NORTH SAILS BLOG

Festival jedrenja na Malom Lošinju i prezentacija snage 3Di jedara 📸 Sandro Tariba 39. Lošinjska regata - regata Lošinjskih olimpijaca standardno je okupila vrlo kvalitetnu flotu s neizbježnom Maxi grupom. Ove godine najveću pažnju plijenili su Molo Longo i Adriatic Europa, dok su svoje namjere da se među njih umiješaju pokazali Gringo 3, Bravissima, Erco D', Mister X, Asso 99, a još su tu bili i Jonathan III, Viva 2, Canarino Furioso i još više od 20 drugih jedrilica. Ukupan broj sudionika bio je 34, a ono što organizatore sigurno posebno veseli je da su bili posjećeniji od 2. regate Vela vrata, koja se jedrila istog tog vikenda nešto sjevernije na ruti Opatija - Cres i natrag, kao i to da je regata imala međunarodni status s obzirom da su na njoj jedrili još i Slovenci i Talijani. Program je bio provjeren, odnosno subota 11. rujna, bila je rezervirana za navigacijski plov, dok je nedjelja 12. bila rezervirana za dva štapa koja su se jedrila unutar luke. Međutim, to nije bilo sve jer je regata dio festivala "Lošinjskim jedrima oko svijeta". Riječ je o dvotjednom nizu raznih akcija, programa i aktivnosti vezanih uz more i jedrenje, a čiji finale je na regati krstaša. U sklopu toga u petak je organizirana i noćna promenada pasara, guceva i gajeta uljepšana pjesmom klape Čikat koja se nalazila na logeru Nerezinac. 📸 Sandro Tariba Vrlo lijepa i romantična scena koja je bila pun pogodak i za okupljene jedriličare i za turiste koji su ove godine i Lošinj pohodili u vrlo velikom broju unatoč početku podsezonskog perioda. Tridesetak milja dug navigacijski plov imao je rutu koja je početak imala u Lošinjskoj luci i obavezne obilaske bova na Susku i Žaliću. Ekipa Molo Longa od starta je zauzela vodeću poziciju s mogućnošću kontroliranja cijele flote, a osim očekivanih konkurenata u vidu slovenskog maksija Adriatic Europe najviše se njihovoj krmi približila posada Gringa 3 koja je iznenadila Slovence kojima ovog puta za kormilom nije bio Dušan Puh, već Andrej Babnik, a također je bila opremljena s novim 3Di kompletom koji je sigurno odigrao i svoju ulogu u ovom rezultatu. Inače je Dušan Puh, koji za oko mjesec i pol slavi 70. rođendan, regatu propustio zbog nastupa na Europskom prvenstvu u windsurf-u, na kojem je osvojio naslov viceprvaka! Start navigacije odrađen je po laganom burinu koji je flotu pratio do izlaza iz Lošinjskog zaljeva, a potom polako okreće na lagani maestral. U svakom slučaju stanje mora nije prelazilo 2 do 3 bofora. Uz maxije i Gringa 3, u vrhu se nalazila i Bravissima braće Kaić. To je bila definitivno najmanja jedrilica u vrhu, konkretno, duljine vodne linije duplo manje od Adriatic Europe, ali s jednim od najjačih pedigrea. Riječ je o drugoj jedrilici koja je izašla iz kalupa u Italiji, a prvi trup je poznat pod imenom Angelo Rosso, dok je u Hrvatskoj nastupao i pod imenom Kodak. Prvi plov uspješno završava 30 jedrilica i u odnosu na iduća dva plova sudac na ciljnoj ravnini imao je vrlo mnogo posla s upisivanjem onih koji su završili. Nedjeljni štapovi bili su vrlo siromašni s vjetrom. Prvog su završili samo Molo Longo, Gringo i Bravissima, dok je u drugom štapu bila nešto bolja situacija s dvadesetak jedrilica u cilju. Prvi start krenuo je po burinu koji je tijekom jedrenja ostao na regatnom polju samo u obliku razbacanih "fleka". U toj situaciji RO i Organizacijski odbor nisu baš najbolje reagirali i umjesto očekivanog skraćenja puštaju natjecatelje da jedre oba predviđena kruga koja je završila samo spomenuta trojka. A to što među njima nije bilo i Adriatic Europe razlog je što joj je prije starta puknuo podigač glavnog jedra. Srećom nije bilo druge štete i ozlijeđenih, jer joj je vang izdržao masu i udar padajućeg jedra, te nije udario ni jednog člana posade. Zato je ova posada morala prinudnu pauzu korisno iskoristiti i provući novi podigač i pripremiti se za posljednji plov koji se jedrio po maestralu od 7-8 čvorova. Slovenci su u ovom plovu osvjetlali obraz i odnijeli pobjedu, dok se Molo Longo morao zadovoljiti drugim mjestom, a Gringo i Bravissima s trećim i četvrtim. Na kraju ukupna pobjeda odlazi posadi Rajka Kujundžića, a na postolju su još bili Gringosi i posada Bravissime, dok je Adriatic Europa završila na 4. mjestu. A na 5. mjestu završava još jedna slovenska ekipa, posada Erca D' - ex. Gringo 2. Sigurno im je ovo jedan od najdražih rezultata u Open kategoriji i dobar podsticaj pred iduće jesenske regate u Dalmaciji i nadolazeće ORC Prvenstvo Hrvatske. Kompletne rezultate regate razvrstane po generalnom plasmanu možete pronaći na ovom linku, dok su rezultati po grupama dostupni ovdje. Posebna nagrada dodijeljena je Jeri Vidoviću na jedrilici Bob'n'rock, koji je sam dojedrio iz Splita. Organizatori su njegovu ljubav prema ovoj regati nagradili jednim velikim pršutom. A treba spomenuti i da je u subotu nakon večere organizirano predavanje Saše Fegića o njegovo jedrenju ok svijeta u kultnom Hiru 3. READ MORE

FAREWELL TO BILL HERRSCHAFT The North Sails Family Mourns the Loss of a Local Favorite Bill Herrschaft Bill Herrschaft, 64, passed away unexpectedly on September 14. Based in Marina del Rey, California, he had been an integral member of the North Sails team since 1989. He grew up sailing at Santa Monica Yacht Club and won the Sabot Nationals in the early 1970s. He went on to win the Coronado 15 Nationals, and he was a two-time winner of the Santana 20 Nationals. Offshore, he sailed five Transpacs and countless races to Mexico. He was also very involved in the Farr 40 class. To capture some of his spirit, we asked two of Bill’s long-time colleagues, John Gladstone and Jon Gardner, to share a few memories. Here are the highlights. John Gladstone “He was just Mr. Marina del Rey, and a one-man band. Even big jobs like bending on a sail on a big boat, he’d just find a way to get it done by himself. And he’d never complain about it. He was really nice, no flash and no drama. I think he often was underrated because of that." “He also had a really good sense of humor and was always upbeat, never had bad things to say about other people. He had a lot of dedicated clients who would never go anywhere else. And if Bill had a complaint you knew it was valid, because it was just not his nature to do that." “He worked mostly by himself, but he was very realistic about not taking on too much and spreading himself too thin. When you're a one-man band, there's only so many hours in the week. And he was officially a salesman, but he could do the sailmaking work too; if he had to jump in the pit , he could do it and he would do it." “He was also a really good sailor. I never raced with him, but I raced on a lot of boats against him. He had a bad back the past ten or fifteen years, so he didn’t race offshore anymore. But he was an avid biker and kept himself healthy." “Two months ago, I sold a boat to a Hollywood couple who planned to keep their boat in Marina del Rey, so I introduced them to Bill. A month ago they sent me a note thanking me so much for the introduction, because he just took care of them; set them up with membership at Cal Yacht Club, went out sailing with them. There was no sale of anything, he was just being Mr Marina del Rey." “I loved the guy. It just breaks my heart. I’ll always remember that deep-voiced “Hel-lo?”, and that smile.” Jon Gardner “Bill started at North Sails in 1989, a year before I did. My nickname for him was “Slick Willy,” because he was always joking around. I’d answer the phone and say, “Hey Slick,” and he’d say, “What’s shakin’, Gar-din-errrr.” “We worked together closely for two decades, and he was one of my best friends within North Sails. The last several years, we’d be on weekly video conference calls together and he’d log in from his garage, where it was always much cooler than outside. Even in the summer, he’d always be wearing a North Sails hat and jacket, so we nicknamed him The Navigator. Because he looked like he was down below navigating, while the rest of us were in short sleeves, like we were ‘on deck.’ And he always had a smile on his face. I wish I’d taken a screenshot of him…" “He made sailing fun. He really did love helping his clients to succeed, even if it was just Wednesday night beer can racing. People always wanted him to do the offshore stuff and he was a very accomplished offshore sailor, but I think he actually preferred the inshore buoy racing. He sailed a lot with Brack Duker on the Santa Cruz 70 Holua; he actually had a ton of sled clients. He also sailed on several of John MacLaurin’s Pendragons, and with the maxi Sorcerer back in the day. More recently, he sailed with John Sangmeister on OEX." “You just could not meet a nicer guy. Very genteel. He was a great sailor, but also a great human being. An avid bike rider, and an amazing husband to Sue. And he absolutely loved North Sails; his blood ran blue." “He was just so much fun, and so easy to be around. Once you were his friend, he’d do anything for you. I was just chatting with him last week, telling him I’d help out one of his clients who was down here in San Diego. He was so easy to work with, and I’m really gonna miss him.” READ MORE

NORD STREAM RACE VICTORY FOR TEAM FINLAND A Remarkably Young Crew Win 1000 NM Race Across Baltic Sea 📸 Nord Stream Race / Marina Semenova The 6th of September and the end of Kiel Week 2021 marked the beginning of the ninth edition of the longest offshore race in the grueling Baltic Sea, the Nord Stream Race. Sailing the 1000 nautical miles in high performance, one design ClubSwan 50‘s were the five qualifying teams from Finland, Germany, Sweden, Russia, and Denmark. Qualification is awarded to the club that wins their respective country’s National Sailing League, with all teams fighting to win the Nord Stream Race to earn the ‘Best Yacht Club in the Baltic Sea’ title. All 5 boats carry North 3Di ENDURANCE, the most rugged version of our composite molded sail technology. “North Sails has been involved in ClubSwan 50 class from the very early design stage before the first boat was actually sailing,’’ Class Leader Arnd Howar explains. “As the class has a strict sail label rule, a limited number of sails can be bought each year, making durability and reliability vitally important.’’ “The 3Di ENDURANCE sails have been proven during The Ocean Race and Vendée Globe. Equally, the boats of the Nord Stream Race are pushed hard through all kinds of weather conditions whilst being used at the highest level of competition. It is fantastic to see North Sails on every boat in the race and reinstates the trust in 3Di Technology.’’ “It is fantastic to see North Sails on every boat in the race and reinstates the trust in 3Di Technology.’’ Team Russia & Team Finland 📸 Nord Stream Race / Marina Semenova Crews race an offshore leg to a stopover location, where they then sail a series of inshore races before setting off for the next offshore leg, resulting in two overall winners. The demanding final leg from Helsinki, Finland to St. Petersburg, Russia took more than 20 hours. Teams were faced with strong winds on a reaching course and waves of over two meters, which tested the sailors right to the final moments of the race. Esbo Segelförening from Finland wins the overall offshore title, standing out with a remarkably young team onboard. Eight of the eleven crew members are under 30 years old, and the helmsman, Lucas Kalermo, is just 20 years old. An ecstatic 24-year-old trimmer and team captain onboard, Anton Eklund, comments on their achievement: “It feels both unbelievable and amazing. We couldn’t even have dreamt of winning, even though that is always the goal. Our other goal is to show that young sailors can succeed too.” “We were lucky to get the chance to sail in all kinds of winds” he continues. “Our sails proved easy to trim and depower if needed, and the A4 Gennaker also worked nicely for both tighter reaching and flatter downwind. When we reefed, we had no problem finding a balance of less power, but at the same time enough to get through the big waves. The sails handled the strong winds well, even though we pushed them quite hard. Minor wear and tear could be noticed afterward, but that is normal in such conditions; nothing that affected our speed.” Team Finland’s biggest takeaway? “Planning is key,” Eklund remarks. “Strong planning and communication can eliminate stress and miscommunication, leaving more room for enjoyment!” “It feels both unbelievable and amazing. We couldn’t even have dreamt of winning, even though that is always the goal. Our other goal is to show that young sailors can succeed too.” Excelling in the inshore series five points ahead of Team Denmark is the Russian team from St. Petersburg Yacht Club, after winning the race series in Kiel, Stockholm, and Helsinki. We can’t wait to see what the next edition of the Nord Stream Race has in store, but the excitement of this year will undoubtedly be hard to beat. Team Finland celebrate whilst arriving into St. Petersburg, Russia 📸 Nord Stream Race / Marina Semenova Team Russia 📸 Nord Stream Race / Marina Semenova Overall Inshore Race Series Champions, Team Russia 📸 Nord Stream Race / Marina Semenova Team Russia & Team Denmark 📸 Nord Stream Race / Marina Semenova Team Finland 📸 Nord Stream Race / Marina Semenova READ MORE

Enigma furiozno oko Krka 📸 regate.com.hr Još jedna regata uspješno je organizirana nakon dvogodišnje pauze nastale zbog Korona krize. Ovog puta riječ je o sedmom izdanju popularne noćno/dnevne regate oko otoka Krka, a koju zajedničkim snagama organiziraju JK Jadro iz Selca i JK Burin iz Novog Vinodolskog. Želja za jedrenjem bila je po najavama vrlo velika, ali nakon što su metereolozi objavili prognoza za petak 17. rujna navečer mnogo posada je odlučilo ipak ostati doma i regatu pratiti putem interneta iz suhih domova. U njihovu obranu može se reći da je ovog puta prognoza bila točna. Do pred start vrijeme je bilo relativno suho uz poneku zalutalu kapljicu kiše, ali oblaci koji su se skupili između Krka i Velebita najavljivali su kišni razvoj situacije. Odmah u predstartnoj proceduri pada lagana kišica, a nakon signala starta kiša je ozbiljnija, pogotovo kako je flota odmicala prema jugu. Pretpostavljam da oni koji redovito prate ovu regatu znaju da se naizmjenično start i cilj organiziraju u Selcima i Novom Vinodolskom, a smjer obilaska otoka Krka ovisi o vremenskim uvjetima. Ovogodišnji start organizirali su Selčani, dok je cilj bio u Novom, a RO je flotu poslao južnom rutom, odnosno prema Senjskim vratima, a u povratku su je očekivali sa strane Krčkog mosta. Tijekom poslijepodneva organizatori su računali samo sa šest jedrilica koje su došle u Selce. Međutim, oko 18:30, pola sata pred start, stižu još dvije jedrilice, da bi doslovno par minuta pred početak predstartne procedure stigla i Enigma, kasnija najbrža jedrilica u realnom vremenu. Zbog njenog iznenadnog dolaska start je i pomaknut deset minuta, tako da je malo nedostajalo da to bude pravi noćni start. Na samom startu nije bilo nekih pretjeranih iznenađenja. Bura u bok i tko je duži i s više jedara taj je bio na čelu. Tu komparativnu prednost najbolje su iskoristili Oštro i Selce, Justin ten i JOD 35. 📸 regate.com.hr Punim jedrima jurili su brzinama preko 7 čvorova, ali već čim su zašli iza punte koja štiti lučicu u Selcima s južne strane, refuli postaju sve jači, pa lagani Justin kreće u kraćenje glavnog jedra. To bezrezervno iskorištava ekipa Selca koja s robusnijom jedrilicom nema takvih problema i s punom kvadraturom nastavlja prema Senjskim vratima. Jedini koji su startali u prvom redu, a nisu bili na vrhu, bila je ekipa na malenoj Alohi. Oni su jedini podignuli gennaker s kojim su izabrali odvajanje prema Krku. Zato je svojih pet minuta slave imala jedina kompletno ženska posada na jedrilici Frajla. Ova odvažna skupina jedriličarki jedno kratko vrijeme bila je čak i ispred jedrilice Oštro. Nažalost, nisu se odvažile na nastavak jedrenja jer su procijenile da su uvjeti ipak preteški za njih, a također im se desilo i paranje glavnog jedra, tako da su se ubrzo vezale u Novom Vinodolskom. Dok je Frajla još bila u regati, na čelo flote izbija kasnija pobjednica, Enigma. Definitivno je bila riječ o najsofisticiranijoj jedrilici koja je bila na regati, te o posadi koja je iz nje bez straha izvukla maksimum i u uvjetima bure od 30+ čvorova u Senjskim vratima. O tome kako im je bilo na moru ispričao nam je njihov kormilar Petar Šimunović: Krenuli smo malo sa zakašnjenjem, ali odlično. Bura je lijepo digla, s kišicom, a mi smo krenuli s flokom i punim glavnim. Bilo nas je sedmero i dobro smo ravnali. A u Vratima smo se malo borili, tamo je bilo svega, a kad smo otvorili Vrata onda su krenule zanimljive igre. Svi su dobili boju u očima :) Tamo je bilo dosta valovito, a cijelu tu dionicu smo prošli s drifterom, sve do prve bonace kod Plavnika. A od vrha Plavnika, pa sve do Selaca bilo je svakih 10-15 minuta mijenjanje jedara. Lovio se svaki propuh, a konkurencija se približavala. Koristili smo neki lažni Code 0, u stvari genova bez rola koju dižemo ispred provenog štraja, tako da je to za nas Code 0. Još smo dizali drifter, gennaker i flok, a glavno smo stalno imali puno, bez kraćenja. Možda nekih deset minuta nije bilo puno, ali sve ostalo vrijeme smo dobro ravnali brod. Uglavnom bili smo dosta ispred konkurencije koju je počastilo vjetrom bliže Krku, a dok je to stiglo do nas prošlo je oko sat vremena. Oni su dobili buru, dok smo mi stali u bonaci, pa smo morali ići u širokom luku. Čim bi vjetar pao za koji čvor hvatali smo smjer prema Rijeci i Opatiji, a kad bi pojačao onda smo birali brzinu. To je trajalo negdje do Krčkog mosta, a nakon mosta imali smo jedno lagano nasukavanje. U jednom trenu kurenat nas je bacio u kraj, a vjetar je skroz stao. Uglavnom, sve je dobro prošlo i onda ponovno kreće nadmudrivanje. Najnapetije je bilo između lanterne kod Jadranova i samog Jadraova. Tamo je rupa od oko 300 metara, svojevrsni Bermudski trokut. Tamo je bilo stvarno najneizvjesnije. Kurenti su tu redovito snažniji od brzine koju razvija jedrilica pod jedrima. Na jedra možemo ići milju u željenom smjeru, a kurenat nas nosi unatrag s milju i pol. Mislim da smo to uspjeli proći s minimalnim gubicima. Tu nam se konkurencija približila na par stotina metara i bio nas je strah da nas ne prođu s nekim svojim privatnim refulom. Uglavnom, ispetljali smo se i krenuli smo u polagani bijeg. Opet kroz bonacu. U bonaci smo bili od izlaza od tih kurenata kod Jadranova, pa skroz sve do Novog. Koliko smo mogli, pratili smo tramontanu s kojom smo mogli jedriti gennakerom. Tu i tamo smo dizali Code 0 kad bi se nešto malo promijenilo... tako da smo išli u kraj, pa bi se dizali prema Krku... svugdje gdje bi se pojavio neki povjetarac, a u Novi ulazimo s flokom po tramontani. Posada je bila najbolja moguća i stvarno sam zadovoljan kako je bilo! Bilo je malo nezgodno na startu s izmjenom brodova, ali je stvarno dobro završilo. Mislim, kad se sjetim Senjskih vrata.... Bura je raščistila nebo, mjesec ogroman, a kurs je bio niz vjetar. Jurili smo nizbrdo, morska pjena se dizala oko nas... stvarno neopisivo dobar osjećaj! To je vrijedilo svih ranijih i kasnijih muka. Tu su svi dobili još jaču želju za jedrenjem i kasnijim radom na brodu i svim tim izmjenama jedrilja. Jedrenje u tim dijelu bilo je neopisivo dobro. Val, pjena... pa nekoliko puta smo prošli kroz stvarno velike valove, ali kad smo prošli liniju Vrata - svjetionik onda smo odjurili kao vjetar. Regata je bila stvarno vrhunska! Petar Šimunović, Enigma - JK Senj Prvi od regate odustaje Las Palmas. Iza njih na to se odlučuje posade Frajle i flota od tog trenutka biva podijeljena na dvije grupe. Enigma, Oštro i Selce na vrhu, te Aloha, Morčić 2 i Plan B u pozadini. Razmak između ove dvije skupine rastao je ulaskom u Vrata. Veće jedrilice taj kanal i jaku buru lakše su podnijele, a najmanja jedrilica u regati, Super B, tu se povlači iz regate i odlazi u Bašku. Nakon ovog poteza, u regati ostaje pet jedrilica, od kojih na kraju regatu završava njih četiri. Praktički pred ciljem povlači se Morčić 2, jer bonaca je u tim trenucima bila stvarno preteška, a situacija bezizgledna. Tko je u kojem trenutku gdje bio i što poduzeo, možete pronaći u playbacku, dok iz priložene statistike možete izvući i neke druge korisne podatke. U svakom slučaju, sve je spremno za analizu, a službene rezultate možete pronaći na ovom linku. Statistika Jedrilica Trajanje jedrenja Prejedreno Prosječna brzina Max. brzina 1. Enigma 09:33:30 50.87 5.32 15.26 2. Oštro 13:54:07 56.04 4.03 15.68 3. Selce 13:57:30 52.50 3.76 13.10 4. Aloha 20:51:30 54.50 2.61 8.89 Statistika do odustajanja Jedrilica Trajanje jedrenja Prejedreno Prosječna brzina Max. brzina 1. Las Palmas 00:35:00 2.09 3.58 6.78 2. Frajla 01:25:00 7.43 5.25 7.70 3. Super B 03:25:00 14.53 4.25 10.12 4. Morčić 2 25:05:00 61.46 2.45 10.15 *statistika na osnovu uzoraka u vremenskim intervalima od 5 sekundi Playback P L A Y B A C K READ MORE

Elena Vorobeva, najbrža na PH za Radiale 📸 regate.com.hr Prvenstvo Hrvatske za klasu ILCA 6 organizirao je JK Mornar iz Splita za vikend od 17. do 19. rujna, a odazvalo se 36 jedriličarki i jedriličara, što pravih "radiala", a što gostujućih iz standarda i 4.7. U petak, prvog dana regate, puhalo je jugo. Regatni odbor je zbog toga flotu poveo u smjeru Žnjana, a polje je postavljeno niže od komunalne bove. Zona u kojoj se razvija veliki val, a kako je vjetar bio poprilično jak moralo se visjeti i natjecatelji su morali pokazati dobru fizičku spremu. Generalno, može se reći da su to bili uvjeti koji su prvenstveno odgovarali jedriličarima koji su se za ovu regatu prebacili iz ILCA 7 klase, odnosno iz ex. laser standarda. Čak nekoliko jedriličara čija imena smo čitali u izvještajima s velikih regata za ILCA 7 klasu nalazi se i na ovoj startnoj listi, a u skladu s uvjetima koji su vladali na moru u tom prvom plovu svi su taj "vitraški" plov završili u samom vrhu. Pobjedu je ipak odnijela naša trenutno najbolja jedriličarka u ovoj klasi, olimpijka Elena Vorobeva (JK Split). U tom plovu, kao i u trećem, koji se jedrio sutradan, odnijela je pobjedu, a iduća dva mjesta zauzimaju Alec Cvinar (JK Orsan), Božidar Golubić (JK Mornar) i Stipe Gašpić (JK Mornar), momci koji već par godina treniraju isključivo u muškom olimpijskom samcu. A iskonski radialci taj plov završavaju od 5. mjesta pa dalje, dok su im laganije kolege iz 4.7 ostali u drugom dijelu rezultatske tablice. Nakon završetka ovog plova jugo počinje slabjeti i pokušava se s još jednim startom, ali vjetar odlazi u desno i maestral se pokušava formirati, ali ipak ga nije bilo dovoljno da bi se mogao organizirati još jedan plov tog dan. Za subotu prognoza nije bila baš idealna, ali maestral uspjeva probiti u svoj svojoj raskoši. Kako je dan odmicao bivao je sve jači i u posljednjoj regati je puhalo oko dvadeset čvorova. U svakom slučaju ponavljaju se "vitraški" uvjeti i natjecatelji s većom masom ponovno dolaze na svoje. Odjedrila su se tri plova i to je na kraju bilo sve što se jedrenja tiče, jer u nedjelju nije održan niti jedan plov. Što se tiče najbržih u subotu, uz Eleninu drugu pobjedu, po jednu su ostvarili Roko Stipanović iz JK Croatia i Božidar Golubić. Ostali su pokazali dosta sličnu formu i stvarno se nije moglo prognozirati tko će na kojem mjestu završiti u pojedinom plovu. Jedino konstantno dobro jedrenje pokazala je Elena koja je na taj način dokazala da nije bez razloga bila Hrvatska predstavnica u ovoj klasi na Olimpijskim igrama u Tokiju. Bodovno najbliži bio joj je Božidar Golubić. Njemu se desio jedan ozbiljan kiks u vidu 22. mjesta u drugom plovu, ali imao je sreću što se mogao odbaciti najlošiji rezultat, pa regatu završava s dva kaznena boda više od Elene. Na trećem mjestu regatu je završila najbolja Mornareva radialka, Snadra Lulić. Njen najbolji plasman je 2. mjesto u posljednjem plovu, dok su joj broncu osigurala još dva peta mjesta. Ona je ujedno i na početku niza od petero jedriličara koji su završili unutar pet bodova razlike. Sličan niz krenuo je od Ursule Balas (JD Val), koja je za jedan bod pobjegla potjeri u kojoj su bili Tea Peteh (JK Uljanik), Max Gjidera (JK Mornar) i Petra Mastelić (JK Labud). Koliko je ovo bila jaka regata i vrlo ozbiljna konkurencija govori da je drugoplasirana na SPN klase ILCA 4, Petra Marendić završila na 12. mjestu. Istina, ona je iz skupine koja je za ovu regatu prešla iz jedrilice s manjim jedrom, ali njene mogućnosti su neosporne. U svakom slučaju regata je bila naporna i zahtjevna, te kao takva izvrstan trening za mnoge iz flote koji će za dva tjedna nastupiti na seniorskom Europskom prvenstvu za klase ILCA 6 i ILCA 7 što će se jedriti u Varni u Bugarskoj. Kompletne rezultate po generalnom plasmanu možete pronaći na ovom linku, dok ovdje možete pronaći popis nagrađenih po različitim kategorijama. READ MORE

NORTH TEAMS TAKE THE PODIUM AT THE J/24 US NATIONALS Fast Sails, Practicing and Having Fun: The Keys for Success at the 2021 J/24 US Nationals 2021 J/24 US National Champions. 📸 USA J/24 Class Association I had the good fortune to sail with a great young team at the 2021 US Nationals led by Mike Marshall. He put a great crew together and it reminded me that that is what it is all about. You must have a team that is unselfish and works hard no matter what, Dave Hughes, Jeff Hayden, and Matt Coughlin are just that. Of course, we had a fast boat, thanks to Chris Morgan who just fully rebuilt it and we sailed with the standard North Sails Fat Head mainsail, DX-7TT Genoa, FR-2 spinnaker and we even got to break out our SRB jib for race nine! We were a brand new team at the J/24 US Nationals, but by following the three basic tips below, we were able to work hard to get up to speed quickly. It’s all about prioritizing Especially when you are limited with time, etc. We figured we needed to make sure we could tack and jibe. We spent a few hours Thursday practicing just that. Dave jumped right back on the bike and picked up where he last left off in 2009 at the Worlds in Annapolis. It was lighter air, we were really able to practice our roll tacks and roll jibes. Youth is a beautiful thing, Jeff and Matt worked very hard, always on the balls of their feet ready to move! We also took a little time to make sure our straight-line speed was good but prioritized the boat handling, many boat lengths can be lost or gained at the corners. (windward mark and leeward gate.) Use your time well on race day We like to make sure we get off the dock in plenty of time to spend at least an hour doing our homework on the racecourse, it’s nice to sail as much of the course as you can and still get down to the start line to get your starting line pings and figure out the favored end of the line. Of course, this can change at a moment’s notice, we typically do our last wind shot at four minutes and confirm the start line location that we want to be. Also, keep track of the angle back to the committee boat and vice versa to the pin, if the line isn’t square you may notice you’re sailing more close hauled one direction. Make sure your boat is set up for the conditions off the start line We will sail upwind prior to the five-minute mark and make sure we like the rig tension, the genoa lead, halyard tension, backstay, etc.. so that we are set up to go fast off the line. We don’t want to be spending the few minutes getting the backstay right, etc. You want to be at full speed as you race the rest of the fleet to the first shift! Having fun sailing is the key to success and better results. Please let me know if I can be of any help to you and your team, always love to chat about J24s. Winners led by Mike Marshall, in front of the pack. 📸 Chris Howell Tony Parker (2nd Place) and Mike Ingham (4th Place) sailing fast upwind. 📸 Chris Howell READ MORE

