NORTH SAILS BLOG

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NORTH SAILS CONTINUES SUPPORT FOR ROLEX BIG BOAT SERIES World's Leading Sailmaker At The Heart Of The West Coast’s Premier Regatta The Rolex Big Boat Series always attracts world class competitors to the iconic San Francisco Bay. North Sails clients have a strong track record of commanding the leaderboard in the multiple classes of racing at the St Francis Yacht Club’s signature event each September. For 2019, the world’s leading sailmaker will continue to offer all regatta participants an enhanced experience and exceptional on-site support. Now in its 55th year, the celebrated regatta is expecting to attract up to 80 entries across numerous classes, including ORR, ORR Classics Class, Express 37, J/105, J/88, J/70 and J/125. North Sails will once again host the “Expert Knowledge” briefing, this time presented by renowned sailor and America’s Cup winner Peter Isler. The pre race briefing, open to all competitors, will take place on Thursday September 12 at 8 AM in the St Francis Yacht Club (Starting Line Room). Chris Bedford from Sailing Weather Service will join Peter by video connection. Chris, one of the leading sources of regatta weather forecasting, will give a detailed run down of the expected weather for the racing. Commenting on the successful partnership, now in its third year, North Sails West Coast Manager Seadon Wijsen concluded, “Our clients will be seeking every ounce of speed and performance for the Rolex Big Boat Series. We are committed to giving our customers the tools to succeed and also helping everyone competing to enjoy the event on and off the water. Peter Isler and Chris Bedford are two highly respected experts and I know the competitors will get a lot out of our ‘Expert Knowledge’ briefing in terms of weather and racing strategies. We look forward to seeing everyone at the North Sails lounge on the regatta plaza at the St Francis Yacht Club and seeing competitive sailing on San Francisco Bay. 📸 Daniel Forster/Rolex North Sails will also have a sail drop off point at their dedicated lounge on the regatta plaza, adjacent to the Yacht Club Docks, throughout the regatta, where clients, competitors, and friends are invited to meet the team, ask questions and relax. “It is St. Francis Yacht Club’s mission to show leadership in the world of yachting, and nothing exemplifies that more than the Rolex Big Boat Series,” says Paul Heineken, Commodore of St. Francis Yacht Club. “The Club is delighted to have North Sails provide support for the competitors in this year's event.” July 31 is the deadline for entries for the Rolex Big Boat Series - learn more by visiting www.rolexbigboatseries.com READ MORE

NORTH SAILS SUCCESS ON THE SOLENT J-Cup 2019 Brought Fierce Competition J/70 and J-Cup Winners: Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat 📸 Shaun Roster With 60 boats coming together for the annual Landsail Tyres J-Cup, as always, the event did not disappoint. Open to all J/Boats, the Solent hosted both One Design and IRC racing for competitors from Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and the United States. Conditions were certainly exciting for the teams, with the wind building as the event went on and peaking on the last day at 25 knots. In the J/70 Class, Paul Ward's Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat won seven of the nine races, not only winning the class but also earning the overall J-Cup for exceptional performance - the first time the prestigious award has been given to a J/70. Amongst the crew were J/70 Class Experts Ruairidh Scott (Main Trimmer) and Charlie Cumbley (Tactician). At the prize giving, skipper Paul Ward said a few words: “I am shocked, this is totally unexpected! A big thank you to Paul Heys. All of us here wish he was still around and like many of us, he has helped enormously with my sailing. A big thank you to the Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat team; Charlie, Ruairidh, and Mario.” Winning the Large IRC Class was Davanti Tyres, not for the first time having won their class for three years in a row at the J-Cup. Powered by North Sails, they shone on the last day gaining three bullets. The J/109 fleet had a healthy 11 entries with competition particularly fierce between Jukebox, Jubilee and Jiraffe. The last day was the decider and after Jukebox delivered two firsts when it mattered most, it was them who earned the title, also being crowned National Champions. Congratulations to all North clients for winning six out of the seven classes after some exhilarating racing. J/70 Class Winners: Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat 📸 Shaun Roster J/92 Class Winners: Upstart 📸 Tim Wright J/111 Class Winners: McFly 📸 Tim Wright J/109 Class Winners: Jukebox 📸 Tim Wright J/88 Class Winners: J-Dream 📸 Tim Wright Large IRC Class Winners: Davanti Tyres 📸 Tim Wright Small IRC Second Place: Jet 📸 Tim Wright J-Cup 2019 J/70 First Eat, Sleep, J, Repeat / Paul Ward Second Brutus / Charles Thompson Third Darcey / Clive Bush J/92 First Upstart / Robin Stevenson Second Samurai J / Alan Macleod J/111 First McFly / Tony Mack Second Sweeny / Paul van Driel Third JourneyMaker11 / Louise and Chris Makin and Jones J/109 First Jukebox / John Smart Second Jiraffe / Simon Perry J/88 First J-Dream / David and Kirsty Apthorp Second TIGRIS / Gavin Howe Third Raging Bull / Tim Tolcher Large IRC First Davanti Tyres / Marie-Claude Heys Second Jahmali / Michael Wallis Small IRC Second Jet / Jeff Johnstone Third Jaywalker / Bob Baker * Denotes Partial North Sails Inventory READ MORE

