A RACE TO REMEMBER

Susan Hood Trophy Race 2018

The weather gods aligned for the 2018 Susan Hood Trophy Race presented by DriveHG at Port Credit Yacht Club this past weekend. After a short period of rain before the Skipper's Meeting, the sun came out and the wind picked up, creating one of the most beautiful starts racers have seen in the past couple of years. As exclusive sailmaker sponsor of the #SusanHoodTR and the Lake Ontario 300/600, the team from North Sails Toronto were onsite assisting racers with last minute prep including onsite repair, drop-offs and tuning. Local North Sails expert, Hugh Beaton, was onboard Afterburn, a Soto 40 out of Port Credit Yacht Club, skippered by Craig Pirie and Darren Gornall. The crew tested out their new 3Di RAW Square Top Mainsail and A2 Asymmetric Airx throughout the race; finishing on June 2 at 5:43 am with a corrected time of 12:00:01.

Sailing the Soto 40 Afterburn in the Susan Hood was a real pleasure. She lived up to her billing as a downwind flyer, hitting 15-16 knots pretty easily during the first half of the leg to Niagara. We started with the Masthead Code 0, and then peeled to the A2 about 90 minutes into the race as the wind swung aft. True wind speed 17-18 and a true wind angle of 145 is a great combination for this boat. - Hugh Beaton, North Sails

Bryan Sim's took his new Perry 57, Suspect, out for her first race during the Hood, which was complete with a new inventory of North Sails, delivered earlier in the week by Hugh Beaton. The new inventory included a 3Di ENDURANCE Full Batten Mainsail, 3Di Endurance Furling Genoa, A0 Asymmetric and A2 Asymmetric. North Sails expert Doug Folsetter and summer intern Kyann Rentzelos crewed with Bryan for the race.

Not only was it first racing this beautifully refitted Perry 57, it was the first time sailing it for the owner and crew. As the boat is true racer / cruiser that will be extensively cruised and occasionally raced, the sail inventory was kept simple with a 3Di ENDURANCE main and 135% furling jib along with an A0 on a furler and A2 in a snuffer for downwind work. Despite the limited inventory, these versatile sails worked wonderfully through the wind range that we experienced, and we never felt that we were missing the “perfect” sail for any given condition.

"We found the sail-plan extremely easy to handle which will bode well for the owner when they set off on extended cruises shorthanded. The easily driven hull was really in it’s element, close-reaching at 11-12 knots of boat speed in 20 knots TWS with a reefed main and full jib. The furling A0 could be the most versatile sail on the boat. It’s absolutely necessary for long distances such as the Susan Hood but will also be a fantastic sail for fast passage making. Every modern cruising boat should really have one." -Doug Folsetter, North Sails

Blast from Mimico Cruising Club took her new suit of sails for a whirl this weekend. Chris Bobyk, Owner, added a new 3Di RAW Mainsail and A2 Asymmetric to his collection for 2018. Bobyk was pleased with the sails performance and overall race saying, The 2018 Susan hood race was a thriller, with 18 knot winds and preferred port tack Spinnaker start to kick things off towards the first mark at Niagara. The thrill being some competitors started on starboard with majority on port- well that made things interesting especially with those on port with kites up or being hoisted- us for one. It was a great test for both our new 3DI North Main and A2 Asymmetrical kite. Both these new sails have proven their performance in design and construction early this season, most particularly in Blast’s enhanced speed performance during the Susan hood at different points of sail. In addition to enhanced speed performance the 3DI Main is one of the easiest main sails to get set with reduced adjustments for the trimmer- simplifying main trimming and allowing both helmsman and main trimmer to get into their respective grooves quicker in and out of tacks and upon establishing course. This new addition to Blasts sail inventory as a recommended addition by North has proven itself.

"The new A2 kite design was based on an analysis of the existing Kite inventory being more traditional asymmetrical in design- the new A2 with larger shoulders gets us to deeper downwind angles and with the strong winds behind our backs for the majority of leg 1 proved a considerable benefit in closer matching wind angles of the symmetrical kite boats. Overall could not be more pleased with these sails and the support from the Team at the North Toronto Loft", commented Chris Bobyk, Owner of Blast, First 10R

The Toronto team saw a number of new clients flying new sails for the season during the race including: Chris Bobyk, Beneteau 10R, Blast Craig Pirie & Darren Gornall, Soto 40, Afterburn Bryan Sim, Perry 57, Suspect Bruce Pierce, J122, Hooligan II Will French, Olson 911SE, Entourage William Morland, Beneteau 10R, Rum Kist Brian Mitchell, Quest 33, Areion