NORTH SAILS BLOG

GRAEME TAYLOR WINS ETCHELLS AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP The Australian Etchells championship has been run and won for another year. North Sails would like to congratulate The Magpie AUS 947 team of Graeme Taylor, James Mayo and Steve Jarvin on a very consistent regatta in not very consistent conditions. And also Iain Murray and John Bertrand on their 2nd & 3rd places, showing the depth of the Australian fleet. The Magpie team was behind the eight ball from the start with Mothy having travel issues and not turning up till later in the regatta and GT flat out and turning up on the first day of racing. North Sails delivered a full new card of sails to the boys for the regatta which they pulled up for the first time on the way to race one. GT kindly thanked Cocko and the North Sails team “for again delivering consistent regatta winning sails straight out of the blue bags, no problem”, a testament to North Sails One Design culture. North customers took out the top 1,2,3*,4,5,6,8,9 in the regatta with all of our models featuring in the results. From my point of view on Tango, the versatility of the sails is a key feature. We have used the same models on the boat at the the flat water Cowes Worlds as we did for the bump on the Palm Beach Circle for the Australian, with many commenting on our speed edge. Versatile designs is our one design goals and North’s results at both the worlds and Australians highlight this point. Hope to see you all at the next event and working with you all as we lead into a very exciting couple of years of Etchells sailing in Australia. Please get in contact if you have any questions regarding anything Etchells. Report by Sam Haines, Melbourne, Australia READ MORE

Record breaker and legend in the making, Thomas Coville, joined North Sails at their 60th Anniversary Dinner in Lisbon, Portugal last week. Thomas was a surprise guest of honor for the 200+ in attendance during North Sails first-ever global sales meeting. On Christmas Day, Thomas cemented his name in sailing’s history books by breaking the solo around the world record, chopping eight days off the record last set by Francis Joyon in 2011. At the completion of this incredible feat, Thomas’ North 3Di mainsail had 75,000 nm on it. That’s equivalent to three laps around the world. Thomas shares North Sails’ passion for speed and the brand’s appetite for pushing the limits of what is possible. He thanked North Sails for believing in his dream, “I want to thank North Sails for trusting in me,” said Thomas. “It’s easy to find people to trust you after the idea works, but North Sails was with me from the start. And that is why I am here today. With our project, with our dreams, you prove there is nothing and no one who can stop you if you have a dream.” North Sails is honored to be onboard with Thomas, and we are excited to see what he dreams up next. READ MORE

Inaugural Excellence in Leadership Awards presented at North Sails “Meet in the Middle” Global Meeting North Sails celebrates 60 Years in Business Founded by Lowell North in 1957, North Sails is the leader in sailmaking technology and innovation. In celebrating our rich history, the brand’s inaugural Excellence in Leadership Awards were presented at the North Sails global sales meeting in Lisbon Portugal. It was Lowell North’s philosophy that great sailors made great business people, and he famously dubbed his leadership team “The Tigers.” The first two recipients, Robin Morgan and Tom (Tomac) McLaughlin are examples that have proven Lowell spot on. Sailing legend and North Technology Group CEO Tom Whidden presented the first award of the evening to Robin Morgan. In Tom’s words, Robin was “one of the best salesmen who has ever been at North Sails. He is the kind of guy our brand is about.” Robin has a considerable history with North Sails, first as a customer in 1967, and then hired by Dick Deaver in 1978. He joined North Sails at a time when the brand was fighting for their position in the industry. Upon accepting his award, Robin noted, “North Sails is always trying to do better than anybody. This company is incredible because we’re determined to stay number one, always be number one and I really enjoy my association with North Sails.” The second award of the evening was presented by Mike Toppa, to his mentor Tom (Tomac) McLaughlin. Tomac is one of Lowell’s original Tigers, having joined the San Diego loft on the handwork bench. Like Robin, Tomac is renowned as one of the best salesmen in the history of North. On the 60th Anniversary of North and the trend to push speed records and sail limits, Tomac reflected on change. “Change is always a bit shocking and a bit frightening,” he remarked, “Yet change will always be there and with change brings opportunity. As market leaders, North Sails is never sheltered from that. I know Lowell would be so proud of all the competence in this room tonight.” Everyone at North Sails congratulates our first two Excellence in Leadership award recipients. Robin and Tomac have set the bar high, and we look forward to giving this annual award out in the future. READ MORE

IDEC SPORT Wins Jules Verne Trophy for Fastest Circumnavigation on Record Another entry in the sailing logbook. On Thursday, January 26 at 0749hrs Francis Joyon’s team on IDEC SPORT completed their east-about circumnavigation of the globe, finishing in 40 days and 23 hours. This groundbreaking elapsed time is four days under the Jules Verne Record set in January 2012 by Loïck Peyron and his crew on the VPLP-designed trimaran Banque Populaire V. Lead by renowned offshore sailor Francis Joyon, and his crew of Bernard Stamm, Alex Pella, Sébastien Audigane, Clément Surtel and Gwénolé Gahinet, the 31.5m VPLP-designed trimaran IDEC SPORT averaged 22.84kn over their 40-day adventure. Rather than chasing fronts, this crew rode them as fast as the wind, peaking on their 14th day when they covered 894nm averaging 37.3kn in 24 hours. With their Jules Verne record, the crew joins an elite group of eight prior record holders. Their official time of 40 days, 23 hours and 30 seconds will now stand as the time to beat. Francis Joyon is one of many legendary offshore sailors who entrust their sail design and manufacture to North Sails. Working with the team in Vannes, France and collaborating specifically with North Sails experts Quentin Ponroy and Yann Reginiau, Joyon pushed off the dock with a selection of new and old sails. Two key sails, the mainsail and gennaker, were built in 2016. The mainsail is North Sails 3Di ENDURANCE, a durable and high-performance option, while the gennaker is 3Di FORCE, a new application of 3Di technology specific to downwind sails. The J3 and J1 headsails were built in 2015 and were used on IDEC’s Jules Verne attempt that year, making this latest circumnavigation their second lap of the globe. The J2, the oldest sail on the boat, was built in 2014 for Banque Populaire VII and has served well for two Jules Verne attempts plus a Route du Rhum and return transatlantic. It is rare that Francis decided only to take one gennaker. On their 2015 Jules Verne attempt the IDEC team brought two – one 3Di and one made of Cuben Fibre. Joyon’s confidence in 3Di grew, and soon they were convinced they did not need a spare. When asked which sail in the IDEC inventory is his favorite, Francis replies: “It is, of course, the mainsail which is the principal motor of the boat and which is used 100% of the time, of which 95% of the time with the full mainsail up. Then there is the J1 which Quentin designed for us last year. This sail perfectly completes the inventory of the boat.” “The J1 is a downwind sail in strong winds as a little gennaker, but also an upwind sail in lighter winds,” Quentin explained. “The Ultime trimarans are very big and their sails are hard to maneuver, so to minimize changes the J1 can double as a smaller gennaker.” Currently, North Sails is manufacturing a new J1 for the team for The Bridge, a new crewed regatta in June which starts in St Nazaire, France, and goes across the Atlantic to finish in New York, USA. In the past two years, North Sails clients have broken nearly every milestone in offshore sailing while using 3Di sails. In addition to the Jules Verne record of Francis Joyon and his IDEC crew, just in the past four weeks, we have seen Thomas Coville smash the singlehanded around-the-world record in 49 days, and Armel Le Cléac’h set the east-about monohull and singlehanded monohull around-the-world record in 74 days. READ MORE

Celebrated solo sailors Jean-Pierre Dick, Jean Le Cam and Yann Eliés close in on Les Sab with a mere 80 miles between them. On Wednesday morning, January 25th Jean-Pierre Dick led a pack of three toward the Vendée Globe finish line off Les Sables d’Olonne. His foil-clad IMOCA 60 StMichel-Virbac was first to reach the lighter winds off the coast of Brittany and hence the first to tack toward the finish. In this situation we do not always envy the leader. Because the the two skippers chasing Jean-Pierre had not yet hit the weather, Yann Eliès on Quéguiner-Leucémie Espoir and Jean Le Cam on Finistère Mer Vent slowly closed the distance he had worked so hard to put between them. The trio have battled in close proximity since rounding Cape Horn, Jean-Pierre patiently defending his lead through tantalizing weather systems off the coast of Argentina and further North as he crossed the equator with Eliés and Le Cam close behind. As of this morning they were less than 100 miles from the finish with only 80 miles between them. In the end Jean-Pierre defended his lead with determination and finished first at 1347hrs UTC, welcomed by a sea of fans, friends and his family on a partly cloudy afternoon. He finished in 80 days 1 hour 45 minutes and 45 seconds. Later this afternoon, Yann Elies on Quéguiner-Leucémie Espoir is due to become the first non-foiler of the 2016 fleet to finish. Local legend Jean Le Cam is close behind. From the nav bench, the skippers reported to the North Sails team on the performance of their sails. “The real surprise was the little gennaker that I used like a code zero and which allowed me every time, during each transition, to build the difference between Jean and I,” explained Yann Eliés. “We had some transition periods where I was successful in getting more out of the change and the weak conditions than he. I think he even talked about this in one of his videos when he saw the sail through his binoculars.” Yann, Jean, and Jean-Pierre have worked with the North Sails team in France for many years. For this Vendée Globe, an inventory of North Sails 3Di ENDURANCE, 3Di RAW, and NPL SPORT sails was developed for each of their IMOCA 60s. Extending a friendly shout-out to North designer Yann Reginiau, Jean Le-Cam wrote from onboard Finistère Mer Vent, “Knowing Yann, I never doubted for a second that my sails would not be powerful. Everything is absolutely perfect. Aside from the mainsail (which is a given), I have used the J2 a lot. It’s the sail with the largest range of use.” From all of us at North Sails: Congratulations Jean-Pierre, Yann, and Jean on a safe and successful Vendée Globe! We are glad you found some company along the way. READ MORE

Last week 99 boats invaded the city of Key West, USA to kick off a new year of sailing. Competitors reported tough competition in each division at Quantum Key West Race Week, and ideal conditions for matching up against top-of-the-line sailors in each fleet. The constant drive for boat speed provided individual successes for many within each class. Tim Healy and his J70 team New England Ropes. 1st Place! True to form, the J/70 class composed the largest of the event with 42 boats. Led by North Sails-powered New England Ropes with 60 points after 12 races, North clients sailed well to claim four of the top five places; Carlo Alberini’s Calvi Network in 3rd, Brian Keane’s Savasana in 4th and Joel Ronning’s Catapult in 5th overall. Another stand-out fleet in Key West this year was the Flying Tiger 7.5, where seven teams enrolled in the North U Regatta Experience program. The experience includes a pre-regatta clinic and entry to the regatta, which featured a dedicated one-design start for a unique, and competitive, group of sailors. Arriving with a crew ready to improve, coupled with onboard coaching and on/off-water sessions results in a great offshore one-design experience. Nigel Brownett’s team with Jahn Tihansky and coach Andrew Kerr dominated the Flying Tigers, followed by Brian Tyrell in 2nd, who’s team of Melges 24 refugees had a fresh experience of their own in the FT class. In a three-way tie for 3rd, Rachel Bryer’s team came out on top of Guy Williams’ crew in 4th. North U director Bill Gladstone was joined by North Sails expert Mike Marshall, who coached Rachel Bryer and crew for the event. “Our partners in the Regatta Experience program – 1D Sailing Academy – have provided a great fleet of boats and support; we’re excited to continue the North U Regatta Experience program at St. Pete NOOD and Bacardi Miami Race Week,” said Bill. “We all met for the first time at this event to grasp the “know how” of the Flying Tiger, and got to race together to develop the teamwork and welcome new friendships. Our coach, Rod Favela, did a fantastic job helping us to function better every day, not just on the maneuvers but on the analysis of the race course and improving our feeling of the boat (balance, search for speed, pointing, etc.). The video sessions led by Bill Gladstone after sailing carried lots of integrated analysis, and he opens the floor for sharing experience and expertise between boats.” -Elizabeth Pattey, helm of Flying Tiger, bow 03 The TP52 class made their Key West debut to mark the start of their 2017 Super Series. Among the crews were a handful of North Sails experts. Sailing on Bronenosec was Paul Westlake, who remarked on the level of competition on the course. “Every point counts. As always, the fleet was tight and we went into the final day with roughly seven points between the top six boats,” he recalled. “We are thinking big picture at the start of the series. So far no one has made a clear breakthrough – it’s all on for Miami”. Last week’s ten races came down to a three-way tie for 2nd place. Also enjoying the racing were North clients Pete Wagner of Skeleton Key and Martin Roesch of Velocity, who finished 1st and 3rd respectively in the J/111 class. Thank you to the Storm Trysail Club, race committee staff and regatta organizers for a fantastic week! READ MORE

Jeremie Beyou completes Vendée Globe podium on North-Powered Maitre Coq French skipper Jérémie Beyou finished the Vendée Globe today on his IMOCA Maitre COQ, at 7:40 pm local time after 79 days at sea. Beyou has participated in this iconic singlehanded around-the-world race twice before, in 2008 and 2012, and on his third participation he finished in third place behind race winner Armel Le Cléac’h and second place finisher Alex Thompson. On the foredeck of Maitre COQ after reaching Nouch Sud, Jeremie told reporters, “After all the challenges of this race, to finish third is awesome!” Later he followed with, “Since this morning I have relaxed, after 78 days, we are very comfortable, I took advantage of it.” Past winner of La Solitaire du Figaro, Jeremie is an experienced offshore sailor, and this Vendée Globe race has put his experience to the test. Shortly after his departure from Les Sables d’Olonne on November 6th, Jérémie lost the use of two autopilots. Later his fleet antenna broke which prevented him from receiving regular weather updates. He kept rolling with the punches, and recalled today, “When my mainsail hook broke, I almost gave up. It was pitch dark, and I told myself I would never be able to repair it. Afterward, I don’t know where I got the energy, but I managed to do it. Each decent maneuver is a victory, and you have to be pleased about that.” Jérémie sailed a total of 27,101 nautical miles before reaching Nouch Sud. His average speed was 14.43 knots, his top distance in 24 hours was 504 miles (November 21, averaging 21 knots boat speed). The 8th Vendée Globe started on the 6th November from Les Sables d’Olonne. 22 of 29 skippers left the dock with North Sails onboard, and Jeremie Beyou’s Maitre COQ is one of 13 boats with complete North Sails inventories. View North Sails coverage of the Vendée Globe, featuring commentary from the North team and brand ambassador, Sam Davies, on our dedicated race webpage. READ MORE

