NORTH SAILS BLOG

Update from North Sails President Ken Read A semifinals filled with highs, lows, overboards and capsizes – sailing fans had plenty to take in while Softbank Team Japan, Artemis Racing, Emirates Team New Zealand, and Land Rover BAR battled for the one and only seat against ORACLE TEAM USA in the final America’s Cup match. READ MORE

  This tuning guide has been prepared to help you get the most out of your North Sails as quickly as possible. It is meant as a starting point only, as we cannot cover all options and techniques. Feel free to modify and experiment in small steps to find what suits you best. If you find a settings that really work well, please keep us informed. Mast Preparation Ensure all sheaves are free running and the rigging is clean prior to stepping the mast. SPREADERS Spreader Angle: Measure from spreader tip to tip. Super Spar M2 Sleaved – 780 mmProctor D+ – 760 mm Spreader Length: Measure from spreader tip to wall of mast. Super Spar M2 Sleaved – 410mm Proctor D+ – 410mm Rig Tension / Mast Rake Rig tension is measured on the shrouds with a 3mm wire gauge. Mast rake is measured from top of mast to the centre of the transom. For sailing in all conditions the rig should be set up with Jib hoisted and tension fully on: Rig Tension: 400lbsMast Rake: 6470mm This should make the mast straight with no Mainsail hoisted. Mainsail Ensure the Mainsail is fully hoisted – halyards do stretch. Battens Battens should be left in the sail at all times and whilst not afloat, the sail should be rolled down the leech, parallel to the battens. Cunningham This is used to position draft in the sail. Do not use any Cunningham until you become overpowered in heavy airs, then pull Cunningham on progressively harder as the breeze increases. This will move the draft of the sail forward in the top and de-power the upper leech. Outhaul Beating: In light and heavy airs the foot of the sail should be pulled tight. In medium airs, ease approximately 12mm. Running: Keep the foot tight in all conditions. Reaching: Ease fully in medium conditions, in light airs ease 25mm and in heavy airs pull out tight. Jib To find Jib lead position, follow the sheeting angle through the Jib clew. This should divide the Jib luff approximately in half. When sailing upwind in a Force 3, all the tell tales should break together. In medium/heavy airs, the Jib should be sheeted hard to maximise pointing ability. In lighter conditions the Jib sheet needs to be eased approximately 12mm to keep the top of the leech open. Once a fairlead position has been found, use it in all conditions with very heavy airs, then move back 25mm. This will flatten the base of the Jib and open the leech, keeping the boat driving and on her feet. Good luck on the water! READ MORE

Basic Setup Rake – 21ft 2inSpreader length –  430mmSpreader Angle –  100 -110mm (track to line straight between wires at tip)Prebend –  20 – 25mm (with the lowers slack)Lowers Tension until the mast is straightShroud Tension 26-28 on a Loos gauge Centreboard Position Upwind GUIDE SETTINGS 0 – 8 knots – Vertical9 – 12 knots – Up 5-8cm (from vertical)13 -18 knots – Up 10-15cm19 -25 knots – Up 20-25cm It is almost impossible to change your mast rake on the water but because the top mast is long and the lower mast is controlled by the lowers, as you pull on the kicker the mast tip moves back in much the same way as it does when you increase mast rake. This creates weather helm so to balance the helm the centreboard angle should be adjusted. This becomes the key to speed through the wind range. The exact positions will vary depending on your weight and height as well as the stiffness of your mast and the seastate, but the principle is that as the wind increases raise the board enough to keep the helm balanced and the boat driving forward as opposed to luffing and stalling in the gusts. If you raise the board too far the boat will feel easy to sail but you will be unable to point. There is always some tolerance when searching for the optimum board angle, so if you want to point high and you are prepared to sacrifice a little speed lower the board a little, if you want to go low and fast raise it. Good luck on the water! READ MORE

North Sails has a long history with the America’s Cup, supplying every America’s Cup Defender and Challenger since 1988. Our shared story is one of innovation, often resulting in breakthrough sail design and materials. READ MORE

This Tuning Guide has been prepared to help you get the best out of your North Sails. This is meant as a starting point, feel free to modify and experiment in small steps to find what suits you best. If you find a Setting or Settings that really works, please keep us informed. Mast Position The aim of the B14 settings is to keep the lower ¼ of the mast as straight as possible. To achieve this you will need to move the mast foot as far forward as is possible, and use a small chock in front of the mast at the mast gate. The size of the chock will vary and you will need to set this by looking up the mast when it is tensioned and checking it is straight. On The Water Tuning Because the rig is very simple, there are not a lot of changes you can make while you are on the water. There are your normal sail controls, the jib tack height and the centre board. CUNNINGHAM As you start to become overpowered start to pull on the cunningham a little, as the breeze increases progressively pull on more. JIB TACK HEIGHT The jib tack height is the only control for the sheeting angle of the sail. Lowering the tack will increase the twist of the sail. If the conditions change you can alter the tack height between races, lowering the sail if the breeze increases and raising it if the breeze drops. CENTRE BOARD As with the jib, the centre board can only really be adjusted between races. If you feel the boat ‘tripping up’ over the board in breezy conditions raise it up.As a guide:15-20kts: 150mm (6”)20kts+: 300mm (12”) Notes Tensions are found with Loos PT1-m rig tension gauge.The spreaders are measured from a straight line between the shrouds to the back of the mast track, without rig tension. The holes are a bit of a course adjustment so you might not be able to exactly match these figures. If in doubt go slightly further forward on the lowers and slightly further back on the uppers, if possible try to keep the 2 sets of spreaders in line or the upper set slightly aft. Good luck on the water! READ MORE

TOP JUNIORS AT THE 2017 SNIPE NORTH AMERICANS Snipe Duo Jensen McTighe & Andre Guaragna share their first-hand experiences in the Snipe Class at the North Americans in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida © Matthew Ditzel We caught up with top juniors from this years’ Snipe North Americans, hosted by Ft. Lauderdale Yacht Club. Jensen and Andre were in the heat of battle the entire event, finishing 3rd overall, coming just short of world class sailor Augie Diaz who finished 2nd. Here is what the young team had to say about their experience and the things in life that contribute to their successful Snipe sailing. They have an exciting journey ahead as they are attending the Snipe World Championships in August, held in Spain. This isn’t the first time they will be traveling out of the country to race Snipes, nor will it be their last! How often do you sail together? How does it contribute to your performance in the Snipe? “We practice a lot together, but we are both skippers so we do sail on our own quite a bit. We make a good team though and I think we both know each other well enough now that we don’t really need to talk about things, we just do it.” What was the hardest part about sailing at NA’s? “On the last day it was very hard to keep up. Staying faster off the wind was so important in the lighter air.” What was the funniest part of the weekend? “When we registered we got visors instead of shirts. We rocked the visors on the water, and only when we were in the boat. We think that also contributed to our speed that weekend.” You used the SW-4 at North Americans. What did you like about it? “We use both the SW-4 and the PR-3. The SW-4 was the weapon of choice for NA’s because it is versatile, but depending on how much wind we was forecasted it can be a better option to use the PR-3. At North Americans we wanted the most power through the big waves, so we chose the SW-4, which worked great.” I know the scores were pretty tight on the last day. What were you both thinking going into the last race at North Americans? “Right before we started, I said we can do this we have just one more race. We’ve been in second the whole regatta, we can do this.” “We didn’t think Augie was going to come after us like he did, and we weren’t expecting it. Coming into the finish it was so close, but we needed more opportunity upwind that would’ve gotten us a few more boat lengths.” What race at NA’s was the hardest for you? “In one race we were the first boat to round in front of Ernesto. He wasn’t too close, but he was there and ended up rounding the opposite bottom gate mark at the exact same time as us. We never saw him again after that.” What are your strengths and weaknesses in the Snipe? “We are still young and energetic which helps a ton because the Snipe is so physical. We are always pushing to work the boat harder than everyone else. That made us pretty fast at the NA’s. Our weakness would be overall experience, and we get a bit anxious and frustrated when the pressure is on.” How does it feel to cross the finish line in front of Augie in 4/8 races at NA’s? “It felt pretty good. One race in particular where we came in 3rd and he got 4th. We were able to pass Augie in the last quarter of the downwind. We looked back and saw his frustration, and thought wow we were pretty fast.” What things would you consider contributions to your results at NA’s? “The fact that I live right down the street and sail out here everyday is ideal. We think the same about racing and tactics, and we could stay on the same page both upwind and downwind. We were always in phase with each other, which really helped us maintain our position every race. We made most of our gains downwind in the bigger waves which was a lot of fun and paid off significantly in each race.” Andre, Now that you’ve had a taste of College Sailing at Jacksonville University, can you tell me what you notice is different about Snipe sailing and competing in college? “College sailing is completely different than Snipe sailing. College sailing is a lot shorter courses, you have to think about it differently when it comes to tactics. Snipes sail longer courses so it’s the whole race, not just the first shift you have to catch to be ahead. Because Snipe racing is a lot longer, you have to stay focused for longer, and keep in mind the big picture.” In your opinions, what is the hardest part about sailing Snipes? “Numbers and measurements, really more about the feel knowing when you are going fast. It’s really about feel when it comes down to it. You know when your set up looks right. There are many things that all add up to make you fast. The hardest part is managing all of the details, but it all starts with initial rig set up. Being able to feel if you are too tight or too loose is really important.” Are you excited about sailing in the World Championship this year? “Yes, we are very excited. We feel like we ready to get out there and compete. We feel like we are prepared mentally and physically, and we are going to do well.” What are your main goals in sailing? “We want to make the team for the Youth America’s Cup.” If you had the chance to meet any (pro) sailor of your choice, who would it be and why? “Ben Ainslie, because he is super successful and driven.” Contact your local North Sails Snipe Expert for the fastest sails in the class! READ MORE

Cougars were on the prowl this year taking 2/3 National Titles and the Overall Leonard M. Fowle Trophy A solid finish to a week in Charleston, SC at the 2017 ICSA College Sailing Nationals! North Sails is proud to sponsor the 2017 College National Championships consisting of Women’s Semifinals/Finals, Team Racing, and Coed Semifinals/Finals. We would like to congratulate the following teams for their honorable achievements and hard work throughout the week at the 2017 National Championships. Hats off to Yale for taking 1st in the Women’s Finals, winning the Gerard C. Miller Trophy, Boston College for taking second overall, winning the Kleckner Trophy, and the U.S. Coast Guard for placing 3rd overall, coming down to the last race to win the Ann Campbell Trophy. Special congrats to Erika Reineke, women’s A-division skipper for Boston College, for earning the Women’s College Sailor of the Year trophy after her fantastic performance throughout the week. Her teamwork, leadership, and sportsmanship over the past 4 years prove hard work really does pay off. Way to go! Special Awards were also given to the winner of both A and B divisions in the Women’s Finals. Winner of A Division was Boston College, taking home the Madeline Cup. Winner of Division B, Yale, took home the Judy Lawson Trophy. The College of Charleston Cougars were unstoppable at the Team Racing Championships, winning 21 out of 25 total races, with an 84% total average. They took home the Walter Cromwell Wood Bowl this year, breaking Yale’s 4-year winning streak and taking the title! When it came down to the Coed Finals, College of Charleston did not disappoint on their home turf, taking home the Henry Morss Memorial Trophy for the overall National Championship win. Yale was close behind, winning the Oxford University Yacht Club Trophy, and Dartmouth was awarded the Metropolitan Sailing League Trophy for third place. Coed Division winners were also recognized, with the Robert M. Allen Jr. Trophy awarded to Dartmouth College’s B-division team, and College of Charleston’s A-division team receiving the Robert M. Allen Sr. Trophy. Finally, the Leonard M. Fowle Trophy. The Fowle Trophy is determined by results earned throughout the 2016-2017 sailing season, including the Women’s Singlehanded, Men’s Singlehanded, Intermediate Match Race, Women’s Semifinals/Finals, Team Race Overall, and Coed Semifinals/Finals regattas. Again the College of Charleston Cougars have risen to the occasion and achieved the ultimate season goal; the overall 2017 ICSA College Nationals win! Cougar sailors everywhere, including fans and alumni, are proud to have the Fowle Trophy displayed at the CofC Sailing Center for the year ahead, representing their amazing performance across the board throughout the 2016-2017 college sailing season. Congrats Cougars! 2017 Quantum Women’s Sailor of the Year and Winner of A Division, taking home the Madeline Cup, and Women’s Kleckner Trophy, BC Senior, Erica Reineke. ©Michael Wiser Ann Campbell Trophy Winners, 3rd Place at Women’s Nationals, U.S. Coast Guard © Michael Wiser Yale University, Winner of division B, took home the Judy Lawson Trophy. 2nd Place overall at Coed Championships, taking home the Oxford University Yacht Club Trophy ©Michael Wiser CofC, winners of the Walter Cromwell Wood Bowl , 1st place Team Racing National Champions! ©Michael Wiser Dartmouth, placing 3rd overall winning the Metropolitan Sailing League Trophy , and 1st place in B division winning the Robert M. Allen Jr. Trophy ©Michael Wiser Henry Morss Memorial Trophy Winners, 1st place overall, CofC ©Michael Wiser CofC winners of the Robert M. Allen Sr. Trophy for first place finish in A Division in the Coed Championship Finals ©Michael Wiser College of Charleston Cougars, Winners of the 2017 Team Racing and College National Championship ©Michael Wiser READ MORE

