. Being a heavy ocean boat, upwind we’ve always needed 7 knots of wind to get moving and 10 knots of wind downwind. We now find we can sail quite nicely in just 5 knots of breeze upwind and downwind we can move in 7 knots, albeit slowly. That’s a big difference for long passages where saving fuel is key. Our Chagos to Seychelles passage was just over seven days and winds were light, sailing in the doldrums. We knew we had only four days’ worth of fuel and weather forecasts were unreliable so we had to sail as much as possible in the early part of the passage. With winds of 7-9 knots we could still keep moving and even if it was just 3 knots SOG it kept us going – we were delighted. Testing in all conditions Our sails carried us safely down and around the bottom of Africa to Cape Town. By then it had been just under a year in which we had covered around 6700 nautical miles, putting them through several tough passages in the Indian Ocean; they were due for their one year service. Our only issue had been a small section on the foot of the genoa where the UV strip had pulled up from the base seam with the main body of the sail; this was duly replaced with a slightly heavier UV strip. Other than that not a single fault, all of the sails were still in excellent condition and ready to take on further duty. Excellence all around Looking back over the past fifteen months sailing with our North Sails NPL TOUR, we could not be happier. We have been struck by the extra performance they have given us and the ease of handling. Other cruisers who notice the laminates have questioned us and we can do nothing but sing their praises and recommend them for cruisers seeking performance. And as for the North Sails service, as can be expected with quality sails it has been nothing short of excellent. In their next waterlog Tom and Susie share some tips on how to get the best out of your sails and techniques for open ocean cruising. © Tom Partridge READ MORE

BERTA-CARRARO E NORTH SAILS: UN INIZIO DI STAGIONE IN GRANDE STILE Hyeres - Elena Berta e Sveva Carraro, atlete rispettivamente del C.C. Aniene e dell'Aeronautica Militare, sono reduci da un quinto posto overall nella World Cup Series di Hyeres, ottenuto anche grazie all'affermazione nella Medal Race. In regata con i profili North Sails, le due atlete della squadra azzurra hanno chiacchierato con noi in merito alla loro esperienza in 470 e all'imminente Campionato Europeo di Montecarlo. Elena, Sveva, da quanto tempo avete iniziato l'esperienza in 470 insieme? E: È ormai un anno e mezzo che regatiamo insieme: abbiamo iniziato ad agosto 2015. Le vostre esperienze, in termini di Classi Olimpiche, sono simili? S: Ci sono dei punti in comune, ma il percorso formativo è stato in realtà molto diverso: Elena ha fatto esperienza in Optimist, 420 e 470, mentre io provengo dal mondo del Moth Europa, che ho iniziato a circa tredici anni perché anche da piccolina ero già abbastanza prestante a livello fisico. Poi ho fatto la scelta di passare al 470. L'inizio di stagione è stato per voi ottimo e a Hyeres è arrivata un'altra bella soddisfazione: in cosa è consistita la vostra preparazione invernale che vi ha poi portato a vincere l'Italiano e a ottenere il quinto posto sia a Palma de Maiorca che in Francia? E: Durante l'inverno abbiamo scelto di fare una preparazione centrata sulla crescita del nostro binomio, quindi dopo alcuni allenamenti con il gruppo della Nazionale ci siamo concentrate più su noi stesse, anche grazie al supporto del nostro allenatore Paolo Mariotti, lavorando sui nostri punti deboli e sulla nostra sincronia. I risultati si sono visti: è tangibile il fatto che siamo riuscite a colmare alcune lacune che con la preparazione fatta insieme a altri equipaggi non riuscivamo a risolvere. C'è poi stato tanto lavoro anche sulla preparazione fisica, che sta portando ottimi frutti: in questo caso, la scelta della preparatrice è stata affidata in toto a Sveva e oggi siamo seguite dalla bravissima Francesca Keper. I nostri circoli ci forniscono un supporto essenziale nella preparazione, così come gli sponsor tecnici che seguono la nostra attività. Quali sono i vostri punti di forza e su cosa, invece, c'è margine di miglioramento? S: Anche a fronte di come sono andati i primi eventi di stagione, mi sento di dire che abbiamo una buona velocità in bolina e spesso le scelte tattiche si rivelano vincenti. Stiamo migliorando sulle partenze, che per noi sono sempre state un punto critico, e dovremo continuare a lavorare sulle andature portanti dove i margini di miglioramento sono notevoli. La vostra attività è seguita anche da North Sails, tra l'altro fornitrice delle vostre vele: com'è lavorare a così stretto contatto con una veleria? E: Quella di continuare a lavorare con North Sails è stata una scelta facile, anche dettata dal fatto che, in un momento di crescita dell'equipaggio delicato come questo, anche i più piccoli dettagli fanno la differenza. La cura della barca, lo studio sulle vele, la scelta dei materiali non possono essere lasciati da parte. Con North Sails siamo tranquille perché abbiamo la garanzia di avere materiali di prima qualità e, soprattutto, i prodotti consegnati, pur essendo tecnicamente differenti l'uno dall'altro, sono sempre simili, per cui non si deve impazzire per capire come sfruttarne a pieno le potenzialità e trovare il setting ottimale. Un grande aiuto ci arriva dal nostro velaio di riferimento Giulio Desiderato, amico ed allenatore che ci dispensa sempre ottimi consigli: stare con North Sails garantisce un rapporto di fiducia. E' una costante che accomuna tutto il nostro mix di fornitori. In Italia il 420 è sempre molto attivo, voi siete un equipaggio che è di ispirazione per tanti giovanissimi nel mondo della vela: vi sentite di dare un messaggio a tutti coloro che scelgono di approcciarsi alla vela olimpica? S: Sicuramente, prima di tutto, bisogna avere tanta pazienza, nel senso che la Classe Olimpica richiede costanza, voglia e impegno. Non bisogna scoraggiarsi se, inizialmente, come spesso succede, i risultati non arrivano subito o arrivano in modo scostante: ci si trova a regatare con gente che lavora sodo curando ogni piccolo dettaglio, non a caso si tratta di professionisti a tutti gli effetti. È comunque un ambiente molto bello, dove lo sport è il centro di tutto, dove gli stimoli sono tantissimi anche grazie al livello alto delle flotte. E: Bisogna anche scegliere il tecnico ed il gruppo di allenamento giusti, perché il passaggio dalla classe giovanile a quella Olimpica è molto forte, quindi è necessario avere a fianco una persona che sia in grado di accompagnare l'atleta in questo percorso. READ MORE

Thornburg and crew reach Hawaii, finish Trans-pacific crossing in record time © Rachel Fallon-Langdon In the darkest hour of Tuesday morning, Lloyd Thornburg and his crew aboard Phaedo3 sailed past Diamond Head Lighthouse buoy at 4:32:18am local time. The team raced their maxi trimaran from Los Angeles to Hawaii to set a new record, shaving roughly an hour off the previous time. Yet to be ratified by the WSSRC, Phaedo3‘s new time-to-beat is 3 days, 16 hours, 52 minutes and 03 seconds. Upon reaching the dock, owner-driver Lloyd Thornburg said, “An unbelievable trip! Can’t believe we actually broke the record! This was the most difficult sail of my life. Everything went our way and the team put out a super human effort in order to keep the boat moving at nearly 30 knots through the entire trip. We are all excited for a well deserved rest and some sight seeing in Hawaii…” Lloyd joined his crew of Brian Thompson, Fletcher Kennedy, Justin Slattery, Pete Cumming, Henry Bomby and David Swete for the record-setting crossing. The team hoisted North Sails 3Di RAW and 3Di FORCE sails built this year. READ MORE

