NORTH SAILS BLOG

BASIC RACING RULES OF SAILING EXPLAINED Visual Interactive Webinar In this webinar, North Sails experts Zeke Horowitz and Brian Hayes explain and demonstrate basic rules according to the US Sailing “Racing Rules of Sailing”. Using a whiteboard, Zeke re-creates many scenarios that we experience on the racecourse to explain the rules and when they can be applied. The webinar was presented to Flying Scot sailors, but the rules apply to all one-design classes. Below are the timestamps if you want to jump to a specific topic of interest. Definitions: 4:41 – Clear Ahead and Clear Astern; Overlap 6:57 – Keep Clear 8:45 – Leeward and Windward 10:30 – Proper Course 12:21 – Room 14:08 – Zone Scenarios: 17:01 – Starting Line Situations (Windward/Leeward, Rule 16, Rule 17, “Barging” and Rule 13) 50:04 – Mark Room (Weather and Leeward Mark) 1:22:00 – Open Water (Room to Tack, Room to Duck, Tacking too close, Rule 17, Rule 18) If you have a question, please don’t hesitate to contact Zeke or Brian. READ MORE

LET’S TALK MC SCOW First Look at the New MC Magnum The MC Scow Happy Hour was held virtually on Friday, February 5th, for a virtual debrief about the Lake Eustis Training Week/Train Wreck Regatta with North Sails MC Scow expert Allan Terhune and North sail analyst Eric Doyle. During a week of training in Lake Eustis, FL, Allan and Eric had a chance to test the new MC Magnum sail, which is an optimization of the very successful MC Z-Max. They shared their impressions on the new sail and tuning findings for light conditions. In fact, Eric and Allan are working on a new Tuning Guide for the MC Scow class to incorporate a lot of what they learned about the boat. Take a seat and enjoy the conversation! Related story: MC Scow Training Week / Train Wreck Regatta READ MORE

YOUR NORTH SAILS TEAM IS LIVE! Upcoming Expert Webinar Schedule Catch your local teams live with our upcoming interactive webinar schedule. North Sails Class Experts from around the world have joined forces to bring you the best tips and techniques that will help you get the results you are looking for. When you sign up for the webinar of interest, you will be sent the link to access the live presentation so you can view at any location you are in the world, from the comfort of your home. Grab a seat, a drink, and kick back with our full-on educational webinar schedule, open to all. *All webinars are recorded and will be published on our YouTube channel. Did you miss one? View all of our webinars and rewatch or rewind at your own convenience. Watch Past Webinars Upcoming Webinar Schedule: 🌐 LET’S TALK J/70 MIDWINTERS Get ready for the 2021 Midwinters in Tampa, hosted by Davis Island Yacht Club. Join North the Sails Experts Allan Terhune and Zeke Horowitz and Sail designer Mike Marshall for a full session of tips, tuning, and sail trim information. Tuesday, November 16th at 8:00 pm EST Register Here 🌐 LET’S TALK NEWPORT BERMUDA RACE – WEATHER & NAVIGATION North Sails is back the Official Performance Partner to the 2022 Newport Bermuda Race. Three editions in the running, we’ll once again be running our enormously informative and popular Performance Seminars, focused on weather, navigation, sail selection, and performance optimization. Raise your Newport-Bermuda weather IQ with Chris Bedford and Peter Isler, founders of Marine Weather University. Thursday, November 18th at 7:30 pm EST Register Here 🌐 LET’S TALK NEWPORT BERMUDA RACE – SAIL INVENTORY OPTIMIZATION North Sails is back the Official Performance Partner to the 2022 Newport Bermuda Race. Three editions in the running, we’ll once again be running our enormously informative and popular Performance Seminars, focused on weather, navigation, sail selection, and performance optimization. From race-record-breaking skippers to multi-edition veterans, the North Sails team’s collective experience and expertise are proven to deliver results. Thursday, December 9th at 7:30 pm EST Register Here READ MORE

Understanding these two sail types can help you figure out which will be best for your boat. 📸. Lissa Photography Like the Spork (a combination of spoon and fork), the name gennaker came from combining two very different sail types into one: a genoa and a spinnaker. Unlike the spork, gennakers are an entirely new sail type that demonstrate the sailing industry’s leading edge. What exactly is a gennaker? In short, a gennaker has a genoa’s form (asymmetric, head and tack pinned, sheets tied to the clew) with the wide girth of a spinnaker. The gennaker is an all-purpose downwind sail, while spinnakers are built for specific downwind apparent wind angles. Because designs are changing so quickly, the term gennaker can seem complicated. First, let’s make sure we understand the two original sail types: the spinnaker and the genoa. What is a Spinnaker? A popular online dictionary defines spinnaker as: “a large three-cornered sail, typically bulging when full, set forward of the mainsail of a yacht when running before the wind.” When spinnakers were all symmetric, that dictionary definition would’ve been fine. Today, things are a bit more complicated. Symmetric Spinnakers and Asymmetric Spinnakers We now describe the spinnakers in the picture below as symmetric spinnakers. Divide one in half vertically, and the two sides are mirror images. The windward corner is held out with a pole attached to the windward side of the mast, and to change course (or jibe), that pole is switched to the opposite corner. Unlike a headsail, there is no defined tack or clew; both are clews, until the pole is attached and that corner becomes the tack. (Told you it was complicated.) Fleet of symmetric spinnakers. 12 Metre Worlds 2019, Newport, RI 📸. Ian Roman Symmetric spinnakers remain a viable sail type for downwind sailing on boats equipped with spinnaker poles and the necessary running rigging. They fly well when sailing “deep,” with the spinnaker pole squared well aft – or as the dictionary says, “when running before the wind.” Over the past few decades, another spinnaker type has become increasingly popular – the asymmetric spinnaker or “A-sail.” An asymmetric spinnaker has three distinct corners: the head (attached to the halyard and hoisted all the way up the mast); the tack (attached by a short adjustable tackline to the bow/bowsprit); the clew (attached to the two sheets that run down each side of the boat). Hmm, that sounds a lot more like a jib or genoa… Asymmetric spinnakers are popular on boats that have permanent bowsprits or retractable poles. They are also used by cruising sailors because they are easier to handle than symmetric spinnakers. While symmetric spinnakers and asymmetric spinnakers look different, they are both spinnakers under the measurement guidelines of most racing rules. We won’t go into the specifics of sail measurement protocols here, but the purpose is to see that spinnakers carry substantial girth (width) and are therefore useful when reaching/running. A wide, curvy, sail like this simply won’t fly upwind. Asymmetric spinnakers on Melges 32’s. 📸. Zerogradinord / Melges 32 Class Association What is a Genoa? If you google ‘Genoa’, this is what you will probably find: “a large jib or foresail whose foot extends aft of the mast, used especially on racing yachts.” All jibs and genoas are asymmetric; divide one in half vertically, and the two resulting pieces are hardly mirror images. Here again, the racing rule measurement guidelines help further define the standard form of a jib or genoa: Triangular, with not nearly as much girth as a spinnaker, with only one corner (the clew) allowed to roam freely (with sheets attached to keep it under control). Genoa headsail. 📸. Paul Wyeth What is a Gennaker? One day several years ago, someone thought: “maybe we should take a genoa’s form (asymmetric dimensions, head and tack pinned down, a couple of sheets tied to the clew) and give it more girth, like a spinnaker. That’s just crazy enough to work! But what to call this genoa/spinnaker?” And so was born the gennaker. A gennaker won’t fly upwind like a genoa. And it’s not as efficient as a spinnaker built for specific downwind apparent wind angles. But a gennaker fits the bill nicely as an all-purpose downwind sail for reaching/(almost) running. And because no spinnaker pole is needed, a gennaker is a lot easier to rig and fly than a symmetric spinnaker. A gennaker has the asymmetric form of a genoa with the girth (width) of a spinnaker. Is a Gennaker for Cruising or Racing? Is a gennaker a cruising sail or a racing sail? Yes. Depending. Many racing rules require a specific minimum girth measurement for a spinnaker and a maximum girth measurement to qualify as a legal headsail – leaving a no-go-zone in between. As it happens, this “illegal” sail size range for racing makes for a very manageable cruising gennaker. Recently, rating/handicap rules have begun erasing this gap zone – maybe you’ve heard the term “tweener” sail? If you have a gennaker, your sailmaker can help you determine whether it qualifies for the type of racing you want to do. Another reason the term gennaker is confusing is that its use has evolved differently around the world. Depending on your location, the name might refer to a cruising-oriented sail configuration. Or it could describe a very high tech, close-wind angle, grand prix level A-sail. If you need help, ask your local North expert to explain the usage. Developments in Gennaker Technology Gennaker development has been moving very rapidly in recent years for both cruising and racing. A great example is the North Sails Helix Furling Gennaker. For more information about the industry’s leading edge, please refer to Helix, Load-sharing, and Structured Luff. So much more than a spork, a gennaker is a great addition to your downwind sailing inventory—for racing or cruising. Helix Furling Gennaker North Sails is excited to introduce the Helix Furling Gennaker, a new sail type for the cruising community. The structured luff Helix Furling Gennaker eliminates the heavy cable needed for traditional furling and is the most reliable and easy to use top-down furling cruising sail in the world. Helix Structured Luff transforms how sails fly and is key to building a modern inventory. Our cruising sails with structured luff provide a more reliable furl than a sail weighed down with a heavy furling cable, are lighter and easier to handle, and have a wider range of wind angles. That cuts down down the number of sails you need onboard, as well as wear and tear, which make them the perfect downwind addition to your cruising wardrobe. With a range of materials to choose from, a Helix Furling Gennaker is customized to boat size and use: from family cruiser to superyacht. Once reserved for 3Di sails, Helix Structured Luff is available in a range of materials from woven polyester to 3Di. Where requested, an optional LightWeight UV Cover can be added to the Helix Furling Gennaker. For more information, contact your nearest North Sails expert. READ MORE

DOWNLOAD YOUR ZOOM BACKGROUND Show Friends & Colleagues Where You’d Rather Be (other than on Zoom!) Need a change of scenery from your ‘home office? Jump onboard with North Sails Zoom Backgrounds and put yourself out on the water! Zoom is now an integral part of our daily workflow, so we’ve created a selection of backgrounds for you to choose from to upgrade your Zoom experience. Put yourself in the cockpit of a VO65, battling the Southern Ocean, or on the deck of a J Class superyacht. More into the cruising lifestyle? Sit back and relax on the leeward side and take in all the feels of a warm, open-ocean breeze. Whether you are Zooming with friends or with work colleagues, you can now set the scene and show your fellow Zoomers where you’d rather be. Click on any background below to download. Download Background Download Button Interstitial First Name * Last Name * Email * By entering your email address, you agree to receive emails from North Sails as well as promotional offers and announcements from North Sails. Collected information will not be shared with any third party. Privacy Policy Opt-In * I have read and understand North Sails privacy policy Age Consent Opt-In * I am 16 years or older Continue Download Background Download Button Interstitial First Name * Last Name * Email * By entering your email address, you agree to receive emails from North Sails as well as promotional offers and announcements from North Sails. Collected information will not be shared with any third party. Privacy Policy Opt-In * I have read and understand North Sails privacy policy Age Consent Opt-In * I am 16 years or older Continue Download Background Download Button Interstitial First Name * Last Name * Email * By entering your email address, you agree to receive emails from North Sails as well as promotional offers and announcements from North Sails. Collected information will not be shared with any third party. Privacy Policy Opt-In * I have read and understand North Sails privacy policy Age Consent Opt-In * I am 16 years or older Continue Download Background Download Button Interstitial First Name * Last Name * Email * By entering your email address, you agree to receive emails from North Sails as well as promotional offers and announcements from North Sails. Collected information will not be shared with any third party. Privacy Policy Opt-In * I have read and understand North Sails privacy policy Age Consent Opt-In * I am 16 years or older Continue Download Background Download Button Interstitial First Name * Last Name * Email * By entering your email address, you agree to receive emails from North Sails as well as promotional offers and announcements from North Sails. Collected information will not be shared with any third party. Privacy Policy Opt-In READ MORE

CONTROLLING JIB LEECH TENSION How to Effectively Finetune Your Fairleads with Fixed Positions Sailing dinghies are all unique. It is always fun to go from one one-design class to another and check out what makes them different, what controls they have, and in this case, what they might not have available for the crew to use to adjust and tune. One very important tuning device for jib trim is the fairlead position. Fairlead position defines sheeting angle for the jib, and many classes of course have adjustable fairleads; that is, the position can be moved fore and aft (or in some cases up and down, and in and out). When it gets windy, it’s often nice to be able to open the leech of the jib a little bit, and this can be achieved by moving the fairlead position aft. Conversely, moving it forward can create a more powerful shape. The 420 was designed, for better or worse, without adjustable fairleads; it is, as they say, where it is. How do you effectively move the fairlead fore and aft in a boat with fixed fairlead positions? The answer on the i420 is jib height. To achieve this, i420 sailors can raise and/or lower the height of the jib on the luff wire to achieve proper leech tension on the jib for given conditions and mast rake. You may notice boats in-between races that are capsized on their coach boat; often this is done to change jib height to match expected conditions for the next race. The peak rope fixed (and adjustable) at the head of the jib controls jib height. The boat also has an adjustable jib tack control to accommodate changes at the peak. Normally the jib should be fixed by having a proper deck sweeping effect. However, for the i420 class it is important to know the height should be adjusted to provide the optimum jib lead angle. Since, as we said, the sheeting point is fixed, you should adjust the peak rope to move the jib clew up or down to achieve the desired sheeting angle. In short, lower the jib down a bit to open the leech and ease power when the winds are up; in light winds, raise the jib for more power and jib leech return. It is also imperative to remember that mast rake also has a significant effect on jib leech tension. Raking back effectively opens the jib leech, and conversely, raking forward closes it. Don’t forget this when you tune the boat. Adding jib height to your tuning regimen can make a performance difference. Experiment, find the right balance, mark your settings, and go faster! For more information and questions on how to match your North i420 sails perfectly, please contact North Sails clas expert Tom Sitzmann. 2020 Miami One Design Development Program READ MORE