In division 1, Tom Holthus’ Pac 52 BadPak (with North expert Jon Gardner) beat out Duncan Hine’s Alive* by more than two hours. In division 2, Yabsley/Compton’s RP70 TaxiDancer finished just ahead of Santa Cruz 70 Buona Sera and Bill Lee Custom Merlin (with North expert Brian Malone). In division 3, the J/125 Hamachi owned by Shawn Dougherty and Jason Andrews claimed first, and, once the clock ran out, also the overall Transpac victory. In the Santa Cruz 50/52 division, Oaxaca, Michael Moradzadeh and David Ritchie’s SC50 took the win. Division 5 was won by Tom Barker’s Swan Good Call. In division 6, Corinthian team J/121 BlueFlash skippered by Scott Grealish took the win, followed by Ho’okolohe with two North experts (and father and son) Jim and James Foster. Michael Yokel’s Quester took second in division 7, just ahead of the all-Corinthian J/44 Patriot (Paul Stemler). In the Cal40 division, Callisto with the Eddy family and Kerry Deaver as navigator took first, powered by their North 3A spinnaker. In the multihull division, Jason Carroll’s ARGO was first to finish, ahead of Peter Cunningham on Powerplay and Giovanni Soldini on Maserati. Great job to all! Read the full interview with Liz Baylis, Navigator on winning Santa Cruz 50, Oaxaca Here are our favorite photos from the race: Team Hamachi, based in Seattle, Washington, USA on their J/125, overall winner of the 2019 50th Transpac © Rachel Rosales RP70 TaxiDancer, winner of Division 2 © Ultimate Sailing Tom Barker’s Swan Good Call, winners of Division 5 © Ultimate Sailing Chip Merlin’s Bill Lee Custom “Merlin”, Division 2 third place © Ultimate Sailing Jason Carroll’s MOD70, first place multihull division © Ultimate Sailing Cecil & Alyson Rossi’ Farr 57 Ho’okolohe, second place finisher in division 6 Dave MacEwen’s Lucky Duck, Santa Cruz 52, third place READ MORE