Mascalzone Latino Jr. Takes The Melges 20 Act 2 Overall Win In Scarlino Wrapping up Act 2 of the Melges 20 European Division in beautiful Scarlino, Italy with 32 teams from 7 different nations. A very nice job by the event organizers at Circolo Nautico Scarlino and the race committee personnel for running an excellent regatta for the M20 class. Day one was very light and the RC decided to call it for the day as the wind was not going to fill in with enough time to race. Saturday and Sunday were great sailing days, with 8-14 knots of breeze, the fleet was able to get in three good races. With the growth of the Melges 20 fleet as a whole, the boats are very tight on the race course, making speed a good start the most important take-away from the event. The starting line was just big enough for all boats, making it that much harder to find a hole and accelerate in a timely manner. Saturday and Sunday allowed for the teams to really work the boat on the downwind legs. Getting your team in sequence and being able to transition through modes was very important. Knowing how hard to push the boat downwind allowed for separation within the fleet and with the different techniques teams had it was interesting from a spectators point of view to see how each team found their groove. North Sails 3Di RACE is a fresh introduction to the Melges 20 class. The product has been demoed by a handful of fleet members including Leviathan, Raya, Cars 167, RUS 2, Mascalzone Latino Jr, and Maolca. Tactician Cameron Appleton had the following to report after using the sails on Mascalzone Latino Jr: “I was extremely happy with the 3Di RACE sails. We noticed how the mainsail handled a range of wind pressure and rig tune. The design has transferred from 3DL to 3Di seamlessly, with the match being very close and the sail’s behavior on par with what we expect from 3Di RACE verse 3DL sails.” “Each team will want to fine tune their own rig tune and setting with he new sail to suit there crew weight and style of sailing,” Cam continued. “So far we’ve gone approximately 85% off of the M-16 tuning guide with our own variations of tune for the conditions.” Congratulations to our clients for finishing within the top 10 positions, and great job to Mascalzone Latino Jr. for their impressive victory at Act 2 of the Melges 20 European Series. Next stop for the Melges 20 fleet, Zadar Croatia for Act 3! Stay posted on the North Sails offering for the Melges 20 here. Melges World League / Barracuda Communication Melges World League / Barracuda Communication Melges World League / Barracuda Communication Melges World League / Barracuda Communication READ MORE

North Sails welcomes Binks Marine to provide trusted service to clients in Somerton Park North Sails is pleased to welcome Binks Marine in Somerton Park, Southern Australia, as an agent for North Sails. North Sails is presently celebrating 60 years of sailmaking, and Binks is not far from the same mark, having serviced the local market since the early 1960s. Today Binks operates under the stewardship of Sandy Higgins, who comes from one of those families that is always around boats. “I got started sailing at about five years of age and went through the typical Junior Classes. 420’s were the main thing, and I won the 1998 Australian Championship at the helm. My brothers are sailors as well, so we had good, mostly friendly competition and that really helped me along the way. They still sail too, as do all of our kids!” Higgins has since moved on to sailing 505s when the time permits, and has earned six national titles over the years. He also enjoys sailing Sharpies, big boats and One Design boats like the Farr 40. He joined David Urry for the 2005 World Championship in Sydney as tactician. “Binks Marine has always been a North Sails loft, even in the 70s. Now as a strictly service loft, we were happy to partner with North and become part of the largest service network worldwide. It means we can increase our support for big boats while growing on the dinghy side of things, which is great given our background. South Australia has a large cruising market as well and we are happy to continue our support in that arena as well.” The local knowledge and experience of Binks Marine will pair well with the bank of knowledge, support and technology within North Sails. Higgins concluded, “As the premier outfit in the South Australian scene, our staff can support your sailing from dinghies to 50-footers with terrific products from North Sails, as well as chandlery and rigging solutions.” Reach out to Sandy Higgins at Binks Marine or contact your North Sails representative for assistance. Binks loft in South Australia Sandy steering for the Hawaii Five-O Sandy on the job, coaching READ MORE

FINN EUROPEANS Where The Heavyweights Come Out To Play Finn Europeans is a wrap! Sixty five competitors spent a week in Marseilles, France at the Yachting Club de la Point Rouge for an exciting week of sailing in the utmost variety of conditions, ranging from two to 30 knots. This is the first championship held in Marseilles for the Finn class and 26 countries were represented. Formatted like the trials, there are 10 races in the opening round, with the top three finishers qualifying for the final round. Sailors that place between fourth and 10th will then sail a semi-final round, with the top two finishers moving on to compete in the five-boat final round. The final round was on Saturday in which a final champion was determined. The week started out with heavy winds as a mistral moved through the region allowing two races to be completed on Monday. After the brunt of the storm passed, the winds became very light, too light to sail, so competitors were postponed onshore until enough wind built back up. They got one race in for the day. On Day two the race committee was successfully able to score one race in 8-10knots of breeze. Ed Wright began his event with two bullets, but was over early in the third race, allowing Ben Cornish to take the win and move into the overall lead. On day three, Ed Wright made it back into first place overall, leading the fleet by three points after three races and a long day on the water. Southeasterly winds and rain plagued the regatta site on Day four with sailors postponed ashore. The race committee made the decision that there would be no racing that day. Day five brought shifty light-to-medium conditions that challenged the race committee to find the fairest place to set the course. Lots of changes on the scoreboard at the end of day five; with the leaders close in points, anything was possible for the last few races of the regatta. The competitors in the top positions have a ton of pressure on them the last day, knowing that everything they’ve worked for all week could be lost with one bad tactical decision. Lobart and Pedersen acheived 1st and 2nd, respectively, on the last day of the opening round. Wright was able to pick up third place and move into the final round. The final round results confirmed Lobert in 1st, Wright in 2nd, and Cornish in 3rd. The semifinals resulted in Wetherell placing 6th, and Heiner in 10th. A tough regatta, but the results show us that focus and patience was the key to success last week. Congratulations to our clients for taking the silver and bronze in the finals round, and placing 4th-8th, and 10th overall, wrapping up a big week for the heavyweight division in Marseilles. Full Results HERE Brendan McCarty © Robert Deaves Ed Wright © Robert Deaves © Robert Deaves Day 2 AP- Tom Ramshaw, Ed Wright and Brendan McCarty hanging waiting for wind Ed Wright © Robert Deaves Ben Cornish © Robert Deaves READ MORE

SOLL IHR SEGEL LÄNGER HALTEN? Eine jährliche Inspektion verlängert das Leben Ihrer Segel erheblich und hält die Performance immer auf dem höchstmöglichen Niveau. Jedes Segel, das bei North Sails im Service ankommt, wird einer gründlichen Kontrolle und Durchsicht unterzogen. So erkennen wir kleine Schäden rechtzeitig und können diese beheben, bevor größere Probleme entstehen. Certified Service™ steht bei North Sails für höchste Handwerksqualität und Effizienz. Unsere erfahrenen Segelmacher wissen genau, welche Behandlung Ihre Segel benötigen. So gehen Sie mit einer perfekten Segelgarderobe in die neue Saison. Wir kontrollieren auch den UV-Schutz Ihrer Segel, denn dieser muss regelmäßig erneuert werden damit Ihr Segel keinen Schaden nimmt. JETZT TERMIN VEREINBAREN Vereinbaren Sie noch heute einen Termin mit dem lokalen North Sails-Vertreter und vertrauen Sie unserem Certified Service-Team Ihre Segel an. Gerne holen wir die Segel auch bei Ihnen ab. READ MORE

JOHN-ØYVIND GARVIK WINS 91-BOAT REGATTA USING THE NORTH R-4 DESIGN The New North Sails Optimist Designs Continue to Prove Superior Speed on the Race Course We are happy to share yet another major regatta win powered by North Sails R-4 design. John-Øyvind Garvik won the first event of the Norwegian Ranking Series, the Norwegian Optimist Cup, taking first place out of 91 total boats. The conditions were light, but not too challenging for 14-year old JØ, who had strong finishes of 1-2-1 to win the first event for the Norwegian Ranking. JØ has been using his North Sails R-4 since last September and is also helping us test the new R-5 design, with the coordination of our Optimist specialist Thomas Nilsson and his coach Luka Radelic. The North Sails Optimist designs have been winning many major events in 2017, including the Spanish Nationals, New Zealand Nationals and Irish Trials. Learn more about the North Sails designs for the Optimist READ MORE