BRITISH OLYMPIAN, BEN SAXTON, JOINS NORTH SAILS Ben Saxton Joins North Sails in Gosport, UK to Offer Customers Unparalleled Expertise Saxton racing onboard Oystercatcher and soon to round the prestigious Fastnet Rock Ben Saxton likes making any sailboat go faster, whether the end result is winning the 2017 Nacra World Championship or helping the brand new 52-foot Oystercatcher get around Fastnet Rock. Now that this 2016 Olympian is part of the North Sails team, he’s looking forward to applying all of his catamaran and one design experience to the Grand Prix scene. “My time racing in the competitive Olympic class fleets has taught me how to optimize and tweak boat settings to your advantage. Another big part of success in these tightly-packed fleets is knowing how to perform well under pressure. Now that I am becoming more involved in Grand Prix racing, I am loving working as a bigger team and being able to share victories with all the crew onboard.” Ben explains. “To win in a fast boat, you’ve got to have a speed edge,” Ben continues, “so you do a lot of work trying to get more speed out of the boat. And you have to be better at planning ahead and communicating. All that thinking under pressure transfers really well to Grand Prix sailing.” Ben was attracted to North because he was impressed with the company and its products, especially 3Di and Helix. He usually trims main and calls tactics, but when asked for a favorite class, he shrugs. “I sail everything, from dinghies to keelboats to catamarans. I’m really enjoying helping the Cape 31 fleet develop even faster sails. And it was really good to sail the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race because that only comes around every two years. I knew I wouldn’t get seasick sailing, but I didn't know how it would be sleeping!” He laughs. “I was fine, even with that really rough start.” Sailing several evenings a week and almost every weekend, Ben doesn’t have a lot of time for other sports. But “I like keeping fit, so I love biking, surfing, mountain biking, wing foiling. And walking the dog—that’s a big one these days.” Ben and his fiancée recently adopted a cocker spaniel. His favorite activity is, of course, sailing. “It's easy to go to work when I get to talk to people about sailing on the hour’s drive to the loft. And then I get here, and I'm still talking about sailing with everyone I work with. I’m good at making boats go fast, so I’m very happy to be in a place where everyone else appreciates that and wants to do that too.” Get In Touch Richard Matthews' 52-foot Oystercatcher at the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race 2021 📸 RORC / Rick Tomlinson / Rolex Fastnet Race Cape 31 Sardonyx at Cowes Week 2021 📸 Live Sail Die and PKC Media Cowes Week 2021 📸 Live Sail Die and PKC Media READ MORE

I novi Panjić je nezaustavljiv s NS jedrima 📸 Zero Gradi Nord Sve brojnija hrvatska monotip flota klase Melges 24 aktivno je pristupila i drugom dijelu ovogodišnje sezone. Nakon što su u proljeće i na početku ljeta odjedrene tri regate iz ovogodišnjeg hrvatskog toura, četiri posade su odlučile nastupiti i u susjednoj Sloveniji na Europskom prvenstvu koje se inače u tom akvatoriju trebalo jedriti prethodne godine. Datumi održavanja regate bili su 4 - 11. rujna, od čega je za natjecanje bilo rezervirano pet dana, od utorka do subote. Domaćini i organizatori regate bili su članovi YC Marina Portorož, a na Oglas regate odazvalo im se 40 posada iz 13 Europskih zemalja i SAD-a. Vremenski uvjeti u Portorožu bili su tipično kasno jesenski što bi značilo da su prevladavali lagani maestrali, dok su kao značajni lokalni utjecaj bili prisutni osjetni kurenti čije čitanje je bilo dosta važno u borbi za što bolju poziciju na regatnom polju. Posade koje su zajedrile u Portorožu bile su sastavljene od mnoštva vrlo dobrih, pa i izvrsnih jedriličara jer klasa je prisutna na međunarodnoj sceni već dugi niz godina i mnogi jedriličari su je izabrali za nastavak svoje karijere nakon izlaska iz malih klasa. A tih kojih je bilo u malim klasama s vrlo velikim međunarodnim uspjesima bilo je poprilično, a neke posade bile su sastavljene i od 2-3 olimpijska jedriličara. To sve govori koliko je i dalje jaka konkurencija u klasi koja je i dalje vrlo atraktivna iako je prvi put zajedrila daleke 1992. godine. Tradicija jedrenja u Melgesu 24 na Europskoj sceni također je velika, a Hrvatska je postala njen član s neočekivano jakom ekspanzijom u manje od godinu dana od kad se ozbiljno krenulo s aktivnostima oko njene popularizacije. Trenutno CRO oznaku na jedrima ima 14 jedrilica, a u najavi je da bi do Prvenstva Hrvatske u studenom, trebala stići i 15. jedrilica! 📸 Zero Gradi Nord Predstavljati Hrvatsku na ovom kontinentalnom prvenstvu odlučile su posade Ičića, Zagreba, Biograda i Splita. Iz Ičića je put Portoroža otputovao ujedno i trenutno najstariji svjetski M24 koji je u regatnom stanju, broj 006 - Blue Label. Iz Zagreba je stigla posada Joyrunnera - 792, iz Biograda ekipa na Panjića - 739, te iz Splita 385 - Iggy. Svima je ovo bio prvi nastup na međunarodnoj sceni i to na regati ovog kalibra, tako da nitko od njih nije nešto posebno ni očekivao po pitanju rezultata. Istina, svi su sebi postavili neke ciljeve, a koliko su ih ostvarili u praksi i kako je uopće regata izgledala iz njihovih kokpita ispričat će nam kormilari naše dvije najbolje plasirane posade, Panjića i Iggyja. Mi smo se gore pojavili u subotu i odradili prvi trening. Kako nam je ovo novi brod, gore je stigao već u četvrtak, pa ga je trebalo izvagati, napraviti certifikat itd... a pokazalo se da je to bila dobra odluka, jer nakon što smo ugradili soft floor i elektroniku, što starost broda, što sve skupa, dalo nam je to da smo imali mogućnost izvaditi 10 od mogućih 13 kg olova iz njega. Tako da nismo to napravili jedrili bi s 10 kg težim brodom. Taj posao su odradili Tonko i Šime i pripremili brod i brod smo isprobali praktički ta dva dana tu ispred regate. Naime, došao nam je u krivo vrijeme, mislim u vrijeme kad se svi bavimo onim od čega živimo, turizam ove ili one vrste. Duje skiperira, Tonko je kapetan na jahti, a ja moram pokriti svoju firmu, jedini od nas koji je jedrio preko ljeta bio je Tome, pa čak ni on nije bio previše po regatama. U princiu stigli smo gore mnogo prije nego smo mislili. Naša ideja bila je da na Europsko prvenstvo idemo iduće godine, a da do tada skupljamo iskustvo. I kad stignemo tamo da budemo u poziciji da razmišljamo o borbi za medalju za oko dvije godine. To je bila glavna ideja i zbog toga smo i kupili ovaj brod ranije nego smo mislili. Cilj na ovom EP bio je da se naučimo jedriti u velikoj floti. A ovaj raniji odlazak na EP se desio jer se EP održavalo u Portorožu i Tomi se oslobodio termin, pa kad se to poklopilo i mi ostali smo uzeli kalendar i odlučili osloboditi se posla da možemo ići. Tako da je Tonka gazda pustio, Duje je žrtvovao dva tjedna skiperaža, ja sam svoj bračni mir :) i završili smo u Portorožu bez ikakvih posebnih očekivanja. Iskreno sam se nadao da ćemo se moći boriti za plasman između 15. i 20. mjesta i da ako budemo ispod 20. mjesta da nismo odradili dobar posao, a očekivanja iznad 15. mjesta bila su nerealna. I kad gledam na ostavreno s ovog odmaka vidim da je cijela regata mnogo bolje prošla nego što se itko od nas mogao nadati, pa čak i Tome koji jedri s različitim ekipama i zna gdje smo mi otprilike sa svojim bonusima i nedostacima. A konkretno naš najveći minus ovog puta bila je velika flota na startu, te situacija koju do sada u našim regatama u Hrvatskoj nismo susretali, a to je prilaz startnoj liniji samo s glavnim jedrom. Istina, to smo trenirali u predsezoni, kad smo se učili uopće i voziti taj brod, a Tome nam je rekao da će nam to sigurno trebati. Nakon toga su nam stigle regate u malim flotama, gdje opet svi manje više startaju s flokovima, a gore takav start nije bio moguć. Naravno, starta se s flokom, ali momentum prilaska, odrolavanja i držanje pozicije u takvim flotama je drugačiji. I pokazalo se da se mi s tim dobro nosimo.U subotu smo na treningu bili sami. Tomo nam se pridružio u subotu navečer, pa smo s njim trenirali u nedjelju, a u ponedjeljak je bio praktice race. U nedjelju smo vidjeli da smo s nekim posadama za koje smo znali da su brzi, da možemo držati brzinu bar pet minuta. Naravno, kasnije se desi drugačiji ulaz u val, drugačiji izlaz iz vire, koncentracija na vožnju, pogotovo nakon cijelog ljeta koje je prošlo bez te aktivnosti... male stvari u kojima vidiš da si izvan njihovog ritma. Ali sa svakim satom jedrenja i svakom novom situacijom, te barijere su pomalo padale i osjećali smo se sve ugodnije u tom društvu najboljih koji su preko ljeta odradili nekoliko regata iz Europskog toura. A u ponedjeljak na practice raceu prvi okrećemo gate! Kad smo ga obišli samo smo se pogledali, zarolali flok i otišli u marinu. Rekli smo "ovo je predobro, nešto nije u redu". Realno, kad si u velikoj floti naprijed onda samo sve više odlaziš ispred sviju. Moment je bio više nego dobar, ali nismo htjeli biti u nekoj zabludi da smo mi sad tu super dobri, jer tada još uvijek nismo toliko vjerovali u to. I onda je počela regata. Prvi start. Gužva. Đumbus. Startali smo super, ali lijeva strana, koju smo odabrali, pokazale se lošijom. Kurenat je u desnoj strani radio puno veći dobitak nego ječi pritisak u jedrima na lijevoj strani. Onda se desila i ona situacija kad smo došli nešto lošije na bovu od orce, tamo je bila gužva... pokriveni brodovi, pa brodovi koji su već bili na bovi i ne uspijevaju je okrenuti, tako da smo tamo imali već prvi protest na Mađare 759, pa potom ona situacija s DNE... Skužili smo već onda da se kroz jedrenje dižemo i u principu kad smo počeli voziti krmu u tom plovu, pa orcu i drugu krmu, hvatali smo brodove ispred nas. To nam je dalo poticaj i nakon toga smo odradili dva super plova s obzirom na naše iskustvo i s obzirom da nismo znali gdje smo. Ono kad si naprijed s njima misliš da te doveodobar dric, ali skužili smo kroz regatu da vozimo s najboljim posadama i po brzini i po kutu, pa čak i po radu. Odnosno nismo gubili ili smo sve manje gubili, pa čak i da su dobre i bolje posade izborom bolje strane bili ispred nas, a mi ih počinjemo prestizati. To nam je dalo dosta samopouzdanja koje se nažalost potrošilo s protestima koje nismo očekivali prvi dan, pa drugi dan kad smo tražili ponovno otvaranje, pa imali saslušanje od dva sata u kojem ponovno ne otvaraju slučaj... tako da su nas te situacije i emotivno i fizički potrošile. A dalje, kako je išao dan za danom, vjetar je bio sve slabiji i kurenti su bili još izraženiji. Nosili smo se dosta dobro izuzev jednog plova gdje smo imali super start, ali ta lijeva strana koja nam je puno puta dala tog puta nije. Već na pola prve orce shvatili smo da smo u zadnjoj trećini. Još smo zariskirali u krmi, a tu smo izgubili još 3-4 mjesta i znali smo da je to plov koji ćemo odbaciti s obzirom da DNE nismo mogli. Uglavnom, dražli smo se konstantno s najboljim timovima. Da nije bilo tog DNE-a na kraju prva dva dana bili bi drugi, odnosno treći. A to ne da mi nismo, već bilo tko drugi, očekivali. Shvatili smo da smo stekli poštovanje dobrih timova kad vidiš ljude koji su dugo u toj klasi i iza sebe imaju mnogo iskustva s Europskih i Svjetskih prvenstava, Olimpijskih igara, kad ti dolaze do broda, gleda po njemu, javalja se, a prije su držali glavu visoko :) Mislim da nam je to bila najveća pobjeda koju smo tamo napravili! I drago nam je što smo prezentirali da ako dođu u Hrvatsku na naš tour, da mogu kvalitetno jedriti. Da će naći bar još 3-4 posade koje će jedriti u istom ili sličnom rangu poput nas u Portorožu. Mi sad možda imamo malo više iskustva jedrenja po slabijim vjetrovima, ali to ne znači da ćemo po jačim išta bolji ili lošiji. Nažalost, za napredak u tom smjeru nismo imali uvjeta. Dobra stvar velike flote je da 20-25 brodova ima istu ili sličnu brzinu, kut, visine i ako ne startaš dobro i ne izabereš pravu stranu, možeš biti najbrži na svijetu, nisi nigdje. To se tamo dobro pokazalo i mislim da je to ono što je nedostajalo dijelu hrvatske flote. Ono što sam s njima pričao, najviše ih je mučila brzina ispaljivanja na startu, prilaz startu, startanje bez floka, kao nešto na čemu nisu dovoljno radili. Luka Šangulin, CRO 739 - Panjić 📸 Zero Gradi Nord Novi Panjić stigao je iz Češke. Nikad nije bio u moru i s njim se jedrilo samo par regata na jezerima. Osim toga bio je i garažiran, tako da osim promjene konopa, novog soft floora, elektronike i poliranja, na njemu nije bilo potrebo obavljati nikakve druge zahvate. Stari Panjić nastavlja jedriti u Hrvatskoj, a novi vlasnik je Ivan Kljaković Gašpić, tako da je u Splitskoj floti sad koncentrirana iznimno velika kvaliteta po pitanju posada i kormilara. Mislim da se slobodno može reći da ako ne splasne početni entuzijazam i nastavi se jedriti i trenirati da bi Split mogao postati novi Europski centar ove klase. Uz Luku Šangulina na Panjiću su još jedrili Tomislav Bašić, Tonko Rameša, Duje Fržop i Noa Šangulin i regatu su završili na fenomenalnom 9. mjestu. Ako se zažmiri na taj nesretni prvi plov, niz njihovih rezultata je stvarno fenomenalan. U preostalih deset plovova čak osam finiša bilo je između 4. i 8. mjesta! Ovako im je samo 5 bodova nedostajalo da budu jedno mjesto bolji, a da im je i u tom prvom plovu upisan rezultat poput nekog od spomenutih, imali bi oko 30 bodova manje i bili bi u vrlo uskom krugu konkurenata za postolje. Naša iduća posada u generalnom plasmanu bila je posada Iggyja, Melgesa 24 na kojem je kormilar bio Karlo Kuret: Želja mi je bila da napravimo jednu testnu regatu prije Europskog prvenstva, da se malo uigramo i da realno vidimo gdje smo i koliko možemo. Znam što je to one design, kako to može završiti itd... mislim, nije baš ugodno da te pet dana tamo netko pegla i zato smo planirali otići na Grdu koja je bila dva tjedna ranije. Međutim, nešto nam se iskompliciralo i morali smo odustati od tog plana. Tako da sam već odlučio da odustanemo i od EP, da nema smisla da dođemo bez neke regate na kojoj možemo u realnim okvirima vidjeti gdje smo i kako stojimo. Ali na kraju nekako smo se ipak odlučili da odemo u Portorož. Opet kažem da sam se toga malo pribojavao, ali na kraju je ipak ispalo OK. Računao sam da ako budemo u prvoj polovici da ću biti vrlo zadovoljan. Tako smo i završili, moglo je biti malo bolje, ali realno, tamo sam dobio potvrdu onog što sam i očekivao. Tu ima vrhunskih jedriličara koji dugo jedre u malim klasama, vrhunskih jedriličara koji su vezani isključivo za Melges 24, a ima i onih koji su kombinacija i jednog i drugog. Tu se baš vidi razlika u kvaliteti. Mi smo dva dana ranije pokušavali usavršiti finije trimanje u različitim modovima jedrenja. To nije lako jer prije nismo imali nikakvu referencu, a veliki dio regate se rješava na startu i u prve 2-3 minute jedrenja. Poslije toga flota se razvuče i ne postoji nikakav poseban način da se naprave neki veliki skokovi. I tako da je to pravi, tvrdi one design. Onaj koji tu želi biti top mora se ponašati profesionalno. Svi moraju biti jedriličari, svi moraju participirati bar podjednaku. Na ovakvim regatama nema mjesta za kompromisne posade i kompromisne pristupe. I to je to, vrlo jednostavno. Uglavnom, drago mi je da momci koji nisu prošli male klase i nisu prošli olimpijsko jedrenje da imaju malo bolju percepciju toga kako mala razlika na početku generira toliku razliku na kraju. Mi nismo bili nešto drastično sporiji, ali jednostavno, ta neka marginalna prednost na startu, na kraju krajeva i moje snalaženje na startu. Ja još nisam ni toliko upoznao brod, malo sam i zaruzinavio po pitanju jedrenja s tolikim brojem brodova u tolikoj gužvi. Sve to na kraju iziskiva neku rutinu i automatizam kojeg jednostavno nemaš. Možeš do određene granice ići na rutinu i iskustvo, ali to prolazi samo do neke granice. Za neki vrhunski rezultat to nije dovoljno. Tu se recimo vidjela najvećža razlika između nas i Šangulina i Bašića. Oni su posloženi i Tome je ti freelancer, profesionalac koji je u điru, trendu i on to puno lakše kontrolira i koordinira. Mogu reći da smo mi tu imali očekivanih problema. Stvarno sam se bojao da će biti situacija da ćemo tamo biti pet dana i trpiti sve dane. MIslim, nije to isto kao kad se dođe na regtu koja traje dan ili dva, pa nema veze, sutra ideš doma i to je to, ali ako ideš pet dana i tamo si od jutra do mraka, a sve izgleda loše, to nije to. Mislim da smo od ovih pet dana tri jedrili dosta dobro. Dva dana smo zeznuli, ali to je bilo objektivno. To su bili dani kad je bila ekstremna jedna strana i trebalo je startati i voziti u tu stranu. Tko to nije mogao napraviti nije mogao doći naprijed. Treći dan bilo je neko jugo koje je puhalo preko Savudrije i jednostavno je trebalo startati u lijevoj strani. Voziti tamo i čekati dric s kraja. Ako tu nisi bi ona vrijeme kasnije više nisi imao nikakve šanse. Ne samo ići naprijed, već smanjiti bilo kakvi zaostatak. Stalno su bili lagani vjetrovi. Puhalo je unutar 12, 13, 14 čvorova. Prosjek oko 8-9 čvorova. I u principu to je možda olakotna okolnost, jer kad vjetar padne na 6-7 čvorova to je još veći problem. Tada stvarno treba brod poznavati u dušu. A pretpostavljam da isto tako da je vjetar bio preko 20 čvorova specijalisti iz klase bi otišli naprijed. Karlo Kuret, CRO 385 - Iggy 📸 Zero Gradi Nord Uz Karla. posadu Iggyja sačinjavali su još Stjepan Vitaljić, Denis Stanojević i Zlatko Vodanović. Njihov konačni plasman bilo je 20. mjesto. Među bodovima čiji prosjek ih je doveo do sredine bodovne ljestvice bilo je stvarno dobrih plasmana. Dva finiša unutar najboljih deset i još nekoliko unutar najboljih dvadeset pokazuje da su mogli i bolje, a mislim da to i možemo očekivati od njih na idućim velikim natjecanjima. Preostale dvije naše jedrilice, Joyrunner i Blue Label, regatu su završile na 29. i 40. mjestu. Njihove posade bile su u sastavu Boris Tomić, Stevan Gazivoda, Marino Grozdek i Damir Vukić, te Petar Smojver, Davor Jelača, Sven Šojat, Andrija Čolak i Vedrana Pavlovski. Rezultati Joyrunnera uglavnom su bili malo ispod sredine, uz tri bljeska u drugoj četvrtini, dok ekipa s Blue Labela nije bila toliko loša koliko bi se na osnovu plasmana moglo zaključiti i definitivno imaju veliki hendikep u godištu svoje jedrilice koja je doslovno svjedok stvaranja i razvoja ove vrlo atraktivne monotip klase. Kompletne rezultate Europskog prvenstva možete pronaći na ovom linku, a iduće regate na kojima bi trebali vidjeti cijelu hrvatsku flotu uz možda ponekog gosta iz inozemstva, bit će: READ MORE

NEWPORT BERMUDA RACE 2022 ANNOUNCES NORTH SAILS AS OFFICIAL SPONSOR AND EXCLUSIVE PERFORMANCE PARTNER Success of Previous Performance Seminars Propels North Sails to Renew their Commitment to the Event and to Supporting Competitors The Bermuda Race Organizing Committee (BROC) is very pleased to welcome North Sails in their return as the Official Performance Partner for the 2022 Newport Bermuda Race. The renewed partnership will include running North’s enormously informative and popular Performance Seminars, focused on weather, navigation, sail selection, and performance optimization. As Performance Partner, North Sails will host two race-prep seminars where navigation and weather experts join the North Sails team, and race veterans, to discuss sail choices and weather routing for the race. The seminars will be held online and their dates will be announced in the coming weeks. “While sail design continues to accelerate at a rapid pace, it is great to have North Sails committed to helping racers prepare and optimize their usage of offshore sail inventories through this sponsorship and their seminars,” said Somers Kempe, BROC chairman. Remarking on the strong momentum of 70 registrations so far this year, North Sails President Ken Read said, “The idea of a pre-race support system for the skippers and their crews is the foundation of our Performance seminars. We’re looking forward to taking questions and exploring answers through the webinars to help competitors optimize their race programs as efficiently and practically as possible.” North Sails prides itself on having the best sail solutions and accessible expertise for boats across the spectrum. The world’s leading sailmaker with a vast network of over 100 sales and service sites globally. Newport Bermuda Race always draws an international fleet of yachts of all sizes and will start off the historic coastline of Newport, RI on June 17, 2022. BROC welcomes North Sails with its long history of powering a range of impressive boats—many to podium finishes. “The Newport Bermuda Race is a classic race on par with the likes of the Fastnet, Sydney-Hobart and Transpac.” added Read. “The East Coast can serve up challenging weather conditions in mid-June. With a combination of 3Di and Helix Structured Luff, North offers a smaller sail inventory that can carry you through a wider variety of conditions; a game-changer during distance racing. Our philosophy is simple—provide the fleet with high performance reliability to make the race enjoyable for participants at all levels. Interested in a Performance Seminar? Sign up today and join a community of racers committed to learning and excellence. About the Race: First run in 1906, the Newport Bermuda Race is a biennial event, co-organized by the Cruising Club of America and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club. It is managed by the Bermuda Race Organizing Committee, a joint working group which organizes and presents the race for up to 220 boats. Learn more. READ MORE

LOOKING FOR A QUOTE ON NEW SAILS? Tell is a bit more and the North Sails team will be in touch. All North Sails are designed and built to match the specific customer requirements. The result is that each sail made in a North loft is custom and personalized to your boat and sailing style. Every customer and boat is slightly different. That’s why hard-won expertise from more than six decades of success is built into each sail we make. We look forward to speaking with you and exploring the North product range to find a sail that perfectly fits both your boat and your sailing plans. READ MORE

RESULTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES AT THE 2021 MAXI YACHT ROLEX CUP We’re in the Business of Pushing: Boundaries, Speed, Science and Technology For some reason all of the top boats at the 2021 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup carry North Sails; which makes us wonder… should we believe in coincidence? Now some might say yes, but we beg to disagree. At North Sails, we are constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible– which means we are constantly rethinking what is possible with our technology. North Sails sail designer Magnus Doole explains it this way: “the way we think about design and what we’re trying to achieve, it’s like we throw a ball out of the court as far as we can, then catching it, then throwing it even further. Our biggest challenge is how far we can throw it.” We’ve just wrapped a week of sailing at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in one of the world’s most phenomenal locations: Porto Cervo, Italy. The week featured all that the best has to offer: high technology, technical coastal racing, luxury, and an undeniable passion for the sport of sailing. There are few events on the calendar that put J-class classics in the same racing waters as the speed machines of the modern era. However, whether the boat is 83 years old or 8 years old, the most competitive teams and owners consistently chose North Sails. After all, we believe the winning results, customer satisfaction and teamwork speak for themselves. 📸 Atila Madrona / North Sails READ MORE