LE TOUR DE FRANCE À LA VOILE : UNE GRANDE CLASSIQUE Quentin Ponroy raconte son expérience à bord de Renaissance Services De gauche à droite : Abdul Rhaman El Mashari, Quentin Ponroy et Stevie Morisson -Tour de France à la voile 2019 📸 Jean-Marie LIOT / ASO Quentin Ponroy, maître-voilier chez North Sails et fin régatier, a quitté ses dessins de voiles le temps d’une course. Et pas n’importe laquelle : le Tour de France à la Voile. Une course qu’il affectionne particulièrement pour son format et son niveau. D'ailleurs, il a dessiné les voiles (GV et focs monotypes) pour cette édition 2019. En tant que navigant, il compte 11 participations à son actif dont 4 victoires (Safran, Courrier Dunkerque, Lorina) et deux secondes places (Groupama, Trésor de Tahiti). Cette année, Quentin et son équipe, Renaissance Services/Oman Sail, terminent 5e après avoir gagné trois journées et s'être bien défendus contre leur concurrent direct (EFG Private Bank Monaco/Oman Sail). La victoire de ce Tour revient à Team Beijaflore, suivi de Cheminées Poujoulat et Team Réseau Ixio. Durant 17 jours (du 5 au 21 juillet), les 23 équipages de nationalités et d’horizons divers (courses au large, côtières ou olympiques, hommes et femmes, amateurs et professionnels) se sont affrontés sur sept plans d’eau le long des côtes françaises du nord au sud dans l’espoir d’ajouter leurs noms à la liste de grands vainqueurs comme François Gabart, Michel Desjoyeaux, Jean-Pierre Dick ou encore Franck Cammas pour n’en citer que quelques-uns. Embarqué à bord de Renaissance Services en tant que tacticien, Quentin Ponroy nous raconte son expérience lors cette 42e édition. 📸 Jean-Marie LIOT / ASO « Depuis le départ de Dunkerque (le 5 juillet), les conditions ont été superbes avec du petit temps en majorité et deux ou trois journées dans du vent thermique plus soutenu. En revanche, des journées beaucoup plus chaudes avec un vent capricieux et instable dans le Sud, parfois léger ou moyen, mais toujours sous un beau soleil ! Les GV et focs monotypes North Sails qui ont équipé l'ensemble de la flotte se sont très bien portés et ont permis aux équipes de se battre à armes égales. Le niveau était de taille avec quelques équipes "jeunes" professionnelles qui semblaient difficilement atteignables (Béijaflore, Poujoulat, Ixio). Pour ma part, j’étais sur le bateau Renaissance Services qui fait partie des quatre bateaux du team Oman Sail. L’équipage se composait de Stevie Morisson (barreur anglais), Abdul Rhaman El Mashari (régleur omanais) et de moi-même (tacticien). Avoir 3 nationalités à bord pouvait parfois rendre la communication un peu difficile. De plus, n’ayant aucun remplaçant, nous n’avons pas eu de journée de repos; le rythme était bien intense! À mi-parcours, nous avons décroché une 4e place au classement général. Nous avons gagné trois journées durant le Tour, ce qui prouvait que nous étions capables de rivaliser avec les meilleures équipes. En fin de Tour, nous étions 5e à égalité avec EFG Private Bank Monaco (Oman Sail), notre concurrent direct. Et on a réussi à les battre. On a gagné notre place ! Le support sur lequel on a navigué, le Diam 24 (petit trimaran de 7 mètres), est un très bon bateau : performant, fiable, simple et accessible. Il est aussi très exigeant à partir d'un certain niveau. Aujourd'hui, c'est le bateau idéal pour cette épreuve. Pour moi, ce Tour de France à la Voile est comme la Solitaire du Figaro ou la Mini Transat : une grande classique française. J'aime particulièrement cette régate car elle se court en équipage, le niveau y est très élevé et les jeunes donnent le rythme. C'est pour moi une belle façon de créer des liens avec les futurs champions de demain. » READ MORE

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

Tools For Success At The J/111 Worlds The J/111 Worlds is just around the corner. Is your team ready? This Tool Kit will help. Created just for J/111 sailors, by our J/111 expert team. #NSVictoryList There is no better performance test of a one design sail than the results it produces. North clients dominated the 2018 Worlds, sweeping the podium and taking eight out of the top ten spots on the scoreboard. Add your team to the #NSVictoryList! Road To The Worlds: Establish The Plan North Sails expert Allan Terhune describes what Team Velocity is working on right now in order to peak at the J/111 Worlds in August. Fine Tune With North Find your groove. Get your numbers. Be confident in all wind conditions. After countless hours of sailing, sail testing, and competing in the J/111, our tuning guide will get you up to speed quickly. World Champion Tips At the 2018 J/111 Worlds in Breskens, Netherlands, big-breeze speed was the key to success. Martin Dent and his team on JElvis scored nine straight bullets in the 12 race series! Here’s what worked for them. Onboard Communication Onboard communication for racing yachts is a key factor for performance, no matter what type of sailing. We have some suggestions to keep your boat moving through the water and around the corners more efficiently and effectively with better communication. Working With The Best Our J/111 sails deliver the best results for our clients. Contact your local expert and join us at the front of the pack. READ MORE