NORTH SAILS RELEASES NEW T-10 TUNING GUIDE Maximize Your T-10 Performance For Different Conditions 📸 Dave Mathias The North Sails T-10 team is excited to release a brand new Tuning Guide for 2021. The T-10 can be a simple boat to sail, however it can be rather difficult to sail the boat to its full potential and have that extra edge over your competitors. Our new Tuning Guide focuses on the importance of setting your T-10 up for the different sailing conditions such as flat water vs. chop. When tuning your T-10, it is important to know how your mast bends and reacts to rig tune changes. It is also important to know exactly what to look for when tuning in different conditions or as the conditions change throughout the sailing day. Our new Tuning Guide will walk you through the whole process of tuning, from getting your mast inline with your keel for optimized tack to tack performance, to knowing how to power up/de-power the rig as conditions change. The hardest part of rig tune on any boat is knowing what changes need to be made and when to make them. Visual Tuning The new Tuning Guide is based on visual tuning. The concept of looking at your leeward shroud tension while sailing upwind, as well as sighting up the mast to visually see if the mast is bending side to side, if the top of the mast is falling off to leeward, or if the mast is straight in a side-to-side plane. Visual Tuning also involves looking at your headstay tension, or headstay sag. The T-10 being a deck step mast, your upper and lower shroud tension becomes critical in controlling your headstay sag. In some conditions such as flat water, you will want to sail with a tighter headstay. That will allow you to trim the headsail in more, which will allow you to point higher. This can be achieved by sailing with a tighter rig tension. In other conditions, such as medium air and chop, you will want to sail with more headstay sag to make the Jib deeper and more powerful. This can be achieved by sailing with a loser rig tension. Live Webinar – Sign Up! To learn more about our new Tuning Guide and Visual Tuning, sign up for our T-10 Webinar on Wednesday, January 13th, at 19:30 EST. T-10 Class experts Nick Turney and Perry Lewis will share critical updates to the Tuning Guide and explain in more detail the concept of Visual Tuning on the water. Nick and Perry will also discuss the differences between a one-jib program and a two-jib program, the advantages and disadvantages for either. Sail designer Mike Marshall will present the difference between 3Di, 2D string sails, and paneled sails. Sail expert Allan Terhune will moderate the webinar. VIEW NEW TUNING GUIDE SIGN-UP FOR WEBINAR 📸 Dave Mathias READ MORE

NORTH SAILS HOLIDAY GIFS Add Some Holiday Flare to your Instagram Stories + Reels Remember what it was like when GIFs didn’t exist? Over the last few years, they’ve become our favorite social addition so this year we’ve added some fun options for you to enhance your next Instagram story or reel. Want to add some spice to your next post? Express your holiday spirit with a few new special effects made by your favorite sailmaker. Not sure where to start? Open Instagram, select your image, and then follow the video instructions below to add your favorite holiday GIF to any post. Open Instagram. Take a photo -or- select a photo or video to post. Scroll up and select “GIF”. Search: “North Sails” to view our collection of GIFs. Select, click and drag to place anywhere you want in your photo or reel. TIP: You can make the GIF larger by using two fingers to zoom in, or out. You can select multiple GIFs to include in each post. Just repeat steps 1-4 and add as many as you want! READ MORE

Here’s what Sarah O’Kane from Shorebase, a logistics company, says is important to properly provisioning for your next offshore adventure. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS MNR OPTIMIST SAILS UPWIND QUICK TIP Sprit Tension is The Key In lighter wind the clew-masthead crease is very well defined. This is max crease ease. When you think about it, your Optimist sail has a really big job to do; it has to have a great shape in really light wind, when most sailors wish they wouldn’t run a race, and it has to also hold its shape all way to 20 knots +, when some other sailors wish they wouldn’t run a race. The North MNR sail can handle it and is very dynamic. It is designed to excel in all wind ranges, but you have to help it by following the cues and tuning guide as you sail in different conditions, and trim the sail properly. Here’s one secret: if you want to unlock your North MNR mainsail’s full potential upwind, focus hard on sprit tension. One of the big drawbacks of tight mainsheet tension upwind, especially with traditional Optimist sail designs, is that the back end of the sail, the leech, has a tendency to close down, sometimes in a vertical line right along the forward end of the battens. I liken this to the flaps on the wing of a plane being deployed to slow the plane and stall flow. Deploy flaps…. flow stalls; pull in your mainsheet too much…. leech closes off and you lose lift. This is s-l-o-w. Most sails have one sweet spot, but after that you cannot pull it in any more, and if you do… you really slow down. Here’s the good news: the MNR bi-radial sail is designed with all this in mind, and with the right sprit tension, the sail can be very fast in most all wind conditions.. To unlock its potential, follow the simple guidelines below: LIGHT WINDS (0-8 knots) Ease off the sprit halyard quite a bit. You want to clearly see wrinkles/creases coming from the clew to the top of the mast. This may look weird, but it will keep the leech open when you sheet the sail in, and will give you great pointing height. MEDIUM WINDS (9-15 knots) Here is where you need to experiment. Depending on your weight, rig, and the chop, the sprit can come in a bit, but if there is any real chop of waves at all, err on the side of slightly less tension, so you still want to see some wrinkles. In very flat water, you can pull it in so the wrinkles are barely there, and you will just point higher. In moderate wind (there were higher gusts on this day), the crease is less noticeable, but still there. HEAVY WINDS (16-20 knots) If you can keep the boat flat with the mainsheet in so that the boom is on, or slightly inside, the transom corner, feel free to tension the sprit so that the wrinkles are gone (but definitely not too tight). Once you are overpowered though, ease off just a bit to open the leech and de-power. All boats/sails/rigs/sailors are unique, so everyone should experiment and work to find what setups are fastest for you. There’s more to the story for sure, so if you are interested in learning more about your North Sails MNR sail, please don’t hesitate to contact North Sails expert Tom Sitzmann. Remember, fun is fast! READ MORE

LET’S TALK E SCOW Upwing Tuning & Sail Trim with Jeff Bonanni Informative webinar featuring E Scow expert Jeff Bonanni, multi-class World Champion Eric Doyle, and our one-design expert Allan Terhune. This webinar focus on upwind tips to make the E Scow fast in different conditions. Jeff, Allan and Eric share their thoughts as they review photos and a video taken during a training session. Very interesting and informative for those looking on improving performance. The E Scow class is one of the best Scow classes, and boats powered by North Sails have dominated the past fine National Championships. The North Scow designs are the exact same design that you have been winning with, that you know and you want. The proven Scow designs are only available from North Sails. Shop E Scow North E Scow Victory List E Scow Experts READ MORE

PACIFIC YANKEE’S DREW FREIDES 2020 IC37 National Champion Interview 📸 Morgan Kinney / IC37 Class Association Drew Freides is a well-known face in the sailing world. His list of impressive results includes back to back Melges 20 World Champion in 2017 and 2018, two IC37 Winter Series wins, 2019 Farr 40 World Champion, and most recently, winning the 2020 IC37 National Championship. Drew commented, “This year has been a crazy one, more like musical chairs trying to organize and reorganize. We planned to spend our entire summer in Newport, RI, yet we had to be as flexible as possible. Fortunately, we were able to keep our core crew together for the back to back events; Rolex Race Week and the NYYC Annual, which served as the IC37 National Championship. I hadn’t done much sailing this summer before these last two, and half weeks, so I was thankful for the opportunity to spend solid time on the water. Our goal this year was to win the Nationals, and our entire program came together to make that possible.” NS: The IC37 is a fun boat with strict OD rules in place. What makes the IC37 Class set up so successful? Drew: This class is great because you don’t have to get into an arms race; you put together the best crew combination you can think of, and every team has the same restrictions and rules to follow. Some may not favor it, but I believe that the class has done an excellent job of limiting costs. Every rule in place is to get more sailors involved. The IC37 is an extremely competitive fleet but also has a collegial feeling as well. Long term, it’s not about focusing on the top boats at each event, but instead getting more and more people involved in sailing. 📸 Morgan Kinney / IC37 Class Association NS: What do you enjoy most about sailing in the class? Drew: My favorite thing about sailing in this class is the camaraderie. We have many friends out there racing on other boats in the fleet, and it’s fun to compete with each other on a fun, fast boat. Another thing I like is that the IC37 class offers excellent coaching and support. Greg Fisher and North one design expert Tim Healy went out together before the events and helped us fine-tune. They provided tips and took photos and video to debrief with the fleet at the end of the day. We worked on boat handling around the corners and left no details out. By the end of the day, we were ready to compete. NS: What do you feel has helped make the class so successful? The team at North Sails have put a ton of effort into boat set up and sail configuration. I am a believer in reefing the sails when the wind pushes the class limit. It may look weird while onboard, but once you do it, you can sail in anything, and the boat is still fast and just as competitive. It’s a good option to have. For example, it was blowing 37-30 knots on Practice Day 1, and we reefed both sails and went out and had a great day on the water. Having this option to make things more manageable in higher wind limits is a direct result of sail experts and the class working towards a common goal. In particular, this season, having two events go off without a hitch, has been a massive factor in our year’s success. We can’t thank the New York Yacht Club enough for putting together two great events, back to back, in such challenging times. The competitors very much appreciated it. The club could have canceled this thing at any time, but I think they knew it was necessary to go racing for our sanity as sailors. This is the first regatta I have done since we the winter series in Florida back in January. Kudos to the club and race organizers for pulling this off. Every sailor appreciated it. 📸 Morgan Kinney / IC37 Class Association Drew’s Tips for a Successful Season and Top-Notch Program: 1. The crew is crucial in getting people to fit the roles. There are no passengers on this boat. There’s just no room. So thinking through who’s going to be your team and what roles they play is critical. Finding the right people that are the right weight is also crucial. Rather than having simply great sailors, we have great sailors who are even better for their specific role. The rule of having two women onboard is also a secret weapon for our team. They are light and can do many roles that contribute to every success of the team. We choose to have a woman always “trim” the runner because they can’t hike out when doing so, so being lighter is an advantage—that said, they need to be highly skilled because that role is so essential to our boat speed. 2. Having an agile bowman and a strong mastman. Both roles require strength and timing. Clean hoists and kite takedowns are equally important because they set you up for the next leg or maneuver. Our excellent takedowns also enabled us to keep the chute up long and gave us the one-up on other boats at the leeward gate. 3. Having crew members that can do different jobs. Myself and Bill Ruh could helm the boat, but we could also trim. This worked out nicely as Bill steered for Race Week and I drove for the Nationals. We have a couple other crew who also fit into this all-around ability. To say it’s beneficial would be an understatement. As the driver, I receive a lot of the credit, but I’m only the guy driving at the end of the day. My job is to drive in a straight line –The crew makes the boat go fast and gets us around the corners. 4. The power of the runners. The runner is the one thing that constantly has go up and down based on wind strengths. I would consider it one of the most essential trimming tools onboard. Our female crews are unbelievably valuable on the boat for roles like this. They are small and can be our primary runner trimmers and help around the boat; a great weapon for any team. 5. Confidence in boat speed is key. If you don’t have confidence, you won’t do well. Our team has confidence in our boat speed. This lets us take less risk tactically, knowing that our boat speed can get us out of jams. We don’t need to bang corners to win races, but rather play the shifts and let our boat speed enable us to pass boats when required. That consistency wins regattas. 6. Mark your settings. Where to trim the jib for certain settings, the vang, marks for the leads, marks on the jib sheets, marks on the runners, marks for the outhaul, how many plates we needed beneath the mast for each wind speed, etc. We knew what settings we had without having to waste time and energy thinking about it. This allowed us to focus on sailing the boat fast and smart rather than worrying about the boat tune. “The one thing Vince Brun taught me is that when you’re racing the boat you don’t want to be thinking about your settings. You should know where they go.” 7. Weight placement. Depending on wind speed, we all knew where our crew weight needed to be. Shifting crew weight according to wind strength helps you minimize wetted surface in light air, control the balance of the boat, and maximize the power of the boat as the wind picks up. Controlling not only the heel but also the fore/aft trim is important. 8. Preparation is key. We always make a point to have two solid days of practice with most, if not all, of the crew in attendance before every event. Practice day one is about getting everyone acclimated. Practice day two we hit it hard. The nice thing about giving yourself two full days is that you spend the first part of the first day getting things organized. When all the other boats show up for their first practice day, we’re already set up for speed and ready to go. From your team at North Sails, well done to all competitors on a successful event! Special congrats to Drew Freides and rockstar team on Pacific Yankee, 2020 National Champions! IC37 Class Page Tuning Guide Contact an Expert About the Class 📸 Morgan Kinney / IC37 Class Association 📸 Morgan Kinney / IC37 Class Association READ MORE

LET’S TALK MC SCOW 2020 Masters Champion Matt Fisher Shares His Z-Max Tuning Tips Informative webinar with 2020 MC Scow Masters Champion Matt Fisher and North Sails One Design experts Allan Terhune and Eric Doyle. Matt talks about his dominant win at the Masters in Iowa using the North Sails Z-MAX mainsail. He shares his experiences of his 12 year journey in the MC Scow Class, from his challenges as a class novice to becoming the 2020 Masters Champion. “The North Z–Max mainsail is the only sail I have used since I have been sailing MCs. The Z-Max is easy to use, I follow the North Sails tuning guide and if I have any issues, it’s because I am over trimming.” – Matt Fisher North Sails is the only manufacturer of the Z-Max mainsail that has won the 2019, 2017, 2016, 2105 and 2014 MC Scow Nationals. It’s the exact same design that you have been winning with, that you know and you want. This proven design is only available from North Sails. Shop MC Scow North Z-Max Results MC Scow Experts Matt & Lisa winners of the 2020 MC Scow Masters powered by the North Sails Z-Max. 📸 Regatta Girl READ MORE

