NORTH SAILS BLOG

GREAT LAKES. GREAT RACES. Our Top 5 To Tackle A perfect combination of pristine waters, spectacular scenery and ever changing weather conditions makes the Great Lakes an exciting place for sailors of all levels. Distance racing in this unique environment can teach even the oldest dog new tricks. From helming, sail trim, navigation and night sailing, the entire crew can take part and experience the thrill of offshore racing. Our team have picked their favorite races across the Great Lakes to take on this year, have you signed up to any yet? “The Lake Ontario 300 has become one of the most significant races on Lake Ontario, entering its 29th edition in 2018. Having done this race many times, including the first one in 1990, I have learned something new each time. One of the most important takeaways from races like this is the value of seamanship and thoroughly enjoying your time on the water.” - Hugh Beaton, North Sails Expert, Toronto. Register now to start planning your season of sailing and talk to your local team about how North Sails 3Di is the #1 choice for offshore distance racing. Lake Erie Interclub Cruise Lake Ontario 300 Bell's Beer Bayview Mackinac Race CYC Race To Mackinac Lake Superior International Offshore Series READ MORE

SPEAKERS NIGHT WITH LAKE ONTARIO OFFSHORE RACING An evening of seafaring stories & laughs Racers gathered this past Wednesday at Port Credit Yacht Club to share their tales from the race course. Countless stories were told from years past with many racers highlighting favourite seconds from the Lake Ontario 300 and the Susan Hood Trophy Race. Local North Sails expert, Hugh Beaton, was on hand to partake in the evening with North Sails Toronto providing several swag prizes. READ MORE

GREAT LAKES. GREAT RACES. Our Top 5 To Tackle A perfect combination of pristine waters, spectacular scenery and ever changing weather conditions makes the Great Lakes an exciting place for sailors of all levels. Distance racing in this unique environment can teach even the oldest dog new tricks. From helming, sail trim, navigation and night sailing, the entire crew can take part and experience the thrill of offshore racing. Our team have picked their favorite races across the Great Lakes to take on this year, have you signed up to any yet? “CYC's Race to Mackinac remains the single most important focus for many Lake Michigan Sailors. Not only does the race end in a truly beautiful and fun spot, but it offers uniquely different and challenging conditions along the way - from excruciatingly slow drifting to exhilarating summer thunder storms, to upwind bashing.” - Perry Lewis, North Sails Expert, Chicago. Register now to start planning your season of sailing and talk to your local team about how North Sails 3Di is the #1 choice for offshore distance racing. Lake Erie Interclub Cruise Lake Ontario 300 Bell's Beer Bayview Mackinac Race CYC Race To Mackinac Lake Superior International Offshore Series READ MORE

CALLING ALL SAILORS IN THE MIDWEST North U Trim Seminars Are Coming To A City Near You! The North U Racing Trim Seminar is offered as a one-day course focusing on boat speed and sail trim, and it's coming to your city! Two locations, back to back, Chicago and Milwaukee. Get the most out of your sailing experience and up your game on the race course! WHERE? CHICAGO-MARCH 3RD DePaul University Lincoln Park Campus 2320 N. Kenmore Ave. Chicago, IL 60614 (near Fullerton & Halsted) Seminar Location: Schmitt Academic Center Room: SAC-161 MILWAUKEE- MARCH 4TH Hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Sailing Team! University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 3210 N. Maryland Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53211 Seminar Location: Lubar School of Business Room: TBA Can’t make a seminar in your location? Try our Trim Webinar, available on-demand anytime. “You’ve got to be fast to win!” North Sails President Ken Read – AC TV commentary Turning sailors into racers and racers into winners. Sign up HERE! READ MORE