TRY REGATTA CELEBRATES 13 YEARS North Sails Supports Quebec Youth Circuit Pointe Claire YC hosted the 13th edition of the TRY regatta this past weekend. TRY is Montreal's stop on Federation Voile du Quebec's youth circuit. The event hosts youth sailors in Optimist, C420, 29er, and Laser. Sunny skies and challenging winds greeted 120 youth competitors from across Quebec, eastern Ontario and as far as New Brunswick. As usual the competitors enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere of the club. A huge number of members volunteered their time to make the event an enjoyable success. From crews at the ramps that helped speed through launching and hauling out all the competitors’ boats to crews that chopped watermelons, solved registration problems, ferried parents to watch their children race, barbecued burgers for hungry kids and coaches, and members of PCYC demonstrated utmost hospitality - which they are famous for. On the water, Madeleine Palfreeman organized an excellent crew of race officers who managed four separate race courses through a wide variety of wind strengths and directions. With wind strengths across the board, and gusts up to 25 knots, race officers used every trick in the book to get six solid races for each fleet. A special word of thanks goes to George Stedman for his 4th year as regatta chairman. Big thanks to the whole staff for their extra hard work at this event. From the organizers of TRY, thanks to all the members for giving up acmes to parking and sharing the club with a cord of young sailors. Without the cooperation of all the members we could not host this annual youth training event with such success. READ MORE

50TH TRANSPAC: HOW TO WIN YOUR CLASS Making a Plan, Executing Well, and Trusting Your Team is What It Takes © Michael Moradzadeh Winning any ocean race requires a complicated combination of preparation, teamwork, persistence, and experience. To understand what worked on the 50th Transpac, we reached out to Liz Baylis, navigator for Santa Cruz 50 Oaxaca, which won a very competitive Division four and took sixth overall. This year was Liz’s fourth Transpac (she’s also sailed seven Pacific Cups, from San Francisco to Hawaii), but the 2019 edition scores high on her list of favorites. Why? “Winning helps,” she laughs. “It’s a special race, and each one is memorable in a different way, but I’m really proud of how the team trusted me and we worked so hard together to succeed.” That team combined two Transpac rookies with seven race veterans and included The Ocean Race skipper Dee Caffari. “It was a nice blend,” Liz says, adding that the trust the group developed during California Offshore Race Week was a big key to their success. (Oaxaca also won their class and finished third overall in that series of hops down the coast.) © Ultimate Sailing Before the Transpac started, Oaxaca’s co-owner Michael Moradzadeh provided some background on the team blog that shows just how much preparation went into their eventual victory. “We have been building the program since 2015. A set of carefully researched modifications and upgrades to the 1980 Santa Cruz 50, together with an increasingly challenging practice schedule and, most importantly, recruiting world-class sailors to drive the team forward. With powerhouses like Liz Baylis, Dee Caffari, and Molly Noble, we pretty much let the women run the show. This is not to shortchange the other members of the Transpac crew: Harry Spedding, Brett DeWire, Tom Paulling, and Patrick Lewis.” They also added a flatter A2 and genoa staysail to their sail inventory. While most Transpac competitors only have time for the minimum requirements of safety and offshore training, Liz points out that 2019 “is the third Pacific race we’ve done since Michael and David bought Oaxaca in 2014. So the basic prep was done, and we could focus on improving performance and practice racing.” Liz also put in a lot of prep time herself, away from the boat. “I sat down with navigating legend, Stan Honey, in February,” she says, “and then spent a few hours each week on the boat’s navigation computer, ‘Baby Lenovo’, downloading weather files and then running routes and critiquing them.” She also reviewed past races and race reports. The result was a carefully pre-planned track that corrected to first place for Team Oaxaca, just ahead of nine other Santa Cruz 50s and 52s. “The crew on deck did a great job executing the plan and trusting me to guide them the right way,” Liz adds. © Michael Moradzadeh With such a tight fleet, though, there was plenty of stress—and after nine days of racing, Oaxaca won by a mere twelve minutes. The last hundred miles into a light-air finish were both the best and worst parts of the race, Liz says. “We had moved into the lead, but we going slow and two others were going fast. I was stressing over the deltas between us and the other boats, trying to enjoy a spectacular run past the cliffs of Molokai, and dreading that I had made a mistake. But the team kept working, and in the end we got it done!” As Michael put it just after the results were posted, “When you sail with rock stars, expect a concert.” Liz didn’t stand a watch and spent little time on deck, so it’s no surprise that her two best memories involved escapes from the navigation “cave.” “My first time on the helm with the kite up, we hit 27 knots within 5 minutes!” she says. “And the second to last night was beautiful; I came up to drive for an hour at dusk, and the sky transitioned to the most incredible star-filled night I had ever seen.” Preparation, teamwork, persistence, and experience. Congratulations to Liz and the entire Oaxaca team, and to all the other North clients who completed Transpac 2019! © Michael Moradzadeh © Michael Moradzadeh READ MORE