NORDISK FOLKEÅD TUNING-GUIDE TIL TUNING-GUIDE TIL TRÆMAST INTRODUKTION Formålet med denne trimvejledning er at give vores Folkebåds kunder en standardiseret vejledning, samt bedst mulig udnyttelse af deres nye North Folkebådsejl. Denne trimvejledning er udarbejdet af Søren Kæstel, Per Jørgensen og Theis Palm. Følg vejledningen så nøjagtigt så muligt. Det vil altid være en god ide at eksperimentere på din egen båd, da mandskabets vægt, bådens balance, mastens beskaffenhed samt lokale forhold også vil have indflydelse på det optimale trim. MASTETRIM Masten på en folkebåd er nok det mest kritiske, da træets beskaffenhed er utrolig vigtig for mastens krumning og spændstighed. Nedenstående er de udbøjnings tal som vi anbefaler til en folkebåds mast, senere i denne vejledning giver vi en ide om hvor hårdt masten skal stå på agterkanten i mastehullet. Den ultimative bøjning er svær at definere, udbøjningen skal ligge mellem 10,5 cm til 14,5 cm, målt med 16 Kg, 4,8 meter fra toppen. 1. Kontroller at din mast står lige i båden. Dette gøres bedst ved at føre vanterne ind langs masten og afsætte et mærke ud for overkanten af det sorte mærke ved bomfæste – herefter måles til dækket hvor vant skruerne er befæstet – målet skal være ens I begge sider. 2. Mastens hældning måles på følgende måde – forstaget tages af ved dækket og føres ind langs masten. Wiren strækkes så meget som muligt – der afsættes et mærke ud for overkanten af det sorte mærke ved bomfæste. Forstaget sættes på plads – der måles nu 1,31 meter fra mærke til dæk målt langs forstaget. 3. Herefter skubbes mastefoden agter over til den den lige akkurat røre bagkanten af mastehullet. Hvis masten er stiv skal den stå forholdsvis hårdt på bagkanten og trykkes 22 mm agterover for at få masten til at krumme jævnt, hvorimod hvis masten ligger omkring 12,5 cm i udbøjning trykkes 16 mm, er masten blød 14,5 cm skal den kun lige berøre bagkanten af mastehullet. 4. Strutterne justeres ved at trække hårdt i hækstaget – kig op langs hulkilen og kontroller, at strut stagene er lige stram i begge sider. Hvis ikke justeres strut stagene til masten står lige. Strut stagene skal står forholdsvis løst i let vind, og i hård vind, hvor man i mellemluft strammer 2-3 omgange på den fælles vant skrue, det svare til at faconen i toppen af storsejlet ligger ca. 47% tilbage fra forliget. Det vigtigste er at masten krummer jævnt fra dæk til top, hvis strutten står for stramt krummer masten for meget i bunden og bliver for stiv i toppen, hvorimod hvis strutten står for løst krummer masten kun i toppen og masten forbliver stiv i bunden, den jævne krumning giver et pænt jævnt twist i storsejlets agterlig. 5. Sidevanterne – er med dette trim med til at kontrollere forstagets spænding da trykket på bag kanten af masten, i mastehullet er med til at presse masten fremover og hermed får forstaget til at stå løst. I let vind skal man sejle med et forstags-fald på ca.8 cm. dette gøres bedst ved at stramme sidevanterne lige meget under sejlads til de 8 cm. er opnået. Når vinden så frisker til mellemluft strammes 1½ omgang på sidevanterne og yderligere 1½ omgang i frisk vind, på denne måde strammes forstaget op under øget vindpres. På de bløde master bruges en 2 cm. tyk kile på bagkanten til at opnå samme virkning. STORSEJLS TRIM Storskødet er meget kritisk og små justeringer har stor betydning for højde og fart. Skøder man hårdt, lukker agterliget mere og giver større rorpres, men til gengæld mere højde. Dette trim kan anvendes i mellemluft på fladt vand, hvor man lige kan hænge båden ned. I let vind slækkes skødet således at den øverste ticklers flyver ret bagud. I hård vind skødes godt hjem og hækstaget hales indtil båden igen bliver let på roret uden at man mister højde. I forholds vis store bølger skal sejlet twiste mere, for at få så stort et styreområde til vinden som overhovet muligt, samtidigt giver det også bedre fart og hermed også højde. Som tommelfingerregel trimmes den øverste sejlpind parallelt med bommen i stort set alle vindstyrker. 1. Udhal på bommen. Udhalet er også en vigtig trimfaktor. I let vind (0-2 m/s) skal sejlet være 3 cm fra sort mærke. I mellem vind (2-5 m/s) 1,5 cm fra sort mærke og over 5 m/s hales helt ud på mærke. 2. Cunningham. Undlad helt at bruge cunningham i let vind. I mellem vind hales kun så meget at rynkerne langs forliget forsvinder. Når vinden er over 7 m/s hales der hårdt for at medvirke til at åbne kappen og holde faconen fremme i sejlet. 3. Løjgangen. Det er en god ide at have to vogne på løjgangen, disse to vogne forbindes med to wire stropper af ca. 40 cm længde, til en blok hvor storskødet løber igennem, dette gør sejlads i let og mellem vind væsentligt nemmere. I let vind (0-3 m/s) skødes 15 – 20 cm. til luv. I mellem vind (3-6 m/s) sættes vognene på midten. I vindstyrker der over køres vognene mod læ, således at båden retter sig op og bliver let på roret. 4. Hækstaget. Hækstaget har to funktioner, At kontrollere dybden I storsejlet og hvor meget forstaget falder mod læ. Det vil sige, at et strammere hækstag betyder et fladere og mere åbent storsejl, mindre forstags fald og hermed også fladere fok. Vi har mærket vores hækstag op for hver 20 cm, så vi hurtigt kan komme tilbage til et godt trim og have båden veltrimmet lige efter mærke rundingerne. 5. Bom nedhal. Bom nedhalet bruges på kryds, til at krumme masten i hård vind og hermed åbne sejlet forneden, samtidigt med at den holder bommen i niveau når storskødet bliver slækket i de hårde pust. Brug aldrig bom nedhalet på kryds under 8 m/s og gør det med varsomhed, husk altid at slække til lænse position når der faldes af til slør for at undgå at bommen knækker. Bom nedhalet bruges ellers på følgende måde, hal til den øverste sejlpind står parallelt med bommen, både på halv vind og læns under alle vind forhold. North Sails fokke er skåret til skødning både på ruftag og på dækket .Vi må dog anbefale at skøde på ruftag for at få bedre twist i agterliget og så stor spalte imellem storsejlet og fokken så muligt, man har også væsentligt bedre kontrol over fokken, jo kortere afstanden er fra skødbarm til blok, dette viser sig specielt i hård vind. Med skødning på ruftag må det anbefales at have en vendeblok forrest på hænge bræt for at undgå at skødet kinker på spillet. 1. Skødepunkt. Skødevognens placering er kritisk for fokkens trim, men som udgangspunkt måles 2,65 meter fra pind boldt i forstag til centrum skødeblok (hvis der skødes på ruftaget). Fokken skal luffe jævnt langs forliget dvs. at ticklers skal stå ens både i top og bund. 2. Fokkeskødet. Skødespænding – der skødes hjem så den midterste sejlpind er parallel med centerlinien i båden under de fleste forhold, med I det lette vindområde (0-2 m/s) twistes dog 2-3˚ mere. Hvis der er meget sø skødes 2-3 huller frem på skødeviseren for at få mere dybde og trækkraft (husk midterste sejlpind skal stadig være parallel med centerlinien i båden. I hård vind skødes 1-2 huller tilbage, med aldrig så at underliget bliver løst og begynder at blafre. 3. Faldspænding. Stræk aldrig faldet for hårdt, da faconen ellers kommer for langt frem. – Fokken er designet på denne måde – . Stræk kun lige så folderne ved løjerterne forsvinde. I let vind må der gerne være små folder ved løjerterne, dette giver det bedste profil. Din kontakt hos North Sails er Theis Palm. READ MORE

H-BÅD TUNING GUIDE INTRODUKTION Formålet med denne tuning guide er at give vores H-Båds kunder nogle retningslinjer i, hvordan man får størst mulig udbytte af sine nye North sejl. Tuning guiden er udarbejdet af Theis Palm. Følg vejledningen så nøjagtigt som muligt. Det er dog altid en god idé at eksperimentere på sin egen båd, da mandskabets vægt, bådens balance, mastens beskaffenhed samt lokale forhold også kan have indflydelse på det absolut optimale trim. Før masten rejses skal nogle meget vigtige mål og afmærkninger følges for at kunne bruge denne trimguide. MASTETRIM 1. Salingshornenes længde og vinkel er vigtig for storsejlets facon, da disse er med til at kontrollere mastens krumning og dermed også forstagets spænding. Længden af salingshornene måles fra siden af masten til wiren der er placeret i salingshornet, målet er 83 cm, målet tages langs midten af salingshornet. Salingshornenes vinkel måles ved at binde en tynd snor fra det ene overvant til det andet og her efter måles afstanden fra snoren og ned til bagkanten af masten den skal være 19 cm. Ved samme lejlighed afsættes to tapemærker på henholdsvis 44 cm og 55 cm målt fra siden af masten. Disse mærker bruges senere til trim af fokken. 2. Herefter holdes top-vanter og forstag ind langs masten og strækkes så meget som muligt. Der sættes et mærke på alle tre wirer, ud for overkanten af det sorte ved bom-fæste. Disse tre mærker er nu udgangspunkt for mastens hældning og om masten står lige i båden. Masten rejses. 3. Mastefoden placeres således, at afstanden fra centrum af forstagets pin-bolt til forkant mast er 2,42 m. 4. Kontroller at afstanden fra overkanten af det sorte mærke ved bom-fæste til dæk målt på siden af masten er 54,8 cm. Differencen skal korrigeres på det mål på forstaget som følger. 5. Mastens hældning bestemmes således, at afstanden fra det afsatte mærke på forstaget til dækket målt parallelt med forstaget til dækket er 1,37 m. 6. Kontroller nu – når den korrekte mastehældning er konstateret – at masten hviler på hele sin trædeflade på mastens fod. I modsat fald vil rig trykket blive ukonstant og forstaget hermed uroligt. 7. Mærkerne på overvanterne bruges til at kontrollere at masten står lige i båden ved at måle fra mærke til dæk i begge sider. Dette er mere præcist end at måle fra mastetoppen. 8. Riggens spænding er svær at definere, da ikke alle er i besiddelse af den samme rig-måler. Til denne vejledning har vi anvendt en Loose Gauge type PT-1 M, hvor vi har følgende mål: 9. Når undervant spændingen er sat, kontrolleres om masten står lige. Tallene på undervanter er kun en guideline, som er erfaringer fra vores egen båd. Det er vigtigt at masten står lige op til 10 m/sek. Herefter strammes undervanterne til masten falder 5-10 cm til læ ved fokkegodset alt efter mandskabets vægt. STORSEJL 1. TRIM AF STORSEJL: Storskødet er meget kritisk og små justeringer har stor betydning for højde og fart. Skøder man hårdt, lukker agterliget mere og giver større rorpres, men til gengæld mere højde. Dette trim kan anvendes i mellemluft på fladt vand, så længe man kan hænge båden ned. I let vind slækkes skødet således at ticklers ved den øverste sejlpind flyver ret bagud. I hård vind skødes godt hjem, og hækstaget hales, indtil båden igen bliver let på roret, uden at man mister højde. I forholdsvis store bølger skal sejlet twiste mere for at få så stort et styreområde til vinden som overhovedet muligt. Samtidigt giver det også bedre fart og hermed også højde. Som tommelfingerregel trimmes den bagerste halvdel på den øverste sejlpind parallelt med bommen i stort set alle vindstyrker. 2. UDHAL PÅ BOM. Udhalet er en anden vigtig trim faktor. I let vind (0-2 m/sek.) skal sejlet være 3 cm fra sort mærke. I mellemvind (2-5 m/sek.) 1,5 cm fra sort mærke og over 5 m/sek. hales helt ud på mærke. 3. CUNNINGHAM. Undlad helt at bruge cunningham i let vind. I mellem vind hales kun så meget at rynkerne langs forliget forsvinder. Når vinden er over 7 m/sek. hales der hårdt for at medvirke til at åbne kappen og holde faconen fremme i sejlet. 4. LØJGANGEN. Justering af løjgangen påvirker rorpresset væsentligt og bruges alt efter mandskabets vægt. Løjgangsvognen justeres således, at bommen, så længe som overhovedet muligt, er på centerlinien af båden, altså til luv (dette for at bevare så stor vindkanal mellem storsejl og fok som overhovedet muligt og for at kunne sejle maximal højde). Når vinden så frisker, og hækstaget er halet maksimalt køres løjgangen til læ, indtil båden er i balance og let på roret. 5. HÆKSTAGET. Hækstaget har to funktioner: At kontrollere dybden i storsejlet, og hvor meget forstaget falder mod læ. Det vil sige, at et strammere hækstag betyder et fladere og mere åbent storsejl, mindre forstags sag og hermed også fladere fok. Vi har mærket vores hækstag op for hver 5 cm, så vi hurtigt kan komme tilbage til et godt trim og have båden veltrimmet lige efter mærkerundingerne. 6. BOMNEDHAL. Bomnedhalet bruges på kryds til at krumme masten i hård vind og hermed åbne sejlet forneden, samtidigt med at det holder bommen i niveau, når storskødet bliver slækket i de hårde pust. Brug aldrig bomnedhalet på kryds under 8 m/sek. og gør det med varsomhed. Husk altid at slække til lænseposition, når der faldes af til slør, for at undgå at bommen knækker. Bomnedhalet bruges ellers på følgende måde: Hal til den bagerste halvdel af den øverste sejlpind står parallelt med bommen; både på halv vind og læns, under alle vind forhold. FOK 1. SKØDEPUNKT. Skødevognens placering er kritisk for fokkens trim. Som udgangspunkt måles 2,88 m fra pin-bolten i forstag til centrum af skødeblokken. Fokken skal luffe jævnt langs forliget; det vil sige, at ticklers skal stå ens både i top og bund. Hvis der er meget sø og over 3 m/s, skødes 1 hul frem på skødeviseren, og under 2 m/s skødes helt op til 5 huller frem på skødeviseren. 2. SKØDESPÆNDING. Her bruges de afsatte mærker på salingshornene. I vindstyrker under 3 m/s skødes til yderste mærke (54 cm). Over 3 m/s skødes til inderste mærke (44 cm). 3. FALDSPÆNDING. Stræk aldrig faldet for hårdt, da faconen ellers kommer for langt frem. Stræk kun lige så folderne ved løjerterne forsvinder. I let vind må der gerne være små folder ved løjerterne, idet faconen i fokken derved flyttes lidt bagud og dybden øges en smule, og dette giver det bedste profil. SPILER Spilerstagens fæste på masten bør sidde i en højde af 1,50 m over ruffet. Stagehøjden justeres under de fleste forhold således, at den står vandret. Derved opnås den størst effektive længde af spilerstagen og det størst mulige projicerede areal til vinden. Vores spiler er designet hertil. I let vind justeres stagehøjden således, at skødebarmene på spileren flyver lige højt for at få den bedste indfaldsvinkel på det luv sidelig, samtidig med at det læ sidelig er maximalt åbent. I vindstyrker over 7 m/s sættes læ barberhal for at hindre spileren i at blive for levende. På skæring i hård luft må spilerstagen under ingen omstændigheder komme nærmere til forstaget end 60 cm for at forhindre, at båden kommer ud af kontrol og skærer op i pustene. Hvis du har spørgsmål vedrørende trim, så kontakt Theis Palm. God fornøjelse på vandet! READ MORE

