NORTH SAILS BLOG

MELGES IC37 EXCELS AT COWES WEEK The First IC37 in Europe Debuts With a Win 📸 North Sails / James Tomlinson After making one design waves in North America with a full summer of events, the first IC37 delivered to Europe won IRC class 1 at Cowes Week with conviction— Kanreki finished first in four of six races. Such impressive IRC results from a boat originally drawn as a one design concept are a nice by-product of the tight collaboration between North Sails/Southern Spars, Melges, and boat designer Mark Mills. North Sails expert Pete Redmond was onboard for Cowes Week and experienced firsthand how this fun, modern 37-foot race boat performed under IRC. “The IC37 had the advantage of planing speeds, especially in breeze where boat lengths can be gained quickly,” Pete explained. He was also impressed by the IRC-adapted sail inventory. “The sails fit perfectly out of the bag. “We used the standard one-design tuning and our IRC inventory included a slighter smaller mainsail, full-sized jibs that were purpose-built for Cowes Week, and a North Helix Code Sail, which we easily flew off the bowsprit with no modifications needed. Finishing off the inventory we had two A sails for lighter and heavier breezes.” 📸 North Sails / James Tomlinson IRC is very popular in the UK. Pete feels the IC37 is a great contender, as it is suited for a wide range of sailing styles. “The boat is set up very simply, and everything runs well. Anyone will be able to get this boat around the corners, and switching between modes isn’t hard either.” Kanreki’s crew, a mix of family and friends, was able to get the boat up to speed quickly, even though they hadn’t actually sailed the boat together before the first race. “They found racing the IC37 to be a lot of fun,” Pete added, “and that’s the only reason they wanted to sail Cowes Week – to have fun.” Sam Pearson, class leader of the IC37 for the UK, was also impressed by Kanreki’s performance and optimistic about the future. “Although it was never our intention to focus on IRC when launching this new one design circuit, we knew we had to keep it in the back of our minds. If we wanted to see one design flourish, the design had to appeal to a broader audience. With these wins straight off the bat, the IC37 is 100% the weapon of choice to re-energize big boat one design racing in the UK.” 📸 North Sails / James Tomlinson READ MORE

Još jedan trijumf Sirotice U Betini, kolijevci drvene brodogradnje otoka Murtera, u nedjelju 18. kolovoza odjedrena je 17. regata za dušu i tilo. Riječ je o posljednjoj regati ciklusa regata latinskog idra pred veliko finale koje će se odjedriti u susjednom Murteru za mjesec dana. I ove godine se okupila slična flota kao i lani, ukupno preko 30 leutgajeta i kaića. NAravno, gajete su i na ovoj regati dominirale po broju, ali kako se kasnije pokazalo za vrijeme jedrenja nisu se ni ostali modeli tek tako predavali! Vremenski uvjeti u Betini su bili idealni. Lijep sunčan dan uz lagani maestral koji je puhao s oko desetak čvorova, omogučili su dosta brzu regatu bez stresnih situacija praćenih s lomom opreme i paranjem jedara kao što je to bio slučaj prošle godine. Start je bio postavljen "na lancanu", premda su brodovi bili vezani za rivu, ali to je taj princip. Regatno polje je bilo identično lanjskom, a to konkretno znači da je prva bova bila postavljena u kanalu na oko pola puta prema Tisnom, zatim se morao obići otočić Sustipanac, potom druga bova koja je bila postavljena ispred rta Gradina (na ulazu u Murtersku luku) i za kraj je ostavljen sprint prema Betini. Vjerojatno najzanimljiviji dio regate je ovaj put bio sam start, odnosno predstartna procedura. Regatni odbor je odredio da će biti dan pripremni signal, zatim upozorenje na jednu minutu do starta i zatim start. Međutim, nekoliko gajeta postavljenih s lijeve strane startne linije je signal minute do starta shvatila kao signal za start i krenulo s povlačenjem po konopu od sidra. 10-20 sekundi su svi ostali gledali što se dešava i hoće li im kolege shvatiti da su malo požurili, ali kako već u takvim situacijama bude lančano su krenuli i svi ostali za njima. U principu ovo je najvažniji dio regate jer ako je sidro uhvatilo dovoljno jako da se po njemu može povlačiti svom snagom i da kad ga se prođe da ga se bez problema može izvaditi, onda se može osvojiti dosta dobra pozicija za nastavak jedrenja. Početna gužva koja je nastala u prvih stotinjak metar regate ubrzo se počela rijediti i najbrži se izdvajati ispred ostatka flote. Već od samog starta najuspješnija u tome je bila ekipa Sirotice. Već na prvoj bovi su bili na čelu cijele flote, a kasnije su tu razliku samo povećavali. Za kompletnu rutu im je trebalo točno dva sata jedrenja, a poredak ostalih najboljih po grupama je slijedeći: GAJETE: 1. Damir Čorkalo – MU 485 – Murter – SIROTICA 2. Hrvoje Jadrešić – MU 520 – Betina – CVITA 3. Ante Davor Turčinov – MU 887 – Murter – ILKA KAIĆI: 1. Ivan Čobanov – MU 906 – Betina – MARINKA 2. Ivan Crljenko – MU 790 – Betina – Bez imena 3. Šime Šoić – MU 186 – Murter – MARIJA LEUTI: 1. Grgo Jerat – MU 111 – Murter – JARUH 2. Dieter Schelinger – MU 84 – Murter – ORLIĆ 3. Tonko Skračić – MU 85 – Betina – GUŠTE Foto galeriju s ove regate možete pronaći na ovom linku. Dok video izvještaj možete pogledati u video galeriji za 2019. godinu. READ MORE

"FORMSTABILITETEN ÄR NOG DET SOM IMPONERAR MEST" Patrik Helgegren om sina tre år gamla 3Di NORDAC-segel NORDAC-segel 3Di NORDAC är ett bakat kompositsegel speciellt utvecklat för cruisingbåtar upp till cirka 40 fot. Det byggs på exakt samma sätt som världens mest avancerade kappseglingssegel, men det är baserat på polyester istället för på kevlar eller kolfiber. Resultatet blir ett segel med samma slitstyrka och livslängd som ett traditionellt dacronsegel, men med avsevärt bättre prestanda. 3Di NORDAC lanserades 1 juni 2017 och en av de allra första i Sverige att hoppa på tåget var Patrik Helgegren i Göteborg. Han och hans familj seglar en Nord 120, en bastant fyrtiofots långfärdsbåt ritad av Olle Enderlein. Familjen Helgegrens Nordac-garderob består av storsegel och rullgenua, och båda dessa segel är uppe i ur och skur under hela säsongen. Frågan man ställer sig är: Hur de står sig idag, efter nästan tre hela säsonger? Vi låter frågan gå till Patrik: "Formstabiliteten är nog det som imponerar mest. Jag kan inte se att formen har förändrats ett dugg på tre säsonger. Att de skulle vara slitstarka hade jag räknat med. Det är ju ändå en sorts dacronsegel." Nyfiken på våra revolutionerande cruisingsegel? Besök oss på båtmässan så berättar vi mer! Läs mer om 3Di NORDAC READ MORE

Otvoreno PH u ekipnom jedrenju za klasu Optimist Foto: JK Marina Kaštela Izvrsna jedrenja u proljetnom dijelu sezone i vrhunski plasmani jedriličara iz puležanskog JK Uljanik plovidbe nastavila su se i na ovogodišnjem Prvenstvu Hrvatske u ekipnom jedrenju za klasu Optimist. Jedriličarski klub Marina Kaštela je u svom novom impozantnom jedriličarskom domu ugostio 15 ekipa iz Hrvatske i susjedne nam Crne Gore, a jedrilo se za vikend 16-18. kolovoza. Unatoč popriličnom broju ekipa odziv klubova nije bio u jednakom broju, već su neki klubovi imali po nekoliko ekipa, a jedna ekipa je bila sastavljena i od jedriličara iz četiri različita kluba. Najbrojniji su bili članovi JK Uljanik plovidba koji su na natjecanju imali čak tri svoje ekipe! Idući najbroniji klub je bio JK Split s dvije ekipe, a po jedan tim su poslali iz riječkog Galeba, Sv. Nikola iz Zagreba, splitski JK Mornar, još jedan klub iz Pule - JK Vega, zatim JK Briva iz Biograda, zadarski Uskok i JK Spinut iz Splita. Međunarodni karakter natjecanju dale su ekipe JK Juga i ekipa Brius, a u taj otvoreni dio natjecanja svoj obol je dala i ekipa imena Pilići, a u kojoj su jedrili članovi JK Jugo, Zente, Omiša i Labuda. Program regate je predvidio jedrenje jednog Round Robina, sustava jedrenja svih ekipa jednih protiv drugih, kao i u dvobojskom jedrenju, a nakon toga najbolji su se susreli u polufinalu i finalu. Zahvaljujući izvrsnim vremenskim uvjetima tih dana program je realiziran sa 100 postotnim učinkom. Konkretno, da bi se odjedrio potpuni Round Robin za 15 ekipa potrebno je završiti čak 105 plovova! U petak je Regatni odbor kompletirao 56 jedrenja, dok su u subotu još i preostalih 49. Što se tiče nedjelje tada su odjedreno još 19 plovova da bi se dobili ovogodišnji prvaci Hrvatske, a evo što je o regati izjavio predstavnik domaćina: Sve u svemu imali smo sreće s vjetrom. Odjedren je puni Round Robin, odnosno dva prvenstva - zatvoreno i otvoreno PH, koja su se bodova odvojena. Pobjedu je odnijela jedna od ekipa Uljanik plovdbe čiji trener je Dario Kliba. Ta skupina je bila daleko ispred svih ostalih tako da su potpuno zasluženo odnijeli pobjedu, kako u otvorenom, tako i u zatvorenom dijelu prvenstva. Svaki dan je puhao maestral od 10-14 čvorova. Izašli bi na more oko podne, uvjeti za regatavanje bi se uspostavili oko 13 sati, a jedrilo bi se do 18-19. Polje je svaki dan bilo postavljeno ispred Slatina na otoku Čiovu i pozicija je bila stvarno dobra jer nije bilo valova, dok je vjetar bio konstantan i stabilan. Armano Zekan, JK Marina Kaštela Sustav ekipnog jedrenja je u principu flotna regata jer se na regatnom polju istovremeno nalazi 8 optimista. Za plasman u pojedinom matchu uzimaju se rezultati svih sudionika i prevagu odnosi konačna suma svih članova ekipe. Ovo je dosta zanimljiv element jer dozvoljava različite kombinacije poretka u cilju, tako da natjecatelji osim jedriličarskih vještina moraju pokazati i određenu dozu kombinatorike. Uglavnom, u Round Robinu je apsolutnu dominaciju u svim tim elementima pokazala ekipa Uljanik plovidbe 3. Oni su pobijedili u svih 14 matcheva. Najbliži su im bili sugrađani iz Vege. Oni su završili kao drugoplasirani s 12 pobjeda, a s jednom pobjedom manje treće mjesto zauzima miješana ekipa Pilića. S obzirom na karaktere otvorenog i zatvorenog PH u završne stadije natjecanja ušle su još ekipe Uljanika 2 i Mornara koje su imale jednak broj bodova, ali je Uljanik 2 imao bolji ishod u međusobnom matchu. Konkretan raspored, odnosno međusobne rezultate možete pronaći na ovom linku za zatvoreno PH, dok su na ovom linku rezultati za otvoreni dio regate. I polufinala i finala su se jedrila na tri pobjede s tim da su prvo odrađeni kompletni setovi za zatvoreni dio regate. U polufinalu su jedni protiv drugih jedrili Vega i Uljanik 2, a konačni rezultat je 3:1 za Vegu. Drugi polufinalni par je bio Uljanik 3 i Mornar, a ovdje je glatka pobjeda Uljanika 3 s 3:0. U finale su otišli Uljanik 3 i Vega, a konačni rezultat je 3:0 za Uljanik 3 koji tako postaje ekipni prvak Hrvatske za 2019. godinu. S drugim mjestom se moraju zadovoljiti članovi JK Vega, dok je u malom finalu pobjeda također otišla u ruke članova JK Vega. Nakon ove serije regata odjedren je i završni set otvorenog dijela PH. Ovaj put nije bilo polufinala i finala, već su se jedrile tri flighta sa po dva matcha svatko protiv svakog. Uljanik 3 je u sva tri odjedrena matcha bolji i tako se ovjenčao s dvostrukom krunom! Pobjednička ekipa je bila u sastavu Buba Pulek, Mija Močinić, Tristan Tol i Edi Jurman. A kako su bili posloženi ostali sudionici završnice možete pronaći u finalnim rezultatima, dok foto galeriju s regate možete pronaći na web stranicama regate. Iduća velika regata kojoj je domaćin JK Marina Kaštela je Prvenstvo Hrvatske za neolimpijske klase, a jedrit će se od 13-15. rujna. READ MORE

LIGHTNING LEGEND WINS 6th NORTH AMERICAN TITLE Ched Proctor Bests a 72-Boat Fleet 2019 Lightning NA champions Ched Proctor, Chris Morgan, and Monica Morgan 📸 Art Petrosemolo nauticalphotography.us According to the dictionary, “legend” is a person or thing that inspires. According to sailors, it describes a sailor who has performed and contributed to the point of being incomparable. After winning his sixth Lightning North American Championship last week, Ched Proctor has cemented his place as a “legend” under both definitions. With teammates Monica Morgan and Sam Blouin, he bested a fleet of 72 boats at the Buffalo Canoe Club in Crystal Beach, ONT, a week after winning the Masters North Americans with Chris and Monica Morgan. Ched won his first North Americans in 1993, when he was in his 40s. Since then he’s won two International Masters Championships, 2 Canadian Opens, 7 Southern Circuits, and 4 Midwinters—along with dozens of wins in other one design classes. Womens, Masters, Juniors NAs The 11 day gathering brought teams from around the country. First up was the Women’s, Masters, and Junior Championships. On day one, a strong westerly sidelined all the fleets, so many teams headed to Niagara Falls. Day two’s fresh breeze allowed each fleet to get in two races. Day three saw lighter breezes but still in the mid-teens; Masters and Women’s teams each got in two races, while the Juniors snuck in a third before the deadline. Women’s NAs champions: Deborah Probst, Monica Jones, and daughter Allie Jones 📸 Art Petrosemolo nauticalphotography.us 10 Women’s teams came from as far away as South Carolina and Florida. Regatta Chair Debbie Probst, with Monica and Allie Jones, bested Boat Grant recipient Christine Maloney with crew Grace Woodcock and Anna Flaherty by two points. Joy MacDonald grabbed the final podium spot with Kathryn Maloney and her sister Julieanne, a clean sweep for the BCC teams. Doug Wake and his team (Noah Bartlett and Lars Osell) found the heavy air to their liking and won 4 of the 5 races to dominate the fleet. Parker Coluntuano/Jackie Morrison/Ben Markert had a solid last day and moved up from 6th to 2nd. Locals Robbie Robinson and brothers Gunnar and Garrett Grenauer finished third. Meanwhile, Ched the legend won three of the four Masters races, beating 5-time World Champion Tito Gonzales, who was sailing with son Alberto and Rodrigo Zuazola, by six points. Tom Allen, the ILCA MVP, put together his NAs winning team from 1989 (!) of John Humphrey and Bill Pictor, and he used their “maturity” to finish just one point behind Tito’s team. Juniors NAs champions Douglas Wake, Noah Bartelt, and Lars Osell 📸 Art Petrosemolo nauticalphotography.us North American Championships The NAs started with four qualifying races over two days to determine the 34 boat Championship Division. The qualifying races are often called the toughest regatta of the year, as your chances to be the North American Champion rest upon sailing well enough to “make the cut.” After the final race Tuesday, the line was drawn right below John Birkett and his team from Ecuador, with 25 points earning them the Tom Fallon Trophy as “the last one in.” An easterly breeze dominated the first day of the championship series. The locals said this was the most unpredictable and challenging breeze direction, and they were certainly right!! The three race winners were Adam MacDonald, David Starck and Tim Scanlon, and most teams had scores that looked like they belonged on a Bingo card. David Starck took the overall lead with a 2,1,18, while Ched and team opened the series with a 15, 11, 3. The next morning’s breezes mimicking the previous day and it was another tricky day to be consistent. Jim Barnash won the first race of the day. Bob Martin, after a 25 the previous day, hit the consistency button with a 4,4,5,4 to bring his team into the hunt. Overnight leader David Starck opened the day with another 2nd, but a 15 in the second race allowed Ched’s more consistent 3,1 to take over the lead. Friday dawned as predicted: a beautiful sunny day with not a whisper of wind. Once the RC cancelled racing for the day, Ched, Monica and Sam were the 2019 North American Champions. Regatta Chair David Starck, with Jody Lutz and Dylan Farrell, finished 5 points back. Bob Martin, with Steve Hunt and Diego Escobar, won the “regatta of the final 4 races,” but without a discard they had to settle for 3rd overall. Presidents Cup The Presidents Cup became the “Allen Family Cup” this year as Jim Allen, with daughter Abby and sister Jane, bested older brother Tom Allen IV, with his daughter Shelby and Jim’s son Tyler. Third was Sjoerd-Jan Vanderhorst with his wife Kathy and Laurie Dieball guiding him around the course. Lightning experts Skip Dieball and Brian Hayes running morning tips READ MORE

