Only in eternally sunny Newport Beach, California could you race in a Sunkist Series during the dead of winter! Taking advantage of the long sailing season are Alan Andrews and Molly Lynch, who sail in the monthly series with their Andrews 38, Double Time. Sailing with family and friends compliments the more serious racing Alan does with clients of his firm, Alan Andrews Yacht Design, and in 2016 the family-friendly program had a busy season, entering 14 races in total. Last Sunday marked the second Sunkist, and Alan & Molly broke out their new North Sails 3DiTM RACE genoa for the first time.
The boat’s #1 genoa is a key sail: last year there were only two races they didn’t use it. The sail they had was seven seasons old, so a lot of new options were on the market when Alan and Molly decided to replace it.
“We were looking for a #1 jib that would cover the whole range. This weekend we sailed our first event with the 3Di RACE genoa in very light wind, probably four knots to start and it went down from there.”
It was a bit of a “drifter” with light, shifty breeze and lumpy water, the kind of conditions many sailors dread. In the end Alan and Molly’s team claimed the win and, having used the new sail at one end of the range, Alan was encouraged by the readability of the new sail in light conditions.
“The sail absolutely met our expectations at that end of the range. Having raced a lot with clients and friends over the years, my impression with some of the earlier 3Di sails was they were a bit on the stiff side. On Sunday we were sailing at the bottom end of the range with a little bit of chop, really shifty light air, and we were able to read the sail. The material was supple enough to respond to subtle changes in pressure. For an all-purpose #1, that’s a good deal. We expect this sail will bring us up to 14 knots.”
The new 3Di RACE genoa replaced a 3DL SPORT #1 jib with a taffeta layer for added durability. In switching to 3Di RACE, Alan noticed that the new sail was lighter in weight while promising superior durability to string sails.
“Compared to the 3DL™ taffeta sail, the 3Di sail shifts the material weight into the load bearing thread, which gives the sail potential to hold its shape higher up the wind range. While shape retention was not an issue with our last sail, we immediately noticed that the new sail was much lighter.”
Being a numbers guy, Alan weighed his new 3Di sail vs the old 3DL sail and found the 3Di to be 10% lighter. The ability to place material in a load bearing pattern, adding weight to the sail where it’s needed most, and saving where it is not, is an inherent trait of 3Di technology.
And the best news? It’s still ‘summer’ in California. The Balboa Yacht Club hosts racing every month of the year, so we’ll be checking back in to hear how Alan and Molly’s new 3Di RACE sail performs up the range.