Armel Le Cléac’h reaches Nouch Sud, makes Vendée Globe history under North 3Di sails In likely the most breathtaking finish of the Vendée Globe singlehanded around-the-world race, Armel Le Cléac’h and his IMOCA Banque Populaire VIII finished just hours ahead of his fierce competitor, Alex Thomson on Hugo Boss. After 74 days at sea, both boats will finish within the east-about circumnavigation record set by Francois Gabart in 2013. Armel reached the iconic finish buoy “Nouch Sud” at 4:30pm on Thursday, January 19, 2017. Today thousands of sailing fans will line the channel in Les Sables d’Olonne to welcome him, having successfully completed his third Vendée Globe race, this time stealing the win and securing a new world record for the fastest circumnavigation by a singlehanded sailor on a monohull 74 days, 3 hours, 35 minutes, 46 seconds (yet to be ratified). 100 miles behind, Alex Thomson was close on his heels in hot pursuit of an epic comeback. The world watched in anticipation as the pair worked their way North through the complex patterns of the Atlantic, with Alex slowly chipping away at Armel’s lead. But Armel, known to his fellow sailors as the Jackal for his unrelenting pace, knew he would have to work hard for this win, as all Vendée skippers do. After he finished second to François Gabart in 2013 by a mere three hours, Armel knows that every minute counts in this marathon event. The Vendée Globe is above all a voyage to the ends of the sea and deep down into the sailor’s soul. It has been won by some of the greatest names in sailing: Titouan Lamazou, Alain Gautier, Christophe Auguin, Vincent Riou, Michel Desjoyeaux and François Gabart. Perhaps their fellow competitor on Spirit of Hungary, Nandor Fa, said it best on Tuesday when he called into Vendée Live from the South Atlantic for an interview: “I’ve watched these guys match race round the world and what they’ve done has been fantastic,” he added. “Both of them deserve to win because their performances have been incredible.” Armel has worked closely with the North Sails team in France over the past five years, and for the 2016-17 Vendée Globe, an eight sail inventory including 3Di RAW, 3Di FORCE and NPL DOWNWIND was developed for Banque Populaire VIII. Before the race start on November 6, 2016, Armel reported: “After the last Vendée, I had a good idea of what I would do for the next boat. Looking back it is now radically different, and I feel confident about our choices because of all the design and testing work that has gone into it. The sails match the boat and my way of sailing, and I’m happy with the performance and durability – it’s a well-rounded inventory for this race.” Alex Thompson on Hugo Boss is due to finish this evening. He will soon be followed by Jeremie Beyou on Maitre Coq who is roughly 700nm from the finish. As for the tight trio of Yann Elies, Jen-Pierre Dick and Jean Le Cam, they have just under 2,000nm to go with roughly 20 miles between them – this will get interesting! Congratulations to Armel from all of us at North Sails, third time’s a charm! Now please, get some rest! READ MORE

Neptune Grants Prime Conditions for 2016 Sydney – Hobart North Sails clients reap the benefits of fastest Rolex Sydney – Hobart Yacht Race on record The 2016 Sydney To Hobart was raced in an amazing weather pattern that allowed 3 boats to break the course record set by Wild Oats in 2012 (18 hours and 23 minutes and 12 seconds). The year proved a successful installment for North clients as well, who claimed 1st and 2nd line honours; 1st, 2nd and 3rd in IRC and 1st and 3rd in ORCi. Early finishers were led by Anthony Bell’s Perpetual Loyal, which took line honors and slashed 4.5 hrs off the record, while Jim Delegate‘s Giacomo was granted the coveted Tattersalls Trophy for placing first in IRC, and Bin Wang’s team UBox claimed ORCi (we look forward to seeing more of this crew in the upcoming Volvo Ocean Race!). Perpetual Loyal finally got to show her true potential after abandoning mid-race in 2013 and 2014. North Sails Expert Alby Pratt manages the sail program for the team out of the loft in Sydney and joined the crew for the race south. ”The 2016 race was fantastic. This was my 21st race and the most enjoyable conditions by far. The heavy downwind stretch we had on the first afternoon allowed us to use our massive running spinnaker to good effect. This sail was built for the boat last year to improve her achilles heel which was VMG running, and we developed a custom Cuben Fibre cloth for the project. The sail kept us within striking distance of the Oats until transitioning on the first night,” said Alby, who sailed on Wild Oats in 2015 and has overseen the sail inventories for both programs over the years. Due to a more powerful hull shape and higher displacement, Perpetual Loyal is always at a disadvantage to her maxi competitor Wild Oats in the fresh running conditions the fleet experienced at the outset. The crew were happy to report a noted improvement while using the newly developed North Sails NPL DOWNWIND runner. On the morning of the 27th, Perpetual Loyal showed what she could do in the moderate reaching conditions, gaining distance on Wild Oats until the yachts were a beam. Unfortunately, around this time, Wild Oats suffered a keel ram failure and the crew were no longer able to cant the keel – a maneuver granting added righting moment, and a key component to Wild Oats’ safe and effective performance. The team was forced to abandon their charge for line honors and the new course record. Perpetual Loyal charged on as the breeze became lighter on the afternoon of the 27th. The crew hoisted the boats new NPL DOWNWIND A3 reacher which was purpose built for this year’s race. Designed to capitalize on the boats powerful reaching ability it allowed Loyal to sail away from Scallywag and the next group of boats behind which included the fast finishing Volvo 70’s Blackjack and Maserati who were also reveling in the reaching conditions. Loyal’s sails were designed by JB Braun, who is based in Massachusetts, USA and designs many high-profile projects for North Sails including super maxi Comanche, the latest J-Cass performance inventory, and sits on the Aero design group for ORACLE Team USA. JB worked closely with Alby and Loyal’s Sailing Master on Perpetual Loyal, Tony Mutter, to design a sail that would push the boat’s reaching ability to maximum advantage. By dusk on the 27th the breeze had swung aft, enough to hoist the A2 running sail for the last stretch into Tasman light. “Perfect conditions up the Derwent was icing on the cake, we had an amazing race,” said Alby Jim Delegat and his New Zealand team on Giacomo were second over the line holding off the much bigger Scallywag and taking out IRC honors. Giacomo also flew North Sails 3Di sails with Richard Bicknell from North Sails in New Zealand among the crew. Bin Wang’s U box was a late campaign for the race and her victory in ORCi is a fantastic result for the team. U Box was led by Charles Caudrelier of Dongfeng Racing, who took the opportunity to trial and train with crew for the Volvo Ocean Race, starting this October in Alicante, Spain. U Box had a new North Sails 3Di RAW mainsail and 3Di ENDURANCE headsails, fitted days earlier on Christmas Eve. North Sails Expert Billy Sykes managed the sail order for U Box and, after sending them off, hopped on board Matt Allen’s Ichi Ban which took 3rd in IRC. Ichi Ban also reveled in the fresh running conditions and at the entrance to Storm Bay was leading the IRC standings. Unfortunately for Matt and his team including round-the-world veteran Gordon Maguire, the notoriously fickle Storm Bay did not want to play and they could only watch as the distance they had gained evaporated with the breeze. No doubt, the 2016 Rolex Sydney-Hobart course record will be broken in the future as faster and faster boats are designed and built every year. The conditions in 2016 were ideal for high-speed ocean sailing – and the competitors jumped off the line to reap the benefits. The big question is, how long will we wait for King Neptune to grant these prime conditions again? Time will tell, and we’ll be ready! READ MORE

DRAGON CASCAIS WINTER SERIES ACT THREE Top three powered by North Sails Congratulations to the top three Dragons at the third event in the Cascais Winter Series – all were powered by North Sails . In first was Lawrie Smith’s ‘Monday’ GBR801, he raced with North Sails Hugo Rocha on board. Second place was Andrey Kirilyuk on ‘Strange Little Girl’ RUS76 and third Klaus Diedricht’s ‘Fever’ GBR758 with Jamie Lea on board. Also congratulations go out to the first Corinthian boat, in 5th place overall, Benjamin Morgen’s ‘Rosie’ GER1180. The date for the 4th round of the Cascais Winter Series is 10th Feb. Thanks to Richard Pinto for the photo www.rspinto.com READ MORE

On January 3rd 2017, the North Sails Australia licensed operation was purchased by North Technology Group. In line with the ethos of North Sails Group, the purchase of the renowned Sydney loft will enhance the customer experience. It will ensure that whilst benefitting from the shared technology, greater efficiencies and wealth of knowledge from within the Group, the core of the business is still understanding the local culture and sailor. As a result, Managing Director Michael Coxon and his team at North Sails Australia will now be spending more time on their core business of selling and servicing sails than ever before. Michael Coxon, Managing Director, North Sails Australia: “Over my 33 years as a North Sails loft manager I have benefited from, and enjoyed, great relationships and experiences with my peers both on and off the water. During this time, I have observed and participated in a lot of change and challenges in our company and industry. Over my tenure, North Sails Australia has been a viable operation, keeping the North Sails name and brand at the forefront of Australia’s sailing market. As North Sails is the only truly international vertically integrated sailmaking company, to me it is a logical step forward for North Sails Australia to proceed into the future under the secure umbrella of our parent company. This shall offer long term security and direction to our loyal and experienced staff and as we truly work as one, provide our clients with the best products, service and value into the future.” North Sails Australia is the country’s leading sailmaker with a diverse market ranging from dinghy, One Design, 18′ Skiffs, cruising, racing, Grand Prix and Maxis. Dating back to when Australia defended the America’s Cup in Fremantle in 1987, North Sails Australia was the sailmaker of choice, supplying both the Bond and Kookaburra defense challenges and building some 323 panel America’s Cup sails for the Cup. Since then, the loft has continued to be at the forefront of campaigns and teams from the America’s Cup all the way through to around the cans racers and offshore racing, dominating the fleet in classic blue water races such as the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race. Ken Read, President North Sails Group: “North Sails Australia is a world-renowned sail facility. We take very seriously the notion of ‘think global, act local’ and we feel that with this latest addition to the North Sails Group of centrally owned lofts we are doing exactly that. We fully understand that each individual loft is as much about the people, relationships and local knowledge as it is about our products. In working more closely with Michael and his team, we allow them to further enhance our customers’ experience and ensure that everyone gets the best possible sail, and sailing experience. We are delighted to welcome Australia into the Group and look forward to all that we can achieve together.” North-powered Perpetual Loyal running with a custom A2 built at the Sydney Loft, on her way to breaking the Sydney – Hobart course record on December 28, 2016. READ MORE

Mental state has a lot to do with performance. Races have unexpected twists that lead to situations you weren’t expecting, and maintaining a positive mind state can be tough when days on the water are long. Getting plenty of rest, staying hydrated, and staying organized are all key components to a fun, successful regatta. When tensions are high and competition is tough, remember the big picture – for every race start there is a finish, and getting stuck on the details can affect the entire team. We caught up with North Sails Expert Mike Marshall, 2016 J22 World Champion and nominee for 2016 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, and asked him how he does it. We asked Mike: How do you maintain intensity while keeping the mood light? READ MORE

With a long week ahead in Key West, North Sails will be on site and at your service to keep you having fun on (and off ) the water! Our goal is to provide expert repairs and maintenance in a timely manner. Your sails are a major investment, and we’re committed to helping you maximize their performance and lifespan. With our service location being on Stock Island, our North van is on call and ready when you are for immediate pick-ups from your dock locations. Keep our numbers on speed dial and as soon as you get in we can come to you! Since we all know parking isn’t easy, the van will be making rounds to assist everyone and anyone in need. Florida Keys Community College in Stock Island 5901 College Rd, Key West, FL 33040 Yana – 631-805-4949 Alexei – 954-663-4556 Every sail serviced by North Sails undergoes a thorough inspection designed to identify maintenance issues early, so they do not become major problems later on. Our unmatched worldwide network means you get the same quality service whether you’re at home or at a regatta. As soon as you know you will be needing service, don’t hesitate to call us and we will be there, at your service! READ MORE