Ladies gamble on the infamous Solent in the UK. North Sails clients take the top 3 spots in the overall IRC results Josie Gliddon and her team on North’s Peloton, overall regatta winner The 9th Dubarry Women’s Open Keelboat Championship was hosted by Hamble River Sailing Club (HRSC) over the weekend of 3rd and 4th June 2017 and sailed in the central Solent. A record number of 20 boats and some 150 women came to sail, continuing the growth of this event as a go-to for women’s keelboat racing. This number included the welcome return of the J/80 fleet as well as good numbers in both IRC Class 1 and IRC Class 2. Notable newcomers were the Royal Navy Team led by Laura Blagden in the J109 Jolly Jack Tar. This was the first time a complete crew of serving women have turned out to represent the Navy, and how appropriate on the centenary of the Women’s Royal Naval Service! If six races in two days were not enough, half the crew were going to sea on Monday for their day job. The ladies from the Senior Service were keen to lay down a challenge to the Royal Air Force and Army women for next year so that Jolly Jack Tar can win the 2018 services prize. After a number of years of interest, Southampton sailmaker Nicky Octon turned up for the first time in the Corby 35 NJOS. Another new Corby was the 25, M,Enfin!?, entered by HRSC’s own Sophie Chudziak. The forecast was for sun, and wind from various points west, so race officer Kathy Smalley, with a heavily female gender biased group of Hamble’s finest, set up station between Jonathan Janson (4Q) and Hamble Yacht Services (4V). There was quite a bit of north in the westerly, so to warm the crews up Race 1 featured a triangle windward-leeward. The size of the race courses all depended on the class you were in. Defending overall champions J111, Journeymaker 11, Louise Makin, were in the Class 1 start but were forced to take third place at the end behind the J122 R&W, Jo Quigly, in second and J88 J-Dream, Becky Walford, in first, proving that the J88 can sail to its handicap. Jolly Jack Tar, Laura Blagden, got off to a blistering start in Class 2, winning over Dubarry WOKC regulars, Black Jack 11, Annie Kelly and the much improved Berret Half Tonner, Chimp, Amanda Marino. The J80 Class saw Jitterbug, Clare Carden, win the first race ahead of Wildcat 111, Lucy Burn and Josie Gliddon in North’s Peloton. Regular Solent Sailors will know that when there is some north in it the wind, it is seldom from a steady direction, and so it proved for Race 2. The pressure was gradually building, however, and for crews who do not normally sail together the rest of the year, the sailing became more challenging. By Race 3, normal service was resumed in terms of direction with a classic south-westerly coming up from Lymington. The pressure, however, continued to build with 20-23 knots across the race course which concentrates the minds of most sailors. By the end of Day 1, North’s Peloton had proved that maturity, experience and the ability to hold a J/80 up in a blow gave them two bullets in races 2&3. Jitterbug was lying in second and Wildcat 111 in third. In Class 2, Blackjack 11 also went top of the leaderboard with two wins, from J92 Nightjar, the Scorpion Class Association, and Chimp. The same pattern led to Journeymaker 11, leading Class 1 over R&W, Mat 12 and Night Owl 2, sailed by Julie Fawcett with Dubarry WOKC chief organizer Jen Smyth on board. The highlight of day one was a double broach by J88 J-Dream near the leeward mark in Race 3, which meant that Nikki Woodroffe had to hang on to the boom, not once, but twice to avoid getting anything worse than wet legs and tired arms. Day two dawned and there was an eerie quiet over Hamble as the sailors recovered from the infamous “frocks and flip-flops” party the night before. Cruelly, the start times were half an hour earlier on Sunday and it seemed that the committee boat, Implacable, was going out on the Hamble on its own until slowly but surely all 20 competitors made it to the start area just southwest of Royal Southern (4S). The breeze was already SW and indeed it would not vary all day in direction, so Kathy Smalley was able to set up for a series of windward/leewards using East Knoll (4H) as the windward mark and Royal Southern (4S) as the leeward mark. Although not becoming as strong as Saturday afternoon’s conditions, the wind built to the upper teens in strength, which gave champagne sailing for those suffering from the previous night’s Prosecco. It also gave the opportunity for spectacular downwind legs and the odd incident or two. The first to go home early was NJOS, Nicky Octon, who had problems with their jib. At least they know a local sailmaker! The J80, Jitterbug managed the “mother of all wraps” on the last downwind leg of Race 4, and though they eventually recovered the red cloth, whilst disappearing towards Ryde, they decided to call it a day. Race 6 brought the most interesting incident. The Scorpion Class Association’s Nightjar stung Blackjack 11 up the transom with their bowsprit, as they surfed down a wave, which led to a bit of a cuddle before both retired. Fortunately, no one was hurt. And so, as they say, to the results. In the J/80 Class, those wily old birds on North’s Peloton managed to discard their first race 3rd and end up with a perfect score. The ever improving Seafire, Ali Hinds, came second and Wildcat 111, Lucy Burn was third. In Class 2, the bump up the rear end did not stop Blackjack 11 from winning by a good margin from Amanda Marino and crew in Chimp. The Royal Navy women in Jolly Jack Tar, Laura Blagden, sailed a consistent series to take third place. Army and Airforce women are warned. Journeymaker 11, Louie Makin, with only a slightly wet spinnaker trawl to their name all weekend, came home 2 points ahead of R&W, Jo Quigley in second with J-Dream, Becky Walford third. All that remained was the naming of the overall champions. When questioned about the formula used, Kathy Smalley gave a very credible answer which ended with “and multiply by the first number you thought of.” There was, of course, no supplementary question. It was a close run between the three class winners. Blackjack 11 scored 24.95, Journeymaker 11 scored 24.75, but the champions with 22.36 were Josie Gliddon, Jody Slater, Becs Reynolds Jones, Jane Saunders and Rebecca Sykes in North’s Peloton. Once again thanks go to Dubarry for some super prizes and the team at HRSC for running the event. The event raised money for two charities, Breast Cancer Care and the Hamble Lifeboat, which is still being counted as we speak! Next year will be the 10th Dubarry Women’s Open Keelboat Championship, which will be quite a milestone. The date will be announced shortly when the final RORC and JOG dates have been confirmed. Stay tuned ladies, this is a not-to-miss event! Written by: Trevor Pountain Full Results ©Trevor Pountain ©Trevor Pountain ©Trevor Pountain ©Trevor Pountain ©Trevor Pountain ©Trevor Pountain ©Trevor Pountain ©Trevor Pountain ©Trevor Pountain ©Trevor Pountain ©Trevor Pountain READ MORE

UPWIND SAILS GUIDE Options Fit For Any Sailor All sails can be described using four basic criteria – Size, Shape, Style and Specifications Size quantifies the two dimensional aspects of the sail: luff, leech and foot lengths, and the sail’s roach profile. Shape describes the three dimensional aerodynamic form built into these perimeter dimensions, which is commonly referred to as the Mold Shape. Style refers to the material used to build a sail. Specifications indicate the specific construction features such as hardware, reefs, luff attachments, fittings, and other sail handling systems. North designers use complex numerical tools in concert with extensive empirical data to create unrivaled sails. The starting point is a well-suited mold shape selected from a design library with a fifty year lineage. The mold shape is then adapted to a particular target use, based on multiple inputs determined by our sail experts in consultation with our customers. Factors such as boat type, righting moment, rig geometry, sail size, material type, aspect ratio, wind speed, wind angle, sea state, mast bend and headstay sag are just some of the critical elements to successful sail design. Navigating all of these variables can be challenging for even the best and most experienced sailors. Compounding the issue are the different languages of sailing used around the world. This guide is intended to help us speak a common language when describing sails. Mainsail and Mizzen Mainsail Types Standard Mainsail This is our default mainsail type for both racing and cruising. Standard Mainsails may include up to 2 full-length battens and use conventional roach profiles that are customized to the boat’s geometry and customer requirement. Available in all material types, popular configurations are 1 full-length top batten for racing, and a “2 Plus 3” (2 full, 3 leech) batten configuration for cruising. Full Batten Mainsail Cruising Mainsail with more than 2 full-length battens. Available in all material types, usually paired with a luff car system and mechanical fasteners to batten receptacle. High Roach Mainsail Traditional cruising catamaran roach profile with full-length battens. Sometimes called a “Butter Knife” or algorithmic curve. The key feature of our High Roach Mainsail is that the batten can be designed parallel to the boom for easy flaking or boom furling. Available in all material types, but best suited for NPC Radian, NPL Tour, 3DL Marathon and 3Di Endurance styles to support the wide head angle. Square Top Mainsail Our most modern mainsail profile, with a head width supported by a gaff batten. Available in all material types, but best suited for NPL Sport, 3DL and 3Di. Boom Furling Mainsail Mainsails specifically designed for use on furling boom systems. Typically designed around a boom manufacturer’s specifications, these include special features like hard braid luff rope, leech plies and extra battens. Available in all material types, but best suited for NPC Coastal, NPC Radian, NPL Tour and 3Di Endurance. Mast Furling Mainsail Mainsails to be used with in-mast or external mast furling systems. Can be configured in a wide array of batten and roach profiles depending upon furling system and performance requirements. Available in all material types; best suited for NPC Coastal, NPC Radian, NPL Tour and 3Di Endurance. Racing Headsail Types Sails listed as headsails can be made either as Genoas or Jibs. Sails listed as Genoas are only made as overlapping headsails, while Jibs are only made as non-overlapping headsails. Light Headsail Maximum size specialty headsail for very low boat speed and boats that have other, full-sized headsails. Typically used when the boat is tacking through wide angles, with an emphasis on getting the boat moving. This mold has a full shape, with enough curvature in the leech to remain smooth when not sheeted in hard. Light Headsails will not perform well when trimmed in tight. The luff curve is designed for very straight headstay. Super Light Headsail Similar to Light Headsail but often made in the lightest cloth possible, with a very low maximum apparent wind speed rating. Light/Medium Headsail Maximum size headsail shaped for power more than pointing. Used when maximum upwind hull speed cannot be achieved or it is a struggle to maintain it. Medium Headsail Maximum size headsail used when the boat is powered up, but has still has not achieved maximum upwind hull speed. The Medium Headsail has a flatter shape that can be trimmed harder than a Light Headsail. The luff curve is designed for low headstay sag Medium/Heavy Headsail Maximum-sized headsail with an all-purpose mold shape. Geared slightly toward pointing more than power. Heavy Headsail Maximum, or near maximum size headsail used when the boat has reached maximum upwind hull speed. This shape is best when the boat will not go much faster, but can go higher by sheeting hard. This mold has a very straight leech and needs to be sheeted hard to remain smooth. The luff curve is designed for moderate headstay sag. #2 Genoa Reduced size genoa designed to fill the gap between the Heavy Genoa and #3 Jib. This mold has a very flat shape and a very straight leech to allow for a wide sheeting angle. The LP, mid-girth and luff length are designed around the rig geometry. This sail may not sheet well around some spreader arrangements and is not suitable for all boats. The luff curve is designed to match moderate headstay sag. #3 Jib A non-overlapping headsail for heavy air use on boats that also carry genoas. This sail sheets inboard of the shrouds and in front of the mast, which allows the mainsail to be eased or traveled down without backwinding. This sail is typically sized with a maximum foot length and mid-girth to fit in front of the rig. It has a round entry and very straight back to power through waves while maintaining pointing. # 4 Jib Reduced size Jib for use when the mainsail is reefed or nearly reefed. This sail is short of maximum luff length and has a reduced foot length to allow effective steering in large waves and reduce mainsail backwind. Heavy Weather Jib Similar to #4 Jib but sized to Offshore Special Regulations (OSR) guideline. Furling Genoa All Purpose Roller Furling headsail with an LP greater than 110%. Designed for a wide range of wind speeds and angles. The material must be low stretch to hold shape in heavy air, and strong enough to handle furling and rig impact. Designed with a shape similar to Light/Medium Racing Genoa, it is optimized for eased out, upwind trim in the middle of the target wind range. Furling Jib All Purpose Roller Furling headsail with LP less than 110%.Typically designed for modern cruising boats that utilize non-overlapping headsails. Can also be designed as a heavy weather specific sail for cruising boats that also carry overlapping genoas. Self-Tacking Jib All Purpose Roller Furling headsail with LP less than 110%. Designed for modern cruising boats that utilize non-overlapping headsails with a lateral, self-tacking sheeting track. Commonly fitted with a clewboard for sheeting adjustment, and optional vertical battens. Yankee All Purpose, high clewed headsail for cruising. May be set on roller furler or fixed stay. The high clew enhances reaching performance and improves visibility. Commonly used on cutter rigs or boats with an inner Jib. Inner Jib / Inner Fore Staysail / Staysail Small Jib set on an inner forestay. May be set on roller furler or fixed stay. Typically designed as a heavy weather jib, but also used a Genoa Staysail for cutter and double head rigs. Storm Sails Storm Trysail Designed to attach to mast and sheet independently from the boom. Typically set on a dedicated luff track, its size is based on Offshore Special Regulations (OSR) guidelines. Storm Jib Designed to attach to headstay or inner stay with luff tape or hanks. Size is based on Offshore Special Regulations (OSR) guidelines. READ MORE

LIGHT WINDS AT THE VIPER 640 ATLANTIC COASTS Tips on Tuning the Rig for Extreme Light Conditions Congratulations Zeke Horowitz, Sam Stokes and Ian Coleman! Photo SpinSheet Magazine | spinsheet.com Fifteen Vipers gathered for the Southern Bay Race Week in Hampton, Virginia to race for the Class’ Atlantic Coast Championship. The breeze was extremely light for the 3 days of racing and each day had several major wind shifts and a couple of total glass offs. LIGHT WIND TIP FROM ZEKE When sailing in the extreme light air conditions we had at the ACC’s, it’s important to make sure you get your rig tune soft enough to let the mast flex, and to remove enough mast blocks to let the lower mast bend. In under 6 knots, the rig tune should be about 20 on the uppers on the PT1 Loos Gauge, and you should set your lowers so that you see a hint of leeward “sag” in the mast when sighting up the mast track. Remove enough mast blocks so that when trimmed in, you still have to use the mast puller to pull the mast into the blocks to generate pre-bend, flatten out the lower part of the main sail, and induce head stay sag. On our boat, 2.5 inches of mast blocks was the right setting. Also remember that trying to point can be deadly upwind in light air! Press on that jib and get the boat speed up first! This gets flow on the foils to create lift and ultimately give you your ability to point! NORTH AMERICANS UPDATE There are currently 71 Vipers signed up for the Beacon Group Viper North American Championship in Ft. Walton Beach, FL this October. The North Sails team is super excited to support the NAs. Join Zeke, Eric Doyle, Jackson Benvenutti and Ched Proctor for the North Sails Tuning clinic a couple of days before racing starts. We look forward to seeing you there. Contact Zeke Horowitz for assistance with sails or logistics for the NAs. READ MORE

North Sails clients dominate the leaderboard in Westport, CT 1st Place Youth Team. Congrats to team ‘Mudratz’! No less than 350 sailing fanatics found their way to Connecticut last weekend for the annual Cedar Point Regatta, which was a great turn out for the J109, J105, J88, J70, and Beneteau 36.7 fleets. On Friday, North Sails Regatta Services provided a clinic and debrief to give competitors feedback on techniques, boat set up, and fine tuning. North Sails’ Brian Hayes, with help from the Cedar Point Yacht Club event staff, ran several practice starts and races. The team focused on videotaping sailors’ techniques to offer ideas on trimming and boat speed improvements. Unstable conditions were not the easiest for the clinic attendees, but the breeze forecast was expected to be strong for the weekend, and emphasis on crew work and timing had significant importance. The Race Committee did a great job managing Saturday’s “blustery” conditions as best as possible, allowing competitors to get some fun and challenging racing in. Time management was key this weekend, and the PRO’s on both courses were on top getting the most out of the wind and daylight. The army of “yellow shirt” volunteers made the event a total success, the team in constant motion working to shorten courses and anticipate the shifts. With the club’s strong OD sailing program and grassroots involvement, it was clear all weekend that Cedar Point YC had it going on. Saturday and Sunday provided great sailing conditions. Post race debriefs hosted by North Sails showed video of the day’s highlights, including some carnage in the breeze! The North Sails Regatta Services, team led by Chuck Allen, provided photos for all sailors so they could see what was needed for improvement within their team. North Sails’ local legend, Ched Proctor, a Cedar Point YC member competing in the J/88 class, provided some key points and shared some of his personal pearls of wisdom with the sailors at the tent after racing. North Sails is proud to partner with the members of CPYC to host some of the best One Design sailing of the summer. 1st Place J/88 Team, ‘Escape’ with skipper Elizabeth Barry 3rd Place J/88 team, ‘Jazz’ 1st Place J/109 Corinthian team, ‘Emoticon’ ‘Escape’ heading downwind J/109’s Edging upwind First Place J/70 Doug Clark with team ‘Mudratz’ sailing upwind J/105 1st Place, ‘Good Trade’ Puffy conditions at the bottom of the course Exciting day on the water! Carnage from Saturday The Atlantics Fleet, with North Sails Overall Winner ‘Shucks’ coming out on top Daily debriefs with North Sails Experts READ MORE

