NORTH SAILS BLOG

TOKYO 2020: 8 OLYMPIANS TO WATCH We wish everyone a PB (Personal Best) at the Olympics! 📸 Sailing Energy / World Sailing As athletes get ready for a much-anticipated Olympics, it’s even harder than usual to guess who will be stepping onto the podium this time around. The only prediction we feel completely safe in making is that we’ll have a plenty of new entries for the #NSVictoryList. Here’s a little background on 8 favorite Olympians we’ll be watching when the Games begin. Giles Scott GBR (Finn) The 2016 gold medalist dominated the entire Olympic quad leading up to Rio, so Giles has to be at the very top of our list. Calling America’s Cup tactics for former Finn rival Ben Ainslie on the foiling Ineos Team UK has undoubtedly honed already fast reaction times, and afterward this versatile sailor stepped right back onto the Finn podium with a silver medal at the 2021 Europeans—though he did have to “settle for second.” Alex Maloney and Molly Meech (49erFX) 📸 Graeme Murray/Red Bull Content Pool Kiwis Alex and Molly both grew up on boats and both sailed around the world before the age of ten. When the 49erFX class was introduced into the Olympics roster for the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Kiwis began sailing together full time. It paid off when the dynamic duo won a silver medal at Rio 2016. To get ready for Tokyo, they’ve been taking advantage of New Zealand’s Millennium Institute of Sport state-of-the-art heat chamber—and also doing the occasional sail after dark, to test their non-visual senses. Watch their story on RedBull.com Matt Belcher and Will Ryan (470M) After training at home in Australia for the past year and a half, the 2016 silver medalists Matt Belcher and Will Ryan have not yet posted any international results. That said, Matt already knows how to win 470 gold (2012, with Malcolm Page), and he’s also won a record-setting seven 470 Worlds. Back in 2000, he won the 420 Worlds, a reminder of that class’ importance as a feeder to the Olympic 470. Hannah Mills and Eilidh Mcintyre (470W) Hannah Mills (GBR) won gold in 2016 and silver in 2012 with crew Saskia Clark. She and first-time Olympian Eilidh Mcintyre won the 2019 Worlds in Enoshima, which turned out to be the last 470 regatta held on Olympic waters ahead of the Games. After a rough start at the 2021 Worlds, they took the last three bullets before the medal race and finished fifth overall. With an entire fleet of North Sails and both 2016 medal-winning skippers sailing with new crews, this will be an especially fun battle to watch. Josh Junior (Finn) Josh finished seventh at the 2016 Rio Olympics and joined the winning America’s Cup Team New Zealand shortly afterward, along with close friend and Finn tuning partner Andy Maloney. In 2019, he became the very first New Zealander to win a Finn Gold Cup. Andy won this year’s Gold Cup, while Josh finished third, so awarding the country’s single Olympic slot must’ve been a very tough call. With Andy as his primary training partner, Josh will be well-prepared for the pressure-cooker uncertainties of Tokyo. We’re looking forward to watching all the 2020 Olympians adapt to the special challenges of this year’s competition, which runs July 25-August 5. Let the Games begin! READ MORE

Correct Tension Allows for Best Sail Shape and Improved Boat Speed 📸 João Costa Ferreira / Vilamoura Sailing The North 470 mainsail comes standard with a black flex plastic rope for the bolt rope (luffrope). Due to its great flexibility, the cunningham works efficiently to make the sail shape control easier, compared to the fiber bolt rope used before. Please read the instructions below carefully to set up the mainsail properly for the best shape and performance. The bolt rope is fixed into the lufftape of the mainsail with some pre-tension applied during manufacture. Because of the elasticity of the bolt rope, you need to have some cunningham tension at all times to keep the main tack position where you will have the correct amount of wrinkles along the luff. The amount of wrinkles makes a significant difference in sail shape. Control the cunningham tension according to the examples showed below. In conditions above 11-12 knots of wind, you can use cunningham as usual. Important: The bolt rope stretch is affected by heat, sometimes significantly when sun exposure is strong. For this reason, it is important to check and adjust the initial setup of the bolt rope tension. If the bolt rope is elongated by UV exposure, the tack corner will fall down and sometimes the luff is stuck above the boom. In this case, you need to take a few stitches off to pull the rope out of the luff to allow more tension, so that the tack corner is lifted up roughly 10-12 cm above the lower band on the mast.   Hoist the mainsail up to the blue band (see left photo). The tack corner should be set high enough, above the lower band (right photo). Cunningham On When the cunningham is on, you will get a crease between cunningham grommet and tack corner (like image below on left). Pull the tack down to flatten it. If the area between the cunningham grommet and the tack is not flattened, you cannot measure the proper height of the tack corner, thus you cannotfind the proper position for your settings. We also recommend placing a thickplastic tape at the bottom edge of the opening groove to avoid the bolt rope getting stuck when cunningham is pulled on. With the tape in place, the edge of the bolt rope will slide out without friction as soon as controls are eased anad pressure is in the sail. Tack Down – Proper Setup The tack corner is set at 2-3 cm distance from the upper side of the color band. Keep 2 cm offset from the back face of the mast. Pull the tack rope down so that the area between the cunningham grommet and tack is smoothly flattened. If wind is light, you may need to help it down manually. READ MORE