Izvrsno Europsko za Šljuke u organizaciji JK Split 📸 regate.com.hr Jedriličarski klub Split organizirao je Europsko prvenstvo klase Šljuka od 30. kolovoza do 4. rujna, a s obzirom na nesigurna vremena u kojima se još uvijek nalazimo može se reći da je sudjelovala brojna i reprezentativna flota od 49 jedrilica iz cijele Europe uz goste iz obje Amerike. Hrvatsku je predstavljala flota u kojoj je jedrilo sedam posada i to u svim dozvoljenim kombinacijama, kompletno muškim, kompletno ženskim, kao i u mješovitim izdanjima. Uvertira u EP bilo je Prvenstvo Hrvatske koje se jedrilo tjedan dana ranije. Nažalost, vremenski uvjeti ta tri dana nisu bili na strani jedriličarima, ali srećom to nije stvorilo predumišljaj kod jedriličara da će tako biti i na glavnom događaju. Dapače, vjetra je bilo dovoljno, a drugog dana čak i previše. U srijedu, prvog natjecateljskog dana, odjedren je jedan od predviđena dva plova. Obilježio ga je ugodan maestral, ali nervoza na startu i može se reći fleksibilni pristup predstavnika klase na brodu RO koji nisu podizali crnu zastavu, bili su razlog ponavljanju prvog starta čak tri puta. Slična nervoza bila je i idućih dana, kad je malobrojnoj publici na moru postalo već normalno da se opći opoziv signalizira bar dva puta po svakom plovu. Uglavnom, prvi plov krenuo je nakon trećeg pokušaja. Odjedrio se klasični štap kurs, a pojedine posade odmah najavljuju svoje najozbiljnije namjere za borbu za pobjedničko postolje. Čak je i naša mješovita posada Marinović - Zelić u ovom plovu završila na izvrsnom petom mjestu! Ostali naši predstavnici smjestili su se od 20. mjesta pa dalje, ali mnogima je ovo bio prvi nastup na regati ovog ranga, pa se nije ni moglo prognozirati kakav rezultat se može očekivati s njihove strane. Idući plov krenuo je iz prve, po dosta laganijem vjetru koji je nastavio slabiti dok flota nije krenula u drugu orcu, kad RO signalizira prekid jedrenja. U četvrtak flota se postavila na istoj lokaciji, a tako će biti i preostala dva dana. Ponovno je zapuhao maestral, ali izrazito snažnije nego dan ranije i odmah se vidjelo da će planirani program biti odjedren u punom obimu. Želja za što boljim startom rezultirala je sa po tri opća opoziva u prva dva plova, dok je treći plov startao nešto brže. Na njega se regatni odbor odlučio zbog neispunjenog kompletnog programa u srijedu. Na licima mnogim posada vidjelo se da će im jedrenje po sad već poprilično raskopanom moru predstavljati poseban napor, ali odustajanja su bila minimalna. Jedina razlika u odnosu na prethodna dva jedrenja bila je što se ovog puta nije jedrio štap, već je postavljen trokut. Nakon prve orce jedrile su se dvije mezzonave, a potom još jedna orca i krma do cilja. Po ovakvim uvjetima Šljuke su izvrsno izgledale na moru, a atraktivna glisiranja u tim mezzonavama bio je pravi užitak gledati! Naše posade ovog puta nisu imale predstavnika na vrhu rezultatske ljestvice u ova tri plova, a najbolje rezultate ostvarila je domaća posada Jerčić - Prosinečki. S druge strane naše perjanice od prethodnog dana, Marinović i Zelić, odjedrili su fenomenalan plov, ali radost izvrsnog jedrenja, pogotovo u prvoj orci kad su je okrenuli kao vodeći, pokvarila je vijest na cilju da su bili bodovani s UFD-om. Iduća dva dana protekla su u umjerenijem vjetru. Odjedrilo bi se po dva planirana plova i na kraju se uspješno stiglo do mogućnosti odbacivanja, odnosno do maksimalno odrađenog programa. Naše spomenute dvije posade i dalje su nastavile s izvrsnim jedrenjima, te su stalno popunjavale mjesta među najboljima u poretku, ali nedostajalo je malo kontinuiteta da bi na kraju rezultat bio bolji. S druge strane, preostali naši predstavnici također mogu biti zadovoljni svojim jedrenjem, jer su odjedrili sve plovove do kraja. Jedino su se dva DNC-a uknjižila našoj jedinoj kompletno ženskoj posadi, Alujević - Polić. To je bilo u četvrtak po jakom vjetru, ali treba uzeti u obzir da je ovo djevojkama bila druga regata nakon Prvenstva Hrvatske tjedan dana ranije! Poredak svih Hrvatskih posada bio je sljedeći: 12. Luka Jerčić & Josipa Prosinečki - JK Split 16. Marko Marinović & Ana Zelić - JK Split 29. Milko Volarić & Dean Pavlak - JK Galeb 30. Damir Vranić - Leon Scheidl - JK Galeb 35. Nikola Dešković & Neven Baršić - JK Orion 48. Alenka Alujević & Vedrana Polić - JK Split a kompletne rezultate možete pronaći na ovom linku. O organizaciji prvenstva, a i o njihovom jedrenju na istom, popričali smo s Josipom i Lukom: Priča o organizaciji Europskog prvenstva krenula je na prijedlog Marka Marinovića koji je zajedno s Nikolom Deškovićem 2018. jedrio na Europskom prvenstvu klase u gradu Pori u Finskoj gdje je istaknuta kandidatura Splita kao lokacije za iduće Europsko. Naše EP trebalo se održati 2020. godine, tako da se intenzivno na organizaciji radilo već od 2019. godine. Razgovaralo se s Gradom, pa s Ministartstvom sporta, potencijalnim sponzorima itd, a onda dolazi Covid i potreba za odgađanjem regate. Tada smo vodili intenzivne razgovore s klasom da vidimo što ćemo poduzeti, jer s obzirom na fiksne troškove regate nismo bili oduševljeni idejom da organiziramo regatu za mali broj jedrilica. Na koncu se odustalo od organizacije za 2020. a iskreno, nismo bili sigurni ni što ćebiti ove godine, ali eto, krenuli smo s poslom i rekli sad ili ikad :) Na kraju smo dobili 50 prijava, što je sasvim u redu. Na početku smo se nadali da će ih biti ok o70, ali s obzirom na ove okolnosti kad se ljudi teže odlučuju na putovanje, a mnogima je ovo ipak samo hobi, super smo zadovoljni i ovim brojem. Oko same organizacije uspjeli smo okupiti hrpu naših mlađih jedriličara i roditelja i ostalih članova i prijatelja kluba koji su nam puno pomogli za vrijeme samog održavanja regate i bili glavna snaga i bez kojih to ne bi ni blizu tako dobro funkcioniralo. Najveći hit regate bili su klinci iz Optimista koji su sa Želom bili logističari zaduženi za dočekivanje i brigu oko kolica na pontonima. Svaki dan kad bi svakog ispračali svakom bi poželjeli sreću, a kad su ih dočekivali svakog su pitali kako su prošli. To su svi jedriličari komentirali i bili oduševljeni tim pristupom. U svom stresu organizacije takvi nekakvi momenti su ono kad vidiš da klub ima energiju za tako nešto izgurati do kraja i da svi na kraju budu zadovoljni, a s druge strane to su i motivacijski elementi za hvatanje u koštac s nekim sličnim budućim projektima! A inače kad se to zbroji s infrastrukturom koju klub ima na raspolaganju, počevši od velikih hangara i lučice, bilo bi šteta da se klub nije kandidirao za organizaciju ove regate. Pri tom dosta stvari koje smo napravili u klubu u proteklih godinu - godinu i pol puno su nam pomogle, a i sama organizacija ovog Europskog prvenstva bio nam je motiv da se s tim nekim zahvatima uhvatimo u koštac... da stavimo rampu na ulaz, da zasadimo zelenilo, a s druge strane sve to i dalje ostaje u klubu. Moj najveći problem u svemu ovom bio je na kraju se maknuti iz organizacijskog dijela i prebaciti se u natjecateljski mod. Trebala sam sve informacije skupiti i prenijeti ih drugim ljudima s nadom da će oni znat raspolagati s njima i moram im se zahvaliti što me nisu puno zvali :) To je osobno meni bio najveći izazov. Josipa Prosinečki, JK Split 📸 regate.com.hr S organizacijom smo počeli prije dvije godine. Jedna od prvih akcija s kojima smo počeli bilo je što sam s Markom Marinovićem i Bojanom Gregom angažirao Talijana Barija, da dođe kod nas u svojstvu premjerača i da nas trojicu osposobi da postanemo nacionalni premjerači. Tako smo u principu omogučili Hrvatima da imaju brodove koji su legalni, a i eliminirali smo potrebu da nam zbog takvih poslova dolaze ljudi iz vani. Tako da smo ona prva dva dana Europskog prvenstva, prije nego se krenulo s jedrenjima, mi radili premjeravanje a jedan finski međunarodni premjerač bio je supervizor. Mislim da smo taj dio posla odradili izvrsno, jer smo prvog dana premjerili oko 80% flote i to do 3-4 sata poslijepodne, a bilo je predviđeno da to radimo do 6 sati. Tako da nam je za idući dan ostalo par brodova i još nekoliko koji su morali ispraviti neke stvari. Uglavnom su svi bili manje više u redu, osim par Belgijskih posada koje su imale brodove lakše za 1 - 1.5 kg, ali to su lako doveli u red ubacivanjem utega. A što se mene konkretno tiče još sam bio uključen i u izradu nagrada. Napravili smo ih u firmi Dalstroj u Splitu s tim da su imali i jedan dio koji je donirao g.Gaćina, inače jedriličar i vlasnik krstaša Jonathan III, dok je dizajn djelo g.Lampalova. Inače smo taj dizajn koristili kao nagradu na regatama šljuka i ranijih godina, a ove smo ga samo malo modificirali. Dobra nam je stvar i to što smo cijeli klub preuredili proteklih godinu - dvije, pa nam je i to uvelike pomoglo u nekim segmentima organizacije. Naime, osnovni problem kod ovog tipa regate je što svi natjecatelji dolaze sa svojim automobilima i svojim trajlerom na kojem je uglavnom samo po jedan brod i to sve onda treba negdje smjestiti. Tako da je to 50 auta, 50, trajlera, 50 brodova koji idu vani nakon regate... nije ono kao npr. na regati Lasera kad na stotinjak brodova bude dvadesetak trajlera. S druge strane dobro je bilo što nije bilo puno pratećih, trenerskih gumenjaka. Bila su samo 3-4 gumenjaka s trenerima... Španjolci, Talijani i Belgijanci, dok su se svi ostali oslanjali na to da ćemo mi kao organizatori osigurati određeni broj brodova za pratnju. Pri tom je najvažnije bilo da osiguramo dovoljan broj brodova za tegalj. Što se toga tiče najviše je bilo nekakve rasprave drugog dana jedrenja, kad je bilo dosta vjetra. Na 3 metra visine puhalo je 23 čvora. Tu je nastalo malo panike među natjecateljima jer ima ih dosta što nisu bili spremni na malo jače uvjete, pa su se pojedinci malo prepali za sigurnost. Ali na kraju je sve proteklo u redu. Jedina ozbiljnija situacija bila je s jednom Poljakinjom kojoj su se ukočila leđa i ona je između drugog i trećeg plova evakuirana s mora u motornom brodu u pratnji doktorice koja je bila cijelo vrijeme na regatnom polju. Ona je potom provela jedan dan u Splitskoj bolnici, a nakon toga je letjela u Poljsku i srećom to je bila jedina ozljeda na regati. Jedino što su svi bili malo umorni nakon tog drugog dana, jer su odjedrena tri plova po tom jačem vjetru. Uglavnom, mislim da su svi bili zadovoljni sa svim kako je proteklo na moru. Istina, neki su mislili da se taj treći plov mogao odjedriti i neki drugi dan, ali Regatni odbor nije uopće htio riskirati da ne bude dovoljan broj plovova, jer format natjecanja u Šljuci dozvoljava odbacivanje tek nakon 7. plova. Što se tiče mog i Josipinog jedrenja, mi smo stvarno očekivali da će ovo prvenstvo biti održano prošle godine, pa smo se prije dvije godine počeli ozbiljnije pripremati. Krenuli smo u teretanu po tri puta tjedno. Nastavili smo to i danas, ali problem je nastao kad je nastupio prvi lock down. Mi nakon jeseni, kad se makne sat, ne možemo više jedriti kad završimo s poslom, već samo vikendom i to samo ako je dobra prognoza i ako nema neke od regata krstaša i ORC-a na kojima također jedrimo. Tako da se zimi broj treninga značajno smanjivao, pa se desio Covid. Istina, u to vrijeme je situacija bila takva da smo i mogli nešto malo jedriti, jer brod nije klupski i nalazi se van kluba pa se na nas nije odnosila zabrana izlaska na more koju su imali svi klubovi po pitanju treninga, ali zbog kolegijalnosti prema ljudima iz kluba nismo htjeli ići na more. I kako se ta Covid situacija rastezala tako se pomalo izgubio žar za treniranjem... Onda je došla 2021. i malo više smo se morali angažirati oko organizacije, ja sam u međuvremenu promijenio posao i tako da su nam rasporedi stvarno bili prenatrpani, te u principu nismo ništa ni trenirali. Kad pogledamo godinu dana unatrag, možda smo na moru bili deset puta. S druge strane mislim da je bilo dosta dobro što imali Prvenstvo Hrvatske tjedan dana ranije. Bio je samo jedan uspješan plov i prvenstvo je propalo, ali to i dva plova u pokušaju dobro su nam došli da se malo uhodamo i ponovno uđemo u ritma jedrenja i regatavanja tako da kad je došlo EP mislim da je bilo OK. Bili smo zadovoljni brzinom broda i svim ostalim, ali tek nakon drugog dana smo pohvatali trim broda za prijelazne uvjete između različitih settinga, trima jarbola, tenzija sarči i takvih stvari. Kao što za svaku klasu, tako i za Šljuku, na internetu se mogu pronaći postavke broda. To nije ništa problem, ali poanta je skužiti kad se prelazi s jednih postavki na druge. Ako se prebaci prerano izgubi se energija u jedrima i onda si spor. Ako odeš prekasno onda imaš previše snage u jedrima i topiš se, pa si spor, tako da treba ići na regate i trenirati da se mogu uspoređivati brzine s drugima i skužiti kad je taj trenutak. I to je u principu to što smo mi nakon drugog dana shvatili. 20. mjesto iz prvog dana bio nam je najlošiji rezultat i svakim danom smo bili sve brži i konkurentniji. Također su nam i startevi svakim danom bili sve bolji i sam osjećaj u regati. Nije nas opterečivalo to da li smo dovoljno brzi, da li smo dobro startali... uglavnom, mogli smo se posvetiti isključivo jedrenju. Moram spomenuti da je također i višenje u brodu dosta specifično i teško iako idemo u teretanu tri puta tjedno. U njoj se može ojačati generalno, ali ne može se pripremiti baš za višenje, osim na nekom simulatoru, tako da nas je prva dva dana dosta boljelo. Visili smo puno, ali noge su boljele... Treći dan je bilo puno bolje. Mogli smo se izbacivati koliko smo htjeli, tako da nismo imali u glavi kočnicu ni po tom pitanju. Imali smo jednu situaciju da smo bili u jednoj orci i negdje na pola stranice Josipa mi govori da je bole noge, da ne može više, da mora malo uči u brod. A ja je pitam "dobro, a bi li ti pomoglo da znaš da smo trenutno vodeći" :) jer ona ne vidi drugu stranu polja. Zna da smo na našoj prvi, ali ne vidi drugu, a stalno je bila koncentrirana na vožnju, reguliranje vanga itd. I ona odgovori da bi joj to pomoglo i nastavi visiti cijelu orcu :) I tako, da je to bila jedna mentalna prepreka koju inače treba svladati treningom, također kao i neke druge probleme, da bi se mogao fokusirati isključivo na jedrenje. I suma sumarum bili smo na kraju 12. a želja nam je bila završiti između 10. i 20. mjesta. U stvari ne toliko želja, koliko realnost koju smo očekivali s tim da je ovo 12. mjesto ispalo stvarno kao vrhunski rezultat. Ono što mi je najvažnije je to da smo vidjeli da možemo bez problema jedriti s najboljima, da smo u puno trenutaka bili brži od najboljih. Pri tom mislim na Španjolce, jer Amerikance nisam toliko ni susretao na polju. Oni bi obično startali lijevo i prvi dio orce vozili na tu stranu, a ja bi startao desno i vozio prvi dio orce desno. Tako smo otvarali polje i nije bilo puno razlike između lijeve i desne strane na početku, ali u prilazu bovi je zato bilo velikih razlika po maestralu. Uvijek je to Čiovo kad smo bili manji tražilo da se jedri desno, ali polje je bilo malo visočije nego inače. Bili smo u visini Gospe od Prizidnice i često se znalo desiti da lijeva strana prevlada, odnosno da budu dva vjetra u gornjem dijelu polja. Tako da nismo viđali Amerikance, ali Španjolce jesmo. Pri tom mislim na ove što su bili drugi u generalnom plasmanu. Njih smo često prolazili i u orcu i u krmu, ali mi smo imali nekih drugih problema, a oni treniraju non stop. Sad smo dobili i poziv da dođem kod njih u listopadu u Mahon na Menorcu da dođem kod njih na trening i kasnije na neku regatu. To je za njih regata nižeg ranga, ali samo iz njihovog kluba na njoj će biti 16 brodova! Doći će i još neki Belgijanci itd. Princip im je da svatko od njih ima po dva broda i onda zovu ljude kod sebe, daju im brodove i treba se samo jedriti. Luka Jerčić, JK Split I za kraj iskrene čestitke Jedriličarskom klubu Split na izvrsno organiziranoj regati, a svi koje je zaintrigirala Šljuka kao klasa na ovom linku mogu pronaći vrlo bogate foto, a na ovom linku video galerije s ovog Europskog prvenstva. READ MORE

ARC PREPARATIONS & SAIL SELECTION FOR OFFSHORE North Cruising Experts Join the World Cruising Club for a Live Webinar North Sails cruising experts Jeremy Smart, Bob Meagher, and Ridgely MacKenzie join World Cruising Club’s Andrew Bishop to discuss sail selection for offshore bluewater sailing and ARC Preparations. This webinar is a particularly beneficial watch if 2022 is your year for the ARC. For those who missed the live stream, catch up on the topics covered, including why sail design matters, the North upwind and downwind cruising products range, and critical features of an offshore cruising sail. Service expert Ridgely MacKenzie also explains how to make the most of our global network of service lofts.   READ MORE

Bruno Gašpić na korak do postolja na U21 SP 📸 Robert Hajduk Nakon što je na Europskom prvenstvu U21 u klasi ILCA 7 koje se jedrilo u Crnoj Gori Bruno Gašpić osvojio 6. mjesto, ovog puta je na Svjetskom prvenstvu iste klase u istoj dobnoj kategoriji završio na korak do postolja! Regata je po prvim planovima trebala biti organizirana u Velikoj Britaniji, ali na kraju su se organizacije prihvatili u Gdyni u Poljskoj od 20. do 27. kolovoza i to za klase ILCA 7 u muškoj konkurenciji, odnosno u ILCA 6 u ženskoj konkurenciji. Ukupno se okupilo 138 jedriličara i 57 jedriličarki, a naš udio u floti činili su Bruno Gašpić i Božidar Golubić u muškoj konkurenciji, odnosno Ursula Balas, Carla de Carina i Nika Manestar u ženskoj konkurenciji. Naši najbolji mladi laseraši imali su u programu šest natjecateljskih dana za vrijeme kojih su odjedrili ukupno po devet jedrenja. Djevojke su sve bile u istoj skupini i jedrile su zajedno od početka, pa do kraja prvenstva, dok su dečki bili podijeljeni u dvije skupine. U kvalifikacijama su imali po šest jedrenja, dok su u dvije jakosne skupine jedrili još po tri finalna plova. I Bruno i Božo bili su u dobroj formi i obojica su kraj regate dočekala u zlatnoj skupini. Istina, Bruno je sigurno mnogo zadovoljniji ostvarenim rezultatom, ali i Božin nije bio loš. Bruno je cijelu regatu jedrio konstantno sa samo malim padovima koncentracije. U kvalifikacijskom dijelu regate imao je samo jedan kiks i to kad je u drugom plovu završio na 19. mjestu. To mu je bio i najlošiji rezultat, pa ga je na kraju mogao i odbaciti. Ostali plasmani bili su mu u intervalu između 3. i 7. mjesta u prvom dijelu natjecanja, odnosno između 4. i 18. u finalnom dijelu. Na koncu mu je ukupna bodovna suma iznosila 62 kaznena boda, a brončani Nijemac imao je samo pet bodova manje. Prvi dan je krenuo s laganijim vjetrom i tu sam se malo... snalazio. Prvi start sam dobro odradio, a drugi malo lošije. Tako da je to 19. mjesto prvi dan bio teret za kasnije. Drugi i treći dan bio je jaki vjetar i sve što bi napravio rezultiralo je ulaskom u cilj unutar prvih 5-6. Čak i s lošim startom bi se izvukao. Jednostavno, bio sam među bržima, a kad je bio dobar start završio bi u prva tri. Četvrti dan je bio prvi dan jedrenja u zlatnoj skupini. Vjetar je bio s kraja i dosta je dricavalo. Prvi plov sam se dobro snašao i završio četvrti. Drugi plov sam malo lošije startao i uspio se donekle izvući po takvim uvjetima i došao do dosta dobrog 12. mjesta s obzirom da je bila riječ o zlatnoj skupini. I tada sam još uvijek bio treći u generalnom poretku. Sljedeći daje ponovno puhalo s kraja, baš iz luke, ali malo drugačije. Nije bilo ono kao kad je bura pa da možeš jedriti po dricevima... bio sam poprilično izgubljen taj dan... Imao sam skroz loš start na skroz lošem mjestu i još izabrao i lošu stranu. Drugi plov smo startali po nekom laganom vjetru u prvoj orci. Dobro sam se snašao. Prebacio sam se sa strane na kojoj sam bio, okrenuo negdje između 15. i 20. mjesta. Kasnije sam saznao da je to bilo super jer je npr. ovaj Nijemac koji je završio treći, bio dvadesetak mjesta iza mene. Zatim je krenuo dizati vjetar u mezzonavu, krenuli smo u krmu i prekinulo je taj plov. RO je odlučio da plov nije bio regularan u prvoj orci... Iskreno, nije mi išlo na ruku, ali stavrno ta prva orca nije bila regularna i nemam što prigovoriti toj odluci. A zadnji dan prognoza je bila ogromna kiša i nije se očekivalo da ćemo puno jedriti. Na kraju je tako i bilo. Pokušalo se tri puta s procedurom, ali nije se stiglo do nulte sekunde. Bruno Gašpić, JK Mornar S druge strane, Božo je dosta oscilirao , kako u uvodnom, tako i u finalnom dijelu regate. Najbolji mu je rezultat bilo treće mjesto u drugom kvalifikacijskom plovu, da bi ostali bili između 12. i 39. Sličan rasplet bio je i u tri finalna plova. U prvom i trećem ulazi u cilj kao 56., a u drugom kao mnogo bolji 30. Kad se podvukla crta bodovi ga smještaju na 45. mjesto od 69 jedriličara u zlatnoj skupini. Kompletne rezultate muške flote možete pronaći na ovom linku. 📸 Robert Hajduk Slično jedrenje poput Božidara Golubića, po pitanju bodovne slike, pokazala je i naša najbolja laserašica, Ursula Balas. Najbolji rezultat bilo joj je 4. mjesto iz drugog plova, dok su ostali rezultati oscilirali između 14. i 44. s tim da je imala i DNF u šestom plovu. Na kraju s regate odlazi kao 30. Carla de Carina i Nika Manestar, Ursuline klupske kolegice, završile su jedna pored druge, kao 49. i 50. Njih dvije također su imale dobro otvaranje, pogotovo Carla koja je u prvom plovu osvojila 3. mjesto, dok je Nika u tom istom plovu osvojila 9. mjesto kao svoj najbolji plasman u regati. U nastavku regate, kako vjetar jača i njih dvije osvajaju sve lošija mjesta, a Carla čak bilježi tri DNF-a. Na kraju su njih dvije u samo tri boda razlike, a kompletne rezultate možete pronaći na ovom linku. Svi jedriličari i sve jedriličarke što su jedrili u Poljskoj za mjesec dana imaju nastup u Varni u Bugarskoj. Tamo će biti organizirano Seniorsko Europsko prvenstvo za ILCA 6 i ILCA 7 klase, a hrvatsko jedrenje bit će zastupljeno i s još nekim drugim imenima, među kojima svakako treba istaknuti Filipa Jurišića koji u akvatoriju Varne već odrađuje prvi krug treninga. 📸 Filip Jurišić privatna arhiva I Filip i ostali naši predstavnici planiraju krajem rujna ponovni odlazak u Bugarsku, tako da budu maksimalno spremni na posljednjem važnom natjecanju ove klase u 2021. godini. Službeni dio okupljanja počinje 2., a proglašenje najboljih bit će 9. listopada. READ MORE

Hrvatski Optimisti 4. na ekipnom Europskom U talijanskim Alpama, na jezeru Ledro, po dvanaesti put za redom organiziralo se Europsko prvenstvo u ekipnom jezeru za klasu Optimist, naravno izuzmemo li 2020. kad zbog općepoznatih razloga ovaj event nije bio organiziran. Ove godine na regati je nastupilo 15 ekipa, među njima i ekipa iz Hrvatske, a jedrilo se od srijede 25. kolovoza, pa do subote 28. Kako je riječ o kontinentalnom prvenstvu predstavljala nas je nacionalna vrsta sastavljena od jedriličara i jedriličarki iz svih većih klubova. Iz JK Uljanik nastupila je Ema Grabar, iz JK Uskok Luka Dokoza, a iz JK Split Marta Lolić i Toma Smirčić. Riječ je o jedrenju koje nije baš nešto posebno popularno u nas, jer su u posljednje vrijeme organizirana natjecanja stvarno u minimalnom broju, odnosno team race se odjedri jedino kao dodatak Prvenstvu Hrvatske. Vjerojatno je i to razlog zašto dugo godina nismo imali zapaženih rezultata na regatama ove vrste u inozemstvu, ali izgleda da su se sad neke stvari počele omicati i u smjeru ispravljanja tog nedostatka. Naime, tim trenera koji se bavi našom najboljom vrstom u klasi Optimist odlučio je formirati tim koji je sastavljen od mlađih jedriličara koji bi trebali jedriti zajedno u ovoj klasi idućih nekoliko godina. To pruža mogućnost boljeg planiranja svih aktivnosti, a u koje spadaju zajednički treninzi, kao i nastupi na nekim drugim regatama u sklopu priprema za nastup na regatama najvišeg ranga. Do sada su se uglavnom ekipe za team race formirale od jedriličara koji su nastupali na EP ili SP, ali koji se nisu prethodno posebno pripremali za regate u kojima je vrlo važno jedriti kao tim i gdje se koristi skroz drugačija taktika, a ne kao pojedinac kojem je prioritet isključivo brzina i stići u cilj što ranije. Prvi dan prvenstva bio je stvarno maksimalno iskorišten. Odjedreno je čak 59 matcheva iako nije zapuhalo u vrijeme kad je predviđen prvi plov, već sat kasnije. Naši su već taj dan vrlo dobro iskoristili vrijeme provedeno na jezeru i otišli na spavanje kao drugoplasirani u generalnom poretku. Odjedrili su ukupno 7 matcheva od čega su pobijedili u njih šest. Bolji su bili od ekipa Španjolske, Danske, Ukrajine, Poljske, Belgije i Latvije, a bod nam je uzela samo ekipa iz Francuske. Rezultate možete pronaći na ovom linku, a pri analizi istih obratite pažnju na to da nisu sve ekipe odjedrile jednak broj matcheva, već je poredak na kraju dana određen rezultatima 7 prvih matcheva koliko je odjedrila svaka nacionalna vrsta. Idućeg dana morao se završiti kompletan Round Robin. To znači da je tada svaka ekipa morala imati ukupno odjedrenih 14 matcheva svatko sa svakim. Naši iz ove faze natjecanja izlaze s 9 pobjeda i petim mjestom. Na popis pobijeđenih reprezentacija dodali su Sloveniju, Poljsku i Veliku Britaniju, a od koga su izgubili možete pročitati na ovom linku. U petak se jedrio idući korak natjecanja u kojem su se protivnici birali na osnovu rezultata iz Round Robina. Nazivi tih dijelova natjecanja su "league C" i "league D" League C jedrilo je osam prvoplasiranih reprezentacija, a među njima i naša. S obzirom na osam ekipa u svakom skupini, svaka je morala odjedriti po sedam matcheva. Naši su nastavili s kvalitetnom prezentacijom i čak uspijevaju napredovati za jedno mjesto u generalnom plasmanu. Omjer pobjeda i poraza ovog puta bio im je 4:3. Bolji su bili od reprezentacija Švedske, Ukrajine, Poljske i Finske, dok su ih nadmašili predstavnici Španjolske, Italije i Rusije. Koliki su bodovi bili u pojedinom matchu možete pronaći na ovom linku. S ovim rezultatom naši dečki i cure plasirali su se u polufinale zajedno s predstavnicima Španjolske, Italije i Rusije. Po standardnim pravilima match race tipa natjecanja, prvoplasirana ekipa ima pravo biranja protivnika u polufinalu i oni u pravilu uvijek biraju četveroplasirane. Ovog puta ta kombinacija bila je Španjolska - Hrvatska. Finale i polufinale su se jedrili na dva dobivena matcha. Španjolska vrsta bila je bolja oba puta od naših team racera i tako osigurala nastup u finalu gdje su dočekali Talijane koji su s jednakim rezultatom pobijedili Ruse. Završnica se odjedrila u subotu, a uz finale u kojem se jedrilo za prvo mjesto, odjedrilo se i malo finale za treće mjesto. Ono nam je bilo zanimljivije jer su u njemu naši protiv Rusa imali šansu za osvajanje medalje. Međutim, ove godine nisu imali sreće i Rusi s glatkih 2:0 dolaze do bronce. Pripreme jedriličara i jedriličarki za team race natjecanje složenije je od priprema za klasično flotno jedrenje, jer zahtjeva upućenost u kombinatoriku, kao i nešto bolje poznavanje regatnih pravila. Kombinatorika je važna jer se jedri četiri protiv četiri i mora se znati unaprijed kalkulirati tko će koga pokrivati, tko je najslabija karika kako u našem, tako i u protivničkim timovima. Jedna od mogućih taktika je da svaki tim već na startu mora znati izolirati najjačeg predstavnika protivničkog tima i otvoriti prostor svom najslabijem da se pokuša izvući na čelo flote, a potom ostale protivnike usporiti penalima. Ako to ne prođe, treba ih se pokušati pokrivati i usporavati po svaku cijenu, te pratiti poredak ulazaka u cilj kako svojih timskih kolega, tako i protivničkih. Uglavnom, kombinacija i taktika ima dosta pa osim treninga na moru ekipe moraju provesti i određeni dio priprema s osvrtom na teoriju. S tim dijelom priprema pomogao im je naš međunarodni sudac Alen Kustić, dok je pripreme na moru odradio Željko Vojvodić, a na put u Italiju odveo ih je Vedran Mandić koji nam je ovog puta bio sugovornik: Ledro je jezero na kojem je uvijek slab vjetar, tako da su takvi uvjeti bili i ovog puta, a team race je specifičniji od flotnog jedrenja. U pitanju su situacije kad match u jednom trenutku gubiš i onda se odjednom sve okrene u tvoju korist. Ako netko napravi jednu grešku iskusna ekipa to iskoristi i sve okrene u svoju korist. Naši su jednostavno, uspješno iskoristili sve što su mogli i u finalu realno nisu ni mogli puno bolje. Tu se nema što kriti, Rusi, Španjolci i Talijani su bili bolji tako da je ovaj naš rezultat stvarno vrhunski. Da ne bi bilo zabune, naša ekipa je izvukla maksimum iz sebe, jer je na regati bilo još bar tri ili četiri ekipe koje su realno iskusnije i spremnije od naše. U sportu uvijek treba imati i malo sreće, a ovog puta stvarno je bila na našoj strani. Kad smo se prvi put našli i kad smo pričali tko koliko zna i što možemo očekivati, svi su se složili da ako uđemo među osam najboljih da će to biti super rezultat, ali svejedno kad je finale završilo bilo je par suza razočaranja :) Izbor mene za odlazak na regatu desio se u posljednji trenutak, tako da nisam baš najbolje upoznao svakog od njih, pa ih nisam stigao upoznati malo bolje i vidjeti kako mogu pojedinačno motivirati svakog od njih. Tako da sam im morao pristupati kao grupi, ali na kraju je sve ispalo u redu. Prvi plan je bio da ih vodi Žele, jer je njegovih dvoje bilo u ekipi, ali zbog osobnih razloga morao je otkazati putovanje. Ni treneri preostalih dvoje nisu se mogli dovoljno brzo organizirati za odlazak, tako da sam se ovog puta ja uhvatio ovog putovanja. Sama ideja oko izbora ekipe bila je takva da smo ponovno okupili tim koji je team race odjedrio i na Svjetskom prvenstvu. Odlučili smo da ćemo ih gurati koliko možemo, pa ćemo tako već i u listopadu nastupiti na regati u Berlinu te će oni kao ekipa nastavit skupljati iskustva što više mogu do idućeg Svjetskog prvenstva. Vedran Mandić, trener i vođa puta READ MORE

UNE ÉQUIPE DE CHOC À VOTRE SERVICE Du haut-lac aux rives de Genève en passant tout le tour du lac de Neuchâtel, notre équipe de choc se tient à votre disposition. Faites connaissance avec notre équipe ! Julien Monnier : Avec une véritable passion pour la monotypie, Julien pourra vous conseiller autant en Surprise, D35, Flying Phantom ou GC32, car il ne suffit pas d'avoir de bonnes voiles, il faut également les adapter à votre bateau et à votre style de navigation ! Responsable commercial et du réseau revendeurs, il est actif partout autour du Léman et particulièrement dans le haut-lac. Julien partage son temps entre le travail technique du développement des voiles, conseiller commercial, et depuis 2019 en tant qu'associé de la voilerie. Michel Vaucher : Autant à terre que sur l’eau, Michel est multi-tâches depuis plus de 30 ans : coaching des clients North Expérience, réparations en tout genres, travail sur le plancher, vente, représentation… Vous aurez l’occasion de le croiser autant du côté des Trois Lacs que du Lac Léman, car Michel est un excellent régatier et un metteur au point hors-paire ! Nicolas Groux : Spécialisé dans la formation, les nouveaux bateaux ou les nouvelles équipes, c'est LA bonne personne pour vous aider à mettre tous vos projets en place ! Extrêmement polyvalent, autant à la réparation des voiles, qu'à la vente, le service aux clients, les mises à bord, les navigations, Nicolas est un véritable couteau-suisse et est à votre disposition principalement autour de Genève. Polyvalent et disponible, il sera à votre écoute pour vous satisfaire en régate comme croisière. Philippe Massat : avec plus de 20 ans d'expérience sur le plancher et après des débuts plutôt dans le parapente, Philippe est le responsable du service des voiles amenées chez North Sails. Méticuleux, rigoureux, rien ne filtre ! Vos voiles seront bichonnées et soignées une fois passée entre ses mains. Patrick Mazuay : Patrick a rejoint la famille North Sails Suisse en 1998. Avec, entre autres, de nombreuses America's Cup à son palmarès en tant que sail designer, et naviguant sur tout ce qui flotte (du dériveur au TF35, en passant par de magnifiques bateaux comme le « Black Swan » avec lequel il a remporté le Bol d’Or toutes classes !), Patrick sera à votre écoute quel que soit votre projet ! Arnaud Psarofaghis : Depuis tout petit, il compte parmi les meilleurs navigateurs de la jeune génération en Suisse. Sails designer pour North Sails Suisse depuis 2009, Arnaud peut naviguer sur tous les types bateaux, que ce soit en Toucan, Psaros 40, Ventilo M2, D35, TF35, mais également en mer à bord de GC32, Moth à foil ou F50... Peut importe vos idées, Arnaud saura vous guider. Christine Jorand : responsable de l'administration et de la comptabilité, Christine est également en charge de la gamme "Crew Collection" pour les vêtements sportswear et technique. Elle est de la partie pour toutes les remises des prix, et vous pourrez également croiser Christine sur le bateau start lors des régates ! Pierre-Yves Jorand : avec une expérience en multicoque lémanique depuis 1994 comme barreur, régleur de Gd Voile et performer, Pierre-Yves a un sens aiguisé pour développer l’efficience et est passé maître dans l’art d’améliorer les performances. Egalement directeur de l'équipe Alinghi, passionné par le sport d'élite et la relève, avec un profil d’analyste rigoureux et fin régatier, Pierre-Yves vous attend pour développer à vos côtés vos projets les plus fous. Ben Schagen : Avec un premier Bol d'Or en 1966 à l'âge de 11 ans, Ben a toujours été un mordu de voile ! Il ouvre une voilerie à Genève en 1977, qui devint plus tard “Voiles Phi Schagen & Cie”, et enfin “Voiles Phi S.A” en 1986 avec la construction de notre voilerie actuelle à Satigny. Même en levant légèrement le pied à partir de cette année, Ben se tiendra toujours à votre service et à votre écoute à temps partiel à la voilerie, mais surtout sur les pontons, à bord, dans les ports ! Pierre Ratajski : Passionné de voiles, Pierre dit Rata, s’associe à la voilerie Phi dès 1978. Toujours à fond après toutes ces années, Rata reste à votre écoute partout où vous le croiserez et se fera un plaisir de vous conseiller sur tous vos projets ! Vous le verrez encore souvent à bord de son beau Grand Surprise, pour le plaisir et en régates tout autour du lac Léman, ainsi qu'à temps partiel à la voilerie. READ MORE

