NORTH SAILS BLOG

GIV DINE SEJL DEN BEDST MULIGE PLEJE MED ET GRATIS EFTERSYN HOS NORTH SAILS Vi tilbyder service til alle slags kunder, fra den lille Optimist til de allerstørste yachts. En ting har de alle til fælles - de har brug for sejl i den bedste kvalitet, vedligeholdt i den bedste stand. North Sails Certified Service tilbyder dig den bedste sejlpleje og uanset om du er til kapsejlads eller tursejlads, er der ingen mere kvalificeret til at hjælpe dig med at forlænge levetiden på dine sejl og opretholde deres maksimale ydeevne. Sejlmagerens 10 råd til at forlænge levetiden på dine sejl: Undgå at sejlene blafrer langvarigt, da det kan nedbringe sejlets levetid betragteligt. Undgå så vidt muligt at sejle for motor med blafrende sejl i vinden. Brug dine sejl i deres dertil designede vind område. Hvis du ikke kender de anbefalede vind områder for dine sejl, skal du kontakte North Sails. Når du forlader båden, skal du lette fald spænding og udhal for at forhindre at sejlet bliver overstrukket. Undgå at folde sejlet på de samme foldelinjer for at forhindre at små folder ikke bliver permanente. Beskyt dine sejl mod sollys med en presenning og lad dem blive i posen så længe som muligt. Skyl dine sejl med ferskvand og tør dem grundigt inden opbevaring for at undgå mug. Skyl fittings i ferskvand for at forhindre korrosion. Opbevar tørre sejl på et godt ventileret sted. Gerne mørkt og afkølet. Gå jævnligt sejlet efter for slidtage. Send dit sejl til eftersyn og service hos North Sails efter hver sæson! Kontakt os på 3920 4090 for mere information eller send os en email på DEN@northsails.com Se her, hvor du kan indlevere din sejl til gratis vintereftersyn. READ MORE

VERDENS BEDSTE SERVICE Hos North Sails er vores målsætning at give dine sejl det bedste mulige service eftersyn, hurtigt og effektivt. Vi ved, at uanset om du kapsejler eller cruiser, er sejlene en stor investering og vi sætter en ære i at hjælpe dig med at maksimere sejlets performance og levetid. Vores verdensomspændende netværk gør, at du får den samme service, uanset om du er hjemme eller på den anden side af jorden. Og vores sejlmagere kan håndtere ethvert behov for service og vedligehold. North Sails tilbyder 1 års Fri Service* Ved køb af et nyt Cruising-, Racing- eller One Design sejl. Dette program er gældende overalt i North Sails verdensomspændende netværk af salgs- og servicelofter. Ethvert sejl, der bliver serviceret hos North Sails, gennemgår en grundig inspektion, der identificerer eventuelle problemer tidligt, så de ikke bliver store problemer senere. En årlig gennemgang af din sejlgarderobe bidrager væsentligt til at forlænge sejlets levetid og performance. "North Sails "Certified Service" tilbyder dig den allerbedste service af dine sejl. Uanset om du sejler kapsejlads eller cruiser, er der ingen anden sejlmager som er mere kvalificeret til at hjælpe dig med at forlænge dine sejls liv og opretholde facon og performance i hele sejlets levetid. Vores globale salgs- og servicenetværk består af 7 produktionssteder, 159 salgs- og servicelofter og over 1.500 medarbejdere på verdensplan. North Sails Certified Service leverer kvalitet og håndværk i verdensklasse, uanset hvor du er i verden." Se også Sejlmagerens 10 råd til at forlænge levetiden på dine sejl REGATTA SERVICE North Sails “Certified Service” Sejlmager får dine sejl repareret og fixet over natten. Vores Service Bil er på stedet til alle de store kapsejladser, hvor vi tilbyder afhentning og levering af dine sejl. Skader kan ske, men det betyder ikke, at du skal være uden dit bedst sejl resten af kapsejladsen. ÅRLIG VINTER SERVICE En årlig service af din sejlgarderobe betyder forlænges af sejlets levetid og hjælper med at opretholde den rigtige dybde og facon. Ethvert sejl, der bliver serviceret af North Sails, gennemgår en grundig inspektion, der er designet til at identificere eventuelle problemer tidligt, så de ikke bliver store problemer senere. 1 ÅRS GRATIS SERVICE Ved køb af et nyt cruising sejl, racing sejl eller One Design sejl tilbyder North Sails 1 års gratis sejlservice og reparation efter den første sæson. Dette er gældende overalt i North Sails verdensomspændende netværk af salgs- og servicelokaler. READ MORE

EVENT SPOTLIGHT: CUSTOMER APPRECIATION Thank You For Your Support, Toronto! This past Saturday we came together to celebrate one thing: YOU. Our Toronto team held a customer appreciation event to say THANK YOU to our loyal customers for all the support we've received over the years. It was fantastic to see so many faces and smiles on a sunny Saturday; we know it's a busy time with haul-out so we appreciate everyone taking the time to come by. In addition to saying thank you, we kicked off our fall hours. We're committed to helping you maximize the performance and lifespan of your sails which means we're open Saturday's from 9am to 1pm to accommodate all your sail care needs throughout the fall. Our Certified Service team is around to help provide a proper inspection for your sails before you storm them for the season. We also provide sail washing, in house, and winter storage if you're tight on space. We offer free winter storage with sail washing as well. Our 10 Point Inspection includes: Inspect head, tack, clew and reef attachments. Inspect webbing & hardware for chafe and UV damage. Inspect hand stitching. Inspect luff tapes and luff attachments. Inspect for chafe at external hardware contact points at spreaders, shrouds, stanchions etc. Inspect leech line, foot line and attachment system. Inspect sail for UV damage and proper furling side (if applicable). Inspect batten pocket ends, attachments and fit (if applicable). Inspect sail body for condition of cloth, seams, sail numbers, draft stripes and windows. Replace or add telltales (complimentary). Inspect miscellaneous gear: Spinnaker Snuffer line and hoop, mainsail external flaking system, headsail vertical battens, UV covers, etc. Inspect sailbag draw string, zippers, web straps, and label properly. Sail report, 10 checkpoints, comments. Fall Hours October 19th - November 23rd Weekdays: 8:30am - 5pm Saturday: 9am - 1pm READ MORE

Mildew, chafing, UV cover tears and corner webbing and stitching degradation are common issues we are looking for when a sail come in for sail care. We can then assess and make repairs. READ MORE

END OF SEASON TLC Your Sails. Our 10 Point Inspection. Quality Guaranteed. We hope everyone had a great summer filled with sailing! As the sailing season comes to a close, we would like to remind everyone that now is the time to get your sails in for an annual winter inspection. There are many advantages of getting your sails into us for our coveted 10-point inspection including an earlier start to next season, longevity of sails, and preventing minor issues from becoming larger problems. With our 10-point inspection, we will cover: All of your stitching, edges and reef points Review of your luff hardware, batten pockets, leech and foot cords UV cover inspection Replace tell tails During the 10-point inspection our service team will also check if there are any adjustments such as re-cuts, or luff adjustments to help your sail perform better. While our 10 point inspections are excellent insurance for next season, we also offer major re cuts/cut downs, luff curve adjustments, sail washing, canvas waterproofing, UV covers, canvas and more. If you would like to get a hold of our service team, feel free to connect with Bill Lesnek or Mike Stark. READ MORE

SSL - Nations Gold Cup FOTO: GILLES MORELLE Star Sailors League je otišao korak dalje! Njen osnivač i vlasnik, Michel Niklaus, nastavlja u smjeru čiji je konačni cilj osnivanje jedriličarske lige po uzoru na ATP Tour koji se organizira u svijetu tenisa, a trenutna faza je formiranje timova/posada koje bi nastupale na dijelu natjecanja, koji da ponovimo analogiju s tenisom, ima format kao Davis Cup. Naravno, natjecanje ovakvog ranga mora imati i zvučan naziv... Nations Gold Cup. Drugim riječima, na osnovu ljestvica koje ekipa is SSL vodi, pa može se reći na dnevnoj bazi, oformljeni su nacionalni timovi koji bi za oko dvije godine trebali krenuti s izlučnim regatama koje će se jedriti u Švicarskoj na modificiranim jedrilicama klase RC44. Trenutno na stranicama Gold Cup-a možemo vidjeti da je na popisu 19 posada iz Europe i obje Amerike, a među njima ima i vrlo zvučnih imena poput Robert Scheidta, Vasca Vascotta, Vasilija Žbogara, Paula Cayarda i naravno, naših jedriličara među kojima je trenutno najeksponiraniji Šime Fantela. Taj broj nije konačan jer je trenutno prijavljeno 48 nacija i samo treba malo pričekati dok se web stranica popuni sa svim aktualnim podacima. Pravilima je određeno da će ekipe biti sastavljene od po 11 članova, od čega će na jedrilicama biti po njih 9, a jedriličarima će na raspolaganju biti čak 12 jedrilica. Sad se dolazi do zanimljivog dijela, a to je po kojem kriteriju su se formirale posade. S obzirom da je ovo projekt SSL-a, neovisan o nacionalnim jedriličarskim savezima i olimpijskim odborima, glavni kriterij izbora sudionika, odnosno izbora kapetana tima je spomenuta SSL ljestvica. Po tom kriteriju našeg najbolje plasiranog jedriličara, Šimu Fantelu, SSL je postavio za kapetana ekipe, dok je on u dogovoru s Tončem Stipanovićem ulogu kormilara prepustio njemu. U skladu s tim ekipe nemaju status jedriličarskih reprezentacija, već npr, kao naša ekipa, imaju naziv SSL Team Croatia. Po pravilima svi članovi tima moraju biti iz iste nacije. Od toga njih sedam mora biti sa SSL rang ljestvice, dok četiri člana tima to ne moraju. U principu to su jedriličari koji nisu u malim klasama, a samim tim i na SSL ljestvici, ali zbog njihovih kvaliteta i iskustva kapetan želi da budu dio tima. Jedriličari koji su pozvani u hrvatski tim kao specijalisti van malih klasa su Antonio Arapović, Pave Pleslić i Marko Sorić. S druge strane u SSL ranking dijelu ekipe su uz Šimu Fantelu i Tonča Stpanovića još Filip Jurišić, Josip Olujić, Igor Marenić i Mihovil Fantela. To su jedriličari koji su odjedrili prvi trening ciklus u Švicarskoj prije dva tjedna, dok su dva mjesta još uvijek slobodna. FOTO: GILLES MORELLE Želja g.Niklausa je da sa sustavom koji organizira pokrene novu eru u jedrenju, u smislu da i jedriličari mogu ostvarivati profesionalne karijere kakve trenutno imaju tenisači, golferi, nogometaši te da posljedično dobiju cjenjeniji status u sportskom svijetu nego što ga sad imaju. Trenutno se cijela priča definira, a u nastavku bi jedriličari trebali dati svoj doprinos razvoju ideje i sistema natjecanja. Sustav natjecanja i priča koju je do sada razvijao s klasom Zvijezda je došla do svog maksimuma i kao slijedeći korak se nametnula ova nova priča. Za klasu u kojoj će se jedriti izabrao je jedrilice koje su trenutno RC44, ali do početka natjecanja napravit će se neke izmjene što na trupu što na podvodnim dijelovima jedrilice. Natjecanje počinje 2021. i jedrit će se svake 4 godine. Sad smo se vratili s pripremnog jedrenja na jezeru Neuchâtel u Švicarskoj. Tamo smo boravili u trening centru u malom mjestu Grandson u velikoj kući čiji je vlasnik g.Niklaus i koji je praktički cijeli svoj život podredio ovom projektu. Osim što nam je osigurao skoro pa idealne uvjete za treniranje ovaj put nam je pokrio i sve troškove da nam olakša ulazak u ovu priču. Šime Fantela, kapetan ekipe i taktičar Da bi sve ekipe imale jednake uvjete u ovom pripremnom razdoblju napravljen je raspored po kojem će se moći trenirati. Tako će naši momci i iduće godine imati ovu jedrilicu deset dana na raspolaganju. Broj dana za treninge nije svim posadama jednak, te se određuje po rankingu koji imaju pojedine nacije. Hrvatska je trenutno u sredini ljestvice, pa u skladu s tim definiran taj broj... slabije rangirani dobivaju više treninga, dok bolji imaju na raspolaganju jedrilice na kraći vremenski period. I na taj način se pokušava sve ekipe dovesti u jednak početni položaj, a kruna svega će biti ta fizička preinaka jedrilica, pa da se poništi prednost ekipama koje imaju priliku jedriti na RC-ovima i kad nisu u Švicarskoj na službenim treninzima. Da bi sve skupa bilo još više standardizirano na jedrilicama se neće moći mijenjati trimovi i sve jedrilice će ih morat imati jednake. SSL Team Croatia je u Grandsonu jedrio pet dana u ovoom pripremnom ciklusu i moram reći da me je g.Niklaus istinski oduševio. On je skoro svaki dan provodio s nama na treninzima, bio u gumenjaku, vodio računa o hrani, opremi... stvarno čovjek koji je u projekt ušao s cijelim srcem! Također me je impresionirala i sve što se nalazi u pozadini ovog projekta. Što na dijelu koji se bavi isključivo Star Sailor League-om, što s Gold Cup-om, stalno je zaposleno oko 130 ljudi! Od toga se svakodnevno rang ljestvicama bavi njih petorica. Stvarno jedan izniman trud, a ono što je jednako važno su temelji na koje je Michel postavio priču. Da bi osigurao dug vijek trajanja i neprekinutost, osnovao je fondaciju koja se brine isključivo o organizaciji ovih regata, jednako kao i s prikupljanjem financijskih sredstava za novčane nagrade natjecateljima. Filip Jurišić, floater Pozicije u kokpitu ovih jedrilica na kojima naši momci jedre nisu bile odmah definirane, već su se mijenjale i tražio se optimum. Posljednja kombinacija je bila slijedeća: kormilar: Tonči Stipanović taktičar: Šime Fantela trimer glavnog jedra: Mihovil Fantela trimeri prednjih jedara: Antonio Arapović i Igor Marenić grinder: Josip Olujić floater: Filip Jurišić pitman: Pave Pleslić bowman: Marko Sorić Natjecanje će trajati šest tjedana. Sustav je zamišljen da u prvom dijelu natjecanja sudjeluju lošije rangirane nacije i da pobjedama napreduju prema slijedećim stupnjevima gdje će ih dočekivati bolje rangirane. Sve regate će se jedriti na jezeru Neuchâtel, dok će se jedino finale jedriti na Ženevskom jezeru. FOTO: GILLES MORELLE Format natjecanja će biti flotni za četiri jedrilice u grupi. Svaki dan će jedriti po dvije grupe. Planirano trajanje plova je sat vremena i jedrit će se samo po jedan štapni plov na dan. Ukupno bi u jedan takav ciklus trebao trajati 7 dana. Na treninzima naše ekipe se desila nesreća koja je na kraju imala relativno sretan ishod. Tijekom drugog dana na treninzima i jedne pojalabande, Mihovila Fantelu je zahvatila škota glavnog jedra i bacila ga na nosač kormila. Nažalost nije uspio ublažiti pad rukama i udario je s dijelom trupa gdje se nalazi slezena. Nitko, pa ni Mihovil, nije posebno obratio pažnju na to, ali nakon pola minute počeo je osjećati da nešto nije u redu. Kako to biva s unutrašnjim ozljedama, vani nije bilo nikakvih masnica ili sličnih obilježja na mjestu udarca. Za svaki slučaj odmah se ukrcao na prateći gumenjak koji ga je odveo na kopno. U prvi mah na pregledu u bolnici nisu se vidjele nikakvi problemi, ali kad su stigli nalazi detaljnijih pretraga shvatilo se da je situacija alarmantna i odmah je odveden na operaciju na kojoj mu je uklonjena slezena. Srećom to mu neće prekinuti sportsku karijeru i moći će se nastaviti baviti vrhunskim sportom, samo što će morati iznimno paziti na infekcije i slične vanjske utjecaje s obzirom da je slezena filter koji štiti organizam od takvih štetnih utjecaja. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS DIVIDES AND CONQUERS AT THE NATIONS TROPHY Three Podium Sweeps, Two World Titles, and One European Champion 📸 Carlo Borlenghi The 2019 edition of the Nations Trophy crowned World Champions in the ClubSwan 50 and Swan 45, and both were North Sails clients. It also established the European Champions in the ClubSwan 42 (won by another North client) and the ClubSwan 36. North client Andrea Masi on Ulika* and Leonardo Ferragamo’s Cuordileone won the overall Nations Trophy, as the two teams from the same country that together scored the lowest total points. Clients also swept podiums in the ClubSwan 42, 45, and 50. Congratulations to ClubSwan 42 winners on Lorenzo Mondo’s Far Star in third, Alberto Franchi’s Digital Bravo in second, and Andrea Rossi’s Mela in first, winning the European title. And to Swan 45 winners Tea Ekengren-Sauren’s Blue Nights in third, Lennard Van Oeveren’s Automotions in second, and Klaus Diederich’s Fever in first, winning the World title. In the ClubSwan 50, the podium spots went to Sonke Meier Sawatzki’s Niramo* in third, Ross Warburton’s Perhonen in second, and Dmitry Ryboloblev’s Skorpios in first, winning the World title. In the debut of the new ClubSwan 36, clients on Pier Luigi Loro Piana’s Sease took second, Aci’s Go Racing in third, and Haakon Lorentzen’s Mamao in fourth. “Our clients put in a lot of time and effort, and it’s up to us to provide them with the best resources and make improvements where they are needed.” Loft experts and the Certified Service team at North Sails pitched in to help clients, both on and off the water. The service team worked late into each night making sure clients were ready for the next day of racing. North sales experts helped post great results on the race course. North Sails Sustainability Officer Fiona Bruce helped hand out prizes at the awards ceremony. Boat speed is what wins races, so leading up to the event North Designer Juan Meseguer helped his team on the winning ClubSwan 50, Skorpios evaluate every area of the boat. “We worked to improve settings and evaluate our sail inventory, and that helped us pinpoint what we could improve.” Rigging and sails are equal in the ClubSwan 50 fleet, so Juan knew small improvements would mean a lot. “One thing our team does exceptionally well is sail selection for each leg of the race,” he points out. “We acquired two new headsails, which helped our upwind game. What stood out in a big way was the combination of the right equipment and an outstanding crew. It was great to finish the season with the win at the Worlds.” Skorpios, ClubSwan 50 overall winner 📸 Carlo Borlenghi Onboard Fever, the class-winning Swan 45, expert Andrea Casale agrees that accurate sail selection before the start was a point of pride for the team. “On average, we race with our rig a bit softer, which provides a nice groove.” Another focus was the aggressive adjustments of their mast butt. “We have two settings, one for more than nine knots and one for less than nine knots. That was helpful to maintain the perfect luff curve with our 3Di RAW mainsail.” Fever’s boat speed helped the team’s confidence going into the last race, when only one point separated three boats at the top of the fleet. Owner Klaus Diederich told his team they had nothing to lose, reminding them that they had already won two races and could do it again. When Fever won the final race of the regatta too, it handed Andrea’s team the victory. “This regatta is the cherry on top to all the hard work each team has put in over the season,” Andrea says. “Our clients put in a lot of time and effort, and it’s up to us to provide them with the best resources and make improvements where they are needed.” Fever, Swan 45 World Champions 📸 Carlo Borlenghi 2019 Nations Trophy winning team member Daniele Cassinari sailed on the ClubSwan 50 Cuordileone and says preparation was the key to their success. “We started testing out new tuning settings early in the season and kept the same crew as last year, so we could focus on tuning and boat handling.” In a class that only allows a few sail cards per year, Daniele points to the value of 3Di’s durability. “We used the same set of sails for the entire season, and we won. Then we made a new set of sails– just for the Nations Trophy, which was another win! North Sails 3Di has proven to be the fastest sails on the water. Not just in the Swan Club 50, but also in the 45 and 42.” Cuordileone, overall Nations Trophy winner 📸 Carlo Borlenghi Onboard the winning Swan 42 Mela, Giovanni Cassinari says their team has been working hard on boat speed and strategy since they won last year’s Nations Cup. “Our crew works very well together, which gave us the one-up on our competition. We added a new light and medium headsail and a new A2 spinnaker for this event, and it made the difference. “Andrea Rossi, our owner, and his brother and part-owner Mario (who ran the pit), have put together a mixed crew with friends and family. That created a positive atmosphere that allowed us to replicate our 2018 victory. This year the racing was harder, so it was an honor to come back and win this event again.” “North Sails 3Di has proven to be the fastest sails on the water. Not just in the Swan Club 50, but also in the 45 and 42.” Regattas like the Nations Cup help push North experts to develop the best products for clients, concludes Giovanni. “The only way to test new ideas and concepts is to see them live–on the race track.” Mela, ClubSwan 42 European Champions 📸 Carlo Borlenghi READ MORE