ATLANTIC NATIONALS TAKEAWAYS Experts Tim Healy and Rodrigo Meireles Share Key Tips 📸 Cedar Point Yacht Club The 2019 Atlantic Nationals took place at Cedar Point Yacht Club in Connecticut with twenty-seven teams attending the three day regatta. 6-12 knots from east to southeast with moderate to heavy chop made for intense competition in these classic boats, followed by great hospitality ashore. After the first day of racing, North Sails expert Tim Healy led a debrief with Dave Peck, Bill Healy, Steve Benjamin and Morgan Trubovich on the panel (representing skippers, trimmers and tacticians). The crowd had a lot of good questions and sailors found the panel very helpful. David Peck from Niantic, CT won the regatta convincingly, posting only seven points after six races and a drop. Steven Benjamin finished second with 14 points and Rodrigo Meireles finished third with 19 points. We are happy to report that the top twenty teams used North Sails. The top five boats all used the FRC mainsail, AP Jib and V-2 spinnaker. Tim and Rodrigo’s Takeaways JIB SETUP Set the height of the jib so that the foot overlaps on the deck by 1″ max. In light air, move it down as low as ⅛”. This will prove a good deck seal to trap the wind from going under the sail, which will maximize its power. Never let the upper jib leech tell tale stall. Find max trim by trimming so it just stalls, then easing just enough so it is flowing 100% of the time. CHECK PREBEND At the base setting for your rig, it should be about 1.75-2″ for speed in a range of conditions. (The fastest boats at CPYC use 2.5-2.75”, as they sail mostly in 5-8 knots.) DOWNWIND TIP Work hard to separate the spinnaker from the mainsail. The main is so big that it easily shadows the spinnaker. Be careful not to pull the guy back too far or set pole too low. You can even try easing the halyard up to 6″. HEEL ANGLE Try to keep the upwind heel angle as constant as possible. Crew weight adjustment is key. Full results 📸 Cedar Point Yacht Club Rodrigo Meireles and team Elan sailing fast. 📸 Cedar Point Yacht Club READ MORE

COUNTDOWN TO ROLEX TP52 WORLDS North Sails Designer Mickey Ickert’s Insight on the Next Big Event 📸 52 Super Series / Martinez Studio The 2019 52 Super Series has been one of the most competitive to date. At T-minus one week to the Worlds, there are just 17 points separating first from fifth after three of five events, and not one team is clearly running away with the big prize right now. Nine of the eleven boats competing are powered by North sails, including Azzurra who is currently at the top of the leaderboard. We’re excited to see how this final event unfolds. Mickey Ickert is a veteran North Sails designer who specializes in Grand Prix sail design with a specific focus on TP52 development. We sat down with Mickey to get his take on who’s who, how the fleet is sailing, and where we should place our bets next week. What are your crystal ball predictions for the Worlds? Palma is very well known and was the location of the first pre-season event. The familiarity with Palma will require teams to focus on subtle differences and fine-tuning. The fleet is so close this year that any of the top five boats could win the 2019 Worlds. The one wildcard could be Sled, who had an impressive pre-season showing at Palma Vela in May. How do you see the North sails stacking up for the expected conditions in Palma? Speed is king for getting off the start line to the first shift, and our 2019 3Di structures are proving to have an edge. Typical Palma conditions will call for using the light main with the light-medium jib. We’ve been focusing on pushing the sail weight down to maximize the advantages of 3Di against string sails, and maximizing the crossovers between the light and AP mains. Jib-wise, the new Raw 890 light-medium jib should excel through all the puffs and lulls. 📸 52 Super Series / Martinez Studio People, product and practice are all factors that play into a successful season. What do you see as the game changers in 2019? People are a real game-changer this level of sailing. Provezza’s new afterguard gelled well and sailed the most pre-season, giving them confidence. Bronenosec is winning races with the addition of Sîme Fantela as the strategist. My observation is the younger sailors in the fleet are pushing the boats harder, racing is more dynamic, reaction times are faster, and sail changes are happening more quickly. Product-wise, I am expecting the newly developed 3Di Raw 890 has given our teams more sail card options through the Worlds and then heading into the final event of the season. So far it’s hitting our design targets; better shape-holding, and cleaner aesthetics. What’s 2020 going to be like? The new venues have already been announced and we know South Africa will be more breeze. We’ll fully review that plan at our global design meeting in November, but for now, all eyes are focused on the 2019 Worlds—and after that, the final Super Series event in Porto Cervo. 📸 52 Super Series / Martinez Studio READ MORE

EVENT SPOTLIGHT: NATIONAL YACHT CLUB OPEN Big Breeze Shakes Up NYC Open The 4th annual NYC Open Regatta took place on one of the most beautiful summer days we’ve had this year and featured great sailing winds ranging from a short AP in the morning until to winds filled to strong shifty and gusty conditions challenging the most experienced of skippers! Thanks to North Sails for providing the skippers and the Race Officers with a needed accurate Weather Forecasting via SailFlow. The RO’s and volunteers managed to get four races off despite ever-changing conditions. The post-race Garden Party sponsored Beau’s proved to be a wonderful afternoon venue with great entertainment from Jenny Braund and band. Almost 100 participants joined in on the dinner and it did not disappoint. NYC’s F&B team presented an amazing Tandoori BBQ chicken and all the fixings. Compliments to NYC’s F&B abound for the awesome meal as well as the Beau’s Five for $20 draft! The party went on till dark with live entertainment and then shifted to members playlists continuing until the wee hours… With a 12% increase in participation of boats over last, this year’s regatta hosted 58 boats in seven competitive divisions. The majority of boats were One Design as we observe a continued shift towards smaller crews and tighter fleets. We also saw an uptick in participation in the NYC membership returning to numbers seen several years back, maybe due to the Humber Bay Challenge that we put out between EYC and us. The Rigging Shoppe generously contributed gift cards to the appreciative 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. Congratulations to all our winners: Mandate J 105 RCYC Terry McLaughlin/ Rod Wilmer Zingara Beneteau First 36.7 NYC Richard Reid Surprise Melges 24 NYC Dan Berezin Lifted J80 NYC Christopher Hobbs Wild deuces VX One RCYC Paul Currie Three's Company J 22 NYC Paul Davignon Warington Kirby 23 QCYC John Woolsey For the overall regatta results, visit www.lorc.org On Sunday, many raced in the first race of the AHMEN/PHRF Fall Series, hosted by NYC and raced for the Argosy Rose Bowl. For overall results, please visit www.ahmen.ca Thank you to our participants, volunteers as well as to the Rigging Shoppe, North Sails and Beau’s and to all sponsors who helped to make the LORC series a success! Lawrence Alexander Vice Commodore – Fleet National Yacht Club – Toronto READ MORE

SPINNAKER SNUFFER INSTALLATION GUIDE Making Your Downwinds More Easy and Enjoyable © Amory Ross North Sails cruising spinnakers and Gennakers™ equipped with Snuffer Plus™ spinnaker snuffers make downwind sailing faster and more enjoyable, while saving much of the aggravation normally associated with off-the-wind sailing. When used properly, a cruising spinnaker can add miles to your daily runs. Cruising spinnakers can be quite simple to deploy, even with a short-handed crew. Step 1: Attach the clew and foot On a dry, clean, open area), secure the head of the sail to a post and run the leech and luff making sure that it is free of any twists or tangles. Step 2: Laying out the Snuffer Plus™ In the same way that the spinnaker was straightened, attach the “head”of the Snuffer Plus™ to a solid point and pull the sleeve out making sure it isn’t twisted. Use the colored stripe on the sleeve as a guide. Step 3: Prepare the Snuffer Plus Once the spinnaker and the snuffer have been laid out straight, use the internal retrieval line to pull the cone of the snuffer all the way to the head exposing the swivel Step 4: Attaching the sail Attach the head ring of the sail to the swivel inside the snuffer. Make sure that the screw or shackle is as tight as possible. Step 5: “Snuff” the sail Once the head of the sail is attached, pull the Snuffer sleeve down over the sail making sure neither the sail nor sleeve is twisted. NOTE: On Gennakers™, the cone will not cover the entire sail and should end approximately one foot from the clew. Allowing the clew to go into the sleeve could risk damaging the cone when the sail is deployed underway. Battens can be taken apart by removing the tape and while holding the back section of the splice connector, flexing the front end up and down while exerting pressure in the opposite direction as the arrow. Step 6: Loading the sail into the EZ Launch & Store™ Box Turtle When the sail is ready to be placed In its turtle, lay the turtle out as shown, attaching the tack ring to the green Velcro tab and the clew ring to the red Velcro tab. Insert the cone of the Snuffer into the bag first. Flake the sail into the bag leaving the head of the snuffer on the top. Use the Velcro tab at the center of the bag to secure the head and Velcro the bag shut. Finally, use the straps on the bag to cinch the bag shut. READ MORE

DO GOOD. DONATE YOUR OLD SAILS. Putting Your Used Sails To Work North Sails and Etibicoke Yacht Club have partnered to help promote the recycling and re-purposing of used sails. Bring your old sails to the EYC Open and we will organize the donation of them to Friends Of Ile-a-Vache Haiti, where they will be re-purposed to benefit the lives of the local community. Questions? Talk to our team and find out more about this program. READ MORE

SPEED READING: J/111 PRE-WORLDS Preparing For The Grand Finale Tough racing conditions at the Verve Cup / J/111 Pre worlds © Sara Proctor North Experts Seadon Wijsen on Skeleton Key and Allan Terhune on Velocity sailed the Verve Cup, which was also the J/111 Pre-Worlds. After three days and eight races, both teams had plenty of takeaway lessons. Here’s what they had to share. “The racing conditions were typical for Chicago,” says Seadon. “Light and lumpy, and extremely challenging at times. Our light air speed and technique was top priority.” Allan agrees. “There were bands of wind that came down the course, forcing you to connect the dots and stay in the pressure as long as possible. Light air boat speed was definitely a big factor, but it soon became apparent to us that getting clean starts were going to be the key to this event.” Lessons learned from Pre-Worlds The fleet got eight races in, a chance for both boats to experiment with settings in the search for better light air speed. Seadon’s team played with jib halyard, jib leads, and in-haulers to help transition through the wind ranges. They also tried a looser rig. “It helped our accelerations, but didn’t make much of a difference in our straight-line speed. Moving the jib lead forward helped, so maybe we were just carrying the lead too far aft in general before.” Allan says Seadon was able to help his team with an off-the-boat observation. “We learned from Seadon that we had too much inhauler on in the light stuff. I had this inclination that if the crew was on the rail hiking, we’d need to pull the inhauler in all the way. What it actually did was close the slot and create stall, which was easy to do in the light air. Onboard we couldn’t see it, but Seadon noticed from off the boat. Too much inhaul was deadly.” Both sailors agree that the most important thing for J/111 boat speed is keeping the boat in the right mode. You don’t want to pinch, especially if there is chop. “You need to keep an open mind on every leg. It’s easy to doubt yourself, so you can’t focus too much on the fleet, rather sail your own race and focus on what you think will have the best outcome.” In the light air, it was easy to over-trim the sails. “That was slow, and we had to be super sensitive to this,” said Seadon. Allan added that course corrections had to be very subtle as well. “When we felt slow, we’d put the bow down to help build speed, but if we went too far, this caused us to stall.” Racing in Chicago, Seadon says, it’s hard to find any consistent pattern to the wind. “You need to keep an open mind on every leg. It’s easy to doubt yourself, so you can’t focus too much on the fleet, rather sail your own race and focus on what you think will have the best outcome.” Allan has sailed out of Monroe Harbor in many different classes, and he agrees. “It is very easy to think that it will always do this, or it will be this way—and it most definitely does the opposite.” © Sara Proctor What to work on Seadon has been racing with Skeleton Key for four years and says his team’s consistency is what’s led to their success. “Our rig tune, sail selections, and techniques through the wind ranges are all the same as they usually are. We don’t try to change much last minute, and we usually improve each time we sail.” In the short gap between the pre-Worlds and Worlds, they have a list of things to work on. “We need to improve our leeward mark roundings. We can do that by discussing the planned maneuver, and weight placement. We are also going to look at different batten combinations for light air and windier conditions. “The key for us is to try to improve the things we are lacking, but also focus on what works; we don’t need to reinvent the wheel.” On Velocity, Allan says they will primarily be looking at their acceleration off the starting line, the leeward mark, and speed out of tacks.” Looking ahead to the Worlds, Seadon admits Chicago is one of the toughest places to race—and they face some great competition. “We will have to be mentally tougher. I think we will be better in the lighter air conditions this time around. We are hoping to have a nice range of different conditions throughout the regatta, and maybe even some breeze.” Both teams plan to sail as much as they can, and want to line up with as many boats as possible. As Allan puts it, “It’s about getting as much data as you can before the regatta starts.” Skeleton Key initiating a jibe in tough light air conditions © Sara Proctor / Verve Cup 2019 Have questions about tuning? Check out our J/111 Tuning Guide Click here to view all of our products J/111 inventory READ MORE

Get The Most From Your J/105 The 2019 J/105 British Virgin Islands North Americans in Marblehead is just around the corner. Is your team ready? Our J/105 Tool Kit will help. Created just for J/105 sailors, by our expert team. #NSVictoryList There is no better performance test of a one design sail than the results it produces. In 2018 alone, North Sails J/105 inventories helped teams win regattas all over the US. Tips From The Champ Champion Terry McLaughlin shares some tips that helped team Mandate win the 2018 North Americans. Downwind Tips & Tricks How to sail as deep as possible while still keeping your speed up. Before your next regatta, read this downwind manual from expert Will Keyworth. Define Your Speed Pulling all the pieces together can be challenging. Our J/105 Speed Guide will help you leverage our expertise to make the most of your sailing. Fine Tune With North Find your groove. Get your numbers. Be confident in all wind conditions. After countless hours of sailing, sail testing, and competing in the J/105, our championship winning sails will get you up to speed quickly. Working With The Best Our J/105 sails deliver the best results for our clients. Contact your local expert and join us at the front of the pack. READ MORE

J/24 US NATIONALS LOCAL KNOWLEDGE North Sails Expert Mike Ingham Explains What To Expect in Rochester They call Rochester “Leftchester”. But of course it is not always that simple! We asked North Sails expert and Rochester local Mike Ingham what sailors should expect when they leave the docks at the 2019 J/24 US Nationals. First, some basics: The predominant winds are in the West quadrant (WSW to NW). More often than not, systems come from the West quadrant, most often WSW The thermal is NNE The Genesee River flows North to the lake passing through Downtown Rochester before dropping considerably in altitude, passing RYC and emptying it’s silt into the lake The racing area is typically straight North or NE from the river. It’s not quite in a bay, but the land does indent like a very open bay, so there is land from West through South to East. From West through North to East is largely exposed The Lake is large and deep. It is around 350 miles long and 70 miles wide. The Niagara River flows into the lake on the SW corner and that water empties into the Atlantic by way of the St. Lawrence River in the NE corner Here are some thoughts for each direction: South Quadrant: It’s shifty in all of the South directions. The city of Rochester is ~8 miles up the Genesee and over 400 feet above the lake. That means the wind coming down that long hit is really unstable as it tries to mix in with the air below Heads up puffy lake sailing. Since the wind comes down that long hill, sometimes the puffs don’t hit the water so you don’t see them coming. Need to look and try and connect the puffs, but also need to be ready to react to whatever comes your way. Top of the course is the most shifty because it is closer to land making the last move to the weather mark and the first move out of it pretty critical All S directions (system driven) Flat water SOUTHEAST Can happen, but is not common. Almost always associated with some rain and storm coming, but not always Can get a lift off the right shore, but not consistently Not a sustainable direction, it is unlikely to lock into the SE for more than half a day before something changes it Will rarely turn into a thermal because it is associated with bad weather disrupting any land convection. SOUTH Relatively common system breeze Often warm clear weather Super shifty Rarely any geographic pattern (like get to a shore) because relatively square to the land SOUTHWEST Relatively common system breeze Can be nice clear warm weather, or can be humid with t-storms rumbling through especially in the afternoon Can be very windy, but is relatively flat Very shifty puffy – heads up! West Quadrant Common System driven Often windy, clear Relatively steady compared to the S winds, but still some shifts Can have T-storms associated, especially late in the day Out further in the lake, there can be big waves, but where we race there is a shore to the West, so that cuts down on big wave. Still choppy though. Often very favored left because of a lift off shore and flatter water North, Northwest System N or NW System breeze about once a month lasting a few days (when it is windy) Cold wind from the North Often windy BIG steep waves (up to 10 foot) In the spring and summer, this is an oscillating breeze, so play the longer shifts, could be 5 min + oscillations But in the fall, since the lake is warm and the air cold, mixing makes for big holes and puffs Northeast System Rare Unstable often rainy and stormy Does not last long Play shifts, but don’t expect a solid pattern Can be big waves if it does last a while because it has a very long fetch from the East end of the lake. But often does not last long enough to build up the really big waves Northeast Thermal Almost always a Thermal Sea breeze Lite. It rarely gets into double digits Like any other thermal, need a temperature differential. The lake peaks at around 65deg so it can happen even on a cool day. The lake can “turn over”. Only the surface is warm and if the lower cool water mixes, it can get cool overnight to the mid 50’s Flat water Even though it is coming from the lake, it only goes out a few miles and does not have time/ distance to build up much chop Once filled in, left seems to work more than not Current Surprisingly for a lake, you could see up to 1.5kts of current. Usually W to E parallel to the shore (but occasionally it inexplicably goes the other way –some kind of eddy). You can’t predict it but can easily tell which way and how strong by watching which way the river silt exits the river on your way out. It is caused by the bathtub effect, plus the flow of Niagara Falls (W to E). The lake is 300+ miles long and a low pressure system at one end or the other will suck the water that way, then when that pressure system goes away, the water “sloshes” back. It is relatively even over the race course, there is rarely any local eddy or current relief anywhere because the lake gets deep quickly. You have to go right near shore and we don’t typically race there. READ MORE