NORTH SAILS COMPLETA SU EVOLUCIÓN HACIA LA TECNOLOGÍA 3Di El comienzo de 2018 marca un hito en la historia de North Sails. La velería líder mundial completa un ciclo de diez años de transformación desde su tecnología de 3DL, velas laminadas en 3D, a estructuras de composite moldeadas 3Di. Las plantas de la firma en Minden (Estados Unidos) y Sri Lanka ya sólo fabrican 3Di, la vela de mayor éxito de la historia. North Sails lideró la tendencia de construcción laminada de mylar e hilo con sus revolucionarias velas 3DL, que dominaron la velería de altas prestaciones desde principios de 1990 hasta la America’s Cup de 2007. Con la aparición del 3Di, la compañía fue abandonando la producción de velas laminadas a favor de estructuras 3D de composite con filamento esparcido y preimpregnadas. Las velas 3Di proporcionan propiedades de conservación de la forma y de durabilidad muy superiores a cualquier otra vela de construcción laminada. El moldeado en tres dimensiones a escala real es la piedra angular de la tecnología North Sails. Desde que el sindicato suizo Alinghi sorprendió a la comunidad de la vela probando estructuras 3Di en preparación para la defensa de la 32 America’s Cup en Valencia, el concepto 3Di no ha dejado de evolucionar y expandirse a lo largo y ancho del extenso catálogo North Sails, y hoy está disponible para todo tipo de embarcaciones, de grand prix a monotipos, de superyates a cruceros. La introducción el pasado año de las 3Di NORDAC para crucero y 3Di RAW 760S para regata supuso la aplicación del 3Di a barcos de menor eslora y su consiguiente popularización. En respuesta a una demanda en constante crecimiento, North Sails ha ido adaptando sus instalaciones de producción en Minden (especializada en velas grand prix y de superyates) y Sri Lanka (barcos hasta 50 pies de eslora) a medida que la tecnología evolucionaba de velas de paneles y 3DL a 3Di. La última línea de producción de 3DL se cerró definitivamente en septiembre de 2017, y hoy las dos factorías fabrican exclusivamente 3Di. North Sails cuenta con líneas de preimpregnado idénticas en ambas plantas trabajando 14 turnos por semana, con siete líneas ATL (Automated Tape Laying o sistema de colocación automático de cintas) en Minden y otras cinco en Sri Lanka funcionando 24 horas al día y siete días por semana. Las líneas de preimpregnado y ATL alimentan ocho grúas y diez moldes a escala real ajustables de 3D. Dan Neri, director general de North Sails, explica la evolución de la estrategia de producción de la firma: “La expansión de la factoría de Sri Lanka responde al éxito de la nueva 3Di RAW 760S para barcos de competición de menor tamaño y de la 3Di NORDAC para cruceros de pequeña eslora. Las velas 3Di siguen respondiendo a las necesidades de navegantes de todas las clases, desde Skiffs de 18 pies en Australia hasta la flota Ultime de 100 pies en Francia. Nuestra tecnología está detrás de un número sin precedentes de victorias en regata y de récords mundiales, además de infinidad de historias de cruceristas gracias a la consolidación de la 3Di NORDAC entre la comunidad de crucero”. La planta 3D Minden es el centro de referencia para investigación de materiales, ingeniería y fabricación de productos tridimensionales, exclusivos de North Sails. Por su parte, Sri Lanka Manufacturing cuenta con instalaciones de última generación que ocupan a cerca de 1.200 personas distribuidas en ocho edificios. Ambos centros de producción envían las velas 3Di a todo el mundo. La gama North Sails 3Di incluye las líneas 3Di RAW, 3Di ENDURANCE, 3Di NORDAC y 3Di Downwind. Para más información sobre las velas North Sails 3Di, visita www.northsails.com o contacta con nosotros en info@es.northsails.com READ MORE

J/70 JIB TRIMMING FOR SPEED Jib Lead and In-hauling Settings for the J-6 Jib Trimming the jib on the J/70 involves both technique and accuracy. Proper jib trim will help balance the boat and help in boat speed and pointing ability. While achieving the proper trim is the goal, being able to repeat the trim consistently will also make a big impact on your boat’s performance. The important factors in proper jib trim are the lead car position, jib sheet tension, in-hauler tension, jib halyard tension and reference marks to repeat all the settings. The final trim position for the J/70 jib is a balance between the sheet tension and in-hauler tension. When the jib is trimmed in, the leech of the jib should be lined up with the spreader stripes (between 18”-22” from the side of the mast). Within this range, your upper jib leech telltale should be flowing 90-100% of the time. Trim in until it just stalls then ease a hair until it starts flowing again. This is your max trim. Jib Car Position The first