ASK THE EXPERTS Have A Question On How To Improve Your Game On The Race Course? Ask Our Team North Sails is excited to support the 2019 Camden Classics Cup and Youth Regatta. Our experts will be on hand for pre and post race coaching during the Youth Regatta, offering all entrants analysis on boat handling and how to improve boat speed. At North Sails, it's our passion to help enhance your sailing experience, so here, Kimo Worthington, America's Cup and Ocean Race Winner will be answering any sailing questions you have alongside World Champion One Design sailor Will Welles. Do you want to know what they do to prepare for a race? Or how they communicate with their crew on the race course? Well, go ahead and ask our experts. READ MORE

Kékszalag A Kékszalag vitorlás verseny Július 18-án indult. Közel 600 hajó részvétel, 2500-3000 vitorlázóval, hogy 48 órán belül körbevitorlázzák a Balatont. Gratulálunk az összes indulónak és ügyfeleinknek, akik az abszolút 1;2;3;4;5; helyezés mellet 8 katagóriagyőzelmet is megszereztek #NSVictoryList 📸 Török Brigi photographer , Magyar Vitorlás Szövetség #1 RACING DJANGO - 3Di RAW #2 MKB - 3Di ENDURANCE, NPL SPORT #3 PREVITAL - 3Di ENDURANCE, 3Di RAW #4 BLACK JACK - 3Di RAW #5 és egytestű #1 RAFFICA 3Di ENDURANCE, 3DL, NPL SPORT YS1/1 #1 TANTÁL - 3Di RAW, CUBEN FIBRE X-35 #1 HAM-LET - 3Di RAW, 3DL, NPL SPORT 11MOD #1 OBSESSION - 3Di ENDURANCE 11MOD #2 FORTÉLY - 3Di ENDURANCE EURÓPA 30 #1 ZARÁNDOK - 3Di NORDAC J/24 #1 J'KORSZAK - NPL SPORT, ONE DESIGN ELLIOTT 770 #1 HODU UTU - NPL SPORT # NO.1 - 3Di ENDURANCE READ MORE

NYYC 175TH ANNIVERSARY REGATTA Setting the Standard for New England Summer Racing 2019 marked the 175th year of the New York Yacht Club Anniversary Regatta, first run in 1844. A variety of yachts with an LOA of 30 feet or greater came to Newport, RI, and sixteen divisions of IRC, ORC, and classics had a week of racing with stiff competition, camaraderie, and the chance to earn bragging rights. Even the New England weather cooperated for once. Participation in this grand event opened NYYC doors to four invited yacht clubs; Royal Thames Yacht Club, Royal Yacht Squadron, St. Francis Yacht Club, and Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. United States service academies also took part. Racing took place both inside Narragansett Bay and out in Rhode Island Sound, with a building sea breeze each afternoon. The 12s were back in action after their World Championship, divided up into vintage, traditional, modern, and grand prix fleets. The hot new one design Melges IC37 class boasted 21 teams, an intensely tight fleet that highlighted Corinthian sailing. Other divisions matched up classic yachts, offshore multihulls, and an assortment of J/Boats, Swans, and high-performance grand prix racers. Daily socials after racing brought teams together to share what they learned. What better place to make new friends than the New York Yacht Club lawn, with its stunning view of Narragansett Bay? North Sails clients had a solid showing, claiming ten division wins across 16 fleets: Good Trade in PHRF-Spin Navigator, Flow in offshore multihull, Apparition in ORC 2, Beau Geste in IRC 1, Rougarou37 in IC37, Outlier in Classic Yacht/ Spirit of Tradition, Kookaburra II in 12m Grand Prix, Nyala in 12m Vintage, Columbia in 12m Traditional, and Challenge XI in 12m Modern. Big congrats to all! READ MORE