1ÈRE VICTOIRE POUR LE 3Di RACE EN CATAMARAN M2 Victory remporte le Grand Prix d’Estavayer, devant TeamWork et Swiss Medical Network. © Benoit Fallot A bord du M2 vainqueur, le SUI 17, Cédric Pochelon et Stéphane Meylan, ainsi que deux des membres de l’équipe North Sails Suisse (Nicolas Groux et Michel Vaucher) ont pu faire valoir les atouts de leurs nouvelles voiles dotées de la technologie 3Di Race. Dans le petit temps, ces dernières apportent la légèreté recherchée (sur un poids moyen de 17kg, la grand voile 3Di Race a gagné 800 grammes sur la version 3DL !). Dans des airs soutenus, c’est tout le concept de la technologie 3Di qui se met au service de la performance. Stabilité de forme et contrôle du profil sont des outils formidables pour un rendement maximum et améliorer la durée de vie de vos voiles. Nicolas Groux : "Au près sous gennaker, la forme de la voile est impeccable. Et lorsque nous avons navigué dans 18 noeuds de vent toute la journée à Grandson, nous étions bien en vitesse. Le foc de brise est top dans le vent, avec un ajustement idéal du profil. Certes, on a identifié des zones avec des plis lors de la réception des voiles. Mais dès que l’on navigue un peu et que l’on prend soin de bien régler les lattes, la voile se "met en place". A la fois, avec du tissu noir, cela se remarque plus facilement qu’avant. Je dirais donc qu’il ne faut pas se fier aux apparences et venir les essayer pour se rendre compte par soi-même de leur efficacité. Au niveau de l’équipage, nous avons eu plusieurs changements depuis le début de saison et cela va continuer avec Eric Monnin qui prendra le relais de Michel sur la Genève-Rolle et le Bol d’Or. Mais le potentiel est là et on a tout pour bien faire !" Cliquez ici pour en savoir + sur l’épreuve Cliquez ici pour les résultats Crédit photos : © Benoît Fallot, Erwan Pelisset et EP Medias READ MORE

NORTH SAILS 3Di™ TECHNOLOGY DEBUTS IN SMALL BOAT ONE DESIGN North Sails offers 3Di RACE as standard inventory for the Melges 20 Newport, RI (June 6th, 2017) – North Sails is proud to introduce 3Di sailmaking technology to the Melges 20 class. In the past five years, North Sails 3Di™ has received unrivaled success in grand prix markets, with around-the-world speed records and exclusive supplier status to sailing’s premier events. Adding 3Di as a standard offering to the Melges 20 class is an example of North’s commitment to providing all sailors with advanced sails for an improved on-the-water experience. North Sails 3Di technology enables sails to be made from fiber and adhesive only—without the need for Mylar film used in string-sails. An automated tape laying system allows designers precise control over the placement and orientation of material within each sail. “For the Melges 20 we have focused on a bespoke tape layout using North Sails 3Di RACE; Aramid/Dyneema sails developed to meet the demands of smaller boats,” said Tim Healy, President of North Sails One Design. “The result is a sail with a wider wind range, a more supple feel and a more user-friendly experience. The ability to adapt this technology for one-design classes makes our team unique and we look forward making 3Di available to more classes in 2018.” The new Melges 20 3Di mainsail posted its first victory when Mascalzone Latino Jr. claimed the 2017 Melges 20 Scarlino Championships in May. “I was extremely happy with the 3Di RACE sail,” said Cameron Appleton, North Sails Melges 20 class leader and Mascalzone Latino Jr. tactician. “We noticed the mainsail handled a wide range of wind pressure and resulting rig tune. It was a relatively seamless transfer from our 3DL main, the sail reacted on-par with what we’d expect from 3Di RACE vs. 3DL sails.” Consistency is a key feature of 3Di manufacturing. The technology’s reputation has earned North Sails exclusive supplier agreements to the 35th America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race and Extreme Sailing Series, all of which mandate identical sails under a strict one-design rule. Featuring a high level of repeatability and quality assurance, North Sails 3Di will benefit one-design sailors in the form of consistent weight, measurements and sail shape. The new 3Di Melges 20 inventory is now available for purchase, click here to learn more or get in touch with a Class Expert. READ MORE

Introduction The purpose of this tuning-guide is to give our clients in the H-Boat class some guidelines on how to get the most out of their North Sails. The tuning guide is made by Steffen Stegger, Lars Christiansen and Theis Palm. Follow the guidelines, but always experiment and try finding your own trim. The weight of the crew, the balance of the boat, the stiffness of the mast together with specific local wind and sea conditions all have influence on the fastest and final trim. Mast Trim Before stepping the mast in the boat, some very important measurements have to be made to follow this tuning guide. 1. The length and angle of the spreaders are important to the shape of the main, they help to control the bend of the mast and thereby the tension of the forestay. The length of the spreaders is measured from the side of the mast to where the shroud passes the spreader, the measurement is 81 cm measured along the middle of the spreader. The spreader angel is measured by fixing a fine line between the two top shrouds, measure from the line to the aft side of the mast, the measurement is 19 cm. Next make two tape marks on the spreaders at respectively 44 and 54 cm from the side of the mast. These are used to trim the jib. 2. Lead the upper shrouds and forestay along the mast, the upper have to be out of the spreader tips. Pull them as hard as you can and put a mark on all three wires at the height of the black mark at the gooseneck. These three marks are now used to check if the mast is straight from side to side in the boat, and to check the mast rake. The mast is then stepped. 3. The foot of the mast is placed so that the distance between the center of the forestay pin to the front edge of the mast is 2,42 m. 4. Control that the distance from the top of the gooseneck mark to the deck measured along the side of the mast is 54,8 cm any possible difference should be adjusted when setting the forestay in the next step. 5. The mast rake is set so that the distance from the mark on the forestay to deck measured along the forestay is 1,37 m. 6. Now that the correct mast rake has been set, control that the mast rest on the full surface. If this is not the case, the pressure on the rig will become uneven and the forestay unsteady. 7. The marks on the top shrouds (from step 2) are now used to control if the mast is placed in the middle of the boat. This is done best by measuring the distance from the mark to the deck. This should be the same on both sides. 8. Rig tension is somewhat difficult to define, because not everybody has the same meter to measure. We have used a Loos Gauge type PT-1 M. See the On the Water Tuning Guide. 9. The lower shrouds are tensioned, so that the mast is completely straight in the boat up to 20-22 knots. From here on tighten them till the mast drops 5-10 cm off to leeward at the forestay fixture – the exact measure depending on crew weight. Mainsail 1. The mainsheet is the most important factor when trimming the main. Even minor adjustments can have a big effect on speed and pointing. If the sail is sheeted hard the leech will close more and increase rudder pressure, but the pointing ability will be improved. This can be used in middle air and flat water as long as the boat can be hiked flat. In light wind the mainsheet is eased so that the tell-tale by the top-batten flies straight aft. In heavy winds the mainsheet is pulled very tight and the H-boat Tuning guide backstay is pulled until the boat becomes light on the rudder again. As the waves increase more twist is needed to facilitate steering. At the same time it improves speed and hereby pointing. As a thumb rule trim the aft part of the top-batten parallel to the boom in all wind strengths. 2. The outhaul is also an important factor when trimming as it controls the draft in the bottom of the mainsail. In light winds (0-4 knots) the sail should be 3 cm from the mark. In a little more wind (4-10 knots) about 1,5 cm from the mark and in more wind than this pull the sail all the way to the mark. 3. Avoid using the Cunningham in light winds. In middle winds pull only so much so that the wrinkles disappear. In winds above 14 knots pull the Cunningham hard to open the leech and the draft forward. 4. Adjustment of the traveller affects rudder pressure and depends on the crew weight. The traveller is adjusted so that the boom – as long as possible- is kept parallel to the centerline. This is to keep maximum distance between the main and the jib. As the wind increases and the backstay is pulled let the traveller to leeward until the boat is balanced and light on the rudder. 5. The backstay has two functions: To control mainsail depth and to control forestay sag. This means that a tighter backstay flattens and opens the mainsail, gives less forestay sag and hereby a flatter jib. We have put marks on our backstay every 5 cm, so we can return to good trim after mark rounding etc. 6. The kicking strap is used upwind in heavy winds to bend the mast and hereby opening the sail in the bottom part. It also keeps the leech from opening too much when easing the mainsheet in the gusts. Never use the kicking strap upwind in less than 16 knots. Remember always to ease the kicker before going downwind to prevent the boom from breaking. When reaching, set the kickingstrap so that the aft part of
the top batten is kept parallel to the boom. Jib 1. JIB LEAD As a general rule set the jib lead at a distance of 2,88 m from the forestay pin to the center of the block. The jib shall luff evenly along the luff of the sail. This means that the telltales should break evenly. If the waves are big in more than 6 knots move the lead 1-2 “holes” forward and if the wind is less than 6 knots up to 5 “holes” forward. 2. SHEET TENSION To trim the jib, use the marks set on the spreaders. In wind strengths that are less than 6 knots use the mark at 54 cm from the mast in more wind use the inner mark
(44cm). 3. HALYARD TENSION Never over tighten the halyard, as this will move the draft to far forward. Pull as much as to remove the creases, but not more. In light winds leave some creases at the
luff, as this will cause the draft to move aft, thereby increasing depth.As a general rule set the jib lead at a distance of 2,88 m from the forestay pin to the center of the block. The jib shall luff evenly along the luff of the sail. This means that the telltales should break evenly. If the waves are big in more than 6 knots move the lead 1-2 “holes” forward and if the wind is less than 6 knots up to 5 “holes” forward.SpinnakerThe height of the spinnaker pole on the mast should be 1,50 m over the cabin top roof. The pole is kept horizontal in most conditions. This makes it possible to take full advantage of the whole pole length, keeping the spinnaker as far away from the other sails as possible. Our GRADIENT spinnaker is designed for this. In light winds the pole height is adjusted to keep the clews at the same height to get the best angle of attack on the windward leech and keeping the leeward leech open. In heavy winds on a tight reach, the spinnaker pole should at no time be closer to the forestay than 60 cm to prevent the boat from coming out of control. If you have any questions regarding trim or H-Boat sailing in general, please contact Theis Palm. Good luck on the water! READ MORE

Update from North Sails President Ken Read Checking in from the America’s Cup TV Commentary booth (best seat in the house!) is North Sails President, Ken Read, updating us on the action in Bermuda’s qualifying round. Oracle Team USA will take on five challengers in these initial two round robins: Artemis Racing, Softbank Team Japan, Land Rover BAR, Groupama Team France, and Emirates Team New Zealand. The 2017 America’s Cup is officially underway. READ MORE

J/70 ITALIAN SERIES: ALCATEL CUP North Sails Teams Take Act 2 of the Italian J/70 Series Scoring 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9, and 10th! Great results from Malcesine, Italy where Act 2 of the J70 Italian sailing series took place this past weekend in the most beautiful sailing conditions. With 68 teams on the starting line, North Sails clients placed 9 out of the top 10 with unbelievable performances by the top finishers in both overall and Corinthian division. Overall, an impressive victory for team ‘Calvi Network’ with skipper Carlo Alberini and crew members Branko Brcn, Karlo Hmeljak, and Sergio Blosi. They won the regatta with four bullets! Using North Sails XCS 1 mainsail, J2 jib, and Ap1 kite, they were faster than ever and were untouchable! The Corinthian podium was also proudly powered by North Sails. First place was team ‘White Hawk’, with skipper Gianfranco Noe. In second was ‘Pensavo Peggio’ with skipper Andrea Magni. In third was ‘DAS Sailing’ with skipper Alessandro Zampori. Congratulations to our clients! Next stop, Garda for the Euro Cup! READ MORE