UNE AVALANCHE D'OFFRES EXCEPTIONNELLES ACCOMPAGNE LE RETOUR DU SALON NAUTIQUE DU 12 AU 14 NOVEMBRE Le Salon Nautique du Léman est de retour : et avec lui, une période d'offres exceptionnelles ! Contactez-nous maintenant pour optimiser votre bateau avant d'hiverner votre bateau (pendant qu'il est encore à l'eau), et rencontrons-nous pendant le salon nautique à Palexpo. Rien de mieux que de discuter à bord de vos nouveaux projets de voiles pour 2022. Profitez de l’expérience de nos experts pour passer à la vitesse supérieure ou à un meilleur confort en croisière durant cette fin de saison. Ils discuteront avec vous des nouveautés, vous conseilleront sur l’entretien de vos voiles ou sur un bon hivernage et vous proposeront une pléiade d’offres exceptionnelle. Afin d'anticiper tout cela, prenez contact avec notre équipe d'experts pendant que votre bateau est encore à l'eau, pas encore hiverné, afin de pouvoir discuter de vos futurs projets et faciliter la prise de cotes. Retrouvez.nous ensuite au salon nautique du Léman du 12 au 14 novembre 2021 à Palexpo pour profiter des "offres spéciales salons" et d'autres superbes opportunités ! Toute notre équipe sera ravie de vous accueillir à nouveau sur notre stand et sera à votre disposition. Obtenez votre invitation gratuite ici. Contactez-nous pour prolonger la durée de vie de vos voiles ! READ MORE

THAT’S A WRAP FOR MOTH WORLDS The Moth event was everything and more for the sailors: exciting, tricky, surprising, challenging, and really (really) fun. Imagine this for a second, 140 Moths buzzing around with just the sound of the foils cutting through the water. That was the scene on Lake Garda last week during the 2021 REDORO International Moth World Championships. This development class is known for attracting the best in the game. Slingsby, Jensen, Bruni – good luck trying to add up the Olympic Medals, America’s Cup wins or World Championship titles shared amongst the entry list. 2021 Women’s World Champion Josie Gliddon summed the competition up: “it’s a seriously tough fleet. If you look at the amount of gold medalists in the top 10, it’s insane.” While Moth sailors make it look easy, flying on foils is anything but. 2021 World Champion Tom Slingsby likens a Moth Worlds to his own personal America’s Cup. In addition to out- sailing your competition, competitors have to make critical performance decisions such as; foil, platform and mast selections, and last but not least – what sails to use (Slingsby uses North 3Di). It’s the combination of these unique decisions that make or break your success on the water, and in the class. North Sails joined the competitors during the event on Lake Garda and we’re happy to share our latest video drop. 📸 Atila Madrona / North Sails READ MORE

3 TIPS FOR FUN FAMILY CRUISING Two Fast-Growing Kids Required a Leap of Faith to a Larger Boat, and Now it’s a Lot More Fun for the Whole Smith Family. It was Memorial Day weekend of 2020 when Tracy and Ezra Smith suddenly realized: their family of four had outgrown the Marshall catboat they’d owned for eight years. “We did a lot of overnights on that boat when the kids were young,” Tracy remembers. “But Mailie Rose grew five inches in a year, and suddenly she was as tall as I was. It was obvious that the four of us didn’t fit in that boat anymore.” Tracy and Ezra had both grown up sailing; Tracy finished third in the 1996 470 Olympic Trials, and together they campaigned an International 14 at a world level. Once they started a family, though, their priorities shifted from racing to family cruising with their two daughters, Mailie Rose (13) and Amelia (9). The catboat was perfect for small kids with short attention spans, Tracy says. But their cruising range was only about five miles from their home port of Wickford, RI. She points to a picture of the boat; she’s steering, with a backpack full of baby Amelia and a toddling Mailie Rose pulling on her shirt. Both parents have full-time jobs, so most of their cruising has to fit into summer weekends. Once they decided to buy a bigger boat, Ezra admits he thought about a powerboat first. “I figured with our lifestyle, it would be way more practical. We don’t have to take weeks off to go here, and then go there–” “And I said, we’re not getting a motorboat,” Tracy jumps in. “I grew up sailing around Miami, and I want to sail.” Ezra was fine with that too: “Hello, sailboat.” Going farther afield They were also both keen to extend their cruising territory, so Ezra began sending Tracy boat listings he’d found for sailboats in the 30-35 foot range. Then one afternoon, Onne van der Wal stopped by their house and made a surprise announcement: he was ready to sell his Pearson 36. Within weeks, Snoek moved onto her new mooring in Wickford Harbor. “We both felt pretty honored that Onne wanted us to have the boat,” Ezra says. “He and Tenley spent five seasons cruising with their own kids, and they know we’re going to take care of it. We went for our first sail last August, and then hauled out in October. It’s worked out really well.” Onne had done almost all of the updating needed for 21st century cruising, but he hadn’t replaced the head and holding tank. Ezra (who’s a marine designer) took on that job over the winter. And last spring, he and Tracy decided to sign up for the Wickford Yacht Club’s 2021 midsummer cruise, a full week’s commitment. “I was very nervous,” Tracy admits. “That we were going to be on this boat for eight days, and the kids weren’t going to like it.” Ezra says he was also hesitant at first about their summer plans. “I’m pretty risk-averse, especially with the family, because I know what can happen. You don’t want to get in over your head.” But the kids loved it, Tracy says with a proud smile. “In pretty much every harbor we went into, we instantly found friends to hang out with.” Many of their fellow cruisers were her former college sailing competitors, now cruising with their own kids. “People we only see once a year, but who are on the same page about what we’re doing in life. It was just amazing—the kids had a great time, and we had a great time. Every day got progressively more fun, because sailing is not a sport where you get burned out; it’s something you can do for the rest of your life.” Their eight day cruise took them to Cuttyhunk and several anchorages around Buzzards Bay. On the last day, they set out for the final cruise rendezvous off Third Beach (Middletown, RI), when their kids came up with a better idea. “It was a real stormy day, so we’re bashing upwind hugging the islands,” Ezra remembers. “We’re going along, and Mailie Rose says ‘hey, our friends are in Cuttyhunk. Can we go meet up with them?’” She’s on a chat group with all the other cruising kids, Tracy explains. The entire family happily stopped bashing upwind and instead joined a raft-up in a protected harbor—and best of all, it had been the girls’ idea. Taking the kids’ input is an important part of learning to cruise as a family, Tracy says. “You don’t want to bore them and ruin it; one bad experience, and they’re never going to want to go back out.” For both parents, the best part of the cruise was watching Mailie Rose take on more responsibility. Before they left, she’d gotten her boater’s license, so she was in charge of running the dinghy. She also helped with sails and boathandling on Snoek, thanks to the sailing lessons she’d taken at Wickford Yacht Club. “A big part of us being happy on the boat is that we have a thirteen year old who is a significant contributor,” Tracy says. “A thirty-six foot boat can be super-stressful for two people to handle. Going into docks and anchorages, we needed three people who were competent on the boat. And that third was Mailie Rose. She can steer the boat. She was playing the main, coiling lines, putting fenders away. And she really enjoyed finding out that she has the skills.” Junior sailing is not about your kids going to the Olympics, Tracy continues. “And that’s a hard thing for me to say, because I was so competitive. The purpose of junior sailing is for us to comfortably cruise on our boat for eight days. Doing a passage with young kids can be scary, especially when the breeze is full on. She and Amelia both passed that test.” Nine year old Amelia says her favorite part of the weeklong cruise was visiting a candy shop in Woods Hole on a rainy day ashore. But she likes the sailing, too. “Downwind’s probably my favorite, just because there’s less tipping.” Mailie Rose enjoyed the candy store visit as well, and she also remembers the joy and freedom of swinging from a halyard before dropping into the water. Each one of them has climbed a cruising learning curve this year, Tracy admits. Ezra adds, “The pleasant surprise is that now we’ve really grown into a boat that size. And it’s been really, really fun.” 3 Cruising Tips from the Smiths 1. Plan, plan, plan Plan out both provisioning and packing ahead of time. Tracy made lists of everything they might need well before the start of their cruise. This allows you to really enjoy the process, rather than running around at the last minute looking for AAA batteries. 2. It’s not about how far you go Don’t try to make too many miles each day, especially at first, and adjust plans to fit wind and weather. Sticking to a tight schedule will burn out the kids (and maybe the adults too). 3. Keep it simple The right family cruiser isn’t too complicated. “We kept it very small and very simple before jumping up to Snoek,” Ezra says. “That way, we were ready for it.” READ MORE

INVENTORY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LIGHT AIR CRUISING Top Picks, New Additions, Rigging and Tuning Tips 📸 Amory Ross / North Sails Being prepared for whatever Mother Nature serves up is key to maximizing your cruising adventures. Our cruising experts share their inventory top pick, which sails to consider adding and light air rigging and tuning tricks. An all-purpose cruising gennaker is a great first step. It offers a broad range of horsepower and can be used for higher and lower angles off-wind. Cruising gennakers are great for both tight reaching and broad reaching. The Helix Furling Gennaker is North’s new option that is a reliable, top-down furling sail. The Helix Furling Gennaker is lighter weight and meant to be furled, providing easy, accessible horsepower that isn’t problematic. Most cruisers don’t sail upwind as often as they sail off-wind, which is why gennakers have become more popular and highly recommended as the perfect all-around sail choice. Code sails are another great inventory option for more experienced cruisers. Code Zeros and G Zeros offer an extensive amount of power, which a lot of cruisers don’t realize until they’ve sailed with one. The convenience of a full-batten mainsail outweighs the performance. It’s a quick option for boats with a lazy jack set up so at the end of your sailing day, you come in, simply let the halyard go and secure it to the boom. Enjoy your cocktails sooner! Full-batten mainsails also offer more support when it comes to sail shape. With standard cruising mainsails there is more time at the end of your day making sure your sail is put away properly. Keep in mind, your local North Sails service team can retro-fit any cruising mainsail with battens to help extend the life of your sail, improve sail shape, and make the derigging process quicker and easier. It’s standard to have reef points, especially in cruising sails, which will give more flexibility when it comes to reducing sail area which is key in long distance cruising, especially if weather is expected (or unexpected!). Foam luffs on genoas also aid with flying shape if you are not ready to add a spinnaker or gennaker to your inventory. Foam luffs have more side to side symmetry and can assist with flying shape, especially for DDW angles. There are an array of different sail options that can support cruisers of all kinds depending on their needs. Contact your local expert to get help deciding which options may be best for you.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by North Sails (@north_sails)   Upwind inventory top choices 3Di OCEAN is a great step up from traditional materials. It lasts longer, is lighter weight, has lower stretch, and provides more stability– which makes cruising more comfortable. NPC CROSS-CUT is the preferred dacron option for everyday cruising. NPC RADIAN would be our recommendation for in-mast furling system setups. When it comes to headsails, a 135% genoa is a great place to start. Keep in mind, no sails want or like to be furled, so 3Di OCEAN is the most robust product that will last the longest and withstand furling. Our Favorite Inventory Additions For cruisers willing to leave the comfort of the cockpit, a spinnaker snuffer is the way to go. They are easy to hoist and when it comes time to douse, you simply pull a line, the sock comes down, and it drops on deck. This can be set up too where the sock drops directly into the front hatch. If you are not up for going to the foredeck, that’s where the furler comes into play. Both options are affordable, but all depend on what you are willing to do and your set up. Furlers are also convenient when you want to leave the sail up for extended periods of time. Simply unfurl or furl whenever you want. External cables come into play depending on the furler you have and the sail type you choose. With North Helix Structured Luff, there is no external cable. Rig Settings and Tuning Moving the fairlead forward will allow for a more powerful sail shape. Halyard tension should be tighter in stronger wind and more sea state, looser in flatter water and lighter air. When it comes to weight placement, if you know you’ll be on the same tack for a long time, adjust things below deck accordingly. It’s good to accept a bit of heel, as this helps keep the sails powered up and keeps them full as the breeze dies off. Once you’re set up for speed, all you need to do is keep an eye on the instruments. Outhaul should be eased, as well as cunningham and vang which controls leech twist. Too much twist in lighter air conditions will de-power the boat. For downwind sail settings, you can float the tack when you are running. As the wind lightens up, you want the tack lower. Ease outhaul, cunningham, vang to control leech twist. You don’t want too much twist because that de-powers the boat Floating the tack is an option: Running in more breeze you can raise the tack up Light air day you want the tack a little lower than you normally would Attachment points for non-conventional rigs: Sometimes the headstay doesn’t go all the way to the bow, so we install a pad eye in front of the headstay and a free floating block. You can purchase a keeper that will keep the tack from floating from side to side. Acts as a bowsprit with a fixed tack point. Tack will sit just above the bow pulpit, 3-4 feet from the headsail and with two snap shackles in the back and the right lines leading back to the cockpit makes an affordable/ simple option. 📸 Amory Ross / North Sails READ MORE

NORTH CLIENTS LEAD THE WAY AT THE CAPE 31 UK NATIONALS Tricky Wind & Tight Competition on the Solent 📸 Live Sail Die / PKC Media Having won every Cape 31 event this year, including Cowes Week, the icing on the cake for Russell Peters’ Squirt is to take home the inaugural UK National Championship title. That is precisely what the team of seven did this season, and we are delighted to uncover some inside knowledge from North expert and mainsail trimmer onboard, Pete Redmond. The busy season of events in the run-up to the Nationals has been the best preparation for the team. Speaking about what they have learned since the start of the season, Pete explains: “We have been working on developing our rig tune which was particularly beneficial in the lighter airs we had throughout this event.’’ “Good boat speed is our key to get out of bad spots or a congested fleet, and the North 3Di RAW 780 upwind sails, paired with our three nylon kites, help us to achieve that speed. We also generally get strong starts which is important, and have good crew handling so can push until the very last second before a maneuver. If we fall behind for whatever reason, we don’t panic.’’ Closest rivals Sardonyx finished just one point behind Squirt on the overall leaderboard after five races. Squirt focused on sailing their own races, and with conditions so light and shifty, heads were out of the boat, constantly assessing the right move to make next. Congratulations to North clients who claimed the top seven places from a fleet of eight boats. “We have had a good few generations of sails now, and they are constantly getting faster as we learn more,’’ says Pete. “We also produce excellent smooth sails for the smaller boats, which can be seen in this fleet where all the 3Di RAW sails look great.’’ Russell Peters' Squirt, 2021 UK National Champions 📸 Live Sail Die / PKC Media 📸 Live Sail Die / PKC Media Nifty and Gallvanter battling upwind 📸 Live Sail Die / PKC Media READ MORE

BE PREPARED. KNOW THE WEATHER Complimentary Forecasting For The 2021 Rolex NYYC Invitational Cup North Sails is offering complimentary weather forecasts to all teams competing in the 2021 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup. Sign up today for your free daily forecast delivered right to your inbox, prepared by weather expert Chris Bedford. READ MORE

2021 SCOW SEASON – A SUCCESS! Continuous Scow Product Improvements Deliver Great Results Podium sweep at the MC Inlands 📸 Hannah Lee Noll North Sails clients have been winning regattas on the MC, E, A, C Scow, and X Boat circuits for several decades, and just like the past years, we have had another great season to report. We continue to design, optimize our products and, most importantly, share our expertise so that you can achieve your sailing goals at the next regatta. Just recently, North Sails Scow expert Allan Terhune won the prestigious Inland Championship in the MC Scow posting 4 bullets in the scoreboard. After our internal regatta, it was clear that it was the right time for an update from Scow country. What Worked at the MC Scow Inlands Allan credits his four bullets and overall victory at the MC Scow Inland Championship to a lot of homework beforehand. “The reason I was fast enough to win this regatta is that our sail-shape analyst Eric Doyle and I spent six months last winter working with the North design team. We ran numerous two-boat testing, and sail designer Mike Marshall used the collected data to combine with the North 3D design capabilities. The result was two fast sails, the Magnum and the Rocket. The Magnum is for light air, or for heavier teams and anyone who sails two-up. We redesigned our most popular sail, the Z-Max, and then smoothed out the panels. We also updated the cloth to a higher quality RSQ fabric that offers a different feel; it’s not as stiff and rigid.” And, of course, we published an updated Tuning Guide that shares everything they learned about how to set up the new sail. The Rocket was a spin-off of the Z-One, and Allan says it’s ideal for heavy air and lighter teams. “We made a little shape change in the head, and now it’s much more forgiving. It’s pretty amazing how much difference it makes to get all the little details right.” “When North Sails take control of a design program, we bring a lot more detail and precision to making sails faster. It’s refreshing, and we’ve got so many new ideas! We’re giving the Scows a higher level of attention and it’s very exciting. Welcome to the North Sails way – Let’s get faster!” New E Scow 3D-designed mainsail at the Easterns. 📸 Leon Stein E Scow R&D Wins the Easterns North is just finalizing three new designs after a similar intensive R&D in the E Scow. After sweeping the podium at the “Easterns,” class experts will release these hot new products this Fall. Second place finishers Chris Bigos and Colleen Obrien had North Sails E Scow experts Jeff Bonanni and Eric Doyle onboard to field-test the new mainsail, jib, and spinnaker. “We were very confident in our boatspeed,” Jeff said after the regatta. “Upwind is where we really excelled, especially when we were in good pressure. Downwind, we jumped lots of boats on jibes and were able to defend going into the leeward gates or finish line.” “Our sail designer Mike Marshall put in a ton of time helping Jeff get these sails right,” Allan adds. “The whole team was involved. We’re bringing a fresh approach and attitude to this class, and we’ve been trying out different ways to make the boat faster. Meanwhile, if you just want to order new sails from the designs you already know and trust, we have those too!” Success at the A Scow Inlands Unlike the MC and E, the North’s A Scow inventory didn’t need as much updating—because the current designs are fast and continue to dominate. “The boat that won the Inlands used a 2-year-old 3Di RAW mainsail, showing the superior quality of the 3Di technology. The A boats are so cool and modern looking! It makes to have modern technology sails on such a high-tech design—they just fit the boat right.” Fastest Design at the C Scow Nationals In the C Scow, Cam McNeil won the 2021 Nationals using the same North design that has powered National champs for countless years. “The North I-1 Gold mainsail is a design that C Scow sailors know and trust. It has been the fastest mainsail over the years and it’s still the fastest. Why would you choose a different design?” Cam finished the 6-race series at the Nationals with only 8 points and three bullets. A solid victory over many experienced sailors. X Boat Designs Much like the other Scows, the X Boat sails you know and trust are available from North Sails. Our designs have been winning X Boat regattas for years and we are ready to make you SAIL FAST! Whatever Scow you sail, we hope you had as much fun this summer as the North Sails experts. Please contact your North Sails expert for the fastest sails for your boat. E Scow Easterns winners Chad Hillyer, Ryan Bailey and Jimmy Kennedy. 📸 Kirby Slack Cam McNewil, 2021 C Scow National Champion powered by the North I-1 Gold mainsail. Photo courtesy Spring Lake Yacht Club Allan Terhune, MC Scow ILYA Winner with 4 bullets! 📸 Hannah Lee Noll A Scow 3Di Mainsails Dominate the Inlands 📸 Hannah Lee Noll READ MORE

HOW TO FOLLOW: NORD STREAM RACE 2021 The longest offshore race through the Baltic Sea sets sail 📸 Nord Stream Race After many months of planning, re-planning, and making adjustments due to travel restrictions, the Nord Stream Race is finally ready to welcome the 2021 fleet to the starting line. The Nord Stream Race began in 2012 with the mission of “connecting the Baltics through sport.” This 1000 mile race starts in Kiel, Germany, and finishes in St. Petersburg, Russia, with stops in Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Helsinki. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nord Stream Race (@nordstreamrace) The 2021 race features teams from five countries with 60% of the sails under 30 years old. Teams from Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Russia qualified for the event by winning their respective country’s National Sailing League. Each of the five ClubSwan 50s carries a four sail North inventory. Since 2017, North Sails has worked closely with the event to produce identical sets of sails for the entire Juan K-designed fleet. Here’s how to follow the Nord Stream Race 2021 Save these dates and get to know the teams: https://nord-stream-race.com/en/2021 Read the latest race news and press releases and view images and media on the race website: www.nord-stream-race.com Follow the fleet with the Nord Stream Race Tracker. The track is love for all four offshore legs and the inshore races at each stopover: www.nord-stream-race.com/en/live2021 Make sure to follow and “like” Nord Stream Race on social media: Instagram: @nordstreamrace | Facebook: @nordstramrace | Twitter: @NordStreamRace | YouTube: @NordStreamRace And don’t forget to tag your photos and videos with the official race hashtags: #NSR2021 #ConnectingBalticsThroughSport #NordStreamRace Nord Stream Race Course Route READ MORE

DIE INTERBOOT 2021 FINDET STATT! North Sails Schweiz freut sich vom 18. – 26. September auf Ihren Besuch bei uns am NEUEN Standplatz 200 in der Halle A3. Bitte informieren Sie sich im Voraus über die aktuellen Covid-19 Einschränkungen READ MORE

Samo jedan plov na PH za klasu Šljuka 📸 regate.com.hr Kao što naslov kaže, ove godine nije se proglasio pobjednik Prvenstva Hrvatske za klasu Šljuka. Razlog je što se u tri dana jedrenja uspio do kraja odjedriti samo jedan plov! Jedriličarski klub Split bio je organizator ove regate koja je ujedno bila uvertira u Europsko prvenstvo klase koje će se jedriti u istom akvatoriju od srijede 1. rujna, pa do subote 4. rujna. To je razlog zašto je ovogodišnje PH imalo u svom nazivu i "otvoreno", jer je za nastup na njemu dozvolu dobilo i mnoštvo posada koje su ovu priliku iskoristile za testiranje uvjeta koji bi ih mogli očekivati nekoliko dana kasnije. Ukupno je zajedrilo 28 posada, a od čega je 6 bilo iz Hrvatske. Uglavnom je bila riječ o kormilarima koji imaju dosta dug staž u klasi, a u svojstvu flokista moglo se vidjeti i nekoliko novaka, dok je jednoj posadi ovo bio premijerni nastup, a da bi sve skupa bilo zanimljivije i neobičnije za hrvatske uvjete treba naglasiti da je riječ o kompletno ženskoj posadi! Kao što se već zna, Šljuka je klasa koja nema spolnih i dobnih ograničenja i podjela, pa su se tako i u Kaštelanskom zaljevu mogle vidjeti sve moguće kombinacije po pitanju posada. Nastupile su čisto muške, čisto ženske, mješovite, pa čak i kombinacije u kojima su flokisti još uvijek teenageri i po više desetljeća mlađi od kormilara. Što se tiče regate, natjecateljski dio trajao je od petka, pa do nedjelje. Organizatori su uložili vrlo velik trud i uz pomoć velikog broja volontera iz kluba izvrsno su odradili sve što je bilo u njihovoj moći. Međutim, vremenske prilike nisu im išle na ruku. Prvog dana jedrenja stvorili su se uvjeti za jedan start. Postavljeno je regatno polje, pokrenuta je procedura, startalo se i jedrilo neko vrijeme dok se nije morao svirati prekid. A da sve bude zanimljivije cijeli dan je obilježila jaka kiša, po kojoj se i jedrilo to nešto malo organiziranog obilazaka bova. Drugi dan zapuhala je bura i bilo je oblačno uz malo kiše. Polje je postavljeno i uspješno se startalo. Sve je bilo po planu, ali nevera iza Kozjaka bila je razlogom što se situacija razvijala obrnuto od službene vremenske prognoze koja je najavljivala slabljenje vjetra kako dan bude odmicao. Vjerojatno prognostički model nije mogao predvidjeti takav razvoj na ovoj mikrolokaciji. Uglavnom, kako se nevera približavala tako je vjetar jačao, a to se uskladilo s približavanjem tog plova njegovom kraju. Posljednje jedrilice ulazile su u cilj s vjetrom koji je puhao i više od 20 čvorova. Nakon toga više nije bilo jedrenja, ali napokon su se dobili prvi rezultati, a da bi regata bila regularna i da bi se mogli proglasiti najbolji morala su se odjedriti još najmanje dva plova. Sve nade sad su bile usmjerene prema nedjelji. Prvi start bio je predviđen za 12 sati, dok je ograničeno vrijeme za startni signal bilo 16:00. Flota i regatni odbor na vrijeme su se postavili na željenu poziciju, a naše posade vrijeme do starta nastojale su maksimalno iskoristiti. Naime, bio je angažiran vrlo iskusni španjolski šljukist Damian Borras da svojim savjetima poboljša nastup naših predstavnika. 📸 regate.com.hr Njemu ovo nije prvi put da je u Hrvatskoj, a zadnji put smo ga mogli vidjeti prije dvije godine kad je u JK Split organizirana klinika čiji je bio voditelj. Uvjeti po kojima se krenulo u drugi plov Prvenstva bili su slični onima od subote. Nakon kišnog oblaka nad Kozjakom zapuhala je burica koja je držala oko sat vremena. Međutim, nakon što su postavljene bove i odrađena predstartna procedura najbrži su po vjetru u nestajanju jedva uspjeli obići orcu i offset, dok je oko pola flote još jedrilo prvu dionicu kad je sviran prekid. Nažalost, to je bilo sve jer je ubrzo nastupila totalna bonaca i nije bilo drugog izbora do povratka u Lučicu. A što se tiče rezultata iz tog jedinog plova, njih možete pronaći na ovom linku. Ukratko, najbrži u subotu bili su Talijani Tinoco - Bracciano, dok su se naši mogli pohvaliti jedino plasmanima u top ten društvo. Na osmom mjestu imali smo posadu Marinović - Zelić, a na devetom mjestu posadu Jerčić - Prosinečki. Šljukisti su još jednom potvrdili da su promotori jedrenja u najbolje mogućem svjetlu i pokazali svo veselje i užitak koje ovaj sport pruža. Nadajmo se da će se klasa nastaviti širiti u nas i da će se ove jedrilice moći viđati po klubovima kao što je to bilo prije 40 i više godina. Do tada, ako vas put ovih dana vodi prema Splitu, svratite do JK Split gdje imate priliku vidjeti na djelu, po mnogima jedne od najljepših dvosjeda. 📸 regate.com.hr Na Europskom prvenstvu očekuje se oko 50 posada, a sve novosti možete pratiti na službenim web stranicama, odnosno na pratećim Facebook stranicama, dok fotogaleriju posljednjeg dana PH možete pronaći na ovom linku. READ MORE