2016 Gold medalist and North Sails expert Sîme Fantela answers your questions about sailing the 470 Who sails the 470? The International 470 has been an Olympic double-handed class since 1976, with separate men’s and women’s divisions since 1988. Today most sailors are full-time Olympic hopefuls, and because the boat is so technically and physically challenging many teams stay together for several four-year training cycles. The boat can be sailed by a range of weights and heights, though most helms are shorter and smaller than their crews to maximize righting moment. Men’s helms range from 55-65kg and crews from 65-80kg, aiming for a combined weight between 130-140kg. Women’s teams are usually bit smaller, targeting between 120-130kg of combined weight. What does it take to be successful in the 470? You need to be passionate about it. You need to be focused on the training process, you really need to enjoy the boat and sailing and the hard work that comes with it. Competing successfully is not only about sailing and tactic; it's a lot about the technical side of the class. To be successful, you need to understand how the boat works, how the foils work, how the mast and the sails work, and how all these things work together. It’s very important to feel all these things, so you can tune the boat well in different wind ranges. Who does what on the boat? Upwind, the helm is steering and controlling the mainsheet, cunningham, and vang, as well as adjusting the centerboard up and down. The crew is responsible for trimming the jib, and obviously for hiking and the balance. Most of the boat handling and the kinetics are the crew’s job. Downwind, the helm hoists the spinnaker and trims it temporarily while the crew is setting or dousing the pole. The crew trims the spinnaker and balances the boat both fore and aft and side to side. 470 Tuning What are the keys to rig set-up? The most important aspect is to understand what suits your team. If you are a standard size (small-light helm and tall-heavy crew), follow the North Sails Tuning Guide. If you are not a standard size, you will have to work at finding the right mast stiffness, spreader length, mast step position, centerboard pivot position, centerboard stiffness, and model of sails. Then you can start to fine tune the boat and rig, depending on feedback from sailing against other teams. What are the keys to rig tuning? The key adjustment is rig tension. There are two different setups: the “standard” has less purchase, and the "soft" is easier to play while racing. You can choose which kind of purchase you want when ordering a boat. Many experienced teams choose the soft purchase, so it’s not just how much experience you have; everyone has their own tuning styles and ways. There are some very useful photos of this and other systems on the McKay Boats website. Upwind Sailing Where does each person sit on a 470 in light air? Sit as far forward as possible. If the crew is not on trapeze, then they sit on the deck and try to press the boat flat by leaning out. As the breeze comes up, they move onto the trapeze, first with knees bent and then with knees straight. Once the crew is fully extended, the helm starts to hike. What are the key changes in different conditions? It is very important to understand when you go from underpowered to overpowered. Sail trim and crew position are important adjustments until you are fully hiking. Then you start depowering the boat with the different controls. What do you focus on when trimming the 470 main? Trimming the main, the focus is the leech and twist. The perfect amount of twist depends on the sea state. If it's flat water, I like a tight leech, but I don't ever close it completely. In waves, more twist makes it easier to steer. What do you focus on when trimming the 470 jib? You need a different setup depending on whether it's flat water, chop, or swell: more twist in the waves, and less twist for flat water. I play with the lead in gusts and lulls; you can move it fore and aft, and also in and out (there are 5 positions, and 1 is max inboard while 5 is max out). In light wind, you want it inboard and forward; for strong wind, ease it out and/or move it aft. This helps to open or close the slot between main and jib. What are the key adjustments to make when wind and sea state increase? Key adjustments are centerboard height, jib lead, vang, outhaul, cunningham, and the height of the jib. Let's say the wind is starting to build. To depower the main, pull on cunningham, outhaul, and vang. For the jib, lower the height, pull on jib cunningham, and move the jib lead aft/out. If you are still overpowered, raise the centerboard. Any other advice about gear changing in a 470? You need a lot of hours in the boat to understand how it feels in different conditions and what the boat wants to be quick. You need to have all these tools in your hands and to adjust when conditions change, or when you want to change the mode of sailing. If you want to go quick and low, or slow and high, you need to be able to do it—and this doesn't come easily. What's the typical conversation between 470 helm and crew? It's mostly about who is doing what on the boat. On our boat, as helm I was doing the tactics and my crew was focused on speed, but sometimes when the conditions changed we would swap roles; I would focus on speed and the crew would take over tactics. The other loop is talking about boat speed: how do we feel, should we change something? You always compare yourself with the boats around you about the speed and mode of sailing. Downwind Sailing What 470 spinnaker would you recommend? North Sails has three different models: V2, A2, and V3. The V2 is flatter on the top and easier to steer to. The A2 has the biggest projected area, it’s the most powerful one. The V3 is a bit fuller on top. So