IT ALL COMES BACK TO DETROIT Expert Spencer Colpaert Shares His Goals For Sailing In Detroit After moving around the country for the past seven years, taking some incredible opportunities to grow as both a sailor and sailmaker, I am very excited to be moving back to Detroit to continue my career in the sailmaking industry with North Sails. Along the way I had the chance to race in some of the top One Design classes like the J/70, Melges 24, 32, C&C30, and Farr 40’s, while also racing boats like the Maxi 86, TP52, Santa Cruz 70, and many other handicap classes along the way; and even some Classic Yacht racing on the R40 Gamecock, while I lived in Newport, RI. Over these past couple years I have been spending most of my time racing J/70’s down south over the winter months and racing TP52’s in the Great Lakes during the summer. For the J/70, I have been spending most of my time racing with Hanson Bratton from my home club in Detroit, Bayview Yacht Club, with a season highlight of our race win at Charleston Race Week in a class of 55 boats being the top one design class in the country. Our team has been sailing with Hanson for the past three years in both the J/70 and Tartan 10 classes, winning the T-10 North American Championship in 2017. The past two summer I have spent managing and racing on the TP52 with Phil and Sharron O’Neil on their boat Natalie J, also out of Bayview Yacht Club, and Chris Duhon on Mockingbird out of Columbia Yacht Club in Chicago. Having had great success with both programs working to fight off the newer built TP52’s racing both inshore W/L races and Offshore in the Mackinac Races. Moving forward with North Sails Detroit my plan is to focus on the grass roots sailing back in the Great Lakes. Be it local racing in Anchor Bay, helping to set up your boat for cruising with your family, or a boat owner looking to step their game up and bring home more wins, I want to help support local sailors in all dimensions of their sailing. You can most likely find me on a boat seven days a week, and I'm always around to help. The support I have seen from everyone at North Sails has given me great confidence that I have every tool necessary to support our customers at any level, from our local service staff of Mike and Bill (Bill was the one who first taught me the ins and outs of sail making when I started on the production loft floor twelve years ago!), to the design team, and management, there is not a question I can’t get answered or a piece of information that can’t be found. On top of all of that, we have a great new loft on Fonterra Dr. in Warren, MI that has been a dream to work out of. Being able to fit any size sail we need, even the Volvo 70 main we pulled out on the loft floor a few weeks ago, has been a dream. This fall if I am not out sailing with a customer looking at possible sail replacements, or what we need to do to re-cut a sail to make it back its original shape, you can find me at one of our many winter service sail pick up locations at Bayview Yacht Club, West Marine, Port Huron Yacht Club, or North Star Sail Club. I will also be out sailing the Fall Series Races in Anchor Bay out of North Star Sail Club. I am personally excited to be racing out of NSSC more now, as my fiancé and I are very excited to have recently joined the club becoming 3rd generation members. I am available year-round for all of your sail care needs, and I look forward to seeing everyone on the water in spring 2020. READ MORE

500th ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST CIRCUMNAVIGATION History Repeats for Another Lap with North Sails On August 10th, 1519, 239 sailors led by Portuguese Ferdinand Magellan sailed five ships out of Seville, Spain, looking for a trading route to the west. When one of those ships finally returned to Spain three years later, it was the first scientific proof that the earth is a sphere. Next year, the 500th anniversary of that very first round-the-world voyage will be commemorated with a joint circumnavigation organized by the governments of Spain and Portugal, using their two most famous tall ships: Sagres and Juan Sebastián Elcano. North Sails will supply the sails for both vessels, a total of forty sails and 4,313 square meters of material. Top sails, jibs, and gaff sails have all been produced at North Sails in Cuntis, Spain, one of the only lofts in the world with enough space to handle such an enormous project. “The Cuntis team has spent countless hours on the loft floor for over two months manufacturing these sails, alongside our racing and other classic sail designs,” says local sales expert Manuel Lastra. “We have extensive experience in the manufacture of Tall Ship sails. But when I see the leather used to reinforce the sail corners, I think about Magellan’s crew. When there were food shortages over the four months it took to cross the Pacific, they had no other option than to eat the leather from the sails.” Magellan himself never made it home, and only 18 of the original crew completed the circumnavigation, returning under the leadership of Spanish navigator Juan Sebastián Elcano. Though Portugal’s Magellan has received most of the credit for the successful voyage, Spain and Portugal have organized this joint commemoration in part to recognize the important part the Spanish Elcano (and the Spanish king’s original funding) played. With plans for many events along the way, the voyage may last as long as the original circumnavigation. Already on the schedule are celebrations at the start and finish of the 2019 Atlantic Rally for Cruisers. For more information, visit the 5th Centenary website. Looking for sails for your classic yacht or tall ship? Contact your local experts. READ MORE

DRAGON 90TH ANNIVERSARY REGATTA North Sails Expert Jens Christensen Wins Championship 📸 Elena Razina What does North Sails contribute to the Dragon class? “Our class experts go above and beyond for client support,” says North Expert Jens Christensen, who was the overall winner at the 90th Anniversary Regatta in San Remo, Italy. “Theis Palm and Ruairidh Scott do an outstanding job supporting the class and clients with their knowledge and expertise. We all compete regularly at events, and really do everything we can to help keep the class special yet competitive.” Jens is already looking forward to the 2020 racing season—even as he credits his team, new boat, and new sails for their most recent victory. To win the 90th Anniversary Regatta, he used the North Sails all-purpose A-14 mainsail, which is a crosscut sail with a radial head that allows the sail to twist open and de-power when needed. The design evolved out of the 2015 main used by 2017 and 2019 World Champions Provezza Sailing Team. “The new mainsail sets up easy and is simple to trim,” Jens explains. “It is smooth and a little flatter than our A-7+. This sail is a strong choice in light to medium wind conditions.” For tuning, “We follow the North Sails tuning guide, which helps put us right where we want to be.” They also used the V-6M Genoa and BR-9 Spinnaker. “Having a good team and a new boat may have something to do with it too!” Two qualifying races over the first two days divided the 163-boat fleet into Silver and Gold divisions, which each sailed three more races to determine a champion. Jens’ team won the first gold series race but posted a 24th in race two. Trusting both his team and their boatspeed, Jens rounded the top mark of the final race in fourth place. “We knew all we had to do was finish without making any big mistakes.” 📸 Elena Razina Jens has been involved in the Dragon Class for fourteen years, and he says the great competition is what keeps him coming back. “There were something like 22 Olympic medalists at this event, and we are all well-matched at the top. The Dragon Class always brings the best of the best in small boat one design sailing.” He also enjoys the boat itself, because “ it is technical and there are things you’d only know if you sailed one. It is a fun yet difficult boat to sail, and what makes it special is that the boat design has not changed over the years.” Another special feature of the 90th Anniversary event was the location. “San Remo hosted a fantastic event,” Jens concludes. “It is a traditional venue and the racing was top notch—as expected.” Interested in our Championship-winning Dragon sails? Contact your local North Sails Dragon expert today. Full Results 📸 Elena Razina READ MORE

NORTH SAILS AUX AVANT-POSTES Tréhin et Beccaria triomphent sur la 1e étape de la Mini-Transat Axel Tréhin et Ambrogio Beccaria, vainqueurs de la première étape 📸 North Sails / Julien Texier Cette première épreuve de la Mini-Transat La Boulangère s’est déroulée au coude à coude, mêlant conditions météo capricieuses et suspense jusqu’aux derniers milles ! Après plus de 8 jours de course au large en solitaire et une belle option tactique à l’approche des îles Canaries qui a fini par payer, Axel Tréhin à bord de Project Rescue Ocean (FRA 945, voiles North) franchit le premier la ligne d’arrivée en soufflant la victoire sur le fil à François Jambou (Team BFR- Marée Haute Jaune, FRA 865). Tandis que Tanguy Bouroullec (Cerfrance, FRA 969) complète le podium (classement prototype). En classement série, Ambrogio Beccaria sur Geomag (ITA 943, voiles North) a quasiment fait course en tête du début à la fin et s’adjuge une 1e place méritée, assumant parfaitement son rôle de favori. Par la même occasion, il décroche sur cette première étape le record des 24 heures overall avec 281 milles parcourus. Durant ces 1350 milles, de La Rochelle à Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, les conditions météo et situations tactiques ont donné du fil à retordre aux 87 marins en lice (dont huit femmes) avec deux fronts à négocier en début de parcours, un passage extérieur ou intérieur du DST délicat au niveau du cap Finisterre, du vent fort au portant, de la pétole, une fin d’étape très tactique à l’approche des îles Canaries. Il fallait donc aller vite, bien évidemment, mais il fallait aussi protéger l’Ouest. Et ce n’est pas sans mal que les coureurs sont parvenus à franchir cette série d’obstacles. Tous ont eu droit à leurs gros ou petits tracas quotidiens : black-out électroniques, voiles déchirées, tangons pliés en deux, aériens arrachés, drisses cassées... Le bilan de cette première épreuve de la Mini-Transat fait donc l’unanimité chez les coureurs : « Nous avons vécu une étape intense » physiquement et moralement, et avec de grosses frayeurs pour certains. Des compteurs affolés, des vitesses atteignant les 24 nœuds en proto, 19 en série, le tout au large en solitaire sur des petits bateaux de 6m50. L’heure est au débrief avec les coureurs et aux réparations. Pour l’occasion, North Sails assure un service sur place. Le départ de la seconde étape de la Mini-Transat aura lieu le 2 novembre à 13 heures, direction La Martinique. Alex Tréhin savourant sa victoire à Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 📸 North Sails / Julien Texier Résultats North Sails : Classement Proto : 1. Axel TREHIN (FRA 945) en 8 jours 17 heures 58 min et 28 sec Classement Série : 1. Ambrogio BECCARIA (ITA 943) en 8 jours 19 heures 52 min et 07 sec 2. Felix DE NAVACELLE (FRA 916) 3. Mathieu VINCENT (FRA 947, inventaire partiel) 7. Julien LETISSIER (FRA 868, inventaire partiel) READ MORE