2019 TRANSPAC TALES Race Aficionado Patrick Murray Talks About His Favorite Offshore Event 📸Sharon Green / ultimatesailing.com We caught up with Local North Sails expert and Transpac aficionado Patrick Murray to get his personal download on the race. What makes this race so special to you and other sailors who keep coming back? This race has become my favorite race by far, globally, anywhere. 2019 was the fifth time I've sailed it and now on five different boats. So that’s five different styles and different teams every time. Every time I get more respect for what it takes to do the race, and the preparation that goes into being ready for the race. The Transpac is a small version of what the people in the Volvo talk about where, if you ask some crews on day three when they're heading out, it's cold and you're smashing upwind, and there's probably a few people that are not feeling all that well on the boat, you'd probably think they would never want to do it again. But in total, you get to Hawaii, the experience of finishing at Diamond Head, and the downwind sailing for days on end, of just ripping along, people want to do it again for sure. I think as far as this race goes, the results are one thing, but it's really just an accomplishment to be prepared and be at sea for nearly two weeks, handle all the conditions, the squalls, everything that gets thrown out at you out there. It's not your everyday race, and to see guys like Paul really excited at the finish, and the culmination of all the work, effort, and training, its extremely rewarding. How was this years race for you? The light air start didn’t favor breaking records but the conditions were nearly perfect; nice pressure, perfect reaching, and powered up sailing conditions the whole way. I think if you were to go through the fleet, it was a pretty windy and maybe just the tick above averages, in terms of how much wind. So it was a really proper offshore race and a proper offshore sail, that it put a few boats in tough situations and other boats and in a situation that they could thrive in really nice, heavy air conditions. I was on a Swan 60, Good Call. We started on Friday and had a perfect sail over to Catalina. Essentially we never had to tack, fetched on starboard tack, and made our way around Catalina, and then it was just beautifully windy the whole way across. 📸Sharon Green / ultimatesailing.com And on that note, how did you prepare your clients for this race? One thing I think people don't necessarily really think through or know if they haven't done the race, is that the beginning portion of the race is very hard, and it's more upwind and tight reaching. You have about 400 miles, and maybe up to 500 miles of pretty tight, cold, rough sailing, where you really have to earn that really beautiful downwind trade wind sailing. It's very different than the beautiful pictures we see with boats planing downwind off Diamond Head at the finish. You start upwind and it's a beat, medium to light air beat to Catalina, and then it's just off the wind, close reaching for some part of a 12 - 24 hour period. And then the breeze slowly goes from some version of west 270 and clocks through northwest. This is when you start seeing the wind up near zero out of the north and you're working through a full reaching inventory. That portion of the race is really critical, and which sail you use, and how you use them to get to different portions of the chart, is hugely important. What did you do personally and with your team to prepare for this race? On our boat, one of the things we did was try to eliminate having to carry too many sails. We would use our upwind sail and kind of an all-purpose upwind sail and heavier 3Di that could be used in heavy air. Then we were able to use a higher clew and a second clew, and a second configuration for that sail, so that we could use it as a reaching sail as well, which really helps in terms of gear management. You have to take so much stuff on this race, but if you can eliminate any of it, especially the upwind that goes away pretty quickly and then just turns into weight that you're carrying. On Good Call, we spent a lot of time working on the boat and getting everything ready, a lot of sailing time to work on those reaching configurations to see where they're the most efficient. How did you prepare your clients for this race? I had six clients in the race, in six boats that I worked with very closely in terms of preparation in their sail plans, and then just in sailing and preparation for the race, as well. That was the approach that we worked on with multiple boats so that we could keep the inventory as neat and clean, and efficient as possible, without having too many sails that you have to carry the whole way. And that's one of the benefits of 3Di, is that we were able to use those sails in a wider wind range, and also dual purpose uses in terms of a bit of a reaching sail, a Blast Reacher or Jib Top in some cases. With some of the other teams, I spent a lot of time with a few crews that were doing this race for the first time, working on their inventories in terms of what sails they had, and how to utilize them, but then also many hours out on the water coaching them. 📸Sharon Green / ultimatesailing.com READ MORE

WIZARD’S WINNING RECIPE A Methodical Approach to Setup, Schedule, and Sail Choices Peter and David Askew are on a hot streak with their VO70 Wizard in this year’s Atlantic Ocean Racing Series. They’ve won three of the five events in the series so far; RORC Caribbean 600, 2019 Transatlantic Race, and Rolex Fastnet Race. Their chance to complete the season with a sweep comes on October 19th, when the Rolex Middle Sea Race starts. Winning ocean races is why the brothers purchased Wizard (the VO70 that won the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12, as Groupama) in 2017. As Peter puts it, “Our entire program has been deliberately focused on winning.” That program started with a core team that raced a custom-built Reichel/Pugh 74 on the Great Lakes and won the Transpac Barn Door in 2013. Once the brothers set their sights on the Transatlantic Race, though, they knew they needed a canting keeler. Groupama, then sailing as Giacomo, was for sale in Sydney, Australia after winning overall honors in the 2016 Sydney Hobart Race. “Chris Larson from North Sails helped us put a group together to get the boat to the starting line of the 2017 Sydney Hobart Race, where we won our class,” Peter explains. “We then brought the boat back to the USA, did the 2018 Newport Bermuda Race, and won the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division.” Next, boat captain Chris Maxted took apart and overhauled all the major components and systems, while the sailing team returned to the Great Lakes for another successful season on the R/P 74. Once the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 concluded, Charlie Enright and Phil Harmer rejoined the team. “It was at that point,” Peter explains, “that we decided to go after the AORS events, starting with the Caribbean 600 in February 2019. David and I knew full well we had a weapon with Wizard, and the right people in place.” A combination of ocean-ready boat and crew, plus all their planning and preparation, is why they’ve posted such an impressive string of victories, he adds. “You have to go pretty far back in sailing history to find another boat that has been as successful as this particular Volvo 70. Maybe Dorade, but in the last 30 years, I don’t recall a boat being this dominant in the world’s most challenging ocean races. Over its life this won the Volvo Ocean Race as Groupama, the Sydney Hobart Race as Giacomo, and Newport-Bermuda Race, Caribbean 600, Transatlantic and Fastnet with our Wizard team. It’s an amazing run and the next challenge is the Middle Sea Race.” “Are we pleasantly surprised by the string of victories?” Peter asks. “Of course, but we never set out to be second or third. Our goal of having a competitive program has been very deliberate. David and I are competitive guys, and we always play to win.” Charlie Enright has worked closely with the Askews to methodically build a program that could handle a heavy schedule of offshore racing. “Most races are won before they even start,” Charlie reminds us. “Wizard’s off-season and pre-race approach are to leave no stone unturned and to be efficient and rational with our decision-making. Chris Maxted does an exceptional job making sure the boat is ready to race.” The experienced crew includes Will Oxley, Rob Greenhalgh, Phil Harmer, and Mitch White; Phil won the VOR on the boat, and Mitch sailed a lot of miles under the Giacomo name. “We have good sailors on our team,” Charlie continues, “but so do most of the other boats. The important thing is that we work well together. The boat is 75% American and 25% international, which is cool and somewhat rare.” And Team Wizard is only twelve people, while other similarly sized boats might have 20 crew. “A consistent, tight-knit group is key,” Charlie says. “When that gun does go off, we feel confident that we have as good a chance to win as anybody.” Winning still takes sailing well and some good luck, he admits, “but the results are pretty consistent over the past year, regardless of what conditions we’ve been sailing in.” The boat had done a lot of miles by the time the Askews bought her, but Charlie says they also used a methodical approach to replacing the inventory, initially a mix of 3Di Endurance and 3Di RAW. “Some programs take delivery, look at the year in which a particular sail was built, and just start replacing things sight unseen.” Instead, the team has been replacing “about one new sail an event,” which allows for learning and conceptual changes. For example, they’re now using a whisker pole reaching with the J0, a concept they took from the VO65s. The sail’s versatility allows the team to leave some other sails behind, Charlie adds. “It can take the place of the G1 in a pinch upwind. It comes at a rating hit because of its luff length, but we only really use it in events where there’s no real VMG.” Putting together the best sail package isn’t “voodoo,” Charlie laughs. “We just try to think logically about what we’re doing and the best sail package to get there.” For the 2019 Fastnet, Wizard added a Helix Code Zero to power them through the light spots. “We used it to VMG downwind off of Start Point,” Charlie says, “and then used the same sail to help us upwind in the light spot east of the Scilly Islands.” Designer Max Tringale worked on Wizard’s Code Zero. “The size target was similar to the boat’s older style cabled sail, with the goal to not reduce the area or change the sheeting location. By combining Helix with Load-Sharing Technology, we were able to design a lighter, flatter sail that works across a wider wind range.” Over the past year, Max continues, there’s been “a tremendous amount of collaboration within the North Sails Design Team to develop our latest Helix mold shapes, allowing us to build the flattest and most efficient sail possible. The flying shapes produced, along with Load Sharing between a small luff cord and the sail itself, allows the luff of the sail to project away from the boat, instead of sagging aft and leeward like traditional cabled sails.” Charlie confirms that the Helix sail can be carried through a wider range of conditions. “It’s lighter, and the luff is not constrained by the cable. We’re learning how to optimize adjustments, not only with the sheet and the tweaker but also with the tack line. The self-supporting sail structure for sure reduces tack load for a given flying shape.” Charlie predicts that Wizard will see even more benefit from the Helix, once they upgrade the 2015 mast that came with the boat. “That said, we have definitely seen a performance bump by adding the Helix sail.”It’s also easier to put in the bag, and lighter to carry around. “Peter and David like this kind of sailing because every race is different,” Charlie concludes. They’re really good about picking a goal, picking a tool, and surrounding themselves with the right people. That’s why they’ve been able to achieve such good results in the last couple of years. I’m proud of what we have accomplished—we’ve got a good thing going.” Peter agrees, and he’s optimistic that their hard work will continue to pay off in the Rolex Middle Sea Race. “ We will approach the final AORS event as we have the others, and see where it shakes out.” READ MORE

NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW RSVP & Get Your Ticket Free RSVP by September 9th and include your favorite summer sailing 📸. We'll pick our favorite 50 and the winners will receive a North Sails hat and a ticket to the Newport International Boat Show. READ MORE

Dvije trećine sezone su gotove Srpanj, kolovoz i rujan su tri ljetna mjeseca rezervirana za sve ljubitelje tradicijskih brodica i jedrenja na način koji je vezan uz latinsko jedro. Ove godine prva regata/smotra tradicijskih jedrilica u Dalmaciji je bila 14. srpnja na 8. Ugriniću, okupljanju koje se organizira na otoku Pašmanu pod imenom "Đir po konalu". Nakon toga je organizirana prva od tri regate na otoku Murteru. Domaćini su bili Jezerani, također po 8. put kao i kolege im s Pašmana. Njihova regata je poznata pod nazivom "Lantina", a ovogodišnji termin održavanja je bio 21. srpnja. Slijedeća regata je bila najjužnija i održala se na otoku Krapnju pod nazivom Krapanjsko idro, a termin održavanja je bio 2. kolovoza. Zatim karavana kreće prema sjeveru i prva iduća je regata koja se odjedrila na Zlarinu, "13. Latinskim idrom na kureja". Prvi termin koji je bio predviđen za Zlarinsku smotru je 27. srpnja, ali zbog vrlo lošeg vremena čiji dolazak je najavljen na vrijeme dolazi do izmjene termina na 5. kolovoza. U principu riječ je bila o jedinom razumnom terminu, a da se regata ne odgodi na bar nekoliko tjedana, samo što je 4. kolovoza već odavno rezerviran za "Žensku veslačku regatu" u Betini. Iz logističkih razloga armavanja brodova koji za Betinsku regatu nisu trebali jarbole i ostatak opute, a i pratećeg efekta prigodne fešte, izostao je dolazak većeg broja sudionika s Murtera. Dvadesetak posada iz Brodarice, Zlarina, Prvića, Vodica i Murtera ipak je osiguralo kontinuitet održavanja, a ove godine su uspjeli startati "na lancanu" i dosta brzo prejedriti zadanu rutu unatoč laganim uvjetima koji su vladali na regatnom polju. Nakon starta flota je trebala lijevim bokom ostaviti plič Roženik, kao i hrid Galijola i vratiti se natrag u Zlarin. Puhao je lagani oštrin koji je omogućio spomenutu proceduru starta, a za one neupućene to je princip u kojem se svi sudionici vežu krmom jer su postavljeni niz vjetar i kad se signalizira start otvaraju se jedra i kreće se s regatom. Ovisno o portu iz kojeg se kreće i eventualnim dricevima koji bi mogli izazvati probleme u ovoj početnoj fazi jedrenja, u more se mogu baciti i sidra po kojima se natjecatelji povlače nakon što je dan signal starta. Osim ovog starta u primjeni je i klasični "leteći" start kao na ostalim regatama, ali to je nešto što nije baš najbolje rješenje za ovaj tip brodova i regata, prvenstveno zbog manevarskih sposobnosti ove vrste plovila. Konkretno tu je najveći problem naglo i često mijenjanje smjera, što iziskuje posebne manevre u kojima nerijetko je nužna upotreba vesla. Što se same regate na Zlarinu tiče, već nakon starta se izdvojila ekipa gajete Sirotica i svoju lidersku poziciju nisu ispuštali sve do kraja regate. Kako to obično biva na regatama, vodeći imaju malo više sreće s vjetrom, a ostali su upali u malo veće probleme u zoni između Roženika i Galijole gdje su se osim s bezvjetricom morali nadmudrivati i s vrlo neugodnim južnim kurentom. U svakom slučaju predviđene 3.5 NM svi uspijevaju proći za par sati i nastaviti se družiti u srcu Zlarinskog porta. Već krajem tog tjedna, u nedjelju 11. kolovoza nastavak je putovanja karavane prema sjeveru. Luka okupljanja je u Prvić Šepurini pod imenom "13. Burtiž". Termin regate nije mijenjan zbog vremenskih ili nekih drugih razloga, pa je i odziv sudionika bio dosta velik. Ukupno je jedrilo 35 kaića, gajeta i leuta. Puhalo je SW-W od oko 13-14 čvorova. Smjer vjetra i konfiguracija porta u kombinaciji s brojem sudionika zahtijevao je zadavanje starta letećom metodom, a nakon prelaska startne linije jedrilo se prema bovi postavljenoj ispred jugoistočnog rta otoka Tijata, rta Gaćice. Slijedeća točka obaveznog obilaska je bila još jedna bova, ovog puta ispred Logorunskih vrata, a nakon toga flota se trebala vratiti u Šepurine. Sunčan dan i vjetra taman koliko treba, stvorilo je impresivnu sliku tradicionalnih jedrilica u svoj njihovoj raskoši punih jedara i bijelih brazda. I ovog puta na čelu flote je bila Sirotica i tu svoju poziciju je suvereno držala do druge bove.tada se dešavaju dvije jedriličarske triler situacije. U stopu ju je pratio kaić Marinka koji je uspio održati pravu kombinaciju kuta i brzine i zahvaljujući tome što je Sirotica morala virati ispred bove da bi je mogla obići, Marinka preuzima vodstvo i bez opasnosti odnosi pobjedu na regati. Ali da bi sve bilo još zanimljivije, s desne strane regatnog polja, za vrijeme ove situacije na bovi, stiže još jedna gajeta, Baba Ivanica. Ona iskorištava to što je Sirotica trebala napraviti dvije vire da bi pravilno obišla bovu i s malom prednošću preuzima drugo mjesto u generalnom poretku. Međutim, iskusna ekipa Sirotice ne odustaje i uspijeva sustići Babu Ivanicu i s jednom dužinom prednosti ući u cilj ipak kao drugoplasirani. Iduća regata latinskog idra je na rasporedu u nedjelju 18. kolovoza u Betini, a nakon nje u rujnu slijedi veliko finale s najmasovnijom i najstarijom regatom koja se održava u Murteru. READ MORE