CONSEILS POUR L'ENTRETIEN DES VOILES Mieux vaut prévenir que guérir ! L'entretien des voiles est facile et rapide ; les quelques précautions d'usage que nous vous présentons ci-dessous augmenteront considérablement la durée de vie et les performances de vos voiles. Evitez le fasseyement Un des meilleurs moyens pour préserver la forme et augmenter la durée de vie de vos voiles est de limiter au maximum le fasseyement qui fatigue le tissu et dégrade inévitablement la voile. Ce conseil vaut aussi bien pour le fasseyement dans les manoeuvres que pour celui lié à un mauvais réglage du nerf de chute (tension insuffisante). Respectez la plage d'utilisation de la voile Utiliser une voile au delà de la plage d'utilisation pour laquelle elle a été conçue est également tout à fait déconseillé. Il faut donc respecter les préconisations de votre voilerie et éventuellement les noter sur la voile afin que tout l'équipage les connaisse et les applique. Protégez les voiles du ragage Le ragage est un autre ennemi des voiles. Tout contact prolongé de la voile avec le bateau ou le gréement conduira nécessairement à une usure prématurée. Protégez donc tout ce que qui est possible (ridoirs, barres de flèche, chandeliers, balcons, etc...) et évitez les manipulations brutales des voiles sur le pont et les pontons. Protégez les voiles du soleil Le soleil (et plus précisément les UV) affaiblit le tissu à voiles et conduit à terme à sa destruction. Pensez donc à protéger vos voiles des UV dès que vous ne les utilisez plus. Soit en les mettant à l'abri, soit en utilisant un dispositif de protection approprié (taud, bande anti-UV, fourreau de génois etc...). Stockez vos voiles pliées dans un endroit sec Quand elles ne sont pas utilisées stockez vos voiles au sec, dessalées, et pliées dans leurs sacs. Essayez de ne pas toujours retomber dans les mêmes plis. Il est en effet préférable d'avoir plus de plis légers qui s'estomperont en navigation que toujours les mêmes plus qui deviendront permanents. La plupart des voiles One Design (monotypes dériveurs et quillards de sport) vieilliront mieux si elles sont roulées dans leurs sacs. Concernant les spis il est important de bien les faire sécher avant de les stocker dans leurs sacs car sinon les couleurs foncées risquent de passer et le tissu de moisir. GUIDE D'ENTRETIEN DES TISSUS North Sails utilisent les meilleurs tissus pour vous offrir des performances et une tenue de forme de très haut niveau. Vous trouverez ci-dessous quelques conseils pour vous permettre de conserver vos voiles plus longtemps. Mylar® Les voiles que l'on appelle Mylar® sont en fait des voiles où un film Mylar® est collé (laminé) à des fibres Polyester de différents modules. Ce sont de bonnes voiles Club. Attention cependant à: respecter la plage d'utilisation de la voile ne pas utiliser de génois sans protection de barres de flèches éviter le fasseyement ne pas surtendre le guindant éloigner la voile de toute source de chaleur (ex : moteur) Kevlar® Le Kevlar® est exceptionnellement résistant pour son poids. Ce qui explique pourquoi on le retrouve si souvent dans les voiles de régate où ses qualités de résistance à l'allongement permettent de retarder la déformation. Il a cependant quelques ennemis : le fasseyement qui va casser la chute, les impacts qui risquent de percer le film Mylar, et l'eau de Javel. Dacron® Le Dacron® se compose à 100% de fibres Polyester, dans la trame et la chaine. Ce tissu est imprégné de résine, indispensable pour le stabiliser dans le biais (+/- 45°) et le protéger des rayons UV. Si votre voile est fortement imprégnée, nous vous conseillons de NE PAS la plier mais plutôt de la rouler. Pour le lavage, nous recommandons l'emploi d'eau et de savon doux, éviter les produits chimiques forts et les solvants. Ne nettoyez pas la surface de vos voiles à l'aide de brosses agressives ou de jet d'eau sous pression. Cela risquerait d'endommager la finition. Nylon Quasiment toutes les voiles de portant sont fabriquées en Nylon, très populaire en raison de sa légèreté et de sa solidité. Il est cependant fragile à la déchirure il faut donc faire attention lors des manœuvres. Si vous faites un léger accroc vous pouvez le réparer provisoirement avec de l'insignia mais pensez ensuite à ramener la voile dans une voilerie North pour une réparation plus sérieuse. Contact avec l'eau de Javel à proscrire absolument. Comment éviter la moisissure ? Aérez régulièrement vos voiles, surtout lorsque elles ont été mouillées, notamment par la pluie. Par exemple en dépliant les voiles pour une heure un jour de beau temps. L'exposition au soleil n'est pas une mauvaise idée en soi mais elle pose d'autres problèmes. Ne stockez pas votre voile si elle est encore humide ou salée (le sel attire et retient la moisissure). Si vous n'utilisez pas votre bateau pour au moins trois semaines, démontez vos voiles ou demandez à quelqu'un « de les faire respirer » surtout s'il a plu. Comment traiter la moisissure ? Intervenez dès que possible sans quoi la moisissure risque de se propager rapidement. Il y a de grandes chances de pouvoir se débarrasser des traces quand elles sont restreintes, qu'elles viennent d'apparaître et qu'elles sont toujours en surface. C'est bien moins évident lorsque la moisissure est dans les fibres. Isolez les voiles, cordages, housses, etc... des voiles intactes car la moisissure se développe vite. Le produit anti-moisissure le plus connu est tout simplement l'eau de Javel diluée à environ 3%. ATTENTION: NE PAS UTILISER D'EAU DE JAVEL SUR LE KEVLAR® OU LE NYLON. Après avoir utilisé de l'eau de Javel, toujours rincer soigneusement à l'eau claire. L'eau de Javel mal rincée fera à long terme plus de mal que quelques tâches de moisissure. Pour les tâches les plus tenaces, un simple nettoyage de surface n'est pas suffisant. Dans ce cas faites baigner la tâche au moins 12 h dans une solution contenant un fongicide; il n'est pas forcément nécessaire d'utiliser une solution très concentrée, simplement il faut que le produit atteigne la tâche. Le bain est vraiment la meilleure solution et si cela n'est pas efficace, abandonnez. Notre expérience montre que trop insister dans le traitement de la moisissure crée des dommages collatéraux sur la voile. CHECK-LIST POUR L'INSPECTION DES VOILES Toutes les voiles qui sont entretenues dans une voilerie North Sails font l'objet d'une inspection minutieuse afin de repérer au plus tôt les petits soucis et les réparer avant que la voile ne soit réellement endommagée. Nous vous recommandons donc de nous confier vos voiles au moins une fois par an pour prolonger leur durée de vie et leur performance. Nous vous livrons ci-dessous un "petit guide de la bonne inspection" : Vérifiez les sanglages ou oeillets de tête, amure, écoute et ris, l'usure due au ragage et aux UV. Vérifiez les points à la main Vérifiez les ralingues et autres systèmes de fixation du guindant Vérifiez l'usure des voiles au niveau des barres de flèches, haubans, chandeliers etc... Vérifiez les nerfs de chute et de bordure (fixation, taquets) Sur un génois enrouleur vérifiez la bande anti-UV (usure, solidité) Vérifiez les goussets de lattes (usure, coutures, qualité du velcro) Vérifiez le corps de la voile (tissu, jonctions, collage des numéros de voiles et bandes de visualisation du creux, état des fenêtres, renforts, pennons) Retourner la voile et reprenez les points ci-dessus Vérifiez les accessoires liés au voiles : chaussette à spi, tauds, etc... Vérifiez l'état des sacs, zip, sanglages, étiquettes... Une fois que tout est clair repliez votre voile et remettez la en sac ; sinon apportez la dans une voilerie North Sails. CERTIFIED SERVICE NORTH SAILS Que signifie le service North Sails pour vous ? Des standards de qualité Le service North Sails Certified permet à nos clients de bénéfécier de la technologie et de la compétence de la première voilerie au monde, et ce dans plus de 100 points de service aux quatres coins du monde. Toutes nos réparations sont effectuées rapidement dans les règles de l'art et reprennent les mêmes techniques de fabrication que celles utilisées en production. Des moyens Que ce soit une réparation rapide pour votre croisière estivale ou la régate du mercredi soir ou bien la recoupe d'une voile sur un yacht classique de 120', North Sails a les ressources humaines et matérielles pour vous servir au mieux. Une inspection en 10 points Toutes les voiles qui sont entretenues dans une voilerie North font l'objet d'une inspection minutieuse afin de repérer au plus tôt les petits soucis et les réparer avant que la voile ne soit réellement endommagée. Nous vous recommandons donc de nous confier vos voiles au moins une fois par an pour prolonger leur durée de vie et leur performance. Cas de la bande anti-UV Tous les marins savent combien les UV abîment les voiles. Si vous devez laisser votre génois enrouleur à poste faites installer une bande anti-UV en acrylique sur la chute et la bordure. Elle protégera durablement votre voile. Et faites la changer ou réparer si elle est endommagée ! NOS SERVICES HIVERNAUX "A LA CARTE" Proposés pour toutes les marques de voiles, en Suisse et en Méditerranée Contrôle complet « Certified Service » Service d'enlèvement des voiles sur le bateau Bateau à quai, voiles pliées dans leur sac, prêtes à emporter Avec un délai de 15 jours ouvrables Débâchage et re-bâchage du bateau, dégréement de la grand-voile ou génois sur son enrouleur. Remise en place de la grand-voile ou génois sur enrouleur Livraison Service de stockage pendant la saison hivernale Dans des locaux sécurisés et tempérés, inclus livraison aux chantiers navals ou aux ports Voiles pliées ou roulées Lavage Nettoyage, traitement anti-moisissure et tâches d'insectes. Rabais de 15% pour toutes les voiles North Sails Pack "Standard" Contrôle, expertise, stockage, livraison au port Pack "Plus" Désinstallation, contrôle, expertise, stockage, livraison au port MC LUBE SAILKOTE PLUS Qu'est ce que le McLube Sailkote Plus ? C'est une couche de Teflon appliquée par vaporisation sur la surface des voiles. La version « Plus » est enrichie d'un fongicide pour prévenir le développement de moisissures entre les laminés ou entre les renforts et la voile. Pourquoi North Sails propose le McLube Sailkote Plus ? Depuis plusieurs années, nous constatons les nombreux avantages apportés par ce produit, surtout pour les laminés taffetas et les nylons. Ce produit est susceptible d'améliorer la performance et la longévité de vos voiles, grâce aux avantages suivants. La voile absorbe moins d'eau et reste ainsi plus légère La voile absorbe moins d'eau et reste ainsi plus résistante, surtout pour les nylons La friction est fortement réduite permettant aux voiles enrouleurs de se stocker avec un diamètre de 30% inférieur donc moins de fardage La friction est fortement réduite et diminue ainsi les effets du ragage avec le gréement La voile reste plus propre et le fongicide combat la moisissure potentielle transportée par les gouttes de pluie Combien de temps le Sailkote Plus reste efficace ? En fonction de l'utilisation et de l'entretien, il est réaliste de compter sur une efficacité minimum d'un an pour les utilisations les plus intenses en course, pouvant s'étendre à 3 ou 4 ans dans la majorité des cas. Combien coûte l'application du Sailkote Plus ? Pour environ 15.- CHF le m² de la surface de la voile, North Sails dispose de l'équipement et de l'espace pour appliquer le Sailkote Plus dans les conditions appropriées et est à même de garantir le bon ratio de couverture par m². Quelles sont les conditions d'une bonne application ? Le Sailkote Plus s'applique sur tous les tissus à voiles neufs ou usagés. Dans le cas de décoration par peinture ou adhésif il est préférable de disposer d'au moins 24 heures pour bien laisser la décoration sécher. Il faut aussi disposer d'un solvant pour préparer la voile à une réparation par adhésif. READ MORE

The tropical South Pacific Ocean islands and atolls were first inhabited by seafaring people who voyaged across vast stretches of ocean in sailing canoes and rafts, guided only by legends and the patterns of waves, winds, and stars. Many hundreds of years later, sailors from Europe stumbled upon the same islands and returned home with fantastic stories and nautical charts, some of which provided data still used in modern charts today. “All sailors can trace our sailing roots directly back to those early voyages, in the South Pacific and beyond. There are obvious differences but ultimately we’re all using sails to drive ourselves across vast stretches of wild open ocean that exist more or less exactly as they did when our “ancestors” crossed the same waters hundreds and even thousands of years ago.” Thor Heyeradal, a scientist sailor from Norway, spectacularly bridged the gap between the past and present. He developed a controversial theory of Polynesian migration while he was living on Fatu Hiva, a small strikingly beautiful island in the Marquesas chain. Dr. Heyeradal believed that people from South America settled Polynesia by crossing the ocean in large rafts made of balsa wood logs. To support this theory Thor and his friends built a raft, the Kon Tiki, then sailed/drifted 4,300 miles in it from Peru to French Polynesia in 1947. Their voyage ended when the raft was wrecked on the jagged outer reefs of Raroia, a remote Tuamotu atoll. The crew of the Kon Tiki all survived the wreck with no major injuries. After salvaging the remains of their raft they survived on a tiny motu inside the lagoon on Raroia until some natives eventually “rescued” them. The tiny Kon Tiki motu still exists today almost exactly as it did when the raft was wrecked there over fifty years ago. We spent a week anchored at that motu with no other people or boats in sight. The many, often harmless, black tip sharks kept us company as they continually prowled the clear blue and turquoise waters. Naoma anchored next to Kon Tiki island. Kon Tiki motu is tiny. Most people can walk completely around it in about ten minutes. One side has an amazing white sand beach. The other side is jagged volcanic reef. The island is covered with spindly trees and coconut palms but the most striking feature is the birds. There are hundreds of terns constantly flying around the island, a rare sight in the Tuamotus. They are not afraid of humans. We had to be careful not to step on any of their many nests. There is a small plaque commemorating the Kon Tiki voyagers but otherwise there was no evidence of humans (aside from the ubiquitous and unfortunate bits of plastic debris found on the windward beaches of all islands in the South Pacific). In our last post we described the challenging upwind passage we had when sailing from the Tuamotus to the Marquesas. “We sailed from the Kon Tiki motu to Fatu Hiva, a course chosen in homage to Thor and his adventures”. If you’re interested in learning more about the journey Thor Heyeradal wrote a fantastic book called, “Fatu Hiva” about his adventures on that island. He also produced a gripping documentary about his adventures on the Kon Tiki (not to be confused with the newer Hollywood-style movie by the same name.) Google Earth offers some interesting perspective through bird’s eye views of the places I mentioned. The book “We, The Navigators” is a comprehensive examination of navigation techniques used by pre-European Pacific voyagers and includes some inspiring examples of recent voyages completed in traditional open ocean sailing canoes. One final story… While the shipwrecked Kon Tiki crew were living amongst the natives on Raroia they came across a young boy with a life threatening boil on his head. There were no doctors on the tiny atoll so the Kon Tiki crew used some of their supplies, notably penicillin, and saved the boys life. That boy is now a very old man, still living on Raroia, “…and is yet another example of how interconnected our world is, across oceans and throughout time, something you become a part of every time you set sail.” READ MORE

Some athletes are endurance runners, others sprint. If Thomas Coville were a runner he would be the former, with a jet-pack. On Sunday he accomplished his lifelong goal of breaking the record for sailing solo, non-stop around-the-world. As a matter of fact, he smashed it by over eight days. The French sailor boasts a myriad of offshore sailing experience beginning in the 1997 Mini Transat, sailing across the Atlantic alone on a 6.5m boat. He later moved onto the Vendée Globe, around the world alone on a 60ft monohull. He sailed in crewed offshore races such as the Volvo Ocean Race, winning with Team Groupama in 2011-12. He also won two benchmark solo offshore races – the Route du Rhum in 1998 and the Transat Jacques Fabre 1999. It has all been in preparation for this ultimate challenge: to set the solo, non-stop, around the world sailing record. Thomas Coville finally achieved his dream, on Christmas Day 2016, after four prior attempts. Thomas joins Dame Ellen MacArthur and Francis Joyon in a prestigious, small group of three multihull sailors who have sailed around the world, nonstop. The difference with Thomas’s tour du monde is his daily average speed, not to mention the difficulty a 31 meter Ultime trimaran imposes on a sailor. These make his achievement unique, incredible, amazing, and quite surprising, even for those closely involved with his campaign. “Sometime after Thomas’s departure, I joked that it would be perfect if he finished in 48 days to match his age,” said Gautier Sergent, a comrade of Thomas’s and the North Sails designer for the Sodebo Ultime campaign. “It was so funny at the time because we never predicted he could finish that quickly. In the end, it was 49 days… and we are all in disbelief.” North Sails has a long-standing relationship with Sodebo, and Gautier bonded with Thomas during his stint on Groupama 4 in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012. Gautier was the sail designer for that program, too, and many offshore programs before and after. “From this and past experiences with Ultime campaigns, I can say that sailing these boats is tough, they are unforgiving. If you lose your concentration for two minutes, the boat will take over, and you risk breaking equipment in what quickly spirals into life-threatening situations. You can not back off and 49 days of intense sailing is a long time to maintain your mental focus and physical strength.” Gautier works collaboratively with Sodebo’s appointed sail coordinator, Loic Le Mignon and North Sails expert, Quentin Ponroy. The sail design team is part of a wider group of trusted designers, engineers, craftsmen, meteorologists, sailors and coaches, marketers, and operations professionals that make up Sodebo Ultime. Numerous times Thomas credits his achievement, while a “solo” sailing record, to the people who have supported and pushed him on the record-breaking journey, not to mention four prior attempts. It takes a lot of faith to take a leap into the unknown hoping each person got his contribution right. Addressing the challenge, and nodding to his support, Thomas explained: “For example, when you leave Brest and you know that the weather sequence is going to be difficult in the South Atlantic, but in the end, you turn this seemingly bad window into a good one because you gybe 20 times in 48h along the ice limit to extricate yourself from the St. Helena high. I did what was needed to turn this route into a good one. So there is, at the same time, a share of risk, a part of chance, and a share of fortune that you create. It is a window, and you can decide to open it or leave it closed. For me, Jean-Luc Nélias, Sam Davies, Thierry Douillard, have an analysis that they propose to me, and sometimes they challenge me, push me, Jean-Luc pushes me a lot. Then there is the third parameter of technological breakdown. This boat is faster down the Atlantic and in the Southern Ocean. But the counterpart of that is it’s more physical to maneuver. The gennaker is 120 kg, or even 130 when it gets wet, and there it becomes a huge physical commitment. I did not spare myself, and I do not think I have done fewer maneuvers than if the boat was crewed.” He didn’t let up for 49 days, an intensity unmatched, apparent in his average boat speed of 24 knots over 28,400 nautical miles. What any sailor can learn from Thomas Coville is that determination and a passion for the process pay off. “What I would like to keep from this record is not so much the 49 days and 3 hours, it’s mostly the way I traveled, I fell, I got up, I dared. Ten years, a dream very difficult to reach, but a dream that I lived, that I live.” READ MORE