NORTH SAILS SUPPORT ONE DESIGN RACING AT THE SAN DIEGO YACHT CLUB The Battle for the The International Masters And Lipton Cup Titles 2018 Lipton Cup 📸 JoySailing From October 18th to 27th, the J/105 fleet of the San Diego Yacht Club will be racing two consecutive events – the International Masters Regatta (October 18-20) and the Lipton Cup (October 25-27), proofing the well-earned reputation of the J/105s as one of the best One Design yachts for fun and evenly-matched competition. The boats will be raced by 11 different teams at each event. North Sails is proud to be an official sponsor. Our San Diego loft crew will be on site providing the North Sails outstanding service to all teams. “We go through all the sails to make sure all repairs are completed, battens are loaded and tensioned properly,” explains Eric Doyle, One Design expert at the North Sails San Diego loft. “Some years we replace the belly sections in the spinnakers to allow new sponsors to come on board. This involves the whole loft, from sales to service and the graphics department.” The North Sails San Diego team works closely with the San Diego Yacht Club to guarantee the success of the events. “Different people volunteer in lots of areas from tuning the boats to race committee, to even hosting out of town sailors, so pretty much everyone at the loft is involved in some way and that gives us a personal interest in making sure the sails are perfect,” Eric added. As the worldwide leader in sailmaking, North Sails is proud to offer a first-class service, with family members as committed to clients as the members of the San Diego loft. 2018 International Masters 📸 Alex Pupko/Tom Walker Two Events, Two Concepts, One Boat The International Masters Regatta is a three day battle between 11 Master sailors from around the country in a rotation of J/105s. It’s a very intense regatta for the invited skippers over the age of 60, including some of the most accomplished experts in the sport, such as Andy Roy and William Petersen, returning to better their 2nd and 3rd places respectively last year, or TV commentator and America’s Cup winner Gary Jobson. The Lipton Cup is a different concept. Eleven yacht clubs will battle for a trophy that dates back to the early days of yachting on the Pacific Ocean, circa 1900. Competition promises to be tight between the same yacht clubs that raced in 2018, returning to South San Diego Bay for a rematch. The San Diego Yacht Club will be defending their title in 2019. Both events share a fleet of eleven J/105s loaned from local owners. A popular class on the West Coast, the J/105 has all the ingredients for fair and even racing, especially with the system ruling that teams rotate boats between races. “It's a nice size, not too complicated, easy to sail and almost everyone at every level can be competitive at some point in a series like these, so that keeps it interesting for all participants,” explains Eric Doyle. For the Masters and Lipton Cup, the sails inventory onboard includes one main, jib and spinnaker. The mains have a slot to put the skippers’ name on for the spectators to follow, and the teams draw for spinnakers which stay with them from boat to boat. All sails are supplied by the organizer, and the North Sails San Diego loft team is responsible for making sure the material is always in perfect racing conditions. North Sails is the natural brand of choice for the San Diego Yacht Club and is the official partner for both the International Masters Regatta and Lipton Cup. “We have a strong history with the class, being involved with the sail development since the inception of the boat and organization of the class as primarily a one design race boat,” highlights Eric Doyle. “North Sails also uses the best materials and has the best workmanship of any sailmaker. In fact, when the SDYC first laid out the new format for the event, they were counting on getting five years out of mainsails and three for jibs. I believe they got two extra years out of both sails which is a testament to the quality.” To learn more about North Sails and the J/105 One Design class, click here. The North Sails J/105 sails inventory is available here. For more information about the North Sails San Diego loft, click here. 2018 Lipton Cup 📸 JoySailing READ MORE

Lifelong sailor sailor Jim Bacon tells us about his Catalina 36, which he's shared with boat partner Ted Ingling and has been sailing with since high school, and the journey to new sails. READ MORE

10. Gajeta kup - pobjedničko jedro je NS Desetu godinu za redom murterini rade nešto što je totalno neuobičajeno u našim jedriličarskim krugovima, odnosno možda bi bolje bilo reći u krugovima vlasnika tradicionalnih drvenih brodova. Riječ je o regati na klasičan sportski način postavljanjem regatnog polja u obliku štapa i s obaveznom predstartnom procedurom s pripadajućim letećim startom. S obzirom na manevarske mogućnosti gajeta ovo je vrlo zanimljiva i zahtjevna disciplina pogotovo s obzirom na potrebe viravanja i sličnih manevara kad se značajnije mijenja smjer kretanja. Naime, u klasičnim regatama, a i u normalnom jedrenju, kad je potrebno promijeniti smjer jedrenja u orcu mora se koristiti veslo. U tim trenucima jedrilice značajno usporavaju i to je posao koji ne može kvalitetno odraditi samo jedan član posade, pogotovo u žaru regate. Ove godine je na Gajeta kupu sudjelovalo 11 gajeta. Deset murterskih i jedna tišnjanska registracija koje se mogu naći u vrhu rezultatskih ljestvica ostalih regata koje su se organizirale na početku sezone. FOTO: VLATKA MALEŠ Polje je postavljeno u murterskom zaljevu, jedrila su se dva kruga po plovu i ukupno su odjedrena dva plova. Više informacija o regati ispričao je jedan od organizatora, Ante Turčinov: Puhalo nam je 10-12 čvorova bure, polje je bilo postavljeno doli od Luka, pa gore do ferala od Tegine, duljine malo manje od polja milje. IMali smo klasičan leteći start. Sudac je signalizirao početak procedure na 5 minuta, pa 4, jednu i na kraju start. Sve bove smo okretali lijevim bokom i polje nam je bilo vrlo jednostavno, orca bez offseta i krma bez gatea. Unatoč tome nije bilo gužvi na bovama i samo smo imali jedan protest koji je na kraju sporazumno riješen. Svaki plov nam je u prosjeku trajao oko 45 minuta, u stvari toliko je trebalo mojoj ekipi dok su ostali trebali nešto više vremena. Trtuša je i ovaj put bila najbrža. Prvi plov smo ih sve ostavili za jednu stranicu, a drugi plov za oko pola stranice. Stvarno smo bili brzi, a jedrenje općenito je bilo super... čisto i bez problema. Mislim da je bio samo jedan jedini protest, a i on je kasnije na saslušanju odbačen. Nije bilo nesportskih poteza, stvarno korektno jedrenje. A i nije bilo gužvi na bovama, svi su dolazili čisto. Mislim da je samo jednom bila mala gužva na orci i to je sve. Još moram reći da je od 11 posada prvih 6-7 sigurno prošlo kroz JK Žal i da sudjeluje i na regatama krstaša. Ante Turčinov, gajeta Trtuša Do sada je ovakva regata bila samo jednom godišnje, a za iduću godinu se još ne zna da li će biti možda nekih promjena po tom pitanju. Trenutno udruga "Latinsko idro" od svibnja ima novu upravu. Javljaju se neke nove ideje, ali još uvijek je to u fazi razmjene mišljenja i diskusije, pa nam ostaje da se strpimo do nove kalendarske godine kad izađu u javnost s kalendarom događanja za 2020. i eventualnim novitetima. Posljednjih 22 godine koliko Udruga djeluje, Latinsko idro nije imalo svoje službene prostorije. Ta nasušna potreba se napokon realizirala prije nekoliko dana kad su od murterske župe Sv.Mihovila dobili na korištenje malenu kuću u blizini centra, a koju je župi ostavila jedna starija gospođa koja je umrla bez nasljednika. Potrebna su određena ulaganja u prostor, pa su trenutno u razradi aktivnosti koje je potrebno napraviti da bi se prikupila potrebna financijska sredstva. Riječ je o dvoetažnoj kućici u kojoj se u prizemlju planira urediti odgovarajući promotivno izložbeni prostor, dok se na katu planira urediti prostor nužan za obavljanje administrativnih aktivnosti, organiziranje sastanaka i sve ono što je potrebno za rad i sastanke. Među svim aktivnostima Udruge možda posebno treba izdvojiti Školu jedrenja na gajetama. Njen rad počinje u svibnju kad se ide na "pravu" Gospu od Tarca u Kornatima. Pok. Željko Jerat, začetnik ove priče u Murteru, je prije 8 godina inicirao da se gajetom Kurnataricom murterska djeca za taj blagdan voze u Kornate. Nakon toga se zakotrljala priča sa školom u kojoj praktički svi pomažu i uskaču po potrebi. Treninzi se rade po dva puta tjedno, a kad se približava termin Male Gospe i veslačka regata tako se osim jedrenja u treninge ubaciva i veslanje. Svake godine broj polaznika raste, a ove godine je bio toliki da je osim Kornatarice na treninzima znalo biti i još po dvije gajete pune djece! Službene rezultate regate možete pronaći na ovom linku. READ MORE

FALL SERVICE COLLECTION We're Here For All Your Sail Care Needs We're coming to you to make it easier than ever for fall service and winter storage. It's time for some TLC for your sails that have done a lot this season. Pick Up Times & Locations Crowley's Yacht Yard | November 16 Larsen Marine | October 21 What Does This Include? Your sails will receive our trademark 10 point inspection: Inspect head, tack, clew and reef attachments. Inspect webbing & hardware for chafe and UV damage. Inspect hand stitching. Inspect luff tapes and luff attachments. Inspect for chafe at external hardware contact points at spreaders, shrouds, stanchions etc. Inspect leech line, foot line and attachment system. Inspect sail for UV damage and proper furling side (if applicable). Inspect batten pocket ends, attachments and fit (if applicable). Inspect sail body for condition of cloth, seams, sail numbers, draft stripes and windows. Replace or add telltales (complimentary). Inspect miscellaneous gear: Spinnaker Snuffer line and hoop, mainsail external flaking system, headsail vertical battens, UV covers, etc. Inspect sailbag draw string, zippers, web straps, and label properly. Sail report, 10 checkpoints, comments One Year Free Sail Care Recently purchased a sail within the past year? Congratulations – not just on your sail but also your sail qualifying for One Year Free Sail Care; another standard from North Sails. We proudly offer one year of sail care and repair free with the purchase of a new Cruising, Club racing or One Design sail. This program is honored anywhere in North Sails worldwide network of sales and service locations. Annual Inspection Annual inspection of your sails will help extend the sail life and maintain performance, don’t compromise! When your sails arrive, a member of our service team will thoroughly inspect your sails and identify any maintenance issues with recommendations on how to proceed to maintain their longevity. This service is standard across any North Sails loft due to our unmatched worldwide network means you get the same quality service whether you’re at home or in a distant port. Recommendations regarding UV replacements, re-cuts and sail washing are available; we do it all! Expertise At Your Fingertips Beyond this, the crew at North Sails Chicago are available to help with all your related sail care needs! You can speak with Perry or Keith about upgrading your sails or with Luke on how to best take care of your sails including short and long term storage. Deanna will be at the loft from 10am-2pm on Saturday November 2nd and November 9th for any customers who want to drop off sails. READ MORE

PURSUING PERFORMANCE North Sails Experts Provide Preparation and Performance Insight At Inaugural Seminar Twenty five sailors joined North Sails' Sales Experts Peter Grimm & Bob Meagher for the inaugural Performance Seminar in Miami at Coral Reef Yacht Club. Focused on big-picture strategies for the various races of the South Ocean Racing Conference (SORC), the seminar featured discussions around examining race charts, sail options, and safety precautions. "The SORC offers challenging and enjoyable racing for sailors of all types," said Bob Meagher. "Casual day-sailers can race alongside some of the most amazing grand-prix boats on the water, and then have fun in places like Key West, Nassau, and Eleuthera." In addition to the seminars, North Sails in Ft Lauderdale is offering registrants in any of the races a free in-loft sail inspection to identify any problems with existing sails, or opportunities to improve them. Chafe points or sun damage that could become tears can jeopardize the time and money spent planning for a race. Professional sail inspection by our Certified Service experts can reduce this risk and ensure you leave the dock with the most reliable sails possible. Recuts are also available for older sails. Registration is now open for all SORC events, and the early entry deadline for the Nassau Cup Ocean Race is approaching. The next North Sails Performance Seminar is scheduled for October 23 at the Palm Beach Sailing Club. Register below and secure your space. READ MORE

BOATATHALON 2019 Boat Trivia, Navigation, and Murder Mystery What does a murder mystery, intrigue, bribes, outright lies, boat trivia, navigation and boating skills all have in common? Boatathalon! Every year in September—for the past 20 or so years South Florida Sailing and Boating Clubs have come together for an amazing and adventurous day on the water. But for those of you who might be scratching your head saying, “what the heck is Boatathalon," well here’s your answer. Each year over 100 people come together to decorate their boats in a whimsical fashion. Participants dress up in costumes related to the event’s theme and then compete in a series of adventures on the water. There are serious prizes at stake too. Boats from as far north as West Palm Beach and south to Miami participated this year’s theme…"Murder on the Seas". The suspense grows…a mega yacht named Horizon Flybridge (a make believe name even if there is a boat named that way) leaves Miami with a guest crew of eight and service crew of seven. They are making their way to West Palm Beach where they are heading to attend a gala affair a couple of doors north of Mar-a-Lago. What all of the crew doesn’t know is one person is trying to murder someone else aboard. Each stop presents a new opportunity for the murderer to make their move. Boatahalon’s theme is arranged to parallel the physical event and with that there are many twists along the way. One we thought to share was Boatathalon participants had to make breakfast/brunch foods in the shape of murder weapons. Participants brought everything from grenade-shaped pancakes to breakfast sausages wrapped to look like sticks of dynamite. Food was judged on taste and creativity and an award was given for “Best Murder-Shaped Food”. There were many other activities and skill sets…enough to make a very windy day challenging but super fun. North Sails loves to help people have fun on their sailboats, even in zany nontraditional ways like this, and was proud to be a sponsor of this annual floating party! A big thanks to Brian Brown for organizing a fun event that we all enjoyed! READ MORE