LONG BEACH LOCAL KNOWLEDGE What To Expect For The 2019 Viper 640 World Championship Long Beach is hands down the best place to race sailboats in Southern California. With sunny skies, warm temperatures and consistent breeze, the 2019 Viper 640 Worlds should be a spectacular event. We spoke with North Sails expert and local Alex Curtiss to learn what sailors should expect when they leave the dock. What will the breeze be like? For the most part Southern California breeze is very predictable, but the morning marine layer will tell you a lot about what to expect on a given day. For example, if you wake up in the morning, and it is very overcast, maybe even a little hint of mist is in the air: expect lighter winds for the afternoon. If you wake up and it is a beautiful sunny day, I would imagine that it will be a typical Long Beach Day. What is a “Typical” Long Beach day? Essentially there are three sections to the breeze. Usually just before noon the breeze will be somewhere between 190-210 degrees. This will also mean the breeze is relatively light (5-8 knots). Then the breeze will trend to the right. A lot of times the second race is sailed in a breeze direction between 215-235 degrees, with velocity gradually picking up. Then by about 2:30 pm or 3:00 you could expect the breeze to progress further to the right (240-255 degrees). The velocity will be 15+knots and beautiful. What are some things to look for to see the trend? I like to pay attention to the marine layer, the clouds and the haze-line. More often than not, the cloudier it is, the more the breeze will stay to the left. The sunnier it is, the more the breeze wants to move right. Another thing I pay attention to is the clouds inland over the mountains. If you see big towering clouds in the backdrop of the race course, that means the conveyor belt is going and expect a strong sea breeze in the afternoon. The last thing I pay attention to is the haze line offshore. The angle of the haze-line will tell you how the pressure is filling across the course. Sometimes the haze-line late in the day can run parallel to the port lay line forcing a left twist in the breeze near the top of the course. What to expect from the different courses? The NOR calls for three courses: Course A is the “traditional” ocean course. Everything that was outlined in the previous comments hold true to race track. If there was one thing I would say is when the breeze goes past the 240 mark, the race to the right is real. Getting to the break-wall first with leverage will generally lead to good scores. Course B is what I call the “Seal Beach” course. A lot of times the water is a little more chopped up due to being so close to shore. Waves will bounce off the beach and then wash together with the incoming swell, so speed is of major importance on this track. There also seems to be a little more left twist in the breeze down there as well, but there are probably more shifts to be played than course A. Course C is probably my favorite of the three courses. This course is inside the breakwater, so flat water in the mornings and a bit of chop when it gets breezy. It is a bit more college style due to the oil islands, and how they affect pressure and shift. There isn’t a lot of rhyme or reason too much inside, but I would pay attention to the haze line angle if they set a course up near the breakwater. What about Tide or Current? Since you are in the ocean, there is really always current going down coast. There is really no relief but keep it in mind approaching marks and laylines. Favorite Post-Sailing Nosh spots? You can’t go wrong with the beers and food at Ballast Point Brewing company across from ABYC. Also anywhere on 2nd street is a great place to chill out and debrief with the team. READ MORE

DOWNWIND TACTICS In our previous installment we rounded the windward mark just behind our rival. In this segment North U Director Bill Gladstone explores downwind tactics against a single boat when you round close astern. Consider this scenario: We’ve turned downwind within a couple of boat lengths of our rival – close enough that she is “under pressure.” No other boats are a concern. Pos 1 – Set the Scene. How can we pass them? Here’s How: Pos 1 – Set the Scene- to Pos 2 – Soak Speed First You won’t pass anybody if you aren’t faster than they are (or at least as fast and more clever). You’ve got to focus on trim and speed first. When you’re fast then you can make tactical plays. Basic Principles Chase to the sides; attack when they come back. You can’t cover on both jibes. The basic play downwind is to get into attack position sailing toward the sides of the course and then attack when your rival jibes toward the middle. Soak to Position To get into position to attack try to match your rivals speed while ‘soaking’ a little lower. Be careful not to over-do your soak, especially in light air. If you are slow your rival may extend away beyond your wind shadow. Pos 2 – Soak Pos 2 – Soak to Pos 3 – Attack! Attack! As your rival jibes, you jibe. Do not delay. There’s no, “Ready to jibe.” The team is ready! Just turn the boat – that’s the “Jibe Ho” signal (Turn with weight, not helm). This ‘simo’ jibe puts your wind shadow on your rival’s air. Their windex should be pointed at you, and yours at them… Pos 3 – Attack Our jibe suffocates them and they never get to full speed out of the jibe. We roll over them into the lead before they can recover. Well done! Pos 4 – Ahead. Pos 5 – They Strike Back They Fight Back Alas, the leg is not over. On our next jibe our rival returns the favor, jibing on our air. Pos. 5 – Attacked. We can’t clear our air and he rolls over us. NOT Fair! Pos. 6- Rolled! Come Out Hot Sometimes you can escape an attack by ‘coming out hot’ – that is, reaching up to push your apparent wind forward coming out of the jibe. Probably a good idea to warn you team before the jibe of your intentions. It won’t work if you steer ‘hot’ but don’t trim ‘hot.’ Don’t Attack A little while later our rival jibes again. We’re in position, but we don’t jibe. Why not? Recall our basic principle of chasing to the sides and attacking toward the middle: An attack here would violate that rule and leave our rival an avenue of escape to the inside. . Attack or Cross-Over? Eventually we jibe Pos 8 and they jibe again. As the boats come converge we are in position to attack. In fact, we’re closer than before – a scant boat length behind now. One option is to jibe on their air. See below Pos 9S. Option to jibe A jibe would put our rival in our bad air and allow us to roll them. This can be strong play. One potential downside is that they may be able to block us from jibing and crossing. Note that if we do jibe, we should jibe when still 2 – 3 lengths away. That’s close enough for our wind shadow to work yet far enough that they cannot fight back with a luff. A jibe within a length leaves us vulnerable to a hard luff where our rival can take us “to the moon” and then drive off to clear air. Fig: To the Moon! Cross Over The alternative to jibing on their air is to Cross Over and Jibe. By Crossing Over and Jibing we gain control. Though we aren’t dishing out bad air we now control the path to the mark. We hold the starboard tack advantage and can jibe when we choose. Pos 10 – Cross Over and Jibe to Pos 11 – Control Clear Air The Cross Over can be tricky in light air or high-performance boats as you must avoid the wind shadow of the windward boat. Pos 10 – Clear Air Next Play There’s always a next play. If our rival jibes we can match their jibe to a position with clear air aft of their shadow and with an avenue of escape to the middle. If we don’t jibe they may try to Cross Over and pin us in a reversal of our current set up. Conclusion From here we just need to sail fast to the leeward gate. In our next segment we’ll look at Leeward Gate Tactics. READ MORE

EVENT SPOTLIGHT: BYC CRUISE WEEK Camaraderie And Memories Along The Ottawa River Thank you once again for supporting "Cruise Week", a 30+ year-old, family-friendly tradition at Britannia Yacht Club in Ottawa. This event is a mid-summer, multi-day flotilla on the Ottawa River, which offers us 25 NM of ever- changing wind and a half-dozen rural anchorages. Cruise Week serves these purposes: Mentor new or inexperienced sailors in navigating the Ottawa River Meet new friends (new club members/boat owners, or first-time participants) Catch up with long-time friends Cruise Week 2019 (July 14-19) was once again a fun week in the sun and great heat - temperatures exceeded 30C every day. We had a record twenty boats join the fleet, and the highest number of “first- timers” in years. Crews were a diverse mix: new and seasoned sailors, aged 18-75; people who cruise and race here and around the world; and world circumnavigators. As is the tradition, Cruise Week started Sunday afternoon with an onshore BBQ at Pinhey’s Point, about 10NM upriver from BYC. At the BBQ, similar to last year, we distributed North Sails beverage cozies and sunglass keepers. Many people brought theirs from last year ashore! These items were put to good use all week in the incredibly hot weather. We shared food and laughter, and issued the 3rd edition of the Nautical Skills Challenge: those who complete any 4 of 6 skills such as heaving to, 2 COB drills (under sail), reefing/shake the reef, using the emergency tiller, steering with sails only, and 720 turns are awarded prizes. Always a busy group, we socialized long into the evening on several boats. On Monday, the fleet had a slow downwind drift upriver to Baskin’s Beach in a 2-5kn east wind. After watering and feeding, we headed ashore for the World Quyon Bocce tournament. The competition was fierce, including one injured player placing winning shots with her non-dominant hand. Eliminated players picked up additional North Sails drink cozies and frisbees, which were put to immediate use in the sweltering heat. After Happy Hour and dinner, (responsible) socializing resumed throughout the fleet. On Tuesday, the fleet made the 5 NM jump to Mohr Island. The 12-18kn west wind made for a fun beat. Many boats used this opportunity complete skills for the Nautical Challenge, including reefing (with North Sails ties handed out last year!) and shaking reefs. Beer cozies weren’t put into use until we landed at the island. We spent the afternoon swimming and relaxing, collecting our energy for a raft-up Happy Hour: a “blind” wine tasting. We sampled a great variety of whites and reds. No need for cooking dinner later; appetizers were abundant. That's Karen again. She loves her North Sails swag honestly and is the life of the party. And that is Jay, last year’s North Sails Grand Prize winner! On Wednesday, wind direction, great weather, and whim (ie a need for a rest) dictated that it was worth staying at Mohr Island. A few boats made the 4 NM jump to Quyon for a few provisions, and exploration of Pontiac Bay and the Chats Falls dam. Happy Hour was another raft-up. By this point in the week, we’re quite a good-looking group with our North Sails hats! Those who went exploring upriver shared tall tales at Happy Hour. That evening was a full moon. We had our own full moon island beach party, complete with a fire on the water. If you can’t go to the British Virgin Islands, you bring the BVI to Mohr Island! On Thursday, the group headed back downriver to Baskin’s Beach for more swimming and relaxing, and the grand finale – a rum tasting. Thanks to your support, we had great prizes to hand out for special moments such as these: Builder award - a North Sails book – to Harmonium, who built their own punt Cruise Week first-timers and gracious host awards: North Sails hats, T’s, and a book to Days Off and Carina II, who also hosted their first Happy Hour (and did their first raft-up) Creative sunshade - a North Sails hat awarded to Maelstrom, whose owner, an industrial designer, created a collapsible cockpit sunshade that’s placed over the boom while at anchor Good Samaritan award – a North Sails hat – to Skedaddle, who ran a line to another boat and helped winch them off a sand bar when wind shifted and increased unexpectedly overnight Mobile mechanic award – a North Sails hat – to Harmonium, for helping troubleshoot Inception’s engine problems First Responder award – a North Sails hat – to Inception, who did first aid on a rather deep foot cut Solo sailors award – North Sails T-shirts – awarded to Zephyr, Wind Rose, Bermuda, and Persistence for solo sailing, in the Spirit of the Golden Globe race which finished in the spring 2019 Nautical Challenge winner - boats who completed the skills were rewarded for their efforts. North Sails swag and T-shirts were distributed to those who completed the challenge We had a wonderful group this year and did a thorough exploration of the river. New friendships began, long-term friendships strengthened, and we made many memories. The people who attend make this such a great event, and support from North Sails makes it even better. Many thanks again for supporting our club’s tradition. Sincerely, Catherine Trinkwon BYC Cruise Week Coordinator READ MORE

« UN VÉRITABLE MATCH-RACE » Cammas et Caudrelier racontent leur course... et leur victoire ! 📸 Paul Wyeth Le maxi-trimaran Edmond de Rothschild (Gitana Team), skippé par Franck Cammas et Charles Caudrelier, est le premier bateau de la classe Ultim équipé de voiles North Sails à avoir franchi la ligne d’arrivée de la Rolex Fastnet Race 2019 à Plymouth dimanche 4 août. Il est suivi de très près par Macif, le maxi-trimaran de François Gabart (58 secondes d'écart). Sodebo Ultim 3 (Thomas Coville) et Actual Leader (Yves Le Blevec), également équipés de voiles North Sails, terminent respectivement 3e et 4e. En plus de décrocher la première place du podium, le multicoque Edmond de Rothschild s’offre un record de course de plus de 4 heures au passage du Fastnet rock. Recruté depuis peu par le Gitana Team, Franck Cammas signe un très beau retour en classe Ultim avec cette victoire. Pour le skipper de 46 ans au palmarès impressionnant, il s'agit de son 3e Fastnet. Quant à Charles Caudrelier, 44 ans, il compte quatre participations à son actif et remporte le trophée pour la 2e fois (VOR sur Dongfeng). Les deux hommes se connaissent de longue date et ont beaucoup navigué ensemble. Ils nous confient leurs impressions sur cette édition 2019. 📸 Paul Wyeth Vous avez offert aux spectateurs un très beau match-race entre Macif et Edmond de Rothschild. Comment c'était vécu de l’intérieur ? Cela force à pousser ses limites ? Franck Cammas : Oui, c’était un véritable match-race avec moins de 3,5 miles d’écart pendant toute la course ! Une régate à vue comme on peut le faire sur une Volvo Ocean Race ou en Figaro. C’était très excitant de pouvoir le faire avec ces grands multicoques très rapides. De plus, Macif étant une référence dans la classe Ultim, cela permet de trouver les bons settings et les bonnes configurations d’appendices. Vu de l’intérieur, l’équipage (Morgan Lagravière, Erwan Israël, David Boileau et Yann Riou) était donc très actif et concentré... On a poussé au maximum ! Je n’ai pas beaucoup dormi pour ma part ! Charles Caudrelier : Effectivement, on s’est vite retrouvé seul avec Macif dans notre option Nord, et dès la première soirée, on était au contact en permanence. À partir de là jusqu’à l’entrée dans la baie de Plymouth, c’était une course de vitesse avec quelques choix de voiles. Le duel a tourné rapidement au match-race. Pour nous, c’était très intéressant. On a pu découvrir de nouveaux réglages pour aller plus vite. Ça force à pousser plus fort, mais on n’a pas eu de fortes conditions et de gros risques à prendre. On a vu que Macif était plus manœuvrant et on ne pouvait pas trop jouer à ce jeu-là. On a juste essayé de se rapprocher un maximum de lui en vitesse et d’attendre une opportunité d’attaquer sur le dernier bord. Étant devant, il devait choisir le moment du dernier bord, et il s’est trompé. 📸 Paul Wyeth Vous battez le record au Fastnet rock (28 heures et 2 minutes). Vous pensiez battre le record à l'arrivée à ce moment? Franck Cammas : On pensait que le record était jouable au départ au vu des routages. Là, on le bat de 4 heures, bien plus que ce que nous espérions. Une bonne cerise sur le gâteau ! Et un clin d’œil à Loïc Peyron, l’ancien détenteur (32 heures et 48 minutes) qui m’avait pris de son côté le trophée Jules Verne ! Charles Caudrelier : C’est la météo qui décide si on va battre le record ou pas. Mais c’est toujours plaisant de battre un record. Avec qui travaillez-vous à North et comment cela s'est matérialisé dans l'approche du Fastnet ? Franck Cammas : On travaille avec Gautier Sergent et Yann Andrillon de North Sails Vannes. Depuis le début du projet, on s’est concentré sur l’optimisation en détail de notre ancienne GV et la définition de nouvelles voiles pour améliorer nos performances dans le vent faible aussi pour recouvrir mieux le range des voiles. Charles Caudrelier : Nous avons identifié des points faibles du bateau et on travaille tous ensemble sur les voiles avec comme objectif la Brest Atlantiques. Le Fastnet est la seule confrontation en course pour valider nos choix et nous avons eu de la chance de pouvoir valider le travail effectué et de nous conforter dans nos choix. Franck Cammas et Charles Caudrelier 📸 Paul Wyeth Est ce qu'il y a une voile en particulier qui ressort de cette régate et pourquoi ? Quelle était la plus utilisée (à part la GV) ? Franck Cammas : On a beaucoup utilisé les voiles de petit temps finalement. En Ultim, on se cherche encore sur la surface et la triangulation des J0 (génois) et J1. Entre Macif et nous, ça s'est joué entre ces 2 voiles... À explorer encore ! Charles Caudrelier : C’est aussi intéressant de voir les J0 des autres bateaux et leur performance. Macif avait un nouveau J0 et de bonnes performances. Combien de participations au Fastnet et comment cette édition 2019 se compare-t-elle aux précédentes ? Franck Cammas : C’est mon 3e Fastnet (en Orma 60, Volvo 70 (Groupama 4) et celui-ci sur Ultim. En Volvo, c’était en préparation de la Volvo Ocean Race, une course qui fut serrée entre Groupama 4 et Abu Dhabi avec une arrivée très proche, mais nous terminions 2e ! Une belle bagarre aussi dans des conditions très variées. C’est souvent le cas lors du Fastnet. Charles Caudrelier : Il s’agit de ma 4e participation. Mon premier à bord de Groupama 4 (avec Franck) qui était le premier test en course de notre Volvo 70. Un Fastnet dur avec du vent. Un double à bord de Gitana 15. Le 3e, c'était en préparation de la Volvo 65 avec Dongfeng où on finit premier quelques secondes devant les Espagnols de Mapfre. Je crois que l’écart était encore plus faible, un Fastnet avec peu de vent mais un gros combat entre sept VOR 65. Quel est le programme pour vous en particulier maintenant et pour la classe Ultim ? Franck Cammas : On va s’atteler à la préparation de la Brest Atlantiques, une course en double (avec Charles et moi-même) qui aura lieu en novembre et qui remplace en fait la Jacques Vabre pour cette classe. Et on continue à développer le bateau ! Charles Caudrelier: La Brest Atlantiques sera un grand test pour les Ultims volants : aucun Ultim volant n’a encore réussi à finir une longue course sans soucis techniques. READ MORE

