NORTH SAILS BLOG

The Royal Ocean Racing Club’s Griffin Youth Project stands as a beacon for aspiring young sailors, offering a rare and structured gateway into the demanding world of offshore yacht racing. READ MORE

In a testament to a remarkable career defined by dedication and innovation, Hafzal Haniffa, Head of Logistics at North Sails Sri Lanka, has been honored with the prestigious 2025 Richmond Award.  READ MORE

Set against breathtaking coastline where the Gulf of Naples meets the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Tre Golfi Regatta is one of the Med's most iconic offshore sailing events. Blending high-performance sailing with breathtaking scenery and classic Italian hospitality, the race has been bringing sailors from around the globe together for 70 years.  READ MORE

Newport, Rhode Island. The sailing capital of the world, a place woven into our nautical DNA and the inspiration for our SS25 Newport collection. READ MORE

Charlie Dalin, Ken Read, and Guillaume Verdier on the Vendée Globe. This episode celebrates the Vendée Globe's legacy, showcasing the dedication, skill, and innovation that make it the pinnacle of solo sailing. READ MORE

North Sails and the Cape 31 Class are proud to announce the continuation—and expansion—of their successful partnership for the 2025 season. READ MORE

With Design Week kicking off and our new Via Dante Flagship Store recently opening its doors, we’re taking a deep dive into Europe’s capital of fashion, art, and aperitivo: Milan.   READ MORE

Ellie Driver first competed in the Rolex Fastnet course in 2019, 18 years old and fresh from a 420 campaign – a multiday offshore race was a very different concept.  She knew she could drive a boat around a race course fast, but could she drive her Sunfast 3300 fast in one of the world’s most famous offshore races for four-plus days non-stop?     Since her first Rolex Fastnet, Ellie has chalked up an impressive victory list, including;  ⭐ Women’s EUROSAF Double-Handed Offshore European Champion (2023)  ⭐ Vice Mixed Double-Handed World Sailing Offshore World Champion (2023)   ⭐ Yachts & Yachting ‘Sailor of the Year’ (2022)   ⭐ Youngest Skipper to Compete in the SEVENSTAR Round Britain and Ireland Race (2022)   ⭐ Second Place in Défi Paprec (2024)   Ellie Driver Ellie raced the Rolex Fastnet again in 2023 double-handed with her father, an 8 times race veteran at that point.  Ellie will admit that in her first Rolex Fastnet, “she sailed the course”—soaking up all the hard-won knowledge her father had to give her.  In 2023, they were back, and this time, Ellie said she “raced the course, even with the full-on weather”, finishing 10th Double Handed Boat and Ellie the 2nd Female Skipper and the 2nd Youth Skipper overall.   The 2023 Rolex Fastnet start was brutal, with the fleet setting off from the Solent into a south-westerly gale. And conditions didn’t improve greatly, with Ellie and her father experiencing “sailing through three squalls and a shutdown—it was 4 days of misery”. But Ellie and Jim didn’t retire, and that experience informs her five top tips to teams competing in this year’s 2025 Rolex Fastnet Race: “aside from a catastrophic boat failure, boats need to retire because either the boat or the crew is not ready to tackle the conditions.   ELLIE’S FIVE TOP TIPS  Don’t delay any maintenance job on your boat; start now.  Get all the servicing done.  Work bow to stern, replacing anything that is showing signs of wear.  Do this now, and then do it again in the month prior to the race.  I’m constantly checking my boat over, ensuring nothing avoidable will fail during the race.  Plan your spares; based on your inspections over these 4 months, if one area shows deterioration quicker than expected, carry those spares.   It is just as important to build personal fitness as well as maintaining your boat.  The stronger you are, the less likely you are to injure yourself and the more energy you’ll have throughout the race.  Crucially, it means that you’ll also approach every task with 100% of your strength – making manoeuvres faster – minimizing chances of damage to the boat, lost or torn sails, and fewer personal injuries as tasks in dicey conditions are completed faster.  Get swimming, get running, get to the gym – prioritize the fitness of the whole crew in this build-up phase.   Pre-race watch planning: absolutely vital when racing double-handed but also essential with larger crews with varying capabilities.  7-days out from the race, start looking at the course, look at the weather fronts coming through, and align your watch plan to these.  Start planning when it will be calmer so the crew can rest, when it will be all hands on deck, and when you’ll need the more experienced drivers on the helm.  Keep reviewing the plan alongside the weather updates up until the race start.   My last tip: sing!  Despite the best planning, there will be moments when you’re exhausted but need to keep pushing – it’s at these moments my Dad and I sing to keep us awake and morale up.  ABBA tunes are a boat favorite!   Following Ellie’s advice to ensure crews who are entered into this year’s Rolex Fastnet Race are adequately prepared, we caught up with Steve Coles, Royal Ocean Racing Club Race Manager. Steve Coles, Royal Ocean Racing Club Race Manager. We asked him what the boats with their race places confirmed should be prioritising over the next four months, and he advised:   APRIL    Make sure that the boat details on your entry are correct; you can start to add crew to your crew locker on www.sailracehq.com. Your crew will need an account to fill in all of their details. Add your t-shirt size!  Submit your mileage proposal. At least 50% of the boat’s crew (but not less than 2), including the person in charge, must have completed 300 nautical miles of RORC offshore racing on the boat entered into the race. The qualifying miles must be completed within 12 months prior to the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race.  We will accept mileage qualification proposals from races other than RORC races, but typically, they should be at least 150 miles and include one night at sea. Races can be combined to get to the 300-mile requirement.   The RFR is a Category 2 race; you must complete your checklist on the entry portal and complete the Category 3 checklist before the system will let you complete Category 2. Boats may be inspected for OSR compliance before the race starts.   MAY  Check whether you need a plan review - A monohull with a series date after 2009 of less than 24 m (78’-9”) LH shall have been designed, built, and maintained in accordance with the requirements of ISO 12215 Category A and have a World Sailing/ISAF building plan review certificate issued from an organization recognized by World Sailing.   Order your tracker; trackers are mandatory for the RFR and all RORC races. A subsidy is available upon application to racing@rorc.org.   JUNE    If you have completed your mileage qualification, please let RORC know now  Training—the days are getting longer; use the long daylight days as perfect training days     JULY    Submit the final crew onto the race portal.  All non-UK boats will need to complete the C1331 form before arriving, which can be done online here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/submit-a-pleasure-craft-report#submit-your-report-online.  Ensure the rating is applied for; the deadline is the 4th of July.   Read through Sailing Instructions!    Order your Customised Team Gear for the 2025 Rolex Fastnet Race Today  READ MORE

