A MUST-DO SUMMER EVENT FOR CLIENTS AND NORTH SAILS EXPERTS

Our Lofts In France And Italy Combine Resources To Be On-hand And Onboard For This Fun And Demanding Week-long Event

The 67th edition of the Rolex Giraglia Cup finished last weekend and North Sails powered top finishers across the numerous classes, including overall winner Caol Ila R. Originally a 241-mile offshore race, this Mediterranean classic attracts hundreds of sailors and has grown to include both inshore and offshore racing. While the racing is always competitive on the water, the fun starts once the boats hit the dock at the end of the day.

Boats sailing at the 2019 Rolex Giraglia range in size and the event attracts a mix of professional race crews and amateur sailors. Maxi 72 Caol Ila R won big this year, taking home the ‘Trofeo Challenge Ruota Dentata’ for the best corrected time in the offshore race, and the ultimate honor of being named overall winner. Caol Ila R, with owner Alex Schaerer, is one of the many teams who have added a new North Helix sail to their inventory. Developed through North’s specialized Load Sharing Technology, Helix is an innovative self-supporting structure, which delivers a versatile, fast and forward-projecting reaching sail. Caol Ila R’s Rolex Giraglia win follows closely on the heels of their class win at the Rolex Capri Sailing Week.

Additional North Sails clients in the ORC Racer class also found success during the event. George David’s Rambler 88 was the offshore winner in real time to claim the ‘Trofeo Levainville’. Rambler 88 also won the ‘Beppe Croce’ for the first boat to round the Giraglia rock. Sir Peter Ogden’s Jethou sat on top of the leader boat in the Inshore IRC O Racer Class.

“Historically, these Code Zeros were light upwind sails but the Helix sail is more versatile. I’d want the Helix sail for reaching every time.”

Like Caol Ila R, Jethou has unlocked a new level of performance with the new North Helix sail, which eliminates the need for heavy torque cables. An early adopter of the product, Jethou took delivery of the Steve Calder designed sail in 2018. According to the trimmer Joey Newton, Helix has become the team’s go-to reaching sail. “We use this sail as a catch-all reaching sail,” explains Newport. “Historically, these Code Zeros were light upwind sails but the Helix sail is more versatile. I’d want the Helix sail for reaching every time. The way the whole sail loads up and that it can be trimmed easily using small tack line adjustments are all positive.”

Rolex Girgalia served as the third event of The Nations Trophy Med League 2019. North Sails-powered Swans outperformed their competition, sweeping every podium position in the Club Swan 50, Swan 45 and Club Swan 42 classes. ClubSwan 50 Stella Maris placed first in the ORC Class and won the coveted ‘Nucci Novi Challenge Trophy’. As a team new to the ClubSwan 50, owner August Schram was pleased and somewhat surprised with Stella Maris’s success. “We started this campaign less than a year ago at the Copa del Rey Mapfre,” commented Schram. “In under a year we have won a major race, which is way above anything we could have imagined.”