each team should decide which kite to use depending on their style of sailing—if they want to sail low, or want to play with the waves and sail high. For more details, view the North Sails 470 Inventory. Where does each person sit in a 470 downwind? Downwind, the helm sits on the leeward side and the crew sits to windward to trim the spinnaker. In lighter breezes the crew sits as far forward as possible, close to the shroud; one trick in super-light winds is to sit in front of the shrouds, just at the splash rail, to lift the stern out of the water and minimize the wake. As the breeze comes up, the crew moves aft—sometimes even behind the traveler bar. In really extreme big breeze and waves, both the helm and crew will sit all the way aft, close to the rudder, to put the bow up and surf as much as possible. What are the key adjustments to make sailing downwind? It’s important to feel the sea state and decide how high to sail compared to the waves; you don't want to stop in the waves, you want the boat to plane. You have to find your own way of sailing depending on the fleet, the waves, and the wind. The fastest teams spend a lot of time sailing the boat downwind in different wind conditions, because in this class the biggest gains are made downwind. Downwind, you want the main as deep as possible in almost all conditions. Ease outhaul and cunningham, and adjust the vang so that the leech is open for a nice flow around the main. Having the top batten parallel with the boom is good as a starting point, and then you fine tune from there. Another good rule is to keep the spinnaker pole parallel with the boom as it goes in and out. If you let out the boom, move the spinnaker pole aft. If you start to sail higher angles and pull in the boom, let the pole forward. These rules work in most conditions. What’s the most important thing about 470 trimming downwind in light air? Keep the slots open between kite, jib, and main. If it's really light, so you can't pull back the spinnaker pole, you’ll need to trim in the main. What’s the most important thing about 470 trimming downwind in heavy air? Let the boom out to the shroud and raise the pole to close the leech of the kite, keeping as much power as you can handle. Then focus on crew work: working the waves, balancing the boat. The higher the centerboard, the faster you will go, so you want to lift it as much as possible—but that depends how much stability you need. As a beginner, start with the centerboard down more, to have a more stable boat. As you get better controlling stability with bodies and sails, the centerboard can go higher and you’ll go faster. What is a typical conversation downwind? Here are the two questions: What mode do we want to achieve (high and fast, or low and slow)? Is the Oscar flag up so we are allowed to pump? If we are pumping, usually the helm counts down the timing: three, two, one, pump. We try to move our bodies together and pump the main and spinnaker together. The most important thing downwind is to catch waves while being synchronized as a crew. Any special considerations to sail the 470 well downwind? You have to listen to what the boat tells you and how it feels, then listen again to how it reacts to a change of mode. One mode might suit your team best, but you still have to master the others to be quick in different tactical situations. Boat Handling Top three tips to starting a 470 well? Try to keep the flow on the rudder and centerboard as long as you can. Once you lose that, it can take some time to attach again. Always fight for space down to leeward. If you don't have enough, you're not going to survive the first 100 meters. Identify the last possible moment for a double tack. And whether you double-tack or not, know the right time for good acceleration and the right exit angle. Any tips for 470 downspeed boat handling? The most important thing is to keep flow on the rudder and centerboard. If you are going slow, keep the main in. If you have to kill speed, luff the jib but try to keep flow in the main as long as possible. Work bodies and sails together. It is really crucial to be synchronized: at the start, both helm and crew go to leeward, prepare for the acceleration, and then squash the boat flat and trim in main and jib at the same time. Sheeting and flattening the boat together is the only hope for a good start. What is the most common mistake when tacking a 470? Not synchronizing helm and crew with rolling the boat into the tack, not flattening at the same time on the exit, and not maximizing the roll. What does each person do in a tack? The helm sheets the main in tight as you come head to wind and then eases it out again. Once on the new tack, trim in as the boat accelerates. The crew needs to balance the boat and provide the right amount of heel, while at the same time trying to be precise with jib trim. It's quite a tough job for the crew to do a really nice tack. Key tip for good light-air tacks in a 470? Maximize the roll of the boat by putting the leeward shroud almost into the water before the tack. When you roll to windward, put that side into the water, and then squash the boat flat on the new tack. All this must be combined with simultaneous trimming of jib and main. The most important thing tacking in light winds is to maximize the power that you have in the boat and what you create with the tack. Key tip for good heavy-air tacks? Don't roll the boat; keep it flat both entering and exiting the tack. Key tip for good light-air jibes? In light air, try to turn with minimum rudder and work on the kinetics for roll jibes. The biggest mistake is not to roll the boat. Key tip for good heavy-air jibes? Keep the spinnaker full through the jibe, and keep the boat flat; if you roll the boat at all, you risk a capsize. What’s the best way to set a 470 spinnaker? Who does what? It's