Novi početak Flying Dutchmana FOTO: ĐANI CELIJA Za vikend od 4. do 6. listopada prekinuta je suša koja je trajala dugih 27 godina, naime toliko dugo nije održani državno prvenstvo klase Leteći Holandez. Drugim riječima ovo je bilo tek drugo Prvenstvo Hrvatske organizirano za ovu klasu! Domaćini, ujedno i organizatori, regate bili su članovi JK Vega iz Pule, a glavni i odgovorni posada objedinjena pod imenom Bole i Fudo Racing inače u službenim dokumentima poznati kao Boško Čelić i Nadan Kosanović. Riječ je o trenutno našoj najaktivnijoj posadi. Flying Dutchman je klasa koju su 1951. dizajnirali nizozemci Uus Van Essen i Conrad Gulcher. Duljina trupa je 6.06m, masa 130kg, jedri se u dvoje, opremljena je s jedrom, flokom i spinakerom i postiže fantastične brzine i u orcu i u krmu.Od 1960. godine i olimpijade u Rimu postaje olimpijska klasa i ovaj prestižni status drži do Barcelone 1992. kad se posljednji put na njoj jedrilo na najvećoj sportskoj smotri. Naravno, nakon tog izostavljanja s olimpijskih popisa klasa nije iščeznula, već je nastavila i dalje s radom, samo što sad u njoj prevladavaju jedriličari starijih dobnih skupina. I dalje se održavaju kontinentalna i svjetska prvenstva, a dvojac Čelić - Kosanović je ove godine sudjelovao i na Europskom prvenstvu koje se jedrilo na Balatonu. Da se ne bi krivo razumjelo, u ovih 27 godina, koliko se nije organiziralo PH ipak je bilo regata organiziranih u Hrvatskoj, a svakako treba izdvojiti Europska prvenstva koja su se organizirala u Rapcu 2008. i u Umagu 2015. To je vrijeme kad je Hrvatska imala jednu vrlo perspektivnu i ozbiljnu posadu u vidu braće Tina i Robina Matulje. Oni su nastavili obiteljsku tradiciju koju je započeo njihov otac Ferdo Matulja. On je osamdesetih godina bio član nacionalne selekcije tadašnje države i čak tri puta bio kandidat za olimpijsku reprezentaciju. Njih dvojica se prestaju aktivno baviti klasom 2015. godine zbog Tinove ozljede leđa, tada prodaju svoju jedrilicu i ulaze u fazu FD apstinencije koja je trajala do proteklog vikenda. Za ovu regatu su dobili poziv organizatora, uspijevaju pronaći jedrilicu i priključuju se hrvatskom timu koji je za ovu regatu bio sastavljen od ukupno četiri posade. Osim ove dvije posade na PH u Puli jedrila su još dva hrvatska tima. Antun Vuletić i Igor Šepić na regatu stižu iz Rijeke, dok snage kluba domaćina pojačavaju Andrea Battistin i Dren Dejanović. I u još jednoj posadi smo imali predstavnika, a to je bio Andrej Hinić koji je jedrio u kombinaciji s grkom Ioannisom Remoundosom. Ukupno je bilo deset posada. Uz spomenute hrvatske i hrvatsko - grčke kombinacije, predstavnike su imale Mađarska, Švicarska, Njemačka, Slovenija i Poljska. Kao što je to običaj s višeljudnijim i ekonomski jačim nacijama u mnogim drugim klasama, tako je i u Flyingu. Najviše jedrilica ove klase je u Njemačkoj, dok je i na Balatonu impozantna flota, jednako kao i na svakom većem jezeru na starom kontinentu i u svakom većem klubu na sjevernim europskim obalama. Priprema za ovaj članak je napravljena u razgovoru s g.Kosanovićem i ono što je posebno isticao u više navrata je to da je jedrenje na Flyingu, slično Šljukama koje se kod nas također vraćaju na scenu, i sama regata događaj u kojem više dolazi do izražaja pristup u stilu života, nego što do izražaja dolazi natjecateljski naboj i forsiranje rezultata. Vrijeme nam je bilo full dobro. Stvarno su uvjeti bili savršeni. Kad smo bili na Balatonu Švicarci su nas pitali kakvo će vrijeme biti u Puli. Morao sam im obećati da će biti vjetrovito i evo ispao sam čovjek koji ispunjava obećanja :) Prvi dan smo imali petnaestak čvorova neke grbinade koja je išla na maestral. Malo je miješalo, nije bilo konstantno, ali se lijepo jedrilo. Drugi dan smo odjedrili dva plova po laganom jugu i u nedjelju smo imali 25 čvorova bure. Uglavnom svi su veseli i prezadovoljni, ekipa već sama među sobom komentira da ovdje bez problema možemo organizirati EP ili SP bez ikakvih problema. Moram spomenuti da je s nama bila i jedna mađarica, starija gospođa od preko 70 godina, koja više od 30 godina obnaša različite funkcije u klasi. Sama je sjela u auto i dovezla se iz Mađarske u Pulu, a glavni motiv joj je bila želja da ponovno u klasi vidi braću Matulja. Bila je s nama cijelo vrijeme, s Regatnim odborom, a kad je bilo proglašenje pobjednika i kad su se Matulje popeli na postolje kao viceprvaci počela je plakati. A koliko je i njima dvojici ovaj rezultat bio drag govori i to da su bili konstantno u top 10 na svijetu desetak godina, a nikad nisu imali prilike postati prvaci Hrvatske jer nije bilo uvjeta za organiziranje istog. A njih dvojica nisu jedrili 4 godine u ovoj barci. Za regatu su je posudili u Mamića i da im nisu pucali boceli i dešavali se neki takvi tehnički problemi bili bi prvi. Stvarno lijepa i posebna priča. Poanta svega ovog je to da je ovo poseban đir ljudi koji uživaju u tome što rade. Nije bilo niti jednog protesta. Protesti ovdje ne postoje! Kako mi je rekao jedan talijan na Balatonu: "This is gentleman class!". Mislim, uvijek se u žaru borbe dogode neke situacije, ali sve se to rješava na moru ili eventualno uz pivu na povratku. Nadan Kosanović, JK Vega FOTO: ĐANI CELIJA Ako je nekog nakon čitanja ovog teksta zainteresiralo jedrenje u FD-u možda se malo pokoleba zbog cijene nove jedrilice. Ako se želi kupiti novi trup, kompletno opremljen, mora se spremiti na popriličan iznos od 45.000€, ali naravno, kao i u mnogim drugim klasama uvijek se može naći polovan brod i opremiti ga za mnogo manje novca. Posebna karakteristika Flyingova trupa je konstrukcija koja ima dvodno. To mu je garancija za strukturalnu čvrstoću i trajnost mnogo veću nego npr. od 420 i 470, jedrilica sličnog koncepta. Znači, ne dolazi do torzija i izvitoperenosti trupova niti nakon deset i više godina. Kao primjer trajnosti i kvalitete može se spomenuti da su ovogodišnji Europski vicceprvaci, njemačka posada, braća Borowski (bivši olimpijci i svjetski prvaci u 470) jedrili na trupu iz 1994. godine, a jedra su im bila stara 4 godine. Zaključak je da su najvažniji trim i taktika. Jednako tako braća Matulja su na ovom PH jedrili na jedrilici iz 1991. Inače ta jedrilica se upisala u povijest kao posljednja koja je pobijedila u plovu na Olimpijskim igrama, a kormilar je bio Slovenac Kosmina. Klasa je tehnički dosta zahtjevna i dozvoljava eksperimente s mnogim idejama. Npr. jarbol se može trimati i za vrijeme jedrenja u orcu. Peraja osim što standardno ide gore - dolje, ima mogućnost da se namješta naprijed - natrag. Prilikom jedrenja u orcu peraja se podiže za jednu četvrtinu i ponaša se kao daska za jedrenje. Zato u orcu u kombinaciji velike genove i trima peraje može postizati velike brzine i glisirati. Ali da se vratimo regati. Nakon tri dana jedrenja i sedam odjedrenih plovova (s jednim odbacivanjem) pobjeda odlazi u ruke mađarske posade Suli - Papp, dok su braća Matulja drugi u tvorenom dijelu regate i prvaci Hrvatske u zatvorenom dijelu bodovanja. Posada Kosanović - Čelić su peti u generalnom plasmanu i drugi u Hrvatskoj, a Vuletić i Šepić regatu završavaju kao deveti, dok su Battistin i Dejanović deseti, odnosno 3. i 4. u Hrvatskoj. Kompletne rezultate regate možete pronaći na ovom linku. Fotogalerije i ostalo možete pronaći na Bole i Fudo Racing. READ MORE

TP SEASON KEEPS GLENFIELD LOFT BUSY It’s been a busy winter for the team at North Sails New Zealand’s Glenfield loft, with more than 6 tonnes of new sails heading out the door TP 52 'Phoenix' Head sailmaker Casey Bellingham, who specialises in upwind sails, says the loft has been busy making race sails for the northern hemisphere TP 52 Super Series, which has seen an intense season of racing in Spain, Portugal and Italy. The NZ loft alone, has finished nearly 100 TP sails this year, including all the sails for Hasso Plattner’s Phoenix 11 and Phoenix 12 and the Sled, Bronenosec and Alegre teams, as well as producing sails for IRC TP 52s such as Hooligan, Ichi Ban, Team Hollywood, Envy Scooters and Beau Geste, and Pacific 52s Invisible Hand and Rio. North Sails made sail inventories for all, but two boats in this years Super Series. "Every team requires small custom details, and that is what we do well", Bellingham says. The majority of the TP sails are made from North 3Di RAW 880 cloth, a blend of carbon, aramid and Ultra PE fibres, which provides a high level of shape stability and strength in a lightweight sail. "This is a product that North has been developing over the past few years," Bellingham says. "Everything superfluous has been stripped out of the structure so these sails are much lighter, which is what every sailor wants. It’s not only an advantage on the water but also makes them much easier to handle in the loft." For example, the 3Di RAW 880 headsail for Fast 40 Team Hollywood, on which North Sails sales and marketing manager Andrew Wills sailed at Hamilton Island, weighed 10% less than our previous 3Di headsail, but had even more useful structure. At the conclusion of the end of this season, designers and sailors will have a performance review, working out how the concept can be refined for even more gains. The team is now working on major orders in preparation for the Sydney–Hobart race in December, and the superyacht season. Among them are sails for Wild Oats and Black Jack, and a suit of sails for the 34 metre Sassafrass, including a mainsail with a 37 metre luff, in preparation for January’s Millennium Cup event in the Bay of Islands. Wills says having Bellingham’s nearly 30 years of expertise in the loft has made the busy production season run smoothly. "Casey has such a wealth of experience, and he really takes the young sailmakers under his wing and teaches them a lot," Wills says. "It’s great for everyone that he and the other highly experienced sailmakers here are able to share that knowledge and pass on their passion for making great sails." READ MORE

Representatives from North Sails New Zealand were in the crowd watching the race boat, christened Te Aihe or 'Dolphin', hit the water on a rainy Friday morning at Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour. "It was an amazing thing to witness," North Sails New Zealand sales and marketing manager Andrew Wills says. READ MORE

I s 88. Mrduje naši klijenti se zadovoljni vraćaju doma Odnos LOA dvije prve jedrilice, odnosno pobjedničkog slovenskog super maxija Way of Life i Matine Fatamorgane iz skupine 4 je 23.99m : 9.98m. Stvarno ogromna razlika, a ono što im je zajedničko je da su dijelom opremljeni North Sails jedrima. Naravno, u pitanju je Mate Arapov iz JK Mornar koji se vrlo dobro držao za vrijeme cijele regate do otočića Mrduje i natrag, pogotovo u prvom dijelu kad je držao priključak za Gašparom Vinčecom i njegovim gigantom koji je vrlo vjerojatno jedna od najvećih, ako ne i najveća, jedrilica koja je jedrila na ovoj tradicionalnoj regati. Riječ je o 88. izdanju ove najstarije regate s hrvatske strane Jadrana, a za čiju realizaciju i održavanje tradicije je zaslužan JK Labud iz Splita. Sudionici regate su podijeljeni u 13 skupina, a organizator na svojim web stranicama barata s impozantnom brojkom od 162 jedrilice koje su presjekle startnu liniju. Uvjeti na moru nisu bili nimalo naklonjeni prosječnim sudionicima, odnosno jedrilicama koje nisu ultra lagane i s jarbolom među oblacima. Na startu je bilo najvjetrovitije, a puhalo je svega nekoliko čvorova s kojima su se vodeći odmah izdvojili od ostatka flote. Osim spomenutog dvojca u samom vrhu je jedrio i Shining, maxi jedrilica koja prvi put na Mrduji nastupa pod crnogorskom zastavom. Spomenuta trojka je startala s desne strane linije, ali tijekom jedrenja prema Splitskim vratima pokrili su sva tri moguća pravca. Shining je otišao pod Brač, Way of Life je uspješno održavao rutu kroz sredinu polja, dok je Fatamorgana malo otklizala pod Šoltu. Na kraju se ta strana polja, u tom dijelu regate, pokazala najlošijom, jer je Shining mnogo brže jedrio s nekim povjetarcem koji je puhao uz Brač. Do Mrduje ipak prvi uspijeva stići Way of Life, dok je Shining bio iza njega na nekoliko dužina. Kako je Mrduja bila pomoćni cilj zabilježena su i vremena obilazaka na tom mjestu. Sat, 54 minute i 29 sekundi je trebalo prvom do ovog mjesta, a drugoplasirani su kasnili za njima minutu i 57 sekundi, dok su trećeplasirani Mrduju obišli 20 minuta i 39 sekundi nakon Shininga. Radili smo stvarno puno zadnjih mjesec dana oko broda. Promijenili smo timun i kolombu i bilo je posla za poluditi, ali pokazalo se da to kao cjelina dobro radi! Posada je bila odlična. Jedrili smo maksimalno fokusirani, forsirali smo cijelo vrijeme s tim da sam znao otprilike što će nam se dogoditi na ulazu u vrata, ali bilo nam je bitno da držimo kontakt s velikima. Nismo mogli ići skroz na Brač, već nas je odnijelo na Šoltu i tu smo izgubili taj priključak. Ali smo super zadovoljni. Povratak je bio skroz dobar. Kad smo izašli iz Vrata vjetar je skroz pao i otišli smo lijevo na maestralić, ali smo iz vrata izašli po nekom sjevernom vjetru i očekivali smo da će vjetar u jednom trenutku prebaciti na južni smjer. Tada smo zaobišli Shininga i na kraju smo došli paralelno s Way of Life, ali protiv njega nismo mogli. Njima je dovoljno da posada malo prošeta po palubi i oni dobiju dovoljan poriv za nastavak. Mi smo se mučili, ali nije išlo. Sve u svemu je bilo dobro i cijela posada je zadovoljna. Mate Arapov, Fatamorgana Što se tiče ostalih aktera regate iz prvih redova tu treba istaknuti Overloada koji se držao lijeve strane sredine polja i do Brača je u nekim trenucima bio i ispred Shininga. Također se i jedini splitski TP52, Polet Furioso, istinski trudio držati priključak. Ova ekipa je izabrala Bračku stranu, ali kasnije se prebacuju pod Šoltu i kao četvrti obilaze Mrduju. Kroz sredinu je nekoliko minuta kasnije, praktički iz drugog plana, na visoko 5. mjesto dojurio kralj bonace, Full Pelt. 90% ostalih jedrilica je prema Mrduji jedrila desnom stranom polja, a karavana se rastegnula skoro od Čiova... Vremensko ograničenje je postavljeno na 7 i pol sati, tako da se jedrenje moralo završiti do 18:30. Kompletnu regatnu rutu koja je završavala ispred "galebova" uspješno je odjedrilo samo 12 jedrilica! Njih je do kraja predvodio Way of Life, a na drugo mjesto se probila Fatamorgana. Vremena ulaska u pravi cilj Mrduje su slijedeća: Way of Life - 04:57:02 (partly NS inventory) Fatamorgana - 05:49:17 (partly NS inventory) Shining MM - 06:23:20 Full Pelt - 06:44:44 (partly NS inventory) Polet Furioso - 06:45:44 (partly NS inventory) Overload - 06:54:53 (partly NS inventory) Furiosa 2 - 07:00:35 Gringo 2 - 07:03:47 (partly NS inventory) Bare V - 07:07:26 (full NS inventory) Arhimed - 07:20:22 My May - 07:25:38 (full NS inventory) Magnum x3 - 07:29:30 Prolaske ostalih jedrilica oko Mrduje i plasmane po grupama možete pronaći u službenim rezultatima, a iduća velika regata koju organizira JK Labud je 75. Viška regata čiji Oglas možete pronaći na ovom linku. READ MORE

ALL NEW ELLIOTT 5.9 INVENTORY FOR 2020 North Sails Announces Winning Inventory With the change to 3Di Raw 330 sails in the Elliott 5.9 class, we were eager to talk to the current New Zealand National Champion, Craig Satterthwaite about how his team achieved multiple victories using the new One Design sails. After the E5.9 Association announced a new model of boat, Craig caught the bug and raced at various venues which is how his team R&R came to be six year ago. Along with teammate Bart, Craig is from Auckland and first sailed an Elliot 5.9 in the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Youth Training Programme. The team made sure to have plenty of fun both off and on the water, which is another reason why the E5.9 Class is appealing to Craig. Not only are B&B current National champions, they are impressive five-time National champions in a competitive fleet which ranges from 12-18 boats. Craig credits these multiple victories to having a strong crew. “Having a good crew is important. We have been together for a while so we’ve learned a lot from our mistakes and we know what works for us. We worked really hard on turning light air sailing into a strength which is not that easy when we always seem to be the heaviest crew!’’ Since using the new 3Di RAW sails for the past two Nationals, Craig has noticed key differences in the performance and handling of the sails, finding the decrease in material stretch leading to a change in sail stability: “When a puff hits, we accelerate rather than heel. 3Di sails are also easier to set the rig up for – it is very easy to change modes from the high slow to the lower fast mode and 3Di sails are easier than panelled sails to set up.’’ “When a puff hits, we accelerate rather than heel and it is easy to change modes from high slow to the lower fast mode.’’ Sailing with a full North inventory, Craig and the team used the new MNi-1 Mainsail which has been designed to make maximum sail area and to be easier to trim. B&B used the new-design 3Di RAW Light/All-Purpose/Heavy Jibs alongside the AP Spinnaker and flatter VMG Spinnaker designed for lighter airs. Craig explains how he felt the 3Di RAW sails responded to a mix of wind strengths: “With the stability and stiffness of the 3Di RAW sails, it is very easy to change gears as the wind increases. Rig tension becomes less important as the sails do not stretch. We are very happy with the sail quality – we sailed in big winds and saw no signs of material or shape damage.’’ Craig and the team onboard B&B are soon to challenge the fleet during the Omaha Regatta, with the New Zealand Nationals coming up at the end of the season. Craig Satterthwaite (4247) sailing well upwind with the nicely trimmed new-design MNi-1 Mainsail READ MORE