PUTTING AWAY YOUR TOYS End of Season Storage and Sail Care Is Key to Prolonging Sail Life North Sails Expert Tom Davis is particular about sail storage. He’s shared his best tips below to ensure your sails remain in top shape for next season. Given how strange 2020 has been in many respects, sailing has, fortunately, turned out to be an ideal activity in the great outdoors. While the way many of us have put our boats to use in 2020 has differed from prior years, sailors have been able to spend lots of time under sail – perhaps even getting in more sailing days than usual. For those living in areas where sailing has a defined season due to the approaching winter months, properly buttoning up the boat and equipment is a routine either underway or about to get started. Ensuring it is done right is critical for an effortless restart a few months from now when warmer weather returns. While by no means intended to be an exhaustive list, here are a few tips based on personal experience to keep in mind when preparing to store your sails. Dry If nothing else (and as you’ll see below, there is plenty more to be done), your sails must be scrupulously dry before you put them away. That’s true of short-term storage (between sailing days during the season) and becomes essential when storing for the longer term. Why? Moisture will encourage mildew growth, causing ugly dark stains on your sails. Moisture will promote dye migration of colors in spinnakers, causing discoloration. Neither of these bad outcomes is covered by sailmaker’s or sailcloth manufacturer’s warranties. After-the-fact cleaning will rarely remove all mildew staining, and cleaning will do nothing to undo dye bleeding in a spinnaker. Mildew and dye migration are unsightly, but they don’t significantly reduce sail performance. Where long term moisture exposure will harm more than just the look of your sails is damage to adhesives, impregnations, and coatings on-and-in the sail material. Moisture hydrolyzes the components of sailcloth that keep your sails flying like foils and maintaining zero porosity. Hydro is water; Lysis is destruction. Enough said, right? Clean Is there any part of your boat that is well served by being dirty? Probably not. Dirt certainly damages sail material – sometimes through chemical interaction, sometimes by mechanical action. For example, dry salt crystals embedded in cloth act like tiny internal files, sawing away on fibers and films, clean sails will last longer and perform better, particularly as the hours of use increase. So, how do you clean sails properly and effectively? For fundamental care, sail materials will handle a combination of water with a bit of detergent, some very gentle scrubbing by hand or soft brush, and liberal rinsing with fresh water. And as noted above, thorough drying after washing is essential. Where it gets tricky is when more aggressive measures are needed to remove stains. Some fiber/film/resin types are quite robust and will accept exposure to reactive chemistry and more vigorous handling. Other materials can be very susceptible to damage from specific exposures. It’s complicated! Eliminating a grease stain from woven dacron is very different from removing a rust stain on a cruising laminate or mitigating mildew in a high modulus material. I suggest using a well-established sailing industry professional to clean beyond the basic soap/water/rinse/dry process (sailmaker, sail cleaning agency). A web search for sail cleaning tips and contacts is a good place to start, whether planning to DIY or sending your sails to a professional. A few cardinal rules to remember (but far from everything you need to know before proceeding): Be super careful with bleach. Some plastics have a high tolerance for bleach (polyester, aka dacron), while others are destroyed immediately by contact with small amounts (bleach is deadly to aramid fibers and nylon, among others). Be wary of any cleaning agent other than mild detergent in a low concentration. Sometimes rust removers, “oxy” cleaners, and the like will do the intended job nicely. Still, when these are not suited to the cleaned material, disaster can strike quickly (and expensively). “Race” sails can be cleaned with a simple water-rinse and dry. Never rinse a nylon spinnaker in a swimming pool (you’d be surprised how often this happens!). Once upwind sails are clean and dry, some products can be spray applied to help keep them that way – McLube Sailkote is a favorite of North Sails. Applications like these are best left to specialists, in my opinion. 📸 Michael Egan / Egan Images Repair A clean sail is undoubtedly nice to have – but not much use if the sail requires repair to be fully functional. Getting a needed repair completed before storage for the off-season is the right thing to do. That sounds a bit like “floss every day” or “avoid carbs”: easy to say, not so easy to do. But it will pay off (same with flossing and limiting carbs, of course). Sail washing does present an excellent opportunity to inspect and identify needed repair, whether you do the cleaning yourself or contract these services with a sailmaker or sail cleaning specialist. Isolate I’ve seen many examples of damage to stored sails inflicted by mice, squirrels, and raccoons. Where I live in Connecticut, I’m convinced that we’re never going to win that war by eliminating these creatures (our always stocked bird feeders aren’t helping). So, the next best thing is to keep the little devils out of your sail bags. That starts with clean and dry sails. Don’t leave salt on your sails or their bags (this is a good time to soak away salt and crud on the zippers and zipper cars of turtle bags). If you flake and bag your sails on your lawn, make sure there’s no leaves or grass in the folded sails. Store your sails in a place where small animals cannot reach them. Spinnakers are particularly attractive to rodents as it’s a meal and good nesting material. A few years ago, I started hanging my (clean, dry) spinnakers from lines attached to the ceiling rafters in my garage rather than leaving them on a shelf or the floor. So far, so good. For questions about sail storage, reach out to your local loft! 📸 Urban Haglin READ MORE

TUNING TIPS FROM THE TOP North 9DSX Moth Sail Pros at the top of the fleet share how the North 9DSX Moth sail takes them through the range of conditions and their personal tuning tips. Shop Moth Sails READ MORE

Experts Share Fastest Numbers for the Vipers North Sails Viper 640 experts, led by reigning World Champion Jackson Benvenutti and former World Champion Zeke Horowitz with help from Annapolis NOOD Champion Austin Powers, have been hard at work updating your Viper 640 North Sails Tuning Guide. This guide features key updates to make sure your speed stays consistent with the fastest teams in the world. What’s New? You will find a new measurement for a shorter headstay, an update on mast butt placement, and hear about new techniques for using your mast blocks and lower shrouds to control headstay tension. You will also discover updated guides for weather jib sheeting as well as how that relates to the vang and cunningham settings. As always, this guide serves to get everyone in the ballpark for world championship caliber speed. Your North Sails experts are eager to help you dial-in and fine tune so you and your team can be set up for success. Contact us any time! We look forward to helping you achieve your goals.   Contact Your Class Expert Open Tuning Guide   READ MORE

NORTH SAILS IC37 WEBINAR COLLECTION Sail Trim, Boat Speed, Crew Tips, and More We’ve collected all five North Sails IC37 Webinars, hosted by IC37 Class Coach, Greg Fisher, featuring special guests and key experts in the class. Each webinar focuses on something new; from upwind to downwind sail trim to heavy air, overpowered sail trim and rig set up. Hear from Ben Kinney, main trimmer on Members Only, 2019 National Champs on how to obtain maximum speed and stability across a wide range of conditions. From a designers point of view, North Sails designer Mike Marshall shows us the difference in sail trim modes across the ranges using visual support. Grab your notebook and hear the best-of talk about IC37 sailing so you can become the ultimate IC37 sailor. 📸 Hannah Lee Noll / Melges IC37 Training Weekend 2019 Learn about building boat speed in light air conditions, and how sail trim plays plays an intricate role in maintaining power through the lulls. Upwind Light Air Sail Trim 📸 Hannah Lee Noll / Melges IC37 Staying powered up but not rounding up is key in heavy air conditions. Hear more about best sail trim practices and communication between the trimmers and helmsman. Upwind Heavy Air Sail Trim 📸 North Sails / James Tomlinson Discover more about ideal sail trim, using jib leads to create the right entry window when it comes to headstay tension, and shifting the power up on the main to stay in control. Sail Trim: Medium to Overpowered Conditions 📸 Melges IC37 Class Association / NYYC The IC37 is a highly physical boat. Our experts dive into the run, going through all the details on how you can get the most speed to stay ahead of the competition. Downwind Boat Handling 📸 Melges IC37 Class Association / NYYC Hear from the experts on how to accomplish the perfect drop with the retriever line, and what each role is responsible for to assure a clean mark rounding. Leeward Mark Roundings READ MORE

Whether you live to sail on weeknights, or save your energy for the weekend, we’ve assembled a collection of articles to help make your next club race the best it can be. Tips from the North experts on helming, sail inventory suggestions, downwind communication, and DIY sail care methods– all contribute to improving race results at your next weeknight ‘worlds.’   Best Sails for Club Racing For some, “club racing” means a casual jib-and-main evening race aboard a well-stocked boat carrying roller furlers. For others, it means a no-holds-barred weekend race aboard a Melges 32 with a full crew aboard. Hear from material expert Tom Davis as he lays out your inventory options.   Learn More     Sticking To Your Senses Remember when your spinnaker was new—how crisp and clean the material felt and the way it crinkled going into the bag? The colors were sharp, and it even smelled like brand new nylon. When the kite filled and snapped in the breeze, you knew it was pulling your boat forward for all it was worth. Your senses knew that the sail was new, and if you allow them, they’ll help you understand when that same spinnaker is ready for replacement.   Learn More     New Sail Technologies Set The Tone Black has not always been the fast look for sails, but lately more and more black sails are showing up on the water. Why? The simple answer is that many sails are now made with carbon fiber and carbon is black. Read how 3Di was this trendsetter and why it is unique to North Sails technology and stands out (results and color!) from the competition.⁣⁣   Read More     Code Sails: The Ultimate Speed Addition Did you know that North Sails is the originator of the Code Sail concept? What started out as a straightforward but innovative concept has rapidly evolved into a whole new category of sails, including sails with the Helix structured luff. While Code Sails may look and perform quite differently from one another, there is one common theme: Code Sails are fast, flat, free-flying sails, designed for close reaching angles.   Read More     Make The Most Of Each Upwind The most important element of upwind boathandling is tacking. Tacking seems like a minor thing, but the difference between a good tack and a poor one can be measured in boat lengths. In a race where you tack ten times, well-executed tacks can provide the margin of victory. And in a close duel, superior tacks will allow you to break free from or keep control of a rival. Find out more on each crew position and how you can together improve your uphill sailing.   Learn More     All About Battens Thinking about battens? Preparing for a new season is something that is on everyone’s mind. Whether you’re staging your boat to launch, planning an extended cruise, or hoisting your sails for a weeknight club race; It’s important to make sure you’ve got your battens installed properly and tensioned correctly. Checking your battens will provide better sail shape and performance – and ensure you don’t lose them after the first tack or jibe!   Learn More     Steering Downwind: Less is More Steering off the wind, on reaches and runs, requires a coordinated effort between helmsman and spinnaker trimmer. Your trimmers and tactician can sometimes conflict in feedback which makes things tricky. Here are some tips on how you can acknowledge and respond to direction, while maintaining optimum speed downwind.   Learn More     DIY Sail Care & Maintenance Tips There are many ways you can help prolong the life of your sails. Our Certified Service experts wrote down pointers to keep you aligned with our sail care maintenance practices, which can be part of your regular routine while you are at home, or on your boat.   Read More     Create Your Own Club Race Playlist Want to learn more about boat prep, sail care, and optimizing your rig for your weeknight race? Scroll through our webinars and personalize your own club race webinar playlist. Simply find the webinars you want to collect and under video, click ‘save’. From there you can ‘create your own playlist’, and use the drop down menu to select your privacy settings, if you want your playlist to be private. Rewatch and rewind whenever you like.   Create Your Playlist     READ MORE

STEERING DOWNWIND: LESS IS MORE Coordinating Commands To Perfect Downhill Steering 📸 RORC Easter Challenge / Paul Wyeth Steering off the wind, on reaches and runs, requires a coordinated effort between helmsman and spinnaker trimmer. The spinnaker trimmer often has as good a feel for performance as you do while driving, and together you can coordinate efforts to take advantage of changes in conditions. Of course, as the helm, you must respond to other inputs as well. The tactician may suggest one move, and changing sailing conditions may suggest another. At the same time, you are trying to respond to the trimmer’s input based on sheet load and boat speed. More often than not there are conflicting suggestions: Go up. Go down. Be more aggressive. Steer less. One effective communication path is to channel all suggestions through the trimmer. Since your tactics won’t succeed without good trim, it helps to keep the trimmer in the communications loop. It also makes life easier for the helm, since you’ll only need to listen and respond to one voice. 📸 Chris Howell Steering on The Reach Light to Moderate Air The shortest distance between two points is a straight line… at least, on a reach it is. Plan your reaches with this as the basic tenet. From there you will have to make modifications based on tactics and changes in the sailing conditions. In fluctuating wind conditions, work up in the lulls and down in the puffs as necessary to maintain speed, while holding a good average course. Ask the trimmer to indicate when the sheet load is light (head up), and when the spinnaker sheet is fully loaded (bear off). The amount of course change required depends on wind speed. Tactically on a reach there are times when you must head up abruptly, either in an effort to pass another boat or to defend your position. Alerting the trimmers prior to the move improves the chances of success. Any abrupt course change without warning your trimmers will usually doom the maneuver to failure. Heavy Air In heavy air, you are at the mercy of your trimmers. The vang, main sheet, and spinnaker sheet must be eased when the boat is overpowered or it will round up and broach. It is fast to carry as much power as you can as long as you can control it. Carrying weather helm is OK as long as the rudder doesn’t stall, leading to a round up. Keep a hand on the vang, and dump it when the helm is on the verge of stalling. Don’t let an occasional round up discourage you. Regroup and see how long you can go before you round up again. If you do broach, you can speed the recovery by luffing the main and spinnaker. Bear off to a course below your desired sailing angle before you trim. Work up to a reaching course again only after you regain control at a lower angle. Aggressive trim is needed in puffy conditions to relieve helm load and build speed. Easing the sails in puffs translates the force of the puff into speed rather than heeling force. If the course to the mark is right at the cusp between spinnaker and jib, then a change to a Code Zero can bring control and blazing speed. If you don’t have a Code Zero, sail a little low of course with the spinnaker, and then change to a jib when it is time to reach up. Do not try to sail the cusp with either spinnaker or jib. Steering on the Run Goals on a run vary with the wind speed and boat type. The ideas presented here are accurate for moderate displacement keelboats. Priorities will be quite different on an ultralight sportboat. Regardless of your boat type, it is critical that both driver and trimmers are working toward the same goal. Light Air (4-10 knots true) In light winds (up to ten knots true), the optimum sailing angle is about 140° true wind angle (40° above dead downwind). The angle changes very little as the wind speed fluctuates, so it is not correct to head up in the lulls and off in the puffs except for tactical reasons. Tacking downwind and keeping the apparent wind forward is fast. Play the sheets to the wind, while steering a steady course. 📸. Chris Howell Moderate Air (10-15 knots true) In moderate winds the optimum speed and sailing angle change dramatically with every change in wind speed. For every knot of wind the optimum course shifts five degrees. In ten knots of wind the optimum angle is 140° true wind angle. In fifteen knots of wind a 165° true wind angle is optimum. Try to respond to every change in wind speed, driving off with the puffs and heading up in the lulls. As you change course the trimmers must also respond, working not only the sheet, but the guy and topping lift as well. Of course, every movement of the helm slows the boat. Heavy Air (15 knots and up) When the wind exceeds fifteen knots, you no longer need concern yourself with changing your sailing angles. Aim for the mark. Sail fast. Keep control. Surf if you can. 📸 Nico Martinez Heavy Air Tips Use crew weight to balance the helm, or try some windward heel to push the boat down—as long as you have control. In overpowering wind—say twenty plus—control becomes a bigger issue, and windward heel is not such a good idea. A heavy air run can lead to death rolls and broaches. To control rolling, avoid sailing dead downwind, and trim the spinnaker directly in front of the boat—don’t let it float out to windward, and choke down the sheet and pole. Also, move crew weight aft. In big breeze, everyone should be in the back of the boat. A word of caution on boom preventers. In a heavy air broach they tend to break after providing a false sense of security (or the boom breaks). The preventer can also cause a broach if the boom hits the water on a roll to leeward. And once you do broach, if the preventer holds it can keep you pinned until someone finds a way to release it. Helmsmanship in heavy air conditions must be forceful to keep control. But remember, every jerk of the helm slows you down. Smooth is fast. READ MORE