The North Sails team in Australia does Christmas a bit differently. With the annual Rolex Sydney to Hobart Race setting off on Boxing Day, they are full swing getting sails serviced and ready for clients’ grueling trip through the Bass Strait to Tasmania. The silver lining? Most of them are onboard for the legendary ride south. Here’s a peek at their preparation for the 2016 Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race. READ MORE

The annual Boxing Day departure of the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race is approaching fast. We caught up with the North Sails team in Sydney, AUS, who are now in full-swing getting sails serviced and ready to go. The Sydney to Hobart course is 628 nautical miles, out of Sydney Harbor and past the Heads, down the Australian coast and through the Bass Strait to Tasmania. The race is known to be extremely challenging, due to its ever-changing conditions and legendary squalls in the strait. A new kid on the block this year is the CNB76 luxury cruiser, Charlotte. This will be her first Hobart race and she is in good hands, with an experienced crew including owner Ervin Vidor, who has entered the race six times. Preparing a premium cruising boat for an offshore race of this caliber can be tricky. North Sails Expert Jason Antill has supported the program along with his father, Rob; building a trusted crew, outfitting the deck and cockpit, and ramping up the inventory with three new downwind sails. “While Charlotte is a high performance cruiser, once the day’s sailing is complete the design spec calls for the boat to be at anchor and the crew to get a fine night’s sleep… That’s a bit hard when you’re 120nm off the Australian coast in a 40 to 50 knot headwind,” said Jason, who explained that safety will be a top priority. “We took care of safety concerns by placing additional hand holds and safety lines on Charlotte’s vastly spacious foredeck and cockpit. Managing halyards at the mast was another challenge, especially the 2:1 halyard for the new Code 0. This is where having the North Sails collective experience was helpful. We asked a member of our team, Michael Coxon, to join us for a crew training day. In the end he helped us create a custom halyard bag to avoid tangling.” Charlotte launched with a North Sails 3DiTM ENDURANCE hydraulic furling jib and staysail. Now with over 10,000 bluewater miles logged, these core working sails are up to the Sydney-Hobart challenge. Jason and Rob have added a VMG gennaker, a North 3Di Raw Code Zero, and a North Panel Laminate (NPL) light-medium asymmetric runner. Regarding the durability of Charlotte’s first 3Di sails, owner Ervin Vidor commented, “The 3Di working sails have covered 6000nm in Europe and 4000nm in Australia, one service and they are good as new.” In gathering the ideal crew, Jason used his contacts to find sailors with extensive experience on big boats. “I’ve called every friend I have to put the program together, there’s no one left now!” he laughed. “We basically pulled from our previous campaigns, which provided a nucleus of people who have done the Hobart before. They’re all experienced in big boats, not just racing, and short handed deliveries.” Among the crew is Jason’s father Rob Antill, who was instrumental in the opening of North Sails in Sri Lanka and Sydney, and certainly has his fair share of Hobart bragging rights. Rob will be “Sailing Master” for this year’s race. “Dad has forgotten more than I will ever know about the Hobart,” said Jason. “Not surprisingly, when I suggested the boat was longer plus a few feet than his age he was more interested in coming along this year. From where I stand, being able to trust my father, knowing he has the experience to understand the limits of a boat this size, means I’ll sleep a lot better off watch.” READ MORE

Bravo Thomas! Around the world in 49 days, 3 hours, 7 minutes and 30 seconds. Thomas Coville and his 31m maxi trimaran Sodebo Ultim’ has shattered the solo around the word record by over eight days. Eight days, 10 hours, 26 minutes and 28 seconds to be exact. This adventure is Coville’s fourth attempt to break the previous record of 57 days and 13 hours set by Francis Joyon in January 2008. Coville joins Joyon and Ellen MacArthur in the prestigious, small group of three multihull sailors who have sailed around the world, nonstop and without assistance. And after 50 days at sea, with little sleep, Coville is only focused on one thing. “Right now, I have only one desire: to sleep and to let my mind rest. I want to fall asleep by simply telling myself: Everything is fine!” Coville trusted North Sails 3DiTM to get him around the world quickly and safely. He and his Sodebo Ultim’ team worked with the North Sails team in France to make this record dream a reality. Everyone at North Sails is incredibly proud of Thomas and this amazing achievement. Bravo Thomas pour votre voyage fantastique. READ MORE

SOLO SUPER SERIES Congratulations to Chris Brown who was the winner of the Solo Super Series draw held at the End of Season Champs over the weekend. Unfortunately due to the lack of wind all racing was cancelled for the last event, however overall results can be seen on the Class website. North Sails Lawrence Creaser presented Chris with his prize, a new North Sails F-2 Solo sail! North Sails are proud to continue their sponsorship with the Solo Super Series in 2017. To find out more about the F2 and our other new designs for the 2017 season please see our class page. READ MORE

PACIFIC YANKEE WINS THE 2016 MELGES 20 WORLD RANKING Interview with Drew Freides The final rankings for the 2016 Melges 20 World Series have been announced and Drew Freides and his Pacific Yankee team finished the season as the top ranked team and are the series champions for 2016. Drew and his team culminated the 12 event series with a victory in this years final event which put the finishing touches on Pacific Yankee’s #1 ranking over seventy other teams in the series. Our team at North Sails is proud that Pacific Yankee, as well as the teams and boats that finished the season ranked 1,3,4,5,6, all chose to be powered by full North Sails inventories! The Pacific Yankee team worked closely with North Sails expert Vince Brun to make sure the team was learning all they could through a thoughtful sail development program to make Pacific Yankee go fast and be the best they could be. We got in touch with Drew and asked him the key factors to such a successful year: Boat Setup “From day one, Vince wanted us to focus on learning how to set up the boat correctly. With so many options for adjustments we developed a complete matrix with the boat & rig setup for every wind speed. Vince’s goal for us was not to have to think about how to make the boat go fast during racing and just focus on boat positioning as well as racing”. Training “We spent a lot of time on the water tuning and training, always with an open mind to try new things. We would see another team doing something different, and we would try it, often times going against standard logic. Some things worked, while other things didn’t, but we constantly learned from the experimentation and testing.” Team “We sailed all year with the same team. Charlie Smythe focused on boat setup, constant rig adjustment and overall boat speed, both upwind and down. Morgan Reeser worked with me on my driving as well as tactics and boat positioning vs the fleet and the race course”. Sail Program “We switched from the AP-6 mainsail to the new standard M-16 main from North which was the right direction. There is no question that North is recognized as offering the fastest sails by the majority of the Melges 20 fleet.” Final Thoughts “I seriously had chills running down my spine when I saw the results. I can’t believe we ended 2016 ranked #1in the World! I can’t thank you all enough!!!!!!! We did it. Now we just need to win a World Championship. Just before my mom passed away almost three years ago, she told me to buy this boat – she would never believe what we have accomplished. Thank you again for all of your commitment and hard work!!!!!!! I owe you guys!!!!!!!!” Thank you Drew! Seeing sailors have fun and great success while learning to go faster is one of our favorite things to see at North Sails. Thanks for making our day and congratulations to you, Charlie, Morgan & Vince on a great year! Learn more about our sails for the Melges 20. READ MORE

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

Our congratulations to team Alinghi for securing the 2016 Extreme Sailing Series (ESS) world title this weekend on Sydney Harbor. This is Alinghi’s third series win, following victories in 2008 and 2014, and the first time they’ve done so ‘flying’ on the new lightning fast one-design GC32 catamarans. As the official supplier to the GC32 Class, North Sails delivered eight one-design inventories to the fleet in early 2016. Co-skipper of team Alinghi, Arnaud Psarofaghis, said, “The GC32s are perfect. At the beginning of the season we thought it would be hard to compete on small courses in foiling boats but now the Extreme Sailing Series is even better than before.” Considering his work as a sail designer for North Sails in Switzerland, Arnaud maintains an envious balance of work and play. Originally from Corsier, he has risen as one of Switzerland’s top sailors and has a broad range of experience across the multihull world, having found success in the D35s, the Ventilo M2, the Extreme 40 and also the AC45. “I have been a designer at North Sails Geneva for 10 years and enjoy it a lot. We face new challenges every day to build the fastest sails whilst also meeting demands set by our clients. It’s nice to be able to create something new every day.” When designing sails for the GC32, North Sails designers had a unique set of requirements from the new one design class. In an interview prior to the ESS series opener, project leader Gautier Sergent said, “The difficulty (and the fun) is that the GC32 are foiling catamarans sailing in a wide variety of racing formats (GC32 circuit, ESS, Bol d’Or long distance sailing) and on many different stretches of water (from lake to ocean). You need to cater to all this with only four sails in total.” Learn more about designing sails for the GC32 here. Image credits © Jesus Renedo / Lloyd Images READ MORE

Last week North Sails joined the Melges 40™ team for sea trials in Dubai. The Melges 40 is the largest, fastest and only canting keel sailboat ever offered by Melges Performance Sailboats. North experts were on site to help with testing the above-the-deck package, including North Sails 3Di RAW™ sails, designed in collaboration with the yacht designer and sister company, Southern Spars. Ultimately working the boat through the range over two days of thorough testing, the group is happy to report the new boat has successfully completed sea trials with flying colors. “North Sails has been involved with the development of the sail plan and class rules since day one. The company has been a great partner in this project and helped make it a big success. The “engine above the deck” is so important for the performance of any sail boat, and what is most impressive is how spot-on the first set of sails are, right out of the bag. A big thank you to the entire North team for helping make this dream a reality! – Harry Melges, Melges Rep and North Sails expert in Zenda With the launch of the new boat, Melges have embarked on their mission to redefine the highest level of windward/leeward one-design racing. Boat no. 1, owned by Melges Premier Performance, has been used for overall product development including fine tuning systems in an effort to finalize one-design Class Rules. Currently, new Melges 40 owners are sailing the boats for the first time, including Richard Goransson’s Inga From Sweden which uses a full North Sails inventory. “I think it’s a great concept. There have been a lot of boats that use a canting keel (mostly offshore). So while the concept is not new, it is new to one design boats in the sense of round-the-buoys racing… and it will offer you a whole new understanding of the sport.” – Cameron Appleton, North Sails Sail Development The Melges 40 is different from what we have seen lately in the 40’ range. It’s retractable bow sprit and twin rudders aim to offer more control for the driver, easier maneuvers in tight quarters and greater downwind speeds. The canting keel with centerline canard is push-button operated, keeping tacks smooth and simple. Foiling catamarans are awesome boats in their own right. We wanted to create a platform that would maintain the purity of traditional monohull racing: around-the-buoys tactics with the thrill of speed and performance that the Melges brand is known for. Not just a speed race to the corner, but a boat that is fast, fun and easy to sail while still offering the maneuverability of a monohull to maintain the close fleet tactics we love. – Harry Melges, Melges Rep and North Sails expert in Zenda Learn more about North Sails 3Di on our dedicated product page. READ MORE

The 2016 Melges 24 World Championship came to a close on Saturday, December third. The fleet sailed 12 races in 10-20 knots over five days. In the ocean off Miami, the sea state was challenging upwind and downwind with some great surfing. Congratulations to North Sails clients who finished 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,10, and to North-powered Corinthian teams Lenny and Accru, who finished second and fourth respectively in the Corinthian Division. North-powered team Embarr took the win with only 38 total points – a 30 point lead over second place. Onboard Embarr were Conor Clarke, Aoife English, David Hughes, Stuart McNay, and North Sails’ Maurice O’Connell. The team showed spectacular boat handling technique and impressive speed upwind and downwind. O’Connell trimmed the chute for the Worlds and reported the standard North models were fast. “The week was a tough one for sure. Our results showed a dominant performance, but it sometimes didn’t feel like that! We had one or two sketchy starts that forced us in the wrong direction.” “What was satisfying is we never felt under pressure boat speed wise. We used the standard North Sails models which were very fast. In the moments our performance was sub-optimal, there was always a simple reason for it: rig settings, sail trim, hiking or kinetics. By staying proactive in these areas, Embarr kept ripping along, and our speed got us out of trouble – more than a few times!”- Maurice O’Connell, North Sails There is a reason for a regatta like this to be held in a place like Miami in the Fall. The best chance for breeze and primetime ocean sailing make for a top event of the year, and an excellent way to welcome the winter season in the south for the Melges 24 class. With a solid 75 boats on the starting line, threading the needle through traffic upwind and holding your lane made for the biggest challenges. Participants reported that rig tune, crew placement and communication from the front to the back of the boat kept you in the groove and able to maintain boat speed. “Set-up wise, we kept a near-constant discussion of how the boat felt and what it needed at the moment. We weren’t timid on changing hard and soft controls. Within the “noise” of the race, being totally honest about a boat’s performance is one of the toughest challenges,” reported Dave Hughes, tactician and headsail trimmer on Embarr. With winds between 10-20 knots, an important part of upwind set-up was to keep the boat powered up in big waves, with just enough tension for the 20-knot winds yet still allowing enough space to breathe when necessary. Still, the breeze was relatively consistent in pressure, giving the World’s teams some time to fine-tune. “Please pass on my thanks to the North Sails team in San Diego. The green kites look amazing and are now famous in the Melges fleet. They are obviously super fast too! North Sails have been a great help to the Embarr team and we really appreciate it,” said Embarr’s Conor Clarke. READ MORE