A FIRST-HAND REVIEW OF 3Di NORDAC Sail deliveries, fittings, and sea trials with North Sails expert Bill Fortenberry Being a part of the 3Di NORDAC product development team, I was excited to spend some time this winter sailing in the Caribbean with our final version sails. The project is two years in development, involving a bunch of great people working through some interesting problems, all with a goal of redefining the Dacron cruising sail. An added bonus was including my family over a long birthday weekend! It promised to be a fun trip both personally and professionally. Descending into the BVI for 3Di NORDAC product testing. On the plane heading down to BVI, I kept asking myself, “How we are going to extend the trust we have in this product to our customers?” Internally, we know the 3Di success stories well – around the world race durability, record-setting performance and the product’s hard earned approval in the highly demanding Superyacht arena. We trust 3Di and we also trust the science. Polyester is a nearly perfect fiber for cruising sails and, as predicted, applying modern manufacturing technology has resulted in a stronger sail with more permanent shape. Still, gaining the trust of skeptical cruising sailors, who may well be satisfied with cross-cut sails of woven polyester, was on my mind. 3Di NORDAC sails are made with the same precision manufacturing as 3Di Superyacht sails. This trip had some logistical challenges. The idea was to put our final versions to the test in Caribbean climate. Further, we wanted them on charter boats where we know sails get regularly abused. The plan was eight sails, installed on four boats, all on different islands. As a lifelong sailmaker, the anxiety of delivering sails and running into problems, such as sails not fitting or not arriving when and where we expected, has never left me. The number of sails, the importance of the project and the normal challenges of operating in tropical islands hightened my normal nervousness. Thankfully, a few days later, I was relieved to sit back with a rum drink knowing all of the sails fit and functioned properly – it was now time to go sailing. A lot of my concerns about building trust were relieved during the sail fitting process. When it comes to understanding quality, first-hand experience is invaluable. While removing the charter sails and installing the 3Di NORDAC sails, I was reminded how heavy Dacron sails can be and how challenging it can be for one or two people to handle them. We have engineered 3Di NORDAC to weigh the same as comparable woven sails, so there was no real difference in picking up, moving flaking or folding the sails. However, the word “bulletproof” came to mind. No one will confuse 3Di NORDAC as a racing sail. Their inherent toughness, along with the familiar look and feel of Dacron will be reassuring to cruising sailors who are concerned with durability. High quality finishing details are standard features on all North cruising sails. While the sails do have the basic look and feel of Dacron, there are some important distinctions. First, there are no seams. Composite sails built on full-size 3D molds are truly stunning to see and use. Perfect sail shape that persists in a range of wind conditions is a hallmark of 3Di sails. I kept thinking: we will no longer have to answer the most popular question from cruising sailors at boat shows, “How many rows of stitching do you use?” Answer: none. Another distinction of 3Di NORDAC is the integration of features like batten pockets and reef points within the sail, reducing the amount of patching and sewn-on parts. The extra strength is applied exactly where it is needed, with the right amount in exactly the right orientation. The sails are stronger as a result. Once sailing, I was reminded how reefed sail shape is another key distinction of 3D molded composite sails. The reef positions on mainsails and headsails have the reefing structure internal to the sail and aligned perfectly with the sail loads. Reefing most sails is a compromise in performance. Sailing with reefed 3D sails is a welcomed pleasure. 3Di NORDAC offers perfect reefed mainsail shape. Beyond the differences in sail construction is the difference in performance. It takes fewer adjustments to control the sail power of molded sails. They react as you expect and part of the fun is actively being engaged in sailing the boat to its potential. Rather than sitting back and enduring the ride, the cruising experience is way more enjoyable when you participate in performance. With sails that stretch less, trimming and sail controls make a difference. Pulling on the backstay, easing the traveler or adjusting your jib car will all have the intended result in your sail. The result is a boat that moves through the water more efficiently with better motion. Your crew will certainly appreciate less heel and pitching, and you will enjoy steering more with less helm and leeway. Making sailing fun and enjoyable is a key benefit of great cruising sails. Steve and Joy Fredrick sailing their Beneteau First 42 with 3Di NORDAC sails. Now, I was even more confident in our product, and luckily I got the chance to share my excitement with a client. Steve and Joy Frederick have sailed their Beneteau First 42 around the Caribbean for 15 years, and they planned to meet us in Virgin Gorda for some sailing. They are outstanding sailors, whose experience and lifestyle made them great test pilots for 3Di NORDAC. In a recent conversation, Steve recalled their first passage with the new sails, “On our first stiff upwind sail was from St. Maarten to Antigua. Under a single reefed main and roller-reefed Genoa, we were punching through 6-foot seas at 7.5 knots with a 35-degree apparent wind angle. That’s not too shabby for a 30-year-old performance cruiser!” After two weeks of sailing with family, friends and other North Sails cruising experts, a final theme came to mind: familiarity and reliability. As you use your equipment, you gain confidence. It did not take long to develop confidence in these sails. Seeing the stability of the sail shape while pounding through waves in the open ocean was a testament to the engineering behind 3Di NORDAC, and the complete transformation of cruising sails on the market today. Cruising sailors can now expect more from their sails, and as my friend, Tim Murphy from Cruising World magazine likes to say, “Sailboats were made to be sailed.” Originally from Los Angeles, CA, Author, Bill Fortenberry, is the Global Market Segments Manager at North Sails and a lifelong sailmaker. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS LANCIA IL RIVOLUZIONARIO 3Di NORDAC IN POLIESTERE PER LA CROCIERA 3Di NORDAC: la vela in Dacron reinventata per la crociera Newport, RI (1 giugno, 2017) - North Sails, leader mondiale nella produzione di vele, introduce sul mercato l’ultima applicazione della sua tecnologia brevettata 3Di: una vela rivoluzionaria realizzata al 100% in fibra poliestere. Il 3Di NORDAC è un prodotto innovativo che unisce la tecnologia 3Di con la resistenza e l’accessibilità economica delle vele in poliestere. Concepito per barche da crociera di piccole e medie dimensioni, il 3Di NORDAC trasforma la fibra di poliestere in una vela unica, senza cuciture, di resistenza straordinaria, bella esteticamente e di lunga durata. Dan Neri, Amministratore delegato di North Sails, dichiara: “Pensiamo che ottime performance delle vele aumentino direttamente il tempo che i nostri clienti trascorrono sulle loro imbarcazioni. Questo è vero tanto per barche da crociera giornaliera e costiera quanto per barche da lunga navigazione o da regata oceanica. Abbiamo analizzato i prodotti offerti ai clienti che fanno crociere giornaliere e costiere e ci siamo resi conto che c’era l’opportunità di realizzare qualcosa di meglio. Combinando i concetti strutturali del nostro processo di costruzione in composito con le proprietà e l’aspetto attraente delle vele in Dacron tradizionale, siamo oggi in grado di proporre vele “bianche” che riescono a mantenere una forma aerodinamica stabile ed efficiente anche all’aumentare del vento”. Per migliaia di anni, il tessuto delle vele è stato realizzato attraverso l’antico processo di tessitura delle fibre in un materiale finito. Per oltre 60 anni, il poliestere intrecciato ha dimostrato di essere la fibra preferita per le vele da crociera, coniugando un basso costo e vele strutturalmente durevoli. Oggi, il Poliestere resta la fibra quasi perfetta per le vele da crociera per le sue caratteristiche di robustezza e di stabilità ai vari agenti atmosferici. Tuttavia, le vele intrecciate sono destinate a perdere la loro forma molto prima che ne venga compromessa la loro integrità strutturale, evidenziando così che la loro longevità non è bilanciata con le loro prestazioni. Il 3Di NORDAC utilizza al meglio la capacità di realizzare fibre composite che garantiscono un incremento delle capacità di tenuta della forma sotto carico e un deciso aumento dell’aspettativa di vita. I crocieristi ora hanno la possibilità di divertirsi con vele sensibili, che offrono maggior controllo sulla potenza della loro vela: elemento distintivo che caratterizza l’esperienza della crociera targata North Sails. Il brevetto 3Di di North Sails stende le fibre in filamenti individuali, pre-impregnati con collanti termoindurenti applicati su nastri ultrasottili. I nastri vengono quindi interfogliati in una complessa matrice multi-asse e termoformati su stampi 3D North Sails che sono precedentemente deformati al fine di riprodurre la forma desiderata in fase di laminazione. Le vele in 3Di NORDAC sono realizzate al 100% in fibre di poliestere, collante poliestere termoindurente e una robusta superficie poliestere protettiva. Le vele 3Di hanno le proprietà di vere strutture composite, resistenza allo strappo e a forze compressive in tutte le direzioni. “La vela da crociera è sempre stata intesa dagli stessi utenti come qualcosa a bassa tecnologia, dal costo contenuto e dalle bassissime pretese in termini di prestazioni e contenuto estetico" – dice Alessio Razeto, Sales Manager North Sails Italia. "Il 3Di NORDAC non potrebbe rivoluzionare meglio tale concetto, rendendo accessibile all’utente comune un prodotto ad altissima tecnologia, facile da usare e da riparare, ad un costo accettabile ma con un risultato estetico , di prestazioni e durata mai visto prima in una vela da crociera”. Bill Fortenberry, responsabile di questo segmento di mercato North Sails, conclude: “Essendo stampata in 3D, la vela 3Di NORDAC è più efficiente nell’uso dei materiali e nella manifattura, garantisce lunga durata e robustezza, inclusa resistenza ai raggi UV, flessione e abrasione. Di classico colore bianco tradizionale, queste vele garantiscono leggerezza e facilità di regolazione per una migliore esperienza di crociera. Con 60 anni di esperienza nella realizzazione di vele in Dacron, North Sails ha incorporato in questo nuovo prodotto la scienza che serve nello sviluppo di vele con massima performance”. READ MORE

3Di NORDAC: The Dacron Cruising Sail Reinvented Newport, RI (June 1st, 2017) – North Sails, the worldwide leader in sailmaking, introduces the latest application of their patented 3Di technology – a revolutionary cruising sail made of 100% polyester fiber. 3Di NORDAC is an innovative product that marries patented 3Di shape holding technology with the toughness and affordability of polyester sails. Tailored for small to medium sized cruising boats, 3Di NORDAC transforms polyester fiber into seamless, one-piece sails that are uniquely strong, beautiful and long-lasting. Dan Neri, CEO North Sails, said: “We believe that great performing sails directly enhance the quality of the time our customers spend on their boats. This is as true for daysailing and coastal cruising as it is for voyaging or ocean racing. We looked at the products being offered for day sailors and coastal cruisers and saw an opportunity to do better. By combining the structural concepts of our 3Di molded composite construction process with the properties and good looks of traditional Dacron, we can now offer white sails that have a locked-in aerodynamic shape and stay flat as the wind increases.” For thousands of years, sailcloth has been made by the ancient process of weaving fibers into a finished material. For over 60 years, woven polyester (Dacron) has proven to be the fiber of choice for cruising sailcloth – providing low cost and structurally durable sails. Today, Polyester remains a nearly perfect fiber for cruising sails due to its strength and environmental stability. However, woven sails will lose their shape long before their structural integrity is compromised, leaving their longevity and performance life out of balance. 3Di NORDAC uses a composite process which promises increased shape holding capabilities and longer structural life. Cruising sailors will now enjoy sailing with responsive sails that offer more control over their sail power – a hallmark of the North Sails cruising experience. North Sails patented 3Di process spreads yarn fibers into individual filaments, pre-impregnated with thermoset resin, and laid into ultra thin tapes. The tapes are then interleaved in a complex multiple-axis array and thermoformed on North’s 3D adjustable molds in the sail’s unique flying shape. 3Di NORDAC sails are 100% polyester fiber, polyester thermoset adhesive, and a rugged polyester protective surface. 3Di sails have the properties of true composite structures, resisting strain and compressive forces in all directions. Bill Fortenberry, North Sails Market Segment Manager, concluded: “Being 3D molded, the 3Di NORDAC sail is a more efficient use of materials and manufacturing, with high durability and toughness, including resilience to UV, flex, and abrasion. Along with the classic white look of traditional sails, 3Di NORDAC will ensure less heel, less helm, and less leeway for a better cruising experience. With 60 years of expertise in making Dacron sails, the science behind North’s development of top end performance sails has been applied to the new product.” READ MORE

NORTH SAILS REVOLUTIONIERT DEN FAHRTENSEGELMARKT 3Di NORDAC vereint die Robustheit von Dacron mit der Formstabilität der 3Di-Technologie North Sails, der weltweit führende Segelmacher, bringt mit 3Di NORDAC speziell für Fahrtensegler ein völlig neues Produkt auf den Markt. Anders als bei herkömmlichen Dacron-Segeln aus Polyester bestehen 3Di NORDAC-Segel nicht aus gewebtem Tuch, sondern werden mit der patentierten 3Di-Technologie von North Sails gefertigt. Dafür werden Polyesterfilamente mit Duroplast-Klebstoff getränkt und auf einer dreidimensionalen Form in mehreren Achsen ausgerollt. Unter Vakuum entsteht das profilierte Tuch. Der Kleber härtet unter der Zugabe von Hitze abschliessend dauerhaft aus. “3Di NORDAC repräsentiert eine neue Generation Dacron-Segel“, sagt Bill Fortenberry, Leiter der Fahrtensegel-Sparte bei North Sails. „3Di Segel lassen sich gegenüber herkömmlichen, sprich aus Segmenten zusammengesetzten Tüchern, feinfühliger trimmen und behalten dank durchgängiger Struktur länger ihre Form über alle Windbereiche.“ Hinzu kommt die enorme Gewichtsersparnis, die sich unter anderem im Handling eines 3Di-Segels deutlich bemerkbar macht. Und je formstabiler das Segel, desto weniger Krängung, Leegierigkeit und Ruderdruck – ein echter Sicherheits- und Performance-Vorteil für Fahrtencrews. Hier schliesst die Vereinigung von Dacron und 3Di eine echte Lücke, denn herkömmliche Dacron-Segel aus gewebtem Tuch haben zwar eine lange Lebensdauer, verlieren jedoch schnell ihre Form. Polyester, davon sind die North Sails-Designer überzeugt, ist heute wie vor 60 Jahren immer noch das beste Material für Fahrtensegler. Gegenüber Fasern wie Aramid oder Carbon hat es im Cruising-Sektor gleich mehrere Vorteile: in Sachen UV-Resistenz, Widerstandsfähigkeit und Materialpreis ist Polyester ungeschlagen. Da 3Di anders als Laminat-Segel kein Mylar enthält, ist 3Di NORDAC ausserdem vor Delamination geschützt. Und letzten Endes möchte so mancher Fahrtensegler auch beim neuen Segel die klassische Optik des weissen Dacron-Segels beibehalten. Bewiesen hat sich das neue Material bereits. 3Di NORDAC-Segel haben im Winter 2016 umfangreiche Testreihen auf verschiedenen Booten durchlaufen. Unter anderem auf Charterbooten in der Karibik, um Formstabilität und Bedienfreundlichkeit auch unter Extrembedingungen und häufiger Nutzung zu garantieren. Der Preis für 3Di NORDAC liegt nur leicht über dem des herkömmlichen Dacron-Segels. „Letztendlich bekommen unsere Kunden mehr für ihr Geld“, ist sich North Sails Geschäftsführer Daniel Schroff sicher. „Dank der grösseren Langlebigkeit sowie mehr Boots- und Segelkontrolle entsteht weitaus mehr Segelspass. Und das ist unbezahlbar.“ In der Schweiz ist das neue, revolutionäre Fahrten-Segel ab Juni 2017 erhältlich. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS LANCEERT REVOLUTIONAIR DACRON PRODUCT VOOR TOERZEILERS 3Di NORDAC: Het Dacron Toerzeil opnieuw uitgevonden North Sails, wereldwijd marktleider in het produceren van zeilen voor zowel toerzeilers als wedstrijdzeilers, lanceert de nieuwste toepassing van hun 3Di technologie – een revolutionair toerzeil gemaakt van 100% polyestervezel; Dacron. 3Di NORDAC is een innovatief product dat voortvloeit uit het combineren van de gepatenteerde 3Di mal-technologie en het duurzame en betaalbare Dacron zeildoek. Speciaal voor kleine tot middelgrote toerzeilboten, maakt 3Di NORDAC van polyestervezel prachtige naadloze zeilen uit één stuk, die uitermate sterk en duurzaam zijn. Dan Neri, de CEO van North Sails: “Wij geloven dat de kwaliteit van onze zeilen direct een positieve invloed heeft op de beleving van de tijd die onze klanten aan boord doorbrengen. Dit geldt voor zowel dagzeilers, kustzeilers als voor toerzeilers en wedstrijdzeilzeilers op zee. We hebben gekeken naar onze producten voor toerzeilers en kustzeilers en zagen daar ruimte voor productverbetering. Door ons 3Di composiet constructieproces te combineren met de eigenschappen en de fraaie uitstraling van het traditionele Dacron, kunnen we klassieke witte zeilen aanbieden met een vaste aerodynamische vorm, die ook met hardere wind mooi vlak te trimmen zijn.” Zeilen worden al honderden jaren lang gemaakt van geweven polyesterdoek. De afgelopen 60 jaar heeft Dacron (geweven polyester) bewezen het meest geschikte materiaal te zijn voor toerzeilen door de lage kosten en het feit dat de zeilen lang meegaan. Lang voordat de kwaliteit van het zeildoek is aangetast verlezen deze geweven zeilen echter eerder hun vorm, wat de performance levensduur beïnvloedt. 3Di NORDAC maakt gebruik van een composiet proces waardoor de zeilen langer hun vorm behouden en structureel langer meegaan. De zeilen ‘reageren’ snel en zijn dus eenvoudiger te trimmen. Dit geeft toerzeilers meer controle geeft over hun boot, een belangrijk aspect van de zeilervaring met North Sails. Het gepatenteerde 3Di proces van North Sails transformeert polyester kunststof vezels tot enkelvoudige draden, geïmpregneerd met thermogehard epoxyhars. Naast elkaar vormen deze draden een ultra dunne film. Deze films worden vervolgens in verstelbare 3D mallen gevormd tot een uniek zeil. 3Di NORDAC zeilen zijn gemaakt van 100% polyestervezel, thermogehard polyesterhars en een stevige polyester beschermlaag. De zeilen hebben de eigenschappen van een composiet structuur, zijn rekvast en bestand tegen krachten in alle richtingen. Bill Fortenberry, marktsegment manager bij North Sails, stelt: “De 3Di NORDAC technologie is efficiënter in productie en in materiaalgebruik, de zeilen gaan structureel langer mee, ze zijn sterker, UV bestendig, rekvast en ze kunnen tegen een stootje. Het varen met deze 3Di NORDAC zeilen geeft een optimale zeilervaring met meer controle op trim, helling van de boot, roerdruk en koersvastheid. Bovendien heeft het witte zeildoek dezelfde fraaie uitstraling als traditionele witte zeilen. Met 6o jaar ervaring in het ontwikkelen van Dacron zeilen heeft North Sails alle kennis en expertise op het gebied van het vervaardigen van de beste racezeilen ter wereld gebundeld in dit nieuwe product.” READ MORE