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR TACKS Prioritizing Your Upwind Technique Can Make Or Break Your Race Result 📸 Stephen R. Cloutier The most important element of upwind boathandling is tacking, though every once in awhile an efficient reef or genoa change could also win you a race. Tacking seems like a minor thing, but the difference between a good tack and a poor one can be measured in boat lengths. In a race where you tack ten times, good tacks can provide the margin of victory. And in a close duel, superior tacks will allow you to break free from, or keep control of, a rival. Each crew plays a role in ensuring a good tack. Tactician If you have some flexibility in timing, look ahead for a smooth spot. Avoid waves, chop, and wakes coming out of the tack. Also, make sure you will be in clear air coming out of the tack—don’t tack into another boat’s bad air. Driver The courtesy of a preparatory hail, “Ready about,” increases the likelihood of a good tack at “Hard-a-Lee.” A proper tack starts with a slow, smooth turn to preserve momentum and allow the boat to coast upwind. As the boat comes head to wind and speed is lost, turn more quickly to finish the tack. In waves a faster turn is called for, as momentum will be lost more rapidly. Start the turn on the face of one wave and turn quickly as the bow pops out over the crest. Try to get the bow around so the next wave pushes the bow down on the new tack, not back onto the old tack. During the turn the helmsman must change sides and settle into position to work the boat up to speed. Come out of the tack a few degrees low and squeeze up as speed builds. Try to focus on the gradual push of the tiller as you are flattening the boat. Crew Keep crew movement to a minimum, and choreograph your tacks to reduce traffic. For example, at “Ready about” it makes little sense to have the genoa trimmer come to windward to tail the new sheet while another crew member moves to leeward to release. The genoa trimmer should handle the release, and crew from the rail should tail and grind. On some boats it works to have the genoa trimmer release the jib, and then turn to take the main. Meanwhile, the main trimmer abandons the main, and trims the jib. Ready About? Until you are on the layline you know your next maneuver, sooner or later, will be a tack. Let’s be ready sooner. As soon as possible after the completion of the previous tack, load the lazy jib sheet on the winch and flake the working jib sheet. At “Ready about,” the trimmer should make sure she is prepared to release and the tailer should check the new winch, take up slack on the lazy sheet, and put the winch handle in place. No one else should move. You slow the boat if you get off the rail at “Ready about,” and you also telegraph your moves, letting your competitors know you are about to tack. Even at “Hard-a-Lee,” most of the team can sit tight. As the boat stands up, the grinder should move into position. (There is nothing to grind until after the release anyway.) The longer you hike, the faster the boat will be going into the tack. The Release When the genoa is backed halfway across the foredeck, ease out one arm length before spinning the remaining wraps off the winch. The sheet should be flaked in advance. Make sure it runs. 📸 Melges Performance Sailboats / Sarah Wilkinson for Beigel Sailing Media Roll Tack Every boat can roll tack, not just dinghies. In light and moderate winds, a roll tack uses crew weight to help steer the boat and tack the sails. Here’s how: First, heel the boat to leeward to generate weather helm and start the boat turning up into the wind. Next, as the boat passes through irons, roll weight to the old windward/new leeward side. This will help the boat through the second half of the turn and throw the sails across the boat. Finally, as the sails come over, move up to the new windward side. This hikes the boat flat, helping the boat accelerate out of the tack. Tail and Grind Tail the new genoa sheet hard from the moment the old one is released. The tailer should pull in long even strokes across his body. The grinder should grind full speed right from the start, even when there is no load. It is sometimes helpful to have another crew member slap the sail around the rigging and drag the clew aft. The grinder, by spinning the winch full speed, can help the tailer bring the sail through the tough spots. By keeping the winch drum spinning, he also prevents overrides. This allows all the necessary wraps to be laid on the winch from the start of the tack, which means you don’t have to stop to add wraps once the sail loads up. Trim out of the Tack Trim for extra power and acceleration out of the tack. Pull the jib leads forward a few inches and don’t go to full trim right away; wait until your speed builds. If you want to adjust controls, such as the backstay, for acceleration out of the tack, do it just beforehand (or in the middle of the tack) so everyone can concentrate on building speed out of the tack. Once the sail is nearly trimmed, the grinder can move to the rail and the tailer can trim the last few inches as the boat accelerates. The trimmer should call out the overall boat speed often so the helmsman knows when the boat is approaching full speed and when he needs to press more. Hike If time allows, hike immediately after you tack. Do this before you set the pole, or clear halyards, or do any housekeeping. Hike out, settle the boat, and let the driver concentrate. Wait until you are up to full speed before you start moving around. This holds true in light air as well. Even when hiking weight is not needed, movement robs speed and disrupts concentration. 📸 Zerogradinord READ MORE

FIVE WAYS KITEBOARDING CAN IMPROVE YOUR SAILING Similar Concepts Teach The Best of Both Worlds Story by Ryan Levinson For those who don’t know, I have a genetic disease called FSHD that causes my muscles throughout my body to weaken continuously. When I was diagnosed, there was nothing available to read except depressing stuff like clinical descriptions of symptoms, so I’ve always strived to be a public example of one possible approach to living with the disease. Kiteboarding empowers me to move and express myself with a freedom far beyond anything else possible given the effects of my disease. I once described it as feeling “like a dance across water and through the air to the rhythm set by the waves!” It’s hard to explain how much that means to someone like me whose life has always been very physical and based around my relationship with the ocean. As my disease progressed, I lost the ability to paddle a surfboard, but with a kite, I can ride waves. It’s now getting hard to walk, but with a kite, I can fly! It is no coincidence that many of the best sailors in the world are kiteboarders. Both have a lot in common, but did you know that kiteboarding can also improve your sailing skills? Here are five ways kiteboarding can make you a better sailor: It’s dinghy sailing without the dinghy There is a wise saying, “To get better at sailing big boats, sail small boats!” Small boats offer a more direct feel for the forces involved with sailing. Kiteboarding takes this a step further by enabling you to literally experience sailing from the perspective of a boat’s mast. You develop an understanding of the interplay between the wind, water, and boat that usually takes much longer to gain through sailing alone. Kiteboarding is especially effective at helping you develop a comprehensive understanding of apparent wind, an essential skill for sailing well! Fit is fast! If you want to sail fast or far you will benefit from being fit. Kiteboarding provides a fun full-body workout to build the fitness you need to sail well. While kiting you wear a comfortable “harness” that allows you to control the pull of the kite with your entire body. This makes the kite’s pull easily manageable and provides the added benefit of strengthening key muscles used in sailing, especially your legs and “core.” Kiteboarding also builds aerobic endurance, flexibility, and coordination. It is a good idea to check with your doctor before engaging in any new form of exercise but don’t let age or physical ability serve as excuses for not getting started with kiteboarding. My 85 year old father in law took his first lesson this past winter and I’m in my 6th consecutive year of sailing full-time despite losing much of my strength due to a genetic muscle disorder. Kiteboarding plays a key role in helping me maintain the fitness I need to keep going on the water, imagine what it can do for you! Kiteboarding is a crew factory Do you need good crew for an upcoming regatta or passage? You have a great chance of finding them through kiteboarding. Even kiters who have never been on a sailboat can usually apply their understanding of wind, comfort in the water, and general level of athleticism to quickly become solid crew. Kiteboarder’s and sailor’s shared passion for harnessing the wind to move through water is a connection that often forms the foundation for lasting friendships on and off the water. Sailing more makes you a better sailor The more time you spend sailing the better you will be at it. But even the smallest dinghy can be a hassle to get rigged and ready, not to mention the challenge of just getting it to the water in the first place. Big boats are orders of magnitude more complex (and expensive) than dinghies! Kiteboarding gear is lightweight, portable, and a cost effective way to get your sailing fix. You can easily fit a complete set of kiteboarding gear in the trunk of your car (or cabinet on your boat) and get on the water quickly with little effort. Kiteboarding makes it possible for you to sail just about anywhere there is wind and water, even if it’s frozen (snow kiting is incredibly fun). Kiteboarding will greatly increase the time you spend zipping across the water developing skills and fitness that benefit your sailing. The catch Unfortunately there is a downside… Kiteboarding is an easily accessible way to feed your wind addiction which enables you to get a quick fix anytime the wind is up and you want to get on the water. The fitness, knowledge, and skills you will gain directly benefits your sailing thus making it even more fun and rewarding. It’s a viscous cycle of fun and progress that will keep you smiling on and off the water but if you’re not careful you could end up kiting between races or spending years of your life exploring the oceans on a boat full of kiteboarding gear, in search of steady wind, perfect waves, and endless sailing adventures… How to start The best way to learn how to kiteboard is to take a lesson from a qualified instructor. The learning curve is usually surprisingly quick and safe with good instruction but it is definitely dangerous (and expensive) without. Looking to get into kiting with North? Find your nearest instructor here. Want to know more about Ryan? Read more in the Q +A with North Sails. READ MORE

The Rise of Doublehanded Sailing Doublehanded sailing has gained momentum globally, as the gateway to getting back out on the water while remaining socially distant. It is also the latest event added to Paris 2024, so now is the time to find out more. Armel Le Cléac’h and Clarisse Crémer Give a Rundown of Their Experiences North Sails were lucky enough to have the two doublehanded experts Armel Le Cléac’h & Clarisse Crémer host a webinar for an in-depth masterclass. Quizzed by Ken Read, the pair discussed choosing the right teammate and how they got involved in the sport.   Learn More Two Brains are Better than One Suzy Leech teamed up with Ken Read to take on the Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race earlier this year. Each sailor brought a different set of skills to the table which led this powerful collaboration to take the win in the 24-hour doublehanded sprint race.   Learn More   Paris 2024 in Sight With nearly 20-thousand miles under his belt, Sam Fitzgerald is a seasoned Class40 racer and has his sights set on being a part of the doublehanded discipline for the upcoming summer games. Read about how he plans to make his vision a reality.   Learn More   Dynamic Duo Achieves Class40 Domination Catherine Pourre and Pietro Luciani are the reining Class40 World Champions with their North Sails allowing them to push the boat to its full potential. The pair share their best key takeaways for successfully managing a doublehanded racing program.   Learn More   Racing the Sun Fast 3300 Having never sailed the Sun Fast 3300 before, Ken Read explains why he wanted to get involved and take on the challenge of racing it from Fort Lauderdale to Key West with Suzy Leech.   Learn More   Shorthanded Sailing at a Local Level After three months of no activity, sailing on the Solent kicked off in June with 36 single and doublehanded racers. The North RIB launched to offer coaching, sail trim tips, and support to all.   Learn More   Have questions for your local North Sails expert? Contact your local loft today. READ MORE

IT TAKES TWO… … To Race the Rocket That is Eärendil, Win Multiple Titles and Dominate the Class40 Fleet Billy Black / The Atlantic Cup Owner and co-skipper, Catherine Pourre and co-skipper Pietro Luciani are the winning duo onboard Class40 Eärendil. Together, the pair are the reigning Class40 World Champions, have twice won the RORC Caribbean 600, The Atlantic Cup, placed runner up in the Defi Atlantique, and earned top-three placement in the Rolex Fastnet Race and The Normandy Channel Race. With countless offshore miles between them, their North Sails have allowed the team to push the boat to its full potential, unlocking the secret to total domination in the Class40 fleet. Catherine and Pietro share their best tips for successfully managing a doublehanded racing program: Your sails must be reliable. This is always true, but it’s even more true when it comes to doublehanded sailing. Having to fix your sail, or deal with problems while at sea, will affect your race a lot more than if you were racing fully crewed. Choosing a sailmaker who has great experience in the type of boat you are sailing with is important. Your sails must be strong and versatile. Having sails that are a little stronger and more ‘forgiving’ than regular sails for fully crewed races is key. We sail with a full set of 3Di, built for a broader range of conditions. Often with the Class40, and sailing doublehanded in general, you find yourself sailing slightly overpowered, and always anticipating a change in wind force. Maneuvers for a great doublehanded team can take 10 minutes and use up a lot of valuable energy. Knowing that you can keep the same sail up for a longer period of time without exploding it, even if it’s not ideal, is peace of mind in this mentally and physically challenging doublehanded platform. Your sail inventory should fit into a wider crossover range. This is for two reasons; you need to still be able to sail fast, even if you break one sail (which happens more often in doublehanded racing), and to reduce maneuvers. Our sails are much more versatile rather than specialized, with a narrow range-use. When training, try to switch positions. Even if it’s pretty clear that the younger/stronger is going to the bow, having tried the other way around will help both to understand your sailing partner’s needs during a maneuver. Don’t be shy in waking up your co-skipper when in doubt. If you have a doubt about navigation, or about performance, you need to speak up. I’d personally prefer to go take a nap if I know my partner will wake me up as soon as he/she may need me. Especially in difficult conditions, when you might feel a little guilty leaving the other alone. Keep your boots on! Go to sleep but always be ready to report back on deck. When your partner wakes you up, you need to be on deck right away, with no delays. Whatever watch system you adopt, be fair to one another. Being selfish or being over-generous will not work with just the two of you. Together you need to adopt a system that makes you both comfortable, so if you need to wake up your partner before the end of your watch, you can do so without any second thought. Billy Black / The Atlantic Cup READ MORE

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN YOUTUBE PLAYLIST Collect and Save Your Favorite Videos for Yourself, or to Share. Our YouTube channel has over eighty webinars from North Sails Experts in lofts across the world, participating in many different fleets. North Sails is proud to bring our customers a wealth of tips to help you achieve the results you are looking for. Explore topics such as cruising Code Zeros, technique from top racers in the J/70 class, or hear an exclusive talk about the majestic J Class Yachts. There are webinars for any sailor out there! Follow along below to learn how you can create a playlist of your favorite North Sails Webinars for yourself or to share with your team. Find a video you want to add to your YouTube playlist. Under the video, click Save. Select Watch later, Faves, or a playlist you’ve already created, or click Create new playlist. ⁣ Use the drop-down box to select your playlist’s privacy setting. If it’s private, only you can view the playlist.⁣ Click Create. If you would like to talk one-on-one to any of our experts, click here! Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4+5 Step 6 READ MORE