The 2016 Melges 24 World Championship was held in the open ocean off Miami Beach, November 29-December 3rd. In five days of racing, Conor Clarke’s Melges 24 team Embarr sailed an amazingly consistent regatta (finishing just on race out of the top five). Tactician Dave Hughes credits onboard communication and teamwork to their World’s success. Hi Dave, how does it feel to win the Melges 24 World Championship? Winning is a mixture of elation and fatigue! This was a long, hard-fought event. It’s wonderful to prove to ourselves that our preparation and approach to the event was a winning formula. What would you say were the three key factors to your success this week in Miami? A heads-up, alert attitude to the race course is key in any regatta and definitely helped us in the big fleet, big waves conditions in Miami. In addition, always sailing the boat hard no matter our position and working with our coach, Morgan Reeser, kept us going fast. What was the biggest “take-away” you gained from this event? World Championships throw a lot of curve -balls at you, both on and off the water. Rest up, shoulders back, and keep fighting. If you could share with your fellow competitors one thing that you would consider the most critical part of your set-up this week, what would it be? Set-up wise, we kept a near-constant discussion of how the boat felt and what it needed in the moment. We weren’t timid on changing hard and soft controls. Within the “noise” of the race, being totally honest about a boat’s performance is one of the toughest challenges. What did you find to be the most successful in your upwind strategy? Lane management. What was the most unexpected contribution to your win? Where do I start?!! Truth be told, it was surprising just how many people had a hand in making this win happen, both on and off the water. Our ‘thank you’ list is long! You can’t win a major event without help along the way. What are your crew positions/jobs? Conor is the owner of the boat, hardest hiker, and responsible for about 100 things onboard. Aoife is the bow extraordinaire. Maurice (AKA ‘Prof’) was on the spinnaker. Stu drove the boat and I was on the jib and tactics (both good and bad!!) What’s the next event for your team? Uncertain at this point, we need to take a breath first! What was your team dynamic like compared to your Olympic Campaign on the 470? The similarities are fairly obvious with Stu driving and me on jib/tactics. As a boat, the Melges 24 has a great number of parallels to the 470 (a reference the Embarr team is definitely sick of hearing!). However, as with any boat, the team takes on its own character and personality. In the end, hard work is the key. We all saw your downwind technique. Where did you learn how to move like that? The 470, of course! What was your funniest moment of the event? (Any funny sayings you had on the boat/ or a funny thing that happened on the water)? The Embarr team has its fair share of go-to sayings, re-told jokes, and “I can’t believe that just happened.” I’ll leave it at that… Learn more about North Sails Melges 24 products at: North Sails One Design READ MORE

America’s Cup defender Oracle Team USA visit the North Sails loft in Minden, NV where the one-design 3DiTM sails are being built for the ACC cup boats. READ MORE

The latest iteration of the Swiss technology that first made headlines with Alinghi’s legendary ‘black sails’ at the 2007 America’s Cup brings cutting edge sails within reach of a wider audience. Following its success with 3Di across the grand prix, offshore and superyacht fleets globally, North Sails have launched a new variant tailored specifically for the club racing market. Originally born of development work carried out for Alinghi’s successful defence of the America’s Cup in 2007, in name 3Di may sound like 3DL but is an entirely different technology. 3DL is a lattice of load path fibres laminated between two layers of Mylar (aka ‘string’ sails). 3Di is a composite sail structure, closer in technology terms to carbon boatbuilding, involving the moulding of multiple featherweight ‘tapes’ of spread fibre filaments (from carbon, aramid or Dyneema) preimpregnated with adhesive. The layout of the 3Di tapes in a multiplicity of orientations and layers enables a sail to be engineered with ultra-high precision, but without the weight of the films required for a string sail. The only similarity between 3DL and 3Di is that both achieve their shape through being manufactured on North’s proprietary articulating, three-dimensional moulds, where sails are built with their flying shapes moulded in. The end result is 3Di being capable of creating super-light sails with maximum shape retention, displaying previously unheard of shape stability over a wide wind range…. Read the full article on North Sails 3Di RACE in the December issue of Seahorse, or online at seahorsemagazine.com READ MORE

America’s Cup World Series ends with spectacular grand finale in Fukuoka, Japan Land Rover BAR​ was fast out of the blocks on Day 1 and ultimately stole the show in Fukuoka with regatta and overall series wins on Sunday. They will carry bonus points into the America’s Cup Challenger Series, as well as ORACLE TEAM USA​ who claimed second in the series overall. SoftBank Team Japan​ scored a hometown win in Race 2 under the roar of fans cheering from the beach. Fukuoka, Japan was an excellent host for the World Series final and it was awesome to see such enthusiasm for sailing and hometown pride for the Softbank team. Artemis Racing sailed a fantastic Sunday, winning the first two races of the day and coming second in the regatta under Land Rover BAR. Competitive spirit was alive and well on the course this weekend with tight maneuvers, match-racing tactics, and penalties abundant especially in the final ​day​. Nathan Otteridge’s comment “Makes it easy when everyone else is fighting!” is a good indication of the aggressive approach we saw, especially from Land Rover BAR, this weekend. It is clear the stakes are rising and if you ask me, it’s a preview of what we’ll see in the America’s Cup Challenger Series​!​ When the teams meet again in Bermuda, May 2017, they will be racing America’s Cup Class (ACC) boats. The ACCs are built by each team within a design rule: they are 15 meters long (just over 49 feet) and much higher performance than the boats we have watched in the World Series this year. All of the America’s Cup events this spring, up to the finals, will be sailed in the ACCs: Louis Vuitton America’s Cup Qualifiers America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs America’s Cup Match The America’s Cup event schedule is updated here: https://www.americascup.com/en/event-schedule.html North Sails’ sister company, Southern Spars, has taken on boat and wing construction for Emirates Team New Zealand. Very cool stuff. You can check out their progress here: http://www.southernspars.com/etnz-sailors-meet-ac50-southern-spars/ READ MORE

North leads the way towards the new Melges 40 When a new high-performance boat comes on the market, the pressure is on to meet the expectations of everyone involved in the project: the designer, builder, class promoters, industry providers, media and – most importantly – the owners and crews. The higher the performance, the greater the expectations and the lower are the acceptable margins for error. New boats of this genre must be fast out of the box with little or no lead time available for testing and refinement: everyone wants one, so the first one built and launched will command great attention and must meet all expectations to provide that Wow factor needed to help launch the class into success. The new Botin-designed Melges 40 is a perfect example of such a high-profile new design, with the global reputation of Melges on the line. Designer Marcelino Botin has said “Melges is a pure sailing legend, and this was an opportunity for us to design something very new and different. The design compliments the Melges brand, and upholds their top-quality ideals. With respect to their philosophy, we proposed a design that adopts and introduces new features and concepts. The Melges 40 creates a new benchmark for performance in the 40-foot range.” Builder Max Waimer at Premier Composite Technologies said “For sure the Melges 40 is a new starting point in the sailing world. We share the same passion as Melges and Botin for creating not only an exceptional boat, but a very new, competitive racing experience. We truly have a common vision. The additional input from customers has made a big difference too. We put all of our production expertise and technology into the Melges 40.” So, with this backdrop in mind, how is North meeting this demand to have the fastest sails ready for this exciting new one design? The answer is in the process North has established to be intimately involved throughout the design development of the boat to gather the details on the rigging, spar set-up, and even the equipment on board to help advise on solutions that will benefit not only designing fast sails but also contribute to achieving the overall goals of the project. Participation in these formative stages helps in ensuring accuracy in not only the detailed sail geometries, but also in anticipating other important aspects of performance that affects the sails, such as crew work and the deck layouts that support their efficiency. With this information the North Design Suite of sophisticated computational tools can be used to replicate the details of how the spar and sails integrate with the boat’s design to produce these expected levels of high performance. These tools have been used successfully and refined repeatedly for the past several years on a wide variety of boats, ranging from small keel boats to Maxis, so the process is well-proven and has led to North’s widespread success in all these classes. Not only does this process help in the accuracy of sail design, but establishing a detailed knowledge base on the ground floor of a new project has other benefits, such as anticipating the content for a tuning guide that is ready to use at the first launch rather than having to wait for the completion of extensive sessions of sail testing. Being a regular sail trimmer on Steve and Heidi Benjamin’s HPR 40 and now their TP 52 called SPOOKIE, North sail designer Chris Williams has a perfect perspective to the development and design process for the new Melges 40. “This boat is truly unique,” he says. “Besides having lots of sail area, the canting keel gives it a righting moment that is 20% greater than an HPR 40, so there is tremendous power and speed potential, and modeling the sails to drive its performance is not just using a variation of any existing designs.” Williams explains more on the particulars: “We started work on this early with Southern Spars to identify the rig parameters so we could set up the sail plan properly using DesMan. On any boat the headstay characteristics are an important driver for jib design since it governs the luff tension, and for the Melges 40 we know there is no hydraulic ram for this adjustment, so we then knew the runner winch would control this for the boat. We then looked in detail at the runner set-up: the winch size and how much power it could generate, and the location of the runners and how efficient they would be in transferring the load to the headstay. We then urged the class design team to move the runners as close as possible to centerline so no moment would cause the spar to twist and throw off the tuning calculations. “Once we recreated the spar’s properties in DesMan, we used Flow and Membrain to model our first test sails on the virtual yacht and start iterating towards greater refinement in the designs. This allows us to give some meaningful feedback to the class managers in which we helped establish some parameters for the One Design class rules and build specs for the yacht. An example of this is knowing the exact placement of the spar doubler: this ensures every yacht’s spars will work with any sail. Modeling the mast bends and jib trims through their ranges of different tunes and jack loads allows us to maximize the size and roach profile of the light air jibs and their batten placement relative to the available space in the foretriangle.” After this crucial first step, the sail designs and their MemBrain modeling data are forwarded to other members in the North design team, who with their individual and collective experiences accumulated over dozens of similar projects can further refine their accuracy. For the Melges 40 these team members include Giovanni Cassinari, who is not only a North Sails sail designer and mainsail trimmer on the SuperSeries 52 Azzurra, but also will be racing on the new Melges 40 Inga; Marchino Capitani, another North Sails designer, coach of Azzurra, and an Inga team member; and Per Anderson, North Sails head of design. “I’m sure the sails will be tweaked slightly with the overall goal of making sure that the first set built follow very closely to the ideas and design concepts of the group as a whole,” says Williams. “There are always many ways to skin a cat here, so the hard part is to make sure the sails are not designed by a committee so much as input and experience is given and shared by a group then correlated into a fast suite of sails.” Finally, another important factor in the project was in working with the Melges 40 class to determine the optimal sail inventories needed for this boat through its range of performance, mindful that the class is interested in minimizing cost through allowing too many sails in the inventory and also being sensible their replacements. For the Melges 40 it was determined that 3 full-sized jibs was the best solution given not only the boat’s performance through the range of conditions but also their intended schedule of races and venues. Part of this discussion is driven by the durability of the sails and their ability retain their performance shape through an acceptable lifespan. For the Melges 40 Williams says 3Di Raw materials will be used in the upwind sails, with a mix of tapes and their composition to be determined when the mold shapes and designs are finalized. He reckons that this brand new boat with its canting keel and massive sail area will have steep learning curves for the sailors, yet the accuracy and efficiency of the North Design Suite process will ensure that the first generation upwind sails and rig tuning guidelines from North will be at 95% of their ultimate level of development…this is highly encouraging news for those first few owners who want to come out of the box with fast results and remain fast as the class grows and develops. READ MORE

North Sails President and ACWS Commentator, Ken Read, forecasts this weekend’s final match up in Fukuoka, Japan This weekend is all about points, and a little momentum. Entering the final event of the series, Land Rover BAR has a 14 point lead and will be tough to beat. The winner of the Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series trophy is will also receive two points toward the America’s Cup qualifying round robin – each point is a race won. Each team will match up twice in the qualifiers, so to enter the round robin with a two point lead puts them at a considerable advantage toward the big finale – the Luis Vuitton America’s Cup Challenger Playoffs. That aside, momentum is a powerful thing. You don’t want to head into the long winter of testing and training coming off a loss, and each world series team will have their goals heading into the event this weekend. At the end of the day, positive momentum may not be the ultimate prize, but it can be transformative for a team. And of course, we’re going to Japan! I love Japan. I’ve spent a lot of time there and have some great friends and memories. The first World Championship I ever won was in 1985, in the J/24 in Atsumi Bay. Since then I’ve participated in a lot of great sailing there, big boats to small, and taught clinics. The community is enthusiastic, and the food is great, so I’m excited for Fukuoka to host the final event. Promotion of the America’s Cup is really what drives the World Series, which is important. At this point in the build up, I think the teams are ready to officially move on to the next phase of testing and training on their new boats, the America’s Cup Class. The ACCs are what they will sail the Cup in, and they are leaps and bounds from the AC45 platform. As radical and cool looking the 45 footers are – wing sailed, foiling cats – they are drastically slower and lower tech than the ACCs are. These sailors have a unique perspective on performance. That is certain. Fleet racing in the AC45f is a different game than match racing the ACC – night and day. So I think after Fukuoka, the guys will be eager to resume preparation for the big dance (the America’s Cup, that is)! READ MORE

Team Falcon takes on the ultimate open-ocean challenge powered by North Sails 3Di Red Bull’s Flying On Water project debuts with epic adventure from New York to Bermuda. Thirty knot winds and waves up to 25 feet hammered onto the 46-foot F4 foiling catamaran and it’s six crew. Flying on Water is a project in which Team Falcon built the first vessel specifically produced for open ocean flight – a one-design platform that is the definitive prototype for the future of open ocean sailing. North Sails is a proud sponsor of Team Falcon, who sent it to Bermuda with a fresh set of North Sails 3Di ENDURANCE and NPL SPORT gennaker. READ MORE

November 28th-29th As the world’s leading sailmaker, North Sails is proud to be a long term partner in supporting the Yacht Racing Forum. In 2016, a number of North Sails representatives will be in Malta to give presentations, contribute to panel discussions and meet with representatives from across the yacht racing industry. As leaders in a number of fields from engineering and aerodynamics through to sales, sailing and business, the global team from North Sails are available on request for interviews and commentary. Please contact Bridgid Murphy on bridgid.murphy@northsails.com / + 1 617 697 7724 to request access to people and North Sails content. READ MORE