step in jib trim on the J/70 is jib lead car position. Setting this position is important as it affects all of the other settings. Combining the jib lead car position with the amount of sheet tension, in-hauler and halyard tension allows the trimmer to manipulate the sail to fit the conditions and style of the skipper. When discussing the position of the jib lead car, we reference the number of holes visible behind the first deck mounting screw in front of the car once in a position. Windward Sheet On the J/70, we use the windward, or lazy jib sheet as an ‘in-hauler’ to pull the clew of the jib to windward and more inboard. When setting the in-hauler tension, our reference point is the distance the clew of the jib is away from the side of the cabin house. J-6 Jib: For the J-6 some in-hauler is always required. In very choppy conditions, use less in-hauler with the clew at 2”-3” from the cabin house and the lead at 5-6 holes showing. In light to moderate chop the clew can be at or just inside the cabin house with the lead at 6 -7 holes showing. In very flat water the lead can go back more to 7-8 holes showing. J-2 Jib: Our go to setting for the J-2 is 2” from the cabin house. In Flat water we may go to 1” away and in moderate chop conditions 2.5-3.5”. In big waves and chop we may go with no in-hauler. Remember that the less in-haul is used, the farther forward the jib car needs to be. For the J-2 jib with no in hauler, the car should be around 3-4 holes showing and with a lot of in-hauler on and the jib clew is at 1” from the cabin house, there should be 5-6 holes showing in front. Jib Halyard The jib halyard on the J/70 is rigged with a fine tune purchase that can be adjusted while sailing. In lighter winds, the jib halyard should be set so that there are slight wrinkles appearing in the first panel along the luff of the sail (approx. 4-8” back from luff of sail). If wrinkles extend further back in the sail, or no wrinkles appear at all, the halyard should be adjusted to compensate. As the wind gets stronger, and the sails need to be de-powered, the jib halyard should be tightened just to the point where the wrinkles along the luff disappear. As the halyard is tightened and loosened, it is important to keep in mind that the halyard tension also affects the leech tension of the jib and the sheet and/ or in-hauler may need to be adjusted to compensate. Make Marks Make reference marks on jib sheets for both the sheet tension and in-hauler tension. Having reference marks will make it much easier to duplicate your trim settings quickly. Jib sheet and deck reference marks help accurately repeat trim settings It is a good idea to experiment with different settings for each control to get used to how each control affects the sail and how they interact with each other The basic effect of the three jib controls, lead car position, in-hauler and jib halyard is: Jib Lead Car Position Forward = Tighter leech, round foot Aft = Open leech, flat foot In-hauler More = Tighter leech, round foot Less = Open leech, flat foot Jib Halyard More = Flatter sail Less = Deeper sail ** Counting the number of open holes in front of the jib lead car and after the first bolt identifies jib lead position. *** The distance (in inches) from the clew of the jib to the side of the cabin identifies in-haul measurement. Use less In-Haul when lead is forward and more in-haul when lead is aft. After setting the sheeting position of the jib, the trimmer needs to constantly check to ensure the trim remains correct as the conditions change. Since the jib on the J/70 is high aspect (tall and thin) changes in the conditions have a significant impact on the trim of the sail. For this reason, there are telltales attached to the upper leech of the jib to help the trimmer know when the sail is going to stall. When the sail is trimmed properly for upwind, the leech telltales will be flowing and if the telltales begin to stall, the sail will need to be adjusted to regain the flow. Most often, only a small adjustment is needed to help return the proper trim and flow to the sail. The reference marks on your spreaders will also help with jib trim. You will find that in 10+knots in flat water you may be able to sheet so the jib leech is at the inside, 18” spreader mark and the leech telltale is still flowing. When it is light and lumpy you will find that the leech