NORTH SAILS LANCERER REVOLUTIONERENDE POLYESTERSEJL 3Di NORDAC: Dacron-sejl opfundet på ny Vi introducerer seneste tilføjelse til vores serie af 3Di-sejl – et revolutionerende tursejl fremstillet i 100% polyester. 3Di NORDAC er et innovativt produkt, der forener teknologien bag de mest formstabile sejl med det holdbare materiale, der er overkommeligt i pris. Udviklet specifikt til både på op til 40 fod, transformerer 3Di NORDAC polyesterfibre til et helstøbt, sømløst sejl, der har unik styrke og holdbarhed. Jens Christensen, administrerende direktør, North Sails, siger: ”Vi går efter devisen, at når sejlene præsterer efter hensigten, får vores kunder en langt bedre oplevelse på vandet. Det gælder lige meget, om man sejler rundt på fjorden, op langs kysten, eller ude på de store oceaner. Da vi kiggede på udbuddet for tursejlere, så vi plads til forbedring. Ved at kombinere teknologien fra de 3D-formstøbte sejl med den tradionelle Dacrons kvaliteter, kan vi nu tilbyde hvide sejl med fast aerodynamisk form, der holder sig flad, selvom vinden tiltager. ” I hundredevis af år har sejldug været vævet. I over 60 år har vævet polyester (Dacron) været favoritten indenfor tursejl; strukturelt holdbare sejl til en overkommelig pris. I dag er polyester stadig det mest ideelle materiale til tursejl på grund af sin pris, styrke og stabilitet. Problemet med vævede sejl er dog, at de mister facon, langt før strukturen nedbrydes - holdbarhed og ydeevne er ude af sync. 3Di NORDACs komposit-struktur udnytter polyesterens styrke til fulde, hvilket forlænger formstabiliteten, hvilket igen forlænger ydeevnen. Tursejlere kan nu nyde sejl, der reagere prompte, så de har langt bedre kontrol over deres fremdriftskilde – et af kriterierne for helhedsoplevelsen med North Sails’ tursejl. North Sails’ patenterede 3Di-proces spreder fibrene ud i individuelle filamenter, pre-imprægnerede med termohærder, og udlagt som ultra tynd tape. Tapen bliver derefter fordelt i en kompleks multiaksial vifte og termostøbt på Norths 3D-justérbare form i lige præcis den facon, som designeren nøje har udtænkt. 3Di NORDAC-sejl er lavet af 100% polyesterfibre, polyester-resin, og en robust, beskyttende polyester-overflade. 3Di-sejl har egenskaberne som en regulær komposit-struktur, stræk- og trykresistente i alle retninger. Ved at formstøbe sejlene udnytter man materiale og den teknologiske proces optimalt! Resultatet er et robust og formstabilitet sejl, der er UV-resitent, fleksibelt og slidstærkt. Med sit klassiske hvide udseende kan disse sejl sikre mindre krængning, afdrift og pres på roret, så skipper og familien kan nyde turen endnu mere. Med 60 års erfaring har North Sails nu inkorporeret videnskaben, der ligger til grund for vores performance-serier, i disse nye Dacron-sejl. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS SCHEDULE FOR THE 2017 FLYING SCOT NACS Get Up-to-Speed Every Morning with Zeke & Brian.. and Recap After Racing! Join North experts Zeke & Brian each race day between 8:00 and 9:30 am for your morning coffee and snack under the North tent. Also, at 9:00 every morning we will be presenting the “Tip of the Day” where Zeke, Brian and other Flying Scot experts share their thoughts on what they expect for the day’s racing. Zeke and Brian will be moderating scheduled daily race debriefs on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday after sailing. This is your chance to hear from the days top performers and learn their secrets to success as well as ask questions from the successful teams that day. Look for times for the debriefs to be posted on the official notice board at the North Sails tent. Need Sails for the NACs? Call Zeke or Brian today or order online. ZEKE HOROWITZ M: 941-232-3984 zeke.horowitz@northsails.com BRIAN HAYES M: 203-887-1176 brian.hayes@northsails.com © Danielle Panasiuk READ MORE

The J/24 class has a new Italian National champion! Thirty teams have successfully completed the 5-day regatta on the beautiful waters of the archipelago of La Maddalena.  READ MORE

NORTH SAILS, VELERÍA OFICIAL DE LA 35 AMERICA’S CUP La batalla por la 35 America’s Cup ya está en marcha, y North Sails participa como velería oficial de la considerada “madre de todas las regatas”. Cinco equipos de otras tantas nacionalidades pujan en Bermuda por un puesto en la America’s Cup Final, en la que se enfrentarán al Defender ORACLE Team USA a partir del próximo 17 de junio. North Sails cuenta con una larga y fructífera relación con la America’s Cup. Desde 1980, cada desafiante y cada defensor de La Copa han competido con velas North Sails. Desde 1995, cada finalista de la America’s Cup ha equipado únicamente velas North Sails. La America’s Cup fue precisamente la cuna del 3Di, cuya evolución (desde el 3DL) comenzó cuando ingenieros suizos desarrollaron las “Black Sails” de Team Alinghi para la edición 2007 de Valencia. Las velas no serían utilizadas en aquella ocasión, pero los ingenieros de North Sails del entonces defensor Team Alinghi reconocieron su potencial. La velería relanzó su desarrollo tras La Copa, naciendo así la tecnología North Sails 3Di. En 2010, el producto ya estaba listo para salir al mercado. Hoy, es el máximo exponente en prestaciones y durabilidad, propulsa a los mejores barcos de competición del mundo y ha comenzado a extenderse al mercado de crucero, ofreciendo opciones para barcos desde 20 pies de eslora. La 35, en marcha Seis equipos de seis nacionalidades aspiran a la 35 America’s Cup. Cinco son Challengers (desafiantes): El británico Land Rover BAR patroneado por Sir Ben Ainslie, el sueco Artemis Racing de Nathan Outteridge, el neozelandés Emirates Team New Zealand de Peter Burling, el francés Groupama Team France de Franck Cammas y el japonés Softbank Team Japan de Dean Barker. Todos ellos se enfrentan entre el 27 de mayo y el 12 de junio por un puesto en la final, primero en los Louis Vuitton Americas Cup Qualifiers, y por último en los Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs. El otro finalista es el Defender, el estadounidense ORACLE Team USA de Jimmy Spithill. Los seis equipos compiten con monotipos ACC, catamaranes de 15 metros de eslora equipados con foils, ala rígida y foque. Los foques de los seis aspirantes a la 35 America’s Cup son North Sails 3Di Endurance, la versión más robusta de la familia 3Di. America’s Cup se decantó por Endurance frente a Raw para ofrecer a los equipos (y sus patrocinadores) una mayor variedad de colores (negro, gris o blanco). Cada equipo recibe tres tamaños de foque: dos de ellos llegan hasta cubierta, y el tercero, pensado para vientos más duros, es más pequeño para facilitar el trabajo de las tripulaciones en las maniobras. El foque es probablemente el elemento más simple de los catamaranes ACC, pero resulta esencial para equilibrar el barco y que navegue bien. READ MORE

RETOURS D'EXPÉRIENCE Coaching personnalisé et CPL Comme annoncé en début de saison, le Championnat du Petit-Lac et North Sails Suisse ont décidé d’intensifier leur collaboration pour 2017. Parmi les actions mises en place, deux équipages tirés au sort ont déjà pu profiter du concept de coaching personnalisé : Ventcoulis et Divine Comedy, deux Luthi 33. Qui mieux qu’eux pour évoquer leur expérience ? Tony Lerch et son équipage de Ventcoulis, accompagnés lors de l’épreuve d’Ouverture à Crans « Cela nous a rafraichit la mémoire d’avoir un « pro » à bord. Nous avons pu profiter de toute l’expérience de Patrick (Mazuay) en terme de réglages des voiles. Nous avions décidé de garder tout l’équipage à bord et donc de naviguer avec une personne de plus. C’était super, au moins tout le monde a pu bénéficier de ce moment. Le débriefing avec tout l’équipage était bien aussi. Entre tous les Luthi 33 sur le plan d’eau, il n’y a au final que peu de différences de vitesse, les écarts se font au travers des réglages. Nous avons maintenant notre feuille de route, une sorte de ‘To do list’ pour tout ce que nous avons à faire sur le bateau. C’est bien que ce soit écrit ! Et à nous de jouer maintenant ! » Yvan Glatz et son équipage de Divine Comedy, accompagnés pour la Coupe du Petit-Lac « Quelques jours avant l’épreuve, Pierre-Yves (Jorand) est venu à bord pour une sortie un soir. Nous, on fait du bateau pour le plaisir mais lui, on sent bien qu’il maitrise le sujet ! En fait, il est…impressionnant ! Mais il s’est mis à notre niveau et a fait son possible pour nous expliquer avec des mots simples les différents sujets abordés. En tous cas, il est vraiment super sympa et tous les conseils qu’il a pu nous donner sont très intéressants. Dès la réception du débriefing après l’épreuve, j’ai transmis la synthèse à mes équipiers, certains l’ont imprimé même et dès que nous aurons un peu de temps libre, nous avancerons dans les petits réglages à affiner. » Pour mémo - Le concept de coaching personnalisé avec North Sails Suisse Un équipage sera tiré au sort pour un accompagnement de type coaching personnalisé durant une semaine, sur les épreuves du Championnat 2017 (hors Bol d’Or). Un équipage gagnant ne pourra pas être sélectionné une deuxième fois. Dans une atmosphère conviviale et avec pour objectif de partager notre passion commune, ce coaching personnalisé comprend les actions suivantes : J-5 avant l’épreuve : Briefing par téléphone ou à la voilerie avec le skipper et/ou l'équipage (tendance météo pour l'épreuve, passage en revue de la check list performance (carène, voiles à bord, électronique, etc.), point sur la liste d’équipage) J-4 : Entraînement du mardi soir à bord, avec si possible l’équipage au complet (à la SNG ou à Nyon) : briefing, réglages du mât et des voiles, point tactique, session de manœuvres. Puis débriefing au retour à terre et établissement d'une "to do list" d’ici à la course J-1: Briefing météo, réglage du gréement affiné selon les conditions météo, lecture des instructions de course, préparation finale du bateau H-3 : Dernier point sur la météo, stratégie générale, check list des priorités H : Selon votre configuration d’équipage, navigation à bord ou suivi de la régate par un membre de North Sails Suisse, photos techniques, vidéos et prise de notes en vue du débriefing J+3 : Synthèse avec l’ensemble de l’équipage à la voilerie, analyse et transmission des photos et vidéos, établissement de la liste des pistes d’amélioration pour les prochaines navigations. Avec nous, les pros, c’est vous ! Nous partagerons les trucs & astuces pour booster les performances de votre speedo, améliorer vos manœuvres en toute sécurité, affiner vos réglages et tactiques sur des bases simples mais efficaces. READ MORE

A historic fleet convenes in Bermuda for the America’s Cup J Class Regatta The J Class boasts an incredible blend of classic allure and the latest advancements in modern technology. With roots in the world’s oldest international sporting event, the heyday of the J-Class was in the 1930s when ten yachts (six American and four British) were built to race in the 1930, 1934, and 1937 America’s Cup. Since then six replicas have been built to original lines, the earliest being Ranger in 2003. Still today, the unique beauty of the J Class captures the heart of sailors and spectators alike. This June the fleet will take to the waters off of Bermuda for a historic regatta, boasting the highest attendance the fleet has ever seen, as part of the 35th America’s Cup. Russell Coutts, CEO of the America’s Cup Event Authority, said, “The Js still epitomize grace and power with cutting-edge design and engineering. Having the J Class join us in Bermuda will create a spectacular blend between the old and new, showcasing the best of America’s Cup challengers and defenders from almost 90 years apart.” How to Follow The J Class America’s Cup regatta will take place on the 16, 19 & 20th June 2017. Due to their deeper draft, the Js will race off of Bermuda’s North Shore in Murray’s Anchorage. The first start is scheduled each morning at 1135. Depending on conditions, the race committee will run two races, each just over an hour long. Can’t make it to Bermuda? Stay in touch with exclusive updates and race coverage from North Sails, and track racing live from the J Class Association. North Sails is proud to be the Official Sailmaking Partner of the J Class Association, and looks forward to a historical summer of racing ahead! READ MORE

North Power Dominates J/24 North Americans with 1,2,5,6,8, and 10th Overall Team ‘Bogus’. 2017 NA Champions! © Chris Howell Another solid weekend under our belts as J/24 sailors headed to Houston, Texas for the North American Championship. Mother Nature dished up some great sailing conditions, ranging between 10-20 knots of solid breeze. Twenty-nine teams came to Houston to represent their hometown clubs, with only one winner in the end! North Sails Saturday kicked-off with expert Mike Ingham giving a thorough morning weather briefing, providing insights on trending conditions that were expected that day, and assisted competitors with their rig set up. Expert Will Welles joined Mike after sailing, debriefing sailors on what they saw on the water and facilitating a group discussion about what worked well, and what didn’t. Great competition and perfect conditions made for an all around successful event with North Sails three-time champion Will Welles, securing 1st place yet again with his all-star crew on ‘Bogus’: Jeff Linton, Erik Rexford, Chris and Monica Morgan, earning 4 bullets out of 10 races. Mike Ingham took 2nd with his team ‘Nautalytics’, Carter White with team ‘Sea Bags Sailing’ placed 5th, followed by St. Petersburg local Todd Fedeszyn with his team ‘Spoony Tactics’ in 6th. Natalie Harden close behind in 8th with team ‘Giggles’, and ‘Muy Muy’ with skipper Patricio Sly in 10th; all powered by North Sails. Congratulations to our clients for their amazing performance this weekend. Keep up the hard work- Worlds is only 3 months away! Full Results © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell READ MORE

Ft. Lauderdale, FL to Mission Bay, CA- Snipe sailors are making waves all over North America! Jensen McTighe and crew Andrew Guarangua, top junior team at 2017 North Americans. © Matthew Ditzel Last weekend, Snipe sailors gathered on both coasts to take part in the competitive racing and friendly sailing the class is known for. On the west coast, Mission Bay YC hosted the Herb Shear Invitational and meanwhile on the east coast, Lauderdale Yacht Club put on the 2017 North Americans. Both events were a success for the Snipe fleet, with new friendships made and old friendships rekindled. In Ft. Lauderdale, blustery conditions welcomed the fleet with sunshine and 18-23 knots of fresh sea breeze. Twenty-six boats from five different countries were rewarded with great conditions; 4-6 foot waves to ride all weekend, and technique-oriented upwind and downwind legs for a challenge. Slightly lighter pressure on Sunday gave the sailors somewhat of a break, gradually building to a nice 8-12 knots. The race committee scored eight total races, granting the fleet one one discard. The racing was close all weekend, especially within the top positions in the fleet. No room for errors with this group! Big thanks to Peter and Connie Commette for running a great event at LYC. With the added help of Tom Lihan, the Race Committee never ceased to disappoint. A special congratulations goes to North-powered 3rd place finishers, Jensen McTighe and Andre Guarangna, the youngest crew at the event who sailed very well against the World Champion and Olympic-level competition. Full Results In California, Mission Bay Yacht Club and Fleet 495 hosted the Herb Shear Invitational. The West coast competition was prominent in beautiful 18-20 knot winds and flat water inside Mission Bay. The scoreboard did a bit of a shuffle when the breeze lightened up on Sunday, before the regatta wrapped up with nine total races including one throwout. The family-friendly scene of the Snipe class can be felt worldwide, with widespread support and strong traditions that have been maintained throughout the class’ history. Friends sail with friends, family with family, and couples can be found all over the fleet. The highlight of the Herb Shear this year was a visiting couple from Norway cruising around the world on a 44-footer. They hadn’t sailed a Snipe in years but wanted to participate if they were able to get the equipment to do so. Members of Fleet 495 got them a boat and all the parts needed to sail the regatta, proving again that making new friends and sharing great memories is what this class is all about. Full Results For more information on how to get the fastest sails for Snipe, visit North Sails One Design: Snipe or contact your North Sails Local Expert today! Andre and Jensen, Top Junior Team at 2017 Snipe North Americans, placing 3rd overall. Ft. Lauderdale, FL © Matthew Ditzel Herb Shear Invitational © Judy Tillson Herb Shear Invitational © Judy Tillson Herb Shear Invitational © Judy Tillson Herb Shear Invitational © Judy Tillson Herb Shear Invitational © Judy Tillson Herb Shear Invitational © Judy Tillson Herb Shear Invitational © Judy Tillson Herb Shear Invitational © Judy Tillson Herb Shear Invitational © Judy Tillson READ MORE