FAR NIENTE WINS THE FARR 40 WORLDS Brun & Freides Create The Winning Combination Long time North Sails legend Vince Brun and his boat partner (and long-time friend) Drew Freides put together a strong program for the 2019 Farr 40 World Championship and sailed brilliantly to come away with a win over a talented international field in Long Beach, CA. Over a wide variety of conditions in the eleven-race regatta, team Far Niente showed great boat speed, excellent tactics, and solid starts to take the victory over last year’s champion Strungie Light from Germany. Competitors from Australia, Germany, Canada, Uruguay, Great Britain, Mexico and the US enjoyed a great week of racing in Southern California in a total of fourteen teams. The Prep Vince and Drew have had the boat for several years, but did only a few local regattas in the San Diego Bay area. When the World Championship was awarded to Long Beach Yacht Club, a team was assembled, a work list was started, and sails were ordered. Two weekends of training and tuning were set up but not a lot of fleet racing was done until just before the event started. The trimming team of Vince, John Hayes, Eric Doyle and Charlie Smythe worked very hard to improve the rig tune, boat handling, and trimming techniques throughout the whole event. Under the watchful eye of coach Ed Adams, changes and improvements were being made right up until the last day. Drew Freides commented; “We had the very best team and kept an open mind to learn and try new setups. These were the keys for our success. We were improving our performance every race.” “We knew we had a good boat, but in any one design program you need fast sails.” Conditions The conditions were typical Long Beach sea breeze the first day but then were generally on the light side. Lots of 7 to 11 knot races with nice flat water. Powering the boat up as quickly as possible was the key to success upwind. Maintaining speed at the correct angle was paramount downwind and in light conditions it required maximum concentration and teamwork. The Sails “We knew we had a good boat, but in any one design program you need fast sails,” said Vince Brun. Team Far Niente’s upwind sails were 780 3Di RAW and performed well throughout the wind range winning races in everything from 8-22 knots, using tuning suggested settings practically straight from the standard North Sails Tuning Guide. Vince Brun commented; “Having good sails is not enough, you need to know how to use the sails. Just like a big family, we contacted the North Sails Farr 40 experts around the world and they shared everything they knew, making it easier for us to get up to speed.” Rob Davis and his team Nutcracker also used a full inventory of North Sails to finish 4th overall. 📸 Bronny Daniels / Joy Sailing 📸 Bronny Daniels / Joy Sailing   READ MORE

3Di OCEAN: THE ULTIMATE SUPERYACHT CRUISING SAIL Revolutionary cruising sails for boats over 60 feet 3Di OCEAN is the ultimate superyacht cruising sail, providing medium to large cruising yachts more choice within the North Sails product line. Everything North Sails has learned as the preeminent builder of superyacht sails for more than three decades has been combined with current state of the art 3Di technology to deliver high strength and a supremely reliable sail for cruising yachts over 60 feet. 3Di OCEAN sails are more durable and easier to handle than any string sail counterpart. 3Di OCEAN is a cosmetically beautiful sail where North design, material science, and 3Di longevity are engineered for the ultimate cruising experience. And in 2019, North Sails has continued to refine and optimize the benefits of UltraPE in 3Di sailmaking for the large boat cruising market. 3Di OCEAN is a true cruising product. Per Andersson, 3D General Manager for North Sails, led the development of 3Di OCEAN: “The successful launch of the revolutionary 3Di Nordac in 2017 opened our eyes that there was a gap in our product line to serve the larger boat cruising market. This is the reason we created 3Di OCEAN, a sail that has the benefits of North 3Di yet with a design that is more forgiving and easier to set up and trim. Unlike racing yachts, cruisers are normally sailing short handed and want ease of handling. Unique in the 3Di line of sails, OCEAN sails carry a specially developed woven exterior tape which has eight times the chafe resistance of our standard non-woven Endurance surface, which also adds greater UV resistance. A 3Di OCEAN sail will carry through a wider range of sailing angles and generally make your sailing more enjoyable.” A proven technology, North Sails has made 1,900 3Di sails for yachts over 70’ since 2013. Like with the introduction of 3Di NORDAC, 3Di OCEAN has been immediately welcomed by serious cruisers, with 200 sail sold in the first 12 months to boats ranging from 60′ up to 200.’ With perfectionist design and manufacturing built-in, 3Di sails are stronger, more resistant to stretch and more durable, delivering inherent value for money. The durability of 3Di OCEAN is underlined by the nature of all 3Di sails, which contain zero “mylar” film and are true composite structures, resisting strain and compressive forces in all directions. Being 3D molded, 3Di OCEAN sails are a more efficient use of material and manufacturing to meet the demands of global cruising yachts, including high resilience to UV, flex, and abrasion. And because there is no mylar, 3Di OCEAN sails will not delaminate. Andersson explains, “Using our patented 3Di technology to craft precise sails for each client, we use high Dyneema content with 3D molded construction to achieve the perfect cruising sail, which is very different from our racing products.” Adding even greater value, every North sail includes access to the unparalleled worldwide network of North Sails expertise and service. Wherever you cruise there is a North Sails loft and people ready to support your adventure and committed to world-class customer service, 24/7, 365 days a year at over 100 loft sites across five continents. 3Di OCEAN is available now. Click here to learn more. READ MORE

THE SUPERYACHT SPECIALIST The North Sails Industry-Leading Team Offers Unparalleled Support At North Sails we understand that every superyacht is unique. And this philosophy shapes the North approach to serving this premier segment of our sport. Each superyacht project combines North design tools with decades of experience, which is why we are known for finding solutions to any challenge. And with each new yacht, the North Sails team of superyacht experts is uniquely positioned to deliver an experience as custom as the design of each boat. Our Superyacht group is led by Jens Christensen, who is well-known and highly respected, and whose superyacht expertise is in demand by the world’s most high profile projects. Alongside him, North Sails has amassed a group of superyacht experts across design, sales, and aftercare sail service who deliver industry-leading customer support. “We are well aware that our products are only as good as the people that work for us,” Jens says. “We need to have the leading experts working for us across design, development, cloth, sailing, and everything in between to make sure we stay at the forefront of the superyacht industry.” “We are also aware that people want to go sailing for a whole lot of different reasons – some want to cruise the world, some want to focus on charter, and some want to race (and win). So making sure that any boat is fitted and optimized for purpose is at the core of what we do. We want clients to have the best possible experience whatever they are doing and wherever they are going. And we are able to do this through our extensive network of salesmen and designers backed by our world-class selection of product, Design Services, and our global network of lofts. It is a complete package for any boat owner, that is unmatched.” True to the company’s heritage, many North Sails superyacht sales experts and designers sail on the yachts to make sure they understand how a sail interacts in real terms. Jens explains: “When you have a ketch with an inner forestay, and you have to furl the jib through the tacks in St. Barths in 20 knots of breeze, you see the beating that everything takes. It is essential that we’re there with clients to see all the small improvements that can be made to a sail: the kind of details that you’d never know about if you didn’t get out on the water with the crew.” Expert Sail Consultation: A Stable of Superyacht Specialists The North Sails stable of superyacht specialists is second to none. Veterans such as Mike Toppa, Tom Dodson, Ken Read, and Tom Whidden are currently mentoring the next generation of North Sails Superyacht experts, who continue to work together to expand our ability to service clients. The coordinated effort by the North Superyacht group has resulted in location and personnel acquisitions that have helped shape the future of the business. In 2018 North Sails acquired the former Doyle Palma, enhancing our presence at the heart of superyacht activity. North Sails Palma, led by Quinny Houry, is now the largest sales and service site within our global network. We have also made other key hires to support the segment, including Andrew Schneider, Peter Grimm and the latest addition, sail designer Glenn Cook who was attracted to North from Doyle for access to the best tools and products on the market. Better by Design: World-Class Analytics To Deliver Optimized Performance North Sails goes beyond just traditional sail design. North Design Services is an elite team of engineers who help yacht designers bring an owner’s vision to life. Headed up by Jeremy Elliot, North Design Services works directly with yacht designers, project managers, boatbuilders, sparmakers and riggers to test and optimize virtually any part of any sailboat in any sailing environment, even before the boat is built. Analysis can range from determining load ratings for specific winches to complex relationships of yacht balance, target speed, wind angle, sea state, rig loads, sail shapes, ratings and more. Once the owner’s brief is understood, North Design Services works with all external parties, and alongside a North Superyacht sail designer, to create the optimum solution for the boat and type of sailing. It is a unique service that gives clients the very best solutions for their new boat. Superyacht Service and Support: A Global Network of Sales & Service As any superyacht owner knows, the journey only starts when the boat is delivered – support and service is a huge part of life on the water. And that is why North Sails have put so much time and effort into North Sails Certified Service. It gives superyacht crews and boat owners the benefits of convenience and experience through an unrivaled global network of sail lofts. In the last two years, North Sails has an expanded presence in Palma, Mallorca, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and Newport, Rhode Island. With 14 dedicated superyacht service lofts across five continents, clients get the best service and results thanks to local experts, loft space, and technology. All of these facilities can handle the unique logistical needs of superyacht sails, including trucks, cranes and specialty sailmaking equipment. You will also find North Certified Service offered at key regattas on the Superyacht racing circuit. With a yearly maintenance check-in offered on all sails and a stringent 10 point inspection, the team works hard to ensure any issues are spotted early and dealt with quickly. But its the North Sails Blue Book that really stands the company apart from anyone else. The Blue Book ensures that wherever you are in the world, whatever loft you go into, your sail will get the same world class treatment as if you went back to where you bought it. It is a manual for company-wide consistency and depth of knowledge from the Pacific Islands to the Canary Islands and everywhere in between. READ MORE

SAVE A BUNDLE WITH SPECIAL PRICING Talk To Your Expert About How You Can Save On Cruising Sails The time to buy new North cruising sails is now. For a limited time, receive a G1 all-purpose gennaker with the purchase of a 3Di NORDAC or NPL TOUR main and headsail. Visit the United States Sailboat Show or get in touch with your local North loft now to add North Sails performance, quality, and value to your cruising. Choose Your G1 Gennaker North Sails G1 all-purpose cruising asymmetrical spinnaker delivers fast and easy downwind sailing. These custom, built to order spinnakers are optimized for your boat with wider steering grooves for maximum versatility, and made out of propriety Norlon fabric. Terms: Free G1 Gennaker promotion valid when customer orders one mainsail and one headsail of either 3Di NORDAC 330 or NPL TOUR Xi with max P dimension of 18m. G1 Gennaker must be made of single, select colors Norlon fabric. Minimum 50% deposit at the time of order with balance due at the time of completion and prior to delivery. All sails must be delivered no later than December 31, 2019. Offer expires November, 4, 2019. READ MORE

Team Hvergang, med skipper Esben Keim, rormann Trygve Leergaard, trimmer Stein Broch Olsen og fordekk Tellev Tveit seilte overbevisende gjennom hele serien og kunne endelig smykke seg meg NM-tittelen. Laget valgte for 2019 sesongen å seile med North Sails. Vi syns derfor det var interessant og ta en prat med Esben for å høre hva han mente om seilene og hvordan de trimmer for maks fart. Foto: Morten Jensen ‍Intervju med Esben Keim Dere er kanskje det laget som har lengst erfaring i Express i Norge, dere har seil sammen i hvor mange år? Vi har seilt sammen i 20 sesonger nå, både Trygve Leergaard, Stein Broch Olsen og meg selv. Tellef Tveit kom om bord før 2018 sesongen og er superivrig etter å lære og bidra. Han har nå lært seg å se etter vind og trykk, det hjelper oss alle. Ryktet fra NM-banen var at dere var feltets raskeste båt? Hadde dere fartsoverskudd? Vi er veldig raske i år. Spesielt opp til 5-6 m/s. Vi har alltid vært raske opp til 2-3 m/s,nå på slutten og spesielt under NM fant vi supergearet også på litt sterkere vind. I første racet hadde vi ikke det, vi gjorde så noen grep med flytting av skjøtepunkt på fokken. Det ga veldig uttelling og vi opplevde deretter at vi hadde overskudd hele veien.‍ Eller var dere bare smarte? Med 52 båter på linjen er det selvsagt viktig å være smart, det smarteste vi gjorde var å bruke en hel kveld i uken før mesterskapet på startdrill, timing og gearing av båten. Vi hadde gode starter på alle regattaene med unntak av den vi ble påseilt ca.1,5 minutter før start, da var vi på rett side av linjen, men ca 10 sekunder for sene. Vi bestemte oss umiddelbart for å seile oss fri og gikk for fri vind hele første kryss i kombinasjon med vindskift. Det traff bra og vi ble tilslutt nr. 6. ‍Dere brukte North Sails/Ottoson for en del år tilbake, så hadde dere en annen leverandør noen år, og fra 2019 var dere tilbake på North Sails. Hvordan opplever du de nye North Sails modellene? Sammenlignet med tidligere North Sails/Ottosson så ser vi jo at verden er gått videre. Vi gjorde det enkelt med Ottosson seilene før; hadde stort sett samme riggsetting, alltid stramt uthal på storseil og et fast gir på fokken. ‍Med de nye seilene får vi bedre respons på justeringene, spesielt uthal på storseil gir større effekt. Vi tror nok at disse seilene er de raskeste vi har hatt, det gir det litt ekstra som kan bety en båtlengde på en kryss, det kan være nok til å gå foran rundt toppmerket og kunne seile fritt. ‍Følger dere tuning guiden? Seilte dere på noe annet enn base rig-setup under NM? Vi har ikke fulgt tuning guiden så mye. Mulig vi burde gjort det mer. Vi har stort sett valgt å konsekvent seile med ca 5-10 mm pre-benn på masten. Litt løsere setting i lite vind (sluppe ca 2 hele turn på over og undervant ut fra base setting).Det fungerer på vår rigg. Hadde vi hatt en annen mast og andre salingshorn er det ikke sikkert det ville fungert like godt. Nøkkelen for oss er pre-ben på masten. ‍Hva hadde dere av rake? Vi har ikke målt dette, vi skiftet mast i 2018 og testet med samme lengde på forstag. Det viste seg at forstagsinnfestingen ikke var på samme plass og det ble for lite rake. Vi testet og justerte med sjakler og konkluderte med at vi måtte forlengemed ca. 1,5 cm (mener jeg å huske). Vi har nå lik rake med alle de andre expressene som ligger parallelt på expressbryggen i Oslo Seilforening. Det er vi fornøyd med og har ikke planer om å endre dette. Vi har ikke målt hvor mange mm det er fra mastefot og ut til møtepunktet mellom dekk og fall dersom vi slipper alt og det er vindstille. Har dere gjort noen spesielle forberedelser med båt / mannskap. Andre punkter du tror vil være nyttig for andre Express seilere? Skal man seile mesterskap med mange båter som i utgangspunktet går like fort (en-type), er det lurt å få gode starter. Det gir valgfrihet og muligheter for å følge en strategi (seiler der man tror vinden og strømmen er mest optimal). Bruk tid på å trene start, det gir mye mer enn å slipe kjøl i tilsvarende tid. ‍ Hva er planene for neste år? Neste år skal vi fortsette å seile Express. Vi håper båten lar seg reparere og bli like god igjen, det er en stor skade etter kollisjonen i NM. Vi seiler OS tirsdagsseilingen på vår og høst i 2020, det er den beste plassen for å lære og ha det moro. Så blir det spennende å se om vi kan vinne 3 færderseilaser på rad. NM Express i Kr. Sand blir jo litt «hjemmebane» for meg….. jeg kan ikke huske å ha seilt annet enn optimistjolle der…. Det blir uansett moro å teste uten bane med mye strøm, varierende og periodevis mye vind og solgangseffekt. Vihar pt ikke tatt stilling til HRW, jeg har lyst, men det er krevende å få alle til å kunne ta seg fri da. Team Hvergang benyttet følgende Express modeller i 2019: Storseil KV-5 Fokk RE-7 Spinnaker VTR-2 Du kan lese mer om Express modellene her: https://www.northsails.com/sailing/en/od/express ‍ READ MORE