will need to be closer to the outside 22” spreader mark. Easing the jib sheet slightly is the first step in returning flow to the jib. Normally, this will only require an inch (or less) of sheet to be eased out. If the leech telltales continue to stall when the leech is sheeted in to the spreader stripes, other adjustments need to be made to properly trim the sail. Since the telltales indicate the stalling of the upper leech of the sail, adding twist is likely the solution. The two ways to best achieve more twist in the jib, is to move the lead car aft and use less sheet tension. As described earlier, both adjustment will add twist to the sail and help regain the twist and flow at the top of the sail. Other J/70 Speed Resources: J/70 Speed Guide J/70 Full Tuning Guide J/70 XCS-1/J-6 Quick Tuning Chart READ MORE

WELCOME TO THE MIDWEST Our Midwest Team Welcomes A New Expert We are pleased & excited to welcome Allan Terhune back to North Sails and introduce him to our Midwestern sailors! Many of you know that we have had a consistent veteran staff for quite a long time now – Perry Lewis has been a mainstay here nearly 40 years, Tom Pease (North Sails in Milwaukee) has been with the company for just as long, Luke Logan has been Service Manager approaching 20 years, and Deanna Trejo has been managing our office for nearly 5 years. So it is high time to welcome a new face! Allan brings a fresh enthusiasm along with a wealth of experience & knowledge. His extensive sailing resume, both racing & coaching expertise speaks for itself. Allan has built a foundation in competitive One-Design classes, while maintaining his most important interest in helping sailors at all levels achieve maximum performance. We know that he will be a valuable asset to our team in providing superior service, both to our existing client base as well as to newcomers. Welcome Allan- We are proud to have you on our team! READ MORE

TIPS FOR TAKING PROPER SAIL SCAN PHOTOS Investigating your sail twist profile with onboard imagery First, position your camera(phone) at the mid‐foot area of your sail. Angle your camera to catch all three draft stripes from luff to leech. Usually the bottom stripe will have one end in a corner and the other end in the opposite, higher or lower corner of the frame. To get a good angle of your headsail, you'll need to get down to deck level, so lay on your back and shoot up from the middle of the foot. (Hopefully a friend is driving, especially if it’s choppy!) To get a good image of your mainsail, you'll need to position your camera so the angles are similar, and at the same time try to include the center of the boom in the bottom of the photo to assure you are in the right place. This will help us calculate the twist profile when the photo is measured by your sail expert. READ MORE

DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT: JB BRAUN One of the world’s leading sail designers talks about the next generation of innovation © Joe Berkeley JB Braun loves making sailboats go faster, and that’s his job as Director of Design and Engineering at North Sails. “There’s a lot that goes into it,” he says. “It’s not only developing a product but developing the tools and software to help create it.” JB manages the 80-person worldwide design team for North Sails. “I’m trying to develop and bring more communications, more design expertise into it. I want it to be recognized because it’s part of what makes North Sails different. “We have 80 designers around the world, mostly working independently. In the past few years, we’ve implemented some great systems that help our design team be more efficient, which allows more time for collaboration and creativity. Exploring the design space will provide more performance for our customers.” Before taking on his current role, JB was part of the design team for Oracle Team USA, helping to create the revolutionary foiling cats that defended the 2013 America’s Cup. JB was also instrumental in teams adopting 3Di during the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12. “My job now is to try to take those skills and that type of development and bring that back into North Sails. Our process is the engine above the waterline, which is making boats perform better and increasing the enjoyment for our customers.” JB’s on-the-water sailing career includes a cabinet full of youth trophies, two