Depuis mai 2015, North Sails Suisse vous propose son nouveau concept North Experience ! D'une part, nous avons besoin de vos retours afin de faire évoluer nos voiles et d'autre part, vous avez souvent des questions à nous poser sur les réglages de mât, l'entretien des voiles, leurs réglages selon les conditions etc. Après le succès des premières sessions à Genève et Lausanne, nous continuons de vous proposer de passer une journée ensemble selon un programme type, puis adapté aux participants. Livre d'or suite aux sessions North Experience ayant déjà eu lieu (Classe Surprise à Genève et à Lausanne, classe Esse 850 à Lausanne) : Thierry et Edgar LANZ, Surprise Malice, SUI 671 "Merci pour cette journée fort intéressante. Les explications et les dessins au tableau ont été simples, clairs et logiques. Bravo ! Le manque de vent n'a pas vraiment été handicapant car ce sont également des conditions que nous connaissons parfois. Un point que nous avons particulièrement apprécié car très intéressant et bien présenté : le réglage du mât. En effet, le format que vous avez choisi est parfait : très bonne introduction théorique suivie d'une mise en pratique : « astuces » pour prendre les mesures, séquence des réglages (galhaubans, puis étai, etc.), très instructif ! Notre appréciation sur le point de vue logistique : parfait ! Vraiment super que vous ayez pu nous suivre sur le plan d'eau avec le Zodiac afin de pouvoir nous faire vos remarques et donner les conseils « en live ». Le plus : très sympa d'avoir pu prendre le repas de midi tous ensemble, et dans un temps relativement court pour ne pas perdre de temps. Il y a un autre sujet qui nous intéresse de creuser et apprendre des « astuces » qu'on ne trouve pas dans les livres : le réglage du spi. Peut-être serait-il possible de combiner ce sujet sur une journée avec la tactique des départs ? Encore une fois merci la journée d'hier !" Daniel CHENAUX, Surprise, SUI 763 "Merci pour votre invitation et la qualité de votre présentation, de même que pour la sympathique prestation des collaborateurs de NS." Sarah HENRY, Surprise Miss tick, SUI 435 "Au nom de tous les membres du CUST présents et de l'équipage de Miss Tick et Corto, je te remercie pour l'organisation de la journée de dimanche ! J'ai reçu beaucoup de mails de membres enchantés par leur journée et qui remercient Tosh, la voilerie North et toi. C'était super bien organisé et très riche en apprentissage. Le concept théorie et réglages des bateaux le matin et pratique l'après-midi permet de travailler sur tous les aspects! Et une fois de plus, le fait de pouvoir avoir des professionnels qui viennent directement régler nos bateaux et nous donner des conseils personnalisés, crée un lien de confiance avec la voilerie North que nos membres apprécient vraiment beaucoup. Merci aussi pour l'apéro qui nous a été offert ;) Si vous refaites une journée comme cela, c'est avec grand plaisir que nous y participerons à nouveau !" Frédéric MACHERET, Surprise Mc One, SUI 644 "Voici mon feedback suite à la journée organisée pour les Surprises à la SNG : - Excellent support théorique, très clair et dynamique. - Présentations pro et explications très compréhensibles pour tous les niveaux. - Application pratique idéale et excellent coaching sur les bateaux (excellent workshop) - Programme prévu pas complètement abordé, mais par contre très bien adapté aux conditions de vent (trop peu de vent pour faire des départs ou utiliser le spi par exemple). J'ai énormément profité de cette journée et je me réjouis déjà de la suite. Un grand merci pour l'organisation de cette journée de formation." Christophe BRUNETTO, Surprise Hinano, SUI 747 "La journée de dimanche était intéressante et bien organisée. Merci du temps consacré et des conseils prodigués." Comment s'inscrire ? Lorsqu'une session est programmée, le lien Doodle figure sur cette page (ou vous a été envoyé par email). Cliquez sur le lien qui vous intéresse (c'est très simple, vous allez voir !) Ecrivez dans la 1ère case : votre nom / le nom de votre bateau (si vous en avez un) / le nb d'équipiers présents / un email / un N° de téléphone Puis cochez les jours selon vos disponibilités (Oui/Non/Peut-être) Le jour où le plus de gens seront disponibles, nous validerons la date et enverrons l'information aux participants par email et sur cette page. Deux membres du team North Sails Suisse se rendront alors le jour choisi, au lieu convenu avec canot moteur, bouées, appareil photo et ordinateur pour le debriefing. Comment demander la création d'une session North Experience ? Prenez contact avec Julien Monnier : julien.monnier@northsails.com / 079 574 11 15 Programme type de la journée: 10h00-12h30 : partie théorique en salle - Réglages de voiles et réglages de mât / questions diverses / mise en application sur les bateaux 12h30-13h30 : pause déjeuner (organisation possible d'un déjeuner commun sur inscription le matin) 13h30-16h00 : partie pratique sur l'eau (selon météo : séquences de départ, petits parcours autour de bouées, interventions VHF et à bord de chaque bateau etc.) 17h00 : debriefing en salle 18h00 : Apéritif offert par North Sails Suisse Pour toute question, Julien Monnier est votre contact North Experience : julien.monnier@northsails.com / 079 574 11 15 READ MORE

Introduction The settings in this guide will help you get the most out of your Albacore North Sails. As always experimentation and documenting will enhance your specific boat. The weight of the crew, the balance of the boat, the stiffness of the mast and local wind and sea conditions will impact your tuning. This guide was developed with the Superspar M2 mast and B2 boom. Boat Set-Up: Foils The basic hull and foil set up is similar for most Albacore builders and sails. Typically the centerboard is moved as far aft in the boat as the rule allows. The minimum allowable distance from the transom to the leading edge of the centerboard when lowered 90° to the hull is 2600 mm measured along the curve of the hull. It is normal to have the board within 1 5mm of this measurement. It is increasingly common to rake the centerboard forward in flat water and in winds less than approximately 1 2 knots. Ensure the board can do this and that the 90° position is clearly marked and visible inside the boat. The trend is also to have flexible centerboards that have good gust response and give a slight gibing effect when raked forwards in light to moderate winds. Make sure that the centerboard and rudder are aligned. With the mast off and the boat upside down, stand behind the boat and sight along the foils. I f they are not aligned, normally the rudder has to be moved to bring the foils into alignment. Mast Butt Position and Rake The maximum forward position of the mast butt is 3350 mm measured from the aft face of the transom to the fore side of the mast at the foot. 3335 mm is the recommended starting point for North sails. This will provide sufficient pre-bend without compromising the ability to ram the mast far enough aft to allow the boom to pivot around the leeward shroud while sailing downwind. The most robust measurement for rake is to mark the mast at the hull sheer line. Put a straight edge across the partners aft of your mast and measure down the shear line on both sides of the boat. Use the hull skin to deck intersection. Calculate the average of those two. Place a mark on your mast that same average distance down from the top deck. Disconnect the bottom of the headstay and swing it to the mark you just made on your mast. Mark the headstay at that point. (extend with line if necessary). Replace the headstay back to the bow. Hoist the jib and tighten the halyard just enough to take the slack out of the shrouds. The mark on your headstay measured to the top surface of the deck at the bow should be about 6”. I f it is not you may need to move your shrouds up or down to achieve the 6″. This is your max forward light air setting. In winds above 1 5 knots it is common to pin the shrouds down one pin from this position. Above 20 knots two pins is common. North Sails North Albacore Sails are cut to be powerful. Both main and jib have a fair amount of depth which is needed for superior downwind performance. In order to achieve superior upwind performance proper mast bend is required. The objective is to add just enough bend to keep the leech tell- tales flickering while in full power mode, and then as much bend as is required to flatten the sails in stronger winds. Bend is achieved primarily with boom vang, but pulling the mast forward at the partners, easing the jib halyard, and lots of main sheet all contribute to mast bend. Pre-bend A system to increase the bend of the mast at the partners is very important. A strut is the preferred method because it it raises the fulcrum where the bend occurs, but a simple tackle system at the partners will suffice. In most wind conditions upwind the mast must be pulled forward or “pre-bent” so that it resides about 1 ” -2” from front of the partners. In very light winds the mast will have to be bent all the way to the front of the partner to open the leech. In strong winds the mast should be allowed to bend to within 0.5” of the partner (any more than that and you risk over-bending and damaging the mast when you ease the head-stay). In light winds the mast will be fully pre-bent while reaching. The amount of pre- bend is gradually reducing as the wind increases. The correct time to reduce the pre-bend can be hard to judge, however if the mast is not pre-bent enough, the luff of the main is too full and the leech ticklers are difficult to fly all at the same times as the ticklers 1 /3 back from the luff. When this is correct, all ticklers can be flown. Spreaders A good way to check the spreaders is to set the mast at the max forward, light air position. There should be zero shroud deflection in any plane (I.E. totally straight shrouds with no deflection at the spreader tips). Put your eye close to the chainplate and sight up the shrouds. This should produce a spreader length of about 1 5-1 5.5” and a sweep of approx. 7” (Standard spreaders have to be shortened to achieve this). This position is a good starting point for crew weights of up to 360 lb. Above this consider increasing the length of the spreaders by 0.5-1 ”. Jib Sheeting Position A good way to start is to fold the jib head to the jib tack and mark the mid- point of the luff. Then draw a line on the clew patch from this point to the clew of the jib. By eye extend this line down to the jib track. Experience has shown that the best light/moderate jib lead position is about 4-6” aft of this point. Further forward of this and the lower third of the jib can get too full. As the wind increases the jib car needs to be moved aft. In very strong winds this sheeting position can be as much as 1 0” aft of the starting position. This will flatten the foot of the jib and open the leech. It is important not to over-sheet the jib so that the main is backwinded, or, the jib leech tell tail is stalled. The jib height must be adjusted so that the foot of the jib is in full contact with the foredeck upwind. The jib height can be adjusted through the lashing of the sail to the wire at the head. It is a good idea to raise the jib in light air to get extra sail area, and lower it in heavy air to keep the foot touching the deck when the jib car is moved aft. Main/Jib Cunningham The function of the cunningham is to move the point of max depth forward, or aft in the sail. Tightening the luff pulls the max depth forward. Maintain the max depth of the main just forward of half way. The more the mast bends the more Cunningham will be required. The jib max depth should be further forward about 1 /3 of the way back from the luff. (like an airplane wing) It is important that the jib and main cunningham are released off wind. Outhaul The North main is powerful at the foot so it is important that this is restrained upwind. In very light winds the outhaul is pulled so that the foot is taught. Above 1 5 knots it is pulled very tight. When reaching the outhaul needs to be eased. Maximum power is approximately 2-3” of release on the outhaul. This will be sufficient to open the foot of the main. Jib Halyard Tension In light winds upwind, the jib halyard is often set to allow for about 2” of sag at the mid luff. This should provide great speed and a wide groove. Tightened a little to improve pointing or slackened a bit to increase speed. Limiting Jib wire sag to about 2″upwind is important until the wind becomes overpowering. Above this, the sag is less important because the jib halyard is let off to increase mast bend and rake. It is a good idea to mark your halyard adjuster to know where your rake is. Check the section above “Mast Butt Position and Rake”. Mark your halyard adjuster on the mast at a point where you achieved 6” of rake. Then make a scale on it in 1 ” increments. 8-1 0″ of rake is common at the upper wind ranges. The halyard is loosened, the vang is tightened and the shrouds are pinned down. While reaching the jib halyard is eased to achieve 2-4” of jib wire sag. Many of the top boats have a system to tension the fore-stay while reaching in light to moderate conditions. With this applied, the halyard can be loosened to give jib luff sag and a powerful jib without affecting the mast bend control. Vang The vang is completely loose in light winds. As the wind increases a little use the vang to keep the top batten parallel with the boom. More and more vang is used as the wind builds. Once you are both hiking a harder vang will bend the mast and depower the sails. It is a sensitive control and too much vang can lead to a sail with too tight a leech, or too flat a main. Too little vang can lead to too deep a main, or too much twist. Correct vang adjustment and appropriate jib halyard are critical to maintaining good balance and the right amount of power. When reaching the vang is used to keep the top of the main from getting too loose. Good reaching speed is obtained with constant adjustment of vang and deck level mast bend in response to the changing conditions. Try to keep all of the main ticklers flying. Wing on Wing When wing on wing, it is important to get the boom out as close to 90° as possible, and the jib foot snug. With this in mind, the jib halyard is loosened off by at least 6” and the mast rammed all the way to the back of the partners. It is common to let the jib halyard off to give 8”+ of jib wire sag. Above 6-8 knots get the jib out and away from the mainsail. Normally the centerboard is fully in the case and the boat is heeled to windward. Vang should be set to give just a small amount of leech twist as can be seen from the photo. George Carter 2015 International Champion READ MORE