really important to have a solid routine for spinnaker sets. The fastest set we found was for the crew to: Come in off the trapeze wire. Take the spinnaker tack out of the spinnaker bag with one hand, while pulling on the windward barber-hauler/twing with the other hand. Hook the pole to the sheet, topping lift, and mast - Jaws up! As the crew sets the pole, the helm stands up and hoists, then grabs a sheet in each hand. (In medium and strong breeze, steer with the rudder between your legs.) You can fill the spinnaker before the crew sets the pole. It's important to have the leeward sheet marked at the right amount of trim, so when the spinnaker goes up, it fills automatically before the crew or helm takes it from the cleat. What’s the key to a good 470 spinnaker takedown? The best spinnaker takedown is when the helm stands up and trims the spinnaker with a sheet in each hand, so when the pole comes down the spinnaker is still flying. At the last possible moment, the crew grabs the tack and drops it into the sock. The goal is to keep the spinnaker flying as long as possible. Personal Tip: We always have a windward takedown, because we have a storage bag on each side of the boat. Doing a 720 penalty turn is slow. What are the keys to minimizing the pain? Try and synchronize the roll of the boat while minimizing the steering. When crew and helm act as one body, that's the best. If you can, do the spins almost without the rudder, and start with a tack. On the bearaway, have a nice windward heel into the jibe, again minimizing the steering by working the bodies together. Always tack first, even from downwind. How easily does the 470 broach or capsize? Not that easily. Downwind, or reaching in strong breeze, you might broach if you lose control of the rudder because it ventilates, which happens quite often. Or in strong breeze if you lose your balance, or roll the boat too much in the jibe, you definitely will capsize. How do you recover from a 470 capsize? Try not to let the boat fully capsize, unhook the spinnaker pole, and right the boat. What are the most common boat helming mistakes made in the 470 class? When you are not in control of the boat. Control the feel of the boat upwind and downwind, and you're going to do well. Any suggestions for drills to improve 470 boat handling? Sailing a figure eight in any wind will take you far. Circling around one mark, even in 20, 25 knots, is a really good drill to be strong in boat handling. Or set up a short race course that gives you just enough room to put up the kite, do one jibe, take it down, and go back upwind. That will improve your boat handling in all conditions. READ MORE

KIELER WOCHE 2018 North-powered Clients Claim Multiple One Design Class Victories Matt Belcher & Will Ryan reign again in the mens 470, sweeping yet another title © Sasha Klahn Kieler Woche, the world’s biggest sailing event attracted roughly 4,000 sailors from 50 nations for the nine-day event in Northern Germany. Entries range from ORC, to Olympic Dinghies, to paralympic teams. With the Sailing World Championships in Aarhus later this year, many olympic hopefuls used Kieler Woche as a training event. In the 470 fleet, Olympic Silver Medalist and reigning World Champions Matt Belcher and Will Ryan continued their streak of success, snagging the title over Swedish team Anton Dahlberg & Fredrik Bergstrom. In the women’s fleet, Silvia Mas & Patricia Cantero won the medal race to secure their victory from Maria Bozi & Rafailina Klonaridou, from Greece. ©Sascha Klahn North Sails clients also filled the top end of the Finn fleet, with Kiwi Josh Junior taking the championship after finishing fourth in the medal race. Second place in the medal race secured second place for Anders Pederson. Rounding off the podium was current European Champion, Ed Wright. The OK Dinghy fleet had an impressive sixty-one boats racing from all over the world including Australia and New Zealand. Congratulations to Jan Kurfeld for taking the overall win. Jan was using his North M-20 Mainsail, which has again proven itself to be a championship winning sail. Congratulations to our clients on yet another successful week in Kiel. Jan Kurfeld, winner of the OK Dinghy Class © www.segel-bilder.de © www.segel-bilder.de Returning J/24 champion, Mike Ingham and crew on Nautalytics, enjoyed their time in Kiel and are already looking forward to next year. After 11 races and one discard, Mike racked up four bullets, and had five races within the top five overall, making his last race more of a victory lap. Congrats to Mike and team on sailing a great regatta. Full Results ©www.segel-bilder.de Keeping an eye on the competition, close behind ©Sascha Klahn © Sascha Klahn Kieler Woche 2018 J/24 1 USA 5443 – Mike Ingham OK Dinghy 1 GER 18 – Jan Kurfeld Finn 1 NZL 24 – Josh Junior 470 – Men 1 AUS 11 – Matt Belcher & Will Ryan 470 – Women 1 ESP 18 – Silvia Mas & Patricia Cantero 420 1 GER 56086 – Felix Kaiser & Jonas Royla J/70 1 GER 929 – Bjorn Beilken READ MORE