#NSVICTORYLIST: 420 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2019 North Sails Powers Two World Titles in Vilamoura 📸 Joao Costa Ferreira / osga.pt The ten-race 420 World Championships 2019 concluded with two North Sails powered teams claiming gold medals in Vilamoura, Portugal. Wizner/Ameneiro of Spain won the Open class and the Greek team of Spanakis/Michalopoulos were victorious in the U17 Open class. Wizen/Ameneiro, who won bronze at the 2018 Worlds, headed into the final day with a 16 point deficit. They chewed their way through the lead established by New Zeland’s Menzies/ McGlashan in Race 9 and secured their place at the top of the podium with a final attack in Race 10. North Sails 420 class leader Riccardo De Felico watched the competition unfold from the coach boat. “The last day of racing delivered tricky conditions, starting with a nice 13-knot shore breeze and dropping down to 4 knots. The Spanish team played their cards well and maximized opportunities in challenging conditions.” Greece’s Spanakis/Michalopoulos, using the North Sails M11 main, J13 jib and S-05 Spinnaker was hungry for gold at the 2019 Worlds after their silver medal finish last year. The duo had a competitive series with France’s Delerec/Rossi nipping at their heels for the top podium position. “I am very happy,” commented Spanakis. “We managed to finish first even though we had a setback the day before because of our protest. But, we came back stronger and won the Championship.” It is a great day at North Sails when we see our clients climb on top of the podium and receive their gold medals. And it’s extra special when we have two gold medal-winning teams at a single event. This success fuels our motivation to continually develop products that deliver results. “North Sails is so dominant because we are able to provide our customers with perfect sails,” explains De Felice. “Our 420 range is easy to control and trim, they are fast in all conditions, and we select materials that allow the sails to hold their shape longer.” Next up for the 420 class are the Junior Europeans beginning July 23. Good luck to all our North Sails clients competing, and sail fast. 📸 Joao Costa Ferreira / osga.pt 📸 Joao Costa Ferreira / osga.pt READ MORE

INTRODUCING: NEW J/24 CLUB RACER GENOA Will Welles Explains The Benefits Of The New Design The new J/24 Club Race Genoa has been designed with local fleet racers in mind. On the water, it is easier to trim and more forgiving at the top end than aramid race jibs, as well as offering improved sail longevity. It is now launched on the J/24 Shop Inventory. “The Club Race Genoa is based on our proven J/24 SD/TH Genoa,” J/24 World Champion and Class Leader Will Welles explains. “Built out of a special cloth, it looks similar to the standard sails and we are calling it the Xi Smoke! With polyester fibres instead of aramid, the new design is geared towards club racers who are looking to get a little more life out of their sail. For our club race customers who haven’t bought a new sail recently, this is the perfect way to improve results.” “The Club Race Genoa is based on our proven J/24 SD/TH Genoa. With polyester fibres instead of aramid, the new design is geared towards club racers who are looking to get a little more life out of their sail” J/24 World Champion and Class Leader Will Welles explains. In addition to using more cost-effective materials, the design team took a few steps to further improve the sail’s competitive life. The nature of the overlapping Genoa on the J/24 mast is that the back end of the sails get worn . Last year, a prototype version of this design helped to fuel Steve Kirkpatrick’s team to victory at Newport’s Fleet 50 season. Two other teams used it to win the 2019 District 2 Championship and Easter Regatta. For more information about which J/24 Genoa is right for your racing, talk to your local J/24 Expert. READ MORE