PORT GINESTA Y DÉNIA En North Sails España ya hemos comenzado nuestro programa 2017 de presencia en ferias y salones náuticos. © North Sails Entre el 21 y el 23 de abril participamos en el Sailing Meeting Barcelona celebrado en Port Ginesta (Barcelona), y el pasado fin de semana (28 a 30 de abril) nos desplazamos a Dénia (Alicante) para el Salón Náutico de Dénia. En ambos eventos ofrecemos precios especiales, una excelente oportunidad para realizar la compra de velas de cara a la temporada que comienza. Para más información sobre la presencia de North Sails España en salones y ferias náuticas, y sobre las ofertas especiales, contacta con nosotros en info@es.northsails.com READ MORE

LLEGA LA 35ª AMERICA’S CUP Las series de calificación para la 35ª America’s Cup arrancan el 26 de mayo y se desarrollarán hasta el 12 de junio en Bermuda bajo el nombre de Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers. © Gilles Martin-Raget Competirán el sueco Artemis Racing, el neozelandés Emirates Team New Zealand, el británico Land Rover BAR, el francés Groupama Team France, el japonés SoftBank Team Japan y el ‘Defender’, el estadounidense ORACLE Team USA. Todos ellos tienen un denominador común: competirán con velas North Sails, firma oficial de la America’s Cup. El ganador se enfrentará al defensor de la Copa en el esperado America’s Cup Match a partir del 17 de junio. Para más información, contacta con nosotros READ MORE

COMIENZA LA TEMPORADA Comienza la temporada de grandes regatas en el Mediterráneo. La 14ª edición de la Sail Racing PalmaVela (Palma, 3 al 7 de mayo) reunirá a cerca de 150 barcos de 16 nacionalidades, y North Sails volverá a ser la velería de referencia para los equipos más potentes. © Stuart Pearce.com El listado de clientes North Sails en aguas de Palma incluirá a la práctica totalidad de la flota Wally –incluyendo los imponentes Magic Carpet Cubed, Open Season, Galateia, el español Galma o el J One, ganador de la categoría en la última edición–, el Maxi 72 Pepe Cannonball – en su estreno mundial –, los ClubSwan 50 –en su esperado debut europeo–, y buena parte del resto de participantes. Como siempre, el equipo North Sails estará prestando asistencia a todos nuestros clientes. Más información sobre la Sail Racing PalmaVela, aquí READ MORE

3Di NORDAC: REVOLUCIONAMOS LA VELA DE CRUCERO El próximo 1 de junio iniciaremos la comercialización de nuestra esperada 3Di NORDAC® para crucero, una revolucionaria vela que combina por primera vez el tradicional tejido de poliéster con la tecnología 3Di®. El Dacron (poliéster) lleva años demostrando un buen equilibrio entre estabilidad ambiental, resistencia y bajo coste, características muy valoradas por el crucerista. Pero en North Sails estamos convencidos de que puede dar mucho más. Tradicionalmente, las velas fabricadas con tejido entrelazado pierden su forma mucho antes que su integridad estructural se vea comprometida, con la consiguiente falta de satisfacción para el usuario. Los ingenieros de North Sails decidieron eliminar esa descompensación combinando por primera vez el Dacron con nuestra contrastada tecnología 3Di, toda una garantía de prestaciones y durabilidad. Así nació la nueva 3Di NORDAC, una vela para barcos de media y pequeña eslora que se incorporará al catálogo North Sails a partir del próximo 1 de junio. La 3Di NORDAC extiende los beneficios de la tecnología 3Di (rendimiento, conservación de la forma y durabilidad) a un abanico más amplio de la comunidad de la vela, y a un precio asequible. El resultado es una experiencia de navegación con menor escora, menor carga de timón y menor deriva en una vela de Dacron más ligera y más manejable que nunca, sin sacrificar la durabilidad que es tan importante para los usuarios de crucero. Según Luis Martínez Doreste, director comercial de North Sails en España: “Las velas 3Di han sido probadas en todo el mundo, y estamos convencidos de que la 3Di NORDAC es la mejor inversión posible a largo plazo cuando consideramos el ratio precio vs. durabilidad/rendimiento”. La incorporación de la 3Di NORDAC completa la familia de velas North Sails 3Di, de la que también forman parte las 3Di ENDURANCE® (para competición oceánica y crucero alrededor del mundo), 3Di RAW® (para todo tipo de competición de alto nivel) y 3Di RACE® (para barcos de regata club con esloras entre 20 y 40 pies). READ MORE

PROVEEDOR OFICIAL DE VELAS PARA LOS J-CLASS North Sails se ha convertido en proveedor oficial de velas para la J-Class Association. Los J-Class nacieron a principios del siglo XX y protagonizaron la America’s Cup en la década de 1930. © J Renedo Hoy disfrutan de una segunda juventud gracias a un grupo de apasionados armadores y una activa asociación que organiza un circuito de regatas en el que compiten unidades originales restauradas y réplicas, siempre con esloras en el entorno de los 140 pies. El acuerdo de colaboración con la J-Class Association incluye la creación de la Kohler Cup, un trofeo en memoria del ex propietario de North Sails, Terry Kohler. Premiará al mejor J-Class de la temporada y será entregado en el Mundial de J-Class a disputar en Newport (Rhode Island, Estados Unidos) el próximo mes de agosto. READ MORE