Tough loss for Artemis Racing, a welcomed win for Softbank Team Japan Race 13 – Land Rover BAR vs Groupama Team France In the first race of the day, Ainslie and Land Rover BAR matched up against Cammas’ team on Groupama Team France. BAR had the advantage from the start and seemed to be running away with the race, until Groupama came back with impressive speed in Leg 3 – it took nothing but a shaky rounding from BAR for Groupama to the steal lead. Before the next gate BAR had closed back in on the Frenchmen, hitting a fascinating 40 knots boat speed, but still a boat length or two behind. Groupama managed to hold them off and ultimately secured a lead of 53 seconds at the finish, claiming their 2nd race in two days. Race 14 – Emirates Team New Zealand vs Artemis Racing Next, in the most action-packed race we’ve seen so far, Emirates Team New Zealand and Artemis Racing faced off in the second match of the day. Over seven legs we saw nine lead changes, starting and finishing with a penalty. Artemis Racing punched the start a half-second early, and ironically fell victim to another penalty around the final mark – a close call initiated by the Kiwis, asking for more room to round. From the looks of it, Artemis gave way to the inside boat, but according to Pete Burling on ETNZ more room is needed when approaching a rounding at speeds up to 40 knots. Otteridge and crew were unable to exonerate the penalty before the finish, seeding the win to Burling and Emirates Team New Zealand. Note: America’s Cup Race Management (ACRM), the independent organization that oversees the rules of the America’s Cup, shed light on the umpires decision here. Race 15 – Groupama Team France vs Softbank Team Japan In Race 3, Groupama Team France aimed to continue their winning streak when they faced off with SoftBank Team Japan. Unfortunately for Groupama, the Japanese pulled off a beautiful start and crossed the line to windward, with about 10 knots more pace on. Barker and Softbank Team Japan crushed ahead with boatspeed hitting 38 knots, and maintained 100% fly time until a slight nose dive in Leg 5. A comfortable, yet welcome win for SoftBank Team Japan. READ MORE

NEUE TELEFONNUMMER! Gültig ab 1. Februar 2017: +41 71 680 00 80 READ MORE

GRAF-ZEPPELIN REGATTA 2017, BODENSEE Sieg in der ORC 2 Klasse mit NS 3Di !! Graf Zeppelin Regatta 2017 Start Bericht von Jan Eckstein, X-34 „EMMA“, GER-133 Bereits bei der morgendlichen Überfahrt von Langenargen nach Friedrichshafen auf teils spiegelglatter See wurde erkennbar, dass die Windverhältnisse wie angekündigt nicht einfach für die diesjährige Graf-Zeppelin-Regatta werden würden. Dennoch fuhren wir nach der Steuermannsbesprechung um kurz nach 10Uhr hoch motiviert in die Friedrichshafener Bucht um mit dann doch einsetzenden Nordwest Wind (bis 6kn) pünktlich um 11Uhr zu starten. Als erstes galt es für die 34 Teilnehmer die in den Wind gelegte Ablaufboje zu runden. Ein unglücklicher Winddreher hatte zur Folge, dass die von uns gewählte linke Seite der Startlinie trotz freieren Winden sich nach dem Start als schlechtere herausstellte. Ein weiteres kleines Luv-Duell mit der „Capricorno“ einer modifizierten ILC-40 kostete uns weitere Zeit auf das restliche Feld. So befanden wir uns im Mittelfeld auf dem Weg zur nächsten Boje vor Immenstadt. Für unsere Renntaktik sich bei diesen unstabilen Verhältnissen klar unter Land am deutschen Ufer zu halten wurden wir mit guten Bedingungen für unseren Code Zero belohnt und arbeiteten uns Stück für Stück an den Booten, welche den direkten Kurs gewählt hatten vorbei. So befanden wir uns nach einer kurzen Kreuz zur Boje Immenstadt, bei Sonnenschein und Westwind mit bis zu 8knt, wieder im vorderen Teilnehmerfeld, mit schneller bewerteten Booten hinter uns und in unserer Nähe. Lediglich die ganz schnellen ORCRacer um die Wilke 49 „Wild Lady“ schienen zumindest nicht mehr einholbar. Mit guter Laune und Aussicht auf eine schnelle Regatta rundeten wir, mit der „Brava“ aus ORC-1, als erste Verfolgergruppe die Boje Immenstadt. Doch schon nach kurzer Strecke Richtung Schweizer-Ufer, da die nächste Boje vor Utwil zu runden galt, schlief der Wind komplett ein. So schrumpfte unser Abstand auf die nachfolgenden Boote fast wieder komplett zusammen und es gab wie so oft den der Flaute geschuldeten „Neustart“. Wir entschieden uns daraufhin gewagt und als einziges Boot erst einmal in Richtung Konstanz zu segeln, da wir dort mit besserem Wind rechneten und der direkte Weg nach Utwil wirklich komplett im Flautenloch zu liegen schien. Mit wirklich mehr Wind wurden wir durch unsere Route aber nicht belohnt, dennoch parkten wir zumindest nicht wie die anderen Boote auf dem See, segelten dafür aber mit einem großen Bogen gefühlt die doppelte Strecke an die Schweizer Seite des Sees. Dennoch schien es sich zu lohnen, denn je weiter wir uns der Boje näherten, desto mehr schlossen wir auf die schneller bewerteten Boote vor uns auf. Inzwischen hatte sich die Regattaleitung auch dazu entschieden aufgrund des mangelnden Windes die Bahn an der Boje Utwil zu verkürzen. So segelten wir am Schweizer-Ufer, bei stark drehenden Winden (zwischen Am-Wind und Vor-Wind Kreuz) mit dem Ziel in Sicht, die letzten Meter bis zur neuen Ziellinie. Mit unserer Zielzeit von etwas mehr als vier Stunden konnten wir berechnet unsere Gruppe, ORC-2, gewinnen und sind zu unserer Freude auch nach gesegelter Zeit vor den meisten unserer Konkurrenten sowie Booten der ORC-1 Gruppe ins Ziel gekommen. Alles in Allem war es eine super Regatta, die nachdem sie letztes Jahr ausgefallen ist, sich hoffentlich wieder in den Regatta-Kalender etabliert hat um auch nächstes Jahr mit zahlreichen Meldungen vertreten zu sein. Fazit: Manchmal lohnt es sich einen längeren Weg als alle anderen zu segeln, auch wenn zwischendurch Zweifel auftreten. Vielen Dank an das Team welches bis zum Schluss positiv geblieben ist und der Flaute getrotzt hat. Anmerkung der Redaktion: North Sails Schweiz gratuliert der Crew der 'EMMA' ganz herzlich und freut sich, dass die neuen 3Di Race Segel so laufen...!! Sollten auch Sie Interesse an den nahtlosen 3Di Segeln haben, melden Sie sich bei uns: schweiz@northsails.com! PS: NEU gibt es auch 3Di für den Fahrtensegler! READ MORE

SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION FOR NZ ONE DESIGN SEASON The summer season might be over, but the hard work is just beginning for a pack of young Optimist sailors — and the team at North Sails. The Optimist nationals were held at Easter, at the Napier Sailing Club, but now the top competitors are preparing for a range of international competitions to be held over the coming months. North Sails One Design manager Derek Scott says several sailors will be looking for new sails to take with them to the Worlds in Thailand in July, and to the IODA Asian, North American and European championships over winter. Winning the nationals, and heading the national rankings with a clean sweep of all four ranking events this summer, is Seb Menzies from Murrays Bay Sailing Club, who uses a North cross-cut MZX4 sail. Menzies will now compete in the Optimist Worlds in Thailand in July, along another sailor using a North sail, George Lee Rush of Wakatere Boating Club. Rush, who uses a radial cut main, finished sixth Kiwi and fourth equal in the rankings. Joshua Hyde, also from Wakatere and using a radial North sail, finished ninth Kiwi at the nationals and sixth equal in the rankings, so has qualified to compete at the IODA North American champs, in Toronto in late June–early July. Slightly older youth sailors also got their chance to compete at Easter, at the Starling national championships at Wakatere, on Auckland’s North Shore. Around 100 skippers competed in this prestigious event, with Torbay Sailing Club’s Sean Herbert winning the regatta in the final race, over the home club’s Luke Cashmore, with Oliver Cowley of Worser Bay third. “It was a really challenging regatta,” says Scott. “Conditions just got lighter and lighter, until the last couple of races in the finals had to be called off.” And at the 420 national championships, the top crew was Robbie McCutcheon and Jono Weston from Wakatere, who sailed very consistently over 12 races to take the title at Wellington’s Evans Bay. Both McCutcheon and Weston and the second-placed crew (and female champions), Xanthe Copeland and Annabel Cave, use North sails, as do many other boats in the fleet. A large fleet of Etchells turned out for their nationals in Auckland, with Lincoln Fraser the top Kiwi in second behind Australian Martin Hill, and North Sails sales manager Andrew Wills and his crew third on countback. “Again, pretty much that whole fleet has North sails,” says Scott. In the Pied Piper nationals held at Milford in early April, Sam Marshall and his crew on Motamouse, with the aid of old hands Alastair Gair, Jayson Herbert and Tom Kerney. Motamouse had a brand new North jib for the regatta, which Marshall said was “a weapon upwind. North just nailed the new design.” Skiff racers using North sails also rounded off their season with some great results. Ben de Fluiter and his new crew Rod Chave, sailing One and In, won the 12 footer nationals in mid-March. “Both Ben and Rod work for North Sails, so they have spent a lot of time working on their wardrobe and getting the sails just right,” says Scott. “They’ve got four different rigs, so there’s lots of potential for sail development.” The team on 18 foot skiff Yamaha, skippered by David McDiarmid, recovered from their disappointment at the JJ Giltinan series in Sydney to take out the Anzac Championship in late April, ahead of C-Tech, skippered by Alex Vallings, and US sailor Howie Hamlin, on Harken. All three of the top boats carried North wardrobes. In other results for boats with North sails, James Sandall won the Ross 780 nationals in Strait Enz with a full wardrobe of North sails; Anne Hirst won the Magic 25 nationals at Taupo; and Hamish Hall-Smith of French Bay Yacht Club won the Jollyboat nationals at Howick, after earlier finishing second in the 3.7 nationals and fourth at the R class Leander Trophy series. “It just goes to show what a wide range of classes we are involved with, and how many sailors we are helping to find success,” says Scott. “Now it’s back to the loft to start working on the sails for next year.” READ MORE

Yale, BC and Coast Guard claim ICSA Women’s National Podium, wrapping up the first event of College Sailing Nationals The ICSA College Sailing Nationals kicked off on this week in Charleston, SC with the Women’s semi-finals, where 32 universities competed for the top nine positions in the Eastern and Western conferences. Nine races in each division rounded out a rainy series on the Cooper River. Winning the Eastern semi-finals was the University of Rhode Island, and claiming the Western semis was Yale University. The 18 teams in the finals sailed a total 18 races in a variety of conditions, spanning from yesterday’s 15 knot Southwest pressing into a three-knot current, to today’s contrast of minimal wind yet still plenty of current. Yale has proven to be the most consistent on the water, with the Boston College Eagles a near match. Yale’s secret weapon was the pair of freshman skipper Louisa Nordstrom and crew Claire Huebner ’18, who held a strong hold on B-division for most of the week. The first day of finals (Thursday, May 25th) closed with Yale 13 points ahead of Boston College, who were 29 points ahead of the US Coast Guard Academy in third place. Four races were sailed in Friday morning’s light breeze and, perhaps too many sailors’ relief, the wind picked up a bit for tricky, oscillating conditions in the afternoon. With Yale and Boston College holding strong in first and second place, the battle for third was on. The University of Rhode Island, Stanford University and U.S. Coast Guard Academy all put up a good fight. It ultimately came down to the last race in B Division, with U.S. Coast Guard able to pull ahead of URI by just two points, rounding out the podium for the 2017 Sperry College Sailing Women’s Nationals. North Sails is a proud sponsor of College Sailing. Still to come in the week ahead are the team racing nationals (May 27-29) and the coed fleet racing nationals (May 30-June 2). Follow live results and tune into live stream coverage of the finals here. Congratulations to the Women’s fleet for a competitive week of racing, and hats off to the finalists for fighting to the very end! Sailing for Yale is Casey Klingler ’18 with Natalya Doris ’17 and Christine Klingler ’20 in A-division, and Louisa Nordstrom ’20 with Claire Huebner ’18 in B-division. Sailing for Boston College is Erika Reineke ’17 with Fiona Walsh ’17 in A-division, and Allyson Donahue ’17 with Tara Ferraris ’19 and Madeleine Loosbrock ’17 in B-division. Sailing for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy is Nikole Barnes ’17 with Anna Maria Vaccaro ’19 and Anna Morin ’19 in A-division, and Dana Rohde ’18, Madelynn Widmeier ’19, and Maddie Ekin ’20 in B-division. READ MORE

America’s Cup racing kicks off tomorrow on Bermuda’s Great Sound. In a series of events from May 26 – June 27, the 35th America’s Cup will feature six top teams battling it out for the oldest trophy in international sport. READ MORE

Mast rake Is measured from the top of the mast/gaff to the centre top of the transom. Wooden Hulls – 4950mm – 5000mm (These measurements work for both Gaff and Bermudanrigs). Goodwin hulls – 4975 – 4850mm Winder Hulls – 5000mm – 5100mm Rig Tension 12 to 16 on the shrouds using a Loos tension gauge for older boats. New boats both wood and frp will take 18-22.This isn’t as critical as it would be if the mast had spreaders, however it still controls the amountof jib luff sag and mast rake so care should be taken to keep a record of your setting so it is thesame every time. Outhaul Upwind, set the outhaul so that the foot just touches the leeward side of the boom. If the conditions are choppy and you are not overpowered ease the outhaul so that there are 2cm between the leeward side of the boom and the foot. In strong winds pull the outhaul tight. Downwind, you can ease the outhaul 5cm if you want more power. Fairleads and Jib Height The fairleads should be positioned as far back as possible on the thwart and as high as possible.You are allowed to fix the fairlead on a block 25mm high. The distance between the bearing surfaces of the fairleads should be roughly 750mm. Start with the tack corner of the jib 30mm above the deck. Raise it to 50mm above deck for light and moderate wind and waves. Lower the tack corner to level with the deck for strong winds. Pull it down 10 – 20mm below deck level for very strong winds. Kicker and Twist I think twist is the key to making a Mirror fast. A closed mainsail leech will make you point but if you overdo it the sail stalls, the boats slows, and you go sideways, giving the same effect as notpointing. Keep leeches open enough to stop the telltales stalling. This isn’t so much of a problemonce you are both hiking because there is pressure on the mainsail leech to keep it open, but it isstill possible to oversheet the jib. If the boat slows down compared to the boats around you or theboat feels as though its bouncing up and down on the spot, ease the jib sheet 1cm and see ifthings improve. Marks on the jib sheets are very helpful here and even calibration marks on the kicker will helpyou re-produce your fast settings. Spinnaker Pole Setting Good luck on the water! READ MORE