Team USA Olympic campaigns in the Flying Dutchman, and a Transatlantic record onboard Nicorette. Educated as a Mechanical Engineer at Northeastern University (Boston, USA), JB combined his passion for sailing with his engineering background to develop software and products that lead to faster sails. Today he is one of the world’s leading sail designers, having served as lead designer for various America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race teams and helping boats like the 100’ Comanche break records. JB has helped revolutionize upwind/downwind sail design. In 2000 he developed Virtual Wind Tunnel, a program within the North Design Suite that made possible the first accurate simulation of downwind sails in action. Ten years later, he became the project leader for 3Di, developing and integrating sail design and construction techniques into the North Sails production line. “I helped bring 3Di from an idea that was not really a product into a mainstream product,” he explains. “The proof of concept for 3Di was the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12. The product proved itself able to stand up to the brutal conditions of that race, and has since gone on to be further proven as the highest performance and most durable sail in the industry.” Now that 3Di is sought after by both racing and cruising customers, JB is working on several new innovations. “We’ve changed MemBrain™, our finite elements analysis (FEA) tool, to engineer and analyze the winged sail combination that Team New Zealand is trying to apply for the next America’s Cup,” he says. “We’re also working on what we call the Sail App for North U, to help people better understand sail shape. You’re sailing along, you pull on the backstay, and you can see the performance change as you change sail shape. It’s still in the development phases, but I believe it’s the next step in how we communicate, both internally and with our customers.” Other development projects include new velocity prediction (VPP) tools for the TP52 class. “That’s the premiere racing class right now,” he says. “We have some specific tools we’ve developed in the North Design Suite to help us quantify differences in design.” What excites JB the most is making sails perform better, and he sees a fantastic opportunity in North’s fully integrated design approach. “We’re unique in the industry because we design and analyze the sails with our North Design Suite software, and then use those same tools to physically build the 3Di sails. When we go through our analysis process, we have complete confidence that what we’re designing is actually what gets built and delivered to our customers. The design of the sail will have a huge impact on the performance of the boat.” Industry experts like naval architects, engineers, and project managers now rely on North Design Services for information that will help them design and build faster boats. “From the very concept of a boat,” JB explains, “we’re helping these professionals by providing design software and tools to do a better job in their area of expertise. All these things start off as a concept or idea. North Sails helps grow that into a final product. “Historically, a naval architect would design the hydrodynamic model, then ask for the aerodynamics,” he continues. “For us to do a really good job with the sail plan, we need to balance the two. It’s a seesaw, with aero on one side and hydro on the other. When the seesaw is balanced, you get the best performance, so if you start off with the seesaw at the beginning, the design loop gets much more refined. Change the hydro to balance with the aero. Design refinement before the boats get made. “The IC37 by Melges is a perfect example. It went through design revisions and we developed aero models before the boats were even laid up.” Naval architects and designers are finding this information so valuable, they’re coming back and wanting more. “Our tools are now refined in a way that has a direct impact on the designs that this team is coming out with,” JB says, “and that will help us make boats go faster and be more efficient.” READ MORE