HOBSON & WHEATLEY WIN ENTERPRISE UK NATIONALS Close Scores Make Every Point Count 46 teams raced at the Allen, North Sails and Selden Enterprise UK Nationals held at Mounts Bay. After four days of heavy air racing the wind dropped on the last day giving the teams a complete new outlook for the last race. Defending champions Dave and Chris Jackman, and North Sails expert Paul Hobson and Craig Wheatly battled every inch of the race course. Heading to the final race both teams had four bullets with Paul and Craig having less points which guaranteed their win after a dramatic final race. This is the first time Paul Hobson has won the Enterprise Championship on the helm making him the only sailor to win the event both as a crew and as a helmsman. Class Expert Paul Hobson’s Key Points For Success: Flat is fast. Always work on keeping the boat flat. On gate starts, try to keep a nice space to leeward, making the mark rounding close and tight to the gate boat. Don’t be greedy; minimise your risks and focus on the boats ahead. Hobson/Wheatley used the North Sails SJ-4+ mainsail and the FG-3 jib. Next for Paul and Craig are the October Looe SW Regatta followed by Winter Championships at Northampton in November. READ MORE

ANOTHER FUNDRAISING SUCCESS AT TAHR Sailing & Fun For A Good Cause The 10th annual Toronto Area Hospice Regatta (TAHR) at Port Credit Yacht Club was another smashing success, raising over $47,250 for the Ian Anderson House Hospice (IAH). This brings our three-year total to over $152,000!! Mother nature played a huge role with beautiful warm sunshine and a moderate, albeit shifty, offshore breeze keeping the chop to a minimum for the forty four boats participating on either the one-design course or in the fun one-day pursuit race. When PCYC took over the reins of the TAHR in 2017 the goal, besides raising money for this incredibly necessary and worthy cause, was to bring some old fashioned fun back into the sport of sailboat racing. We reached out to everyone, including power boaters and casual family cruisers to try their hand at a less intimidating pursuit start race. Plus we threw in curve ball: the much dreaded/loved Noodle-Toss-Man-Overboard-Drill, making the results less predictable and the post racing war stories a lot more hilarious. This year we had three volunteer rib teams tossing noodles aft of participating boats thus beginning their MOB recovery. Keep in mind that the noodles are light and easily bounced out of reach by both wind and bow waves so while it may have been quite the reality check for some skippers, this was no ordinary drill! All boats crossing the finish line must wave their noodle to be scored. Mike Wolfs had his hand in everything from working with the PRO to make the vision of the fun race come to fruition, liaising with club management, getting some fantastic and highly coveted swag from North Sails, finding new sponsors and auction items and maintaining the sanity of the regatta chair and this author. North Sails Toronto was happy to support TAHR again with a silent auction item and donation of all SI folders for Skippers! READ MORE

NORTH SAILS GANA LA 38 COPA DEL REY MAPFRE North Sails ha copado seis de los 11 podios de la 38 Copa del Rey MAPFRE. 📸 María Muiña Incluyendo el campeón absoluto: el Estrella Damm patroneado por Luis Martínez Doreste, director comercial de North Sails España. En tierra, el servicio de velería North Sails reparó cerca de 100 velas durante la semana de competición. Un año más, los clientes North Sails han triunfado en la Copa del Rey MAPFRE. En su 38ª edición, la regata multiclase más importante del Mediterráneo reunió en la bahía de Palma a 132 barcos de 26 nacionalidades, que durante seis intensas jornadas de competición lucharon por el título en 11 clases. 📸 Nico Martínez La victoria absoluta correspondió al mismo ganador de 2018: el Estrella Damm patroneado por el director comercial de North Sails España, Luis Martínez Doreste. El DK 46 armado por Nacho Montes y Óscar Chaves dominó la clase BMW ORC 1 y además completó el mejor casillero de toda la flota, alzándose con el trofeo especial MAPFRE como mejor equipo en categoría tiempo compensado y el trofeo V Centenario como campeón absoluto. El Estrella Damm equipó inventario integral North Sails: velas de ceñida mayor 3Di 780 RAW, ligero-medio, medio-pesado 3Di 780 Endurance y 3.5; velas de popa A 1.5, S2, S4 y trinqueta de spinnaker. "Un buen inventario es fundamental para ganar la Copa del Rey, sobre todo tener velas nuevas", explica Martínez Doreste. "Una vela con un año o más ya no rinde al cien por cien, y en una Copa del Rey si no vas al cien por cien es difícil ganar. Nosotros pudimos utilizar un buen número de velas nuevas, y eso nos permitió aprovechar todo el potencial del barco. Es cierto que una 3Di dura más, puedes aprovecharla de un año para otro, como es el caso de nuestro foque ligero medio, que era de la temporada pasada. Aún así, creo que uno nuevo hubiese sido mejor vela". 📸 María Muiña También lograron el título de campeón de la 38 Copa del Rey en sus respectivas divisiones con velas North Sails el ClubSwan 50 Cuordileone (clase ClubSwan 50), el Swan 45 Porrón IX (Swan 45), el ClubSwan 42 Natalia (Mallorca Sotheby’s ClubSwan 42), el GC32 Oman Air (GC32) y el TP52 Team Vision Future (BMW ORC 0). Clientes North Sails coparon las tres primeras posiciones de ClubSwan 50, Swan 45, ClubSwan 42, GC32, ORC 0 y ORC 1, y ocuparon posiciones de podio en ORC 2, ORC 3 y J80. 📸 Sailing Energy "Para nosotros es una satisfacción que nuestros clientes elijan nuestras velas para competir en la Copa del Rey y en muchas otras regatas", continúa Luis Martínez Doreste. "Sólo hay que ver, por ejemplo, la clase ClubSwan 50, en la que todos los participantes equiparon North Sails; la clase ORC 1, donde los tres primeros utilizaron 3Di y velas de popa North Sails... Los comentarios de los clientes suelen coincidir: si una tripulación quiere ganar, la opción más segura es elegir North Sails. Sobre todo el 3Di, porque es una vela más estable, más duradera, más ligera y ofrece más rendimiento que las de la competencia. Además, navegan con la tranquilidad de contar con nuestro soporte en la propia regata: aportamos especialistas North Sails en cada barco, y ofrecemos el servicio cada día". 📸 Ian Roman Servicio North Sails Un año más, North Sails brindó su servicio oficial de recogida, reparación y entrega de velas a toda la flota de la Copa del Rey MAPFRE. Un equipo formado por siete veleros trabajó sin descanso en las jornadas previas y durante la competición para garantizar la satisfacción no sólo de nuestros clientes, sino también de barcos que equiparon velas de otras firmas. La furgoneta North Sails recogía al término de cada jornada de competición las velas que requerían servicio y las transportaba a la velería de Lluchmajor para que nuestro equipo pudiera trabajar durante la noche y dejarlas como nuevas antes de la primera señal de salida del día siguiente. A las nueve de la mañana, los clientes recibían sus velas listas para competir. Los números hablan por sí solos: a lo largo de la 38 Copa del rey MAPFRE, nuestros veleros completaron cerca de 300 horas de trabajo, 37 equipos requirieron los servicios de North Sails y un total de 93 velas pasaron por la velería. ¡Magnífico trabajo de North Sails Lluchmajor! READ MORE

SANTANA 20 NATIONALS: KERR DID IT AGAIN North Sails Helps Andrew Kerr Win His 13th National Title 📸 Richard Aaring The 2019 Santana 20 National Championships were hosted by the Triton YC and Eugene YC’s on Fernridge reservoir in Eugene, Oregon 22 teams from Mexico, Colorado, Washington and Oregon were challenged with a seven race series over the course of three days with winds varying from 5 to 12 knots. North Sails expert Andrew Kerr coordinated a practice day with on-the-water videos and a post-racing comprehensive debrief with all teams in attendance. “The practice day with Andrew coaching the teams was very well received and helped them to get ready for the Nationals”, said Kerry Poe, North Sails Oregon The racing featured a lot of gear shifting, particularly powering up in lulls and then responding to a quick build in the velocity. The goal was to be in phase at all times and connect the velocity upwind and downwind. Starts were hotly contested. Team Disaster Area sailed with Kerry Poe on the helm, boat owner and tactician Andrew Kerr in the middle and former Class President, Phillip Infelise on the foredeck. “We focused on starting in the front row in the biggest space we could find, rarely did we start at the favored end. We would be toward it but in a lower density area so we could get off the line in phase and sail fast to the velocity and next shift”, said Andrew. Patience paid as it generally always does on a lake. Very often a detrimental 30 degree shift would come in and the key was to wait it out until the wind came back to the median heading to then tack in the best gust of wind. Like many venues, it was critical to have your head outside the boat at all times to not miss big opportunities. “The North designs gave us excellent speed in all conditions. The vision window in the genoa enabled our team to see starboard tack boats early and formulate a solid game plan for our boat to boat tactics. The mainsail gave us all the flexibility of speed and shape that we needed with playing the backstay and the aft lowers. The spinnaker was stable and fast in all conditions. These designs have won the Nationals many times!,” said Andrew. North Sails customer Evert Slijper and his team What about Bob? showed excellent speed and won race six. In fact, North-powered teams won four out of the total seven races. North Sails customers Jorge Murrietta’s Mexico and James Stinson’s Creamsicle also had excellent speed throughout the regatta. Congratulations to team Disaster Area for winning the Nationals with three bullets and consistent scores. This was Andrew Kerr’s 13th win at the Nationals. Very impressive! Learn more about North Sails Santana 20 designs. Team Disaster Area, winners. Kerry Poe (left), Phillip Infelise and Andrew Kerr (right). 📸 Richard Aaring 📸 Richard Aaring READ MORE

38th COPA DEL REY North Clients Return To Defend The Title On The Bay Of Palma © María Muiña / 38 Copa del Rey MAPFRE The 38th annual Copa del Rey MAPFRE, organized by the Real Club Náutico de Palma and held on the Bay of Palma, once again boasted a record number of entries in the ORC fleet. North clients took home trophies in six divisions as well as both top performer awards (won by Leonardo Ferragamo’s ClubSwan 50 Cuordileone, and Nacho Montes and Oscar Chaves’ DK 46 Estrella Damm). Copa del Rey is a big deal for North Sails each year, and there is plenty of onshore support required to keep our sailors on the water and up to speed. Our Palma loft provides overnight service most nights, working diligently on sails for yachts anywhere between 30-60 ft. The pre-regatta days are some of the busiest, with 20-30 new sails coming from all over Europe to be inspected before delivery. There are roughly seven sail and service experts working for seven straight days, with five on the evening shift which can sometimes turn into the morning shift. Over the course of the event, North Sails worked with 37 different team inventories, and over 90 sails passed through the hands of our loft. We are proud to not only show our numbers on the race course and on the scoreboard, but also on land to support all regatta participants. Estrella Damm’s skipper, North Expert Luis Martinez Doreste, says the team came into the event ready to defend their title from last year. “We trust each other to accomplish our assigned jobs and do them well. Combining a talented crew and the right boat for ORC 1 were key factors. Not to mention having the right rig setup, and perfect sails; it is the best combination we could ever achieve.” © María Muiña / 38 Copa del Rey MAPFRE Before Copa del Rey, the team had multiple training weekends together. “That gave us the time to improve in so many ways,” explains Luis. “We focused mainly on our boat speed and maneuvers, and it paid off.” This year, there were changes to the ORC fleet, giving it a new distribution system to divide the fleet into four classes, depending on boat length and speed benchmark. If anything, this worked in favor of Estrella. They knew they would be matched well with their arch-nemesis, Rats on Fire, a Swan 45 owned by Rafael Carbonell Pujol. © María Muiña / 38 Copa del Rey MAPFRE The breeze was light to medium early on, but by mid-week a mistral provided sporty conditions. Estrella Damm’s new 3Di RAW 780 mainsail and S2 symmetrical kite helped improve their speed over the course of last year. They also used a one-year old A1.5 spinnaker for light air. “Our new sails lived up to their promise,” says Luis, adding, “they made a huge impact on our boat speed and performance. The new main has more twist and downwind speed, and the rig tune gave us a more bendy mast. Also, I highly recommend the A 1.5 for this type of boat, especially dead downwind with a spinnaker pole in under 10 knots TWS.” This year was Luis’ 7th Copa del Rey. Defending Estrella Damm’s ORC title and taking the overall Copa del Rey Trophy, he says, was the result of combining preparation and a great crew with the right equipment: “For us, it was the perfect mix.” https://www.northsails.com/sailing/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/copa-del-rey-winners-story.mp4 READ MORE

TAKEAWAYS FROM THE THISTLE NATIONALS Breathtaking Venue Delivers Great Racing & Lots Of Fun North Sails expert Paul Abdullah and team Crime Scene 📸 Paul Bickford The 2019 Thistle Nationals were held in Sandpoint, Idaho July 20th-26th. Sandpoint is a beautiful resort town located in the Northwest part of Idaho. Wayne Pignolet and his team followed the script: “If you build it, they will come.” They did a fantastic job! The sixty-six teams that attended left with a smile on their face.The Thistle class loves a good destination, and everyone enjoyed the experience Sandpoint had to offer. On Saturday morning the teams were finding their way through measurement and over to the beach where the boats would be kept for the week. A clinic was postponed until later in the day when the wind was going to be better. North Sails experts Mike Ingham and Paul Abdullah with Greg Griffin provided on the water coaching to the group. Greg and Paul had a little scare when their boat took on some water while trying to rescue a capsized Thistle. They successfully returned the boat to shore. It’s true… You can’t sink a Boston Whaler! On Sunday the Women’s and Junior Nationals were held. There was a great breeze for four races. Nicole Shedden notched another win to her string of Woman’s Nationals, and Conrad Miller won the Juniors. Congratulations! 📸Mike Jewell | Sandpoint Sailing Association The Thistle Nationals format is not about winning or leading on the first day, but more about not losing it. The first three qualifying races determine the Championship and Presidents divisions. The Championship fleet has to keep its scores, so points are very important. Doug Kaukeinen was the leader at the cut posting a 1-1-6. As tradition goes, Doug would be passing the Mint Juleps around the awards banquet later in the week. The Thistle Nationals format is not about winning or leading on the first day, but more about not losing it. Heading into the last four races, 5-6 teams had a shot of winning the Nationals. Paul Abdullah won race 4 and was leading on the water, but Tom Lawton had a great day and was the leader after race 5 was over. It was all going to come down to the last day, and the field had thinned itself. Tom was leading with Greg Griffin close behind, and then there was 12 and 13 points between 3rd and 4th placed boats. Tom had a bad 6th race and fell a bit, and that left Greg Griffin in a good position going into the last race. Scott Meyer continued to have a solid regatta and was able to fight off Paul Abdullah for 2nd beating him by a point, but it was Greg’s week capping off a lifelong journey to win the Thistle Nationals. Congrats to him and his team, Mark Reddaway and Amy Thompson for accomplishing a dream! Paul Abdullah’s Takeaways For Success First And Foremost Is Preparation! I am OCD when it comes to boat prep and making sure that everything works. The last thing I want is gear failure. Make sure the rig is tuned properly after a long cross country trip. Be Sure The Team Knows Their Roles. In the heat of battle you need to have everyone focus on their job and not get caught up spectating. I know personally that driving fast takes a lot of concentration, and trusting your team allows me to be my best. Sailing Flat And Fast Was The Key To Our Success. We had great breeze in Sandpoint. Steven (our middle crew) did a great job playing the vang and the jib sheet in the puffs and lulls, and Marie (forward crew) adjusted the jib halyard and main cunningham accordingly. As a team, we kept to boat balanced so we sailed fast instead of fighting it. North Notes Fifty-seven out of the sixty-six boats were powered by North fast Thistle sails. Championship Division: 2,3,4,5,6,7,8 used North Sails President’s Division: 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 used North Sails We are looking forward to the 75th Thistle Nationals in Cleveland in 2020! Learn more about our fast Thistle designs. 📸Mike Jewell | Sandpoint Sailing Association 📸Mike Jewell | Sandpoint Sailing Association 📸Mike Jewell | Sandpoint Sailing Association 📸Mike Jewell | Sandpoint Sailing Association READ MORE

