NORTH SAILS CUSTOMERS EXPLORING THE PACIFIC ISLANDS

Two lucky North Sails customers have had a winter of pleasure on the water

Emmanuel Vannier is currently living aboard his Dufour 455 with his two teenage children at Nouméa, New Caledonia

While the onset of summer has many sailors’ minds turning to cruising, two lucky North Sails customers have also had a winter of pleasure on the water, exploring the Pacific Islands. Mark Clough of Auckland headed for the islands in his 44-foot Jeanneau 439, spending three months in Tonga before reluctantly heading home. Clough mostly cruised with his wife Judith, but was joined at times by their children and a delivery crew, who helped on passages up and back to the islands. They started in Tongatapu, then sailed north to the Ha’apai group and onto Vava’u. "We spent most of our time up there — it was just gorgeous, really good cruising grounds, and lots of whales," Clough says. Clough bought the boat in Vanuatu two years ago and brought it down to New Zealand, but was dissatisfied by its initial performance. "When I sailed it down from Vanuatu the boat still had the original sails on it - the boat was built in 2015, so it was quite new, although it had already done about 15,000 nautical miles," Clough says. "I was quite disappointed in how it sailed and thought that maybe I had made the wrong decision." However, after talking with North Sails in Auckland, he ordered a new 3Di NORDAC moulded Dacron cruising mainsail and number one jib. "They’re now coming up to two years old and they look as good as they did when they were put on the boat, with no signs of significant wear. They get used every weekend and now have had this trip up to Tonga and back, and they are still in excellent condition and the shape is great." Clough says he had several envious cruisers come over to his boat to admire his sails and ask him where they came from.

"The new sails completely converted the boat, and I can’t speak highly enough of them," he says.

Another happy North Sails customer French cruiser Emmanuel Vannier, who is currently living aboard his Dufour 455 with his two teenage children at Nouméa, New Caledonia. Vannier got a new 3Di NORDAC main and furling jib from the Auckland North Sails loft in January this year, and has so far sailed about 15,000 nautical miles with them, in winds of up to 45 knots. Next on his cruising agenda is a 4000 km eastern Australian cruise from mid-December. "First about it is the very nice profile cut and shape of it. It’s highly efficient, and the stability makes it possible to carry a full jib and main up to 18 to 20 knots," he says. "With the jib partly furled and two reefs in the main, we can keep stability and good speed up to 35 knots." "To compare it to the classic Dacron sail, it works better in low wind but can also be used in higher wind conditions. It’s a real blue-water sailing gear with the high standard of performance - a piece of race equipment on my cruising boat." 3Di NORDAC combines North Sails’ unique composite moulded sail technology with polyester fabric, creating cruising sails with smoother and more permanent aerodynamic shape. NORDAC was developed with small to medium-sized cruising boats in mind, to deliver greater control, more comfort and better speed in an affordable and durable package.