CRECE LA FAMILIA NORTH SAILS PALMA North Sails anunció el pasado mes de enero la incorporación de Doyle Palma al equipo de superyates de North Sails Palma. Quinten “Quinny” Houry, Fiona Bruce y Russell Thom, respetados especialistas en fabricación de velas de superyates, refuerzan el potente equipo de la velería de Palma, una de las 16 específicas para superyates que North Sails posee en todo el mundo. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS COMPLETA SU EVOLUCIÓN HACIA LA TECNOLOGÍA 3Di El comienzo de 2018 marca un hito en la historia de North Sails. La velería líder mundial completa un ciclo de diez años de transformación desde su tecnología de 3DL, velas laminadas en 3D, a estructuras de composite moldeadas 3Di. Las plantas de la firma en Minden (Estados Unidos) y Sri Lanka ya sólo fabrican 3Di, la vela de mayor éxito de la historia. North Sails lideró la tendencia de construcción laminada de mylar e hilo con sus revolucionarias velas 3DL, que dominaron la velería de altas prestaciones desde principios de 1990 hasta la America’s Cup de 2007. Con la aparición del 3Di, la compañía fue abandonando la producción de velas laminadas a favor de estructuras 3D de composite con filamento esparcido y preimpregnadas. Las velas 3Di proporcionan propiedades de conservación de la forma y de durabilidad muy superiores a cualquier otra vela de construcción laminada. El moldeado en tres dimensiones a escala real es la piedra angular de la tecnología North Sails. Desde que el sindicato suizo Alinghi sorprendió a la comunidad de la vela probando estructuras 3Di en preparación para la defensa de la 32 America’s Cup en Valencia, el concepto 3Di no ha dejado de evolucionar y expandirse a lo largo y ancho del extenso catálogo North Sails, y hoy está disponible para todo tipo de embarcaciones, de grand prix a monotipos, de superyates a cruceros. La introducción el pasado año de las 3Di NORDAC para crucero y 3Di RAW 760S para regata supuso la aplicación del 3Di a barcos de menor eslora y su consiguiente popularización. En respuesta a una demanda en constante crecimiento, North Sails ha ido adaptando sus instalaciones de producción en Minden (especializada en velas grand prix y de superyates) y Sri Lanka (barcos hasta 50 pies de eslora) a medida que la tecnología evolucionaba de velas de paneles y 3DL a 3Di. La última línea de producción de 3DL se cerró definitivamente en septiembre de 2017, y hoy las dos factorías fabrican exclusivamente 3Di. North Sails cuenta con líneas de preimpregnado idénticas en ambas plantas trabajando 14 turnos por semana, con siete líneas ATL (Automated Tape Laying o sistema de colocación automático de cintas) en Minden y otras cinco en Sri Lanka funcionando 24 horas al día y siete días por semana. Las líneas de preimpregnado y ATL alimentan ocho grúas y diez moldes a escala real ajustables de 3D. Dan Neri, director general de North Sails, explica la evolución de la estrategia de producción de la firma: “La expansión de la factoría de Sri Lanka responde al éxito de la nueva 3Di RAW 760S para barcos de competición de menor tamaño y de la 3Di NORDAC para cruceros de pequeña eslora. Las velas 3Di siguen respondiendo a las necesidades de navegantes de todas las clases, desde Skiffs de 18 pies en Australia hasta la flota Ultime de 100 pies en Francia. Nuestra tecnología está detrás de un número sin precedentes de victorias en regata y de récords mundiales, además de infinidad de historias de cruceristas gracias a la consolidación de la 3Di NORDAC entre la comunidad de crucero”. La planta 3D Minden es el centro de referencia para investigación de materiales, ingeniería y fabricación de productos tridimensionales, exclusivos de North Sails. Por su parte, Sri Lanka Manufacturing cuenta con instalaciones de última generación que ocupan a cerca de 1.200 personas distribuidas en ocho edificios. Ambos centros de producción envían las velas 3Di a todo el mundo. La gama North Sails 3Di incluye las líneas 3Di RAW, 3Di ENDURANCE, 3Di NORDAC y 3Di Downwind. Para más información sobre las velas North Sails 3Di, visita www.northsails.com o contacta con nosotros en info@es.northsails.com READ MORE