EVENT SPOTLIGHT: INTERNATIONAL ALBACORE CHAMPIONSHIP A Roaring Success Forty-seven teams from Great Britain, the U.S.A, and Canada competed in the six-day regatta. British sailors Neville Herbert and Mark Fowler sailing You Can Call Me AL took the overall win. While the official hosts of the regatta were the Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club, the Town of Shelburne also played an integral role in the event, providing infrastructure and venues so that the participants, athletes and their families and supporters, could gather each day following racing. The Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club has received incredible support from the community and sponsors for hosting the event. Competitors used the Shelburne Harbour Yacht Club marina, the Shelburne Sailing Academy slipway, and the Town of Shelburne to store their boats. The nearby Shelburne Guild Hall served as a social gathering spot in the evenings for the competitors. These nightly gatherings were open to the public, and town residents would stop by to check out the proceedings and interact with the regatta participants. “This was a great way to bring the Sailing Club and the local community closer together,” said lead organizer Henry Pedro. Over 67 volunteers, including many youth stepped up to the plate to help during the week, all with the help of the local community. Everyone was very enthusiastic and happy to see a large number of visitors to the town all together; competitors certainly enjoyed that as well. The International Albacore Championship was started in 1973 and is held every two years, with Canada, Europe and the U.S.A. alternating as hosts. The 2021 Albacore International Championship will be held in at the Plas Heli Welsh National Sailing Academy in Northwest Wales. North Sails Toronto was thrilled to support such an amazing event that brought the local community together with participants and their families. Learn more about Albacore products from North Sails experts including tuning techniques. READ MORE

CONSEJO NORTH SAILS El uso y el mantenimiento son dos de los principales factores que definen la vida de una vela. 📸 Michael Egan Asegurarnos de que las velas son utilizadas en el rango de viento para el que fueron diseñadas garantiza su longevidad y, consecuentemente, mejora nuestra satisfacción y protege nuestra economía. Por ejemplo, dejar una vela izada en un chubasco durante 30 minutos equivale a 50 horas de crucero normal. Resulta también imprescindible revisar las velas regularmente, lo que nos permitirá detectar pequeños problemas que tratados a tiempo evitarán grandes daños y costosas reparaciones. Y cuando la temporada llega a su fin, nada mejor que una visita al Servicio Oficial North Sails, donde los mejores expertos evaluarán la salud de nuestras velas y nos propondrán las mejores soluciones para prolongar al máximo su vida útil. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS, PROVEEDOR OFICIAL DE J CLASS La J Class Association renueva su confianza en North Sails como proveedor oficial de velas. 📸 Carlo Borlenghi Louise Morton, secretaria de esta asociación nacida en 2000 para preservar los intereses y el futuro de los J Class, explica: "North Sails continuará proporcionando su servicio de velería en los eventos y ayudando a promocionar nuestra clase. Los comentarios de nuestros armadores son unánimes al afirmar que la experiencia en diseño de North Sails, su red mundial de velerías, su excelente servicio y sus productos de última generación, contribuyen a que la competición sea más intensa e internacional". READ MORE

TE AIHE YA ESTÁ EN EL AGUA Emirates Team New Zealand botó el pasado mes de septiembre Te Aihe, el AC75 con el que defenderá la próxima America’s Cup. 📸 Emirates Team New Zealand / Grant Triplow En su condición de proveedor oficial de velas del equipo, North Sails trabaja en el desarrollo del inventario que permitirá volar al barco neozelandés. "Históricamente, un ciclo de America’s Cup marca la próxima generación en evolución de velas, y esta vez no es una excepción", declara el presidente de North Sails, Ken Read. "Estamos a punto de presenciar una de las mayores transformaciones que ha recibido nuestro deporte". En el desarrollo de las velas del AC75, los diseñadores han recurrido al North Sails Design Suite, destacando una mayor con sistema de doble capa. Todas las velas del equipo serán finalizadas en la velería de North Sails en Auckland. READ MORE

CAMPEONES DE EUROPA DE MELGES 20 El campeonato del mundo 2019 de Melges 20 se disputó del 11 al 14 de septiembre en la localidad italiana de Malcesine. 📸 Zerogradinord El Brontolo Racing del patrón y armador Filippo Pacinotti fue el mejor de los 37 equipos participantes, proclamándose campeón de Europa 2019. El mallorquín Manu Weiller ejerció de táctico del equipo junto al trimmer Federico Michetti y el proa Andrea Pacinotti (hijo del armador). "El inventario North Sails de Melges 20 es eficiente y fácil de trimar", reflexionaba tras el triunfo el patrón italiano. "Desde las velas al servicio, creo que la velocidad que mostramos durante el campeonato fue una buena demostración de su calidad". El Brontolo Racing compitió con mayor North Sails Mi-2, foque Ji-4 y spinnakers V4-2R y R-2. La propuesta de North Sails para clase Melges 20 está disponible aquí. READ MORE

AZZURRA GANA LAS 52 SUPER SERIES 2019 El Azzurra se ha proclamado campeón de las 52 Super Series 2019. 📸 Nico Martínez El barco armado por la familia Roemmers y patroneado por Guillermo Parada confirmó su cuarto título absoluto en la regata Audi 52 Super Series Sailing Week disputada en Porto Cervo, última prueba de la temporada para el circuito de monocascos más competitivo del mundo. Al barco italiano le bastó firmar la segunda plaza en este evento (por detrás del Sled, también equipado con North Sails) para llevarse la corona, que se une a las conseguidas en 2017, 2015 y 2012. El diseñador Juan Garay está detrás del inventario de velas North Sails a bordo de Azzurra, una de las claves de esta importante victoria. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS, CON THE NATIONS TROPHY La segunda edición de The Nations Trophy reunirá en Palma La segunda edición de The Nations Trophy (8-12 de octubre) reunirá en Palma a los mejores equipos de monotipos Nautor’s Swan en un formato único que promueve la competición entre naciones. North Sails colabora con el evento y equipa a la gran mayoría de la flota en las cuatro clases participantes: ClubSwan 50, Swan 45, ClubSwan 42 y el nuevo ClubSwan 36, que realizará su esperado debut mundial en competición. Nada menos que 41 barcos en representación de 14 países competirán por este último evento de la temporada ClubSwan, que erigirá además a los campeones del mundo de ClubSwan 50 y Swan 45, y al campeón de Europa de ClubSwan 42. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS PRESENTA SU TECNOLOGÍA EN EL SALÓN NÁUTICO DE BARCELONA North Sails participa en el Salón Náutico Internacional de Barcelona con un catálogo en el que destaca su nueva HELIX. North Sails participa en el Salón Náutico Internacional de Barcelona (9-13 de octubre) con un catálogo en el que destaca su nueva HELIX, la gama de velas sin cabo antitorsión que está revolucionando el mundo de la competición, pero que también está disponible para barcos de crucero. El origen de las velas HELIX se encuentra en la vela de alta competición. Los equipos de la 34 America’s Cup se dieron cuenta de que el diseño de sus potentísimos catamaranes implicaba unas cargas extremas sobre las velas de proa 3Di. North Sails ideó una solución en la que esas cargas fueran redistribuidas desde la jarcia y repartidas por toda la vela. Nacía así la Load Sharing Technology (Tecnología de Reparto de Cargas), un concepto que ha permitido la creación de las velas sin cabo antitorsión North Sails HELIX. "Se trata de velas más ligeras y que navegan mejor", resume Luis Martínez Doreste, director comercial de North Sails. "Son además más versátiles, ya que cubren desde un través cerrado con poco viento hasta un largo con viento fuerte". Literalmente, cubren el espacio entre velas de proa y spinnakers. Son enrollables, su propia estructura hace que no necesiten cabo antitorsión y se proyectan hacia delante, creando un mejor ángulo de entrada y permitiendo navegar con un rango de viento más amplio. "Una vela HELIX se proyecta hacia delante y hacia barlovento, frente a la comba a sotavento de una vela convencional con cabo antitorsión". Desde su incorporación al catálogo North Sails, las velas HELIX han demostrado su potencial tanto en competición como en navegación de crucero. Pueden combinarse con materiales 3Di DOWNWIND y NPL DOWNWIND, y están disponibles para barcos de prácticamente cualquier eslora, desde IRC medio a maxis de 100 pies o superyates. "Para barcos de crucero suponen un excelente activo, porque añaden a las prestaciones y la fiabilidad del 3Di o del NPL, la ligereza y facilidad de uso por prescindir del cabo antitorsión". El equipo North Sails te espera en el Salón Náutico de Barcelona: Moll de la Fusta, Pabellón 2, Nivel 0, Stand C330. READ MORE

TOUR OF MICHIGAN We're Coming To You For Sail Service Our team is making it easier than ever to get your sails in for winter service! Your sails have done a lot this season and it's time for some annual TLC! Meet Karl Kuspa at the following areas to collect sails for annual servicing. Pick Up Times & Locations Port Huron, Michigan | October 25th from 6-8pm | Port Huron Yacht Club West Michigan, Muskegon to Breton Harbor | November 1st - 3rd | Call or email to schedule pick up What Does This Include? Your sails will receive our trademark 10 point inspection: Inspect head, tack, clew and reef attachments. Inspect webbing & hardware for chafe and UV damage. Inspect hand stitching. Inspect luff tapes and luff attachments. Inspect for chafe at external hardware contact points at spreaders, shrouds, stanchions etc. Inspect leech line, foot line and attachment system. Inspect sail for UV damage and proper furling side (if applicable). Inspect batten pocket ends, attachments and fit (if applicable). Inspect sail body for condition of cloth, seams, sail numbers, draft stripes and windows. Replace or add telltales (complimentary). Inspect miscellaneous gear: Spinnaker Snuffer line and hoop, mainsail external flaking system, headsail vertical battens, UV covers, etc. Inspect sailbag draw string, zippers, web straps, and label properly. Sail report, 10 checkpoints, comments One Year Free Sail Care Recently purchased a sail within the past year? Congratulations - not just on your sail but also your sail qualifying for One Year Free Sail Care; another standard from North Sails. We proudly offer one year of sail care and repair free with the purchase of a new Cruising, Club racing or One Design sail. This program is honored anywhere in North Sails worldwide network of sales and service locations. Annual Inspection Annual inspection of your sails will help extend the sail life and maintain performance, don't compromise! When your sails arrive, a member of our service team will thoroughly inspect your sails and identify any maintenance issues with recommendations on how to proceed to maintain their longevity. This service is standard across any North Sails loft due to our unmatched worldwide network means you get the same quality service whether you’re at home or in a distant port. Recommendations regarding UV replacements, re-cuts and sail washing are available; we do it all! Expertise At Your Fingertips Beyond this, the crew at North Sails Detroit are available to help with all your related sail care needs! You can speak with Karl, Skip or Spencer about upgrading your sails or with Bill and Mike on how to best take care of your sails including short and long term storage. Beyond sails, Bill and Mike are excellent craftsman who have great skill in canvas work such as bimini's, dodgers or custom projects. If you would like to schedule a pick up, email detroit@northsails.com READ MORE

North Sails Certified Service Dette er tiden for sjekk av seil Når service tas på dine seil, er vårt fokus å ikke bare reparere synlige skader, men også å oppdage slitasje som vil gi fremtidige skader. Et skadet seil når du er ute og seiler, vil alltid være en dårlig opplevelse. Kanskje den også vil føre til avbrutt seilas, ventetid og større kostnader. Derfor er det helt vesentlig at seil vi får inn til service blir sjekket grundig. North Sails Certified Service innebærer at den dyktigste seilmakeren vurderer ditt seil, at vi har et bredt utvalg av reparasjonsmateriell og en bred maskinpark. Hos With Marine er dine seil i de beste hender: Øyvind Thoresen, seilmaker i 30 år og service manager, full tid. Margrete Helle, seilmaker i 18 år som jobber heltid med seilservice. Nick Willetts, seilmaker og rigger i 27 år (WOR erfaring), driver til daglig vårt riggeverksted i Drøbak, men trekkes inn når det er mye å gjøre på loftet. Christen With, seilmaker i 30 år, bistår med sin kunnskap og erfaring på utfordrende jobber. Lever dine seil nå til: Oslo-området: With Marine AS, Leangbukta 31, Asker, (avlevering utenom åpningstidene under ny kran utenfor seilmakeriet, se bilde). Drøbak: Heiberg Rigg/ With Marine, Heitmann Marin, Husvikholmen Stavanger: Ship Shape, Sølyst 1, 4085 Hundvåg v/Stavanger Seilforening Bergen: Nautic Charter, Hjellestad With Marine AS, Leangbukta 31, Asker Ikke bare seil Rigg og seil er to sider av samme sak. Vi har også riggere som holder samme høye kvalitet som våre seilmakere. Nøkkelen til kvalitet i service av din rigg, er at riggeren er 100% rigger. Han treffer du hos oss. Hente seil på båten Det kan være fint å få en seilmaker ombord for å ta ned seilene og bringe de til loftet for tørking, service og lagring. Bestille henting: info@withmarine.no READ MORE

Get The Most From Your J/24 The 2019 Worlds are just around the corner. Is your team ready? Our J/24 Tool Kit will help. Scroll down for tips about boat speed, tuning, shifting gears, jibing in breeze, and much more. Created just for J/24 sailors, by our team of experts. Get To Know Biscayne Bay To help you prepare for the 2019 Worlds, we asked the local Star and Snipe World Champion Augie Diaz to explain about his home waters of Biscayne Bay in Miami, FL. How The 2018 Worlds Were Won It may not be Lake Garda, but Miami could serve up some similar conditions where tuning and sail selection comes into play. We can expect a little bit of everything at the 2019 Worlds, and you may see some recurring themes from Garda that find their way to Biscayne Bay. Shifting Gears Two-time North American Champion and North Sails expert Mike Ingham explains how to shift gears when pressure is unpredictable. Fine Tune With North Find your groove. Get your numbers. After countless hours of sailing, sail testing, and competing in the J/24, our World Championship winning sails will get you up to speed quickly with our newly updated tuning guide and matrix. Jibing With Authority The key to perfect jibes is practice, practice, practice. Get the play-by-play on how to execute a jibe with success. #NSVictoryList There is no better performance test of a one design sail than the results it produces. In 2019 alone, North Sails J/24 inventories have powered many teams to the number one spot all over the globe. Let us help you achieve your end goal. Building Your Confidence In Breeze Windy day ahead? Here are 10 tips to help you conquer those days at the top end of the genoa’s range. Videos: Get Your Team Up To Speed World-level preparation works for smaller regattas too. Before your next regatta, watch our video tips from Tim Healy and Will Welles. Preparing For A Big Event Will Welles talks us through boat prep, tuning, how to put together a winning team, and regatta logistics. Define Your Speed Pulling all the pieces together can be challenging. Our J/24 Speed Guide will help you leverage our expertise to make the most of your sailing. Common Questions, Answered We respond to 13 of the most frequently asked questions about racing a J/24 well. Trust In Our Expertise We’ve been winning in the J/24 since the class started, and we can help you win too. Contact your local expert, check out our inventory, and join us at the front of the pack. READ MORE