MIKKEL RØSSBERG SLUTTER SIG TIL NORTH SAILS Den professionelle sejler glæder sig til at hjælpe dig med at finde de rigtige sejl og at udnytte dine sejls fulde potentiale. Halbtrocken Sailing Team ved ORC VM i Tallinn 📸 Felix Diemer Mikkel Røssberg har netop sluttet sig til North Sails teamet efter to årtier som professionel sejler på America’s Cup og flere Grand Prix hold. Han arbejder fra sejlloftet i Herlev og supporterer klienter i Danmark, Tyskland og Middelhavsområdet. NS: "Velkommen til North Sails teamet! Hvornår begyndte du at sejle?" Mikkel: "Jeg voksede op i en sejlerfamilie og min far var aktiv i den lokale klub, da jeg var barn. Jeg blev faktisk kastet ud i det, da det var lettere end at få fat i en babysitter. Jeg arbejdede mig op fra optimistjolle til Yngling og andre små kølbåde. Da jeg var 18, begyndte match racing at blive stort i Danmark, så det brugte jeg en del år på; først som styrmand og siden som besætning for et par andre hold, deriblandt med Sten Mohr og Magnus Holmberg." NS: "Hvordan kom du med til America’s Cup?" Mikkel: "Med Sten og Magnus lå vi længe nummer et på verdensplan med nogle gode resultater, så jeg blev inviteret med til Victory Challenge som sejlkoordinator og trimmer for cuppen i 2003, og sidenhen sejlede jeg med det spanske hold Desafio Espanol 2007 i America’s Cup i Valencia i 2007. Derefter begyndte jeg at sejle TP52, Farr40 og meget andet og det gør jeg stadigvæk." NS: "Hvilket TP52 team sejler du med?" Mikkel: "Jeg startede med at sejle med et amerikansk team, Windquest, så havde jeg to sæsoner med Platoon, derefter to sæsoner med det portugisiske team Bigamist. Senere hen havde jeg et længerevarende samarbejde med Gladiator." NS: "Sejler du andet?" Mikkel: "Ja, jeg arbejder med en tysk ejer med Team Halbtrocken Sailing Team, der har en Mills 45, det er et ret fedt lille mini Grand Prix program, hvor vi netop har vundet ORC VM i Tallinn. Jeg sejler også lidt match racing og J/70’er med Jens Christensen. Jeg sejler lidt af hvert." Mikkel Røssberg ombord på Farr40 Siragusawa NS: "Hvornår begyndte du at tænke på at slutte dig til North Sails?" Mikkel: "Jeg har efterhånden kendt stort set alle på loftet længe. De seneste tre år har vi snakket lidt mere indgående og nu er jeg klar til at prøve noget nyt. Det er jo et meget velkendt territorium for mig men det er selvfølgelig et nyt job. Jeg har ikke haft et normalt job i mange år!" NS: "Hvad glæder du dig mest til i dit nye job?" Mikkel: "Jeg glæder mig rigtig meget til at hjælpe folk med at finde de rigtige sejl til deres både og bruge dem til deres fulde potentiale, hvilket er mit speciale. Den udfordring glæder jeg mig til." NS: "Hvad bruger du din fritid på?" Mikkel: "Jeg windsurfer rigtig meget, så jeg glæder mig til at se hvad North Sails kommer med af nyt der. Jeg kan også godt lide at spille golf, jeg står meget på ski og cykler en del… bare være udenfor. Og jeg elsker at sejle en tur med min kæreste Mia. Jeg kommer jo fra en sejlerfamilie, så for mig har havet har altid været det bedste sted at være." READ MORE

UNE ÉQUIPE AUX PETITS SOINS POUR VOS VOILES Une équipe aux petits soins pour vos voiles : avec la fin de saison qui approche, renseignez-vous sur notre service d'enlèvement à bord pour que l'hivernage de vos voiles se passe le mieux possible ! Notre équipe vous les ramènera sur votre bateau dès le retour des beaux jours. Faire un bilan de votre inventaire de voiles, dresser la liste des travaux d’hiver à effectuer, planifier le stockage pour l’hiver et la mise à bord au printemps prochain : nous sommes là pour vous ! Nos services hivernaux à la carte sont à votre disposition pour prendre soin de vos voiles et augmenter leur longévité. Pour toutes les marques de voiles, nous vous proposons 2 options : 1) un contrôle complet “Certified Service” gratuit de vos voiles, quelle que soit la marque. Pour cela il suffit de les amener à la voilerie (en les déposant 24/24 dans notre SAS sécurisé à l’entrée de la voilerie). 2) un forfait premium comprenant l’enlèvement quelle que soit votre région par nos commerciaux, le contrôle complet “Certified Service”, le stockage durant tout l’hiver, et la mise à bord au printemps : vous ne vous souciez de rien, on s’occupe de tout ! Afin de répondre au mieux à toutes vos attentes, découvrez également tous nos services sur mesures, conçus spécialement pour vous. Appelez-nous au 022 782 32 22 pour avoir plus d’infos ou prendre rendez-vous avec l’un de nos experts. READ MORE

Sirotica s NS jedrom najbrža na Burtižu 2021 📸 regate.com.hr U nedjelju 22. kolovoza odjedren je 14. Burtiž, regata tradicionalnih barki s latinskim idrom, a koju je ove godine organizirala Ekološka udruga Šepurina. Sudjelovale su 33 gajete, leuta i kaića, a pobjedu je s nevjerojatnom prednošću odnijela gajeta Sirotica. Vremenski uvjeti koji su vladali na regatnom polju ispred Prvić Šepurine bili su pravi kasnoljetni, puno sunca i lagani maestral, tako da se moralo jedriti na nešto kraćoj ruti nego inače. Ovog puta sve se odigravalo u malom trokutu ispred samog mjesta Šepurina, a Regatni odbor se poslužio bovama da definira područje jedrenja. Start je postavljen ispred starog porta i startalo se "na lancanu". Sidra su bila bačena točno u smjeru zapada, pa je start bio u malo laškiju orcu, ali s obzirom na maritimne karakteristike ovih jedrilica neke su već tu morale značajnije otpasti od kursa. Uglavnom, svi da bi stigli do prve bove, koja je bila postavljena u smjeru Logorunskih vrata, morali su napraviti bar dvije vire. Nakon njenog ostavljanja lijevim bokom jedrilo se s vjetrom u pola krme u smjeru jugoistoka prema punti Gaćice, otoka Tijata. Tu je bila postavljena druga bova koju je također trebalo ostaviti lijevim bokom, te s vjetrom u bok odjedriti do cilja ispred Šepurinske nove rive. S obzirom na lagani vjetar, koji je puhao brzinom odo oko 5 - 7 čvorova, bolja pripremljenost barki i iskustvo posada najviše je dolazilo do izražaja u postizanju boljih pozicija. Već od početka vodstvo preuzima jedna od najtrofejnijih gajeta u ovom akvatoriju, riječ je o Sirotici. Posada Damira Čorkala prva obilazi bovu od orce sa značajnom prednošću, a u etapi niz vjetar ta razlika se nastavila povećavati, da bi kulminaciju postigla u posljednjoj etapi kad je u cilj ulazila dok je prva pratnja bila tek u prvoj polovici ove posljednje etape. Ekipa Sirotice regatu je odjedrila za manje od sat vremena, dok su najsporiji za njima kasnili i po sat vremena. 📸 regate.com.hr Startali smo po sredini, jer smo vidjeli da je u jednom i u drugom kutu bilo dosta gužve. Mislili smo da ako se izvučemo kako treba, na pravu stranu, nema više problema. Tako da smo start odradili kako treba, malo nam je sidro podoralo, ali imali smo čisti vjetar i brzo smo se izvukli. Brod je išao lijepo u vjetar, brzina nam je bila stvarno dobra. Već nakon prve vire vidjeli smo da se odvajamo i na bovu smo stigli s već dobrom prednošću. Okrenuli je i tad je bilo sve manje više gotovo. Kad se sve kritički pogleda mogu reći da nismo imali niti jednu grešku, osim što nam je sidro podoralo, a tu ne možemo ništa. Kako smo na startu bili u sredini, u čistom vjetru mogli smo startati komodno, nije bilo nikakvih poklapanja, odabrali smo pravu stranu i to je bilo to. Damir Čorkalo, gajeta Sirotica Situacija sa sidrom posade Sirotice je jedna od realnosti koja se dešava na startu ovakvih regata, kao što se ponekad desi da sidro zapne na dnu i da se ne može izvući. U tom slučaju dozvoljeno je da ga se ostavi na dnu, naravno, označeno nekom bovicom ili pajetom i nakon ulaska u cilj posada se na miru može uhvatiti u koštac s njegovim oslobađanjem. Ovo je zanimljiva situacija, jer ako je na provi član posade koji dosta eksplozivno može obaviti posao povlačenja po konopu, onda je donekle i poželjno da sidro zapne na dnu, ali u tom slučaju posada mora vrlo brzo reagirati u smislu ostavljanja oznake za pajet i odustajanja s pokušajima za njegovo izvlačenje. Suprotna situacija je ako sidro podore i ako se brodu ne može dati odgovarajuća početna akceleracija. A najgori je scenario, najčešće realiziran kad je flota velika, ili ako je lancana kratka, da se isprepletu sidreni konopi. U svakom slučaju, može se reći da je ovo jedan od najkritičnijih trenutaka regate tradicionalnih barki i ako reakcija posade nije dobra i brza teško se kasnije može nadoknaditi nastali zaostatak, u principu nešto slično startu formule 1. Što se tiče gajeta, poredak na postolju bio je sljedeći: Sirotica - MU 485 - Damir Čorkalo Godulica - MU 229 - Krešimir Papeša Baba Tone - MU 612 - Dario Filipi Treba istaknuti da je Godulica bila i trećeplasirana u generalnom proetku. Posebno osvježenje ove regate bila je mlađahna posada na kaiću Marinka. Poznavaoci prilika u Latinskom idru znaju da je to kaić obitelji Frop i da je s njim osvojeno mnoštvo nagrada na ovim regatama, pa tako i Burtiž 2019., a ove godine na njemu je jedrio kadetsko/juniorski dream team iz JK Split. Nekoliko njihovih optimista i laseraša preuzelo je argolu i škotu te vrlo dobrim jedrenjem stiglo do drugog mjesta u generalnom plasmanu. 📸 regate.com.hr S obzirom da im je ovo bila prva samostalna regata ovog tipa trebalo im je malo vremena da se snađu sa startom, ali nakon toga dolaze na svoje. Dobrim čitanjem regatnog polja malo po malo prolaze između većih gajeta i leuta, te prestižu jednog po jednog, da bi na kraju u cilj ušli par metara iza Lipe moje, plastične gajete koja inače jedri van konkurencije jer nije izgrađena tradicionalnim tehnikama i materijalima. Kaića i leuta inače na svim regatama latinskog idra ima značajno manje nego gajeta, pa je samim tim uspjeh ove mlade posade tim veći, a evo tko se još s njima popeo na postolje: Marinka - MU 906 - Šime Bosna Rusković Mali plavi kaić - Nikola Burtina Zadnji - VD 180225 - Jakov Cvitan S obzirom na lagani vjetar, teški leuti nisu imali nekih posebnih šansi za plasmane na vrhu, kao što se zna desiti na vjetrovitijim regatama. Međutim, cijela flota je uspješno završila regatu, pa tako i svi prijavljeni leuti, a njihov poredak bio je ovakav: Palma - ŠB 4166 - Đorđe Ljuba Gušte - MU 85 - Tonko Skračić Bažokići - MU 8 - Ivan Šikić 📸 regate.com.hr Iduća regata bit će u nedjelju 29. kolovoza s početkom u 15 sati i to ponovno u Betini, ali ova nije u standardnom touru, jer jedino za nju ne vrijedi pravilo "1.6" koje je objašnjeno u prethodnom članku. Ovo je regata koja je otvorenog karaktera i nema nikakvih ograničenja po pitanju površine jedrilja, duljine lantina itd, a posebnost joj je i to što je start leteći i jedri se isključivo oko bova. Pa ako vas put nanese ove posljednje kolovoške nedjelje na otok Murter imat ćete prilike uživati u još jednom atraktivnom tradicijskom sportskom događaju. 📸 Damir Čorkalo Nakon Betinske Vanka škvare slijedi posljednja ovogodišnja regata Latinskog idra, tradicionalna Za dušu i tilo koja se za blagdan Sv.Mihovila organizira u Murteru. READ MORE

THE 52 SUPER SERIES KEEPS NORTH SAILS IN CONSTANT DEVELOPMENT Did you know that many times the latest advancements for North 3Di are tested on the TP52s? 📸 Nico Martinez / 52 Super Series The 52 Super Series is known as one of the most competitive circuits in the sport and for North Sails, it keeps us on top of our game. This week, 16 TP52s are in Puerto Portals, Mallorca, re-igniting the circuit’s fierce competitive spirit after an 18-month Covid hiatus. The special showcase event brings together 9 Super Series circuit regulars, plus 7 guest teams for the 20th Anniversary Invitational. The entry list is a quick lesson in over two decades of class history. It’s well documented that events like the America’s Cup and Ocean Races are multi-year intensive development cycles that return an influx of technology back into North Sails. What’s less obvious is the constant evolution and refinement of the North Design Suite and development of our top-tier products that results from the 52 Super Series. North Sails Grand Prix leader and Bronenosec mainsail trimmer Paul Westlake comments: “North Sails’ success in the class boils down to two elements; our people and our product. Similar to the America’s Cup, each of our 52 teams has a North Sails designer dedicated to their program. At the end of each season, we collect feedback from the teams, learn from their experiences, review our baseline designs and structures, and ultimately, incorporate that into our seasonal development cycle.” 📸 Nico Martinez / 52 Super Series Many of the latest advancements for North 3Di were first tested on the TP52s, and 3Di RAW is a direct result of development within the Super Series. This minimum weight, maximum performance sail material has seen a lighting-speed engineering evolution over the last three seasons. “The 3Di RAW structure has taken major steps through the evolution of RAW 870 to RAW 880 in 2018-19, and now the latest: RAW 890, which debuted in Cape Town last season,” Westlake explains. “Our focus is on increasing modulus (resistance to stretch), reducing weight, and at the same time extending the racing range and lifespan of each sail. Sail buttons are like gold in this class!” The Super Series boats are built within strict tolerances, so winning programs demand sails capable of the smallest gains in boat speed. Mickey Ickert is North’s lead sail designer for the 52s, and with decades of experience, he is no stranger to continually advancing the performance of the sails supplied by North. Ickert explains his thought process: “Would the boat be going faster if the jib was flatter or fuller? How might we expand the range of the sail? Our design tools can help in making these decisions. The higher end flow predictions give an idea of what direction the combined system of the boat, the hydro, the aero, and the sailing team want to go.” Luckily for Ickert and his design group colleagues, they are able to combine the world’s highest performance sail material with modeling powered by the North Design Suite. This custom-built software makes it possible to create shapes that will exactly match the finished sail. “Our tools are very, very accurate in terms of predicting the loads and resulting flying shapes we’ll have on the water,” Ickert says. That gives designers the confidence to create a sail with a wider range of application. “One jib and one mainsail that deform themselves into the optimum as you go through the wind range. That’s the holy grail, not the reality, but you can push the envelope to it.” Of the nine boats competing in the 2021 season, seven have chosen North as their sailmaker. This is a testament to industry- leading technology and tools, and also to the North Sails team. In total, six sail designers support the Super Series program year round. With Ickert as the lead, the design group has made a concerted effort to work as a team, because that will raise the game of all North-supported teams. “It’s a privilege to work with these owners and their teams,” explains Westlake. “ We know they have a choice of sailmaker, and that motivates us to improve our tools and product and lean into the expertise of sail designers like Mickey. We have a lot of trust built up with these teams, and while we always strive to advance and improve their results, their feedback pushes us to be more aggressive with development. In the end, everyone wins.” Learn more about the 52 Super Series and follow along with the 2021 season on https://www.52superseries.com/ 📸 Nico Martinez / 52 Super Series READ MORE

ONBOARD WITH 3 WINNING ROLEX FASTNET RACE TEAMS A Conversation with North Sails UK 📸 Carlo Borlenghi/Rolex Finishing the 690 nm Rolex Fastnet Race is an achievement in itself, but racing with just one other crew member takes bravery to the next level. North Sails designer Kelvin Matthews joined Tim Goodhew on the SunFast 3200 Cora, and the pair claimed the UK Doublehanded Offshore Series overall season win. "It is daunting to know you will be sailing a large part of the race alone on deck, but we were excited more than anything," explains Kelvin. "We have been sailing well together this season, and we knew this race was the big one, both in terms of our overall season and the legendary race itself. Our priority was Class 4; you can only really focus on similar-sized boats sailing a similar race to you. Of course, we kept a close eye on our rivals in the doublehanded class, especially those in the running for the overall season trophies, which can be won or lost in a big race like the Fastnet.'' "We used our new 3Di RAW 360 mainsail reef for the first time,” he continues, “which was exceptionally tough and fast in the strong conditions at the start. It is quite a shallow reef which meant we still had to trim the sails correctly and be very active on the helm, but it worked perfectly under 28 knots, producing plenty of power to get over the steep waves. Although, admittedly, we had too much sail up through the Hurst Narrows with gusts of 35 knots!" The finish was pretty intense, he says. “We lost a lot of places at the Isles of Scilly when the wind died, and we were determined to make back the losses. We are fast downwind and got ourselves back into the race by Alderney. Gybing around the south side of Alderney as the sun was rising was a special moment.” The pair are now looking forward to the Castle Rock Race in September, and hoping for light airs “which have been good for us so far this year.” The race marks the final race in the RORC Class 4 series. 📸 Solent Sail Photography The TP52 Tala, owned by David Collins, won IRC Zero and finished 8th in IRC Overall. Main trimmer and North expert Pete Redmond says he’s drawn to offshore racing because a longer race presents more opportunity to make tactical moves—and, where conditions allow, really "let loose and send it.’’ He says the highlight of the race was "rounding the Fastnet Rock in bright sunshine and light winds, allowing us to get the closest we've ever been as all other times I've been around the rock it has been horrendous weather." In contrast, Pete adds, "the first 24 hours were the hardest; huge sea state created by a strong wind against tide. We knew it would be like that, so we were mentally prepared and just had to deal with it for a while. Our sails handled the conditions excellently, and we didn't have any sail damage all race." Pete says the team’s first priority was to win their class and then see what happened with IRC Overall. "Oystercatcher, a new 52-footer, was just behind us, and she kept us pushing. Up next for us is the Rolex Middle Sea Race in October, followed by the RORC Transatlantic Race in January 2022." 📸 RORC/Paul Wyeth North expert, tactician, and watch leader Mike Henning raced onboard James Neville's INO XXX, which won IRC One but lost the IRC Overall top spot to Tom Kneen’s North-powered Sunrise. Despite an after-dark arrival into Cherbourg, a crowd of locals came out to congratulate the crew on finishing—and holding the overall lead at the time. Without very many boats close to their ratting, Mike said they had to trust themselves and focus on their own race. "We knew we needed to sail our own game plan, utilizing what the wind and tide were doing at the time," he says. "Rounding the Scilly Isles and setting the MHO with a jib and GS was the highlight of the race, very much needed after so many days slogging upwind. We surfed up to 20 knots and knew we could be finishing that day, so pushed 110% to the end. With 0-35 knots, we used every sail on board at some point in the race. We started on a reefed mainsail and a J4, and the mainsail performed excellently across the wind range." Mike says he loves the endurance challenge of offshore racing. "You can't win the race on the first day, but you can certainly lose it. Teamwork and understanding between everyone on board is key, and really rewarding when everyone gels better than you could have anticipated. We are looking forward to coming together again for the Rolex Middle Sea Race." 📸 RORC/Paul Wyeth READ MORE

North 3Di is an indispensable building block of championship projects. JB Braun and the senior North sail designers team up to explain how they deliver custom solutions using 3Di technology. READ MORE

Trtuša i NS najbrži u Betini na Regati za dušu i tilo 📸 regate.com.hr Treća ovogodišnja regata Latinskog idra na otoku Murteru jedrila se u nedjelju 15. kolovoza u Betini. Uglavnom je sve bilo po prokušanom organizacijskom receptu, a razlika u odnosu na prethodnih par godina, kao i na sve prethodne ovogodišnje regate iz ovog ciklusa, bilo je to što je vjetra bilo na kapaljku. Sve vezano uz 19. Regatu za dušu i tilo odvijalo se na Betinskom mulu, na kojem su sve barke i bile vezane. Tu su se obavljale prijave, marendavalo se, pjevalo, a u 14 sati odrađen je i sastanak kormilara, a sat kasnije krenulo se s jedrenjem. Ove godine puhao je dosta lagani jugozapadnjak, a kako je prvi dio regatnog polja smješten odmah uz sjeveroistočnu obalu otoka Murtera, tako je taj južin bio i još slabiji nego na otvorenom s druge strane Murtera. Sudjelovalo je oko 40 kaića, gajeta i leuta, a ruta na kojoj se jedrilo bila je nešto drugačija nego inače. Ovog puta glavne oznake su bile bove postavljene na dva mjesta. Prva je bila u Plitkoj vali, klasičnoj poziciji i na osnovnoj ruti, a druga je bila postavljena ispred Prosike. Start je bio s krmama vezanim na rivu i sidrima bačenim ispred gajeta, pa se prvo jedrilo prema Plitkoj vali, zatim prema Prosici, a nakon toga oni koji nisu odustali od jedrenja vraćali su se u Plitku valu nakon koje su jedrili prema cilju. Kad se uzme u obzir smjer vjetra i pozicije bova može se reći da je ovo bila skoro pa i regata jedrena u štap polju. Podjednako su se jedrile i orca i krma. To je bilo dosta dobro s jedriličarske strane, jer je zahtijevalo taktiziranje u određenim dijelovima, a ne samo puko jurcanje, pa čija barka je brža taj će doći prvi. S obzirom na neizdašni vjetar na startu je bilo vrlo važno da je član posade zadužen za povlačenje po sidrenom konopu u dobroj formi, kao i da je sidro dobro uhvatilo, a također i da sidreni konopi nisu isprepleteni i da nečije sidro je bačeno preko vašeg. Ako je to sve dobro odrađeno i nije bilo zaplitanja do prve bove se moralo i viravati, a s obzirom na smjer vjetra slobodno se može reći da su u nešto boljoj poziciji bili oni koji su bili bliže Murteru. Ta pozicija im je omogućavala mnogo dulje jedrenje na desnim uzdama, a kad su morali viravati (ići u burdadu) bili su u prilici kontrolirati konkurenciju. Naravno, sve ovo pod uvjetom da ste dovoljno brzi, poput gajete Trtuša, koja je na kraju i odnijela pobjedu, a koja je upravo i startala s desne strane startne linije. U ovoj etapi prvi su jedrili relativno brzo, pogotovo u zoni bliže bovi, dok se sporiji dio flote poprilično rastegnuo i oni koji nisu bili u prvim redovima dobivali su još slabiji vjetar. Uglavnom, nekoliko vodećih brodova odjedrilo je i više od pola druge dionice prema Prosici, dok je glavnina pratnje tek uspjela obići bovu u Plitkoj vali. Ova etapa se jedrila u čistu krmu i u prednosti su bili oni koji su reducirali broj članova posade, te čije barke su lakše i pliće forme, a sigurno je nezanemarivo bilo i to da li su se zaboravili listovi kormila podignuti iz mora, te i na taj način smanjiti otpor jedrenju. Krma se jedrila po osjetno slabijem vjetru, a u povratku vjetar više nije ni ravnomjerno popunjavao regatno polje, već su se lovili privatni dricevi kao što se i u određenoj mjeri igralo na kartu sreće u izboru lijeve i desne mogućnosti za jedrenje do Plitke vale. Vodeće jedrilice i dalje uspješno igraju svoju ulogu favorita i sigurno jedre dalje, dok među pratnjom polako kreću odustajanja. Jedan dio sudionika nije uspio dojedriti do Prosike, odnosno procijenili su da možda dojedre do nje, ali da se neće uspjeti vratiti. Odustajanja su se nastavila kako je prolazilo vrijeme, ali vodeći su i dalje imali nešto više sreće s vjetrom i nastavljaju s jedrenjem. Ponavlja se situacija sa snagom vjetra koji ponovno jača u blizini Plitke vale. U ovoj fazi bilo je važno da li će se izabrati povratak bliže lanterni s lijeve strane kanala ili sredinom, a o detaljnije o tim izborima ispričao ja kormilar pobjedničke gajete Ante Turčinov: Start je klasika, pogotovo u Betini... ono što kažu da je start pola regate, pogotovo po ovakvo vjetru. Dobro smo se uspjeli izvući. Krenuli smo s desne strane, s pontona, to nam je standardna pozicija svake godine. Dobro smo izašli, sidro je dobro zakučalo, mislim da smo najbolje startali... odmah smo napravili razliku i imali čisti vjetar. Tako da smo imali samo voziti brod što brže i stići na bovu u što manjoj gužvi. Do nje je bila praktički čista orca. Tu smo napravili malu razliku i uputili se prema dolje, prema Prosici, gdje je bila bova od krme. Cijelo vrijeme nas je pratila gajeta Godulica i Jezerska gajeta Emilija Lapova. To je nova gajeta... u stvari stara, ali obnovljena. Kupljena je u Betini u pokojnog člana udruge Betinska gajeta 1740. Kad smo jedrili prema dolje mi smo dali malo više prema Betini, da ne bi upali u bonacu ispod Rata, a koja po ovako slabom vjetru može značajno utjecati. Tako smo povukli smo ekipu za nama. Kako smo sve više ulazili u kanal tako je vjetar sve više slabio, a to je bilo za očekivati, pa smo se do bove praktički dovukli. Kad smo zaorcali tu su četiri broda bili na hrpi i onda je bila igra živaca jer se vjetar gasio. Tu je bilo najvažnije što kraćom rutom se domoći kraja, uhvatiti se Betine. U jednom moentu doslovno je svatko imao neki svoj privatni vjetar... nekom je došlo po maestralu, nekom po jugu, nekom ništa... Mi smo se iz te situacije uspjeli solidno izvuči. Jezerska ekipa je dobila jedan privatni reful s kojim su se uspjeli izvući ispred nas i praktički nas držali u šaci, imali su kontrolu situacije. Također nam je i Sirotica došla na samu krmu, ali su onda zapeli u nekoj bonaci, a onda se dovukla i gajeta Dišpetoža koja je na kraju bila druga. Kad smo ušli u piriju između Betine i Tišnjanskog dijela, tu se vjetar ustalio i mi smo čekali priliku da nas Jezerska ekipa pusti, da nas više ne parira. To se i desilo i to im je bila velika greška jer su na kraju zbog toga i izgubili regatu. Pustili su nas da odemo desno. Oni su otišli lijevo i nakon vire i s njihove i naše strane mi smo im napravili prednost od stotinjak metara i došlido bove čisti s dobrom razlikom da možemo mirno doći do cilja. I tako da mislim da smo na kraju pedesetak metara bili brži u cilju. A u posadi su bili još Ivan Skračić, cura mi Ana Ježina, sestra Marija Turčinov, nećakinja Tonka Pavičić i prijateljica Eva Vodopija. U zadnjih par godina mi nekako uvijek idemo u pet do šest u ekipi, nikad nismo ispod. Jedra su dosta velika i kad gleda netko sa strane rekao bi da ti ne treba puno ljudi, ali kad dođe friški reful brod zagrabi, pa je bitno uvijek imati dosta kila na brodu. A sad da li se radi o 100 kg više ili manje po meni nije toliko bitno, jer važno je da se reful dobro iskoristi i da brod zaveze i da se zapumpa kad treba i to je to. Ante Turčinov, Trtuša 📸 regate.com.hr Nastavak ciklusa Latinskog idra trebao bi biti u Prvić Šepurini, ali još se ne zna konačna odluka. Ono što je sigurno je regata "Vanka škvare", koja će se jedriti posljednje nedjelje u kolovozu. Organizira se u Betini i karakterizira je da je otvorenost za sve što posadama padne na pamet, za razliku od klasičnih regata u kojima mora biti zadovoljeno pravilo "1.6". I na kraju ostaje najveća fešta, Murterska regata za blagdan Sv.Mihovila. A pravilo "1.6" odnosi se na duljinu jedra na lantini i kaže da njegova maksimalna duljina ne smije prijeći broj koji se dobije kao umnožak duljine trupa pomnoženog s koeficijentom 1.6. U oglasu regate u Betini čak je bilo i objavljeno u Oglasu da će se obavljati kontrola svih prvoplasiranih po pitanju ovog pravila. Svi standardni sudionici su ga bez problema zadovoljili, dok je nažalost mlada Jezerska posada platila danak neiskustva i tu izgubila drugo mjesto, jer im je duljina jedra na lantini bila veća od dozvoljenog. To je bio razlog zašto je na drugom mjestu na kraju završila Dišpetoža, a na trećem Sirotica. Za one koji nisu upućeni u podjelu na kaiće, gajete i leute, ona izgleda ovako: gajete - brodovi od 5.5m duljine pa dalje leuti - brodovi od 7.0, duljine, pa dalje kaići - brodovi kraći od 5.5m READ MORE