B14 SKIFF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS North Sails Powers The Podium B14 World Champions, Nick Craig/Toby Lewis (GBR 796) 📸 Alex Hayes 30 boats met at the Yacht Club de Carnac for the annual B14 World Championships. With close competition all round, particularly for the top ten boats in the fleet, it came down to the last day of racing to determine who would would be fit for a podium finish. The final day was tense and particularly exciting for the top two boats; current UK National Champions, Nick Craig/Toby Lewis (GBR 796) and Craig Garmston/Louis Chapman (AUS 375). The fleet were held ashore waiting for the wind to arrive and when it did they headed straight out, eager to get two races in before the shortened last day. In a variable 3-5 knots, race one was straight underway with AUS 375 out in front and Mark Barnes/Charlotte Horlock (GBR 795) chasing closely behind. French team, Alaine Cadre/Francois Cadre (FRA 773) charged up the middle with impressive speed, but they lost out after hitting the windward mark. GBR 795 also had a stroke of bad luck, picking up seaweed on their foils resulting in a tough, slow upwind beat. Going into the last race, the top two boats were dangerously close in points so the title was all to play for. GBR 796 had a fantastic start coming up the beat in top position with AUS 375 sailing fast, but buried in the fleet. As the race unraveled, the front three remained ahead of the fleet, finishing with GBR 796 taking their sixth bullet of the regatta to win the World Championship title. Winning team Nick Craig and Toby Lewis raced with a full North Sails inventory, including the LGM-8 Mainsail, LJ-4D Jib and SS-04 Asymmetric Spinnaker. ‘’With eight of the top ten boats racing with North Sails, our B14 sail designs continue to contribute towards winning boat speed and top end results, no matter what the conditions.‘’ Rich Bell, B14 Class Expert. Browse the B14 Shop Inventory or talk to a Class Expert. 📸 Alex Hayes Paul Roberts/Rob Taylor (GBR 321) 📸 Alex Hayes 📸 Alex Hayes 📸 Alex Hayes READ MORE

LORC NYC OPEN Sign Up For Your Complimentary Weather Forecast North Sails is proud to support the 2019 LORC NYC Open. We have teamed up with our expert friends at SailFlow to provide professional weather forecasting for the event. Sign up below and have your forecast delivered right to your inbox. READ MORE

#NSVICTORYLIST: FASTNET FIRST TO FINISH North Powers Early Success Into Plymouth Records have fallen fast at this year’s Rolex Fastnet Race and North Sails is proud to be a part of our client’s success in the 2019 edition of the historic event. First-to-finish were North powered boats, Maxi Edmond de Rothschild and Rambler 88 who now hold three new race records between them. Co-skippers Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier sailed their North 3Di powered Ultim Maxi Edmond de Rothschild to record-smashing success, claiming both the overall race record and the multihull record to Fastnet Rock. The French duo completed the 605-mile race in 1 day, 4 hours 2 minutes and 26 seconds, breaking the previous multihull record by 4 hours, 45 minutes and 34 seconds. Cammas and Caudrelier had their work cut out for them in a marathon match race with MACIF, also powered by North 3Di and co-skippered by François Gabart and Jimmy Spithill. “It was a true match race with MACIF, explained Cammas. “We were within 3.5 miles of them, and in sight of each other the whole race. It was so exciting to be able to race this style in very fast giant multihulls. It was intense and the whole crew had to be totally focused. We pushed to the max, and we didn’t get much sleep.” Rambler 88 was first to finish amongst the monohulls. Owner George David and crew beat a fleet stacked with heavy competition in the 48th edition of this race. Rambler 88 arrived into Plymouth with an elapsed time of 1d 19h 55m 2s- just 1 hour, 16 minutes shy of the monohull race record set by Abu Dhabi Ocean Racing in 2011. Although they came short of the overall race record, Rambler 88 did set a new monohull record to Fastnet Rock. This is the second time one of David’s race boats has broken that record, rounding the Rock in 2011 at record pace just prior to losing the keel and miraculously having the entire 21-person crew rescued. With the Rock safely behind them, the team was hopeful of an overall race record, but the weather was not in their favor. “Our route plan at the Rock was we would finish at six or seven this morning, which would have been ahead of the record,” explained David. “The problem was we turned the corner at the Scillies and came down the Channel and it was VMG the whole way. So we sailed probably an extra 40 or 50 miles. And that extra distance sailed added maybe another two or three hours on to our time.” Seeing our clients squeeze every ounce of performance from their equipment motivates all of us at North Sails to build sails that are fast and stand up to whatever Mother Nature serves up. You can track the remaining Fastnet finishers on the Official Race Tracker. READ MORE

Everything You Need For The Big Event HIRW is shaping up to be the main event with a total of 225 yachts registered! Divided into six classes, it looks to be a fun and competitive regatta for sailors of all kinds. Get your team race-ready with our tips and tricks to guide you around the race course and prepare your team and your boat for the ultimate racing experience here at Hamilton Island. Make Sure Your Boat Is Race Ready With many variables in sailing outside of our control, it is important to make sure your yacht is cleaned, light, and ready to be used with ease once your sails and crew are added. For The Sake Of Strategy Familiarize yourself with the anticipated flow patterns around the islands during each race and can be done well in advance of even arriving at Hamilton Island. Get The Full Scoop On The Starting Area While it may be scenic, don’t get fooled into thinking it is an easy race track – the islands create localized wind shifts and pressure changes that differ from the big picture prevailing wind, as well as creating some interesting tide challenges. Know Your Job. Do Your Job. On board communication for racing yachts is a key factor for performance, no matter what type of sailing. However, when the number of crew increases, it becomes more and more important. READ MORE

ROLEX FASTNET: HOW TO WATCH A Record Number of Entries To Set Off In This Historic Race © Rolex A record number of entries are making their final preparations in Cowes for the August 3rd start of the Rolex Fastnet Race. This is the 48th edition of Europe’s oldest offshore race, which attracts a range of boats, from local teams competing with their family and friends, to the highest performance multi and mono hull racing machines. The start line for the 2019 race features numerous high-profile racing programs, many of whom work closely with North Sails to build sail inventories that deliver results. The three largest boats in the 2019 fleet are the 100’ Scallywag, Thomas Coville’s new 105’ Sodebo Ultim 3 and George David’s Rambler 88, all of whom have chosen North Sails 3Di to power their performance. Our design and engineering team will also be tracking the performance of a handful of North Helix sails across a range of boats throughout the fleet. The most recent #NSVictoryList for Helix comes from 2019 Fastnet entry VO70 Wizard, who used the specialized sail structure in their recent Transatlantic Race win. The first start sequence begins at 12:30 local time and will see boats and crew representing 26 countries head westward down the Solent before exiting the English Channel and sailing towards the turning point at the famous Fastnet Rock. The history of this race is quite extraordinary, and crossing the finish line in Plymouth is an accomplishment in itself. This 605 nautical mile, non-stop offshore challenge is known to be one of the hardest sailboat races in our sport, with westerlies that can trigger gale force winds and meteorological disturbances that all competitors should expect to endure. The keys to winning are perseverance and getting ahead of the weather, and in some cases, using it to your advantage. Here are some ways you can follow the race, no matter where you are in the world. Live Stream The Start: Saturday 3 August The entire start sequence will be streamed online from the official website and on Facebook Live. Fastnet Website and Race Tracker: Latest press releases, race news, images, video, tracking, Live Blog and the Virtual Regatta can all be found on the dedicated race minisite: www.rolexfastnetrace.com All boats will be fitted with a fleet tracker: http://www.rolexfastnetrace.com/competitors/race-documents/fleet-tracking Social Media: Follow all the action on RORC social media: Don’t forget to tag your photos and videos with the official race hashtag, #RolexFastnetRace The starts sequence will be streamed live on RORC Facebook and follow via the Royal Ocean Racing Club Social Media Channels. You can also follow us on social, @North_Sails on Instagram and @NorthSails on Facebook. Watch on BT Sport: You can watch the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race from the comfort of your home with three hours of live coverage broadcast on BT Sport, the home of the 2019 SailGP series and 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race. Beginning at midday local time, BT Sport’s specialist sailing team will bring all the build-up, the race start and the first phase down to The Needles with live helicopter and chase boat coverage and commentary from experts and guests. This will be broadcast simultaneously on the RORC’s website, YouTube channel and Facebook, as well as The World Sailing Show YouTube channel. Fastnet Radio: Follow the Rolex Fastnet Race with full coverage on Fastnet Radio. Previews of the race from 29th July on the extended Cowes Radio 87.9fm, with full live commentary and coverage of the starts on Saturday 3rd August, as well as during the race and right up until the Prizegiving on Thursday evening, 8th August. Fastnet Radio 87.9fm will broadcast 24 hours a day in Plymouth, live from the docks with all the breaking race news, features and link-ups with race teams out on the course and online: http://www.879fm.uk/ READ MORE

HAMILTON ISLAND RACE WEEK: STARTING STRATEGY Pre-Race Homework Is Key Dent Passage is one of the world’s most picturesque start lines. Surrounded by the Hamilton Island Yacht Club, the Golf Club on Dent Island and the beautiful water the Whitsundays are famous for, it’s easy to understand why Hamilton Island Race Week has such a strong following. While it may be scenic, don’t get fooled into thinking it is an easy race track – the islands create localized wind shifts and pressure changes that differ from the big picture prevailing wind, as well as creating some interesting tide challenges. Let’s have a look at the Dent Passage starting line and think about some of the factors that will go into choosing the best starting strategy. Find out as much as you can before you get there. A quick look at the historical wind data for Hamilton Island in August shows 72% of the time the wind is in the South-Easterly quadrant. We can also find out what the tide times are for the week of the race, which you can see below. Putting together these two pieces of information, we can start to map out what the starting situation will look like well before we are even at the venue. Assuming that the start times are around the usual – 11am – there’ll be an incoming tide at the start every day except the last day, which will be slack tide. Around this area, the tide floods to the south, and ebbs towards the north. Let's map out the information we have so far. As we can see on the chart, with the wind coming from the South-East and us racing towards the North, the TWA will be anywhere from 170 – 100 on Starboard tack. This means we will be using either a spinnaker or Code Zero to get us to the top corner of Dent Island – our first turning mark. We also know that the tide will be pushing us backwards, so getting out of it will be important - especially in light winds. Here's a checklist of the things you can to do on race day to make sure you are as prepared as you can be: Wind Check For a Dent Passage start, it is always a good idea to motor over to the NW corner of Dent Island before the start to check how the start line wind compares to the big picture wind in Dent Passage. This is important because it will tell you which sail combo you’ll be using as you around the island and during the next leg. Tide & Depth Check On your way back to the starting area, take note of how fast the tide is moving. You’ll be able to tell this by comparing your speed through water to your speed over ground. If your speed over ground is faster than your speed through water, the tide is going with you and vice versa. You’ll often find that there is less tide pushing you backwards on the edges of the course, but it’s a very good idea to check the depth along the Dent Island shoreline if you think you might go that way, there are some shallow spot along the shore that you might not see on a chart – very important to know if your particular boat can go there or not! Start Line check Once we are back at the start line, check the TWA and distance to the first mark – either using a navigation program like expedition or manually by sailing to each end of the line and checking the wind. Comparing this information to the big picture wind will help choose which sails you’ll use at the start and into the next leg. It’s important here to take into account your crew’s ability, there’s not much point planning to peel from the Code Zero to A2 if you and your crew have never practiced it before. Getting a transit Well before your start, get a 4 boat length transit – that is – a transit that your bowman can use to tell you that you are 4 boat lengths below the line. Do this by slowly motoring up towards the pin end, when you think you are 4 boat lengths away get your bowman (standing on the bow) to look through the Hamilton Island Yacht club mast to the land behind. Remember the object, it could be a particular tree, or maybe a house. Once you’ve got this transit, keep motoring towards the eastern end of the line and get another transit when the bow of the boat is at the pin, this is your start line transit, so you’ll know exactly when the bow of the boat is on the line. Pre-start Get your strategy sorted nice and early, and make sure everyone on the boat knows the plan. There’ll be lots of boats around so stay out of the chaos of the people starting before you. Assign someone on the boat to keep an eye on how far from the line you are from at least 10 minutes until your start. With the tide pushing you away from the line, the last situation you want to find yourself in is 5 minutes away from the line with 4 minutes to go! The best strategy is usually a simple one... Don’t over complicate it! It is simply a matter of prioritizing the information you have to make the correct decision. Don’t forget, strategy is the fastest way to the next mark in the absence of other boats. Tactics are how you manage all the other boats in your way. There’s no point starting at the pin end with 30 other boats all going nowhere! READ MORE

FINISHING THE CIRCUIT ON A HIGH NOTE Crews Battle It Out In Competitive One Design Heats & Tricky Currents The Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta at Marblehead Race Week was the final event on the 2019 NOOD race circuit before the Caribbean Championship in the fall, and it did not disappoint. Light air at times and challenging currents had over 170 teams fighting it out in the blistering heat at one of New England’s most idyllic summer destinations. Kicking off the event, North Sails experts hosted a Local Knowledge panel on Thursday evening at Boston Yacht Club. Led by JB Braun, North's Director of Design & Engineering and one of the world’s leading sail designers, the North team set out to provide useful tips and insight for the weekend of sailing. Combining weather forecasts, tidal trends and their experience of racing in the area, Norths experts laid out their goals for the regatta, what to look out for on the water, and how they would be navigating the set courses. Joining JB Braun on the panel was local expert Alex Cook and One Design World Champion Mike Marshall. Alex, based in the North loft in Salem joined the North Sails team in May 2019 and brings a wealth of local knowledge to the Northeast team. North's Local Knowledge Panel (From left to right: Mike Marshall, Alex Cook, JB Braun) Temperatures topping 85 degrees added an extra layer of pressure to crews over the 10 One Design fleets. Wind conditions varied throughout three days--8-12 knots Friday from the East, 12-15 knots on Saturday from the ESE, 5-10 knots on Sunday from the SSE--a 1.5-knot current ripped across the course every single race, varying in strength and direction. Taking advice from the North Sails Local Knowledge briefing, held on Thursday at BYC, many crews watched the lobster buoys to learn as much as they could to use the current to their advantage. Many fleets had trouble crossing the line, and on Sunday, three fleets in a row had the left-most boat hit the pin, and most struggled to cross the line on starboard. At the beginning of the day, the current ran right to left, making layline calls relevant. Many teams found the key to a successful beat was short-tacking the port layline. Those boats that tacked on the layline from far out ended up overstanding the windward mark. For the boats tacking short of it, they ended up right on the layline by the time they reached the top-end of the course. As the current flooded, this made speed and time off the line crucial. "It was an atypical Marblehead NOOD in the sense that there was good breeze all three days, no drifters or Nor'Easters. However, it was typical Marblehead conditions, on the Halfway Rock Line, with the left side of the course being favored early in the sea breeze direction, along with the current running and affecting lay-lines. We also saw the usual chop/swell off axis from the breeze, making it much more challenging for skippers on one tack versus the other." Alex Cook, North Sails Salem Day one and three of the regatta where the wind was lighter, being in pressure paid off more than being on the lifted tack, so teams did not tack too much. At some points, it paid off, and gains were made by managing the fleet, and sailing on a header to match the other boats because there was more pressure. Trying to stay on the tack pointed directly at the mark (or jibe) also benefited certain teams. Speaking on managing the courses, North Sails Hillary Noble, tactician onboard the J/24 Sea Bags, had the following observations: “Downwind laylines were just as crucial as upwind. Tacking short of the layline upwind allowed us to get ahead of those who waited, as they were overstanding by the time they reached the top. Not jibing too early at the offset helped us by being one lane further downwind. The boats that jibed right away ended up fighting eachother to stay high, sailing more distance, an we were able to stay away from that. The current was strong, coming in for the better part of each day and was constantly pushing us away from the gates as the course was skewed. Jibing later for the gate, coming in with speed, and rounding the mark that had most pressure kept us clear ahead and allowed us to keep our speed for the mark rounding." "The entire time all I could think about was our boat speed. Our North Sails FR-2 spinnaker was a main contributor to our speed off the wind and allowed us to stay ahead of the fleet." The crew of the J/24 Seabags embarking on their fifth season together. North Sails client Bruce Stone & Nicole Breault on J/105 Good Trade took the win in their class, never leaving the top three positions in all nine races over the weekend. The 2.4m class saw North clients claim 1st and 2nd on the podium, with Charles Rosenfield on 2.4mr (Para) taking the win followed closely by Theodore Green on Magic Bus. North Sails JB Braun seemed to take heed of his own advice as he claimed six bullets out of nine races, winning the Laser class. In the J/70 Corinthian class, Brian Keane and his crew onboard Savasana finished on top of the leaderboard, adding to Brians many regatta victories over the years, including the J/70 U.S Winter Series and a second place at the 2017 J/70 World Championships. Full results from the Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta at Marblehead Race Week can be found here. READ MORE