The 2025 Bucket Regatta delivered everything you'd expect—breathtaking scenery, tight competition, and a fleet of phenomenal superyachts pushing their light air performance to the limit.  READ MORE

At North Sails, we believe that every step toward sustainability matters. That’s why we’re committed to reducing our carbon footprint and increasing our use of renewable energy across our global operations. READ MORE

For North Sails Ambassador Ellie Driver and her dad Jim, sailing isn't just a sport—it's a shared passion that's been passed down from father to daughter over two decades, fueling them to take on tough challenges, achieve remarkable success, and grow together on and off the water. Read about it all in our latest blog post. READ MORE

Wind, warm water, and sunshine. Set your out-of-office and escape to the Caribbean with North Sails. North Sails President Ken Read and superyacht expert Mike Toppa share their experiences. READ MORE

The partnership between Safe Harbor Marinas and North Sails brings unmatched convenience and expertise to sailors.  READ MORE

Loft 57 welcomes three female skippers competing in this edition of the Vendée Globe - frontrunner Justine Mettraux, Sam Davies, and Pip Hare. These women are the best of the best and an inspiration for all young offshore sailors. READ MORE

In the early morning, with temperatures hovering at freezing, Charlie Dalin secured his Vendée Globe victory. Dalin also shattered the singlehanded monohull around-the-world record set in 2016.    READ MORE

This episode features conversations with three Vendée Globe competitors- Conrad Colman, Nico Lunven, and Sam Goodchild. All have a wealth of offshore experience and bring a unique perspective to the race. READ MORE

North Sails supports dozens of boats across the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race fleet with tailored products and best-in-class support. Mark Bradford, Managing Director of North Sales Australia, provides this year's race preview.  READ MORE

We’re delighted to announce our partnership with the world’s pre-eminent Ocean Racing Club—The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC). READ MORE

2024 has been a massive year for sailing, with many giant leaps forward in many different aspects of the sport. And it has been a significant year for North Sails. READ MORE

The world’s leading sailmaker shared recent product innovations during the 2024 METSTRADE Show in Amsterdam. READ MORE

An experienced trio give their take on the early challenges and triumphs as the action unfolds offshore and the IMOCA fleet continue their adventure around the world.   READ MORE

The winners of the DAME Design Awards, the most prestigious design competition in the marine industry, were announced this morning at the METSTRADE Show in Amsterdam. READ MORE

"He’s a great competitor. He’s one of the best bowmen in the world. He's got the skills, he's got the racing focus, he's got the drive to win, to do better, to improve every day. And being a bowman and working within North Sails is kind of unique because he brings a different skillset to the feedback he provides." READ MORE