Tools For Success At The J/109 North Americans The J/109 North Americans is just around the corner. Is your team ready? This Tool Kit will help. Created just for J/109 sailors, by our J/109 expert team. Define Your Speed Pulling all the pieces together can be challenging. Our brand new J/109 Speed Guide by class leader Jack Orr answers your speed and boathandling questions. Tune For Speed The North Quick Tuning Guide explains base settings and which sail models to use for the conditions. Learn more: What Worked For Growth Spurt At the 2018 J/109 North Americans, twenty teams battled for the title. We interviewed John Greifzu, owner-driver of Growth Spurt, who won the Corinthian title and second overall. Onboard Communication Onboard communication is a key tool for achieving peak race performance. We have some suggestions to help you communicate with your teammates more efficiently and effectively. Working With The Best Our J/109 sails deliver the best results for our clients. Contact your local expert and join us at the front of the pack. READ MORE

AFTERBURN TAKES LINE HONOURS FOR LO300 North Sails Clients Perseverance Pays Off © Parker Media Management A fight 'til the finish, Afterburn took home line honours for the 30th Edition of the Lake Ontario 300 Challenge for Main Duck Course. Owned by Darren Gornall and Craig Pirie, the crew vied for the win for the past several years and 2019 was their year. After 300nm around Lake Ontario, the crew battled it out the last 3nm with Hydromec from Quebec, owned by Dave Savard, with lights winds ranging from 1 knot to 2.6 knots. The Afterburn crew crossed the finish line at 10:50am for a corrected time of 1 Day 22 hrs 57 mins 27 secs. The secret to their light wind finish, besides perseverance, hard work and dedication was their Helix powered Code Zero. From shore you could see the Soto 40 coming in with their Helix up, hugging the shore, they furled it in, jibbed and unfurled it where they immediately picked up speed and soared to the finish. Local North Sails expert Hugh Beaton welcomed the crew on the dock and congratulated them on their win: A heartfelt congratulations to the team for their well deserved efforts and tactical sailing across the lake. The race started on Saturday morning with breeze - for once - which lead to an exciting race for both spectators and racers. Afterburn had a great start right off the line heading towards Ford Shoal. Despite a 40 knot squal that came through on Saturday afternoon, the crew sailed smart, stuck to their plan and played the long game for wind after rounding Main Duck Island. © Parker Media Management © Parker Media Management © Parker Media Management © Parker Media Management READ MORE

NORTH SAILS AT THE NOOD Expert Advice & Sail Care At Your Fingertips North Sails is excited to continue our sponsorship of the Helly Hansen NOOD Regattas, and Marblehead is the next stop on the circuit. North Sails local team will be on hand for all your sail care needs for the regatta, so whether you need to get your sails checked on prior to, or need overnight service during the race, our crew have your covered. Coupled with our sail care, the local team will be hosting a local knowledge panel to kick-off the event. Local Knowledge Panel North experts' and local sailors JB Braun, Mike Marshall and Alex Cook will be hosting a local knowledge panel to help get you ready for the NOOD. Join us prior to the skippers meeting on Thursday July 25th at 6pm in the Boston Yacht Club for some vital insights on sailing in local waters, what to look out for, and hear how the experts plan to navigate the weekend. See the full schedule of events here. Overnight Sail Repair Our Certified Service team will be on stand by for any sail issues. Each day after racing, look for the North Sails service van at Eastern Yacht Club and Boston Yacht Club for overnight repairs. North Sails Salem 978-745-1400 J/70 Dock Talk One Design Experts Allan Terhune and Zeke Horowitz will be holding a J/70 Dock Talk at EYC on Saturday July 27th after racing. Look out for the North flag and cooler on the dock and chat with the team on how to up your game for the next race. North Sails Salem Need help prior to the regatta? Contact your team at the Salem Loft. READ MORE

Updated Tuning Numbers For The PT-2 Loos Gauge North Sails is never satisfied when it comes to making faster sails and offering information to help clients optimize the performance of the sails. With decades of experience sailing the J/24, North expert and two-time J/24 World Champion Will Welles has released a new Tuning Guide complemented by a Tuning Matrix for the J/24 class including numbers for the new Loos Gauge Model PT-2. “We have condensed the information and added the PT-2 numbers which were missing. I recommend to download/print the new Tuning Matrix and take with you next time you go sailing. The matrix offers a starting point based on numbers of the average boats. We left some room for you to log in your own numbers and go from there.” said Will Welles. Open New J/24 Tuning Guide Download North Sails J/24 Quick Tuning Matrix: Loos Gauge PRO PT2 | Loos Gauge PRO Model B READ MORE