NORTH-POWERED TEAMS DOMINATE 470 EUROPEANS Six Teams On The Podium, One Sailmaker Teams from Slovenia and Sweden secured the 470 European gold medals in Bougas, Bulgaria this past week. In the Men’s division, Anton Dahlberg and Fredrik Bergstrom dominated the event only having to complete the medal race to guarantee the gold medal. In the women’s division, Slovenia’s Tina Mrak and Veronika Macarol prevailed over the German team, Loew and Markfort. “We are very proud of our teams and their performances. The 470 being a Olympic class, is one of the most competitive one-design racing classes in the world. Getting our designs tested by all six teams on the podium (Open Europeans) is a true testimonial of our efforts to make the best and fastest one-design sails.” said Kei Takakuwa from North Sails Japan. 2018 470 EUROPEANS MEN’S DIVISION 1 SWE – DAHLBERG / BERGSTRÖM 2 USA – MCNAY / HUGHES 3 GRE – MANTIS / KAGIALIS 5 FRA – MACHETTI / DANTES 6 RUS – SOZYKIN / GRIBANOV* 7 ESP – XAMMAR / RODRIGUEZ 9 ISR – HASSON / HARARI Women’s Division 1 SLO – MRAK / MACAROL 2 GER – LOEWE / MARKFORT 3 GER – BOEHM / GOLIASS 4 ITA – BERTA / CARUSO 5 IRR – COHEN / LASRY 6 SUI – FAHRNI / SIEGENTHALER 7 ESP – MAS DEPARES / CANTERO REINA 8 GRE – BOZI / KLONARIDOU 9 GBR – SEABRIGHT / CARPENTER* 10 GER – OSTER / WINKEL * Denotes Partial North Sails Inventory Complete information on the winning North 470 sails. Race Day 6 at 470 Open European Championship 2018 Race track action from #470Euros podium deciding medal race with gold medals going to Dahlberg/Bergström and Tina Mrak-Veronika Macarol Sailing Team. Follow at http://2018europeans.470.org #470Class #470Sailing #470Life #470in2024 Bianca Caruso Elena Berta Tina Mrak Veronika Macarol Anton Dahlberg Fredrik Bergström MantisKagialis mcnay/hughes GER 24- Nadi & Ann-Christin Frederike Loewe Anna Markfort Malte Winkel Matti Cipra Posted by 470 Olympic Sailing on Thursday, May 24, 2018 READ MORE

Kiel Week 2017 North Sails powers leaders in the J/24, J/70, Melges 24, 470 Men’s and Women’s Classes at Kiel Week One of the largest sailing events of the year, Kiel Week is an annual regatta held in the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The event attracts 5,000 sailors on roughly 2,000 ships, and estimates a total of three million visitors each year. A competitive event, especially for Olympic Classes, Kieler Woche is organized in a team effort between the Yacht Club of Kiel, the Norddeutscher Regattaverein, the Hamburger Sailing Club, and the Verein Seglerhaus am Wannsee. North clients performed well in the men’s and women’s 470. Men’s Team Mat Belcher and Will Ryan claimed the gold medal, 20 points ahead of 2nd place finishers from Russia, Pavel Sozykin and Denis Gribanov. In the Women’s 470, Frederike Loewe and Anna Markfort finished 2nd in the medal race, won the tie-breaker overall against Poland’s Agnieszka Skrqypulec and Irmina Gliszczynska, taking home the 1st Place Victory. In the competitive J/70 and Melges 24 fleets, North-powered boats took the win with German sailors, Jens Marten, topping the J/70 and Lennart Burke winning the Melges 24. Congratulations to our clients for a fantastic week of sailing! North U’s Mike Ingham Leads J/24 Fleet in Race Clinic A clinic hosted by the local J/24 class was opened to all competitors during the week. Coach Mike Ingham of North U stepped in to host the off-the-water presentation on the evening before the final race day, where he focused on the stark contrast in conditions between day 1 and 2. Mike was sailing on Nautalytics Following is a synopsis of what the class learned and discussed, written by Mike. Day 1 and 2: Rig Tuning in Big Waves and Breeze Day 1 was windy with sharp confused waves, especially difficult on port tack. We tuned one level down on the shrouds for power and soon realized, with the waves, we needed more power than so we eased off to one step below maximum tensions. I twisted the main on port, by pulling up the traveler and easing the mainsheet – neither of which I would do if the water was flat. This eased the helm and allowed me to bear off easily and power through the worst chop without stalling my rudder. Max, our genoa trimmer, kept a sharp eye out for waves and was constantly easing the sheet maybe an inch or two for the bad wave sets, then immediately bringing it right back in after the waves. It was windy and my backstay was on as much as I dared without distorting the main. Main distortion happens by over bending the mast past the mainsail luff curve.This kept the forestay reasonably tight, though still less than if we had the rig set to the tightest settings. Day two was a totally different kind of day. Light wind with small waves were the main setting here. We kept our rig loose enough that our headstay sagged a little. Even though the waves were small, it was so light that even some of the smallest waves pitched the mast-disturbing the flow over the sails. I needed some power in the rig to get back up to speed. It was too light to point, so I concentrated on keeping the boat moving. The rest of my focus was dedicated to the top main telltale. I adjusted the mainsheet often because even a small change in wind speed changed how that telltale flew. I was looking to keep it flowing 90% of the time for optimum flow. Once the rig was set to the conditions, we figured out what the right combination of height vs punch was, then on how to trim specifically for that angle. There is a ton of support within the J/24 class in Germany. It was great to see so much support go to the younger sailors in such an established fleet. An all-in-all great experience for J/24 competitors this year at Kiel Week. Congratulations to our clients for winning performance in Kiel! North Sails Mike Ingham provides insights to J/24 fleet competitors © www.segel-bilder.de © www.segel-bilder.de © www.segel-bilder.de © www.segel-bilder.de © www.segel-bilder.de Podium shot for the J/24 fleet. 1st Place team Nautalytics with helmsman Mike Ingham READ MORE