Loads, Sail Selection & Recommendations with Expert Ben Kelly, Australia's go-to cruising multihull sail expert. READ MORE

The DAME Design Awards, the prestigious design competition in the marine industry, recently announced the selection of 58 products from 28 countries across 4 continents as the final nominees for the 33rd edition of the annual awards. READ MORE

Travis Odenbach is ecstatic and now unburdened having finally won a J/24 World Championship title after nearly 15 years of thinking about it. READ MORE

The “Everest of the Seas” celebrates a major milestone this edition as it marks the 10th edition of the race this year. READ MORE

The Vendée Globe solo round-the-world race is a monumental event in France, capturing the nation’s heart and drawing massive crowds, both shoreside and online.  READ MORE

Ocean Race Champion Charlie Enright, who guest-hosts Loft 57 Podcast for special-edition episodes focused on the Vendee Globe 2024, a solo, non-stop race around the world without assistance. READ MORE

This episode recorded from the 37th America’s Cup, is a must listen for young sailors, parents and all of us who are supporting the next generation of talent within our sport.  READ MORE

The J Class Barcelona regatta, a significant event in the rich heritage of the America's Cup, unfolded this past week with three majestic yachts competing. READ MORE

With a constant drive to innovate, sail designer Max Tringale explains how sails and performance evolve throughout an America's Cup campaign.  READ MORE

Rob Greenhalgh knows difficult. And we’re not talking about his hard laps around the planet, his skiff class world titles or all the grand-prix programs.  READ MORE

Legendary voices and broadcasters Gary Jobson, Peter Montgomery, and Jed Drake join Ken Read reflect on the evolution of Cup over the years.  READ MORE

Nathan Outteridge, Bruno Dubois and Tom Whidden, this episode is packed with first-hand experience on all aspects of what it takes in a team’s quest to win the Cup.  READ MORE

America’s Cup Hall of Famers Grant Simmer and Simon Daubney stop by Loft 57 to reflect on the America’s Cup and their experience within yachting’s most prestigious regatta. READ MORE

Cup veteran and business leader Tom Whidden shares his experiences working with top sailors like Dennis Conner and how his sailing career inspired his work at North Sails. READ MORE

Burns Fallow, the lead sail designer for Emirates Team New Zealand, offers an exclusive look into the world of high-performance sailmaking at the America's Cup. READ MORE

North Sails Service Expert, Ben Fletcher shares his top tips on how to protect and care for your sails in the off-season. READ MORE

Step inside the base of America's Cup team INEOS Britannia with sail designer JB Braun, where the boundaries of sail design, and sail technology like North 3Di, are constantly pushed to their limits. READ MORE

The off-season is the ideal time to give your sails the TLC they deserve. Keeping your sails on an annual maintenance schedule will aid in extending the lifespan of your sails and maintaining peak performance. READ MORE

AEROTECH is a new line of woven downwind sailcloth developed for and exclusively sold by North Sails. It reflects our latest thinking in downwind woven fabrics for spinnakers. READ MORE

Tarifa sits on the most southerly point of the Spanish mainland, where the Med meets the Atlantic, Europe almost meets Africa, and the wind blows for over 300 days of the year. Not only is it the ultimate European destination for watersports it’s also where North pro foiler Fabian Muhmenthaler was born. We joined him for a weekend exploring Tarifa’s top foiling spots and hangouts, and discovering why he’s so proud to call this town home. READ MORE

North Sails introduces Aerotech, a groundbreaking advancement in sailcloth, leveraging cutting-edge innovations from ultralight gliders, sport parachutes, and wind-driven sports like foiling kites and wings.  READ MORE

Italian sailor Giulio Desiderato is widely recognized as one of Europe’s top one-design sailors. He’s now taking his skills and applying them to Grand Prix sailing.     READ MORE

The North Sails seasonal sail care package will be available at select Safe Harbor locations starting today. This package includes a 10-point sail inspection, annual maintenance upgrades, and six months of storage in a North Sails Loft. READ MORE

The decisions, details, design work, and training create a unique DNA for each program. The die has been cast, and in many ways, the America's Cup is over before the trials commence. READ MORE

Download the North Sails Fireball Tuning Guide. READ MORE

The next generation of North Sails designers play key roles on yacht racing's grandest stage. Each of them has a North Sails mentor that they’re working with, seasoned experts younger designers coming along. READ MORE

North Sails are built for performance and longevity. But even the longest-lasting sail will reach the end of its intended use at some point.  READ MORE