CONGRATULATIONS JR MAXWELL, WINNER OF THE 2016 J/22 MID-ATLANTICS The 2016 J22 Mid-Atlantic Championship was one for the record books. Competitors could not have asked for a better weekend for sailing. Annapolis delivered unbelievably beautiful sailing conditions for a Halloween weekend regatta. Seventeen J/22’s went out on Saturday morning and sailed three spectacular races in a Southerly breeze that came in at about 9-14 kts. Regatta chair Jason Goscha worked with the J/24 fleet to organize a stellar team of volunteers from the Severn Sailing Association who ran absolutely perfect races. The J/24 and J/22 fleets mingled together for the post race festivities which included a daily debrief hosted by Mike Marshall and Zeke Horowitz from North Sails. The Southerly was back in on Sunday morning and while it was a bit lighter than Saturday it hung in there long enough to get three more fantastic races. Boat speed and execution was the name of the game all weekend. The left side of the course seemed to be favored on almost every beat so whoever could start well, go fast, and get left tended to be in top group at the weather mark. JR Maxwell and his crew on “Scooby” put on a speed and execution clinic as they were able to get punched off the line and let their boat speed shine – winning 4 of the 6 races in the series. J/22’s and J/24’s weren’t the only boating enthusiasts enjoying the beautiful weekend though. Dozens of power boats were out on the bay as well and that led to “washing machine” type wave conditions for most of the series. At one point we saw the front of the keel on “Hot Toddy” as Jeff Todd’s team skipped over the wake of a 60 footer down wind! TIP OF THE WEEKEND A very important factor to get through the big chop going upwind is where to put the traveler. On “Uncle Fluffy,” we adjusted the traveler fairly often to make sure it was high enough to allow a slight ease of the main sheet to twist open the main and help accelerate if we had a bad set of chop. Having the traveler in the right place also enables the helmsman to pull on the main sheet and load up the helm a little bit which can help the boat power through some of the nasty chop. Congratulations to J.R. Maxwell for the dominant win and a huge thank you to Jason Goscha and all of the volunteers at SSA for a fabulous weekend of racing. The J/22’s in Annapolis are now on to “Frost Biting” for the rest of the year… Here’s a tip for those that will be competing in their own local “Frost Bite” series: Make sure you have a cup holder in your cockpit big enough for a full thermos of hot chocolate (whiskey optional)!! North-powered boats finished 1,2,3,7,8,9 at the 2016 J/22 Mid-Atlantic Championship. Learn more about North J/22 fast sails. READ MORE

There’s a lot of planning that goes into any long-distance cruise, even if you’re in more well-charted waters than tom partridge and Susie plume on Adina. Tom and Susie recently sent in this list of tips based on the approach they took to planning their passage from Gan, Maldives, to the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean. 1: SELECT A ROUTE THAT USES FAVORABLE WINDS Our year started in Thailand with our goal being to reach South Africa by November. The main criteria we use in planning our sailing is to avoid areas of strong wind activity and to sail with winds and seas that will help us to reach our destination in relative comfort. We consult pilot atlases, cruising guides, and blogs from those who have done it before. A pilot atlas is particularly helpful as it provides historical data about the winds and currents that can be expected in various parts of the world at different times. Based on our research we opted to sail in the northern hemisphere for the first part of the year before heading south of the equator when the cyclone seasons switch between hemispheres. 2: MAKE A HIGH LEVEL PLAN For the first part of the year winds favour exploring countries in the northern hemisphere, including Sri Lanka and the Maldives. By May/June the transition season between the cyclone seasons would set in and we would need to be heading south. Transition seasons are tricky and winds can be fickle. Fortunately, below the Maldives at five degrees south is the Chagos Archipelago, or British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) as it is formally known. We aimed to cross from the Maldives to BIOT in mid-May and wait there until the southern hemisphere south-easterlies kicked in before sailing west to experience the many islands of the Seychelles. 3: NEXT, MAKE A PASSAGE PLAN For each passage we take into account factors such as wind, sea state and current. The route from the Maldives to BIOT requires us to cross the strong equatorial counter-current flowing from west to east. We risk missing our destination if we ignore it. Looking at the wind forecasts we think we should sail west away from our rhumb line at the start to make sure we have some westing in reserve if the wind turns unfavorable or even, as is common, stops blowing. Some shallows hint at good fishing and we decide we’ll sail over them with the hope of a bite or two! A hand-written passage plan with details of our route as a contingency helps should our electronics fail us. 4: LAST BUT NOT LEAST, MAKE A PILOTAGE PLAN Our destination in BIOT, the Salomon Atoll, is scattered with large coral heads commonly known as “bommies” which sit just below the surface and can literally ruin your day and much more besides! Paper and electronic nautical charts are both vital and in addition we use satellite images to check for any inaccuracies. We prepare a leg-by-leg pilotage plan that we will use to refresh ourselves just before our arrival. Knowing we will need a good look-out with the sun behind us or just overhead for visibility to spot the coral heads is another factor that we add into our plans: we need to arrive between 9am and 12 noon. 5: GET OUT THERE No matter how many times you do this, no matter how well prepared you are, the nerves still jangle. What will it be like out there? Will we get strong squalls, storms or lightning as is common near the equator? Will the forecast be right? How strong will that current be? Will the sea be rough? We’ve prepared as well as we can and we know all these questions can be answered in one way only – by getting Adina out into the open ocean again. READ MORE

Last week we heard from Nick Gibbens in San Francisco, a client who owns an Express 27 called “Shenanigans” and recently collected the first victory for North’s new 3Di RACE sail. North Sails expert, Seadon Wijsen, reported on Shenanigans’ success with their new #1 genoa at the class National Championship: “Just a quick note to say thanks for helping my client upgrade from a 3DL genoa to a 3Di RACE genoa in time for us to use it in the Express 27 Nationals this past weekend. Overall, the sail did well in lighter wind and chop but looked great when used above its wind range. I’m sure many of you already know this about 3Di RACE, but it was a great opportunity for me to see the product first hand on a type of boat not many of us sail very often. This sail combined with a new Radian main helped us win the regatta. Needless to say, the client and crew liked the sails a lot!” We quickly contacted Nick, for feedback on a sail only introduced in September. Over the past year, designers, salesmen, and test sail recipients have compiled feedback and data on how RACE should behave within its target environment. The entire North development team was curious to see if Nick’s feedback matched our hypothesis. “The things I noticed about this sail, and why I think it works well with the Express 27… This boat isn’t a particularly new design; they only have two jibs. A 155% and a 100%, which in One Design is all that is allowed. It’s a big step down to the #3 if you need to go there, so it helps to have a sail that covers a broad range especially when your options are limited. The RACE sail was very light, I noticed when I picked it up, considerably lighter than the other sail we have. It responded really well in light air to backstay and halyard adjustments, behaving much like an L1 would. As the wind increased and we worked through the range of the sail, it turned into a heavy air sail by adding backstay and halyard adjustments. It was pretty obvious the sail had a lot of range, which is important because, you may or may not know: we hank our jibs on, so any change is done downwind. In San Francisco, you are going to hit the upper limit of the L1 at some point during the day. You often end up starting with the large jib, but by the top mark wishing you didn’t have it up. It needs to be robust enough to handle those situations yet light and shapely enough for the lighter end stuff, and we had all those conditions in our series.” Having confirmed our theory that RACE would carry through a wider range, Nick elaborated on the end-user benefit of carrying a smaller inventory. “You usually sacrifice one thing for another. If you designed the sail a year ago – before you had this technology – you would basically make the sail heavier than you really wanted to just so that it could handle the windy days when you couldn’t make changes quickly. In our area, the winter season always brings lighter conditions, so you’d be carrying around a sail that isn’t a great option for the conditions and may be sailing against someone who sacrificed strength and opted for a lighter range sail. “In my experience, 3Di really holds shape well and is durable. I am looking forward to the next couple years to see how it does.” We consider Nick’s initial feedback a win for the (3Di RACE) books and will continue to follow his progress. To discover how 3Di RACE can transform your inventory, contact your North Sails expert today. To stay in touch with RACE REPORTS subscribe to our newsletter below, and tag your own updates with #builttorace. READ MORE

OCTOBER 22-23, LARCHMONT, NY The J/105 North American Championships wrapped yesterday at Larchmont Yacht Club with seven races total. North-powered teams sailed and finished well among the competitive 40 boat fleet, with Terry McLaughlin on Mandate ultimately stealing the win! As the current Canadian champion, this is the second high-powered win for Mandate this season. Tight racing took place between 2nd and 3rd place with Bruce Stone and Nicole Breault on Good Trade coming out ahead on a tie-break. Not far behind was Adrian Owles on Mad Blue with 51 points, placing 5th overall. An illustrious victory for North teams, and notable participation victory for the J/105 class as a whole! READ MORE

SWAN 45 WORLD CHAMPION ELENA- WINNER’S INTERVIEW In eight races, Christian Plump and his team on Elena Nova posted only one score out of the top two at the Rolex Swan 45 Worlds—so he won his new watch by eleven points. This consistency was especially impressive in the ever-changing conditions found off Porto Cervo, Italy, where seven countries were represented by the sixteen boat fleet. 1. What conditions did you encounter at this event and how prepared were you and your team? We encountered wind from 8-32 kts with substantial shifts. We adapted to the changing wind conditions by adjusting the rig and sail trim accordingly. As our team is racing many years with the same set-up, we have a good routine in boat handling and communication. 2. What was the biggest contributor to your success in winning this regatta? There is not only one contributor to success. Teamwork, sail trim, tactical and navigational decisions, concentrated helming and new North Sails designs were all very important. 3. What was the most important part about your boat set up? Our boat was prepared to adjust for light air and strong winds as we expected both in Porto Cervo. The rig and trim worked well with our new North sails. Also the boat had no breakdowns of sails or mechanics. 4. Can you give us three things that you and your team did during the event to be “in the groove”? Working constantly on boat speed Focusing on crew weight management Using tactically all wind shifts 5. As the skipper, can you tell us how you communicated with your crew during each race? We constantly communicated on the changing environment of wind and waves and adjusted sail trim and heel angle accordingly. 6. What was the most important part of each race? Launching off the start in good position to be first at the windward mark. 7. Which leg of the race did you find you had the best boat speed, boat handling, and tactics? In race number seven, with 30 knots on the downwind course, nailing the jibes. 8. When is the next time you will sail with your team? Our next sailing event will be Palma Vela 2017. 10. If you could choose, where would you have the Swan 45 Worlds next year? We would prefer to have the Worlds in Palma in September/October 2017. 11.What was your favorite moment of the regatta? Passing the finish line in the last race and winning the Worlds. This is the third time we won a World Championship: in 2007 we won the IMS Worlds, in 2010 the ORC Worlds, and now in 2016 the Swan 45 One Design. It is important to us not only to win performance-rated races under ORC but also in One Design. READ MORE

NICOLAS GROUX REJOINT L'ÉQUIPE DE NORTH SAILS SUISSE A l’aube de souffler sa 32ème bougie le 2 novembre prochain, Nicolas a déjà une solide expérience sur de multiples supports (dériveurs, Surprise, J70, IRC, multicoques, Mini-Transat en 2011 et circuit Classique en 8mJI), ainsi qu’en voilerie (Europ’Sails de 2007 à 2012) et en management (administrateur du CER de 2014 à 2016). Avec sa double compétence de marin / maître voilier, Nicolas va accompagner tous types de demandes sur l’eau, sur les pontons ou même en voilerie. Pierre-Yves Jorand, associé chez North Sails Suisse : « L'arrivée de Nicolas au sein de notre équipe comme revendeur exclusif est une formidable nouvelle. Son talent de régatier, ses connaissances du monde de la voilerie, son savoir-faire, sa disponibilité et son écoute vont ravir notre clientèle. Basé à Genève, Nicolas s'occupera principalement des ventes, du service client et du suivi des "mises à bord". Il sera également le lien entre la rive gauche du Lac Léman et notre voilerie basée à Meyrin. Avec Julien Monnier, Michel Vaucher et Nicolas Groux, notre équipe commerciale est implantée au coeur des activités des clubs et des navigateurs des lacs romands. » Pour sa part, Nicolas a souhaité rejoindre l’équipe de North Sails Suisse pour "le mélange de personnes d’expérience et de nouveaux talents". Le côté technologique du groupe l’attire également car il trouve que "la voile actuelle évolue très vite et North Sails est l’une des rares voileries internationales capable de suivre et même d'impulser des tendances". Quand Nicolas se prête au jeu de définir son travail avec des mots simples et en 140 caractères maximum, il répond du tac au tac par : « passion, professionnalisme, écoute, disponibilité, contact, performance, savoir s'adapter, plaisir, humain, rigueur, services, polyvalence ». Enfin, nous le connaissons déjà tous comme une personne dynamique, consciencieuse et pragmatique. A le découvrir un peu plus, nous pouvons aussi lui prêter l’humour, la gourmandise et l’ambition car figurez-vous qu'à court terme il envisage de chambouler la coutume de la forêt noire à la voilerie (nous n’en dirons pas plus mais vive les jeunes qui osent ;). Et d’ici peu, il ambitionne même un contrat d’exclusivité avec Apple pour que les fourres de tous leurs appareils soient fabriquées par North Sails. Aaaaah, c’est beau la jeunesse... A comparer les traits de caractère de Nicolas à ceux de la vision d’entreprise chez North Sails, c’est à se demander pourquoi il n’a pas intégré cette équipe plus tôt ?! Après la récente arrivée de Michel Vaucher au sein de l'équipe de North Sails Suisse, la "famille" se réjouit d’accueillir Nicolas ! Nicolas Groux, pour vous servir : +41 78 736 96 90 nicolas.groux@northsails.com Extrait du parcours de régatier de Nicolas Groux : - 2ème aux championnats suisses d’Optimist (1998) - Participation aux championnats d’Europe d’Optimist (1999) et de 420 (2001) - 3 saisons de multicoques (D35 en 2007 et 2008, M2 en 2009) - 5 participations au Tour de France à la Voile - 14ème de la Mini-Transat Charente Maritime Bahia et record de l’heure établi à 15,1 noeuds de moyenne (2011) - Nombreux podiums en J70 et Surprise de 2011 à 2016 (récent vainqueur du championnat suisse de Surprise) - Circuit de régates Classiques et responsable du 8mJI Carron II READ MORE

Without a properly tuned rig, you won’t be able to control your mast’s behavior over the full range of conditions. Fortunately, rig tuning is a straightforward step by step process for both masthead and fractional rigs. The goals in rig tuning are the following: (1) Eliminate side bend and lean, (2) Set mast rake for proper helm balance, (3) Set pre-bend to match the mainsail design, and (4) Control mast bend and headstay sag. Here are a few definitions and explanations to get us started. READ MORE