FAMILY CRUISING: LONG TERM SAILING WITH LITTLES How to Make that Family Cruising Dream Work In the fall of 2019, Katrin (“Kat”) German and Warwick (“Wazza”) Kerr left Mallorca, Spain, and sailed to the Caribbean with their three year old son, Kilian. The plan for the family was to spend the winter in the islands and then continue west, eventually circling the globe. Both parents grew up cruising in their native countries (Germany and Australia respectively), and in the pre-pandemic world Wazza could commute to the next pro sailing job from wherever they dropped anchor. Like so many plans though, theirs had to adapt in the spring of 2020, when COVID-19 shut down the Caribbean regatta circuit and all casual island-hopping. They spent the first several months locked down on St. Maarten, then moved down the chain as individual islands opened up to liveaboards. They were able to ride out hurricane season on Grenada, and by the time they sailed back up to St. Maarten Kat was pregnant again. So instead of heading west to the Pacific, they returned to Europe to settle down in Kat’s childhood home of Kiel, Germany. With the family of three (soon to be four plus a dog) back in Europe and gearing up for a Bay of Biscay crossing, we were able to catch up with the lively pair. With nearly two years of family cruising experience, we knew they’ve had some great advice for families who haven’t yet made the cruising leap. We also learned about their future sailing plans, which will of course include Kilian and his new sibling. Family Cruising: Casting off “You just have to do it,” Wazza insists. “Don’t be afraid. The worst thing that happens is you end up back where you were, which is not that bad.” Nodding, Kat agrees. “Kids are so adaptable! On our first offshore trip Kilian got seasick, but after that it was never a problem. We always try to keep him busy with arts and crafts, and there’s always sea life to look at, like dolphins and flying fish. And we read a lot of books.” Then she laughs, remembering the final days of their 18-day Transatlantic in 2019. “We really ran out of ideas, and we had only downloaded two kids’ movies before we left! So we just let him watch the same movie, Madagascar, twice a day. He called it the bird movie.” The only special boat modifications they made to keep a three year old safe and happy was to add netting all around the deck, Wazza says. Kat adds that they put up a leeboard in the salon to wall off a play area. “But that really depends on the boat. And other than that, we really didn’t prepare anything special.” As for their 3Di sails, Wazza says they’ve been even better than expected. “The original plan was for me to go old school and build some cross cuts by hand, like I did when I was an apprentice. Instead we ended up with 3Di. Now we’re 10,000 miles in, and except for adding a little bit of chafe protection on the spreaders, we haven’t done anything to the sails. “The staysail is our go-to sail when it is really windy or really rough. Even the genoa shape has barely changed, and it gets a bit of a beating. Much as you try and look after it, you always get into a situation where it’s not a perfect furl. I’d have to go look at a picture and measure it all properly to really see any change in shape.” Chuckling, he adds, “It’s a bit disappointing, in a way; I was hoping to build my own sails! But these are so good, I might never sail with another paneled sail.” Grenada Getaway Grenada was the perfect place to ride out hurricane season, Kat says, because they met so many other cruising families. “We spent four and a half months there, because it was the only Island open. And we hadn’t seen any other kids for four months before that.” There was even a Facebook page dedicated to Grenada cruising kids. “They organize so much, like Friday night movie and popcorn night and arts and crafts days. And there’s so many waterfalls and other cool stuff to explore as well.” And even though they had to constantly modify their plans to stay within CoVID rules, she’s happy that the past year forced them to slow down. “Otherwise our life would have been as crazy as always, with work and cruising…” “And we were so lucky to experience the Caribbean with so few boats,” Wazza adds. “We were in an anchorage where there’s normally 30 or 40 boats, all crammed in. And now there were only three.” Return to Europe With another baby on the way and Wazza’s pro sailing starting up again, life was suddenly too complicated to continue pandemic cruising. They decided to sail the boat back to Europe—but this time without Kat and Killian. “I was super, super stoked for the crossing,” says Kat, who has more ocean miles than Wazza. “But I think flying back was absolutely the right decision.” Going offshore pregnant, Wazza explains, “is just a step too far. If something did happen, you’re so far away.” He found some crew to replace his family, and sailed the boat back across the Atlantic via the Azores. But he says it wasn’t nearly as much fun as their previous Transatlantic. “We’d never sailed the boat without each other,” he explains. “Having Kat on board is a lot more stress-free, and it was a bit weird not being with the family. I felt like I was delivering the boat.” “I tell you, it’s so much more stressful to be on the shore than on the boat,” Kat adds. “I would have much rather been onboard than watching on the web. And we were missing each other! For the past two years, it has been 24/7. And then all of a sudden we didn’t see each other for six weeks, which was a long time for us.” Learning from Other Cruising Families Kat says they recently met another couple new to the cruising life who are “like us, half Australian and half German. It was really interesting to talk to them.” Unlike Kat, the woman didn’t grow up sailing, so she’d been learning from other cruising moms via social media. “They were giving each other tips and tricks,” Kat says. “A lot of people post realistic things (not just the ‘social media’ version). And you can also then get in contact with these people.” This other couple plans to join the 2021 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, which Kat thinks will include about 35 family boats. “With the ability to work remotely, there are many more cruising families than there were ten years ago.” Even though Kat and Wazza don’t participate in cruising rallies (because they prefer to pick their own departure times to adjust for weather), she understands how people might gain confidence from traveling with a group. And then she repeats a variation of what Wazza has already said about getting started: “Of course, you just have to take the leap at some stage. As soon as you start, you’ll start meeting other families quickly. And that’s such a boost of morale.” Future Family Sailing Plans Kat and Wazza are already looking forward to cruising the coastlines of Denmark and Sweden next summer. “I grew up sailing around the Baltic on a Nordic folk boat,” Kat says. “It’s so beautiful when the weather’s nice, and I’m really excited to show that to Wazza. We thought it would be really cool to take a couple of months. Even if he has to go off for a week here or there, I can be on the boat with the kids.” “It will be nice to see something different,” Wazza adds. ”A lot of people just do the barefoot route, but we’ve got plenty of friends up in Sweden and Denmark and Germany.” They are also looking forward to kiting, even though Wazza knows he will have to wear a thicker wetsuit than the better acclimated Kat. “The house that we live in is a three minute walk from an amazing place to go kitesurfing,” he says. “And as soon as number two is out, Kat will be back out there too.” Making fun sailing plans again is what has kept Kat going through this latest life transition: from “the supercool cruising lifestyle” to moving back to her childhood coastline. “I haven’t lived here in so long! We’re gonna give it one winter. See how it goes without seeing sunshine for a few months…” For anyone still uncertain about taking the cruising leap, Wazza puts it into perspective: “We’re actually more afraid of getting ourselves back into the system and the grind. I’ve said it before, but the worst thing that happens is you end up back where you were, doing what you were doing before, and that’s not that bad.” READ MORE

PODIUM SWEEP AT THE E SCOW ECESA CHAMPIONSHIP Learn About the New 3D Designed Mainsail Tested at the Event New 3D-designed mainsail at the Easterns. 📸 Leon Stein The ECESA Championship “Easterns” took place at Chautauqua Lake Yacht Club with twenty-four teams competing over three days of great, competitive racing. Chad Hillyer with Ryan Bailey and Jimmy Kennedy on T-17 “Hunter” won three of six races using a new North Sails AP Mainsail, LM Jib and AP spinnaker. Chad said “we really focused on keeping our eyes out of the boat looking for pressure, especially in the last two races when it was very light. I thought upwind we were higher & same speed as the fleet, and we were able to reach towards pressure with the AP spinnaker”. North Sails E Scow experts Jeff Bonanni and Eric Doyle sailing with Chris Bigos and Colleen Obrien finished second using a North Sails R&D mainsail, R&D jib and Whomper spinnaker. Jeff commented “we were very confident in our boatspeed and it showed in the consistency of our results with four top 3 finishes in a row. We were able to have conservative midline starts, hang in thin lanes and not have to take excess risk. I thought our bow down / speed forward mode upwind with the R&D sails is where we really excelled, dropping both traveler tracks and eating up the course when we were in good pressure”. “It was very puffy, and the Whomper spinnaker enabled us stay low in the lulls while we waited for pressure, it never really paid to chase it high. Once we were set up lower in the pressure, we jumped lots of boats on gybes and were able to defend going into the leeward gates or finish line more successfully”. Carl Horrocks with Kirby Slack and Dean Thompson on T-12 “Might As Well” finished third using a North Sails R&D AP mainsail, LM-2 jib and Whomper spinnaker. The team on T-12 used North Sail’s first E Scow mainsail designed in North Sails 3D molding software “Flow”. Carl commented: “The new North 3D designed mainsail is identical to our AP mainsail, but it’s incredibly smooth with no distortion or wrinkling when we vang hard”. North expert Jeff commented “Carl returns to skippering after many years crewing for Chad Hillyer. Carl purchased my boat last year, so we’re able to use their team as a benchmark in the sail design and tuning process. The two masts are as identical as possible, and all the sheets have the same trim marks. I’m able to change on a week to week basis, scan the sail photos and make incremental changes to tuning while the North R&D team of Allan Terhune, Eric Doyle and Mike Marshall suggest design changes. Each week we have been a little bit faster and this result for North clients at the Easterns is satisfying, however we won’t stop pushing to design and produce the fastest sails for our E scow clients”. Winners Chad Hillyer with Ryan Bailey and Jimmy Kennedy 📸 Kirby Slack 📸 Leon Stein READ MORE

Dubrovnik s pomlađenom posadom izvrsno branio boje domaćina na 41. Južnodalmatinskoj regati 📸 Leonard Kvarantan Jedna od najiščekivanijih regata svakog ljeta, Južnodalmatinska, ove godine dobila je novu dimenziju zbog koje je imala još veću pažnju u jedriličarskim krugovima nego inače. Razlog je sudjelovanje jedne jedrilice koja je apsolutni vrh u svjetskim okvirima što se tiče tehnoloških rješenja, a od ovog proljeća jedri pod zastavom JK Orsan. Riječ je o Stravaganzi, jednom od najekstremnijih monotrupaca na svijetu, ako se izuzmu vanserijske letjelice s ovogodišnjeg America's Cupa. Ali idemo po redu. Regatu organizira JK Orsan iz Dubrovnika u suradnji s PŠU Peliška jedra iz Orebića, a nakon što se starta iz Orebića u tri etape se jedri do Dubrovnika. Prva je startala u petak 6. kolovoza. Nakon Orebića obavezno se jedri prema gradu Korčuli, ispred kojeg se postavlja oznaka koju treba ostaviti lijevim bokom, a usputni otočić Badija desnim, a ciljna ravnina nalazi se u Pomeni, mjestu na sjeverozapadnom vrhu otoka Mljeta. S obzirom da se pobjednik regate proglašava po ORC Club sustavu razvrstanja, potrebno je istaknuti da se na ovoj dionici rezultati obračunavaju s obračunatom duljinom rute od 16NM. Naravno, i onima koji nemaju ORC Club svjedodžbe omogućeno je natjecanje po klasičnom Openu, ali najbrži na ovaj način samo dobivaju titulu koju se u međunarodnim krugovima naziva Line Honors ili po hrvatskom - najbrže jedrilice. Druga etapa sutradan starta ispred Pomene i da bi se učinila malo zanimljivijom kod otočića Lirica pod Pelješkom obalom ponovno se postavlja jedna oznaka koju se ostavlja desnim bokom. Iduća obavezna točka je jedino cilj koji se nalazi u Prožuri, a u ORC kalkulator ubacuje se duljina rute od 19NM. I treća, posljednja etapa, krenula je u nedjelju 8. kolovoza. Ova etapa ima dvije opcije predviđene Uputama, a to je ona u punoj duljini i skraćena. Razlika nije prevelika, tako da u slučaju da se jedri kompletna ruta obračunska duljina je 19.5NM, a u skraćenoj varijanti je 17NM. Kod ovog jedrenja obavezan je prolazak između otoka Olip i Jakljan, te jedrenje koločepskim kanalom do cilja kod otoka Daksa. Na regati je sudjelovalo ukupno 35 jedrilica, a dodatnu ORC kalkulaciju odabralo je 11 posada. Treba spomenuti da je regata imala i međunarodni karakter jer su sudjelovale tri slovenske i jedna talijanska posada. Osim dobrog i nadasve kvalitetnog odaziva po pitanju sudionika, organizatori su imali i sreće u metereološkom pogledu. Puhalo je svih dana, a jedino što se jedriličarima sigurno nije baš svidjelo je da se skoro cijelo vrijeme jedrilo u orcu. Ako ništa drugo, za vrijeme prevrućih kolovoskih dana to je davalo vrlo poželjan osjećaj osvježenja koji je i u hladnijim godišnjim dobima teško dohvatljiv dok se jedri niz vjetar. Uz spomenutu Stravaganzu na regati je bilo još nekoliko rasnih jurilica koje su do njenog dolaska mogle konkurirati jedna drugoj i u ovisnosti o uvjetima na moru moglo se dosta dobro prognozirati kakav bi mogao biti finalni raspored. Ovako, Stravaganza je unijela jednu novu nepoznanicu u jednadžbu i tek se treba vidjeti kako će se ponašati u drugim situacijama, ali za sada je izgleda sve išlo njoj na ruku. A osim nje, među open favoritima za line honors, na regati je bio Mareus 3 (ex Full Pelt), zatim još jedan novitet iz Dubrovnika - Outsider, pa Dubrovnik, Fatamorgana II, Gringo 3. Među onima nešto kraće vodne linije tu su Erco D', Adriatica, Južni vjetar, Elaya, Oliva... itd. Sve u svemu, festival brzine! 📸 Leonard Kvarantan ORC je bio u jednom segmentu predvidljiv, a u jednom čak i zanimljiv. Prvih pet posada na kraju 41. Južnodalmatinske regate možemo redovito vidjeti na regatama CRO ORC Cupa. Međutim, dio njih nije bio u najjačem sastavu, dok jednom dijelu, zbog pripadajuće LOA-e i vrlo duge orce, nisu imali dobro kombinirane uvjete za bolji rezultat. Pobjedu u prvoj i trećoj etapi, a na kraju i ukupnu pobjedu, odnosi Gringo 3. Od desetak standardnih jedriličara koji izvlače iz ove jedrilice maksimum na štap regatama Kupa, ovaj vikend je jedrilo samo njih troje, a preostale pozicije zauzele su mlade snage JK Uskok, odnosno njihovi juniori iz klasa 420 i 49er. Slično je bilo i s ekipom na Dubrovniku. Ovdje čak ni kormilar nije bio standardan. Denis Vukas je ove godine preuzeo jednu od uloga u Organizacijskom odboru, pa se bavio postavljanjem oznaka cilja, a kormilo klupske perjanice ustupio je mladom Alecu Cvinaru. Da ni ova postava nije loša pokazuje da su nakon zagrijavanja u prvoj etapi (4. mjesto), u posljednje dvije osvojili dva druga mjesta. Treće mjesto osvaja slovenska ekipa s Elaye. Njihov kormilar Dušan Ušeničnik iskusni je rutiner po pitanu ORC Cluba, a tek upoznaje regatne mogućnosti svog novog Elana E5, koji mu je zamijenio 450-tku - Karpo. Na četvrtom mjestu završila je još jedna slovenska posada, ali pod hrvatskom zastavom. Njihova priča je slična onoj od sunarodnjaka i do sad su bili vrlo aktivni s Douforom 460 - Erco, ali od ovog proljeća odlučili su se okušati i na iskusnom Gringu 2 preimenovanom u Erco D'. Inače, oni su osvojili prvo mjesto u drugoj etapi! Najstabilniji po pitanju rezultata, sva tri peta mjesta bila su njihova, bili su dečki i cure s Adriatice. Ovom Farru 280 puno više odgovaraju uvjeti niz vjetar, a duge navigacijske orce sigurno nisu njegov forte, tako da s ovim rezultatom sigurno mogu biti vrlo zadovoljni, jednako kao i još manji Melges 24 - Lero koji je završio na 6. mjestu. Lerov bljesak bio je u prvoj etapi kad im je Regatni odbor izračunao da su ukupno drugi i ti bodovi su im bili više nego dobrodošli za ovaj solidan rezultat. A najnovija jurilica pod zastavom JK Orsan - Outsider, završava regatu na 7. mjestu. Činjenica je da je ovaj bolid čisti openaš i da ga posada tek upoznaje, pa je onda ovaj rezultat čak i dobar, a za ubuduće želimo im puno sreće. Preostale četiri jedrilice također su davale sve od sebe, ali ove godine sportska sreća nije bila na njihovoj strani. Tko je u kojoj etapi zauzeo koje mjesto i koji je kompletan finalni raspored možete pronaći na ovom linku, dok izjavu kormilara pobjedničke jedrilice možete pročitati u nastavku: Iznenađujuća Južnodalmatinska regata, jer se 85% jedrilo u orcu i mislim da ni u jednom trenutku vjetar nije bio slabiji od 6 čvorova, što je spektakl za ovo godišnje doba i mislim da smo u ta tri dana regate s genakerom jedrili maksimalno pola sata. A također mislim i da je sreća da nije bilo puno krme jer bi se teško nosili s vrućinom! Od standardne ekipe bili smo samo ja, Šime Sorić i Marko Kulišić, a s nama su bila četiri juniora i jedna juniorka: Eva Šiško, Buba Pulek, Lorenc Lokas, Bruno Serapilja i Mauro Čupić. Mi i Dubrovnik imali smo stvarno dobar "fajt", a da smo napravili dobar posao u njihovom lokalnom akvatoriju najbolje pokazuje njihova pohvala na kraju da smo "dobro odradili Kalamotu i Lopudski đir". Tu smo nešto dobro odradili, jer nam je Dubrovnik pobjegao 5-6 minuta, a uspjeli smo ga tu uz kraj sustići i nakon korekcije ponovno ostaviti iza sebe. Što se tiče jedrilja imali smo standardni set za ORC s tim da smo ubacili J0, a izbacili drifter. To smo sad isprobali i mislim da će taj set ostati za jesenski dio Kupa. Još planiramo nastupiti i na Lošinjskoj regati. Tamo ćemo isprobati novo glavno jedro, a ovdje smo jedrili s novom trojkom koja je fenomenalno odradila svoj posao, tako da definitivno nastavljamo suradnju s North Sailsom! A drugi dio prve etape smo napravili još jedan test. Imali smo zajedno podignute J0 i flok i jedrili smo sigurno jedan čvor brže. U ostalim etapama koristili smo samo jedro i flok s tim da smo u zadnjoj etapi dignuli mediu. Robert Sandalić, Gringo 3 Po pitanju Opena priča je nešto dulja jer je i flota tri puta veća. Ono što domaćine regate sigurno najviše veseli je to da je pehar najbržeg ostao u klupskoj vitrini, a da u pitanju nije bila samo izrazita dominacija jednog broda, već su dvije dubrovačke jedrilice osvojile pojedinačne etapne pobjede. U prvoj i trećoj najbrža je bila Stravaganza, dok je u drugoj prvi u Prožuru stigao Outsider. Ta pobjeda mu je ujedno osigurala treće mjesto u generalnom poretku, jer je imao jednako bodova kao Dubrovnik, kojem je najbolji pojedinačni Open rezultat bio drugo mjesto u trećoj etapi. Između Stravaganze i Outsidera smjestio se Mareus 3 koji je za samo jedan bod bio bolji od Outsidera i Dubrovnika! 📸 Leonard Kvarantan Sve ove četiri jedrilice su ekstremi u pojedinim smjerovima, a nekako najkonzervativniji je baš Dubrovnik, jer jedina egzotika na njemu je karbon kao osnovni građevni materijal. Ekstremistički dio flote zatvorila je Fatamorgana II. Za razliko od jedrilica ispred sebe koje imaju canting keel, flying bulb, vodene tankove itd, ona se može pohvaliti foilovima. Ako se izuzmu ACI-jevi Swanovi 36, to je jedina jedrilica u nas s ovim "pojačalom". Od sviju nabrojanih Fatamorgana je i najmanja, a taj hendikep joj je bio problematičan u drugoj i trećoj etapi, jer jedino je u prvoj bilo moguće jedriti malo više laško, a s tim kutem i vjetrom koji je puhao ona postaje neuhvatljiva. Tu etapu u cilj je ušla odmah iza Stravaganze. Na šestom mjestu generalnog poretka završava pobjednik regate - Gringo 3. On je ujedno i prva od jedrilica koje nemaju pomične kobilice i ostale fancy gadgete. Generalne rezultate po Openu i kako se tko snašao u pojedinoj etapi možete pronaći na ovom linku. A za kraj je ostala prava poslastica, detaljan izvještaj o jedrenju na ovogodišnjoj Južnodalmatinskoj regati i općenito o primadoni s juga, jedrilici Stravaganza, a sugovornik je njen vlasnik i kormilar Niko Kmetović: Na regati je bilo dobro s tim da treba uzeti u obzir da smo brod sastavili i bacili u more deset dana prije starta. Napravili smo dva treninga i pošli za Orebić. Tako da sve što smo radili je bilo poprilično konzervativno. Za prvi dan prognoza je bila maestral, pa je start bio pomaknut za oko sat vremena jer se čekalo da taj maestral pojača i da vozimo po njemu cijelo vrijeme. U skladu s tom prognozom dan ranije smo odlučili da ćemo na regatu ponijeti mali Code, mali flok i malo glavno jedro. Veliko jedro nismo niti htjeli nositi na regatu jer smo odlučili dok se dobro ne uigramo da ga još niti ne pokušavamo nositi sa sobom. A razlika između malog i velikog glavnog jedra je oko 20 kvadrata. Malo je otprilike 100 kvadrata, dok je veliko blizu 130. Inače, ta dva jedra dolaze svako sa svojom lantinom, a razlika u njihovim duljinama je oko metar i pol. Znači, svako jedro se sprema sa svojom lantinom i kad se odluči koje će se koristiti samo se zakači na jarbol i zakači se sistem škote i spremno je za podizanje. Uglavnom, ta odluka će sigurno biti na snazi do kraja ove godine. Taj prvi start bio je poprilično konzervativan. Startali smo blizu Mate i Mareusa, a tu je bio i Outsider. Potegnuli smo jednu bordadu put škoja pod Badijom. Kad smo došli u kraj smo virali i nakon toga smo jednostavno otišli. U orcu vozimo od pola, pa do cijelog čvora brže s istim i boljim kutem u odnosu na ostale. Razlika u kutu i nije nešto pretjerano velika, ali je ogromna razlika u otporu i razvijenoj snazi kad je kolomba van mora. Čim kolomba izađe van mora otpor drastično pada, ali s druge strane dagger se mora ubosti pa se na račun toga vrati nešto otpora jer je narasla uronjena površina. Ali velika površina jedara i ogroman "righting moment" daju mnoge druge mogućnosti i u forsiranju kuta i u zapojavanju... stvarno se značajno širi opseg mogućnosti trima nego kod klasične jedrilice. Ponašanje je u principu jednako kao u jedrilici koju se dodatno stiska trapezima s tim da je ovo puno bolja varijanta. Cilj ovog projekta je približiti se katamaranskom režimu jedrenja.. što manje elemenata u moru, što veći righting moment, a poslije se samo krate jedra. Znači, ovaj brod se uvijek mora voziti s minimalnim otporom i u zraku i u moru. Nakon okreta bove trebalo nam je malo više vremena dok smo složili Code, jer nam je to bilo prvi put da smo ga uopće i dizali, a genaker još uvijek nismo digli! Uglavnom, nastavili smo konzervativno, jer ipak se posada treba uigrati. Tu je nas 4 - 5 što duže jedrimo, a ostali su surferi i polaznici škole jedrenja za odrasle. Tako da nismo htjeli ništa prepustiti slučaju. Do Ražnjića smo vozili s Code-om bez ikakvih problema, kad dođe reful malo zapojaš. Baš ispred Ražnjića došao je jedan jaki reful s kojim smo se morali stvarno dobro ispojati i tad smo zavezli 20 bez ikakvih problema. Tada smo skinuli Code i nastavili s malim flokom i punim jedrom. Vani nas je dočekalo dosta mora, maestral je dobro iskopao i baš me zanimalo kako će se po tim uvjetima brod ponašati. Tu smo vidjeli da je najbolje kad je kolomba podignuta taman toliko da je iznad površine mora. Jer stvar je u tome da su to bili nestabilni uvjeti. U tim trenucima kad kolomba izađe iz mora značajno naraste righting moment, što od nagiba broda, što zbog toga što svaki put kad kolomba uđe u more ona zbog uzgona postane za više od 100kg laganija. Tako da je već to nekakav auto trim i u tako laškim uvjetima brod se vozi baš kao katamaran. Mislim da nisam ranije jedrio na katamaranima ne bi mogao kontrolirati Stravaganzu. Prividni vjetar se mijenja po 30°... moraš pojati 30°, pa se nagradiš s 40°... pojaš 30°, nagradiš se s 30°... pojaš 20°, nagradiš se s 40°... radim s kormilom je strašno važan. Najbolja usporedba je da to izgleda kao da cijelo vrijeme voziš katamaran na jednom trupu. U tim uvjetima vožnja je bila više nego ugodno, brod je premašio sva moja očekivanja. Val praktički nije ništa smetao i jedina situacija koju smo imali bila je vezana uz brtvu baštuna. Ona je napuhujuća. Kad se izvlači baštun otvori se ventil, brtva se izduši, baštun se izvuće i brtva se napumpa. Ima na sebi ugrađenu malu pumpu poput one na tlakomjeru. Uglavnom to je praktički nepropusno, ali smo imali problem s kuglicom u nepovratnom ventilu pa nismo to mogli najbolje napumpati... To su ti mali tehnički problemi koje moramo ispravljati u hodu. Uglavnom, to smo riješili trakom :) Kad smo stigli pred Mljet vjetar je malo ukrmio i trebalo se vratiti na Code, ali ja nisam htio ništa dovoditi u rizik jer bili smo prvi. Mate nam je dolazio, ali nije bio dovoljno blizu. Da je bilo možda još dvije milje regate vjerojatno bi se odlučio na taj potez, ali procijenio sam da nas ne može dohvatiti i nisam se htio bez potrebe dovoditi u rizik spuštanja u plitkom, na malom prostoru itd. a tamo se ima možda 100 metara za sve spustiti, plus naših 4 i pol metra gaza... Drugi dan je start bio ispred Pomeštaka, vozili smo na Liricu, a puhao je nekaka pujalet koji dođe u Mljetskom kanalu kao šiloket. Nakon starta prema Lirici smo vozili prst - dva laško, pa malo orca, pa ponovo prst - dva laško... Tu smo odmah napravili razliku... okrenuli oko bove, oštra orca, došli do Pelješca, burgada na sebe na Mljet i onda nam se tu dogodilo da nam je pukao veliki flok, jedinica. Odlijepio se po sekciji. Inače veliki je problem što imamo hrpu jedara i na početku dana moraš izabrati s čim ćeš voziti. Mi smo se za taj dan odlučili na flok jedinicu i drifter jer su zvali bonacu, a ostala jedra smo uredno složili u brod. To moram reći, brod unutra ima ogroman slobodan prostor. Dosta je visok i to mu je veliki plus. Npr. Outsider nam stane ispod balkona. A i to je razlog zašto se prvog dana, po valu, vrlo dobro ponašao. Mislim, bili smo kompletno mokri, ali to je bilo zbog prskanja kolombe, zbog brzine. Uglavnom, kad se dogodilo to s flokom odlučili smo otići pod Mljet jer je tamo bilo nešto manje vjetra, pa smo tu odlučili dignuti drifter. Spustili smo ga tek pred Sobru kad smo se morali vratiti na taj rasparani flok. Tako smo jedrili jednu bordadu dok nismo udarili u zid od bonace. I tu više nisam imao nikakvih drugih opcija. Nakon nekog vremena stigli su i Outsider, Mareus i Dubrovnik i kad su vidjeli što nam se dogodilo malo su zaorcali po vjetru koji se tu počeo formirati. S njim su jedrili do punte, a onda im je iz uvale zapuhalo 10-12 čvorova s kojima su ušli u cilj. Nama je to počelo dolaziti tek nakon 5-10 minuta i više ih nismo mogli uhvatiti. Za treći dan stigao nam je iz Dubrovnika jedan stari flok umjesto tog rasparanog, ali odlučili smo da ipak vozimo s malim od prvog dana. Na startu smo malo kasnili jer se nisam htio gurati. U jednom trenutku netko nas je pokrio, pa smo legli na svoju stranu. To je sa strane izgledalo gadno, ali nije bila tolika drama. Balkon malo legne u more, ali jednostavno se zapoja i kolomba malo spusti i to je to. Za takve situacije imamo baypass ventil koji kad se otvori kolomba pada iz 90° u nulu za sekundu i pol. Uglavnom tu dok smo se izvukli da možemo voziti svoju vožnju morali smo biti konzervativniji. Bili smo tu i tamo malo pokriveni, tako da nismo odmah mogli voziti svoj kurs, ali kao i svakim brodom, treba ga naučiti. Nakon 500 metara, kad smo se očistili, popeli smo se poviše Mareusa i vozili svoju regatu. Jedrili smo prema Vratniku i kad smo ušli odlučili smo ići lijevo od Tajana i Crkvine, ne uvlačiti se pod otoke. To je bila dobra odluka. Vozili smo potom nam Mišnjak i vozili kanalom s rukom krata. Inače, brzina u orcu je 9.5 čvorova s tim da se u nekim uvjetima može navuči i na 10 čvorova, dok se prethodni vlasnik zaklinje da se može dovesti i do 12 čvorova! Nisam baš uvjeren u to, ali oni su inzistirali na tom podatku. Vjerojatno je to bilo po flat uvjetima, s deset ljudi na balkonima i vrhunskom trimu. Uglavnom, ja ga sad mogu konstantno dovesti do toga da ide 9 - 9.5. Znači, moramo dovesti brod da razvija punu snagu, da kolomba bude u potpunosti van i da je samo dagger u moru. Tada mi je ključan čovjek koji je na glavnom jedru. Tu ulogu ima Lovre. Momak je u treningu , ali svejedno mu je to izrazit napor. Kad su brojevi u pitanju to znači da on sa škotom jedra mora savladavati righting moment od 8500Nm! I to su ti uvjeti kad se brod ponovno vozi kao katamaran. Vjetar padne za jedan čvor i ja odmah moram pojati da bi dobio na prividnom vjetru, pa ponovno se vraćamo u orcu i tako stalno... stalno se vozi katamaranski stil. Ovi što su vozili iza nas rekli su nam da oni po nama jednostavno ne mogu shvatiti što se naprijed događa. Oni više ne mogu znati da li nam je došao dric, ili sam taj trnutak zapojao da bi se u idućem nagradio, a brod nam uvijek stoji relativno ravno. On je nagnut maksimalno 10°. Npr. kad je vjetar jači vozimo ga malo više nagnutog, a kolombu dižemo na 90°, tako da tu ima malo lufta, a kad to padne onda kolombu dižemo na 100°, ali stisnutiji brod. Ima tu stvarno hrpa nijansi, mi tu nismo još otkrili niti 1% mogućnosti. Niko Kmetović, Stravaganza 📸 Leonard Kvarantan O Stravaganzi i njenim tehnološkim rješenjima bit će još riječi uskoro, a do tada još možete posjetiti foto galerije Leonarda Kvarantana, a koje su dostupne na ovim linkovima: petak, subota i nedjelja. READ MORE