SIRONA’S SWEET SUCCESS North Sails Outfits Overall Winner Of The Candy Store Cup 📸 Billy Black Congratulations to Sirona who went home with all the candy and champagne at the Candy Store Cup Regatta. The 22m Sloop was named the overall winner of the Newport, Rhode Island-based event, co-hosted by Bannister’s Wharf and the Newport Shipyard. North Sails contributed to the success of six podium positions across three classes and in all powered nine of the twelve yachts racing in Newport. North superyacht expert Mike Toppa sailed on the 56m Perini Zenji, a multi-year Candy Store Cup entry for the two days of racing on Rhode Island Sound. “The race committee did a great job of arranging the course with a far turning mark at First Beach with the leg back to the finish touring the famous Ocean Drive coastline. Wind conditions were on the light side but Newport delivered and the sailing was fantastic. I saw a lot of smiles on the dock at the end of both days of racing.” 📸 Billy Black North Sails has been a partner to the Candy Store Cup since 2016. The event carries on the tradition of the Newport Bucket and is a ‘must-do’ regatta for superyachts spending their summer on the East Coast USA. The two-day regatta kicked off with an owner’s party at the popular Clarke Cooke House, followed by two days of competitive racing. “Partners like North Sails make the Candy Store Cup possible,” remarked Veronica Brown, head of marketing for Newport Shipyard and event coordinator for the Candy Store Cup. “Our goal has always been to carry on the tradition of the original Nantucket Bucket style of racing by keeping it fun, casual and light-hearted. The owner and crew-friendly environment, based out of a working shipyard, creates a sailing event that is unique to superyacht racing. We look forward to growing this event with North Sails’ support for years to come.” 📸 Billy Black 📸 Billy Black READ MORE

WIORA WEST COAST CHAMPIONSHIPS 2019 North Sails Ireland Proud Supporters Class 1 IRC Overall Winners, Dexterity 📸 James Young/Young Productions North Sails Ireland were proud to support the WIORA West Coast Championships 2019 hosted by Foynes Yacht Club (FYC). Having sailed in several WIORA regatta's in the past, One Design Expert and founder of North Sails Ireland, Nigel Young looked forward to getting back into the fleet this year in Foynes at such a welcoming club. With the great opportunity to sail onboard the X-332 Dexterity, Nigel talks about their victory in the long race: “I had the pleasure of sailing the long race with Liam Madden and the crew on X-332 Dexterity. We had a cracking start and challenged for the lead around the course. Racing in the Shannon requires a good understanding of the tides and knowing when to change sides in the river to take full advantage of the currents. This is always tricky to get 100% right on the day, but the speed generated from the new North Sails fitted a few days prior to the regatta carried us through to the win. I was delighted to play a small part in the overall Class win for Dexterity.” “The speed generated from the new North Sails fitted a few days prior to the regatta carried us through to the win. I was delighted to play a small part in the overall Class win for Dexterity.” When not competing, Nigel and son James were on the water videoing the racing, using this footage to run a post-racing debrief session for competitors. James shot some fantastic drone footage of the fleet coming through the narrow channel between the club and Foynes Island. Congratulations to all involved for making the regatta a great success; we are already looking forward to a repeat session next year. See the full list of results or visit the North Sails Ireland loft page. 📸 James Young/Young Productions 📸 James Young/Young Productions READ MORE

LESSONS LEARNED FROM ROUNDING FIRST Mike Marshall Explains Two Mental Traits That Will Help You Stay Ahead Of The Fleet 2019 J/22 Worlds 📸 Pepe Hartman Three years after winning the 2016 J/22 Worlds, I signed on as a trimmer for the 2019 World Championship. I knew crewing would be a fresh challenge, and I was excited to help further raise the game on Raised J, owned by John Koppernaes, a team I’d sailed with in 2017. This year’s Worlds were in Warnemunde, Germany, and our preparation strayed far from the original plan; all our practice days were blown out, so the practice race was basically our first outing—on an unproven, bottom-painted, charter boat. What a surprise, then, to find ourselves rounding the first mark in… first. That evening, I talked through our best approach to the regatta. “We’ve got great boat speed,” I said. “Now we just have to believe in ourselves, and know that we deserve to win.” Sure enough, the next day we rounded the top mark in first once again—but were soon passed by the eventual regatta winners. Without being on the wrong side of a shift, what happened? Looking back in time a bit, Raised J had a tough event in the light and shifty conditions at the 2018 Worlds, and we all tend to set our future expectations by our most recent results. So this year, as soon as we rounded that first mark ahead of 30 other J/22s, the energy and excitement onboard climbed way too high. “Wow! We’re winning a race! At the World Championship!” What we should’ve been telling ourselves instead was to keep calm, sail well, and stay in the lead—that we deserved to be there. 📸 Pepe Hartman If turning a great start into a mediocre result sounds all too familiar, here are two traits to work on before your next big regatta. Trait #1: Confidence Confidence is the biggest mental asset a team can bring to the race course. Confidence in your starting ability gives you an edge over the boats around you. Confidence in your boat handling makes it possible to react more quickly to other boats’ mistakes. If you lack confidence, you may not even recognize another boat’s mistake and capitalize on it, because you’ll be too busy questioning your own abilities to recognize the errors of others—especially if it’s a top rival. Confidence also leads to more rational decisions. If you are sure of your boat speed, you’ll be able to look past the bad shift you’re in or the bad waves you’ve just encountered. You’ll think to yourself, we’re fast, and everyone else also hits unfavorable shifts and waves. We just have to deal with these factors better than they do. Without this basic belief in your own abilities, a single wave can cause you to dramatically change the way you’re sailing the boat, making you even slower. Sure of your own skills, you’ll have fewer doubts and more definitive decision-making, which will actually make it easier to race well. Trait #2: Learn From Mistakes Another essential mental asset is identifying and admitting your mistakes. As cliché as it sounds, admitting that you’ve made a mistake is the first step toward moving past it. Analyze what you’ve done wrong, and have a plan to make sure you don’t make that same error again. Everyone makes mistakes, but your top competitors work hard to only make each mistake once. Putting It All Together Rounding first at the first mark in a World Championship proved we had equal skills and speed with the top contenders. The only thing we lacked was confidence in our own abilities. Instead of wondering how we got there, we should’ve focused on perfecting the rest of the race. Instead of getting excited, as if this great rounding was largely due to luck, we should’ve concentrated on minimizing mistakes—and learning from the ones we did make. Sailboat racing is unique in many ways, but its mental side is the same as other sports. If you listen to top athletes around the world, you can hear in their voices the knowledge that they deserve to be at the top—as well as the humility that comes from working extremely hard to get there. We all need to keep learning, but we also need to develop the mental skills to stay on top after a great first beat. 📸 Thomas Hanf READ MORE

North Sails regresa a la Copa del Rey MAPFRE con intención de incrementar el espectacular palmarés de sus clientes, que en 2018 ganaron 11 de los 13 títulos en juego. READ MORE

CONSEJO NORTH SAILS Hoy Hablamos de Electrónica a Bordo Tanto en un barco de competición como en un barco de crucero, es importante realizar un correcto mantenimiento de la todo el sistema eléctrico. Para evitar sorpresas desagradables, conviene revisarlo con regularidad y asegurarse de que la electrónica está correctamente calibrada. El mantenimiento debe incluir desde la batería y los conectores, hasta el cable de conexión de la percha con el hardware del sistema, ya que cualquier defecto puede provocar una caída del sistema. Y recordad que el salitre es enemigo de la electrónica: evitar que se acumule es a veces tan sencillo como pasar un paño húmedo con agua dulce. Para más información, contacta con tu agente North Sails, visita www.northsails.com o escríbenos a info@es.northsails.com READ MORE

CALENDARIO AGOSTO El mes de agosto comienza para el equipo North Sails participando en la 38 Copa del Rey MAPFRE (27 de julio a 3 de agosto). Del 11 al 14 de agosto, expertos de la velería estarán en Melilla con la Semana Náutica de Melilla; del 14 al 17 de agosto, en Mallorca para la XXV Regata Illes Balears Clàssics; del 14 al 18 de agosto, en el Puerto de Santa María para la 48ª Semana Náutica; y del 27 al 31 de agosto en la Copa del Rey Clásicos. No dudes en contactar con ellos para resolver cualquier duda relacionada con las velas de tu barco. READ MORE

MARÍA PERELLÓ: TRICAMPEONA DEL MUNDO Desde North Sails España les Felicitamos 📸 Matias Capizzano María Perelló ha logrado su tercera corona mundial de clase Optimist en el campeonato del mundo disputado en Antigua (6-16 de julio). La regatista mallorquina (campeona en 2017 y 2018, y recientemente ganadora de la Copa de España) se impuso en categoría femenina y obtuvo un impresionante 25º puesto absoluto en la flota de 255 participantes. También equipó velas North Sails Javier Ojeda, duodécimo clasificado absoluto. Desde North Sails España les felicitamos por estos excelentes resultados y les agradecemos su confianza en velas North Sails. READ MORE

RUSIA GANA LA NORD STREAM RACE Sindicato Ruso Leviathan Sailing Team 📸 Anya Semeniouk La Nord Stream Race nació en 2012 con el objetivo de conectar a los países bálticos a través de la vela. Se trata de una regata de mil millas que comienza en Kiel (Alemania) y finaliza en San Petersburgo (Rusia), con paradas en Copenhague (Dinamarca), Estocolmo (Suecia) y Helsinki (Finlandia). Desde 2017 se disputa en monotipos ClubSwan 50 equipados con inventarios North Sails. La edición 2019 reunió a equipos de Alemania, Dinamarca, Suecia, Finlandia y Rusia, y fue ganada por el sindicato ruso Leviathan Sailing Team. READ MORE

DOMINIO NORTH SAILS EN LA 50ª TRANSPAC Excelentes Resultados para North Sails 📸 Ronnie Simpson La 50ª edición de la regata Transpac (entre Los Ángeles y Honolulu) finalizó con excelentes resultados para North Sails. Fue la vela elegida por el campeón absoluto (el J/125 Hamachi), por los ganadores de siete clases (BadPak en Division 1, Taxi Dancer en Division 2, Hamachi en Division 3, Oaxaca en Division 4, Good Call en Division 5, Blue Flash en Division 6 y Argo en Multihull). North Sails copó además los podios de Division 2, Division 6 y Multihull. READ MORE

SERVICIO NORTH SAILS EN PALMA El servicio de velería North Sails regresa a la 38 Copa del Rey MAPFRE 📸 Ian Roman Entre el 27 de julio y el 2 de agosto, personal North Sails ofrece recogida, reparación y devolución de velas a todos los equipos que lo necesiten. Seis veleros trabajan durante la noche en las instalaciones de Lluchmajor para garantizar que los clientes puedan afrontar la siguiente jornada de competición con su inventario en plena forma. Las velas son recogidas al final del día y devueltas a las nueve de la mañana siguiente en perfecto orden de revista. El punto de recepción y entrega es la camioneta de transporte North Sails aparcada en el parking frente a la entrada principal del RCNP. El servicio puede ser requerido igualmente a través del teléfono +34 628 174 113. READ MORE

HAMILTON ISLAND RACE WEEK: RACING YOUR CRUISER Preparing Your Yacht & Choosing The Right Set-Up © Ian Roman HIRW is shaping up to be the main event with a total of 163 yachts registered in the Hamilton Island-class! Divided into six classes: IRC Class, Hamilton Island Class, Multihull Hamilton Island, Non-Spinnaker, Trailerable, and Multihull Racing, it looks to be a fun and competitive regatta for sailors of all kinds. Airlie Beach Race Week, the week prior, has 50+ entries in Cruising Spinnaker & Performance Handicap racing which will make for a great warm-up event. Racing Performance Handicap regattas take a little stealth sometimes. Handicaps are set by the handicapper to the best of their knowledge of the boat's design and recent results from a wide range of sources & places, which is not an enviable task. Some yachts are handicap bandits and some crews just know how to play the game. With 'keeper' scores without raising the attention of the Handicapper! Our North Sails experts have sailed in these mixed fleets at many regattas across Australia with varied results. Sometimes luck is on your side, and sometimes the handicapper is not. Either way, It’s all great fun and something our team looks forward to each year. With many variables in sailing outside of our control, it is important to make sure your yacht is cleaned, light, and ready to be used with ease once your sails and crew are added. Please refer to our starting points which are VIP to make sure we are as ready as we can be to take on the fleet, wind, and tides (not to mention, the handicapper!). Starter Tips Clean the bottom. Pretty simple this one... but an easy one to forget if having the “bottom done” is usually more of an annual event. A smooth bottom reduces the water friction around the hull and foils. If you don't do anything else to prepare your boat then make sure you do this. Remove Excess Weight. We love our floating home away from home with all its comforts…BUT the safety of a big anchor chain but getting the weight out of the boat, especially the ends will make the yacht more lively to sail. Removing weight will also help to reduce pitching when sailing upwind. Pitching is bad for the flow of air across the sails. Reducing weight where you can have a positive effect across the entire wind range. Start with the Anchor & Chain, empty the water tanks, take off cruising or delivery sails. Just have a good think of what you can do without while racing. *note: beer is not included on this list! Rig Tune. The rigs in most cruising boats are tensioned up very tight, this can make it hard to adjust the shape of the sails for the conditions of the day. Before you leave your home club ask your rigger or sailmaker to have a look at the rig to ensure it is straight side to side and how the mainsail sits on the mast in both light and windy conditions. Ideally, the mast can be adjusted to allow the sail shape to be altered with the sail and rig controls as required on the day. Some small adjustments to mast trim and mainsail luff curve can make massive improvements to your performance and make the sails easier to trim. It is important to have your rig easily adjustable. Adjustable Backstay. Not all yachts come standard with an adjustable backstay, but if you have one or can upgrade to one, you will benefit from proper adjustment. The ability to tighten or loosen the backstay has a positive effect on the jib/genoa & mainsail at the same time. Tighter to de-power for a flatter main and jib when the wind is up, and Looser when we want power in the rig, a straighter mast and sagged forestay will power up the sails. Have your sailmaker make up an easy calibration stick or marks for repeatability. Code-Zero & Gennaker. A good VMG running sail and a code-zero for the “round the island” style racing is a must-have item to be competitive. Being “non-rating” racing allows the use of an un-restricted mid-girth gennaker, more like a big genoa which is a very efficient sail that has a wide wind range. From light airs upwind to medium air reaching the Code zero is best set on a furler tacked as far in front of the forestay as you can get ie; Bowsprit or strong point on the anchor roller. A running-oriented G2 gennaker is your other downwind sail. A well-designed G2 gennaker can have you sailing close to as low as a symmetrical spinnaker without the hassle of a pole, Some boats don’t quite have all the winches needed to handle the sheets & Braces for a pole anyway, so the running gennaker is a perfect fit. For a bigger boat, you might also consider having a snuffer fitted to the sail to make the hoist and drop safer and easier, you can also snuff & gybe if you are not confident to gybe when the breeze is up. Jib In-hauler and Traveller. Sheeting angle and traveler position are 2 great ways to improve the boats' pointing ability, Jib tracks are placed pretty wide on many modern production boats to improve the cabin space downstairs, the downside of this is a wide sheeting angle for the jib, this directly affects the pointing ability or the “angle of attack” of the sail. An easy way to improve the sheeting angle is to have an “in-Hauler” or Barber haul system for the jib sheet. This can help narrow down the sheeting angle to a more race like 7-8 degrees from centerline. Work with your sailmaker to ensure your jib has the correct clew height to suit. Another good trick that may apply if your boat does not have a traveler, is to have a handy billy purchase system that you can clip onto the boom end and the other end to the weather gunnel to bring the boom up to centerline or even slightly across without pulling the mainsheet to hard… especially handy in the lighter air to create some heel angle and rudder feel. Downwind sail Cross-Over Chart. Know when the code zero is faster than the jib or what true wind angles you can carry the A2 is also an easy way to save trial and error racing. Ask us to help you create a simple X-Y chart that shows True Wind Speed and True Wind Angle across the top and side of the page, then its as simple as matching TWA & TWS for the sail you need! Your North Team will be out there too, racing and for your support. We want you and your yacht to be ship-shape for racing. If you need anything, we are here to help. Don't hesitate to contact your local team to stay ahead of the game! READ MORE

Get The Most From Your J/70 Racing Experience! Teams around the world are heading to Torbay in Torquay, England for the much anticipated J/70 World Championships. Our 2019 tool kit features tips on boat speed, boat handling, crew techniques, and much more from our team of J/70 experts. #NSVictoryList There is no better performance test of a one design sail than the results it produces. Add your team to the #NSVictoryList! What To Expect in Torbay Royal Torbay Yacht Club is excited to host the 2019 J/70 World Championship. We spoke with North Sails expert Charlie Cumbley to learn what sailors should expect when they leave the docks. Register For Free Daily Weather Forecasts North Sails has partnered up with our expert friends at Sailing Weather Service to provide complimentary daily weather forecasts. Register now and receive these daily updates sent directly to you each morning. J/70 Upwind Trim Tips North Sails expert Zeke Horowitz shares important J/70 upwind sail trim takeaways from his recent experience at Long Beach Race Week. Light-Air Headstay Sag & Jib Trim What do we look for in headstay sag to optimize jib trim for a variety of light-air conditions? World champion Tim Healy explains. Managing Your Risks North Sails expert Zeke Horowitz talks about placing your boat in the right place on the race course to make gains and minimize losses. Light Air Speed Notes A week of intense training with the Japanese teams in Newport, RI, taught Tim Healy a lot about light air tuning and trimming. Five Downwind Modes Displacement mode, wing-on-wing, or full plane? Understanding the J/70’s different downwind modes will help you choose the right option. Fine Tune With North Find your groove. Get your numbers. Be confident in all wind conditions. After countless hours sailing, testing, and competing in the J/70, our tuning guide will help you achieve race-winning speed. Telemetry Testing for Faster J/70 Sails A sail design can be improved, but unless you understand how to trim and tune it properly, you’re not going to get the benefit. Here’s a look at the North Sails technology that goes into designing fast J/70 sails. Get Up To Speed Pulling all the pieces together can be challenging. The North Sails J/70 Speed Guide leverages our expertise to help you make the most of your one design sailing. Our Experts Make It Happen Have questions? Contact your local J/70 expert today for more information on choosing the right J/70 sails. READ MORE