In eight races, Christian Plump and his team on Elena Nova posted only one score out of the top two at the Rolex Swan 45 Worlds—so he won his new watch by eleven points. This consistency was especially impressive in the ever-changing conditions found off Porto Cervo, Italy, where seven countries were represented by the sixteen boat fleet. 1. What conditions did you encounter at this event and how prepared were you and your team? We encountered wind from 8-32 kts with substantial shifts. We adapted to the changing wind conditions by adjusting the rig and sail trim accordingly. As our team is racing many years with the same set-up, we have a good routine in boat handling and communication. 2. What was the biggest contributor to your success in winning this regatta? There is not only one contributor to success. Teamwork, sail trim, tactical and navigational decisions, concentrated helming and new North Sails designs were all very important. 3. What was the most important part about your boat set up? Our boat was prepared to adjust for light air and strong winds as we expected both in Porto Cervo. The rig and trim worked well with our new North sails. Also the boat had no breakdowns of sails or mechanics. 4. Can you give us three things that you and your team did during the event to be “in the groove”? Working constantly on boat speed Focusing on crew weight management Using tactically all wind shifts 5. As the skipper, can you tell us how you communicated with your crew during each race? We constantly communicated on the changing environment of wind and waves and adjusted sail trim and heel angle accordingly. 6. What was the most important part of each race? Launching off the start in good position to be first at the windward mark. 7. Which leg of the race did you find you had the best boat speed, boat handling, and tactics? In race number seven, with 30 knots on the downwind course, nailing the jibes. 8. When is the next time you will sail with your team? Our next sailing event will be Palma Vela 2017. 10. If you could choose, where would you have the Swan 45 Worlds next year? We would prefer to have the Worlds in Palma in September/October 2017. 11.What was your favorite moment of the regatta? Passing the finish line in the last race and winning the Worlds. This is the third time we won a World Championship: in 2007 we won the IMS Worlds, in 2010 the ORC Worlds, and now in 2016 the Swan 45 One Design. It is important to us not only to win performance-rated races under ORC but also in One Design. READ MORE

JOEL RONNING AND TEAM CATAPULT WIN THE 2017 J/70 WORLDS Innovation in Design Leads to Success on the Water The team at North Sails One Design is very proud of the results our clients achieved in San Francisco at the 2016 J/70 Alcatel World Championship. Congratulations to Joel Ronning and his team on Catapult for a brilliantly sailed regatta with consistent top 10 results, which proved to be the most critical element in the 12-race series. North Sails is a company that never stops the quest to design and construct better and faster sails and our recently launched XCS-1 Mainsail is another example of that process. The XCS-1 was developed to meet our clients’ requests for a more dynamic and less rig tune critical sail. The results at the Worlds couldn’t be more rewarding to our sail designers and experts. Five of the top 10 teams used theXCS-1 Mainsail, including the winning team. Here’s the top 10 break down: Photos Chris Howell | One Design Association Management READ MORE

J/80 PRODUCT RANGE FOR 2017 Spanish Cup 2016 – Winners Bribon/Movistar racing with the new BTY-15 Jib The 2017 range of products for the J/80 are now ready. Check out all the details below. Our Class Experts are ready and waiting to advise if you need information or have any questions, so please do not hesitate to contact them. J/80 MAXM1 All-Purpose Mainsail The MAXM1 World Championship winning design by Max Skelley is manufactured with a crosscut panel layout using Dimension 260B HTP Dacron. The crosscut layout provides for a forgiving, user-friendly and easy to trim mainsail. J/80 T-6R All-Purpose Mainsail The World Championship winning T-6R Mainsail uses a full radial panel layout, which allows the sail to cope with the loads running through it when sailing. This gives a smoother sail, which holds its shape longer than a more conventional cross cut sail. The T-6R is made from North Sails’ own Radian 6.3oz Dacron. This is the world’s first high performance warp oriented Dacron. J/80 BTY-12-3DL All-Purpose 3DL Jib The BTY-12-3DL All Purpose thermo moulded sail offers a stronger more durable sail with excellent performance and longevity. The BTY-23DL has proved to be an outstanding all round sail around the globe. J/80 BTY-15 All-Purpose Panelled Jib New for 2017 the BTY-15 All Purpose full radial jib has seen an instant success winning its first regattas straight out of the blocks. The sail is manufactured from North Sails’ NLXI14 Aramid, which offers a quick and easy to trim sail throughout all conditions. J/80 MR-5 Spinnaker World and multiple national winning design, the MR-5 is an all purpose sail giving excellent all round performance. It is manufactured using 0.6oz Superkote 60 spinnaker fabric from Contender and comes standard in red, white or blue. READ MORE

B14 INLAND CHAMPIONSHIP North Sails 1,2,3 The B14 Flying Circus headed to Datchet for the last event in the GUL 2016 TT series. The weekend was to be more about ghosting round the course rather than flying, with lots of rain and some sun on Saturday, which did for one of the B14s on the way to the event with trailer light socket failure but 17 B14s still made the journey. Sunday started with mist and eventual sun. Up for grabs, was the GUL TT series overall, GUL B14 Inlands and the top prize from GUL, a weekend at the Watergate Hotel in Watergate Bay with surfing or SUP lesson for the winning team. So all eyes were on the prizes as well as the racing Both days were to be very close with real snakes and ladders. Many teams were to have their turn at the front during Saturday, but the holes (or should we say snakes and ladders) led to several changes in the lead. As the rain/clouds came through, some gusts bounced off the surface with little warning. The one capsize occurred on a leeward mark rounding whist dropping the kite to GBR 724 (Steve Hollingsworth/Elliot Holman) whilst in the lead. A couple of new teams turned up for their first event prior to the assault on the 2017 series. A couple of guest helms (Jasper Barnham (Merlins/2000s) and Ian Horlock (Supernova)) had a run out and had some good results as well. All the way through the fleet there was good competition to be had with a right ding dong over the 4 races at the front between the top 4 with little quarter given or taken. On the day, Team Harken (Nick Craig/Toby Lewis) pulled many rabbits out of the hat to lead overnight from Blue Badge (Mike Bees/Ferrett) Team GUL/North Sails (Mark Barnes/Char Jones) equal second. What could they do the following day to reverse fortunes. Could Team GUL/North Sails crack the settings on the Dacron jib they were running for the weekend or Blue Badge find its parking bay on the start line Saturday evening the fleet disappeared off to Spices for dinner in Datchet village, whilst Nick headed off to go line dancing at a village get together. Unfortunately there is no footage as we’d all love to have seen it. Sunday dawned and we were greeted by mist and fickle wind. After bacon butties, coffee/tea, the sun did its business, a very patchy light breeze kicked in. The day’s star team was to be Team Ullman (Kathy Sherrett/Alex Horlock) achieving 4, 3, 2, 3 so dragging them close to the podium as both Blue Badge and Team GUL/North Sails had an indifferent day finding to many holes and headers, and NA Another Asbo (Crispin Taylor/Guy Harrell) sailing round the front 6 boats on one run and winning a race. Team Harken, Nick was still stepping to the right then left and doing a turn, but the team were still pulling rabbits out of the hat and creeping through in stealth mode. Must be all that time sailing on a pond called Frensham Pond in his youth. So at the end of the day, Team Harken won out from Team GUL/North Sails and Blue Badge just holding on to beat Team Ullman Blue Badge won the TT Series from Team GUL/North Sails and Donkey (Mark Watts/Chris Bishop) Great prizes and tokens from GUL were spread out through the fleet with the youth getting the merit prizes. GUL B14 Inlands Tin rig went to GBR 707 (Ian Horlock/Amir Shamuddin) Then came the big prize. Each team that attended an event, got one entry for every event they attended. This was the one we all wanted to win. So the bag was opened and out came one entry. The team in question had only done 2 TT series events. Team Customised Composites (Carl Raynes/Guy Raynes) were the winners of the biggest rabbit pulled out of the hat all weekend The club ran a great event on the water with quick turnarounds and good courses in very difficult conditions where we saw big wind shifts and pressure changes. Off the water early breakfasts were greatly appreciated and the bar on arrival ashore The next events will be the Seavolution Winter Pursuit Series, with some great prizes, consists of 4 events over the winter. Pre-event indications are that attendances should be good. We’ll see all there Draycote Dash Draycote SC 19-20 November 2016 Datchet Flyer DWSC 10-11 December 2016 Grafham Grand Prix GWSC 2 January 2017 Starcross Steamer Starcross SC 5 February 2017 GUL B14 TT Series 2017 is now online on the B14 Facebook page B14 Sailors and B14 website www.b14.org GUL B14 Inlands 1. Team Harken – Nick Craig/Toby Lewis – Frensham Pond SC 2. Team GUL/North Sails – Mark Barnes/Charlotte Jones – Whitstable YC/Exe SC 3. Blue Badge – Mike Bees/Ferrett – Brightlingsea SC Gull TT Series 2016 Overall Winner 1. Blue Badge – Mike Bees/Ferrett – Brightlingsea SC READ MORE

J30 NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP Zephyr Dominates the Event Scott Tonguis and team Zephyr won four of the seven races at the 2016 J/30 North American Championship in Annapolis, MD. We spoke with him shortly after the event. 1. What conditions did you encounter at this event and how prepared were you and your team? We saw winds of 3-20 knots. We were armed with new North Sails designed by Benz Faget. We were the top fundraising team in the nation for the Leukemia Cup Regatta series (we raised $127,000), so the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and North Sails awarded Zephyr a 25% discount, which helped us purchase a great set of sails from Benz. 2. What was the biggest contributor to your success in winning this regatta? Great sails along with proper rig tuning. Having a least seven loaner boat J30 NAs under our belt. Our past experiences have proven that you can take a boat that may not have seen the race course in quite a while and clean the bottom, check the rigging, tune the rig, host some new North Sails, and go give ‘em a hand full. So we were confident that we would be in the hunt. 3. What was the most important part about your boat set up? Making sure the rig tuning was close to optimum so the sails could do their magic. If the rig tune is right, then the sails are working great. If the sails are working great, then the boat is going fast. If the boat is going fast, then the crew can get their heads out of the boat to look around the racecourse for wind shifts and fleet management. If you are going fast, you can keep your lane. If you keep your lane, you can go to the side of the course you think will be favored. 4. Name three things that you and your team did during the races that proved to be fast. Rig tuning Due to the shifty winds, we seemed to sail most of the regatta with our bow down trying to speed across the course to the next shift. Whenever we were fortunate enough to find ourselves on the inside of a lift, we would press the bow down to speed to the next shift. Most of the time it worked out quite well. The J30 does not really like to accelerate, so while sailing downwind you want to make sure you use some of a header to build boat speed before turning a little deeper. Do not get it slow! 5. How long have you been sailing in the J/30 class? I cannot believe it has been this long: 30 years, 3 decades! I was a senior in high school when my family purchased the original Zephyr, which was destroyed in Hurricanes Katrina & Rita. We hope to have a 30 year Zephyr reunion in late Oct. 2017 down in New Orleans, in conjunction with the J30 NA’s on Lake Pontchartrain at New Orleans Yacht Club. It is quite humbling to realize the Zephyr program is still very relevant after thirty years. I guess we are doing something right. I have been blessed to meet some wonderful people along the way, many of whom are my best friends and mentors. 6. What were your strengths on the racecourse? Which leg did YOU favor the most? I know the strengths and weaknesses of the boat. I guess that is where thirty years of experience on the boat comes into play. If you are able to keep the boat out of its areas of weakness, you are usually able to avoid a bad situation on the racecourse. 7. What was your most memorable moment of the regatta? I can tell you my least memorable moment, the first start, it was bad! Luckily we were able to tack to port just after the start and rumble over to the right side. Great boat speed along with a little righty got us back in the race. Otherwise, my most memorable moment was catching up with friends! I no longer live in New Orleans, so I do not get a chance to spend too much time with my good friends who just happen to be my crew. Traveling to the NAs is special for us because everyone is away from the distractions of home, work, and family—a four day hall pass to hang with the boys. READ MORE

Scott Tonguis and team Zephyr won four of the seven races at the 2016 J/30 North American Championship in Annapolis, MD. We spoke with him shortly after the event. 1. What conditions did you encounter at this event and how prepared were you and your team? We saw winds of 3-20 knots. We were armed with new North Sails designed by Benz Faget. We were the top fundraising team in the nation for the Leukemia Cup Regatta series (we raised $127,000), so the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and North Sails awarded Zephyr a 25% discount, which helped us purchase a great set of sails from Benz. 2. What was the biggest contributor to your success in winning this regatta? Great sails along with proper rig tuning. Having a least seven loaner boat J30 NAs under our belt. Our past experiences have proven that you can take a boat that may not have seen the race course in quite a while and clean the bottom, check the rigging, tune the rig, host some new North Sails, and go give ‘em a hand full. So we were confident that we would be in the hunt. 3. What was the most important part about your boat set up? Making sure the rig tuning was close to optimum so the sails could do their magic. If the rig tune is right, then the sails are working great. If the sails are working great, then the boat is going fast. If the boat is going fast, then the crew can get their heads out of the boat to look around the racecourse for wind shifts and fleet management. If you are going fast, you can keep your lane. If you keep your lane, you can go to the side of the course you think will be favored. 4. Name three things that you and your team did during the races that proved to be fast. – Rig tuning – Due to the shifty winds, we seemed to sail most of the regatta with our bow down trying to speed across the course to the next shift. Whenever we were fortunate enough to find ourselves on the inside of a lift, we would press the bow down to speed to the next shift. Most of the time it worked out quite well. – The J30 does not really like to accelerate, so while sailing downwind you want to make sure you use some of a header to build boat speed before turning a little deeper. Do not get it slow! 5. How long have you been sailing in the J/30 class? I cannot believe it has been this long: 30 years, 3 decades! I was a senior in high school when my family purchased the original Zephyr, which was destroyed in Hurricanes Katrina & Rita. We hope to have a 30 year Zephyr reunion in late Oct. 2017 down in New Orleans, in conjunction with the J30 NA’s on Lake Pontchartrain at New Orleans Yacht Club. It is quite humbling to realize the Zephyr program is still very relevant after thirty years. I guess we are doing something right. I have been blessed to meet some wonderful people along the way, many of whom are my best friends and mentors. 6. What were your strengths on the racecourse? Which leg did YOU favor the most? I know the strengths and weaknesses of the boat. I guess that is where thirty years of experience on the boat comes into play. If you are able to keep the boat out of its areas of weakness, you are usually able to avoid a bad situation on the racecourse. 7. What was your most memorable moment of the regatta? I can tell you my least memorable moment, the first start, it was bad! Luckily we were able to tack to port just after the start and rumble over to the right side. Great boat speed along with a little righty got us back in the race. Otherwise, my most memorable moment was catching up with friends! I no longer live in New Orleans, so I do not get a chance to spend too much time with my good friends who just happen to be my crew. Traveling to the NAs is special for us because everyone is away from the distractions of home, work, and family—a four day hall pass to hang with the boys. READ MORE