Gringo - pobjednik 41. Južnodalmatinske regate 📸 Leonard Kvarantan Jedna od najiščekivanijih regata svakog ljeta, Južnodalmatinska, ove godine dobila je novu dimenziju zbog koje je imala još veću pažnju u jedriličarskim krugovima nego inače. Razlog je sudjelovanje jedne jedrilice koja je apsolutni vrh u svjetskim okvirima što se tiče tehnoloških rješenja, a od ovog proljeća jedri pod zastavom JK Orsan. Riječ je o Stravaganzi, jednom od najekstremnijih monotrupaca na svijetu, ako se izuzmu vanserijske letjelice s ovogodišnjeg America's Cupa. Ali idemo po redu. Regatu organizira JK Orsan iz Dubrovnika u suradnji s PŠU Peliška jedra iz Orebića, a nakon što se starta iz Orebića u tri etape se jedri do Dubrovnika. Prva je startala u petak 6. kolovoza. Nakon Orebića obavezno se jedri prema gradu Korčuli, ispred kojeg se postavlja oznaka koju treba ostaviti lijevim bokom, a usputni otočić Badija desnim, a ciljna ravnina nalazi se u Pomeni, mjestu na sjeverozapadnom vrhu otoka Mljeta. S obzirom da se pobjednik regate proglašava po ORC Club sustavu razvrstanja, potrebno je istaknuti da se na ovoj dionici rezultati obračunavaju s obračunatom duljinom rute od 16NM. Naravno, i onima koji nemaju ORC Club svjedodžbe omogućeno je natjecanje po klasičnom Openu, ali najbrži na ovaj način samo dobivaju titulu koju se u međunarodnim krugovima naziva Line Honors ili po hrvatskom - najbrže jedrilice. Druga etapa sutradan starta ispred Pomene i da bi se učinila malo zanimljivijom kod otočića Lirica pod Pelješkom obalom ponovno se postavlja jedna oznaka koju se ostavlja desnim bokom. Iduća obavezna točka je jedino cilj koji se nalazi u Prožuri, a u ORC kalkulator ubacuje se duljina rute od 19NM. I treća, posljednja etapa, krenula je u nedjelju 8. kolovoza. Ova etapa ima dvije opcije predviđene Uputama, a to je ona u punoj duljini i skraćena. Razlika nije prevelika, tako da u slučaju da se jedri kompletna ruta obračunska duljina je 19.5NM, a u skraćenoj varijanti je 17NM. Kod ovog jedrenja obavezan je prolazak između otoka Olip i Jakljan, te jedrenje koločepskim kanalom do cilja kod otoka Daksa. Na regati je sudjelovalo ukupno 35 jedrilica, a dodatnu ORC kalkulaciju odabralo je 11 posada. Treba spomenuti da je regata imala i međunarodni karakter jer su sudjelovale tri slovenske i jedna talijanska posada. Osim dobrog i nadasve kvalitetnog odaziva po pitanju sudionika, organizatori su imali i sreće u metereološkom pogledu. Puhalo je svih dana, a jedino što se jedriličarima sigurno nije baš svidjelo je da se skoro cijelo vrijeme jedrilo u orcu. Ako ništa drugo, za vrijeme prevrućih kolovoskih dana to je davalo vrlo poželjan osjećaj osvježenja koji je i u hladnijim godišnjim dobima teško dohvatljiv dok se jedri niz vjetar. Uz spomenutu Stravaganzu na regati je bilo još nekoliko rasnih jurilica koje su do njenog dolaska mogle konkurirati jedna drugoj i u ovisnosti o uvjetima na moru moglo se dosta dobro prognozirati kakav bi mogao biti finalni raspored. Ovako, Stravaganza je unijela jednu novu nepoznanicu u jednadžbu i tek se treba vidjeti kako će se ponašati u drugim situacijama, ali za sada je izgleda sve išlo njoj na ruku. A osim nje, među open favoritima za line honors, na regati je bio Mareus 3 (ex Full Pelt), zatim još jedan novitet iz Dubrovnika - Outsider, pa Dubrovnik, Fatamorgana II, Gringo 3. Među onima nešto kraće vodne linije tu su Erco D', Adriatica, Južni vjetar, Elaya, Oliva... itd. Sve u svemu, festival brzine! 📸 Leonard Kvarantan ORC je bio u jednom segmentu predvidljiv, a u jednom čak i zanimljiv. Prvih pet posada na kraju 41. Južnodalmatinske regate možemo redovito vidjeti na regatama CRO ORC Cupa. Međutim, dio njih nije bio u najjačem sastavu, dok jednom dijelu, zbog pripadajuće LOA-e i vrlo duge orce, nisu imali dobro kombinirane uvjete za bolji rezultat. Pobjedu u prvoj i trećoj etapi, a na kraju i ukupnu pobjedu, odnosi Gringo 3. Od desetak standardnih jedriličara koji izvlače iz ove jedrilice maksimum na štap regatama Kupa, ovaj vikend je jedrilo samo njih troje, a preostale pozicije zauzele su mlade snage JK Uskok, odnosno njihovi juniori iz klasa 420 i 49er. Slično je bilo i s ekipom na Dubrovniku. Ovdje čak ni kormilar nije bio standardan. Denis Vukas je ove godine preuzeo jednu od uloga u Organizacijskom odboru, pa se bavio postavljanjem oznaka cilja, a kormilo klupske perjanice ustupio je mladom Alecu Cvinaru. Da ni ova postava nije loša pokazuje da su nakon zagrijavanja u prvoj etapi (4. mjesto), u posljednje dvije osvojili dva druga mjesta. Treće mjesto osvaja slovenska ekipa s Elaye. Njihov kormilar Dušan Ušeničnik iskusni je rutiner po pitanu ORC Cluba, a tek upoznaje regatne mogućnosti svog novog Elana E5, koji mu je zamijenio 450-tku - Karpo. Na četvrtom mjestu završila je još jedna slovenska posada, ali pod hrvatskom zastavom. Njihova priča je slična onoj od sunarodnjaka i do sad su bili vrlo aktivni s Douforom 460 - Erco, ali od ovog proljeća odlučili su se okušati i na iskusnom Gringu 2 preimenovanom u Erco D'. Inače, oni su osvojili prvo mjesto u drugoj etapi! Najstabilniji po pitanju rezultata, sva tri peta mjesta bila su njihova, bili su dečki i cure s Adriatice. Ovom Farru 280 puno više odgovaraju uvjeti niz vjetar, a duge navigacijske orce sigurno nisu njegov forte, tako da s ovim rezultatom sigurno mogu biti vrlo zadovoljni, jednako kao i još manji Melges 24 - Lero koji je završio na 6. mjestu. Lerov bljesak bio je u prvoj etapi kad im je Regatni odbor izračunao da su ukupno drugi i ti bodovi su im bili više nego dobrodošli za ovaj solidan rezultat. A najnovija jurilica pod zastavom JK Orsan - Outsider, završava regatu na 7. mjestu. Činjenica je da je ovaj bolid čisti openaš i da ga posada tek upoznaje, pa je onda ovaj rezultat čak i dobar, a za ubuduće želimo im puno sreće. Preostale četiri jedrilice također su davale sve od sebe, ali ove godine sportska sreća nije bila na njihovoj strani. Tko je u kojoj etapi zauzeo koje mjesto i koji je kompletan finalni raspored možete pronaći na ovom linku, dok izjavu kormilara pobjedničke jedrilice možete pročitati u nastavku: Iznenađujuća Južnodalmatinska regata, jer se 85% jedrilo u orcu i mislim da ni u jednom trenutku vjetar nije bio slabiji od 6 čvorova, što je spektakl za ovo godišnje doba i mislim da smo u ta tri dana regate s genakerom jedrili maksimalno pola sata. A također mislim i da je sreća da nije bilo puno krme jer bi se teško nosili s vrućinom! Od standardne ekipe bili smo samo ja, Šime Sorić i Marko Kulišić, a s nama su bila četiri juniora i jedna juniorka: Eva Šiško, Buba Pulek, Lorenc Lokas, Bruno Serapilja i Mauro Čupić. Mi i Dubrovnik imali smo stvarno dobar "fajt", a da smo napravili dobar posao u njihovom lokalnom akvatoriju najbolje pokazuje njihova pohvala na kraju da smo "dobro odradili Kalamotu i Lopudski đir". Tu smo nešto dobro odradili, jer nam je Dubrovnik pobjegao 5-6 minuta, a uspjeli smo ga tu uz kraj sustići i nakon korekcije ponovno ostaviti iza sebe. Što se tiče jedrilja imali smo standardni set za ORC s tim da smo ubacili J0, a izbacili drifter. To smo sad isprobali i mislim da će taj set ostati za jesenski dio Kupa. Još planiramo nastupiti i na Lošinjskoj regati. Tamo ćemo isprobati novo glavno jedro, a ovdje smo jedrili s novom trojkom koja je fenomenalno odradila svoj posao, tako da definitivno nastavljamo suradnju s North Sailsom! A drugi dio prve etape smo napravili još jedan test. Imali smo zajedno podignute J0 i flok i jedrili smo sigurno jedan čvor brže. U ostalim etapama koristili smo samo jedro i flok s tim da smo u zadnjoj etapi dignuli mediu. Robert Sandalić, Gringo 3 Po pitanju Opena priča je nešto dulja jer je i flota tri puta veća. Ono što domaćine regate sigurno najviše veseli je to da je pehar najbržeg ostao u klupskoj vitrini, a da u pitanju nije bila samo izrazita dominacija jednog broda, već su dvije dubrovačke jedrilice osvojile pojedinačne etapne pobjede. U prvoj i trećoj najbrža je bila Stravaganza, dok je u drugoj prvi u Prožuru stigao Outsider. Ta pobjeda mu je ujedno osigurala treće mjesto u generalnom poretku, jer je imao jednako bodova kao Dubrovnik, kojem je najbolji pojedinačni Open rezultat bio drugo mjesto u trećoj etapi. Između Stravaganze i Outsidera smjestio se Mareus 3 koji je za samo jedan bod bio bolji od Outsidera i Dubrovnika! 📸 Leonard Kvarantan Sve ove četiri jedrilice su ekstremi u pojedinim smjerovima, a nekako najkonzervativniji je baš Dubrovnik, jer jedina egzotika na njemu je karbon kao osnovni građevni materijal. Ekstremistički dio flote zatvorila je Fatamorgana II. Za razliko od jedrilica ispred sebe koje imaju canting keel, flying bulb, vodene tankove itd, ona se može pohvaliti foilovima. Ako se izuzmu ACI-jevi Swanovi 36, to je jedina jedrilica u nas s ovim "pojačalom". Od sviju nabrojanih Fatamorgana je i najmanja, a taj hendikep joj je bio problematičan u drugoj i trećoj etapi, jer jedino je u prvoj bilo moguće jedriti malo više laško, a s tim kutem i vjetrom koji je puhao ona postaje neuhvatljiva. Tu etapu u cilj je ušla odmah iza Stravaganze. Na šestom mjestu generalnog poretka završava pobjednik regate - Gringo 3. On je ujedno i prva od jedrilica koje nemaju pomične kobilice i ostale fancy gadgete. Generalne rezultate po Openu i kako se tko snašao u pojedinoj etapi možete pronaći na ovom linku. A za kraj je ostala prava poslastica, detaljan izvještaj o jedrenju na ovogodišnjoj Južnodalmatinskoj regati i općenito o primadoni s juga, jedrilici Stravaganza, a sugovornik je njen vlasnik i kormilar Niko Kmetović: Na regati je bilo dobro s tim da treba uzeti u obzir da smo brod sastavili i bacili u more deset dana prije starta. Napravili smo dva treninga i pošli za Orebić. Tako da sve što smo radili je bilo poprilično konzervativno. Za prvi dan prognoza je bila maestral, pa je start bio pomaknut za oko sat vremena jer se čekalo da taj maestral pojača i da vozimo po njemu cijelo vrijeme. U skladu s tom prognozom dan ranije smo odlučili da ćemo na regatu ponijeti mali Code, mali flok i malo glavno jedro. Veliko jedro nismo niti htjeli nositi na regatu jer smo odlučili dok se dobro ne uigramo da ga još niti ne pokušavamo nositi sa sobom. A razlika između malog i velikog glavnog jedra je oko 20 kvadrata. Malo je otprilike 100 kvadrata, dok je veliko blizu 130. Inače, ta dva jedra dolaze svako sa svojom lantinom, a razlika u njihovim duljinama je oko metar i pol. Znači, svako jedro se sprema sa svojom lantinom i kad se odluči koje će se koristiti samo se zakači na jarbol i zakači se sistem škote i spremno je za podizanje. Uglavnom, ta odluka će sigurno biti na snazi do kraja ove godine. Taj prvi start bio je poprilično konzervativan. Startali smo blizu Mate i Mareusa, a tu je bio i Outsider. Potegnuli smo jednu bordadu put škoja pod Badijom. Kad smo došli u kraj smo virali i nakon toga smo jednostavno otišli. U orcu vozimo od pola, pa do cijelog čvora brže s istim i boljim kutem u odnosu na ostale. Razlika u kutu i nije nešto pretjerano velika, ali je ogromna razlika u otporu i razvijenoj snazi kad je kolomba van mora. Čim kolomba izađe van mora otpor drastično pada, ali s druge strane dagger se mora ubosti pa se na račun toga vrati nešto otpora jer je narasla uronjena površina. Ali velika površina jedara i ogroman "righting moment" daju mnoge druge mogućnosti i u forsiranju kuta i u zapojavanju... stvarno se značajno širi opseg mogućnosti trima nego kod klasične jedrilice. Ponašanje je u principu jednako kao u jedrilici koju se dodatno stiska trapezima s tim da je ovo puno bolja varijanta. Cilj ovog projekta je približiti se katamaranskom režimu jedrenja.. što manje elemenata u moru, što veći righting moment, a poslije se samo krate jedra. Znači, ovaj brod se uvijek mora voziti s minimalnim otporom i u zraku i u moru. Nakon okreta bove trebalo nam je malo više vremena dok smo složili Code, jer nam je to bilo prvi put da smo ga uopće i dizali, a genaker još uvijek nismo digli! Uglavnom, nastavili smo konzervativno, jer ipak se posada treba uigrati. Tu je nas 4 - 5 što duže jedrimo, a ostali su surferi i polaznici škole jedrenja za odrasle. Tako da nismo htjeli ništa prepustiti slučaju. Do Ražnjića smo vozili s Code-om bez ikakvih problema, kad dođe reful malo zapojaš. Baš ispred Ražnjića došao je jedan jaki reful s kojim smo se morali stvarno dobro ispojati i tad smo zavezli 20 bez ikakvih problema. Tada smo skinuli Code i nastavili s malim flokom i punim jedrom. Vani nas je dočekalo dosta mora, maestral je dobro iskopao i baš me zanimalo kako će se po tim uvjetima brod ponašati. Tu smo vidjeli da je najbolje kad je kolomba podignuta taman toliko da je iznad površine mora. Jer stvar je u tome da su to bili nestabilni uvjeti. U tim trenucima kad kolomba izađe iz mora značajno naraste righting moment, što od nagiba broda, što zbog toga što svaki put kad kolomba uđe u more ona zbog uzgona postane za više od 100kg laganija. Tako da je već to nekakav auto trim i u tako laškim uvjetima brod se vozi baš kao katamaran. Mislim da nisam ranije jedrio na katamaranima ne bi mogao kontrolirati Stravaganzu. Prividni vjetar se mijenja po 30°... moraš pojati 30°, pa se nagradiš s 40°... pojaš 30°, nagradiš se s 30°... pojaš 20°, nagradiš se s 40°... radim s kormilom je strašno važan. Najbolja usporedba je da to izgleda kao da cijelo vrijeme voziš katamaran na jednom trupu. U tim uvjetima vožnja je bila više nego ugodno, brod je premašio sva moja očekivanja. Val praktički nije ništa smetao i jedina situacija koju smo imali bila je vezana uz brtvu baštuna. Ona je napuhujuća. Kad se izvlači baštun otvori se ventil, brtva se izduši, baštun se izvuće i brtva se napumpa. Ima na sebi ugrađenu malu pumpu poput one na tlakomjeru. Uglavnom to je praktički nepropusno, ali smo imali problem s kuglicom u nepovratnom ventilu pa nismo to mogli najbolje napumpati... To su ti mali tehnički problemi koje moramo ispravljati u hodu. Uglavnom, to smo riješili trakom :) Kad smo stigli pred Mljet vjetar je malo ukrmio i trebalo se vratiti na Code, ali ja nisam htio ništa dovoditi u rizik jer bili smo prvi. Mate nam je dolazio, ali nije bio dovoljno blizu. Da je bilo možda još dvije milje regate vjerojatno bi se odlučio na taj potez, ali procijenio sam da nas ne može dohvatiti i nisam se htio bez potrebe dovoditi u rizik spuštanja u plitkom, na malom prostoru itd. a tamo se ima možda 100 metara za sve spustiti, plus naših 4 i pol metra gaza... Drugi dan je start bio ispred Pomeštaka, vozili smo na Liricu, a puhao je nekaka pujalet koji dođe u Mljetskom kanalu kao šiloket. Nakon starta prema Lirici smo vozili prst - dva laško, pa malo orca, pa ponovo prst - dva laško... Tu smo odmah napravili razliku... okrenuli oko bove, oštra orca, došli do Pelješca, burgada na sebe na Mljet i onda nam se tu dogodilo da nam je pukao veliki flok, jedinica. Odlijepio se po sekciji. Inače veliki je problem što imamo hrpu jedara i na početku dana moraš izabrati s čim ćeš voziti. Mi smo se za taj dan odlučili na flok jedinicu i drifter jer su zvali bonacu, a ostala jedra smo uredno složili u brod. To moram reći, brod unutra ima ogroman slobodan prostor. Dosta je visok i to mu je veliki plus. Npr. Outsider nam stane ispod balkona. A i to je razlog zašto se prvog dana, po valu, vrlo dobro ponašao. Mislim, bili smo kompletno mokri, ali to je bilo zbog prskanja kolombe, zbog brzine. Uglavnom, kad se dogodilo to s flokom odlučili smo otići pod Mljet jer je tamo bilo nešto manje vjetra, pa smo tu odlučili dignuti drifter. Spustili smo ga tek pred Sobru kad smo se morali vratiti na taj rasparani flok. Tako smo jedrili jednu bordadu dok nismo udarili u zid od bonace. I tu više nisam imao nikakvih drugih opcija. Nakon nekog vremena stigli su i Outsider, Mareus i Dubrovnik i kad su vidjeli što nam se dogodilo malo su zaorcali po vjetru koji se tu počeo formirati. S njim su jedrili do punte, a onda im je iz uvale zapuhalo 10-12 čvorova s kojima su ušli u cilj. Nama je to počelo dolaziti tek nakon 5-10 minuta i više ih nismo mogli uhvatiti. Za treći dan stigao nam je iz Dubrovnika jedan stari flok umjesto tog rasparanog, ali odlučili smo da ipak vozimo s malim od prvog dana. Na startu smo malo kasnili jer se nisam htio gurati. U jednom trenutku netko nas je pokrio, pa smo legli na svoju stranu. To je sa strane izgledalo gadno, ali nije bila tolika drama. Balkon malo legne u more, ali jednostavno se zapoja i kolomba malo spusti i to je to. Za takve situacije imamo baypass ventil koji kad se otvori kolomba pada iz 90° u nulu za sekundu i pol. Uglavnom tu dok smo se izvukli da možemo voziti svoju vožnju morali smo biti konzervativniji. Bili smo tu i tamo malo pokriveni, tako da nismo odmah mogli voziti svoj kurs, ali kao i svakim brodom, treba ga naučiti. Nakon 500 metara, kad smo se očistili, popeli smo se poviše Mareusa i vozili svoju regatu. Jedrili smo prema Vratniku i kad smo ušli odlučili smo ići lijevo od Tajana i Crkvine, ne uvlačiti se pod otoke. To je bila dobra odluka. Vozili smo potom nam Mišnjak i vozili kanalom s rukom krata. Inače, brzina u orcu je 9.5 čvorova s tim da se u nekim uvjetima može navuči i na 10 čvorova, dok se prethodni vlasnik zaklinje da se može dovesti i do 12 čvorova! Nisam baš uvjeren u to, ali oni su inzistirali na tom podatku. Vjerojatno je to bilo po flat uvjetima, s deset ljudi na balkonima i vrhunskom trimu. Uglavnom, ja ga sad mogu konstantno dovesti do toga da ide 9 - 9.5. Znači, moramo dovesti brod da razvija punu snagu, da kolomba bude u potpunosti van i da je samo dagger u moru. Tada mi je ključan čovjek koji je na glavnom jedru. Tu ulogu ima Lovre. Momak je u treningu , ali svejedno mu je to izrazit napor. Kad su brojevi u pitanju to znači da on sa škotom jedra mora savladavati righting moment od 8500Nm! I to su ti uvjeti kad se brod ponovno vozi kao katamaran. Vjetar padne za jedan čvor i ja odmah moram pojati da bi dobio na prividnom vjetru, pa ponovno se vraćamo u orcu i tako stalno... stalno se vozi katamaranski stil. Ovi što su vozili iza nas rekli su nam da oni po nama jednostavno ne mogu shvatiti što se naprijed događa. Oni više ne mogu znati da li nam je došao dric, ili sam taj trnutak zapojao da bi se u idućem nagradio, a brod nam uvijek stoji relativno ravno. On je nagnut maksimalno 10°. Npr. kad je vjetar jači vozimo ga malo više nagnutog, a kolombu dižemo na 90°, tako da tu ima malo lufta, a kad to padne onda kolombu dižemo na 100°, ali stisnutiji brod. Ima tu stvarno hrpa nijansi, mi tu nismo još otkrili niti 1% mogućnosti. Niko Kmetović, Stravaganza 📸 Leonard Kvarantan O Stravaganzi i njenim tehnološkim rješenjima bit će još riječi uskoro, a do tada još možete posjetiti foto galerije Leonarda Kvarantana, a koje su dostupne na ovim linkovima: petak, subota i nedjelja. Naslovna foto: Leonard Kvarantan READ MORE

#NSVICTORYLIST: 2021 FASTNET OVERALL Tom Kneen’s Sunrise wins it all at the 49th edition of the Rolex Fastnet Race 📸 RORC/Paul Wyeth Tom Kneen’s JPK 11.80 Sunrise is the latest to join the esteemed list of Rolex Fastnet Race overall winners. Upon finishing, Kneen summed up his team’s race quite simply: “it was hard, it’s been a really hard race.” With a young, primarily amateur crew, Kneen is the first British winner of the race since Charles Dunstone and his maxi Nokia Enigma in 2003. In addition to overall honors, Sunrise is also confirmed as the runaway winner of the IRC Two division. Kneen’s reflections on the team’s Fastnet success: “When you get everything in the right place, with the right people, in the right conditions… we had four, five, or six hours of that, between the Scillies and the Lizard, when we had 25 knots of breeze and the boat – our so-called ‘caravan’ – was flying along at 20 plus knots. In moments like that, all the rest of it you forget very quickly, when you’re beating in 30 knots of wind and vomiting over the back and wondering why you’re there. It’s the moments of elation that live with you, and it’s what keeps us coming back.” Congratulations to Kneen and the entire Sunrise crew on their well-deserved results. Continue reading more about Sunrise on the Rolex Fastnet Race 2021 official website. READ MORE

HOW LONG DO 3Di SAILS LAST? North Sails expert Mark Bradford explains that 3Di sails last “longer than you might think” 📸 Cate Brown Most sailors shopping for a new 3Di sail ask, “how long will it last?” Based on years of record-keeping, I can honestly say that the competitive life of a 3Di sail is far superior to any other technology on the market. It’s also much better than 3DL, our previous molded technology. There are far too many variables to predict precisely how long a sail will last, but we now expect race sails to remain competitive for several seasons. That’s a significant change from a decade ago, and it makes perfect sense once you understand how 3Di sails are constructed. The biggest killer of sails is UV. 3Di sails contain zero Mylar (the main culprit of delamination, use environmentally stable thermo-set adhesive (as opposed to thermoplastic hot-melt) and have a UV protectant added to the outermost surface. They’ll stand up better to the sun than any other sail material. The surface might degrade a bit, especially in the tropics, but those top layers protect the basic structure. As a result, when older sails come into our loft for annual maintenance, we often have trouble finding any damage at all. One great example of 3Di’s extended life comes from the annual race from Sydney to Hobart. I sail on Black Jack, and before 3Di, we often carried a spare main in case we blew up the first one. Now we’re doing two or even three races with the exact same sail, all thanks to the longevity and reliability of 3Di compared to either 3DL or our competitor’s so-called high-performance options. Our customer’s buying habits have changed, too. Before 3Di, whenever a customer bought a new race boat, they’d buy three mains: inshore racing, offshore racing, and deliveries. If they took outstanding care of their inventory, they might get three years out of the offshore and delivery mains and one to two years out of the inshore main. But changing mainsails can be a day’s work for several people, so after seeing how fresh the VO65 3Di sails looked after at the end of the last two Volvo Ocean Races, some of the hundred-footer crews got savvy and delivered the boat home again with the race sail. When they realized the main looked exactly the same even after all those extra miles, that one-mainsail trend trickled down to the smaller race boats as well. Today, even our most particular racing customers with new boats are only ordering a single mainsail. So that’s the best vote of confidence we could imagine about how well this product lasts. And it’s also a lot less hassle for them because once they get the sails set up on their boat, they’re not tweaking and adjusting and switching one in for another and vice versa. They’re simply pulling up the sail, using it, and then putting it away. And 3Di isn’t limited to racing boats. In 2020, North Sails introduced 3Di Ocean, a full product line engineered to deliver the benefits of 3Di to the cruising community. For example, we used to tell offshore cruisers that Dacron sails would last for one circumnavigation. Now we tell them they could do two or three laps around the world with the same sail inventory, as long as they have them serviced at one of our worldwide lofts. Whether you race or cruise, your new 3Di sails will undoubtedly last longer than you think. And it will last longer than any of our competitors’ products. What you’ll experience is a greatly extended lifespan, the longevity of a stable sail shape, and fewer replacement sails less often. Yes, 3Di is a premium product and may initially be the more expensive option, but its cost of ownership over seasons is unmatched. For more details, contact your local North Sails expert today. 📸 Cate Brown READ MORE

#NSVICTORYLIST: ROLEX FASTNET RACE The overall Fastnet line honors leaderboard has a common theme: North Sails It’s been a busy couple of days in the English Channel, with the Rolex Fastnet Race bringing the sailing world to life for the 49th time. For North Sails President Ken Read, this race is “one of the Big Five, a race that’s leading the way.” And this year, North Sails equipped nine out of 10 fastest finishers. A full command of the overall line honors leaderboard is a common theme for the world’s leading sailmaker. In the last six months alone, North design expertise and sail technology have outfitted the game’s most successful projects; the Vendee Globe, the 36th America’s Cup, the Ocean Race Europe, the Transpac, the Olympics, and most recently, the legendary Rolex Fastnet Race. A 104-foot blue beast, the Ultime trimaran Maxi Edmond de Rothschild (aka Gitana Team) was the very first boat to cross the line on Monday, August 9 at 20:24:54 BST having devoured the 695-mile course in just over a day. Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier’s crew established a new record of 1 day 9 hours 15 minutes and 54 seconds. But as Cammas was quick to point out when greeted on the dock, “we have a record, but it’s the first time !” He later confessed that “the start was very intense, with many dangers to deal with all at the same time amidst the yachts, the competitors, the cargo ships and the ferries, not to mention 25+ knots which spiced up the start of the race. We were happy to come out of the Solent unscathed, and the fact that we were leading the way was even better.” It’s Gitana Team’s second Rolex Fastnet Race win in a row, so obviously, their experience as a crew is paying off. Every move matters on a racing machine like the Ultime, including those made before arriving at the start line. Since 2019, many improvements have been made to the boat’s appendages and systems; they’ve also added a brand new North Sails inventory. “The emphasis has been placed on aerodynamics,” says co-skipper Franck Cammas. “We’ve worked on many aspects in detail, but no revolutionary changes.” The team has noticed substantial performance gains with their Helix Structured Luff sails. “We had problems with heavy loads deforming the forestay,” explains co-skipper Charles Caudrelier. “With Helix, the loads are redistributed, which allows us to have a straighter, stiffer luff. In particular, the Helix J0 is a small revolution. We are still in a discovery phase, but the gains are clear.” After exiting the Solent, the Gitana Team led the fleet south towards the Channel Islands, where they tacked further south than their main Ultime rivals, a winning move that allowed them to sail in better breeze. But with so much of the race sailed upwind, their speed machine only briefly touched 40-41 knots after passing Bishop Rock on the return journey. The brutal first 12 hours of the race were also a solid test for the newly launched ClubSwan 125 Skorpios, and she came through splendidly. As the breeze softened, Dmitry Rybolovlev’s 125-foot superyacht extended away from her main rivals, including previous winner Rambler 88. Juan Kouyoumdjian’s latest design was the first monohull to cross the line, wrapping the course in 2 days, 8 hours, 33 minutes, and 55 seconds. “The boat is very strong,” said skipper Fernando Echavarri . “We backed off on speed coming out of the Solent, but so was everyone else. We had an idea of what she might be able to do, but we didn’t know for sure, so we learned a lot from this race.” “Watching Skorpios flying off waves upwind in 30 knots, with a completely unproven boat and unproven sails…” recalls Ken Read. “It just goes to show that when we put our minds to it, what we can produce is nothing short of spectacular.” Onboard Skorpios is a nine-sail 3Di inventory that features liberal use of Helix Structured Luff technology and a couple of extra sails that you’d traditionally find on an IMOCA or Volvo 65. “Upwind, you have the J0, J2, J4, and J5,” explained North lead sail designer Steve Calder. Downwind, the J0 or FRO (fractional code 0) and whisker pole (a spreader) , the masthead A3 sail and multiple sails inside that. The other one is the Inner Reaching Sail (or IRS) that sits on the innermost tack point and that is used inside any of these downwind sails.” Calder further remarked: “The boat looks great, the sails look great, and they performed exceptionally in what were very trying conditions. The results speak for themselves. It’s projects like Skorpios that keep all of us at North Sails pushing towards the next big idea.” 📸 Carlo Borlenghi / Rolex The slightly longer course – 87 additional miles – seemed to appeal to Charlie Dalin, who’s no stranger to long offshore trips. The skipper of the IMOCA Apivia claimed Vendée Globe line honors in March but ultimately lost the top prize to Maître CoQ’s Yannick Bestaven, who was awarded overall winner after a time compensation. This time, Dalin and his co-skipper Paul Meilhat took a resounding win in the 13-strong IMOCA fleet. Equipped with new foils and some new sails, Dalin and Meilhat flew upwind past the Needles, even converging with the ClubSwan 125 at the TSS (Traffic Separation Zone) – a boat more than twice her length! Then, the boats match-raced across the Celtic Sea to the Fastnet Rock, Apivia rounding only 49 minutes astern of Skorpios and proving the power of the new foilers. “That was good,” said Dalin. “It was a shame because if the wind had been maybe 15 degrees left and 2-3 knots more, we would have overtaken them for sure. At 60 degrees TWA, we were faster.” Maxi Edmond de Rothschild , Skorpios, and Apivia: three iconic boats, three stellar crews, three very different ways to sail and envisage sailing. The 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race fastest finishers showcase that no matter the boat, whatever the conditions, North Sails wins more races than all other sailmakers combined. READ MORE

