1968 – Olympic Sailing Success

In the original North Sails loft in San Diego, Lowell North initiated in-house testing of sail cloth and design shape. With a focus on the Star class, it was in this loft that he developed the sails he would win Olympic Gold with in 1968 in Mexico City. Olympic success has run strong throughout North Sails history, with numerous medal-winning staff members and a wide-reaching commitment to providing the best one design products across different classes. Recent examples include the Finn, Women’s 470, and Women’s 49er FX, in which North sailmakers work closely with Olympic sailors to achieve performance gains through cutting edge design and complementary trim and tuning.

In this video we hear from one design expert and Olympic sailor, Vince Brun, who’s leadership guided North Sails One Design for 35 years. In addition, Olympic medalist Caleb Paine (Finn, USA) shares how North influenced his winning performance at the Rio Games, and European President of North Sails One Design, Paul Hobson, gives a sailmakers’ perspective by drawing from his 20 years of working with the Finn class.