NORTH HELIX WITH LOAD SHARING POWERS IMOCAS North Head of R&D Gautier Sergent Explains Why Helix Is Delivering Results 📸 Jeremie Lecaudey / BPCE / Défi Azimut The newest generation of foiling IMOCAs are fast, exciting, and awe-inspiring. North Sails is helping six new IMOCAS, as well as older boats which have foil upgrades, prepare for the 2020 Vendee Globe, and the addition of Helix has reset the offshore performance benchmark. We called up Gautier Sergent, North Sails Head of R&D, who works closely with the IMOCAs. Gautier explained that as the sailors learn just how hard they can push these machines, Helix is raising expectations even further than expected. Hi G. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us. What are your first impressions of Helix sails for the IMOCA so far? Immediately the potential of these sails is noticeable. IMOCA boats are limited in their rigging loads with the One Design rig, and this is where Helix excels. The best test so far was the Defi Azimut where North-powered teams, all sporting Helix sails, claimed the top four spots. Helix is not new for North Sails; we have made a few hundred sails and we weren’t jumping into the unknown. But it’s still early stages of this next Vendee cycle and we keep learning about the boats, the sails, and how to best adapt the Helix concept to each sail type and different conditions. Gautier and the France-based North team have spent countless hours working alongside the yacht design teams on perfecting the models to understand the requirements. It is now time for the much-awaited reality check. As the IMOCAs will be used solo in the Vendee and then crewed in the Ocean Race, we’re focused on understanding things you can handle solo vs. what you can do crewed; parameters which are hard to capture in the numerical world. It is not a question of Helix or not Helix, it’s developing the right sail for both types of sailing. Our question is, how much Load Sharing do we put into each of these sails; the fine details of depth, draft, luff round, luff rope, etc. 📸 © Amory Ross / 11th Hour Racing Can you describe Load Sharing Technology in your own words? Load Sharing is how much load we design the sail to carry versus how much the luff rope or forestay takes. It sounds simple and it is simple. The trick is to find the proper ratio for the intended use and how this affects the sail shape. You also need to find the right luff rope stiffness so it interacts with the flying shape through the range of conditions. Why is Helix with Load Sharing beneficial for an IMOCA program? We knew that Helix would suit the IMOCA for a few reasons. First, Helix covers a wide range of expected conditions for a given sail. Sail changes in the IMOCA are very expensive, as we saw in the recent Defi Azimut. With Helix, you can focus on boat speed across the wider range and not lose miles because of costly sail changes. The second reason is the load limit on the One Design rigs as opposed to the virtually limitless amount of righting moment the foils can generate. The more load we can move into the sail, the more beneficial it is when the boat is up on its foils as this limits the load on the rig without affecting the resulting sag of the luff. And finally, with the dynamic nature of these boats, it is important to have very little sag so the flying shape is locked in, and converts any change in AWS into forward, not side force. Because the IMOCA boats are not allowed to have any elevators, sailing in an offshore sea state makes for a rodeo-like a ride; sharp accelerations followed by just as sharp decelerations, and very dynamic pitch and roll. Keeping the sail forces projected forward quiets the boat motion and makes for faster average speeds. What performance gains does Helix deliver? SPEED! SPEED! AND MORE SPEED! Helix brings versatility and trim-ability through reduced tack load, so you can adjust the flying shape to your conditions. The IMOCA class has a sail inventory of just eight, and sail changes are very expensive, especially as the boats are much faster than the previous generation at some angles. Miles tick away when you sail 90 degrees from the course and your friends are on course doing 25+ kts… 3Di is particularly suited to Helix because of its unmatched stretch-to-weight ratio. A small adjustment makes for a noticeable change in flying shape. It is also able to handle the high loads while keeping the sails light. Not to mention the high resolution of fiber orientation and density to handle secondary off-axis load when furling. The other major parameter is that the boats have to work in displacement (non-foiling) mode as well as on their foils. That means big changes in AWS (and to some extent AWA). Helix sails provide steady power to the boat, keeping you sailing fast on average rather than a burst of speed and then crashing off your foils. What’s up next for the IMOCA class and how is North Sails helping prepare our clients? The next big test will be the Transat Jacques Vabres, which begins at the end of October. This will be the first proper offshore race for the new IMOCAs and their new foils and the older boats with their retro-fitted foils. The new sails have been put through their paces throughout the summer with a few training camps, and a first real test at the Defi Azimut. Our North team in France have been doing a lot of sailing with the teams to help them dial in their understanding and performance of the Helix Sails, and also to fine-tune the sail to their own boats. All this work helps North Sails better understand how the boat behave in real-life and in various conditions. We have collected some sailing data, exchanged with the sailors, identified some gains and things to improve, and recalibrated the models to work on squeezing out extra percent of gains. The North service team has been all hands on deck, going through sails for a simple check over and final tweaks. The TJV is a major race and a highly sought after prize, but it is only a stepping stone on the road to the Vendee Globe. So for us and teams alike, the idea is to make sure we capitalize on this precious racing time. The race is double-handed so the boats can be sailed reasonably aggressively and with a slightly smaller penalty on sail changes. 📸 Jeremie Lecaudey / BPCE / Défi Azimut READ MORE

AZZURRA ON TOP This is Their Fourth Overall Season Win In the 52 Super Series 📸 52 Super Series / Nico Martinez At the end of the final TP 52 Super Series event in Porto Cervo, it was Azzurra sitting on top of the podium. North Sails is proud to have played a part in this big win, says Grand Prix sales leader Paul Westlake. “As predicted, this season was the closest on record,” explains Westlake. “Every inch counted.” The season had three distinct highlights, he continues. “One, the 2019 Worlds, where first through third were separated by just three points. Two, Sled winning five straight races here in Porto Cervo. And three, Azzurra securing the circuit win with one race to spare! All proud moments for everyone who played a part.” Only two teams have won the Super Series since its inception, and this is Azzurra’s fourth season victory. Even better, all ten of the teams who worked with the North Sails group of designers and Grand Prix racing experts achieved great results throughout the season. “2019 was the most competitive and equally matched season,” remarks Azzurra skipper and team manager Guillermo Parada. There was not one team that had a big competitive edge, and the results were decided by minor details. Our focus was on the meters we could gain on the race course and positing ourselves well. All of the boats were capable of winning every race, but our team delivered a well-executed game plan.” “The key to winning the season was consistency,” says Azzurra’s tactician Santiago Lange. “The competition in this fleet is intense because the boats are well-matched in terms of speed and quality of the sailors. In the end, the winner of the season is the team that can deliver the most consistent results.” 📸 52 Super Series / Nico Martinez Azzurra did not have a lot of big wins throughout the season, explains Lange. “But we have a good boat, which performs well in any condition and wind speed. We were always able to secure one of the top positions anytime we were on the water, Every single day, we have enough speed to get the points needed to stay on top.” Lange and Parada know that having the right people will deliver the best results. “The team is also on the same page in terms of how we approach each race, Lange says. We have a lot of experienced sailors on the boat who bring a good perspective. The Super Series is a long season, and it’s important that everyone has the same understanding of the game.” “We have a good team who have been sailing together for a long time,” explains Parada. “Consistency of crew is not something that is immediately noticed but its impact is felt throughout the season and in our ability to continually sail well. In 2018 we promised ourselves we were to do better. Our biggest challenge now is defending out #1 bow in 2020. It’s also important to have the right sail designer, and Juan Garay has been working with Azzurra for several years. “The TP52 is very demanding on sails,” explains Lange. “On a normal day we will use two or three jibs, so we’re always speaking with Juan on how to keep our sails competitive.” A daily feedback loop helps review strengths as well as areas of improvement. “We’re constantly thinking ahead as to how we’re going to spend our sail cards in the most efficient way.” For North Sails, this feedback loop is how we learn, improve, and continually look to the next development that will give all our clients a competitive edge. The worldwide North design team has already begun a full design debrief of the 2019 season, in order to take the developments learned in 2019 forward to next March when the 2020 Super Series meets for the first time in Cape Town. “Next year the racing will be even tighter,” Paul Westlake predicts, “and we’ll be ready again to take on the best in the world.” 📸 52 Super Series / Nico Martinez 📸 52 Super Series / Nico Martinez READ MORE

J/70 NORTH AMERICANS CLOSES SEASON North Clients Finish 1,2*,3,4,5 Oivind LorentzenTeam Nine, 2019 North American Champions 📸 Chris Howell/J70 Class Association The 2019 J/70 North Americans hosted by Edgewater Yacht Club in Cleveland, Ohio went off without a hitch, with ten races completed for the talented 35-boat fleet. North client Oivind Lorentzen sailing on Nine with teammates Lucas Calabrese, Ian Coleman and Will Felder won the title displaying great boat speed and consistency. North powered boats finished 1,2*,3,4,5, closing out the season with a bang. North clients have won all major J/70 events in 2019 – the Worlds, Europeans, North Americans and so far nine countries have reported National victories. Here are important takeaways from our experts Skip Dieball and Allan Terhune from the NAs: Starts Working hard to maintain spacing is very important to getting a good start. The exit runway needs to be bigger in waves and hitting the line at full pace and on proper course is essential to getting poked out on the fleet and having options to implement your upwind strategy. Upwind Be sure to study the waves pre-start. Are they the same on each tack? Do you need to set up your trim different from tack to tack? Controls? Twist on one tack vs. the other? You gain considerable knowledge getting to the course early and figuring things out before the gun goes off. Downwind Always have eyes out of the boat looking for the best pressure. Many times at the NA’s there would be streaks of puffs that you’d have to reconnect if you sailed through. Dropping on the wing, fully gybing and soaking often would keep you in the best breeze longer. If you are on the step, it is essential that you prepare for the next gybe by connecting into a puff that is behind and to leeward. Knowing Your Mode was key. The North Americans had a lot of days of full planing, lazy planing, and going wing-on-wing. Knowing when and how to do each mode allows huge downwind gains. Sail Combos The top three North boats all had different main and jib combos, proving our sails are user friendly and made to fit any style of sailing. North J/70 sails suit any sailing and tuning style and are fast in all wind conditions. Nine used XCS-2 mainsail and J-6 jib. Rimette had the F-1 main and J-2HC jib and Vineyard Vines used F-1 main with the J-6 jib. Each boat was able to pick a main to match their mast and then choose if they wanted the more forging J-2, or the J-6 which would allow for more inhaling. Contact our J/70 experts for the best sail combo for your team. * Partial North Sails inventory 3rd place John Brim and Team Rimette powered by North F-1 main and J-2HC jib 📸 Chris Howell/J70 Class Association 4th place John Baxter and Team Vineyard Vines flying fast downwind. 📸 Chris Howell/J70 Class Association 5th place Brian Keane and Team Savasana.📸 Chris Howell/J70 Class Association READ MORE

Za malo Follow us po 21. put! Galijola je još jednom dokazala da je neiscrpan izvor drame i prevrata uz konstantnu dozu strepnje i neizvjesnosti u svakoj svojoj dionici, bilo da je ruta kompletna do hridi Galijola ili u skraćenom izdanju do svjetionika Zaglava. Jednako kao i lani, ruta je skraćena zbog nepovoljnih meteo uvjeta, ali ovaj put je u pitanju bilo premalo vjetra za razliku od lanjskog izdanja kad je vjetra bilo previše. Unatoč uvjetima koji su dozvoljavali svladavanje zadane rute mnogim manje spremnim jedrilicama i posadama, na kraju je startna lista bila vrlo slična lanjskoj, a popis onih koji su odjedrili kompletu rutu bio je veći za samo jednu jedrilicu. Start je bio klasičnog tipa, apsolutni minimum gibanja zračnih masa do obaveznog obilaska bove ispred Slatina, a tada s olujnim refulima od nekoliko čvorova svi su bježali od Istre prema sredini kanala. Recept koji i ovog puta nije dozvolio da vidimo bi li se netko kockarski odlučio na izbor rute uz Ičiće i Lovran. Dvadeseterostruki pobjednik najstarije Hrvatske odobalne regate, Ivica Ščurić, bio je na čelu flote sa svojim ultra lakim karbonskim bolidom "Follow us". Uvjeti su mu bili naklonjeni i mnogi su prognozirali razvoj situacije na regatnom polju u njegovu korist. Međutim, njegov proboj je bio nezaustavljiv do visine Ičića kad je izašao iz zone povjetarca u kojeg su tada ušle ostale jedrilice. Follow us se prisilno zaustavlja a potjera ga ubrzo okružuje i regata tada starta iz početka. Jedino što im je broj sad manji jer se jedan dio flote vratio u lučicu JK Opatija nakon što su ispunili jedan od uvjeta za korištenje klupskog veza (startanje Galijole). Dva sata nakon starta DSK, Tara I, Bokeljka i Follow us se izdvajaju i sinkroniziranim stilom odlučuju još par kabela izvući van i to im je izgledao vrlo dobar potez petnestak minuta dok svi ostali koji su naumili odjedriti cijelu rutu nisu krenuli jedriti višestruko većim brzinama s vjetrom koji je puhao bliže kopnu. Ovu skupinu je predvodio Cocoon koji se strelovito probio na vrh praćen s Bella Nostrom i My Wayom. Međutim, taj svježi vjetrić stiže i do izdvojenog kvarteta od kojeg se furiozno odvaja Follow us koji se vraća prema kopnenoj masi i ponovno preuzima vodeću poziciju. To su trenuci u kojima se uspostavlja poredak koji je manje više nepromijenjen u nastavku regate i u kojem je budući pobjednik regate, DSK, skoro na začelju flote. U to vrijeme najveći gubitnici su posade jedrilice Sanja i Quodlibet koje je vjetar preskočio i silom prilika moraju čuvati posljednje dvije pozicije. Do Zaglava uvjeti na moru su takvi da Follow us jedino treba koncentrirano pokrivati ostatak flote i parirati Cocoonu koji im je bio najbliži. Najveći dobitnici u ovoj fazi regate su momci s DSK koji se sa začelja skupine kontinuirano probijaju prema vrhu, a klupski im kolege s Bella Nostre sve više zaostaju za svima i suočavaju se s činjenicom da se sve više udaljavaju od bilo kakvih izgleda za neko od mjesta na pobjedničkom postolju. Malo iza 4 sata ujutro vječni favoriti ove regate prvi obilaze svjetionik Zaglav. Prate ih Cocoon i DSK koji se na samom okretu uspio probiti na drugo mjesto ukupnog poretka. Vrlo brzo DSK nastavlja svoj nezaustavljivi prodor i par milja nakon Zaglava na par minuta preuzima vodstvo. Ali turbo iskusna posada s Follow us dokazuju da se nisu predali i da i dalje imaju ozbiljne namjere po pitanju osvajanja regate te se vraćaju na vrh. Za to vrijeme posade Selca i Bokeljke primijećuju da su svi ostali upali u zone dosta slabog vjetra, pa biraju kurs bliže Cresu, To se pokazalo dobitnom kombinacijom i preuzimaju vodeće pozicije s popriličnom prednošću u odnosu na dotadašnje lidere. Ali dolazimo do "međutim" po tko zna kojeg puta u ovoj regati. DSK i Follow us prate situaciju i prebacuju se i oni bliže Cresu te krenu s hvatanjem priključka za Selcima i Bokeljkom. Dok su se oni nadmudrivali uz Cres, posada Tare I bira prolazak bliže Istri. Pokazuje se da je tu više vjetra, pa su se vjerojatno nade u dobar plasman vratile i na njihovoj palubi. Vodeći uskoro stižu u visinu Medveje koja se skoro postala novi filtar... Jednako napeto i stresno se nastavlja i idućih 5-6NM koliko je ostalo cilja, a kako je posada DSK više nego zasluženo pobijedila regatu sa samo nekoliko duljina broda prednosti ispred Follow us najbolje da izanalizirate preko playbacka koji se s kompletnom multimedijalnom analizom regate nalazi na ovom linku. Službene rezultate i poredak po skupinama možete pronaći na ovom linku. READ MORE