North Sails powers F4 catamaran to Bermuda and beyond The F4 catamaran made its world debut in 2016. This exciting new 46’ one design catamaran teamed up with North Sails, DNA/Holland Composites, and other marine industry partners to support Foiling on Water, a Red Bull athlete project with Oracle Team USA skipper Jimmy Spithill. Foiling on Water sent Spithill and crew on a 932 nautical mile mission from New York to Bermuda, home of the 35th America’s Cup. A daydream-come-true reality for Volvo Ocean Race and America’s Cup veteran Shannon Falcone, the F4 DNA project is a high-performance foiling catamaran designed with sheer speed and grace in mind. After a winter of testing, refits, and repairs in Antigua, Hull #1 is currently preparing for the 1000 nm trip back to Bermuda to join the America’s Cup spectator fleet. “The team at DNA gave me the opportunity to propose new concepts and features that integrate my past America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race experiences. Thanks to the support of our partners this boat is the result of an industry-wide collaboration to help bring one-design production foiling into a real world racing environment.” The ultimate goal of the F4 Class is to build the Tour de Foil one design racing series. Falcone and class manager Thomas Loughborough are hoping owners will be attracted to the idea of a high performance, stable foiling platform, combined with one design principles to make ownership as cost effective as possible. The F4 Class will be based out of Newport, RI in the summertime, and will enjoy Caribbean sailing in Antigua during the winter season. Their plans are to maximize the F4’s potential by pushing her to the ultimate challenges: 400 miles a day with key landing points in Block Island, Long Island, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. In the winter months, their landing points include the BVI’s and St. Barths. World-class snowboarder Travis Rice joined the F4 crew last fall in the post Foiling On Water delivery from Bermuda to Antigua. Rice is an avid sailor who owns a 60’ Gunboat outfitted with North 3Di sails and has compared his experience to his extreme snowboarding adventures, “I don’t know how to better describe it except for me it’s just like tree riding….I don’t know, this boat is blowing my mind.” © Shannon Falcone © Shannon Falcone © Shannon Falcone © Shannon Falcone © Shannon Falcone © Shannon Falcone READ MORE

North Sails clients take 9 of top 10 positions at 2017 J/24 US Nationals J/24 Nationals is a wrap! Thirty two boats participated in the three-day championship, with strong participation and support from local J/24 Fleet 26. Aside from racing, the sailors enjoyed making new connections and learning what they could from each other. Lots of factors in the game for this event, with light air and strange current in Puget Sound keeping sailors on their toes. Nine races with a generous discard gave sailors a break, however the scores stayed very close in the top 10 positions. Thursday was designated as a practice day, though without enough wind to sail, the North Sails on-site team hosted a dock talk. Lead by North Sails experts Will Welles and Brian Janney, who finished 2nd on USA 5208, the dock talk allowed for a beneficial group discussion among competitors. Many questions were asked and answered. Local sailors shared knowledge of the sailing area and sailors from around the country shared techniques. The fleet was very competitive in light air, which was prominent throughout the event. Current and eddies along the shoreline were considerations, which made decisions tricky and the importance of making the right decision even more of a priority. Playing the current well served huge gains, as well as spending as much time as possible on the lifted tack upwind. Keeping your head out of the boat and eye on the dark water was also very important and made a big difference within the top 10. © Chris Howell “It was never the same way twice it seemed,” said Welles, who placed 2nd at the event. Local sailor Keith Whittemore and his crew on Tundra Rose leveraged their intel particularly well on the 2nd day, judging when the wind wouldn’t shift any farther right. They placed their bets on the left side early which proved beneficial. The current was also much stronger on the left, but that being said it was hard to decide if it was worth getting into. The wind was still so light there was concern that it could be impossible to get out of the strong current when it was time. Boat speed was important, but so was staying between your competition and the marks. The breeze filled in much sooner in the day on Sunday, allowing the committee to get in three good races before the event came to a close. Keith and his team were able to minimize mistakes, allowing them to stay out ahead of the pack the majority of the time. “They were unbelievably fast,” said Will. A fun regatta with newfound friends and experiences to remember, are the things every sailor in the J/24 fleet can take away from this event. Welcoming new sailors to your home club and sharing your knowledge of the craft shows a lot for the J/24 class and its sailors as a whole. Big thanks to Seattle Fleet 26 and RC volunteers for making this event a success. Will commented, “Sailing with friends is what it’s all about”. Congratulations to our clients for their strong performance in the top 10, and special congrats to Keith Whittemore and his team Tundra Rose for taking the overall win. © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell © Chris Howell READ MORE

MATT STEVEN JOINS NORTH SAILS, NEW ZEALAND North Sails New Zealand has recently appointed 27-year-old Matt Steven to its Auckland sales team, bringing with him plenty of experience in keelboat and dinghy sailing. Matt was brought up on boats, cruising with his family. He spent several years as mainsheet trimmer and tactician on the World Match Racing Tour and the Extreme Sailing Series, and was in the crew that finished second in the Youth America’s Cup in 2013. Matt is a previous New Zealand national keelboat and match racing champion, completed the 2014 SSANZ two-handed Round the North Island race, and is the current Mark Foy world and New Zealand national 18-foot skiff champion. Starting his sailing career in Wellington in Optimists, P Class and Starlings, he moved into a Laser for four years, but started racing keelboats after deciding not to pursue an Olympic campaign. He was part of the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club’s youth training programme and learned the sailmaking trade in between competing overseas, developing his interest in the art and science of how to make boats go fast. He has worked for North since 2015. Over winter Matt will be sailing regularly with various North Sails clients, including on Young Guns, which recently won its division at the Jack Tar Regatta. He is also part of New Zealand’s top 18-foot skiff crew aboard Yamaha, sailing with David McDiarmid and Brad Collins. The team narrowly missed out on a historic win in this year’s JJ Giltinan series in Sydney, and have success in the 2018 event firmly in their sights, after competing against European skiffs at Lake Garda, Italy in July. "We are trying some new, innovative things with the engine above the deck this year to try to give us an edge," Matt says. "It’s great working with the team at North Sails, and meeting lots of new people. I am enjoying the challenge of using my knowledge to provide the best sails for customers." READ MORE

The J Class represents an incredible blend of classic yacht and the latest advancements in modern technology © Amory Ross The J Class has its roots in the oldest sporting event in the world, The America’s Cup. In 1929 Sir Thomas Lipton, owner of Lipton’s (famous for his import of Lipton Tea from India), issued his fifth challenge to the Americans for the America’s Cup. He commissioned the build of the first J Class Yacht which signified the start of a new era in design evolution and racing. The Universal Rule came into effect in 1930. The size of a yacht was determined (by waterline length) and this was shown as an alphabetical list. “J” signified yachts with a waterline length of between 75 to 87 feet. The addition of the newly designed Bermuda mast allowed the yachts to carry a huge sail plan. Nothing so large and “awesome” had been built previously. The J Class yachts raced under the Universal Rule throughout the 1930s, which used waterline length, displacement and sail area to control the racing condition and rating of these Formula One racing yachts of their day. Now in the present day, there is a mixture of refitted surviving yachts along with a number of new yachts built to original hull lines. Even more are planned to be built in the future. So a specific J Class handicap system was developed in order to enable all yachts built to J Class designs to race against each other regardless of size, sail area or hull construction. The new rule is a VPP (Velocity Prediction Program) based rating system which puts limits on the performance. The aim of the J-Class Association (JCA) and the rule is to bring fair and close racing to the fleet and to give all designs a chance of winning on a handicap based system ensuring competitive, exciting and unique racing wherever this fleet goes. Combining unprecedented experience and heritage in the class, North Sails is the leading sailmaker of the J Class fleet. Reinforcing the relationship further, this year North Sails also becomes the Official Sailmaking Partner of the J Class Association. © Amory Ross © Amory Ross © Amory Ross READ MORE

UNE VICTOIRE POUR UNE PREMIÈRE Après avoir longtemps régaté sur de grands bateaux, Isabelle a récemment décidé de faire également ses armes à la barre d'un "petit" bateau. Pas si petit que ça en réalité, puisque le Esse 850 mesure comme son nom le laisse présager 8m50 de long. A quoi bon réduire la monture diraient certains ? C’est qu’au-delà du simple "plaisir de naviguer sur un monocoque ergonomique et bien né", Isabelle a une idée derrière la tête…naviguer avec son fils, Alex, âgé de 15 ans qui usait jusqu’ici ses combis sur les listons d’Optimist. Pour sa première régate en Esse, Alex préparant ses sélections d’Opti aux épreuves internationales, Isabelle s’entoure de deux de ses amis cannois. Et bien lui en a pris puisqu’ils s’offrent le week-end dernier la victoire toutes classes confondues sur la Haute route du Rhône, devant 26 autres concurrents habitués du parcours dans le haut lac entre Vevey, La Tour, Pully, Clarens et retour à La Tour. Entrée en matière réussie pour les trois compères et le SUI 104 voilé North Sails ! READ MORE

Class 40 Imerys tackles the uniquely challenging offshore race, powered by renewable energy and North 3Di sails © Rick Tomlinson On Friday, May 19th, Phil Sharp and Pablo Santurde won the Normandy Channel Race, crossing a line off of Hermanville in the wee hours of the morning. Not only did the pair sail their Class 40 Imerys on renewable energy alone, they finished the race in record time to set a new benchmark: 4 days, 11 hours 15 minutes and 50 seconds. Originating in 2010, the Normandy Channel Race is a popular double-handed offshore challenge in France. The course is varied and challenging, covering 1,000 offshore miles between the English Channel and the Celtic Sea as well as coastal portions off of France, the United Kingdom and Ireland. Challenging navigation zones brought on tight competition throughout the week-long journey, forcing sailors to be relentless and maintain focus to make sound tactical decisions. Imerys crossed the line just under three hours ahead of Jeand Galfione and Nicolas Ttroussel in 2nd place on Serenis Consulting, also powered by North. The following seven boats all finished in a busy two-hour span between 6:17 am – 8:19 am. Upon reaching the dock, lots of wide smiles from sailors and spectators alike gave the great feeling of a race sailed and finished well, with plenty of challenges in between. Phil began working with the North Sails team based in the UK before his entry in the Quebec – St Malo Race in 2016. A new mainsail was delivered on short notice, the same 3Di ENDURANCE main Phil and Pablo had up when they won the race this week. In the past year, Phil has expanded the inventory on Imerys to include a North Sails 3Di ENDURANCE J1, NPL SPORT J2, and a code zero, A6 and code 5. “Massive congratulations to Phil Sharp and Pablo Santurde on winning the highly competitive Normandy Channel Race on their Class 40 Imerys, on behalf of all of us at North Sails. It has been a pleasure to work on the sails for Imerys and collaborate with Phil on maximizing the boat’s performance.” – Jeremy Smart, North Sails in Gosport, UK © philsharpracing.com © philsharpracing.com © philsharpracing.com © philsharpracing.com READ MORE

One of the most dramatic events in modern sailing occurred in 1983. Australia II, with its famous winged keel, defeated US defender Liberty and took the America’s Cup abroad for the first time in its 200 year history. It was a stunning victory for the Aussies that resonated far beyond the sailing world. As both boats carried North sails, the company also rode the wave. Both Liberty and Australia II used revolutionary warp-oriented sail cloth for the first time. Aboard Australia II, a crew led by skipper John Bertrand hoisted sails of different material split front-to-back: polyester panels worked out of the luff and the layout switched to woven aramid, or kevlar, at the leech. The sails used a tri-radial layout, designed and developed by Tom Schnackenberg of North Sails in New Zealand, and were thought to be considerably lighter and less stretchy. Aboard Liberty were skipper Dennis Conner and tactician Tom Whidden. In 1987 Conner and Whidden would have their revenge. With the whole world watching, the pair guided American challenger Stars & Stripes to victory over Aussie defender Kookaburra III in a tense, windy series held in Perth. The Cup returned to US shores, Dennis Conner became a household name and Tom Whidden was hired as President of North Sails. Today, the America’s Cup remains a key platform for North sail development. Whether racing 12Metres, IACC sloops or wing-masted foiling catamarans, AC teams have helped North pioneer breakthroughs in sail technology such as 3DL aramid/carbon laminates, asymmetric spinnakers, 3Di composite sails, and the design horsepower behind a wing and soft sail working together. Commissioned by Alan Bond as a challenger for the 1983 America’s Cup, Challenge 12 (KA-10) was a point of reference for Australia II (KA-6). Here the two yachts are shown in the Challenger Series prior to the 1983 Cup. At the launching of Kookaburra III in Freemantle, before the 1987 Cup where she lost to Dennis Conner’s Stars & Stripes ’87, returning the Cup to US shores. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS TRIM CUP 2017 TAKKER AF FOR I ÅR North Sails Trim Cup begyndte fredag d.11 maj med en blæsende træningsdag i Lomma, nord for Malmø. North Sails Regatta Service team, bestående af Chuck Allen og Charlie McKee, gav råd om planlægning før start, bådhåndtering, hårdtvejrs trim og kommunikation på båden. Efter en dag med tips og coaching på vandet, præsenterede North teamet en detaljeret debrief til de fremmødte besætningerne, hvor der blev vist video og billeder for at hjælpe holdene med at forbedre deres præstation før weekendens kapsejlads. Lørdag formiddag gik med træningsstarter og coaching på vandet med de lokale North Sails eksperter Jesper Feldt og Henrik Ottosson, hvilket gjorde opvarmningen og optakten til selve kapsejladsen helt perfekt for de 35 deltagende både. Eftermiddagen bød på 2 kapsejladser efterfuldt af en detaljeret debrief, hvor der blev fokuseret på trim, besætningsplacering og kommunikation ombord. Søndag bød på let vind, dog nok til at 3 taktisk svære sejladser blev gennemført. Herefter en detaljeret gennemgang af let-vejrs stagvendinger og bomninger, for at hjælpe besætningerne med at maksimere deres præstationer. Tæt race mellem Melges 24 under North Sails Trim Cup 2017. North Sails Trim Cup blev afrundet med præmieuddeling, øl og de bedste burgere i regionen! Stor tak til alle deltagere og Lomma Sejlklub LBS. Vi glæder os til at gentage succeen til næste år! Du finder resultaterne her: http://www.lbs.nu/Kappsegling/northsailstrimcup13-1452017/resultat2/ READ MORE

Sailors gather in Lomma, Sweden to kick off the season North Sails is a proud sponsor of the Trim Cup, a unique event in Lomma, Sweden with an emphasis on improvement. Sailors worked on their performance on the racecourse with training drills and personal coaching provided by North Sails experts. This year was no different than the last, making for a highly engaging training regatta, and a great way to start the sailing season off right! A beautiful 16-22 knot breeze satisfied the fleet on Friday. Crew communication, maneuvers and starting techniques were key focuses of the day. With the help of North Sails’ Jesper Feldt and Henrik Ottosson, the race committee ran some practice starts coupled with short races for the fleet to warm up. Throughout the day, North Sails’ Chuck Allen and Charlie McKee took photos and video to review with the fleet after racing. All competitors showed great improvement in the span of the day, and awards were given to teams with the best starts and good communication, noted by experts on the water. On Saturday morning, the North Sails team of experts collected training priorities from the fleet. First step was to drop a weather mark so boats could practice mark roundings upon arriving to the race area, with coaches Chuck and Charlie close by to provide feedback. The race committee gave the 35 boat fleet a few practice starts and some short races to warm up before an afternoon of racing. Chuck and Charlie focused in on sail trim throughout the afternoon, sharing pointers and planning a debrief of the afternoon with photo and video. Every boat was seen on camera, emphasizing their trim, weight placement, and crew communication. On Sunday the breeze softened, giving sailors a chance to test their light air settings and crew work. North Sails experts reviewed notes and briefed sailors on the plan for the day. After three good races, Chuck and Charlie ran a short debrief on light air tacking and gybing with footage collected that day. Sailors appreciated hearing about individual techniques that worked for other members of the fleet. Awards were given out to competitors from their host, the Lomma Yacht Club, making for a great learning and racing experience for all. A whole-hearted thanks goes out to all the volunteers who made this a wonderful, welcoming event. Melges 24 downwind working on crew communication Debriefing after racing at Lomma Yacht Club 1/2 Tonner Antheor won “Most Improved” on Friday. FAREAST 28R working on boat speed in the lighter conditions on Sunday. Sunday’s Awards Ceremony READ MORE