CUMPLIMOS 60 AÑOS En 2017 celebramos 60 años de extraordinaria historia como líderes mundiales en tecnología de diseño y fabricación de velas. En 1957, Lowell North decidió abandonar su carrera de ingeniero espacial para fundar una pequeña compañía velera en su garaje de San Diego (California, Estados Unidos). “Era un poco sucio y polvoriento”, recuerda, “pero lo suficientemente grande como para fabricar la mayor de un Star”. Ganador de un oro y un bronce olímpicos, y cuatro mundiales de clase Star, North confió en la metodología científica para el desarrollo de las velas. Un enfoque que cambiaría el mundo de la velería para siempre. North Sails revolucionó el mercado de las velas con la introducción del 3DL en 1992 y con el 3Di en 2009. En su condición de velería líder mundial, cuenta con siete centros de producción propios en seis países, una plantilla de 1.500 trabajadores y decenas de miles de velas izadas anualmente en puertos y océanos de todo el planeta. Miembro de la familia de compañías North Technology Group, North Sails juega un papel de liderato en desarrollo e ingeniería de materiales que ha producido tecnología sin igual en velas, mástiles, fibras y mucho más, y que le permite mantener una colaboración activa con compañías aeroespaciales, la Fórmula 1 y la NASA. Fundada en base a un decidido enfoque científico aplicado a la fabricación de velas, North Sails se mantiene fiel a los valores que llevaron a Lowell North hacia el éxito: análisis y desarrollo interno de materiales de calidad, diseño enfocado al rendimiento, artesanía de calidad y servicio al cliente. En North Sails seguimos haciendo historia. Más información sobre la historia de North Sails, aquí. READ MORE

GLOBAL SALES MEETING EN LISBOA Lisboa acogió la reunión anual de los delegados North Sails en todos los mercados en los que la firma tiene presencia. Todos los departamentos estuvieron representados, desde marketing a ventas, pasando por fabricación y diseño. No faltaron nuestras marcas hermanas Southern Spars, Future Fibres y North Sails Apparel, así como la visita sorpresa de Thomas Coville. Intensas jornadas de trabajo en las que compartimos experiencias y nos asomamos al futuro de la marca, descubriendo apasionantes proyectos y productos que pronto os desvelaremos. READ MORE

Tuning Set-up BEFORE YOU STEP THE MAST Before stepping your mast there are a number of things to do that will make your boat easier to sail and the sails easier to trim. MARKING THE SPREADERS Before stepping the mast put a mark on the underside of each spreader (first spreader up) 100mm in from the spreader tip. Use either coloured tape or a felt tip pen. We’ll use this mark later as a guide to trimming the large jib. JIB TRACKS With a high aspect ratio jib like the 1720’s, the lead position is crucial to good speed. The stock hole spacing on the tracks is simply too far apart to get the lead right in all conditions. We suggest drilling one extra hole between stock holes on the track. Also drill out the heads of the screws to increase your adjustment possibilities. It is only necessary to do this at the back half of the track, as the front half is never used. MAINSAIL The 1720 main has one full-length batten at the head and three long battens at the base. The batten pockets on your North mainsail are a little different to accommodate these long battens. These pockets use Velcro closures rather that the traditional elastic to keep the batten in. The amount of pressure on the pocket is important especially on the upper batten. Be sure your battens are tight enough to remove any vertical wrinkles coming off the pocket, but not so tight as to induce curve in the batten. If the sails are new just put a bit more tension for the first outing just to allow for give in the batten pocket. Be sure to check your batten pocket tension when sailing. TUNING THE RIG These steps will get you set up to sail the boat in moderate conditions and give you all-purpose tune. In the following section we will describe adjustments to make the boat perform at it’s best in the full range of wind and sea conditions.With the rig in the boat and the forestay in place tighten the caps and lowers by hand until firm and you cannot tighten them any more. At this point adjust the gooseneck shrouds to centre the mast at boom height. To do this use a tape measure and check the exact length of each shroud to ensure accuracy. Again at this point the gooseneck shrouds only need to be hand tight. The next step is to measure from the masthead down to the chainplates on both sides. Tighten or loosen the upper shrouds until the mast is centred from side to side. Once you have achieved your AP setting you should mark the shrouds before de-rigging to make setting up the rig faster next time. Unfortunately at present the class rules outlaw the use of calibrated bottle screws, which in our opinion is a backward step as they make setting up the rig a piece of cake! Using a Loo’s model (PT-2) Tension gauge, tighten the uppers evenly, until the uppers measure 28 on the gauge. Then tension the lowers to 23 on the gauge and this will give you approximately 55mm of pre-bend at the spreaders. The gooseneck shrouds need to be set at around 5 on the gauge, and then you will be almost ready to sail! The final step is to tension the topmast shrouds. Now we are all using the double spreader rig these can be set a little looser than before, and we recommend that with only a 1/6th of the backstay travel applied the top shrouds should be hand tight. This is a little hard to describe in words but take a little time to determine the travel of the backstay, if in doubt put on slightly more rather than less!! Hook up the backstay, install the boom and you are ready to go sailing in moderate conditions. We have found these settings, to be good starting point for most people. Note: The rig tension measurement is taken without the backstay hooked up or the boom hanging off the main halyard. The weight of the halyard or tension in the backstay can effect shroud tensions. So to be consistent, we always leave these items loose when tuning the rig. ADVANCED RIG TUNING Adjusting the tension of the upper and lower shrouds changes the amount that the headstay can sag and the amount of pre-bend in the mast, which directly effects the fullness of the jib. Shroud tension also effects the mast and mainsail shape by controlling fore, aft and sideways bend of the rig. In general you will want the pre-bend reduced in lighter conditions and increased in a breeze. The aim of this is to increase and decrease the amount of power available from the up-wind sail plan. From our starting set up described above we will increase and decrease the tension on the lower shrouds to change the amount of bend in the rig. All the settings below start from the base settings which we have stated above:0-5 Knots – Take 2 turns off the caps and -1 turn on the lowers5-10 Knots – Take 2 turns off the caps 10-15 Knots – Leave as base 15-20 Knots – Add 2 turns on caps 20-25 Knots – Add 2 turns to caps and add 1 turn to the lowers 25-30 Knots – Add 3 turns to caps and add 2 turns to the lowers The above settings are a good guide for changing gears but do not take into account the sea state. You will therefore find you can go tighter than those suggested in flat water, but will probably want to go looser in really choppy water down the wind range. Sail Trim MAINSAIL Mainsheet Upwind use the mainsheet functions to control the overall amount of twist in the leech of the mainsail. Once the traveller is set, we trim the mainsail until the back end of the top batten is parallel with the boom. We then fine tune the mainsheet tension depending on what gear we want to go in. If we want the boat to point we can trim the mainsail harder, reducing twist and the helm will load up a little allowing us to point higher. Eventually, as we point higher, we will slowly lose speed and need to foot off again. In order to foot we need to ease the mainsail slightly to twist open the leech and ease the load on the helm, we can then drop the bow down slightly to foot and build speed without heeling the boat over and inducing helm. The mainsheet can also bend the mast and flatten the sail (especially near the top). Traveller The traveller controls the athwartship’s position of the boom when sailing upwind. We’ve found that it never pays to have the traveller car more than 6″ above the centreline of the boat. In general the traveller will be on or very slightly above the centreline in light air, and below, or well below in moderate to heavy air. Once you are overpowered constantly, or sailing in waves, it is generally faster to keep the traveller fully down and drive the boat a little faster through the water. The 1720, like many other one designs needs to be sailed flat upwind. In puffy conditions it is often faster to play the mainsheet when a puff hits, than to ease the traveller or feather the boat. The goal when playing the mainsheet upwind is to keep the boat flat and on an even angle of heel through all changes in wind velocity. Start judging the angle of the jib against the horizon and work to keep it constant. Outhaul The Outhaul controls the depth of the lower third of the mainsail. Upwind, except in very light air and choppy water, the outhaul should be tight or out to the black band. Downwind, reaching or running, let the outhaul off so that the middle of the foot is 5″ away from the centre of the boom. In heavy air you may want to keep the outhaul tight to de-power on the reaches and project more sail area. We like to keep the outhaul tight upwind to reduce the amount of drag the lower part of the sail produces. The sheeting angle of the jib is very tight on the 1720 and easing the outhaul too much upwind will reduce the size of the slot and result in poor flow between the mainsail and the jib. Boom Vang In moderate conditions upwind we trim the mainsheet to where we want it and then take the slack out of the boom vang. This way when we ease the mainsheet for a puff and the boom does not rise up and twist open the mainsail leech. As the wind velocity increases the vang starts to become redundant up-wind and all of the loads are taken on the mainsheet only. The real benefit of this is that when you ease the mainsheet in a strong gust the sting is taken out straight away and the boat does not heal excessively. Cunningham The cunningham is used to control the draft position in the main. Our mainsail is made from very low stretch Mylar that does not change shape much as the wind increases. Because of this we find we do not need to use the cunningham much except in very heavy air. Upto about 16 knots, tension the cunningham enough only to leave slight wrinkles coming horizontally off the mast. After that if you feel that the draft has moved aft slightly, use only enough tension to pull it back forward to it’s designed position. Backstay The backstay is probably the least used mainsail control on the 1720. Upwind we do not use the backstay until about 18-22 knots of wind. At that point after dropping the traveller, the boat will still be slightly overpowered. Tighten the backstay very lightly to bend the top of the mast and de-power the sail. After tightening the backstay, the top of the main will twist open requiring you to trim the mainsheet slightly. Conversely, if you ease the backstay the main leech will tighten slightly forcing you to ease the mainsheet. If you find the mainsail starts to flog in an uncontrolled manner at this point remove backstay tension, as this is a sign of too much backstay. If in any doubt let it off and sail with the smallest amount on. Downwind in heavy air you will want to keep some tension on the backstay to keep the mast from moving too far forward. The swept back spreaders of the 1720 rig keep the mast from moving forward and you can keep the backstay loose downwind in light to moderate airs. As good practice get a crew member to sight up the mast to check for reverse bend. If the mast is bending forwards apply backstay until it comes straight. Genoa Trim We start by finding the correct lead position in the moderate air. Remember if the inside top tell tail breaks first, move the lead forward until all tell tails break together. In light to medium airs we usually sheet the genoa with 2 of the standard hole spacing showing. As the wind increases we quickly recommend moving the leads to the back of the track and twisting the sail but keeping the foot tight along the deck. In flat water and as long as the mainsail is not back winding, sheet the genoa onto the mark on the spreaders. As you get progressively over powered and waves are an issue, sheet the sail on or close to the spreader tip when sighting down to leeward in the cockpit. When you reach the top end of genoa conditions, sheet at the back of the track and ease the sheet as much as is required to stop the mainsail flogging. Anything that can be done at this point to keep the leech of the mainsail working will result in better speed upwind. At the other extreme be sure to keep the sheet well eased in light air to twist open the top of the jib and keep the slot open. You will probably be sheeting 85-100mm outside the mark in less than 6 knots. The halyard tension on this sail should not be over tensioned, small wrinkles should always be showing from the hanks, in all conditions. Take care when using the winch on the halyard as it is very easy to over tighten the luff and damage the sail. Extreme care must also be taken when raising and lowering this sail and always ensure that the sheets are not cleated when hoisting and lowering otherwise the sail will tear behind the hanks. The Asymmetric System The first thing you need to decide before rigging the spinnaker is whether you are going to gibe the spinnaker clew between the spinnaker luff and the jib or out around the spinnaker luff. We recommend that all gibes are done inside the spinnaker luff in all conditions. Gibing inside is faster, although it can get pretty exciting when the breeze is up. Gibing outside is usually safer in heavy air. But due to the long spinnaker pole on the 1720 we think it is safer to gibe inside all round. Setting the Spinnaker We always set the spinnaker to leeward underneath the boom. The first step is to set the pole (bowsprit). Next we hoist the sail up to the hounds before any attempt is made to pull on the tack line. One crew member usually helps to feed out the sail from the bin. As the boat heads downwind and before the boom is all the way out, we quickly pull the tack line while the mainsheet man trims the sheet. The idea is not to pull the tack of the sail out of the boat as you approach the weather mark, but to wait until the head of the spinnaker reaches the hounds. Keeping the tack back slightly helps to reduce the chance of the sail filling too early, and sliding under the boat! This is not fast! Gibing the Spinnaker Gibing the 1720 spinnaker is probably the most athletic job on the boat because there is a lot of sheet to pull in. We find that it is not how fast the old sheet is eased that is important, but how fast the new one is pulled in (at least on inside gibes).Start your turn slowly, easing the spinnaker sheet as the bow comes down. As the boat starts to lose speed, roll the boat to weather to turn the boat without using the tiller. As the boom comes over, quickly trim in the new sheet. Be careful not to trim the sheet too much, as it is easy to oversheet and slow the boat further. The outside gibe is much the same, except that easing the old sheet quickly is much more important to get the spinnaker clew out in front of the boat early. Dropping the Spinnaker We always try to take the spinnaker down on the port side, normally the weather side, so that we are already set up with the spinnaker on the correct side for the next set. The best way to do the weather take down is by coming into the leeward mark a little high. You can then run down right at the mark, making it easier to pull the clew around to the windward side of the boat. Drop the asymmetrical as you would a regular spinnaker by gathering the clew first, easing the tack line fully, and then finally the halyard checking the progress to ensure that the sail does not touch the water! Trimming the Spinnaker Trimming the 1720 spinnaker is very easy. Basically, you trim an asymmetric the same way you would a jib or genoa. Pull the sail in enough to keep 6-8″ curl in the luff. As with any other spinnaker, be careful not to over trim. Always keep the sheet moving in and out. This apparent wind moves around very fast on the 1720, so rapid trimming and easing of the sheet is important. When reaching it is important to keep the tack of the sail within 500mm of the end of the pole. This makes the luff straighter, opens the leech and increases the forward force of the spinnaker. When running or sailing deep, let the tack line off about 1.5 – 2 metres to allow the luff of the spinnaker to roll around to windward, this will allow you to sail a little lower. In certain conditions it will pay to have the tack line on the winch and trim it on and off to keep the sail working 100%. General notes on sailing the boat Always sail the boat as flat as possible.Be sure not to point or pinch too much. The foils on the 1720 are quite thin and stall easily at low speeds.Keep the crew weight forward upwind and downwind, when not on the plane.Move crew weight aft downwind in heavy air. We mean a long way back. Usually one of the crew moves behind the helmsman to the pushpit. This keeps the bow out of the water and keeps the boats planing.Keep the helm as neutral as possible upwind and downwind. The boat is meant to be sailed with a neutral helm. If you have a weather or lee helm, something is wrong with your trim or set up. Caring for your sails Your sails from North Sails One Design are constructed from the best materials on the market today. Before we made your sails, we tested many different fabrics from the best suppliers in the world. MAINSAIL It is not necessary to remove the battens from the main when storing it. Be sure to roll the sail up parallel to the battens to avoid putting a permanent twist in the battens. Watch the mainsail for signs of wear on the batten pockets where they cross the shrouds. Be sure to wash the sail off with fresh water when it becomes salty and make sure the sail is thoroughly dried before storage. GENOA Like the main, always roll the sail after sailing and do not remove the battens. Occasionally wash the sail off with fresh water. If you have been using a lot of leach line on the sail remove this before storing. SPINNAKER The best thing to prolong the life of your spinnaker is to always store the sail clean and dry. Although this is not always possible! When the sail gets wet in salt water (and it will) wash it off with fresh water and dry it thoroughly if leaving for a long period of time. Fold your spinnaker to store it if possible. Good luck on the water! READ MORE