North Sails Has An Option For Every Type Of Cruiser A few months ago, North Materials Expert Tom Davis wrote an article titled “What are the Best Sails for Club Racing?” It only seems logical to have a companion piece that focuses on cruising, so you can better understand about the differences between club racing sails and cruising sails and all the options you have. Are club racing sails and cruising sails the same? No. Club racing is narrow in scope compared to the wide world of sailboat cruising. So, unlike the club race article (where sail size and shape were discussed), here we will cover all of North’s cruising sail materials. Once you know your own cruising goals, you can narrow down what will be best. If you have any questions about a particular material, remember your nearest North expert is just a click away and ready to help you make the best selection. Which sail cloth should I choose for cruising? For upwind paneled sails on cruising boats, we offer fill-oriented NPC CROSS-CUT, NPC RADIAN, NPL SPORT, and NPL TOUR. We also have 3Di cruising sails to consider. Our 3Di OCEAN product line consists of three types of 3Di materials, made for different sized boats: OCEAN 330, OCEAN 370, and OCEAN 700. The 3Di ENDURANCE line represents a “crossover” zone, with sails well suited to both cruising and racing. For downwind, there are woven nylons, Code laminates, and 3Di Downwind options to choose from. You’ll also need to decide between an asymmetric or symmetric spinnaker. A 22-foot pocket cruiser and a 22-meter ocean going yacht can each be successfully matched to the ideal material because there are many options for either. The trick is to work with your sailmaker to quickly narrow-down the choices of sail material to perhaps two sensible options based on your requirements. Then relax and enjoy the whole process of deciding exactly what is best for you in material, LP%/roach profile, batten configuration, number of reefs, color, and so on. This can and should be fun. Things you should consider when narrowing down your options: Your budget Your expectation for how long a sail should last Your expectation for how “perfect” a sail’s flying shape needs to be as the sail ages Your desire to have the sail weigh as little as possible while meeting the above criteria   NPC CROSS-CUT NPC RADIAN NPL TOUR + TOUR ULTRA NPL SPORT 3Di OCEAN North Paneled Cloth Sticking with upwind sail materials for now, and beginning with paneled sails (i.e. where sailcloth panels are cut from rolls of material) the starting point is woven polyester, often called “Dacron”. Polyester yarn is a good all-round performer on small to mid-size boats. It resists damage from environmental exposure. It is reasonably strong, and not excessively stretchy. And the price of a Dacron sail is at the low end of the range. Let’s summarize in bullet point form: NPC CROSS-CUT – A Fill Oriented Cross-Cut Dacron Sail Budget: when price has to be as low as possible, a NPC Cross-Cut sail is the right choice. Durability: these sails stay in one piece, even after many seasons of hard use. Sailshape Perfection: Decent when new, but flying shape will change a lot with age. Weight: Not light. Less of a problem on smaller boats, but very noticeable as LOA goes up. NPC RADIAN – Radian Warp-Oriented Dacron Sail NPC RADIAN is an enhanced version of the paneled dacron sail. Panels can be radially oriented in these sails which confers a measurable improvement in sail shape-holding. Budget: Still relatively low in price, Radian prices just a bit higher than fill-oriented NorDac. Durability: These sails stay in one piece, even after many seasons of hard use. Sailshape Perfection: Quite good when new, but expect some shape change with age. Weight: Not light – but lighter than a crosscut Dacron sail. Not available for longer LOAs. North Paneled Laminates Staying with upwind sail materials and paneled sails, the next tier of materials is laminated cloth (in Northspeak, NorLam). Laminates present the opportunity to reduce sail weight, improve shape holding, and incorporate high modulus (low stretch) and high tenacity (strong) fibers, along with polyester in both yarn and film form. When designed and manufactured correctly, laminated sailcloth is very durable, while helping keep sail weight reasonable, and resulting in very good sailshape performance. NPL TOUR & TOUR ULTRA Xi Cruise styles are aimed at mid-size cruising boats looking for both moderate price and enhanced sailing performance. Xi Cruise styles feature polyester woven outer plies surrounding polyester film and Ultra PE (high modulus) fiber on the inside. The outer layers protect the Ultra PE yarn, while the Ultra PE high modulus content reduces bulk and stretch. Budget: Medium price level. Durability: Not quite as long lifespan as woven dacron, but ages gracefully. Sailshape Perfection: Very good when new, with moderate change over time. Weight: Medium – On bigger boats, the weight savings are very welcome compared to dacron. NPL TOUR ULTRA – NorLam Ultra X Ultra X styles are available for mid-size through super-size cruising boats. The key difference between Xi Cruise described above and Ultra X is the use of UltraPE fiber in Ultra X. UltraPE offers near ideal fiber performance, with very high modulus and tenacity, along with remarkable toughness and environmental resilience. In laminated cloth, we weave the UltraPE, and we pack a lot of this fiber into the cloth. That’s not a low-cost approach, but it does result in enhanced performance and extended sail life. Budget: Higher price level. Durability: Excellent. Sailshape Perfection: Very good, because there is a lot of UltraPE in the material. Weight: Medium. NPL SPORT – NorLam Ultra XC Take everything noted above about Ultra X, and add carbon fiber. I’m going to assume everyone knows about carbon fiber these days given its ubiquity in race cars, bicycles that seem to weigh almost nothing, 80-foot boats that seem to weigh almost nothing, and pretty much every cool high-performance product that seems to weigh almost nothing. North Sails has been laminating UltraPE and carbon fiber together in cruising sailcloth for bigger boats for more than twenty-five years; and the results are still remarkable. Budget: High price level. Durability: Excellent. Sailshape Perfection: Very good, approaching excellent. Weight: Medium (Lighter than Ultra X, but you still need to pack-in a lot of fiber for the long haul). And Now… in 3D! We recently codified a full line of 3Di products made expressly for cruising boats under the OCEAN group name. A key piece of identifying this line was the introduction of a new 3Di “material” type – 3Di OCEAN 370. Let’s dig a little deeper into what makes 3Di OCEAN ideally suited to cruising, in a similar materials based context to the paneled sail information above. First though, if you’re not clear on the differences between 3Di and paneled sails (or 3Di and “string membrane” products), please take a look at our material page for more information on the difference in sail material types. 3Di represents a technology step-change in sailmaking. It is a more complex, and therefore more costly way to advance sailmaking. For cruisers, this complexity has straightforward benefits: better shape-holding in lighter weight sails with no decline in durability. Should every cruising sailor, therefore, forget about paneled sails as an option, given the engineered superiority of 3Di? No. Paneled sails remain a viable choice for all the reasons noted above; and depending on your priorities and budget remain a good option for many sailors. 3Di OCEAN 330 Retain the benefits of NORDAC polyester as described above, and enhance them with the technology of 3Di – that’s OCEAN 330. Originally called 3Di NORDAC, OCEAN 330 makes the most of polyester fiber in upwind sails. Budget: Medium price level by “dacron” sail standards, low by 3Di standards. Durability: Excellent. Sailshape Perfection: Good (very good, if not excellent, by woven polyester sail standards). Weight: Medium (not light, a lot of fiber in filament form is packed into these sails). 3Di OCEAN 370 OCEAN 370 brings UltraPE into the mix along with polyester, significantly boosting strength, while improving stretch performance. There’s a size/load point with 100% polyester sails where the sails become just too bulky, and weight aloft really starts hurting boat performance. The sails are difficult to handle and store. OCEAN 370 steps up where OCEAN 330 is not viable – doing so cost effectively, while nicely balancing the attributes of sailing performance and extended lifespan. Budget: Medium. Durability: Excellent. Sailshape Perfection: Very Good compared to directly competing cruising sail options. Weight: Medium. 3Di OCEAN 700 OCEAN 700 is an ideal performance cruising solution for bigger boats with higher load sails. UltraPE is the primary filament/fiber type, with aramid judiciously introduced in maximum load zones of the sail. Tough, low in stretch, and engineered to provide many years of service, OCEAN 700 is the cruising reference standard for mid-size to superyacht scale boats. Budget: Medium. Durability: Excellent. Sailshape Perfection: Very Good. Weight: Medium. That describes our full lineup of upwind cruising sail choices. North Sails representatives have the expertise to guide you to the exact right sail from within this broad range. If your plans include a share of racing along with cruising, 3Di ENDURANCE series sails cross over into the sail shape/sail weight performance envelope that racers require. And our hardcore race product line, 3Di RAW, delivers speed like no other sail type can. Stay tuned for an update on best material choices for downwind/reaching sails, whether cruising or racing.   CONTACT YOUR EXPERT REQUEST A QUOTE READ MORE

North Sails expert Charlie Cumbley provides a detailed run-through on how to get the most out of your OK Dinghy sail. This guide will help to get your mast set up correctly for a North sail, looking at mast rake and mast position at deck level. For each of the settings, there will be a suggested range to suit different conditions, sailing fitness levels, and styles. Please use this as a guide; it’s not gospel as everyone will have a slightly different idea on how the boat should feel. By measuring these positions and getting within these ranges, you will be able to be competitive and also accurately reproduce your settings. As we learn more about the OK Dinghy or any other One Design class, new information regarding setup, tuning, and trimming techniques will be updated on the class page.  MAST POSITION AT DECK The position of the mast at deck level will have a major bearing on how much rudder angle or weather helm your setup will produce. For any given mast rake, you can move the mast forward or aft in the boat by moving both the mast heel and deck adjusters the same amount. By moving the mast forward, you move the center of effort of the sail plan forward which will reduce the amount of rudder angle and feel. Likewise, moving it back will increase that rudder angle and feel. This position will vary depending on the boat type, foil shapes, sail shape, and conditions you are sailing in. As a rule of thumb, if you generally sail on flat water and/or light airs, you will want to move the sail plan back in the boat as this increases helm and will help you achieve a ‘high mode’ when sailing upwind. Conversely, if you are sailing in choppy/rough conditions and/or stronger winds, then you will prefer to reduce the amount of helm and rudder angle to allow for a faster lower mode upwind. As a result of this, the deck position often varies from boat to boat and depends on a sailor's preferred way of sailing. For an Ovington with a North Sail, Charlie's all-purpose measurement is 3270mm. Move the rig back 15mm to 3255mm for a flat water/light airs venue. We recommend you measure this deck position as shown in the pictures below; measured from the aft edge of the deck ring to the aft edge of the transom. MAST RAKE The most traditional way to set up mast rake is to simply hoist a tape measure up on the main halyard to the top band. To make sure you are as accurate as possible each time, once hoisted, measure down the mast to the top edge of the bottom band by the gooseneck. The tape should read 5400mm. Use the tape to measure to the top of the transom - the most popular range varies from 6100mm to 6200mm. This range depends on wind conditions, sea state, and mast stiffness. In theory, you would be looking for a more upright mast in ‘max power’ conditions and flatter water, but this will depend on your own body weight and hiking fitness. In the lighter airs, you would generally opt for a more raked aft setting to reduce leech tension and increase weather helm. We would advise a setting in the middle of these for the windy setting. Once you get overpowered from your max power setting, dropping the mast rake back a little will help the sail twist open and depower as well as allow for a faster, lower upwind mode which will be needed in these windier/rougher conditions. The downside with measuring the mast rake in this manner is it does not allow for the variation in mast bend, in particular the fore/aft tip deflection. For example, if you have a mast with an f/a tip deflection of 480mm (measured in the normal manner with 10kg) and you set up the mast rake with a measurement of 6150mm, for any given upwind sheeting position (i.e with the boom end ‘1 booms depth’ from the deck), you will have more leech tension than if you were using a mast with an f/a tip deflection of 540mm. It's this leech tension that is a critical factor for your upwind performance, so we recommend an alternative method for measuring mast rake which is used extensively in the Finn class. This method is shown below. HOW TO MEASURE LEECH TENSION Rather than measuring your mast in a straight line ‘tip of mast to transom’ as described earlier in the guide, this system measures what tension would be put through the leech of the sail. This allows you to get more accurate settings and go afloat with a good idea of how open your leech will fly (leech twist). It will also allow you to interchange different masts and set the leech profile to the same setting no matter how different your masts may be. You can use any of the different spring/digital gauges currently on the market; Persola Spring Balance, Devoti digital strain gauge both work perfectly well. We have used the Persola spring balance in this guide. 1 - Attach tension gauge and long tape measure to mainsail halyard. Hoist halyard until the tape measures 5400mm when pulled taught down the mast to the top edge of the bottom mast band. Pull some tension onto the gauge at this point and remeasure this hoist once the halyard has bed in. 2 - Attach tension gauge onto the outhaul. 3 - Tie the traveler out to the side deck, the furthest it can be from the centreline (so the boom is positioned on the edge of the gunwale when pulled to the deck in stage 4). 4 - With the mainsheet, sheet the boom to the deck (NOTE: Always use the same side of the boat for measuring tensions. Always measure with boom end on side of the boat). 5 - Take measuring tape and measure to the inner edge of the boom black band. Adjust the outhaul so that the tape reads 5425mm when held taught. 6 - Read the numbers on the gauge to see what the mast is set up at - this is your leech tension. Quick Tuning Table Helm Weight <6 knots - Superlight 5-10 knots - Light/Medium All Purpose >18 knots - Strong >95kg 75lbs/34kg 79lbs/35.8kg 84lbs/38kg 82lbs/37.2kg 85-95kg 72lb/32.6kg 76lbs/34.5kg 82lbs/37.2kg 80lbs/36.3kg 75-85kg 72lb/32.6kg 75lbs/34kg 80lbs/36.3kg 77lbs/34.9kg To adjust the tension, you can either move the chocks at deck level or move the foot of the mast (approximately 1mm chock at deck is equal to 1lb/0.5kg leech tension). Always re-check the tension after changes. This system also helps when trialing mast position fore/aft in the boat to maintain consistent leech tension. This guide will help maximize the performance of your North sail. If you have any queries, visit the OK Dinghy class page to contact any of the class experts. Check out the videos below for a detailed tuning run-through with Charlie. Happy sailing! READ MORE