GEAR TO CONQUER OFFSHORE SAILING Gitana Team Joins Forces with North Sails Performance Collection 📸Eloi Stichelbaut The Gitana Team, an offshore racing stable founded in 2000 by Ariane and Benjamin de Rothschild, has announced its selection of North Sails Performance clothing. North Sails Performance is the new game-changing range of technical foul weather gear and deck wear designed alongside technical sailing clothing designer Nigel Musto. During the Rolex Fastnet Race 2021, the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild crew, led by their dual skippers Charles Caudrelier and Franck Cammas, had the opportunity to showcase the new technical gear during their second consecutive victory. At the end of this year, the six-strong crew will launch an attempt at the Jules Verne Trophy, the ultimate sailing record, which they aim to achieve under the symbolic 40 days mark. However, before that, the Maxi Edmond de Rothschild skippers will be enjoying a long double-handed transatlantic – the Transat Jacques Vabre – a 7,500-mile race from Le Havre to Martinique via the Trindade archipelago and Matim Vaz off Rio de Janeiro. The field of Ultimes entered looks set to provide thrilling competition. View this post on Instagram A post shared by North Sails (@north_sails) “To support our ambitious round-the-world racing program, we have chosen to trust North Sails Performance. The Maxi Edmond de Rothschild was the first oceanic maxi-trimaran designed to fly on the high seas; it marks a new generation of multihulls and opens a new way of offshore racing. We are deeply attached to this pioneering spirit, as well as to the innovation and performance that are part of the family DNA of our shipowners Ariane and Benjamin de Rothschild. As a result, we have every confidence in the performance of this new generation of North Sails technical clothing.” Cyril Dardashti, CEO Team Gitana . For complete foul weather protection, the Gitana Team has purchased the North Sails Performance Offshore Smock, Offshore Jacket, and Ocean Trousers for their crew. Additionally, Gitana Team has selected the Inshore Race range, which is well suited to the protection offered by the 32-meter giant’s enclosed cockpit. Items chosen include the Inshore Race Hybrid Jacket and Inshore Race Smock. Finally, Gitana Team has also selected items from the GP Aero range, constructed in a slim, stretch fit – ideal clothing for those who view sailing as a truly athletic sport. “We’re very proud that Gitana Team has chosen to wear our kit, we set out to make the best foul weather gear in the world, and it’s a very special day at the office when a world-dominating team like Gitana confirms that you’ve achieved your goal. Of course, all at North Sails will be cheering them on very loudly as they hunt down their targets,” Marisa Selfa, CEO of North Sails Apparel, added. 📸Yann Riou / PolaRYSE / Gitana S.A. READ MORE

TEAM HO’OKOLOHE: EATING TO WIN Only one first-place Transpac crew barbecued on the transom every night Dinner offshore usually means whatever freeze-dried flavor is the most palatable, because minimizing both weight and space is a top priority for teams that want to win long-distance races. But onboard Transpac 2021 Division Eight winner Ho’okolohe, a Farr 57, the entire nine-man crew enjoyed fresh barbecue for seven of their nine evening meals. Owner Cecil Rossi did his first Transpac in 1965, so he remembers the days when offshore meals meant, well, meals. “That’s just the way Cecil wanted to run this program,” North Sails expert (and “Cat 3 Cooler Jockey”) Fuzz Foster explains, a few days after the finish. “The food was unbelievable. I spent the first hour of every off-watch eating… And then I just had to lie down.” The first two dinners on Ho’okolohe were pre-planned: “Beef stew, manicotti. By the third night, we were into Cecil’s meal program—ribeye steaks and pork tenderloin and teriyaki chicken. We carried a tremendous amount of extra weight, but none of us really cared. We figured, we’ll just sail the boat hard, and it’s going to get lighter as we go.” Ho’okolohe started with the first group on Tuesday, and Fuzz says they only logged seventy-five miles in the first twenty-four hours. But they were able to set a symmetrical spinnaker the first night; they’d learned on a previous race that the boat was calmer to sail that way. And then they led the entire fleet almost all the way to Hawaii—the only boat that finally managed to pass them was the Volvo 70, Pyewacket. Shortly after one of their most memorable meals of grilled swordfish went on the grill, that symmetrical kite blew up. Fuzz was driving and Ty Pryne was cooking; “We went down a wave, and the old girl just let go. So Ty flipped the fish and then shut the barbecue off, and we went into a full stop to change sails. We put up the brand new A2 I’d built for the boat. It was an absolutely awesome sail designed by Steve Calder. The boat would go 10 to 11 all the time and then surf down a wave, and get up to 17. She goes all right for a boat that weighs like 34,000 pounds.” And how was the swordfish? Perfectly cooked, he insists. Besides eating and drinking so well, Fuzz says he really enjoyed racing with his two sons—and passing along a few tips to the younger Travis about steering downwind on a moonless night. “He was nervous,” Fuzz admits. “He had never really driven anything bigger than a Cal 20. On the first night, we put him on the helm when we were ripping along because that is how you learn. “He grasped it pretty quickly. I’d explain that if you want to surf, make sure you get the boat squared back up at the end. He did great—in fact he held the top speed of all the helmsmen for quite awhile.” Chuckling, he adds, “I don’t know if he ended up with the fastest speed or not, because the bet was they’d have to buy dinner for everyone. So nobody’s really come clean.” Fuzz has been calling this year’s race his final Transpac, though he admits “like every sailor, you say stuff and then six months later, things change.” Either way, it will be hard to improve on this year’s race—and not just because of Ho’okolohe’s menu or racing home to Hawai’i with his two sons or nearly beating a Volvo70. “The breeze went aft so early this year! If they were all like this, I think you’d have every sailor on the planet saying, ‘I want to do the Transpac.’ Because it was just that on-edge sailing downwind, going fast.” Evening barbecues on the transom, and winning with a family team—how could it possibly get any better? READ MORE

2021 OPTIMIST NATIONALS REPORT The Scoop on the New V-Series by Tom Sitzmann The 2021 Nationals had very light and unstable winds and only 7 races were completed over four days. Sailor Annie Sitzmann used the new North V-2 brand new from Japan. She was the only sailor at the event using the new sail, and despite the fact that she had zero testing time prior to the event, she took on the challenge and is getting better and better each day learning how to properly tune and rig her new sail. I also worked with Ashton Perkins, who used a North MNR-2. Initially lining these two up, Ashton was higher for sure; the MNR entry is very straight/flat, Ashton is very small/light so he can get away with trimming a little tighter. As the event went on, we seemed to dial in the new V-2 sail. Annie even won a race, which shows that the sail can definitely perform even if in beginner’s hands. With more time on the water and testing, and also testing a few different spar sets, this sail looks very good and makes a great option for the North Sails Optimist inventory. Based on what we observed over the course of the event, I found the outhaul and vang to be extremely important for this sail, and am still learning proper rake and sprit combinations. Optimist National Championship Report & Interview with Ashton Perkins The Optimist class US National Championship was held this year in Norfolk, VA and the wind gods sure seemed to team up to confound the event. While the Girls National championship (a one-day event at the beginning of the week) had good winds, the four-day National championship event could only muster seven races total, and that included three on the last day just to get there. So, the event was left to be determined through qualifying rounds only, with no gold fleet races. North Sails is very excited to announce our new Optimist sail, the V-Series. This sail reflects the culmination of a great deal of testing, hard work, and expertise by North Sails one-design experts and sail designers, and we are confident that this sail offers great speed, pointing ability upwind, and shape durability. In hot, sticky weather, with so many variables, at times extremely light, shifty, unstable and unsettled winds, sailors were challenged to post any type of consistent scores. Young up-and-coming sailor Ashton Perkins used a North Optimist sail, and Ashton showed blazing speed upwind in this regatta. If it weren’t for a UFD penalty, Ashton would have posted his best-ever regatta finish in the top 10 overall! We caught up with him after the event to get his take on things. First, congratulations on your performance at the US Optimist Nationals! This was a difficult event with very light unstable winds for sure, and you seemed very fast throughout the regatta. If not for your final day UFD you’d have been in the top ten out of 260 boats! Let’s get to know you. Where do you live, what grade are you going into this fall? How long have you been sailing? What do you like about sailboat racing? A: I live in University Park Maryland and I am entering the 6th grade. I have been sailing for 6 years. Sailboat racing is great for me because I love thinking about strategy and being on the water. In this regatta specifically, what was most challenging? A: Catching the wind shifts. What was most important? (current, shifts, starts, etc.) A: They were all really important. What worked well for you, and what are you most happy with? A: Except for my U flag and one other start my starts were good. I played the big shifts and I was usually faster than most other boats. What do you like about the North Optimist Sail? A: I used to use a J Blue. With the North I am able to point higher while keeping the same speed. What trimming advice do you have for anyone using this sail? A: In light air trim just within the corner and in heavy air pull it in slightly tighter. What’s next? Where will we see you again? A: New Englands and New Jersey States. I am excited that I qualified for team trials, I also look forward to that this coming Spring 2022. READ MORE

North Clients 1,2,3,4 at the 75th Thistle Nationals Congratulations Sam Ingham, Jonathan Duffett and Tanya Cuprak The 75th Thistle National Championship took place at the Cleveland Yachting Club this past week, placing many North Sails Thistle Class enthusiasts on the #NSVictoryList. With 96 boats competing, the racing in this One Design fleet was fierce. After the selection segment of racing, the fleet was separated into the Championship Fleet (40 boats) and the President Fleet (56 boats). Samuel Ingham with crew Jonathan Duffett and Tanya Cuprak bested his father, an 8-time Thistle National Champion to win at this year’s National Championship. Mike Ingham, a North Sails One Design Expert, placed second with his wife Delia and Dan Fien. Ed Adams with Neal Fowler and Kira Munger placed 3rd overall, and Brian Joyce with crew Sean Joyce and Braden Joyce placed 4th overall. 2021 Thistle Nationals winners 📸 Tim Wilkes @timwilkesphoto READ MORE

LET’S TALK MOTH WITH TOM SLINGSBY, IAIN JENSEN & ROB GREENHALGH 2021 Moth Italian Nationals and Foiling Week Recap Having claimed victories at the 2021 Moth Italian Nationals and Foiling Week, both Jensen and Slingsby are at the top of their game in the class. Learn from this panel of Moth experts and look ahead to the upcoming World Championship in Malcesine, Italy. READ MORE

THE ULTIMES AT THE 2021 ROLEX FASTNET RACE: TEAM ACTUAL Skipper Yves Le Blevec and Team Actual Aim for Victory After an ankle injury that required a few weeks onshore to recover, French Brittany-based skipper Yves Le Blevec is eager to get back on the helm of his trimaran Actual Ultim 3 (formerly Francois Gabart’s Macif) for the Rolex Fastnet Race. While he wasn’t able to sail, he continued to gather information from his sailing team, which includes: Anthony Marchand, co-skipper of the Transat Jacques Vabre; Yoann Richomme, skipper of the V065 Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team; Hugo Kerhascoët, in charge of Actual Ultim 3‘s electronic foil regulation systems; Jean-Baptiste Le Vaillant, historical specialist of Maxi Trimarans; Amélie Grassi, sailor; and Anne-Kristell Jouan, mediaman. “It’s great to be back on the boat and prepare to compete on the water,” says Le Blevec. “I feel 100% confident in my ability to be onboard, thanks to the extraordinary work by the medical team at the Kerpape Center in Morbihan.” Last April, the trimaran was relaunched under the Team Actual colors after a five-month refit. To familiarize himself with the new boat, Le Blevec committed to a handful of sailing sessions with the boat’s former skipper François Gabart. “Watching the way François sails is very instructive. You learn something new every day because we don’t operate in the same way. We know how these complex machines work. But the principle of performance is to constantly question and challenge ourselves. This allows us to constantly evaluate what we know. With Mer Concept, who designed this boat, we have defined a feedback program to evaluate performance. When we return from the Fastnet, we will have some joint training sessions with SVR Lazartigue to compare the data from the two boats.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Team Actual (@team_actual_officiel) The changes made to the trimaran since she was acquired are minimal, Le Blevec adds. “This boat is a well thought-out design. So we followed the roadmap set out by the previous team to develop the new daggerboard and a new central rudder. There will be some progress, but no major revolution. As we sail, we’ll see how to get the most out of the boat. There are still some subtleties to discover. After the Fastnet, we could change the galley space for the crew, because right now it’s very confined.” The boat was delivered with a set of sails in good condition, notes Le Blevec. “Like the boat, we didn’t make any major modifications to the sails. We spent a lot of time with North designers Alan Pennaneach and Quentin Ponroy, to review each sail and their history, according to the specifications initially set up with MerConcept. The mainsail had been modified for the Transat, and we completed those modifications.” For the Fastnet, they were still deciding which headsail to use. “We have two J1s, one that is tucked inside the mainsheet and the other on the draft point of the J2, and we will have to choose which of these we will take onboard for the race. We will also have to think about it before the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre next November. For that, we need to log miles, which will allow us to identify the gaps depending on the weather conditions. We have some ideas for modifications, but there is no need to change the sails for the moment.” Compared to his previous Ultime, Le Blevec notes a real gain in performance at certain points of sail: “We have entered another mode of navigation! Her target speed upwind in a 25-knot wind can reach 27-28 knots on foils. The crew has already experienced sequences of flying at 40 knots, with a peak of 44 knots. It’s exciting.” He also observes that in heavy seas, the boat is more fluid and hits the waves much less than his old trimaran. “There are still a lot of adjustments to be made, but we are excited to be sailing against the other competitors,” Le Blevec says. “Alone in training it’s always difficult to evaluate your performance, especially since these Ultimes are by nature very fast machines.” The Rolex Fastnet Race remains a classic among classics, he concludes, and it’s always a pleasure to return, even if there can be only one winner in the end. According to him, the finish in Cherbourg, France, represents a great demonstration of freedom from borders. “The course is significantly longer, even if it remains short for the Ultimes. But to complete the Fastnet in just 24 hours is an extraordinary thing.” North Sails equips three Ultimes taking part in the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race. We spoke to the crews about their project, the evolution of their boat and sails, as well as their Fastnet training program and their expectations for this edition. You can access our other stories via the links below. Edmond de Rothschild Sodebo Other Fastnet Stories 📸 Thomas Deregnieaux READ MORE

THE ULTIMES AT THE 2021 ROLEX FASTNET RACE: TEAM SODEBO Offshore Veteran Thomas Coville Expects Intense Competition 📸 Martin Keruzoré Sodebo Ultim 3, a latest-generation boat skippered by Thomas Coville, will line up at the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race against the other Ultimes. The sailing team includes Thomas Rouxel, Corentin Horeau, François Duguet, Matthieu Vandame, Léonard Legrand and Thierry Douillard, and part of the crew was also involved in the team’s 2020 Jules Verne Trophy attempt. “We are probably one of the boats that has sailed the most,” Colville says. “These 32-meter boats are technically complex and very demanding. It’s exciting, because the project management is constant.” Despite ever-changing circumstances since the launch in 2019, Coville has a positive assessment of the last two years. “We have experienced a dynamic and creative period with a vast amount of internal collaborative work. We have set up a design office to coordinate our work with the best experts in each specialty, and a rotating leadership that adapts according to the skills of each person.” Right from designer Renaud Banuls’ very first drafts, the team focused on aerodynamics and worked closely with North Sails. “To design this boat, we started with the experience of the previous boat, and the old sail surfaces. We then redesigned the sail plan,” explains Coville. “We are very much linked to North’s studies and involvement on our internal platform. With Gautier Sergent, we started with the sail plan and aerodynamics to think about how we could integrate with different parameters linked to the boat’s behavior, such as the centering of the weight. Each element interacted with another element to make the whole reflection loop work. From the power of the boat generated by the sail plan, we created a hydrodynamic package to balance these forces. That was pretty innovative.” This interactive approach continued right up until their 2020 Jules Vernes Trophy attempt, and the sailing team returned with a wealth of data combined with a rich experience to further evolve both the boat and the sail plan. “There were some sail shapes that we were happy with, and we made some nice changes to the mainsail and gennaker. For each sail, we are looking for an optimization between the structure and the shape. As far as Helix technology is concerned, we’ve seen clear improvements, especially on the second version of the new set with the data feedback.” Coville is a Rolex Fastnet Race veteran and says each edition is different. “I love this race, because it was one of my first competitions as a young sailor, which introduced me to ocean racing and to the Anglo-Saxon sailing world. At the time, Cowes was the Mecca of ocean racing and all the nations came to compete. You could meet all types of sailors, from amateurs to professionals, in a festive atmosphere and with good chemistry.” He doesn’t think the new course format will change the race very much. But he predicts this first match-up between the Ultimes will be quite intense; “We have been sailing a lot lately, but with a team led by Franck Cammas and Charles Caudrelier, two sharp sailors on a boat that has reached maturity, and another team skippered by Yves Le Blevec, who has a boat with a solid track record…” it will be a great battle for line honors into Cherbourg. North Sails equips three Ultimes taking part in the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race. We spoke to the crews about their project, the evolution of their boat and sails, as well as their Fastnet training program and their expectations for this edition. You can access our other stories via the links below. Team Actual 3 Edmond de Rothschild Other Fastnet Stories 📸 Martin Keruzoé READ MORE

THE ULTIMES AT THE 2021 ROLEX FASTNET RACE: GITANA TEAM Edmond de Rothschild Back to Defend Their Title 📸 Yann Riou / polaRYSE / Gitana Team The winner of the previous Rolex Fastnet Race, the Maxi Edmond de Rothchild is back to defend her title. In 2019, the trimaran led by Gitana Team beat François Gabart’s Macif by a mere 59 seconds. Since then, many improvements have been made to the boat’s appendages and systems; they’ve also added a brand new North Sails inventory. “The emphasis has been placed on aerodynamics,” says co-skipper Franck Cammas. “We’ve worked on many aspects in detail, but no revolutionary changes.” The team has noticed real performance gains with their Helix structured luff sails. “We had problems with heavy loads deforming the forestay,” explains co-skipper Charles Caudrelier. “With Helix, the loads are redistributed, which allows us to have a straighter, stiffer luff. In particular, the Helix J0 is a small revolution. We are still in a discovery phase, but the gains are clear.” Thanks to these upgrades, Edmond de Rothschild has been logging 30-40 knots depending on wind conditions. At those speeds, the team could cross the finish line in Cherbourg in less than 24 hours. Caudrelier points out that the new course allows for a more open game, as they have the whole English Channel to cross. “It will be interesting for the Ultimes. There will be close racing with a more technical course off Cherbourg. And of course this French city provides a nice setting for an arrival celebration.” But first, the giant trimarans must maneuver their way through a start off Cowes, a tricky feat for the largest boats in the race. “The English coastline is a great playground and one of the most complicated in terms of sailing,” Caudrelier says. Cammas agrees. “Even if the course is short for Ultimes, this race remains a great pre-game for the Transat Jacques Vabre.” In order to maximize options in all possible conditions, the team will also keep its standard set of sails onboard. “A gennaker covers a range of wind speeds from 10 to 40 knots,” Cammas explains. “This reduces the number of sail changes, very physical maneuvers that require the crew’s full attention.” The entire team is fully committed to continued evolution, and the boat will be fitted with new foils after the Fastnet. Caudrelier says that they also want to keep refining the sail plan. “Do we want deeper sails, flatter or more twisted? We made some modifications in a direction that interested us. But it is difficult to evaluate the performance of a sail because the figures from one day to another are different. In the previous Fastnet, we were a bit faster downwind. But our preferred points of sail are upwind and reaching. That said, this edition is more competitive, and we expect to uncover feedback to help close these gaps.” “We don’t have the human and technical resources to change sails or appendages every year,” Caudrelier explains. “But we change what we think is most relevant.” It is also difficult to make comparisons across the fleet, because each Ultime features very different design concepts and structure, which demand different sail combinations. “The two new boats Banque Populaire (Armel Le Cléac’h) and SVR-Lazartigue (François Gabart)> will be absent from this edition,” Caudrelier says. “Some teams have added larger foils and larger wings on the daggerboard to improve their hydro. Obviously, the tweaks are not revolutionary, but it is the sum of the small things that make the difference. In the end, we all have weak and strong points. The Fastnet will be an opportunity for us to both gauge our performance and test some sails to design the set for next year.” 📸 Yann Riou / polaRSYE / Gitana S.A. Aside from the high-caliber competition, what the Edmond de Rothchild crew fears most is hitting UFOs; submerged objects plagued the team throughout training and during last year’s Jules Verne Trophy attempt. “There is always a risk and an apprehension of hitting something,” says Caudrelier. “The impacts are often violent, and the damage is significant.” The crew includes Morgan Lagravière, David Boileau, Erwan Israel, and Yann Riou, and all are looking forward to their first competition since the Brest Atlantiques and to measuring themselves against their opponents. Will their continuous improvement be enough to defend their 2019 title against such tough competition? Stay tuned for an exciting finish in Cherbourg. North Sails equips three Ultimes taking part in the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race. We spoke to the crews about their project, the evolution of their boat and sails, as well as their Fastnet training program and their expectations for this edition. You can access our other stories via the links below. Sodebo Team Actual Other Fastnet Stories 📸 Eloi Stichelbaut / polaRYSE / Gitana S.A. READ MORE

BOATS TO WATCH IN THE 2021 ROLEX FASTNET RACE: BATTLE OF THE BEASTS Each boat has a hunger for one thing: the Fastnet Challenge Cup Three incredible speed machines are making their final preparations before the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race this Sunday; Rambler 88, the new ClubSwan 125 Skorpios, and the MOD70 Argo. Expect this year to be a showdown of the ages as we anticipate a thrilling battle of some of the world’s fastest boats. Each boat has a hunger for one thing: the Fastnet Challenge Cup (and bragging rights, of course). Seriously, what’s not to love about this year’s edition? The boats at a glance: Rambler 88 – a 88′ Juan Kouyoumdjian (aka Juan K) design born out of owner George David’s commitment to getting back on the water after Rambler 100 lost her keel during the 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race. Launched in 2014, the 88 is a fast, versatile, IRC-optimized maxi yacht with an extraordinary racing record under her belt. Skorpios – the recently launched ClubSwan125, a high-performance racing machine also designed by Juan K. Combining Nautor’s Swan’s pioneering design approach and the latest innovation, she’s been hailed “the fastest monohull ever” and a “record-breaker.” Still, she’s yet to line up and prove her potential on the water. Argo – Jason Carroll’s MOD70 trimaran is equipped with new third-generation foils and sailed by a stellar crew who smashed the Bermuda-Plymouth record in June this year. From the sail designer’s desk: “I have three horses in the race,” enthuses North Sails designer Steve Calder. “They’re Rambler 88, the 125, and the MOD70 Argo. All three boats showcase the future of sailing.” The two monohulls are competing in the IRC Zero class, and while they’ll be each other’s main competition, they’ll want to test themselves. “Despite practicing with almost a shell of a crew on the 88 because of COVID quarantine conditions, most of the original Rambler guys have come back for the race,” explains Calder. “It’s George David’s favorite race, and he wouldn’t miss it for anything. And it’s great to see the seasoned vets and loyal crew back onboard. I expect they’ll be extremely competitive this season.” Rambler’s pitman Curtis Blewett, who’s done the race seven or eight times, admits he’d love to “try and get the course record. We’ve missed it a few times on the Rambler, which means we’ll be more focused on boat performance and sailing our own race. I like sailing here because it’s usually really windy.” “Our biggest competition? The new 125,” remarks Blewett. “But obviously, after 16 months off, our biggest challenge: sailing the boat well after a long break.” 📸 Nautor’s Swan Having faced similar COVID-related challenges, Skorpios will be skippered by the Spanish Olympic Tornado gold medallist and former Volvo Ocean Race skipper Fernando Echávarri. In addition, Volvo Ocean Race winners Brad Jackson, Michael Joubert and Jan Dekker, fellow Volvo Ocean Race veterans, Antonio ‘Neti’ Cuervas-Mons, David Pella, and navigator Campbell Field also join the team roster. “They’ve spent the last couple of weeks getting prepared as the Rolex Fastnet Race approaches,” says Calder. “They’ll have onboard a new Helix fractional Code Zero, which they’re super happy with.” Skorpios’s true potential will soon be revealed. “I never experienced the boat fully loaded up with the water ballasts and all of that,” comments Calder, who joined the team for sail trials a few weeks ago in Finland. “But every now and then, you’d touch some apparent wind with the A3 on, and she would want to light up. She powers up very quickly. With that boat length, the laws of physics favor her speed potential.” In the MOCRA category, the 70′ Argo faces about a dozen multihulls, including Giovanni Soldini’s Maserati Multi 70. Argo’s foil upgrade, created by the MOD70’s original designers VPLP, brings her performance package closer to Maserati and the latest 30m long Ultim trimarans “Argo has done some impressive miles over the past couple of weeks,” adds Calder. “They have this new foil mode now, and the boat is being pushed very, very hard.” Sailed by Charles Corning with British offshore legend Brian Thompson, America’s Cup sailors Alister Richardson and Thierry Fouchier, and US Olympian Charlie Ogletree onboard, Argo has everything she needs to eat some miles between Cowes and Cherbourg. May the fastest boat win. READ MORE

TOKYO2020: RECAP Olympians triumph in Enoshima 📸 Sailing Energy / World Sailing Here at North Sails, we’ve been avidly following the Tokyo2020 Olympics as all the sailors put on an incredible display in the waters off Enoshima, Japan. Five of our 8 Olympians to Watch made it onto the podium, and we were very impressed with everyone’s speed and poise as they dealt with the widest possible variety of conditions. Here’s a recap of the Finn, 470, and 49er results. Finn Finale 📸 Sailing Energy / World Sailing This singlehanded men’s class never disappoints with its mix of physicality and grace. The British champion, Giles Scott managed to defend his 2016 gold medal, even after restarting the double-points medal race. Great boat speed jumped him back up to silver medal position by the first mark, but Hungary’s Zsombor Berecz rounded the first three marks with the gold medal in sight. It wasn’t until the final gate, just before the reach to the finish, when Scott was able to luff up inside two boats and finally lock up the gold, relegating Berecz to silver. North Sails expert Mickey Ickert developed the very first laminated Finn sail before the 1996 Games, and we’re very sad to see this boat leave the Olympic family—but we also predict the class will continue to thrive. We’ve built 10,000 Finn sails to date, and we will soon launch an updated product range that includes several improvements we made while working with Giles Scott, Zombor Berecz, and other top teams. 470 Showdown 📸 Sailing Energy / World Sailing In the men’s fleet, all of the top nine teams used North Sails. Australia’s Matt Belcher/Will Ryan bested their Silver winning Rio 2016 performance for Olympic Gold in Tokyo. With this win, Belcher became Australia’s ‘most successful Olympic sailor.’ The battle for the other two podium spots was eventually won by Sweden’s Anton Dahlberg/Fredrik Bergstrom and Spain’s Jordi Xammar/Nicolas Rodriguez Garcia-Paz. Between them, this trio of teams won all but two of the eleven races. All 21 women’s teams used North Sails. As expected, the British duo Hannah Mills/Eilidh Mcintyre took the top spot on the podium. With this win, Mills cemented her position as the most successful female Olympic sailor to date. A tie for silver between Poland’s Agnieszka Skrzpulec/Jolanta Ogar and France’s Camille Lecointre/Aloise Retornaz was won by Poland, since they had the most race wins (3). For long-time 470 teams, Tokyo2020 also marked another bittersweet final regatta; at the next Olympics in Paris 2024, this doublehanded boat will become a mixed gender event. North Sails Japan will continue to develop successful sails for the many new teams that are already forming. 49erFX Repeat Gold 📸 Sailing Energy / World Sailing Defending gold medalists Martine Grael/Kahena Kunze of Brazil went into the medal race on the losing end of a tie with the Netherlands’ Annemiek Bekkering/Annette Duetz . But a third place finish (behind Argentina and Norway) gave them another decisive overall victory. Tina Lutz/Susann Beucke of Germany finished fifth to win silver, forcing the Dutch team to settle for third overall. 49er Upset Ties for first and third at the Tokyo2020 Games show how close the racing was in the men’s skiff. Great Britain’s Dylan Fletcher/Stuart Bithell won the medal race by only a few meters over the German team, earning the gold medal. 2016 gold medalists (and America’s Cup champions) Peter Burling/Blair Tuke of New Zealand finished second. Germany’s Erik Heil/Thomas Ploessel beat out Spain’s Diego Botin le Chever/Iago Lopez Marra for the bronze. With only three years left before Paris 2024, we have already started work with several top Olympic hopefuls. We are also very excited to work with the 49er and 49er FX classes as they transition to North 3Di for the Paris 2024 Games. Congratulations to all! To receive future updates on all the Olympic classes, sign up for our newsletter. READ MORE