EVENT SPOTLIGHT: QCYC WOMEN SKIPPER'S RACE Encouraging Women To Take The Helm © Don Hinchley / P. Broecker On Saturday, August 10th, the women of Queen City Yacht Club (QCYC) set out to show off their skills on the race course. The conditions presented were challenging, forcing the skippers to sail in a little bit of everything. With the wind coming down the course in puffs from the north west, the conditions were very shifty. The skippers started in the harbor before heading out through the eastern gap. Once out there, they sailed out along the island and across to the pier to round the Gibraltar mark before heading back through the eastern gap to round a mark in the north-eastern corner of the harbor before finishing just off of the QCYC clubhouse. While the wind flowed off the island, it provided some fantastic conditions out of the harbor for racers. While traveling through the eastern gap, the skippers had to be patient and adjust to the wind shifts, making things extra challenging. In true QCYC fashion, the skippers and crew rose to the challenge and had tremendous success on the race course. Following the race, the skippers were rewarded with a party on the QCYC lawn. Awards were presented to the top finishers overall, as well as the top three in each class. In addition, QCYC recognized skippers for a variety of accomplishments, including the best showing for an all-women crew and the best showing for a first-time skipper. The event was a great success, in no small part because of the continued support we receive from sponsors such as North Sails. Thanks to the volunteers and our sponsors, QCYC is able to put on this event year after year and continue to encourage women to take the helm and get involved in this great sport. For more details about the regatta, including race results. © Don Hinchley / P. Broecker © Don Hinchley / P. Broecker © Don Hinchley / P. Broecker READ MORE

North Sails još jednom slavio na Latinskom idru! 22. regata tradicionalnih brodova s latinskim idrom odjedrena je u nedjelju 29. rujna i na najljepši mogući način završila ovogodišnji ciklus navigacijskih jedrenja drevnim stilovima. Čak 79 kaića, gajeta i leuta, zajedno s jednom batanom, okupili su se na ovom festivalu jednog nostalgičnog i mnogima više nedohvatljivog stila života. Naravno, dio sudionika ovakve regate shvaća i izrazito natjecateljski, pa su im u prvom planu rezultati, priprema, oprema, taktika... sve ono što regatu čini regatom. S obzirom na značaj Murterskog okupljanja već u petak su počeli pristizati i sudionici iz udaljenijih krajeva Jadrana. Uz standardne sudionike iz svih mjesta s otoka Murtera, te susjeda iz Šibensko-Kninske i Zadarske županije, na rezultatima se mogu pronaći još i jedriličari iz Rovinja, Moščenićke Drage, Opatije, Cresa, Raba, Trogira, Hvara, Jelse i Splita. Regatno polje je bilo prilagođeno vremenskim uvjetima, nešto kraća varijanta nego na lanjskom izdanju. Start u uobičajenih 15 sati bio je postavljen "na lancanu", konop rastegnut između lanterne na murterskoj rivi s jedne strane i usidrene koče. Svi sudionici su se krmom vezali na lancanu, a prije toga bacili sidra ispred prova. Nakon signala starta krenulo je povlačenje po sidrenim konopima, otvaranje jedara i jedrenje u krmu prema izlazu iz Murterske luke. Iduća ključna točka na ruti je bila kardinalna oznaka pored otočića Arta mala. Nju je trebalo ostaviti lijevim bokom i zajedriti natrag istim putem prema cilju u Murteru. Već na startu su se izdvojili brodovi koje smo u istim ulogama naučili viđati na ostalim regatama latinskog idra, a poprilično ispred sviju se izdvojio dvojac koji je i lani predvodio cijelu flotu. Riječ je bila o gajeti Trtuša braće Turčinov i kaiću Marinka obitelji Fržop. Vrhunsko jedrenje oba tima bilo je izjednačeno sve do obilaska kardinalne oznake gdje je razlika među njima bila svega dvadesetak metara, ali u povratku Trtuša uspijeva napraviti malo veću razliku i u ulasku u Murtersku luku držati desnu, malo vjetrovitiju stranu regatnog polja. Taj odlazak prema Vinicima je prevagnuo, jer Fržopov kaić nije imao izbora već otići lijevo prema Murterskom groblju i pokušati iznenaditi s te strane, ali zavjetrina koju je radila marina Hramina i,ala je svoj negativan utjecaj. Iza njih u cilj je dojedrila ekipa gajete Sirotice, još jedan favorit regate. Analizom rezultata može se primijetiti jedna bitna razlika između Trtuše i Sirotice, s obzirom da su obje gajete, a to je da je Trtuša u kategoriji "BM - bez motora". Jednako tako je i Marinki u rezultatima naglašeno da je u istoj toj kategoriji, pa se može vidjeti u kolikoj prednosti je prvi dvojac bio u odnosu na ostale po uvjetima laganog vjetra koji je puhao tu nedjelju u Murteru. Fotogaleriju s ove regate možete pronaći ovdje, dok su ukupni rezultati dostupni preko ovog linka. 22. Latinsko idro u Murteru je manifestacija koja traje cijeli mjesec, a završetak joj je u nedjelju 6. listopada na sportskoj regati "Gajeta kup". READ MORE

SENIOR SAIL DESIGNER GLENN COOK JOINS NORTH SAILS The World’s Leading Sailmaker Continues To Attract The Brightest Stars In The Superyacht Industry Senior Sail Designer and Superyacht Sail Design Expert Glenn Cook will join North Sails from October 2019. After 16 years with Doyle Sails North America as Head Designer, Glenn will play a key role as part of North’s global Superyacht team. He has an impressive track record of leading the design work for some of the most notable Superyachts to hit the water in the last 15 years. Standout projects include the iconic 147 metre Sailing Yacht A, as well as the eye catching 106 metre Black Pearl and 88 metre Maltese Falcon. For Sailing Yacht A in particular, Glenn developed sailing systems over the course of four years in partnership with Dykstra Naval Architects, Magma Structure, Future Fibres, Cachini and Bamar. As Head Designer at Doyle, Glenn was responsible for the design and engineering of sails for a range of boats, from dinghies to Superyachts. As a Senior Sail Designer at North, he will be focused primarily on the Superyacht market from the outset. Glenn will be charged with bringing his unique experience and skill set to the preliminary design and engineering stages for new Superyacht builds and refits, and importantly acting as a link to the product team to ensure the right sails are manufactured and delivered for each owner. Commenting on the new hire, North’s Director of Design and Engineering JB Braun concluded, “Glenn joining the North Sails team is another important step in ensuring we have the very best people working on our global Superyacht team. North is known for its groundbreaking 3Di technology and world beating products, but we know that success only comes from the people working within the company. All our product innovations and breakthroughs come from the dedication, hard work and skills of our team. And complete customer satisfaction is our goal. I have no doubt Glenn, with his unprecedented experience and talents, will be a key part of our ongoing commitment to our clients and everyone will benefit.” The move continues the trend of world class talent in the Superyacht sector joining forces at North, with Commercial Manager, Andrew Schneider also joining from Doyle in 2019. Combine this talent with a number of young rising stars in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific joining the Superyacht group, the outlook for clients seeking design, product and service support around the world has never looked stronger. Glenn also has years of experience in software development, so will play a critical role in the further development and optimization of the North Sails Design Suite, with a particular focus on the Flow™ and MemBrain™ programs. The suite of in-house design software is key to analyzing and developing 3Di sail structures to create optimal custom layouts. Glenn’s career as a Head Designer will therefore add value across the entire design and product development process. Glenn Cook added, “As a long time competitor to North I have followed their product developments and technology very closely. Ultimately I wanted access to these tools and products to better fulfill increasingly complex and demanding superyacht projects. Many of the best minds in sailmaking and sail design reside at North. I am honored to join this team and looking forward to working with such a talented and motivated group of people.” Glenn will be based in Marblehead, MA and will work closely with international clients, project managers and industry partners to deliver custom sail solutions for many of the world’s most unique sailing vessels.   READ MORE

J/105 CANADIANS GOT IT ALL One Of The Best One Design Fleets On The Great Lakes Fleet 4 Captain for the J/105's, Rod Wilmer, shares his report from the 2019 J105 Canadian Championships held at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club on September 27-29th. A total of 16 boats came out for the event over three days. Heartfelt congratulations to all competitors from the North Sails team! Once again the J/105 fleet championship produced a great competition amongst the best keelboat fleet on the Great lakes. Congratulations to the RCYC, the race committee and particular the regatta chairman Doug Bullock for putting together a fantastic eight race event over three days in late September. Mandate skippered by Terry McLaughlin and co-owned with Rod Wilmer and their experienced crew of Sandy Andrews, Ian Howse, Fraser Howell, and Andrew McTavish came through as repeat Canadian Champions leading from the first race onwards accumulating 10 points. Frank McLaughlin’s Starcross with 22 points challenged their rival Mandate throughout the regatta and beat them with superior downwind speed in the breezy race six. Jim Rathburn’s ever-present HEY JUDE rounded out the top 3 with 33 points. Notable finishes from Jamaica Me Crazy (Peter Hall) and Thunderstruck (Andrew Moor) came through the competitive fleet for 4th and 5th place. Late September on Lake Ontario can deliver a variety of racing conditions and this regatta got it all. Friday started with an AP for an hour followed by a light air race building to winds in the mid-teens for the second race and light wind for the third. Saturday saw stronger winds with a steady 12-16 knots for the first race, however a line squall came in and hit the fleet on the final downwind leg of the second race with a 180 degree shift ending the day for racing. It is a credit to the seamanship of the fleet that the un expected line squall resulted in only minor mishaps and the sailors were able to adjust quickly to the challenging conditions. The last day saw large seas building from the east topping out at 10-12 feet and winds 16 to 18 with gusts over 20 knots for all three of the final races. These were challenging conditions for crews up wind but Ideal surfing conditions down. The regatta dinner held on Saturday night featured 400 Oysters, shelled in a record time of one hour by one server followed by a Steak Dinner for 140 all included in the entry fee. The legendary reggae musician, Errol Blackwood, provided the night’s entertainment. A Gold Clean Regatta, for the third time in a row from the Sailors for the Sea, this regatta had it all covered, from responsible dinnerware and reusable signage to refilling water bottle station and paperless race management. Our goal was to eliminate one use plastic and reduce the garbage coming off all boats at day’s end. Our J/105 fleet is very fortunate to have incredibly generous members who were able to raise an astonishing $29,500 that supports our local Broad Reach Foundation that introduces kids at risk to sailing. The J/105 Fleet 4 Lake Ontario has been supporting Broad Reach for over 15 years. It is an important part of this regatta and our Fleet culture. North Sails Toronto was thrilled to support the Clean Regatta efforts of the event by donating water bottles to encourage reusable drink ware and reduce the garbage impact. While it was not needed we were happy to provide overnight repair services for racers, just in case! To learn more about J/105 One Design Products and Services, see here. READ MORE

WATER CATS FALL REGATTA 2019 Big Turn Out For Local Cat Sailors © Dean Goodwin Early this September, local catamaran club Water Rats Sailing Club hosted their annual Water Cats Fall Regatta for 20 cat sailors. Conditions were awesome with good wind and sunshine amongst the gorgeous backdrop of the Toronto skyline. North Sails loves supporting local community events such as this because we love seeing the participation, enthusiasm and dedication from sailors for catamaran sailing. Thanks to everyone who helped to make this regatta a success. Our dedicated PRO Ralph Glass, power boat captain Jimmy Sabourin, Rob Wessel and his committee boat, Peter Eager and his Canada National Team experience, Olga Veselova Andrew Lewycky, Marvin Coulson and Ted Kerr for meals, JTown sailing Club for support boat, Water Rats Sailing Club, North Sails and Fogh Marine for prizes.Dan Borg who got the Kadafi trophy resurrected, Roy Spencer for registration, Marvin Coulson as Race Chair, Jen Forkes, Stephen Neprily and Benoit Friolet on flags and elapsed time, Paul McHugh, Dean Goodwin and Dinesh Ram on crash boats, and Dean Goodwin for photography! Thanks to everyone from near and far who came out to make this event a success. Special thanks to Kevin Smith who chartered his boat to a team from Ottawa, and thanks to all out of owners who came to sail with us - from Burlington Beach Catamaran Club (Burlington) and from Nepean Sailing Club (Ottawa). Congrats to all winners and a special shout to first overall Floris Van Laar, and to Mauro Spagnolo and his crew for winning the largest one design fleet prize, the Kadafi Cup. © Dean Goodwin © Dean Goodwin READ MORE

A Summer Of Fun And Success It was a jammed packed summer for Don Condit and his crew aboard his Tartan 4000 Roxy, which is powered by 3Di Endurance Main, Jib and Genoa as well as an AirX A2. Over the course of 4 weeks, Don participated in the Chicago to Mackinac Race, the Bell's Beer Bayview to Mackinac Race and the Biennial Trams Superior International Yacht Race taking an impressive 1st in Class/ 2nd overall in the Chicago Mac Cruising Division, 1st in Class/ 51st Overall* in the Bell's Beer Bayview to Mackinac Race Double Handed Division and 1st in Class/ 1st Overall in the Trans Superior PHRF Division. In all Don raced 875 nm for an elapsed time of 7 days: 5 hours: 51 min: 54sec. This doesn't include the deliveries. We caught up with Don to learn a little bit more about his experience this summer. How Did You Prepare for Your Season And All The Racing? As a crew we've kind of been at this for about eight years on this boat. So every year we make a few less mistakes and get a little better, I think. Have Your North Products Contributed to Your Success? And If So, In What Ways? Definitely. Our main sail gave us better performance in a wide ranges of wind conditions. We had new North main this year and a new North number three. And then we had a North Genoa that we've had for a couple seasons that's reefable. It's been in a very effective in a wide range of conditions as well. For us, you know we're a Tartan 4000 which is a racer cruiser. I love it because I can sail my wife and I, and our grand-kids, but we can also put eight sailors on do Mackinac races or Superior races and being competitive amongst our peers. Did Your New Main Perform How You Expected It To? Well, you know, better light air performance, get a more powerful shaped, the light air. Our boat's a shoal draft boat. You only draw five nine and so we don't have a lot of lifts from our keel. But we're able to sail higher and in lighter areas than we have with our previous main. For The Mackinac Races, What Is Your Favorite Aspect Of Sailing Those Races? Enjoying the beauty and the Great Lakes with family and friends. What Has Made You Choose North Sails Over The Years? I've been sailing for 50 years and I sailed in college, and North sails have always been the best, the best sails you could get. I even had a chance to do a race with Lowell North one time. A favorite, you know, the best, the best, best sails that you can get. Where Do You See You And Your Crew Racing In The Next Two Years? We'd love to compete and perhaps do a Newport Bermuda race. But you know, compete in the Caribbean. I was doing the Trans-Superior race this year was an opportunity to take our crew and boat to a new level and compete in waters that we've never sailed in before and in a wider range of conditions than we've normally seen. READ MORE

It's That Time Of The Year! Bring in your sails for winter service and free storage. It's that time of year to bring your sails in for their annual check up and winter storage. Your local team offers washing and drying services with an added sail check at no extra cost. Letting us check over your sails will enhance performance and extend their life. We offer free winter storage in our air-conditioned rooms (dry and heated) until March 2020. Don't leave your sails in the garage or on the boat - talk to us about our storage area at North Sails Italy. Schedule Winter Service READ MORE

Fine Tune With North Find your groove. Get your numbers. Be confident in all wind conditions. After countless hours sailing, testing, and competing in the Melges 24 our tuning guide will help you achieve race-winning speed. Raise The Bar With 3Di Lucky Dog confirms new 3Di sails make a difference in the race course at the Melges 24 North Americans. What To Expect In Villasimius Fresh from winning the Pre-Worlds, North Sails Expert Giulio Desiderato provides his intel on what competitors should expect at the upcoming Melges 24 World Championship. Get Up To Speed Pulling all the pieces together can be challenging. The North Sails Melges 24 Speed Guide leverages our expertise to help you improve your team’s performance. World Champions Tips What worked for Team Altea in the past Worlds? Take a look at the tips from the winning team and get inspired to sail fast. Our Experts Make It Happen Have questions? Contact your local Melges 24 expert today for more information on choosing the right sails for your Melges 24. READ MORE