This tuning guide has been put together by Ethan Bixby from North Sails in North America, who is the designer of our newest 505 sails. The calibration scheme below does not reuse existing numbering schemes. We have tried to develop a calibration scheme that supports the following: Standards Uses reference points common to all builder’s 505s, forward tack and aft tack 505s, etc.Uses zero as the neutral, or basis datum setting.Uses negative numbers for LESS of a control and uses positive numbers for MORE of a control. If that is not clear, the light air settings are on the negative side of the datum and the positive numbers are heavier air settings, finally forward is negative, aft is positive. Mast Step Measure from the back of the mast along the top of the CB cap, aft, over transom, to the aft most point of the hull (it may be slightly aft of the transom). Ignore the rudder fittings. The mast should be stepped as close to 10′ 0″ as you can get it and still get the right low bend at max. rake and not hit the partners. Don’t worry if the step extrusion in the boat keeps you about 1/2″ or an inch forward of this point.Note: The aft end of the hull is where the class rule measurements are taken, not the actual face of the transom. This value is more reproducable across different hulls. Rake With no jib hoisted, connect a tape measure to the end of the jib halyard. Hoist and cleat the halyard to the point where the “O” on the tape measure starts at the top of the the “gooseneck band” on the mast, with reasonable tension applied. On a boat with an integral wire in the luff of the jib, you can use the topping lift as long as it is very close to the jib halyard/headstay intersection with the mast. Take the jib halyard (or topping lift) forward and measure from the end of the halyard (at the same tension) to the top of the rail at the bow. This is the top forward part of the boat, regardless of where the headstay is. Adjust the forestay/jib halyard and shrouds until a measurement of 3 ‘4″ is obtained. The shrouds should not be excessively tight, but snug. Mark that setting on the forestay tackle in the boat, where you can see it. This is the datum rake number, mark it in the boat as “0”. Measuring aft this should be 25’8″. For future reference record the distance from the eye to the fork pin to some reproduceable point on the boat. On a Waterat I use the bearing point of the jib tack fitting to the headstay fork/eye junction, and on my boat the distance is 5.5″ as an example. Mark that setting as “0”. All of your rake settings can be simply marked on the luff of the jib adjacent to the fork/eye junction. This is the best repeater and easy to see! Mark one inch increments at additonal inches, i.e. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7. Note: that the forward rake measurement is much less sensitive to mast bend, shroud tension, hull rocker, and height of transom. Mast Ram (Bend) Set rake to 0 (3 ‘4″ forward) or 25’8″ (aft) with mast dead straight and the rig just snug. Jib Leads (Fore & Aft) In light or no wind, with the mast rake set to “0” as above, and the ram set to “0” as above, sheet jib in hard. Sight down lead lines on the jib clew. Move jib cars fore or aft until the jib sheet is lined up with the more vertical line. That is the standard power setting. Mark that hole on the jib track as “0”. Number holes with negative numbers forward from there, and positive numbers aft of that hole. The angled aft (slightly closer to the horizontal line) is for heavy air depowering when raked. In practice, you may not need to actually move the jib car for heavy air, as rake changes the lead angle for you. You may need to move the jib lead aft for light air, flat water. Jib Lead Tension With the jib still sheeted as above. Mark a spot on the jib sheet that is clear of the cleat and turning blocks. You will be calibrating the jib lead tension based on that mark, so mark the corresponding point on the seat tank as well. Note: that we use the “normal” trim line on the jib as this allows us to reproduce fore-aft or up-down jib lead measurements across any jib sheeting system, long and short luff jibs, and forward tack and aft tack boats. Centreboard Roll the boat over on it’s side. Pull board out and put it in the down position. Set the leading edge of the CB perpendicular to the bottom of boat at the centreboard trunk. Mark the head of the board (perhaps aft end of the head) level with the top of the CB cap. Mark this as “0”. Mark increasing numbers in 1″intervals up the back end of the head. Mark “1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8”. Also mark a position with the board as far down (raked forward) as possible.Also measure from the top of the centreboard to the aft end of the hull on the centreline. With an HA board this number should be roughly (depends on rake and board depth) 122″. Note: we’re open to suggestions on this. This measurement will result in different effects with different CB planforms. I think what we are really trying to measure is where the centre of area or pressure is fore and aft and below the hull. Spreaders Set the spreaders to 16.5″ length (measured from the side of the mast to the shroud), and for 6.5″ poke. For lighter teams, and in very light or very heavy air, increase sweep to 7″. Lighter teams can also shorten spreaders to 16″. Note: that this measurement is from the shrould to the closest part of the mast, along the spreader. This measurement assumes that your spreaders are 124 inches above deck level (old US specs) AND assumes your shroud chainplates and mast step locations are the same as other boats. If any of spreader bracket height, mast step position and shroud chainplate location are different on your boat, these measurements will not result in the same effects we get. We have a comprehensive measurement system to relate spreader height, hounds height, spreader details, and triangulation of the chainplates. Please contact us for this as it is a much better tool to obtain the actual deflections and angles. READ MORE