Hugo Rocha of North Sails Spain recounts Olympics past and present, plus the tactics that got him through three editions of the Games in the Men’s 470, ultimately medaling in Atlanta, 1996. You were a young guy when you first went to Barcelona in 1992. Can you put into words what a first Olympic experience is like? The scale, the excitement, the camaraderie, etc. How did this affect you and what impact did it have? I have been a very big fan of sports since I was a little child. When I was eight I used to practice gymnastics and I remember watching on TV the Moscow’s Olympics Ceremony, and obviously being there was something unthinkable. At 10, I started sailing in the Optimist class, and by that time the idea of attending the Olympics was definitely on my mind. So when I finally could attend, my excitement was huge. Living in the Olympic Village, sharing the facilities with your sport idols, those whom you had seen only on TV, was an unforgettable experience. I still remember the inauguration day and the walk we did from the Village to the Stadium, I was astounded at how incredible everything was, surrounded by police, helicopters above us, like in the movies, I felt really important. Being there during the ceremony in the Stadium was a breathtaking and incredible experience. You must be extremely proud of your Bronze Medal in Atlanta (well, Savannah!) in 1996. Can you describe your emotions on the podium and the memories you now have looking back? Reaching your goal after 4 years of hard work represents an enormous joy. However, sailing in Savannah helped us to focus on the Olympic racing just as we would any other, since we stayed in the local Olympic Village which was far away from the hustle and bustle of the Olympic Games. For Atlanta, the real excitment came when we arrived in home in Portugal. A country with just a few Olympic medals, we had won two medals that year: Fernanda Ribeiro won gold in Women’s 10000mn, and us with bronze in the Men’s 470. Overnight, we became famous. Everybody stopped you on the street, the restaurants. Suddenly you felt a strange but nice pressure. “…That’s why it is important to follow a methodology and, above all, to build your strength based on psychology, which means that you have to work hard at what you believe, feel and want.” From your three Olympic Games, other than the medal, what stands out from the different cities, teams and experiences that are all part of the world’s greatest sporting event? Barcelona was my first Olympic experience and I still remember some special moments like it was yesterday. I will never forget the image of Olympic flame cauldron being lit by a flaming arrow, and listening to the athlete’s oath of my friend Luis Doreste during the opening ceremony. In the Atlanta Games, sailing was hosted at a location far from the Olympic environment so it felt more like a common international competition rather than the biggest sporting event in the world. A curious thing was the giant platform where all the sailboats were standing, only accessible by boat. Everyday we had to take a 30 minutes ferry ride, enjoying the beautiful landscape. Sydney was the first time that I felt sailing was valued by the crowds, just as much as the other sports. It was amazing to see the great involvement of the city during the races. In fact, it was one of the few occasions that we could see such big crowds supporting a sailing event. The match racing finals in front of the Opera House had incredible and unprecedented participation from the public. Even today I ask myself why match racing does not have a place in the Olympic Games. Where do you keep your medal? I keep it along with all my trophies and sailing items in a personal work room. Tell us about the emotional and physical journey required to compete at the Olympic Games? Years of training, dreaming and pushing yourself must require a lot of discipline and dedication… It is a minimum of 4 years with just one goal on your mind: winning the medal. Obviously it’s not an easy journey. The competitors are tough and all of them are struggling hard to reach the same reward. That’s why it is important to follow a methodology and, above all, to build your strength based on psychology which means that you have to work hard at what you believe, feel and want. Having a good team around you that can give support and advice is another key factor for success, because they must know you very well, giving you the confidence to destroy your fears. The level of competition at the Olympics is so strong in all fleets – with an experienced eye, what is your assessment of the Men’s 470 Class? Who are the top podium contenders? The 470 has always been a very strong Olympic Class both in the number of participants and the level of the athletes. In this Class, everyone struggles to get the best tuning and use the right materials to achieve the fastest boat. It is a very complete boat that requires a broad understanding of all tactics and technical items to compete on the top. It is definitely an incredible boat and it will push you to become an experienced sailor. From my point of view, the top podium contenders are from Australia, Croatia, Argentina and Great Britain. How do you think the Class has changed since you raced? How have the sails also evolved to improve performance? During the last years, the class has faced several changes, the most important in my opinion is allowing the pumping from eight knots which demands a major physical effort. Regarding the evolution of the sails, I have seen important advances on the tuning guide directions, and the rake as well, besides a much flatter mainsail – especially on the bottom. Have you ever sailed in Rio? What do you make of the courses? The race area inside the bay is more tricky due to all the changes in pressure and currents. Outside the bay, there is a pretty nice course with good conditions and a nice swell. Finally, which country do you think will emerge at the top of the sailing medal table? Great Britain. READ MORE