3Di OCEAN: YOUR QUESTIONS, ANSWERED Learn More About the New 3Di OCEAN Line-Up with Our Q+A Q: What is 3Di OCEAN? A: 3Di OCEAN is the newest line of 3Di sails from North Sails, designed and engineered exclusively for cruising. Q: Is 3Di OCEAN right for my type of boat and sailing? A: 3Di OCEAN is for you if you are looking for a premium cruising product, providing high strength and durability with all of the advantages of 3Di sailmaking. Q: What is different and better about 3Di sailmaking? A: 3Di is a unique-to-North molded composite sailmaking process. With 3Di, individual filament tapes are printed in precise tape vectors (length/direction) and densities. This membrane is then consolidated using heat and thermoset resin on a full size, sail-shaped mold. 3Di results in strong, smooth, and precisely shaped sails. Q: How does 3Di OCEAN differ from your other 3Di products? A: 3Di OCEAN sails are optimized for cruising strength and durability, while 3Di RAW sails are engineered for low stretch and lightweight racing performance. 3Di ENDURANCE sails are suitable for both cruising and racing – with a balance between low stretch shape-holding and added durability. Q: Which 3Di OCEAN sail is right for me? A: 3Di OCEAN comes in three distinct styles, for an increasing range of boat sizes: OCEAN 330 is 100% NORDAC Polyester and suited for 25’-45’ cruising boats OCEAN 370 is for boats larger than 45’ including many cruising multihulls which require the lower stretch and greater strength of Ultra PE blended with 3Di NORDAC polyester OCEAN 700 serves boats larger than 60’ with a high modulus blend of UltraPE and aramid Q: How long has North been building 3Di cruising sails? A: 3Di technology has been around for over a decade, and 3Di sails are in use on thousands of boats that have sailed millions of miles. Q: What are some specific benefits of 3Di OCEAN sails? A: 3Di OCEAN is beneficial because it is durable. 3Di NORDAC Polyester and UltraPE fibers are more UV and flex-fatigue resistant than other fibers used in upwind sail materials. The product composite construction with thermoset resin means no mylar, eliminating the problem of delamination associated with laminates and string sails. 3Di OCEAN has a specialized outer surface tape, that provides chafe and abrasion protection–which is great for in-mast or in-boom furling. Q: Are 3Di Ocean sails good for racing? A: Not as good as an ENDURANCE or RAW sail! OCEAN is not engineered specifically for racing. Sure, if you want to join an occasional race or rally, 3Di OCEAN sails will be fine. If you are looking for dual-purpose “crossover” sails – that can be found with 3Di ENDURANCE. And of course, 3Di RAW is racing. Q: What about other materials? Does North still make cross-cut cruising sails? A: Yes, North has other paneled cruising sail options available. NPC Cross-Cut sails feature traditional woven polyester. NPL Tour sails are made of proprietary laminated sailcloth to match a variety of applications and price points. Depending upon your needs and expectations, North has a cruising sail that is right for you.   Explore Materials Find a Loft Request a Quote READ MORE

What distinguishes a great cruising sail from average? You know when it feels right. It’s that moment when you could almost let go of the wheel and the boat would steer itself. A boat in perfect balance. READ MORE

Phantom sailing can be made as simple or as technical as you want to make it, this is one of the main reasons for its success as a class. Onshore Setup Due to the adjustments available in a modern Phantom the onshore setup is really only a base on which to develop your own tuning notes. SPREADER LENGTH This is measured from the outer tip to the side wall of the mast = 420mm. If you are under 85kg you can shorten the spreaders to 412mm, likewise if you are heavier than 99kg then you can lengthen them to 425mm. This adds more support to the middle of the mast, essentially stiffening the mast section. SPREADER ANGLE This is measured with a batten or straight edge across the aft side of the shrouds, the distance from this batten to the back of the mast is the spreader angle, this should be 145mm. MAST FOOT POSITION The mast foot is measured from the aft edge of transom bar to the aft edge of the mast = 3280mm. RIG TENSION Rig tension is actually one of the least important settings due to the fact that the Phantom is such a powerful boat that you are easing forestay to depower in relatively low wind speeds so the rig tension is actually only used for light conditions of under 6kts (dependent on helm weight). One of the main reasons for measuring rig tension is to have a constant measurement for setting up the mast rake. Therefore I set the rig up with 300lbs of rig tension using a rig tension gauge on the shrouds. The rake should then be as follows: Helm Weight < 91kgs – Rake 21’7Helm Weight 92 – 100kgs – Rake 21’10Helm Weight > 100kgs – Rake 22′ Sailing Set-up (Adjustable Lowers)I have added the lowers to sailing setup because they are key factors to setting up the sail shape once afloat. In the light airs (sub hiking) they should be slack, this allows the lower mast to bend with normal mainsheet and kicker tension, in turn this takes out a little of the excess shape from the luff of the sail. This is required because the wind doesn’t have enough energy to flow around deep sail shapes so it’s best to limit it’s effort and flatten the lower part of the sail. As the wind increases and kicker tension is added the lowers are then tightened, this is so it acts as a brace against TOO much lower mast bend due to the kicker. Less lowers tension is needed on flat water where a flatter luff entry helps, than in rough sea conditions where a fuller luff helps to make the boat more forgiving and easier to steer fast. FORESTAY The forestay is the first control to ease once the breeze increases into a ‘hiking’ breeze, this helps to bend the rig and flatten the sail, although you may lose a little pointing ability, however the speed you gain from raking the rig will outweigh this, don’t be afraid to see the leeward shroud swinging wildly in the wind! This is very much an individual preference so find settings you like and use a calibration strip on the deck or the forestay adjusters to make easy reference marks ( IMPORTANT: remember when you are max rake in windy conditions to pull on the forestay downwind and prior to tacks so you can get under the boom!) OUTHAUL The outhaul should be used in conjunction with the lowers, so in very light airs flatten the foot so there is just 50-60mm gap between the sail and the boom at max. depth. Gradually ease this as the wind increases to a maximum of 150mm gap when looking for max. power, and then pull on the outhaul until you have a crease running along the foot when you are looking for max. depower mode. KICKER The key control for most singlehanders it is doubly important in the Phantom due to it’s large roach mainsail, don’t be afraid to keep pulling it on as long as the top tell tail is flying 50% of the time. Sub hiking conditions you should mainly be using mainsheet to control the leech tension with the kicker adjusted to hold this tension whenever you ease the mainsheet, then as the breeze increases the kicker should be tensioned to keep a firm leech and aid pointing. Continue to pull on more and more as the wind builds as its much quicker to sail with the mainsheet eased (boom out beyond the quarter) and a lot of kicker than the reverse of boom near the centreline with an open leech. CENTREBOARD In sub hiking conditions under 5 knots you can have the board right down, but as you rake the mast you will need to raise the centreboard to maintain the balance, as soon as you feel you have too much weather helm raise the board some more, you will be surprised at how little board you need to maintain height once you are flat out hiking especially when needing to steer a lot in choppy conditions. DOWNWIND When reaching pull on the forestay so the leeward shroud is under some tension, this helps to power up the rig, ease the outhaul too , raise the board two-thirds, and as soon as you are close to planing move your weight back and go for it! The same applies on the run where sailing by the lee can be very quick as long as you ease enough kicker to twist the head of the sail, beware this is very twitchy in anything above a moderate breeze! The Phantom rewards hard work downwind so keeping the boat flat and constantly trimming and steering for any waves will pay dividends. Good Sailing! READ MORE

North Sails stands behind our products. When you buy a North Cruising Sail, you can expect quality. READ MORE

CRUISING YOUR MULTIHULL More On Downwind Sail Designs, Handling Options and Techniques Multihull cruising has become a lifestyle by even the most competitive racers. These boats are great platforms for the outdoor living we enjoy in our moderate climate as well as being easy to cruise short-handed by couples. North Sails cruising experts share how techniques vary on multihull cruisers, and provides his tips on how you can make the most of your next sail. The design for these boats has evolved to maximize cabin space with taller, more powerful rigs and self-tacking Jibs. These sails and systems have significant sail handling benefits with tacking becoming a straightforward process; however, by not overlapping the mast like a traditional genoa, these sail plans often lack area leading to sluggish performance in lighter conditions. At North Sails, our designers have been working hard to offer solutions for all styles of multihulls that improve performance but still allow ease of handling. Understanding Your Usage Chart Plots change depending on the performance of the boat. Faster boats may not see the broader angles that the G2 offers. A stable flying G Zero can be designed with enough overlap to gauge into the G One zone. Usage chart for a Lagoon 52 How do you explain the difference? Determine the mid-girth of the sail. Using your usage plot, you’ll see the ranges of each sail, determined by apparent wind angles and wind speed. The Code 55 Screecher For a boat that does not have an overlapping Genoa, the Code 55 screecher is the first sail to consider. This sail is set from the bowsprit and is constructed in laminate materials to mimic a traditional Genoa in light winds and can sail within 15 degrees of the Self-tacking jib TW angles for a considerable gain in light air performance. The Code 55 is engineered to cope with the considerable loads generated when being used close to the wind even in light conditions with the added benefit that they can then be used at wider angles as the wind increases, increasing the range of use considerably. Recommend options are a high-quality torque cable with a bottom-up furling system. A clew velcro to stop accidental unfurling gives an extra level of security and safety. If your preference is to store the sail hoisted, a lightweight UV can be added. 📸 Amory Ross The G-Zero The G Zero is the most popular cruising multihull downwind sail offering great versatility over a wider range of wind angles. The G zero is a best-of-both-worlds sail for ease of handling and successful downwind miles. G Zeros feature a deeper shape and wider girth compared to a screecher. they are generally designed to sheet outside the main shrouds and excel at the beam close to reaching. G Zeros are compatible with both Top-Down internal and bottom-up furling systems or can be used with a snuffer. These sails can have lightweight UV strips, but because of their lightweight, we recommend lowering the sail when not in use and have no UV for the optimum performance. Cruisers sometimes use these sails without the Mainsail hoisted, and utilizing the width of the multihull and tweaking the sheet forward and outboard can achieve surprisingly low sailing angles. 📸 Amory Ross The G2 Asymmetrical Runner For Cruisers wanting the ultimate in downwind efficiency but less focused on ease of use, the A2 Asymmetrical Spinnaker is the answer! These sails are designed full in-depth and girth to achieve the best-running speed and VMG to cover the most miles. Due to being specifically optimized to deeper sailing angles, we would suggest a seamless inventory should have an additional reaching option to fill the gap between the headsails and this sail. For short-handed ease of use, we recommend either a spinnaker Snuffer or a Top-Down Furling system. The use of a tweaker or handy billy system to alter the sheeting can significantly increase the range of sailing angles and wind ranges. If the upper luff is folding first as you ease the sail and run deeper, you should deflect the sheet forward and outboard to stabilize the sail, so the luff breaks evenly, particularly important when using under autopilot for minimal trim adjustments. It is common for cruisers to use these sails with no Mainsail hoisted but always remember to use the Main topping lift and mainsheet combination as an additional backstay for added security and support to the mast. The Tweaker or Handy Billy for Cruisers These are reasonably lightweight purchase systems, typically ranging from 2:1- 6:1. They have a range of uses aboard any boat, but for downwind sails with a fixed sheeting position, they give the ability to change the twist and set of the sail easily while still sheeting the main load through the standard sheeting block and winch location. The system works best with a snatch block that allows the lowest possible friction for the deflecting sheet; however this can be as simple as a friction ring, snap shackle, or carabiner. In the simplest of forms and even without a purchase system, once you get to know your deep sailing mode requirements, this tweaking can be achieved by a fixed webbing or rope length forward of the stay and can be set up before the sail is even hoisted. A purchase system that can be adjusted under load, however, will give the best performance and stability as well as doing double duty to act as a boom preventer against an accidental gybe and also keep the Mainsail stable if you don’t have a vang. 📸 Amory Ross Sailing angles and techniques for best handling outcomes Whether it be a spinnaker Snuffer or either a top-down or bottom-up furling system, there are things you can do to make the process of sail setting or retrieval as successful as possible. The first thing to establish is the best angle to have the boat heading in relation to the true wind. This will be a sliding scale through the wind range with a closer angle required in lighter winds and a deeper angle in heavier winds. If you are too close to the wind with any of the above options, the sail will deploy too rapidly and not at a controlled pace, causing higher sheet load and flogging of the sail, and making sheeting -in much more drawn out and labor-intensive. 📸 Amory Ross The same goes for the furling away or snuffing of a sail; the heading must be far enough away from the wind to relieve the pressure in the sail. With a Snuffer, there is plenty of sheet that is perfect to have pre-set on the winch or in a tailor or cleat for the deployment of the sail. Once you have decided upon the best angle of sail, you should experiment with the sheet setting, and you will come to a conclusion that in some wind ranges to see the sail fill with air and set close to the required sheet setting with only a small trim on required. If you are unfurling a sail by being deep enough, you will be able to release the furling line and tail in the vast majority of the sheet without significant load. From this point, you can then change the course and trim the sail as required without flogging. At the same time, sailing an angle that is too deep could make the sail unstable and risk either accidental gybe or wrapping of the sail fabric around the forestay. Furling line paths that are simple and run cleanly are a must for the best outcomes Consider furling or snuffing for gybing, especially in higher winds, and decide to take sails down before the bad weather hits, not when you are already in the grips of a storm! My suggestions for A2 setting and retrieval angles are as follows if you log these from your own experiences on your boat and always go back to them, your downwind sailing will not only be more enjoyable, but you will prolong the life of your sails and rigging. 0-5 knots- Heading at 145 degrees of true wind 5-12 knots- Heading at 155 degrees of true wind 12-18 knots- Heading at 165 degrees of true wind Above 18 knots of wind most Multihulls will not require an A2 to achieve great downwind VMG. Other suggested valuable information to log and keep on hand to refer to are; When to add the reefs in the Mainsail When and how much tweaker to use in various wind ranges and angles of sail When to partly furl headsails and so on Through consultation with your North Sails Multihull Expert, we can provide you with a range of downwind sail options to match your needs. 📸 Amory Ross READ MORE

LET’S TALK J/111 Optimize Your J/111 Handicap North Sails J/111 experts Seadon Wijsen, Jeremy Smart, Allan Terhune, and Jack Orr combine their knowledge to bring you a webinar on how to optimize your J/111 racing experience. With multiple podium finishes under their belts, they have acquired a powerful collection of tips and tricks to maximize your boat speed and increase your performance in this competitive one design fleet. Topics covered include: 1:39 Kite Hoist 6:14 Downwind – Hoist and Set 12:43 Heavy Air Bottom Mark Rounding 15:30 Rig Tuning 20:17 Handicap Sailing with the J-111 23:15 Sail Inventory 28:19 Outboard Leads 34:13 HELIX 0A expected wind targets 35:09 Code sails choices 48:40 What Is HELIX Load Sharing Technology? 52:15 Bobstays & Code Zeros 55:36 Tweakers & Code Zeros 57:41 Spinnaker Staysail 1:02:54 Jibtops Learn more about North Sails fast J/111 designs. READ MORE

LET’S TALK J/70 Downwind Boat Handling With visual support from images and video, North experts Allan Terhune, Eric Doyle and Alex Curtiss analyze downwind techniques in different wind strengths, including displacement modes and planing in heavier air. Pick up new techniques to improve your J/70 racing experience! Topics covered include: 1:26 – Setting the J/70 spinnaker 12:50 Soak VMG Jibing 21:00 Jibe Kite to a Wing 32:31 Jibing boom to wing on wing 41:40 Lazy Planing Jibe 47:25 Planing Jibe 56:23 Blow Through Jibe 1:01:28 Take Down Learn more about North Sails fast J/70 designs. READ MORE