A gap of good weather opened up for the record 114-boat fleet which gathered for the 10th anniversary of Sail Port Stephens, a classic event in Australia’s New South Wales. It began with things calming down for the feeder race from Newcastle on Sunday, and just kept getting better. The best was left for the last day of racing on the following Sunday, April 9, before a blustery 40 knot Westerly took charge that night and into the following day. Indeed the highlight for many was Saturday’s passage race, which offered mild breezes from the Northeast and numerous opportunities to take in the glorious scenery of Tomaree Head and Cabbage Tree Island. North Sails was proud to support the owners and their crews as they undertake their passion. Whether sailing on board, assisting with trim and tune, or completing overnight repairs, the North Sails team is committed to ensuring sailors get the best from their time on the water and importantly, their sails! Four North Sails team members participated in this year’s event, racing on different boats at different times. Michael Coxon, Alby Pratt, Billy Sykes, and Nick Beaudoin would like to thank their clients for the opportunity to sail with them, and experience racing from a number of unique vantage points. Racing for the Commodore’s Cup in performance cruising, Rob Aldis’ new and very stylish Azuree 46, which was penned by Rob Humphreys, secured an impressive third place on debut. ‘Kayimai’ featured North Sails 3Di working sails, a NPL code zero and NPC A1.5 asymmetric spinnaker. Greg Wilkins’ Archambault 32, ‘Esprit’ was celebrated a daily win with great gusto. North Sails Alby Pratt sailed with Anthony Bishop on the Dehler 38, ‘Rocksalt’ for the first half of the regatta from Monday to Wednesday. The Super 12’s were bristling with power, really shining when the breeze got into the 12-14 knot range towards the end of the regatta. Brad Sewell’s Melges 32, ‘Breezin’, had North Sails Scott Beeby on board. Mark Griffith had his distinctively shaped, and equally memorably named Ker 40, ‘Showtime’ out there punching away. Adrian Walters had an impressive spinnaker on Shaw 11m, ‘Little Nico‘, grabbing your eyes from every angle on the course, even if it was simply returning back through the heads. Just before the last race, Walter Lewin’s Farr 400 Vento was interfered with on the start line by another craft, and it did take some gel coat off. What it did not do was deter the crew, who assessed the damage, gave the thumbs up when asked if they were OK and then set about sailing well, especially downwind under their brand new A2 flying off their bowsprit. The racing in IRC division II was predictably hot. Gerry Hatton’s MAT 1245, ‘Bushranger‘, nearly secured the win on the last day, needing only to scrape home by a point. Alas, they tied with Bob Cox’s DK46, ‘Nine Dragons‘, who beat Bushranger by just 11 seconds on corrected time in the final race. It was great to see Tony Kirby back out on the water, and he brought his sleek Ker 46, ‘Patrice‘, to the regatta for IRC Division One. North Sails Certified Service Manager Nick Beaudoin was onboard and commented, “Tony could not be happier with our result at Port Stephens. The yacht has had a few modifications below the water line and now it’s all coming together. Patrice had new crew Richard Allanson and David Chapman onboard, who delivered a superb debut performance. Although we’re smaller than the TP52’s, we found this to be to our advantage in the shifty conditions”. Patrice’s crew was constantly improving and saved their best performance for the last day which brought much lighter conditions where they enjoyed the power delivered by their 3Di jibs and A1.5 and A2 kites.” Aaron Rowe’s TP52, ‘RKO’ (Reverse Knockout Option), was sailed near faultlessly to comfortably win IRC division. 1. Even when starting second row and to leeward, they set about their work, climbed back on top to secure yet another win for the regatta. As a mark of respect for the regatta and the competition, the whole crew was on hand to collect the trophy. Well-done team! Matt Allen’s TP52, ‘Ichi Ban’, left Sydney with her offshore mast in place. They had not sailed her since the Sydney Hobart Race and were perhaps a little under-prepared in that regard. It certainly did not stop them from trying, and when they found the right gear, they certainly had more than enough hustle to streak ahead. Alas, that was not often enough to match her very high rating. Billy Sykes sails on Ichi Ban, and commented, “Yes it was hard to tune the stiff offshore rig, and with no sailing since the Hobart, and in often trying conditions it meant we just could not get the results we expected. Finding the sweet spot was a bit hit and miss, but we certainly got better as the regatta went on, with the Sunday seeing us perform the best yet. We also had a crew in different positions, with one of the changes not having Wade Morgan being available, due to the birth of his son on Saturday.” An impressive story to come out of it all is the large tear that appeared along the foot of one of Ichi Ban’s kites. It was replaced smartly at the time, but later than night, Billy and Nick drove an hour down to their agent’s loft in Newcastle to apply proper repairs. Given the forecast, they knew it would need it next day. Directly after racing on Sunday the guys put the offshore boom back on, and set the entire boat up for going back to sea. The very next morning she headed North in readiness for the Brisbane to Gladstone race which started on Good Friday. Hoping for a strong Southeasterly, Billy would be sailing on Ichi Ban, and Mark Bradford and Vaughan Prentice from the North Sails Brisbane loft were sailing aboard Black Jack. RKO © John Curnow Bushranger © John Curnow Nine Dragons © John Curnow Kayimai © John Curnow READ MORE