Silver medal 470 sailors Saskia Clark and Hannah Mills are ready for their most challenging venue yet in Rio de Janeiro. “We use North Sails from Japan for our full suit and have found the reliability and attention to detail of the product better than anything else out there.” For those not familiar with dinghy sailing, what are the characteristics of 470 racing? The 470 is a great mix of what sailing is all about. At the lighter end, the racing is a close, tactical battle. The boats are moving quite slowly, so there is time to think through your strategy and tactics like a game of chess. As the wind increases the boats get planing, becoming more physical. You need a more dynamic technique through the waves and the decisions on strategy need to be made faster as you react to the wind and your competitors. Going in with good form must give you some confidence? We are pleased with the process we have gone through this four years and feel we are a better, more competitive team than in 2012. Winning the final two World Cups in the run-up to the Games has given us a clear indication of the areas we have improved on and what still needs to be done, but at this point in time, we are pleased with where we are. What are the biggest challenges with Guanabara Bay concerning tide, the wind, etc.? It’s a hugely tricky venue, surrounded by high land which the wind has to find a way through and lots of bays and headlands for the tide to flow and eddy around, which is massively affected by the amount of rainfall. So lots to think about! What changes have you had to make to your boat set-up to account for the conditions? It’s a hugely varied venue from the flatter water inside the harbor to ocean swell outside so learning how to adapt and optimize our equipment over this range has been critical as we only measure in one set of equipment. Have you had to change anything else significant, for example in your training program? We have changed hulls this cycle from the Mackay to the Zeiglemayer. Programme wise, it varies as to where you are in the cycle and the priorities but this cycle we have spent a significant amount of time on breaking down and rebuilding our race observations and communications, so they are robust under the stress of the Olympic competition and venue. Who do you see as your biggest competition? Are there any dark horses in the fleet? There are obviously a few key contenders that have a good track record either in Rio or at the big events. However, Rio is an opportunistic venue and the Olympics inspire and stress people out in different ways so we expect that any number of people could get themselves into contention. What is the dynamic like between helm and crew and therefore you and Hannah? Hannah and I are lucky that from the beginning we just got on well and enjoyed the challenge and journey of an Olympic campaign together. We’ve managed to drag each other through some lows and enjoyed the highs together and will go into this Olympics with a great understanding of how we both enjoy working as individuals and how this feeds our team dynamic. What were the key factors behind your decision to be powered with North Sails? What products are you working with? We use North Sails from Japan for our full suit and have found the reliability and attention to detail of the product better than anything else out there. In that sailing will be much closer this time, do you expect to see any other events or hang out with any other members of British team? Ironically now that sailing is in the heart of the city, most of the action is happening at the Olympic village which could be up to a two-hour drive away with traffic (even though it’s not that far)! Until we have finished our racing, I expect it will be much the same as the other Olympics I have been to. Hopefully, afterward, we can get a taste of all the excitement of being in the center. What is your final run-in plan to Rio? We leave for Rio on Sunday (7/24) and have the potential for 15 days training before we begin racing. So there is still a lot of time to refine things. We are pretty clear on what we need to get done in that time. It will focus around short course boathandling and set pieces which are easier to do in a confined space when all the race courses are occupied around us. How do you think this Games will be different from the others you have done? Rio is the hardest venue of all so dealing with that under pressure will be key. Most of the course areas are very tricky and even if you are out in front you can’t relax and think that you’ve got that race in the bag. It really won’t be over until the finish line of the medal race. Finally, what are you looking forward to the most about the Rio Olympics? We just LOVE the Olympics! I love watching it, love competing in it, it’s just so exciting! It’s an absolute privilege to represent Team GB, so we’re looking forward to getting out there, racing and delivering. READ MORE

US Men’s 470 Olympic contenders Stu McNay and Dave Hughes take up final preparations for the Rio Games. Hear from Dave on the importance of training, drawing from experience, and setting goals for the Big Event. With your first Olympics as an athlete just around the corner, how are you feeling? After an impressive run of podium finishes over the last few seasons, you must be approaching the Games with a certain level of confidence? Those medals do hold importance. They prove to ourselves and our competitors that we have what it takes to win big events. More importantly, repeat medalling shows it’s not just a fluke. That said, you can never rest on past successes. Yes, they give confidence, but the real confidence comes with focused training and processes, and the calmness with which you can execute on game day. What are your goals for the Games? Which other teams will be pushing you hard? Our goal has always been the same — race a solid regatta at the standard we expect from ourselves. If we do that, we will be rewarded with an Olympic medal. Every team will be pushing hard. That’s what makes the Games so special. We are looking forward to competing within that vibe of excellence. You’ll be racing with an experienced Olympian in Stu McNay, tell us how important this is. Stu is a true champion. Being a veteran of the Olympic experience is an irreplaceable asset. Even now during our final preparations, Stu clearly has the