SELECTING THE RIGHT DOWNWIND SAILS FOR YOUR MULTIHULL Make Off-the-Wind Sailing More Fun! Fast and fun off-wind sailing is what multihulls are all about. High speed, high stability and close wind angles require unique sail choices. Cruising multihulls in particular benefit from specialized sails that are versatile and easy to use. Understanding downwind sail types and selecting the right sail will help you achieve top performance from your boat and enjoy your time on the water. The fastest sail on the market won’t do any good if it’s going to spend all its time down below on the bunks because it’s too difficult to use. Sails for multihulls are not one size fits all. Figuring out the performance gaps, what the boat is set up for, what you already have are all important in determining what sails are best for you. We have a ton of options and we can customize to meet your needs. Which sails are best for me? That will depend on your experience and how your boat is set up, but it does help to understand the wind angles and geometry of downwind sails. We’ll discuss those in detail below, but first here’s a diagram that explains sail range: What to consider when choosing your ideal sail Wind Angles Knowing the optimal wind angle for your boat is the first step to choosing the right downwind sail type. Wind angle is the single most important factor in downwind sail design, but the terminology can be confusing. Many sailors think in terms of True Wind Speed (TWS) and True Wind Angle (TWA). True Wind combined with Boat Speed creates Apparent Wind, which is what really matters for downwind sail size and shape. You can find your boat’s predicted Apparent Wind Angle (AWA) and Apparent Wind Speed (AWS) in the boat manufacturer’s Polar Diagram, or ask your North Sails expert to calculate it for you. Most cruising multihulls like to sail around 90° AWA in a range of true wind conditions. Faster boats will sail closer AWAs, while slower boats will sail wider AWAs. Your own experience will also help figure out your boat’s optimal AWA; just look up at your wind indicator when sailing in the “groove.” Geometry Multihulls offer unique opportunities for setting and sheeting downwind sails. The wide deck platform provides outboard sheeting points that makes downwind sails more efficient. Similarly, the windward hull provides a tack location when sailing deeper angles is desired. The wide shroud base also creates some downwind sail sizing and sheeting restrictions. Downwind sails are sheeted either inside or outside the main shroud. ‘Inside’ sails are generally optimized for AWA closer than 90° and are called code sails. ‘Outside’ sails are generally optimized for AWA greater than 90° and are called either gennakers or spinnakers. Code Sails Code Sails are flat, furling headsails that provide maximum power for light air and close reaching. Code Sails sheet inside the main shroud and are used at or near upwind sailing angles. Code Sails require tough, low stretch and lightweight material for durability, shape holding, and and ease of handling. If stored when furled, Code Sails may incorporate leech and foot covers. If your boat has a small upwind headsail and you need more power for upwind and very close reaching, a Code Sail could be a great addition. Code Sails can also be combined with ‘outside’ sails for a two-sail downwind inventory. Sail Handling: Structural Furlers, Free Flying Furlers with Anti Torsion Luff Rope UV Material: UV paint for select styles, UV material for heavier weight sails Gennakers G Zero Gennakers are the most popular cruising multihull downwind sail because they offer great versatility and cover a wide range of wind angles. G Zeros feature a deeper shape and wider girth compared to Code Sails, sheet outside of main shroud, and excel at beam to close reaching. G Zeros are compatible with all furling systems or can be used with a snuffer. All cruising multihulls benefit from added downwind sail area and the G Zero is optimized to provide easy to use sail power. The most convenient thing about a G Zero is sail handling. Most of the time, it’s on a furler with a sun cover. It can be lightweight, and we can customize them for deeper sailing angles. They can also be built to sail as high as 60 degrees, which requires more stretch resistant materials and custom sail engineering. The G Zero is strong, and great for sailing fast in breeze. What’s the design difference? G Zeros have a higher clew. We’ll figure out the geometry based on measurements taken from your boat, as well as what type of furling gear you have, your sheeting angles, usage, and depth. Main Points: G Zeros are the most versatile downwind sail available in the widest range of fabrics. They are highly customizable, with many cloth and design options. Sail Handling: Free Flying Furlers with Anti Torsion Luff Rope, Top Down Furlers, Snuffers UV Material: UV paint for select styles, UV material for heavier sails (UV covers are not available for nylon or polyester spinnakers) Asymmetric Spinnakers If you are looking to optimize for deeper wind angles or plan to carry more than one downwind sail, North Sails offers a wide variety of asymmetric spinnakers. For example, the A4 spinnaker has broad shoulders to maximize sail area, while an A1.5 is designed to generate optimal downwind VMG. A G2 Gennaker is the go-to option to simplify deep running and lighter wind sailing. Sail Handling: Top Down Furlers, Snuffers Symmetric Spinnakers The tried and true sail for dead downwind offshore is a symmetric spinnaker. Sheeted to the bows, this is a stable and extremely safe form of downwind sail power. Sailing dead downwind in the tradewinds offers self correcting directional course stability and better alignment with offshore swells. Sail Handling: Snuffers Why would someone have two downwind sails on a cruising multihull? By filling a specific gap in the wind range and sailing angle, you’ll get the most efficient sail. Having only one downwind sail compromises either end of the range, so it’s best to cover your downwind sailing with two sail options. Want to learn more on off-wind multihull sailing? Contact your North Sails experts today and get the most out of your experience. In the Southern Hemisphere, contact Ben Kelly at North Sails in Brisbane, Australia. In France, please contact Hugues Destremau based in Vannes. And if you’re in the Western Hemisphere, contact Bob Meagher and Peter Grimm, based out of North Sails in Ft Lauderdale, Florida. Missed the North Sails Multihull Webinar? Press Play! READ MORE

THE SCIENCE BEHIND YOUR SAIL TRIM Induced Drag and Mainsail Leeches 📸 Jeff Brown By Tom Whidden One of the goals for our book, The Art and Science of Sails, is to connect the theoretical with the practical. An understanding of the physics of aerodynamics will help us better trim and set our sails. To illustrate this, I’ve chosen a seemingly obscure topic – induced drag and how to minimize it – by splicing together a few excerpts from my new book. As a tactician, I need to ensure the boat is fast. Otherwise, we’re not going to win, regardless of how well I do my job. And, since the main was always front and center for me, I was constantly studying it, ensuring my mainsail trimmer was doing his/her job. I hope the following will help you better understand the connection between the science and sail trim—and there’s plenty more detail in the book. ******** By far the largest and most destructive drag for sailing performance is induced drag. The root cause of induced drag is the changing of the direction of the air flow by the foil. With airplane wings that change is downward; with a sail it’s to weather. The change in flow direction is the beginning of the process of lift. So, induced drag is a direct result of the creation of lift. In more technical terms, induced drag is the varying coefficient of lift (Cl) across the span. In other words, the differences in lift across or over the total area of a sail or wing cause induced drag. 📸 Bronny Daniels / Joysailing.com How does induced drag relate to real life on a sailboat? Assuming the boat is well trimmed and properly set up, about 80 percent of the total sail area will experience relatively constant Cl. However, in the aftermost 20 percent of the sail, the velocity of the flow rapidly decreases; and with it, the lift. The rapidly changing Cl results in significant induced drag, some on the leech and some at the head and foot. This induced drag forms the vast majority of the total drag. There are two variations of induced drag: off the trailing edge (leech) off the tips (head and foot) 📸 Eagle 53 in St Tropez Induced Drag off the Leech These are vortices, spinning counterclockwise-off that trailing edge. A deeper head section, compared to the bottom, minimizes the flow of air trying to find the shortest path from the high-pressure windward side to the low-pressure leeward side. Leech twist is very significant for the optimization of upwind speed. It’s been said that the only reason to have a front of a main is to be able to attach the leech area to the mast! The leech of the main not only ensures that the air bent around the front of the main is allowed to exit with the least interference (induced drag), but also to help steer the boat. So, how should the trimmer adjust the leech to best attain the above two goals while sailing upwind? With a well-designed and relatively new main, the answer is to sheet the main until the top telltale (preferably hanging off the back of the top batten) just begins to stall. If it’s constantly stalled (hidden to leeward), it’s a sign drag is too high. The lift-to-drag (L/D) ratio is lowered. If the telltale is flying straight back or there is an excess of backwind, it’s a sign that the sail could be sheeted tighter to allow the boat to sail closer to the wind. In this case, the L/D ratio is reduced for the opposite reason. This screen shot, from a RANS-code CFD analysis, illustrates the tip vortices emanating primarily from the top leech of the main on a fractional-rigged boat. The orientation is looking back at the top of a rig and sails from just to leeward and forward of the onset flow. Induced Drag off the Head and Foot The second variation in induced drag is tip vortex. On a plane, these flow off the ends of the wings; on a sail, they flow off the head and foot. There is a pressure difference, or delta, from the lee side of the sail to the windward side. Nature abhors pressure deltas. It’s why we have wind. And, it’s why the flow on the high-pressure side of a sail wants to escape over the top or end to help equalize this pressure. Almost all modern race boats employ a fractional rig. At the hounds, the main’s chord on the fractional rig is still quite long and therefore helps shed the headsail’s tip vortices. On a masthead rig, the tip vortices of the headsail are matched with the tip vortices of the mainsail. Not good! ***** We cover this topic (and many others) in much more detail in The Art & Science of Sails Revised Edition, written by myself and Michael Levitt. If you enjoyed this short overview you’ll enjoy the book even more. READ MORE

LET’S TALK MELGES 24 Upwind Trim with Special Guest Federico Michetti North Sails Melges 24 experts, Olympians and World Champion sailors Maurice ‘Prof’ O’Connell and Giulio Desiderato joined by five-time World Champion, Federico Michetti in an interactive webinar focused on maximizing your downwind speed. 5:45 Light Wind (3-6 knots) 9:55 Jibe Technique: Late Main Jibe 14:36 Light to Medium Wind (7-9 knots) 18:56 Medium Wind ( 9-14 knots) 27:55 Jibing Techniques – Normal or “Mexican”? 41:26 – Strong Wind (15-20 knots) 48:21 Super Strong Wind (25+ knots) Learn about the North Sails fast Melges 24 sails. READ MORE

PHRF RACING SPRING REFRESHER Weeknight Racing Tune-Up Tips From Our Experts 📸 Cate Brown Sail experts Tom Castiglione and Jack Orr based in Milford, Connecticut hosted a PHRF Spring Refresher webinar that will help any weeknight racer/ weekend warrior up-their game for the next series. Here are some take aways from the webinar that apply to any club racer. How To Achieve Optimum Rig Tune. You should try to have the same process each time when getting your rig set up for given conditions. Here’s how you can make sure you do it right, every time. Record all of your settings: Your base, light air, medium air, heavy air settings Be familiar with your tuning guide, and be comfortable adding turns/ taking turns off at the dock and on the water as conditions change While at the dock, make the mast straight by adjusting the diagonals, cap shrouds. Keep in mind you are simply trying to get your baseline. Using a Loos gauge will help you stay on track with incremental adjustments. Attach your Loos Gauge about 2 meters from the deck. Eye-level is always a good place to start Duplicate your settings as you go, and always measure from the same place every time If you have a great day on the water, make a note of it. It’s good to go back to base at the end of each day, but make sure you know where you were in those conditions you did well in so you can replicate settings again the next day Tuning devices vary for different sized boats. Using electrical tape to mark your spreaders, and a marker so you can make notes on the deck will help your trimmers get to the right trim setting without question. How does rig set up affect sail shape? Softer rig- fuller sail Tighter rig- flatter sail Try to balance both sails Adding an adjustable backstay to make your sails pull tighter will help you fine-tune on the water. Read more on how to achieve balance in your sailplan. Changing gears There are Four modes of sailing. Modes are important to understand so you can power up when you have the opportunity, or maintain your lane when you absolutely have to. Foot mode: designed to generate speed. 4-5” off. Halyard is soft, backstay is soft, trailer and sheet is CL or slightly below CL Normal mode: not fighting for a lane, sailing your best VMG, sailing on target. 1-2” off Point mode: you need height, shy of layline, boat to leeward you are trying to avoid. 0” off the spreaders= tight. Halyard is hard, backstay (keep pumping hydraulic backstay), the traveler is CL or slightly above, sheet top batten on CL or slightly below the boom. De-power mode: backstay on, halyard on, vang on hard to keep boom level. If you see wrinkles coming from the mast going to the clew, you’ve inverted your mast, and you have too much backstay. Quick Tip: Use your spreaders as a reference point. Marking your spreaders before you leave the dock helps you achieve each mode, quick. 📸 Paul Wyeth Weight placement Assign a crew member to help manage this for each maneuver Keep your crew close together on the rail In light air, send your crew down below and forward. If you remain on deck, get low! Make sure your crew is on the rail during mark roundings. It’s essential to keep your rudder in the water! Too much heel reduces your keel depth, which causes you to go sideways. It can also force you to round up in a puff. Ease the sails at the mark, to help you steer the boat down. If you use weight and your sails, you shouldn’t require much helm to steer the boat. Wait until the boat is settled before you begin to clean up unless you are preparing for a quick maneuver. The crew needs to move forward in lighter air and on the downwind. If breezy, you run the crew back downwind, but make sure you are not too bow or stern heavy. Equal body weight placement on-deck can help your boat get through the wave state better, and help you keep the boat flat and not over flatten when you are coming down a wave, or when a puff hits. If you are comfortable, you are doing it wrong! 📸 Cate Brown / BIRW 2019 Communication There should be a constant flow of communication happening between the trimmers and the helm. Constant dialogue keeps the sails trimmed together, and at the same time. If you are looking for more power, the main and jib trimmer needs to know so they can ease/ trim on accordingly. If one is eased and the other is fully trimmed, that is not fast. Learn more about crew communication and proper chain of command onboard. What to do at the dock: Clean out your boat. If you don’t need it to race, you don’t need it on the boat! Check your hull. Any knicks, growth, wear and tear on the hull is speed lost. Even a little makes a difference! Make sure your instruments are running properly. Check your instruments to make sure they are correctly calibrated and make sure everyone on board knows how to use them. The last thing you want is for someone to hit the ‘off’ button when you are trying to mark 5:00 minutes or ping the wrong end of the line. Tune your rig. Without a properly tuned rig, you won’t be able to control your mast’s behavior over the full range of conditions. Fortunately, rig tuning is a straightforward step by step process for both masthead and fractional rigs. Learn more on how to effectively tune your rig. 📸 Richard Mark Dobson, Adina Jib Top & Genoa Staysails A Genoa Staysail can be set inside a Jib A Jib Top can also be designed to set on the bowsprit which adds performance Bowsprit modifications to simplify your sailing (for inshore and offshore) Great for angles when you are not DDW often. If you are sailing a W/L in 15 knots, you may like the symmetric option better. In general, shifting to asym can increase the performance of the boat, adding speed, but it all depends on what type of courses you are sailing that will dictate which choice is best for you. It’s essential to practice before it’s time to race. When you get to your racing area, what can you add to your pre-race checklist? Spend a day getting the bugs out Time the starting line Spinnaker sets and douses Tacking and jibing Using your crew weight to go fast Boats that practice win the races! Missed our PHRF Spring Refresher webinar? Catch up and learn more from our experts on how you can enhance your performance on your next weeknight race / weekend regatta. Watch PHRF Webinar   Have questions about optimizing your boat for weeknight racing? Contact PHRF experts Jack Orr or Tom Castiglione. Email Jack Email Tom   Want to know how to choose the best sails for your next club race? Learn More READ MORE

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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