TED KELLER WINS 2017 COW TOWN CLASSIC Ted & Ben Use North Sails Z-Max The first weekend in May can mean only one thing. Well, some horses run around a track for about two minutes. But to MC sailors it means it’s time for the Cow Town Classic. The 2017 edition of the Cow Town Classic, took place at Hoover Sailing Club in Westerville, OH on May 6th and 7th. Hoover is a reservoir on the northeast corner of Columbus, OH. The sailing club is active with multiple one design fleets and MC Fleet 54. The weather forecasters again predicted dingy conditions for the weekend with rain, cold temps, and high winds. There were definitely some turned away as it looked mid-week like it would be hard to get any racing in at all. But late in the game, the forecast changed to dry and breezy but sailable conditions both days. Those who were not to be dissuaded made it to Hoover from Indianapolis and even Wisconsin, and a fleet of 18 sailors vied for the Cow Town title. Saturday saw mostly sunny skies with NW winds from 10-20. We hear that range a lot, but the fleet saw every bit of that range as the lulls were down to 10 or even a bit less and the puffs were in the high teens and touching 20. This meant that it was a shifting gears day, depowering the boat and hiking through the puffs and then powering the boat back up for the lulls. The NW wind was quite shifty as well as the N and W winds fought to edge each other out. Pressure would shift from left to right and back again, pulsing in increments. With the puffs packing some punch, there were definitely some abrupt auto tacks as well. With the shifts coming quickly, it was important to work the middle with a ‘climb the ladder’ mentality. Getting too far to one side often meant missing a shift, ending up trying to get back to the middle out of phase. Staying conservative and patient was the key, finding the pressure on one side and maximizing it, while almost immediately looking to the other side of the course for signs that the switch was coming. The Race Committee, led by PRO Steve Lavender, did a great job managing the shifty conditions and setting square courses and starting lines. 4 races were sailed on Day 1, each one with 7 legs. This made for lots of mark roundings, plenty of tight quarters racing and opportunities to pass a bunch of boats all at once. Or lose a bunch. The highlight of this regatta is the prime rib dinner Saturday night. The Hoover fleet delivered again and the sailors enjoyed great food, drink and camaraderie, sharing stories of the day. READ MORE

JUAN CARLOS ROMERO NAMED NORTH SAILS OPTIMIST HEAD COACH Experience and knowledge to help Opti sailors perform even better with North Sails North Sails is excited to announce Juan Carlos Romero as the North Sails Optimist Head Coach in North America. Working with the North Optimist team, Juan will assist in developing sails and coordinating educational programs for Optimist sailors looking for opportunities to improve their performance. “Juan brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to help Opti sailors perform even better with North sails, and develop new ideas for designs moving forward.” said Tim Healy, President of North Sails One Design. Juan is one of the most accomplished and experienced coaches in the Optimist class with nearly 25 years coaching experience. Born in Ecuador, Juan has coached at many top programs such as the Annapolis Yacht Club, St. Petersburg Yacht Club, Lauderdale Yacht Club, Coral Reef Yacht Club and is currently the Sailing Director at the Key Biscayne Yacht Club in Florida. Juan has also coached the Ecuadorian and United States National Teams in international events such as South Americans, North Americans and Worlds. “I am really excited to be a part of the North Sails team and I am looking forward to helping the North sailors in the Optimist Class!” said Juan. “Juan is the perfect addition to the North Sails’ Optimist program. His experience and excellent demeanor combine to create a unique ability to explain the nuances of sail trim to young sailors, making him a one-of-a-kind weapon for us. We know he will share his knowledge, take care of our customers, and represent our brand with great character. We are thrilled to have Juan as our Head Coach!” said Zeke Horowitz, North Sails Class Leader for the Optimist. Juan can be contacted at 410-212-5303 or juancarlos.romero@northsails.com. See also: Coach Juan recently profiled on Sail1Design READ MORE

ÉXITO EN SANXENXO El Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo acogió nuestro primer clinic de la temporada. Más de un centenar de regatistas de la III Regata Interclubes de la Ría de Pontevedra participaron en un programa que incluyó una interesante charla técnica sobre tecnología 3Di y navegación en portantes impartida por Luis Martínez Doreste y Fernando Pazó. © North Sails El próximo clinic nos llevará a Denia los días 19-20 de mayo. Seguirán Algeciras (junio), Palma de Mallorca (julio), Alicante y Barcelona (septiembre). Aprovechamos para informaros de que este mes estaremos en el Sailing Meeting Barcelona (Port Ginesta, 21-23 de abril) y en el Salón Náutico de Dénia (28-30 de abril), en ambos con interesantes ofertas. ¡Os esperamos! Para más información, contacta con nosotros. READ MORE

LA 3Di RACE YA ESTÁ EN ESPAÑA Como sabéis, las revolucionarias 3Di RACE han sido las últimas velas en incorporarse al completo dossier de North Sails. © North Sails Desarrolladas específicamente para barcos con esloras comprendidas entre los 20 y los 40 pies con longitudes de grátil inferiores a 16 metros, llegan con vocación de implementar la magnífica tecnología 3Di en el popular segmento de la regata de club: ligeras, con un excepcional mantenimiento de la forma, prestaciones extraordinarias, utilizables en un rango de viento más amplio y más duraderas. En North Sails España hemos entregado la primera unidad de 3Di RACE, un génova medio que ya se ha incorporado al inventario de un Dufour 34 en Valencia. Pregúntanos sobre las 3Di RACE o sobre cualquier otra vela del dossier North Sails, y te informaremos. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS BRILLA EN LA RORC CARIBBEAN 600 La novena edición de la RORC Caribbean 600 ha vuelto a confirmar el excepcional rendimiento de las velas North Sails en competición. La flota 2017 reunió a 70 barcos y más de 900 regatistas en representación de 24 nacionalidades, cifras inéditas en la clásica oceánica que transcurre por 11 de las islas más emblemáticas del Caribe, con salida y llegada en Antigua. © Tim Wright La batalla por la victoria absoluta en tiempo real estuvo protagonizada por dos clientes North Sails: los MOD70 Phaedo 3 de Lloyd Thornburg y Maserati de Giovani Soldini, que disputaron un apasionante duelo de titanes en el que finalmente se impuso el barco estadounidense por apenas 13 minutos. Entre los monocascos, el más rápido de esta edición fue el Juan K Rambler 88 de George David, propulsado por inventario de velas North Sails, que paró el crono en 2 días, 36 minutos y 17 segundos para alzarse con la victoria en tiempo real. Otros clientes North Sails que lograron excelentes resultados en la prueba caribeña fueron: el Swan 115 Shamanna de Anders Nordquist, ganador de clase Superyacht; el J122 Redshift El Ocaso de Robert Hillier, que ganó tanto en IRC 2 como en CSA 2; el Reichel Pugh 37Taz de Bernard Evan-wong, vencedor en IRC 1; el Swan 48 Sleeper X de Jonty y Vicki Layfield, ganador en IRC 3; y el Class 40 Phor-ty de Peter Harding, campeón en Class 40. Felicidades a todos ellos, ¡y gracias por confiar en North Sails! READ MORE

TRES RÉCORDS DE VUELTA AL MUNDO CON VELAS NORTH SAILS EN UN MES PARA LA HISTORIA Sodebo, Banque Populaire VI e IDEC SPORT han logrado reducir el tiempo de circunnavegación del planeta con marcas estratosféricas. Tres récords históricos realizados con velas North Sails. © Yvan Zedda / Yvan Zedda / IDEC SPORT Tres clientes North Sails han logrado pulverizar los tiempos de circunnavegación del planeta en apenas un mes. Esta histórica serie fue iniciada el 25 de diciembre por el maxi trimarán Sodebo de Thomas Coville, que destrozaba el récord absoluto de vuelta al mundo en solitario con una espectacular marca de 49 días, 3 horas y 7 minutos (mejorando el establecido en 2004 por Francis Joyon en 8 días y 10 horas). Le siguió el 19 de enero el IMOCA Banque Populaire VI de Armel Le Cléac, que ganaba la Vendée Globe y establecía el nuevo récord de circunnavegación en solitario en monocasco con una marca de 74 días, 3 horas, 35 minutos y 46 segundos (mejorando por 3 días, 22 horas y 41 minutos el establecido en 2013 por François Gavart). “North Sails significa prestaciones e I+D. Team Banque Populaire tiene las expectativas más altas, está aquí para ganar, por lo que North Sails es la elección lógica”, comentaría Le Cléac, uno de los 12 patrones que confiaron en North Sails para todo el inventario de velas a bordo de sus IMOCA 60. Por último, el maxi trimarán IDEC SPORT patroneado por Francis Joyon logró el 26 de enero su objetivo de alzarse con el trofeo Jules Verne, estableciendo un impresionante nuevo récord absoluto de circunnavegación del planeta: 40 días, 23 horas, 30 minutos y 30 segundos. Todo un hito de la navegación que mejora en casi cinco días el anterior récord establecido en enero de 2012 por el trimarán Banque Populaire V de Loïck Peyron (45 días, 13 horas, 42 minutos y 53 segundos). A bordo del IDEC SPORT compitió el español Alex Pella, quien definió la hazaña como “una surfeada planetaria increíble”. READ MORE

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