The North Sails Group is deeply saddened by the passing of Terry Kohler, owner of North Sails from 1984-2014. North Sails and all of its employees around the world would like to pass their condolences to the family Terry leaves behind, especially his wife Mary. Terry bought North Sails from Lowell North upon North’s retirement in 1984. Terry was passionate about North Sails and helping North maintain it’s position as technology leader within sailmaking. A graduate of internationally renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Terry saw the huge potential in embracing technology. It is under his guidance that North Sails introduced 3D sailmaking and our technologically advanced manufacturing and logistical systems. In 2008 Terry brought North Sails and Southern Spars under the North Technology Group, putting in motion the concept of “The Engine Above The Deck.” North Technology Group has since grown into a diverse family of companies serving marine and manufacturing markets worldwide. Each company was built on the principle of delivering advanced performance through superior technology and a commitment to quality craftsmanship and customer service. Terry’s love of sailing spilled over into the wider sailing community. He was a generous supporter of the sport, in particular women’s sailing. Terry was especially interested in women’s match racing, having worked with the last US Women’s Olympic Team in 2012. Some of his greatest legacies will be the Sail Sheboygan Sailing Center and the non-profit Sailing Education Associate of Sheboygan (SEAS). “Terry’s business acumen and discipline were the perfect fit for North Sails when he bought the company from Lowell,” commented Tom Whidden, CEO of North Technology Group. “He was first passionate about sailing but secondly passionate about making North a more business-like company. He was insistent on using computer technology and communications systems that were very progressive at the time. His aggressive approach to wild ideas is a trait that has been filtered through our entire company culture. Personally, I will miss Terry’s guide, but his passion for North will stay as part of our DNA.” READ MORE

2016 MELGES 20 WORLDS Q&A Interview with Frederico Michetti, Trimmer on Pinta – Winner of the 2016 World Championship Freddy, let’s begin at the end! You are now the only sailor in history to have won all the Melges sportboat design titles having won the M24, M32 and now the M20 Worlds. How does it feel ? FREDDY: For more than 20 years I’ve considered Melges boats to be the best monohull sportboat to race. Capturing the Melges 20 Worlds title with our incredible team makes me really happy and proud. Looking back, I have had incredibly happy moments with all the teams that I raced with. They are always in my heart and this victory is dedicated to them too! The first world title I won was with the Melges 24 “Sabino Express” in La Rochelle back in 2000. Certainly that first title is one I will never forget as I was able to compete side by side with an unforgettable friend who is no longer with us. Our win with the PINTA team is a victory that certainly punctuates my sailing career in the fantastic Melges world. I am very thankful to Michael Illbruck and to the team for making it happen! What can you tell us about the “journey” with the PINTA Team? It is an incredible feat for you guys to manage to win the Worlds right after one racing year… fantastic! FREDDY: I have been following Michael’s sailing adventures since I was a kid. That’s why PINTA represents more than a simple sailing team to me. It represents a real icon and legend in our world which started writing its own history back in 1969 with Michael’s father, Willy. In this first season Melges 20 PINTA was aiming only to be adequately competitive with the goal of being prepared for a run at the 2017 Melges 20 Worlds being held in Newport so we knew already that we had to commit to achieve our goal. The “journey” is a little strategy that we created to focus on what we were doing without being overloaded with stress or, even worse, with high expectations which can do more harm than good. Therefore the “journey” has helped us as we allowed ourselves to concentrate on learning and on sailing empathetically. We were going back onshore after each race or practice satisfied that we had given our best. So, the short story for our preparation was: “Let’s focus on the Journey and not the goal…” At the end we respected the original plan and we worked really hard from the first day we began sailing together. We also teamed up as much as possible onshore increasing our positive and serene attitude. To this extent Micheal is a indeed a very special sailor! These things have helped the team grow together and improve our racing performance without any form of pressure or anxiety. Defeats are painful though! Willy (Michael’s father, one of the most winning owners in the history of sailing) used to say: “You must experience a defeat before you learn how to win!.” We found this to be very true and helpful in our less successful moments. Winning the world title wasn’t in our dreams even as we realized that our performance was improving and we were becoming very competitive race by race. John Kostecki’s expertise of Team PINTA – he has been sailing for the team for the past 22 years! – has indeed been a key factor and essential to winning the championship! You are the “Speed Boss” on board which means you trim the sails, tune the mast, take care of managing the boat handling, etc. Can you give us tips to keep in mind to go fast upwind and downwind ? FREDDY: The Melges 20 is an intriguing, fun-to-sail boat. The three-person team sails with their legs onboard creating totally new dynamics: each team member contributes to tactics, trim and tuning. On PINTA start with a setting which can easily be adapted or changed in case the conditions change. We choose a tune that uses the tracks in their full range. Heeling angle is the key to success – being able to keep a stable and constant angle seems to ensure consistent, successful performances. I reckon that the heeling angle is the key to success in that being able to keep a stable and constant angle seems to ensure consistent, successful performances. In the Melges 20 class there is no crew-weight limit. Some teams sail with three while others opt for four crew. What are your thoughts about crew weight and numbers on the Melges 20? FREDDY: The class does not foresee a weight limit which takes away the stress of compulsory weigh-in and related extreme diets. The fleets swings between 240 – 275 kg (530-605 lbs). I think that 260kg (573 lbs) is the optimum weight. On PINTA our average weight was +270kg (595 lbs) which doesn’t really help in light wind conditions! What sails & codes you would recommend ? Could you define wind-range & sea-state to choose if flying a Runner or a Reacher ? FREDDY: In the last two seasons North Sails has worked really hard to develop an easy to use, all-round inventory. I’m really proud of what we came up with. The results speak for themselves. On PINTA we sail with standard North sails: M-16 mainsail LM Jib (former J-11B) V4-2R and R2 Runner. The V4 has proven to be a great all-round sail and is a must in the lazy planning condition where the heeling angle is the most important factor. The R2 is a great sail in the range of 7 to 11 knots. As President of Melges Europe what can you tell us about the future of this Class and upcoming Melges 20 racing ? FREDDY: The Melges 20 class is experiencing extraordinary momentum, especially considering a perceived downturn in sailing industry worldwide. The world championship in Scarlino had record attendance with the highest number of competitors ever registered for a Melges 20 World Championship. Not only have the attendance figures been encouraging but also the feedback of the owners after the event has been particularly brilliant. It is exciting for me that more and more clients are supporting us and asking for more races with the typical “Melges style” support both on the water and onshore. Never before have I personally experienced such an inviting, addicting and comfortable class. Top teams that compete with Corinthians or family driven teams under the eyes of an always competent and trustful jury. This is what makes the class so special and allows us to enjoy a racing schedule of more than 20 events in venues such as Monte Carlo, Miami, Toronto, The Med and Japan. This is the Melges 20 class heritage! Our commitment at Melges is to offer to our client an attractive and unique sailing experience. Team Melges is working hard to make this happen now and in the future. READ MORE

It has been a beautiful weekend here in Toulon. It was as we had all anticipated – a light air regatta – so there were no surprises there but it is a really interesting fleet when its these sort of conditions. A couple of the players are super competitive in the light air, especially the local heroes on Groupama so it was set up to be a great regatta. I’m not sure I would have much liked to be taking part but it turned out to be nail biting to watch and a really fun event. One of the other things that I was interested in this weekend was – will TEAM USA struggle with Jimmy Spithill being out and them having to use a new helmsman in Tom Slingsby? I think we have seen time and again now that no matter how talented the ‘stand in’ helmsmen is in their own right (and we have had a pretty stellar list in Franceso Bruni, Glenn Ashby and now Tom Slingsby), it is not easy. Oracle Team USA certainly scuffled at this event but it shows that practice really makes perfect. Let’s be honest these guys are superstars in the sport but they have all found it hard to be catapulted into the helmsmen position, it also gives you an idea of the level of talent that is out there, it is incredible. In terms of the racing, it was a ‘streaks’ weekend – the longest streak won the regatta and that was Artemis Racing here. They looked prepared, organised and very calm. The first question I asked Outerridge yesterday, when we talked to him post-race, was whether he thought it was a coincidence that the two teams led by helmsmen who had just competed in the Olympics Games in Rio (Outerridge and Burling) were also the two teams who came out of the blocks hardest and best. He did not think it was coincidence at all. I reckon it shows that racing and testing are two completely different things. Testing in a boat that is actually very different to these boats versus actual racing – hand to hand combat, keeping your mind sharp and making those split second decisions better are just not the same. He felt race ready and super sharp and look where they ended up…. The slight irony is that Artemis have struggled with consistency throughout this series yet it was their performances over the whole weekend that won them this regatta. They have either done really well or really badly but haven’t managed to string together the bits in the middle. The problem with that is you can quickly lose quite a lot of points and see yourself slipping down the leader board. On the flip side of that, if in between the wins you can grind out some middle of the fleet finishes you can keep yourself in contention. I think the other teams that did well showed this to be true – Softbank Team Japan had a lousy streak of races on Saturday but a streak of great races today (Sunday) and they are second overall. It feels like we hardly even talked about them that much this weekend but there they are on the podium. The same thing with Land Rover BAR – shocking first day with two last places on Saturday and then you look at the scoreboard and they came out having extended their overall lead at the end of the regatta. I would say the big surprise of the event was Burling – he came out fast, and they looked great but I am guessing the team will be disappointed in how it finished. You could make a case that he was still celebrating and his mind wasn’t quite fully back into it, I mean a gold medal would make you a little giddy but they said that wasn’t the case, they said they were mentally ready and I think they will feel they under performed in the end. They had a real shot at getting back solidly into the overall standings but they didn’t really do that. They are fighting for a big two points going into the challenger series and right now with all the scuffling and weirdness of this weekend, Land Rover BAR comes out with a reasonable result and a pretty substantial lead to fight for those two points going into the last, Japanese regatta. Looking to Japan, it is going to be really interesting as what we saw here is the ability to make up standings and gains in just a few races. So still the top three are right in the hunt but I think Land Rover BAR might look at Japan a bit differently in terms of strategy. Up to now it has all been about winning the regatta but in Japan it becomes more about winning the ‘war’. You have to forget the battle now and look to the bigger picture – who is second, third etc and make sure you don’t do anything silly and keep the guys behind you in check. So maybe the top three will now be looking at the overall standings rather than just on the individual regatta standings. None of them, across the whole fleet, will give up anything and we have seen how so much can change so quickly so it is going to be all to play for. I love Japan and they have a great sailing fan base and I know lots of people are really excited about the America’s Cup reaching their shores, so I am really looking forward to the final stop in this tour before the countdown to Bermuda. READ MORE

It has been a beautiful weekend here in Toulon. It was as we had all anticipated – a light air regatta – so there were no surprises there but it is a really interesting fleet when its these sort of conditions. A couple of the players are super competitive in the light air, especially the local heroes on Groupama so it was set up to be a great regatta. I’m not sure I would have much liked to be taking part but it turned out to be nail biting to watch and a really fun event. One of the other things that I was interested in this weekend was – will TEAM USA struggle with Jimmy Spithill being out and them having to use a new helmsman in Tom Slingsby? I think we have seen time and again now that no matter how talented the ‘stand in’ helmsmen is in their own right (and we have had a pretty stellar list in Franceso Bruni, Glenn Ashby and now Tom Slingsby), it is not easy. Oracle Team USA certainly scuffled at this event but it shows that practice really makes perfect. Let’s be honest these guys are superstars in the sport but they have all found it hard to be catapulted into the helmsmen position, it also gives you an idea of the level of talent that is out there, it is incredible. In terms of the racing, it was a ‘streaks’ weekend – the longest streak won the regatta and that was Artemis Racing here. They looked prepared, organised and very calm. The first question I asked Outerridge yesterday, when we talked to him post-race, was whether he thought it was a coincidence that the two teams led by helmsmen who had just competed in the Olympics Games in Rio (Outerridge and Burling) were also the two teams who came out of the blocks hardest and best. He did not think it was coincidence at all. I reckon it shows that racing and testing are two completely different things. Testing in a boat that is actually very different to these boats versus actual racing – hand to hand combat, keeping your mind sharp and making those split second decisions better are just not the same. He felt race ready and super sharp and look where they ended up… The slight irony is that Artemis have struggled with consistency throughout this series yet it was their performances over the whole weekend that won them this regatta. They have either done really well or really badly but haven’t managed to string together the bits in the middle. The problem with that is you can quickly lose quite a lot of points and see yourself slipping down the leader board. On the flip side of that, if in between the wins you can grind out some middle of the fleet finishes you can keep yourself in contention. I think the other teams that did well showed this to be true – Softbank Team Japan had a lousy streak of races on Saturday but a streak of great races today (Sunday) and they are second overall. It feels like we hardly even talked about them that much this weekend but there they are on the podium. The same thing with Land Rover BAR – shocking first day with two last places on Saturday and then you look at the scoreboard and they came out having extended their overall lead at the end of the regatta. I would say the big surprise of the event was Burling – he came out fast, and they looked great but I am guessing the team will be disappointed in how it finished. You could make a case that he was still celebrating and his mind wasn’t quite fully back into it, I mean a gold medal would make you a little giddy but they said that wasn’t the case, they said they were mentally ready and I think they will feel they under performed in the end. They had a real shot at getting back solidly into the overall standings but they didn’t really do that. They are fighting for a big two points going into the challenger series and right now with all the scuffling and weirdness of this weekend, Land Rover BAR comes out with a reasonable result and a pretty substantial lead to fight for those two points going into the last, Japanese regatta. Looking to Japan, it is going to be really interesting as what we saw here is the ability to make up standings and gains in just a few races. So still the top three are right in the hunt but I think Land Rover BAR might look at Japan a bit differently in terms of strategy. Up to now it has all been about winning the regatta but in Japan it becomes more about winning the ‘war’. You have to forget the battle now and look to the bigger picture – who is second, third etc and make sure you don’t do anything silly and keep the guys behind you in check. So maybe the top three will now be looking at the overall standings rather than just on the individual regatta standings. None of them, across the whole fleet, will give up anything and we have seen how so much can change so quickly so it is going to be all to play for. I love Japan and they have a great sailing fan base and I know lots of people are really excited about the America’s Cup reaching their shores, so I am really looking forward to the final stop in this tour before the countdown to Bermuda. READ MORE