NORTH SAILS PARTNERS WITH U.S. J/22 CLASS SCHOLARSHIP BOAT PROGRAM U.S. J/22 Class Initiative Gives Talented Young Sailors the Opportunity to Experience World Class One-Design Competitive Sailing North Sails One Design is proud to partner with the US J/22 Class Association its J/22 Scholarship Boat Program. North Sails has committed to providing new sails for the program for the 2017 season for the team using the boat. We are looking forward to being able to foster youth sailing in the J/22 and see the Scholarship Boat Grant program as a prime opportunity to further our goals. We are thankful to all the donors who have made the programs possible so far and want to encourage more people to become a part of the programs to help it succeed. Mike Marshall, J/22 World Champion and North Sails J/22 Class Leader, worked with the Class to organize the partnership. “I am so pleased and excited that our group is able to join with the J/22 Class to help provide opportunities for younger sailors to be involved with such a great Class. We are looking forward to continuing our support of the program for the next several years and help the Class build on its success.” “We are super excited to welcome North Sails as a major sponsor and are looking forward to working with Mike Marshall and North Sails to further promote the J/22 Scholarship Boat Program,” said Mark Stuhlmiller, President of the US J/22 Class Association. ABOUT THE PROGRAM The J/22 Scholarship Boat Program was designed to encourage talented youth sailors to experience the J/22 and the Class’ tremendous community of one-design sailors – at virtually no cost. Recipients of the award receive a fully outfitted J/22 sailboat and trailer for the entire season. It is the hope that recipients’ experience in the program will escalate their level of competitiveness and inspire them to accomplish great things in the world of sailing. THE 2017 WINNERS We caught up with the winners for a brief interview: WHY THE INTEREST IN THE J/22? The J/22 Class is a highly competitive Class that is always willing to share their knowledge to grow the Class. The sailors in the J/22 fleet will not only provide great sailing experiences for us, but will also introduce us to a higher level of competitive racing. HOW WAS THE TEAM WAS SELECTED? The team is constructed of the Jacksonville University Sailing Team by choosing four sailors who have a good chemistry together and have previous experience on similar boats to the J/22. However, the team is not limited to these four sailors. Since we are a collegiate team of about 30 sailors, we can easily move players around and train less experienced sailors to create a team that we believe will perform best in certain conditions. Our teamwork will allow us to select the right sailors to be the perfect fit for each event. FROM COLLEGE SAILING TO COMPETITIVE J/22 CIRCUIT College sailing has prepared us for the J/22 Class by improving our teamwork skills and by teaching us to always keep our heads out of the boat. Through college sailing, we’ve learned how to be prepared for the unexpected which will help us in sailing as a whole. In college sailing we have a nice variety of racing exposure that goes from fleet racing to match racing to team racing, along with our team workouts which make us very dedicated and team-oriented sailors. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED SO FAR? Learning how to tune the boat by adjusting the upper and lower shrouds was hard to grasp, but everything made sense as soon as we had our first practice. Something that we would like to continue to learn about is finding the balance between the upper and lower settings when we sail in different conditions. Having a better understanding of proper rig tuning will also teach us how to properly adjust the rake and backstay. EVENTS PLANNED? For this summer, we plan to attend Cleveland Race Week, J/22 North Americans, J/Fest, and the 2018 J/22 Worlds in Annapolis. For more information contact: Mike Marshall (401) 683-7997 mike.marshall@northsails.com READ MORE

SUR TOUS LES FRONTS, SUR TOUS LES PONTS ! Avec le retour des beaux jours, la saison nautique sur le lac est bel et bien lancée ! Quel que soit votre bateau, un membre de l’équipe North Sails n’est jamais bien loin de vous :) Ca c’est passé la semaine dernière… > North Experience des PS 33 (cliquez ici pour en savoir plus sur notre concept North Experience) > Grand Prix des TCFX à Genève (cliquez ici pour l’album photos) > North Experience à Neuchâtel (cliquez ici pour en savoir plus sur notre concept North Experience) > Epreuve d'ouverture du Championnat du Petit-Lac au CNC (cliquez ici pour l’album photos) C’est à l’agenda de cette semaine : > 2ème Grand Prix des Décision 35 à Versoix > 2ème épreuve du Championnat du Petit-Lac à la Nautique (Genève) > Bol d'Or de Neuchâtel (cliquez ici pour en savoir plus) > Critérium des Grand Surprise à la SNG (1ère manche du Challenge North Sails - cliquez ici pour en savoir plus) Pour tout renseignement, cliquez ici ou appelez-nous au 022 782 32 22. Bon vent à toutes et à tous ! READ MORE

Tom Partridge and Susie Plume recount their journey of selecting new sails for their Hylas 46, Adina © Tom Partridge Coming from a racing background, we set out with a goal of getting the best from Adina, our Hylas 46. Adina is an outright bluewater cruiser, designed to take on oceans while keeping her crew safe. She has an in-mast furling mainsail system which makes reefing easy and safe from inside the cockpit, something that proved particularly beneficial in big open seas. Deteriorating sails Her first set of sails were made from Dacron, the theory being they were sails made to last. The mainsail included full-length vertical battens and when new we were impressed how they helped the sail’s shape; all too often we had seen dacron sails that had lost their shape and the owners suffering inefficient sailing. Our mainsail was soon to go the same route; it wasn’t long before the battens were failing to furl straight, slowly but surely twisting. What shape there was also disappeared, the draft moving aft. Our genoa we struggled to trim effectively, telltales would dance in different directions no matter what we tried. After constant sailing in the tropics the sun was taking its toll and much to our horror our mainsail was starting to get tears in it. We’d repair them but more and more appeared. The leech started to deteriorate, and we knew the sail’s days were numbered. Selecting new sails Like most sailors we reached out to various sail makers, considering the different options. North Sails was quick to respond, asking relevant questions about the conditions we sailed in, what we saw as important in a sail, making us think and helping us choose the right sails for our needs. We were curious but slightly nervous about laminates. We’d heard they had a good reputation for shape and performance, but we weren’t sure about their longevity in the harsh sunshine we typically sail in. North Sails encouraged us to go this route, saying their NPL TOUR product is designed to last longer and would give us superior performance. This would tick both of our ‘most wanted’ boxes – performance and durability. Measuring up We had heard many a tale from fellow cruisers of having to make their own measurements with no comeback and costly adjustments having to be made if there were errors. Not so with North Sails; they had experts come on board taking what felt like over one hundred measurements, checking, re-checking, filling in forms and also happy to share information with us as they went. An in-mast furling laminate mainsail is a complex sail and measurements needed to be spot on. The right size genoa for our boat was designed from scratch and we have a stay sail that we planned to use not just in strong winds but light winds too. Fitting Delivery day dawned and a North Sails representative arrived with our shiny new sails – it felt like Christmas, we were so excited. Time was taken to fit them and check them. The representative added value, stitching up batten pockets to ensure they would stay in place on the long ocean passages ahead before we took a test sail to make sure everything looked good and in order. © Tom Partridge Immediate performance We’ll never forget our first passage from Thailand to Sri Lanka. We left on a moderate wind day and we were able to get all the sails hoisted. Suddenly Adina was off. The difference was immediate and electrifying. It was almost as though she had sensed she had a new set of clothes and she wanted to give of her best, we couldn’t stop smiling. Lightweight strength from laminates The sails certainly delivered on shape and there was no doubt our performance was boosted but there were additional surprises too. The lighter laminate sails were so much easier to control than our old chunky sails; furling and unfurling the genoa became so much easier, no longer lots of grinding, trimming was a joy. The mainsail, with its short battens, furled away effortlessly, working in the cockpit was easy. With the carbon fiber, you can see the strength in the sails; the shape in our main was spot on, the draft in the right position. In fact, the sails had so much power we later opted to replace our outhaul with a Dyneema line to hold the sail better; new running rigging is something people should consider when buying new sails. Benefits in both light and strong winds We learned some new tricks. In really light winds going upwind, we’d get the stay sail out in addition to the genoa, which would give us an extra knot of boat speed. Leaving the Maldives for Chagos in the company of friends on other boats, they were all impressed as Adina literally took off. In strong winds too, the sails still held their shape and, if anything, were more powerful; we pay more attention to reefing. And it is this power that got us through open seas with Adina carving through the waves – just what you want. Being a heavy ocean boat, upwind we’ve always needed 7 knots of wind to get moving and 10 knots of wind downwind. We now find we can sail quite nicely in just 5 knots of breeze upwind and downwind we can move in 7 knots, albeit slowly. That’s a big difference for long passages where saving fuel is key. Our Chagos to Seychelles passage was just over seven days and winds were light, sailing in the doldrums. We knew we had only four days’ worth of fuel and weather forecasts were unreliable so we had to sail as much as possible in the early part of the passage. With winds of 7-9 knots we could still keep moving and even if it was just 3 knots SOG it kept us going – we were delighted. Testing in all conditions Our sails carried us safely down and around the bottom of Africa to Cape Town. By then it had been just under a year in which we had covered around 6700 nautical miles, putting them through several tough passages in the Indian Ocean; they were due for their one year service. Our only issue had been a small section on the foot of the genoa where the UV strip had pulled up from the base seam with the main body of the sail; this was duly replaced with a slightly heavier UV strip. Other than that not a single fault, all of the sails were still in excellent condition and ready to take on further duty. Excellence all around Looking back over the past fifteen months sailing with our North Sails NPL TOUR, we could not be happier. We have been struck by the extra performance they have given us and the ease of handling. Other cruisers who notice the laminates have questioned us and we can do nothing but sing their praises and recommend them for cruisers seeking performance. And as for the North Sails service, as can be expected with quality sails it has been nothing short of excellent. In their next waterlog Tom and Susie share some tips on how to get the best out of your sails and techniques for open ocean cruising. © Tom Partridge READ MORE

BERTA-CARRARO E NORTH SAILS: UN INIZIO DI STAGIONE IN GRANDE STILE Hyeres - Elena Berta e Sveva Carraro, atlete rispettivamente del C.C. Aniene e dell'Aeronautica Militare, sono reduci da un quinto posto overall nella World Cup Series di Hyeres, ottenuto anche grazie all'affermazione nella Medal Race. In regata con i profili North Sails, le due atlete della squadra azzurra hanno chiacchierato con noi in merito alla loro esperienza in 470 e all'imminente Campionato Europeo di Montecarlo. Elena, Sveva, da quanto tempo avete iniziato l'esperienza in 470 insieme? E: È ormai un anno e mezzo che regatiamo insieme: abbiamo iniziato ad agosto 2015. Le vostre esperienze, in termini di Classi Olimpiche, sono simili? S: Ci sono dei punti in comune, ma il percorso formativo è stato in realtà molto diverso: Elena ha fatto esperienza in Optimist, 420 e 470, mentre io provengo dal mondo del Moth Europa, che ho iniziato a circa tredici anni perché anche da piccolina ero già abbastanza prestante a livello fisico. Poi ho fatto la scelta di passare al 470. L'inizio di stagione è stato per voi ottimo e a Hyeres è arrivata un'altra bella soddisfazione: in cosa è consistita la vostra preparazione invernale che vi ha poi portato a vincere l'Italiano e a ottenere il quinto posto sia a Palma de Maiorca che in Francia? E: Durante l'inverno abbiamo scelto di fare una preparazione centrata sulla crescita del nostro binomio, quindi dopo alcuni allenamenti con il gruppo della Nazionale ci siamo concentrate più su noi stesse, anche grazie al supporto del nostro allenatore Paolo Mariotti, lavorando sui nostri punti deboli e sulla nostra sincronia. I risultati si sono visti: è tangibile il fatto che siamo riuscite a colmare alcune lacune che con la preparazione fatta insieme a altri equipaggi non riuscivamo a risolvere. C'è poi stato tanto lavoro anche sulla preparazione fisica, che sta portando ottimi frutti: in questo caso, la scelta della preparatrice è stata affidata in toto a Sveva e oggi siamo seguite dalla bravissima Francesca Keper. I nostri circoli ci forniscono un supporto essenziale nella preparazione, così come gli sponsor tecnici che seguono la nostra attività. Quali sono i vostri punti di forza e su cosa, invece, c'è margine di miglioramento? S: Anche a fronte di come sono andati i primi eventi di stagione, mi sento di dire che abbiamo una buona velocità in bolina e spesso le scelte tattiche si rivelano vincenti. Stiamo migliorando sulle partenze, che per noi sono sempre state un punto critico, e dovremo continuare a lavorare sulle andature portanti dove i margini di miglioramento sono notevoli. La vostra attività è seguita anche da North Sails, tra l'altro fornitrice delle vostre vele: com'è lavorare a così stretto contatto con una veleria? E: Quella di continuare a lavorare con North Sails è stata una scelta facile, anche dettata dal fatto che, in un momento di crescita dell'equipaggio delicato come questo, anche i più piccoli dettagli fanno la differenza. La cura della barca, lo studio sulle vele, la scelta dei materiali non possono essere lasciati da parte. Con North Sails siamo tranquille perché abbiamo la garanzia di avere materiali di prima qualità e, soprattutto, i prodotti consegnati, pur essendo tecnicamente differenti l'uno dall'altro, sono sempre simili, per cui non si deve impazzire per capire come sfruttarne a pieno le potenzialità e trovare il setting ottimale. Un grande aiuto ci arriva dal nostro velaio di riferimento Giulio Desiderato, amico ed allenatore che ci dispensa sempre ottimi consigli: stare con North Sails garantisce un rapporto di fiducia. E' una costante che accomuna tutto il nostro mix di fornitori. In Italia il 420 è sempre molto attivo, voi siete un equipaggio che è di ispirazione per tanti giovanissimi nel mondo della vela: vi sentite di dare un messaggio a tutti coloro che scelgono di approcciarsi alla vela olimpica? S: Sicuramente, prima di tutto, bisogna avere tanta pazienza, nel senso che la Classe Olimpica richiede costanza, voglia e impegno. Non bisogna scoraggiarsi se, inizialmente, come spesso succede, i risultati non arrivano subito o arrivano in modo scostante: ci si trova a regatare con gente che lavora sodo curando ogni piccolo dettaglio, non a caso si tratta di professionisti a tutti gli effetti. È comunque un ambiente molto bello, dove lo sport è il centro di tutto, dove gli stimoli sono tantissimi anche grazie al livello alto delle flotte. E: Bisogna anche scegliere il tecnico ed il gruppo di allenamento giusti, perché il passaggio dalla classe giovanile a quella Olimpica è molto forte, quindi è necessario avere a fianco una persona che sia in grado di accompagnare l'atleta in questo percorso. READ MORE

Thornburg and crew reach Hawaii, finish Trans-pacific crossing in record time © Rachel Fallon-Langdon In the darkest hour of Tuesday morning, Lloyd Thornburg and his crew aboard Phaedo3 sailed past Diamond Head Lighthouse buoy at 4:32:18am local time. The team raced their maxi trimaran from Los Angeles to Hawaii to set a new record, shaving roughly an hour off the previous time. Yet to be ratified by the WSSRC, Phaedo3‘s new time-to-beat is 3 days, 16 hours, 52 minutes and 03 seconds. Upon reaching the dock, owner-driver Lloyd Thornburg said, “An unbelievable trip! Can’t believe we actually broke the record! This was the most difficult sail of my life. Everything went our way and the team put out a super human effort in order to keep the boat moving at nearly 30 knots through the entire trip. We are all excited for a well deserved rest and some sight seeing in Hawaii…” Lloyd joined his crew of Brian Thompson, Fletcher Kennedy, Justin Slattery, Pete Cumming, Henry Bomby and David Swete for the record-setting crossing. The team hoisted North Sails 3Di RAW and 3Di FORCE sails built this year. READ MORE