mature perspective that can only come from having danced the Olympic dance before. You were part of the coaching team for US Sailing at London 2012 – what were you able to learn and take away from this experience? It must have given you an insight into the scale of the games? Yes, I was the US Olympic Team coach for the 49er. Similar to Stu’s Olympic experience, having been on the coaching side also gives awesome insight into the entire Olympic experience and, specifically, managing the Olympic regatta as a stand-alone event. Coaching forces you to take a holistic approach to the regatta. I lean on that experience almost daily. Give us an update on your final training? We’ve just completed two longer stints in Rio during May and June. Each training block culminated with a coaches’ regatta (“Acts”) with all or most of the Olympic players on the water. These were excellent formats for testing final equipment, learning more about the courses, and executing against teams at their best. We were fortunate enough to win both Act-1 and Act-2. In July, we are back in Rio for two weeks for Act-3. Final US Olympic Team processing takes place in Houston at the end of July, after which we’ll fly down for the Big Event. For those not familiar with dinghy sailing, what are the characteristics of 470 racing? Frankly, I love the 470. It’s a lively boat. I’m constantly learning new ways to make it sail faster. It performs in 5 knots to 30+ knots. It races well as a light-air displacement boat or heavy-air planing dinghy. There are so many technique modes both upwind and down, so it’s never one-dimensional. The overall level of the fleet is extremely high, ensuring tight racing at every regatta. Sail the 470 in a Mistral in Southern France and you’ll be hooked! What were the key factors behind your decision to be powered with North Sails to give you a competitive advantage? What products are you working with? Our entire inventory is North Sails – main, jib, spinnaker. It has been that way throughout our campaign. The sails are smooth and consistent. The finish work is superb. We’ve taken on a variety of special projects and testing, and the North team has always been a pleasure to work with. Their knowledge and technology are second to none. We love the products and saw no reason to go elsewhere. The US Sailing Team for the Olympics looks one of the strongest rosters in recent memory – do you think dinghy sailing in the States is in good shape? Do you get to hang out with the wider team in the build up to the Games? Most of us have been traveling together to the same World Cup events for years. The same has been true with our training in Rio, although each fleet might hold slightly different schedules. As we lead into the Games, the entire team is logging time down in Rio. Bigger picture, dinghy sailing in the States is in fine shape, particularly with youth classes and established classes, like the Snipe. Even with all the foiling options out there these days, one design dinghy sailing is still by far the best bang-for-your-buck racing available. I’d love to see more college graduates find their way into local fleets. I wish the 470 would make a comeback as a local, non-Olympic-path, racer in the US. Dinghy sailing enthusiasts, like myself, always want to see more growth. Finally, what are you looking forward to the most about the Rio Olympics? Being at my personal best and attacking the Olympic Regatta with my good friend, Stu!! Images (c) Sailing Energy/ Jesus Renedo READ MORE

The 470 Women delivered some dramatic action on the final day of racing at the Hyeres World Cup in France as the countdown to the Olympics reaches its climax. The French pair of Camille Lecointre and Helene Defrance had been leading the regatta, one final big event ahead of Rio, after some tight racing between some of the biggest names in the competitive class. But the home favorites went into the final race only one point ahead of the British duo of Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark, and only two points ahead of Brazilians Fernanda Oliviera and Ana Luisa Barbachan. It was the Brazilians who got off to the superior start in the decisive medal race, leaving Mills and Clark in a dogfight to defend their position against the home favorites. However, Oliviera and Barbachan could not hold their position out front from New Zealand Olympic champions Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie. And when the Kiwis moved into the lead on the second lap, the British girls, the 2012 World Champions, were then able to take advantage of the Kiwi’s work to beat the French team to third and ensure their gold medal. The strong showing from the Brazilian pair saw them claim a silver medal overall, finishing only one point behind the Brits and tied on points with the French. With the British pair aiming to convert their silver medal from London 2012 into more gold this summer, Sunday’s victory could not have come at a better time. “It was exciting – it was absolutely freezing as well,” said Mills. “I think some English weather may have helped us today. It was really exciting and really tight, and all the top boats were right up there in the mix so it was a ‘who beats who’ scenario. We had our eyes on what was going on and we caught the Brazilians up quite a lot on the second beat. Once we saw that the Kiwis had definitely passed them, we relaxed a bit and really wanted to protect the French to make sure we got the win.” North Sails are the sail of choice for all the leading pairs, holding a market share in excess of 90%, and the podium of Britain, Brazil and France all use North Sails mainsails. The North Sails radial-cut offering for the Women’s 470 is designed and produced in Japan. For more results, please visit: http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/regattas/hyeres_2016.php READ MORE