WHAT IS THE TWIN-SKIN MAINSAIL?
The “What is…” Series Presented by North Sails Focuses on the Innovation that help the AC75s Fly

In episode two we dive into the details of the AC75 sails, answering the question- just what is the twin skin mainsail?
We caught up with Emirates Team New Zealand embedded sail designer Burns Fallow to learn more about the twin skin mainsail; a concept decided on before they had finalized the AC75 hull design.
Fallow explained, “Straight after the cup in 2017, when Emirates Team New Zealand was then establishing the new America’s Cup rules for the new boat, we began brainstorming. There was a desire to move away from the solid wings of 2010, 2013, 2017. And what was driving this was we couldn’t see the wing have any trickle-down to regular sailing. We didn’t actually know what the boat would be at that stage. We assumed that we could deliver performance similar to the solid wings with regular mainsails on a mast. We came up with this concept through a couple of brainstorming sessions within a matter of weeks after the 2017 Cup.”
There’s more to it, including a very cool history lesson. Watch the video and find out more.
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