SAM RICHMOND ON THE ROLEX FASTNET RACE 2019 Sail-World Speaks With North Sails Expert On The Race He Called ‘The One’ 📸 Rolex / Carlo Borlenghi This article was originally published on Sail-World.com on June 25, 2019 Sail-World Managing Editor Mark Jardine spoke with North Sails UK-based expert Sam Richmond about the Rolex Fastnet Race, his experiences during the race and what advice he has for first-time competitors in the event he refers to as ‘the One’. Mark Jardine: What enduring memory do you have of your first Rolex Fastnet Race? Sam Richmond: I turned 21 on my first Fastnet Race, it was with Doug Flynn on his 47.7 called Kirribilli… it took forever, a really light airs race and there were long periods of wallowing around along the South coast of England but I remember Doug, the best on-the-water host you could ask for, preparing what we used to call ‘Kirribilli Tea’ before dinner, which consisted of a cured meat and cheese platter with a tot of rum from a school canteen teapot; and on the actual day of my birthday I was given an additional can of Stella! Mark: The Rolex Fastnet Race is massively over-subscribed, with the entry allocation being filled within minutes of it being opened. What makes the race so popular? Sam: It’s ‘the One’; we’ve all heard about it since we were kids. It’s a very tough race, and on occasions extremely, even tragically, so. Some of the best and most powerful offshore racing stories come from this race. I think we all like a challenge and this certainly is one. Mark: With a race such as the Rolex Fastnet Race, you must see a lot of rookie mistakes made time and again. What one thing would you write in permanent marker beside the companionway hatch for first-time, and some many-time, competitors to remember? Sam: “Plenty of golf left in this hole” – you can’t win the race in the Solent and to keep the analogy up, that’s like a good first drive but it isn’t the most crucial part; keep pushing as there will be opportunity all the way to the end. Mark: When it comes to sail selection, teams will try to strike the balance between weight and having the right sails for the forecast conditions. What advice would you give on which sails you can leave on the dock and which are a must? Sam: For me, what we know about this race is that it’s always a typical English Summer… by that I mean you HAVE to be ready for anything. You may see enough in the forecast before you leave to know that you won’t see above or below a certain wind strength for the period, but in 3-6 days in August you wouldn’t bet against seeing plenty of breeze and of course nothing at times and from all directions. The trade off versus weight is an interesting one; offshore, if you need a sail and don’t have it, it’s a shocker, but equally if you are barely moving in no breeze, staring at a yacht full of sails, that is super frustrating; I’ll give you the correct answer after the finish! You’d never start an offshore race without a Code Zero and with the latest North Sails Helix Code Zero we have the lightest sail available whilst also covering a much wider wind angle range than ever previously possible. Mark: The navigator has an important role in most races, but the Fastnet has a habit of making you look like a hero or a villain. How should a navigator communicate with their crew about the choices they’re presented with and the risks involved with different strategies? Sam: It’s easy to get too involved in navigation without all the facts; as a trimmer/driver we just need to be focused on racing the boat hard in the right direction; the navigator will have the overall plan and on a big race like this they need to be pretty dictatorial about making that play out. 📸 Rolex / Kurt Arrigo Mark: The Fastnet Rock itself is iconic. While the crew itself will be busy during the manoeuvre of rounding the rock, do you get a chance to take in the moment? Sam: We’d all have our cameras out if we could; it’s a pretty special moment and in your head you are now on the home straight which adds to the excitement! On Cutting Edge, the TP52, we rounded in the dark and it was foggy, we had no instruments and were driving to a compass very handlily situated on the cockpit floor between the two wheels, so not much time to take it in at all. I think it completely passed me by! Mark: North Sails Helix has resulted in yachts being able to use a single sail over a wider wind range and greater angles than ever before. How does this help in an offshore race such as the Fastnet? Sam: It adds points to your IRC rating to take extra downwind sails so you need all your bases covered but you don’t want to carry too many. In terms of keeping our options open, with our Helix sail we have dramatically widened the Code Zero window which gives us much more flexibility in terms of sail choice. The more traditional Code Zero light/upwind angles are fully covered but now with Helix the deeper reaching angles are also taken care of. Mark: With the many headlands along the South West coast of the UK, there are often ‘park ups’, where yachts can watch hard-fought gains disappear in a frustrating night. How best do you handle these moments and make the best of the situation? Sam: I think it’s pretty simply a game of snakes and ladders along the bottom of the UK; you never know who is in control and who will win until the end… inshore/offshore, kedged waiting for the tide to turn versus moving at a cost of sailing a lot further; honestly apart from the fact that you aren’t gaining on the course all your competitors are struggling for the answer too and it’s about making the best of what you’ve got. There is always the next night! Mark: Food is often a topic of conversation amongst offshore sailors. What do you find best to eat when conditions aren’t exactly the best for cooking cordon bleu meals? Sam: We will go with freeze-dried; for a long race like this you have to keep the energy up and whilst they aren’t everyone’s favourite, they are full of calories and you can always boil water whatever the weather and then stick it inside your jacket on the rail to keep warm. Mark: The event has moved to be ahead of Cowes Week. Do you think this will change the dynamic of the race at all? Sam: I’d say not; I know Cowes Week have allowed a dispensation for the first day if anyone struggles to get back in time for it… Hopefully with all the boats on the South coast of the UK many will hang around and do Cowes Week too. We may have fewer boats on the water watching but that’s no bad thing! READ MORE

ETCHELLS WORLDS: THE AUSTRALIANS’ SECRETS Interview with winners Iain Murray and Richard Allanson After a brilliant regatta at the Etchells Worlds in Corpus Christi, Texas, we were curious to know what was special for the Australians to give them such an advantage on the race course winning 7 out of the total 9 races. North expert Noel “Nitro” Drennan had a chance to catch up with Iain Murray and Richard Allanson and here are their secrets: It was very impressive to see how you handled the regatta. It appeared to me that the boat was ready to win from the day it got there. Could you expand on the development of the boat, from its launch and the lead up to the Worlds? Iain – It has been a sort of a longer term project. It really started out with the Worlds in Brisbane. We had a brand new boat for Brisbane and, unfortunately, we hadn’t quite finished getting ready for that regatta. We addressed the things that weren’t right and did a lot of campaigning in Australia, working on the full range of conditions that the boat might have to sail in across the board. Knowing that the boat had to arrive in Corpus Christi ready to race , we locked in what we wanted to do in terms of sails and rigs and set up a long time before. One area we got a little bit caught out was the chop and the amount of water on board, and a revision to the bilge pump system was necessary to cope with Corpus Christi. The mast had a slightly different set up than the standard and no fitting looked like it hadn’t been looked at, from the mast, the hull and the sails…. Iain – That’s the kind of operating procedure within this group – we just want to do the very best that we can. When we start a project, we start with a clean sheet of paper and go down through the boat. First, the weight. We questioned every single piece of the boat, whether it be the spinnaker pole, how the topping lift is attached, the end fittings on the pole, the diameters of the pole, the boom, how the block and tackle system works with the outhaul. Every single part and every single fitting in the boat has been scrutinized. 2nd Place Graeme Taylor, James Mayoa and Tom Slingsby 📸 Corpus Christi Yacht Club The two-boat tuning aspect of your campaign was really evident that it was a big part of your success. Richie – The two boat is a pretty unique opportunity to have. Essentially we had one team with two boats and it was an open book between the two. The boats were identical in terms of the set up, the hulls, the rigs, the sails and it allowed us to validate a lot of things that in particular Iain wanted to have in place. Iain has been quoted as someone that thinks in color rather than the black and white. All the subtleties of these boats is one of the great things about sailing. It never ceases to amaze me how one turn on the lowers can make such a big difference to the performance of the boat. We looked at Magpie’s rake and mast step position and they were subtly out by not a huge amount. We put them back to where we believe they should be and it made an astonishing difference. All of a sudden they were comfortable. It’s really cool that you can adjust two things on the boat, the rake and the mast step, and make a significant difference to the performance. With the two boats it allowed us to validate a lot of ideas that he wanted to try, in particular the rig set up. A lot of people that said they tried that 20 years ago and with the greatest respect to those people, they were dismissed pretty quickly because they weren’t open minded to seeing these things through. There’s been subtle changes in materials and techniques that have allowed us to pursue these things fully. When we look at the set up of the Havoc and Magpie we notice headsails are deeper cambers than I’ve ever seen and in-hauled more than been seen previously. It definitely was working with impressive performance speed and height. Have you in hauled the entire time of the boat set up or is it just something that got developed? Iain – No, it was part of the concept of building the boat. The boat was built to evolve and the sails were built to evolve, and the selection of the sails and going back to older sail designs as a base is all part of in-hauling. It’s a trend that we’ve seen in a lot of classes, whether McConaghy 38, or TP52 or Farr 40 or whatever. But we wanted to test that. But to do that you have to have a boat that will do it and the secret, as you say, there’s fuller jibs, they’re in further, they pulled on hard. There’s no free lunch in sailing and when you start doing things like that, it’s gotta be compensated for in other areas. Keeping all that in check and balance is the key to making that work. You had a WHALE spar mast with slight modifications and they looked impressive finish detailing. My understanding is the mast was close to minimum tip weight which is quite unique for the Etchells class. Iain – Yeah, as I said at the beginning, every part of the boat was scrutinized for weight and the mast was no different to the boom, to the spinnaker pole, to the bilge pump system, to everything in the boat. We had a spreadsheet and targets through every part of the boat. Since the Brisbane Worlds we have posted a bigger emphasis on all that sort of thing. Then, while some people have been chasing adjustability with spreaders and all sorts of things, we’ve kept it pretty simple, wanting to minimize what we actually got up there in the air. We focused on stiffness for weight. With the next Worlds being in Perth we are expecting a strong fleet. After the success of your campaign this year it is evident that the fleet will have to step up their game and get better at two-boat programs to improve their boat speed. If you want to stay ahead of the game, what’s next for you? Iain – We’ve got the boat to a very good place. Having a consistent team on the boat, learning how to sail, tweak here and tweak there, making some of the systems a little more finessed in terms of user adjustment and, the way we do the actions. Sailing the boat particularly in choppy conditions, there’s a lot of things that you have to adjust. On the mainsheet hand you got the backstay, traveler, outhaul, fine tune, plus hiking etc. You only have two hands, getting the rig to be more automated through that is an area of future focus for us. 📸 Corpus Christi Yacht Club Iain, you were a governor in the Etchells class. Do you see a bright future for the class? Iain – At its core there’s a lot of very devoted strong people and, and the governance of the class is in a really good place. Having the class stable and having it very clear what the rules are and where the governors are going with them is important to the class. As a class, we need to tidy up some things that are not threats to people’s future in the class. Certainly the youth of the class, which we’ve seen with the youth teams in Corpus Christi whether they’d be American, or all the Australian youth teams that are emerging, or the English youth teams, is a really important thing. We heard continuously in Corpus Christi, we need to flow on into Europe, get an event in Holland maybe as a starting place. You look at classes like the Dragon class where there’s big numbers. We need to be very aware of the venues that we go to. When someone comes to a championship, they want to have fun and they’re spending considerable amounts of money and it’s a big parcel of time for them. We need venues where people have fun and it’s enjoyable to sail. Also, the way the races were organized is important. In Corpus Christi Mark Foster did a really good job of not having us out there for eight or nine hours a day. All those things that make the experience for the owner and the crews are important. The people in the class, they all want to do well and they all want to have fun and they all want to be competitive. The governors have to work through boats, venues, championships,etc. Looking at Corpus Christi with 37 boats, when there’s probably another 50 boats sitting in Miami. There’s a lesson there. 📸 Corpus Christi Yacht Club With the Worlds coming to Perth, the Sydney fleet will have a very competitive season coming up. Richie – The future is bright for the class. It’s in a good place. We need to keep this balance. We need to recognize that the majority of the fleet are people just want to want to compete. I think about managing expectations. People might say, “I want to win this world championship”. There are probably, at every regatta, 10 former world champions that are competing. You will be racing against the best in the world, whether they’d be America’s Cup sailors, world champions or Olympic medalists. That’s one of the big attractions and the Sydney fleet enjoy having those sorts of people competing. There’s a mix of people that enjoy beating John Bertrand to the top mark. Because of that, the Sydney fleet has grown to a point where people want to come and race against the previous World Champions, America’s Cup sailors etc. Iain – I wouldn’t underestimate what Richie is doing within the Sydney fleet. Because he is there at the club, providing all of the information and communication about their campaigns and what they need to do next. I agree. Thanks Richie, thanks Iain. And once again, congratulations to the two of you and Colin Beashel. It was a very impressive effort from the get go. It was a pleasure to watch. Iain – Yeah, thanks. We haven’t really spoken about Colin’s input into this, but that’s not to be underestimated. His experience as a six-time Olympian and two World Championships as a skipper is amazing. And, to have another skipper alongside you, feeling the controls, understanding the helm, the balance and all the tricky things that we’re trying to take to another level in this boat. READ MORE

RUSSIAN TEAM WINS 2019 NORD STREAM RACE The Leviathan Sailing Team Collects The Fourth Nord Stream Race Trophy For The Nation 📸 Nord Stream Race 2019 / Anya Semeniouk The Nord Stream Race began in 2012 with the mission of connecting the Baltics through sport. This 1000 mile race begins in Kiel, Germany, and finishes in St. Petersburg, Russia, with stops in Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Helsinki. In 2017, the Nord Stream Race moved into the high performance, Juan-K designed ClubSwan 50. Since then, North Sails has worked closely with the event to produce identical sets of sails for the entire fleet. Teams from Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Russia qualified for the 2019 event by winning their respective country’s National Sailing League, and each of the five one designs carried the following inventory: 3Di Endurance Two Reef Offshore mainsail, AP jib, J4, A4 spinnaker. “The ClubSwan 50 is a strict one design class,” explains Paul Westlake, North Sails Grand Prix segment leader. “The level playing field works hand in hand with our ability to deliver sails that are consistent across the fleet. North 3Di allows us to achieve a very high level of reliability in weight and shape. It also delivers high performance, yet these durable sails have held up for three editions of the 1000 mile race in unforgiving Baltic conditions. It is an honor for us to be selected as a sailmaker to the event and support the sailors representing their home countries.” The Leviathan Sailing Team from Russia won the 2019 edition by a single point, the fourth Nord Stream title for that nation. Plans for the 2020 Nord Stream Race are already underway. The organizers’ goal over the next three years is to include four more teams, through the successful partnership for high energy yacht racing between the Saint Petersburg Yacht Club, Nord Stream, and Gazprom. 📸 Nord Stream Race 2019 / Anya Semeniouk 📸 Nord Stream Race 2019 / Anya Semeniouk READ MORE

A START TO REMEMBER Lake Ontario 300 Experienced Breeze And Sunshine 84 boats lined up on July 13th to begin the 300nm journey around the lake in celebration of the 30th edition of the Lake Ontario 300 presented by DriveHG. What made the start line difference this year was non other than BREEZE! The 12-15 knots racers experienced allowed for a quick rip up to Ford Shoal, with a squall up to 40knots included, and even up to Main Duck for the long course (Main Duck). Once sailors rounded Main Duck and headed towards the Niagara mark things got a little trickier. The wind shut down to about 2-3 knots with some boats seeing 0.3 knots. This lack of wind didn't last for long though as the front of the pack towards early Monday morning saw up to 5-7 knots bringing them back to PCYC until the Port Credit hole towards the finish mark. North powered Afterburn was duking it out with Farr 40 Hydromec from Quebec for the last 1-2 nm until Afterburn came in close to shore and put up their Helix powered Code Zero; allowing them to pick up and soar to the finish. North powered Zoe II skippered by Francois Brassard from Quebec also saw a great performance, placing 3rd overall for Main Duck, IRC, flying sails, fully crewed 1 division. For Main Duck, flying sails, fully crewed 2 division, North powered Rum Kist, Blast and Tonic, finished in the top three with Blast using their new Code Zero for the majority of the race. While North powered Angeline I, Thunder and Entourage took 2nd, 3rd and 4th for Main Duck, flying sails, fully crewed 3 division. A fantastic performance by all our North powered clients, especially Blast and Angeline I who are mainly comprised of youth sailors. For the short course, Scotch Bonnet, racers experienced similar breeze heading towards the Humberview mark and then up to Scotch Bonnet Island. Line honour winners, Beyond Survival, made terrific time arriving at the dock at 02:00 on Monday morning - just before the wind died off. Katbird skippered by Kathleen Timmins took second over the line at 06:15am. Overall, Michael Brown with Windburn powered by North took first for Scotch Bonnet flying sails double handed 1 division. North Sails is proud to sponsor and be involved in such an amazing race with competitors from all over Canada and the United States. For full results from the Lake Ontario 300, see here. READ MORE