VOLVO OCEAN RACE: JUST ANOTHER YACHT RACE, ONLY LONGER Around the World racing veterans from North Sails share their biggest lessons learned What does an extreme event like the Volvo Ocean Race have in common with the distance racing most of us do? We asked race veterans (and North Sails employees) for lessons learned; read on for a few tips that just might help you on your next race. The biggest screwups teach valuable lessons. North Sails Vice President Kimo Worthington won the 1997-98 Volvo Ocean Race on EF Language “On our first Southern Ocean leg from Cape Town to Australia, we didn’t have any idea what we were doing and we wiped out in a big squall, blew out our kite. We ended up in irons, and when I looked over the side the spinnaker pole had somehow wrapped itself around the front of the keel. Huge mess. Four hours of cleanup, and then we crashed another four times before the leg was over. “As soon as we got into Fremantle, we had a very frank team meeting—not rah rah, but how did we screw up, how could we do it better? Instead of imploding, we decided to stack harder and farther back than anyone else. We also decided reefing was the key. Once we reefed, we could carry the kite in 40 knots of wind. By the time we passed Cape Horn, we were 500 miles ahead. That debrief was key to winning the race.” Tune up with the fastest team before the start. North Sails President Ken Read skippered PUMA Ocean Racing around the world in 2008-09 and 2011-12. “MAPFRE and Dongfeng did something very interesting before this race. They both must’ve decided they were good enough to win a two boat race, so they trained with each other to create an even bigger speed advantage over the other teams. So now what you have is two arch rivals going out to play with each other. Tuning up beforehand is about three things: Time, money, and smarts. Time to do some serious training. Money to buy the best drivers. And then enough smarts to team up for pre-race training with the other top guys… that’s a pretty powerful combination.” © Ian Roman / Volvo Ocean Race Keep working with your sail designer to get faster. North Sails Designer Mickey Ickert has worked with several Whitbread and Volvo Ocean Race teams, including 2005-06 winners ABN AMRO. “Back when the Whitbread and Volvo were on the cusp of satellite communication, periodically I would get a call from the boat discussing the next sail or sail recuts to be made in port. In those days, the sails were consistently developed and updated by each team, with the aim to catch up or outperform the opposition. It’s a long race, with plenty of opportunity to learn and improve, so it was possible to outperform the early leader if everyone kept talking as a team with the designers.” © Oskar Kihlborg Volvo Ocean Race READ MORE

North Sails class leaders Zeke Horowitz and Juan Carlos Romero answer your International Optimist Dinghy speed and boathandling questions. Who sails an Optimist Dinghy? The pram-style Optimist is a great starter boat for learning to sail and later learning to race, and youth sailors can literally take their Optimist Dinghy to whatever level they want. Any motivated young Optimist sailor will develop both confidence and dinghy sailing skills, from boathandling techniques to big-fleet strategy and tactics; some will go on to race at the highest levels. The sailors who do best in the class are those who spend the most time sailing their boats, usually with a good coach, strong sailing program, and ample resources. The International Optimist Dinghy Association is the biggest one-design class in the world. Top young Optimist sailors line up on the starting line at a clinic held on Miami's Biscayne Bay. Who is the ideal Optimist sailor physically? Sailors should be fit and agile, able to move gracefully and hike out for extended periods. Those who do best are usually 12 to 14 years old and weigh up to 110 pounds. Regionally, top sailors can still compete at 115 or even 120 pounds. Girls sail equally with boys, and it’s common to see three or four girls in the top 10 at any regatta. What are three top Optimist speed tips? Find a good coach and team. Focus hard while you’re on the water. Do well in school so you can miss days while off sailing. What should buyers know when choosing an Optimist Dinghy? Any sailor’s first boat is typically a used boat, to allow for collisions due to inexperience with dock landings and being in close quarters with other boats. Competitive sailors will normally move up to new boats as they reach higher levels. Older boats can remain competitive, but heavy travel and racing schedules put a fair amount of wear and tear on the boats. As a result, used boats may need gelcoat dings and scratches repaired. A fully outfitted new boat may run $5,500, while a good used boat costs 30 to 40 percent less. Keep in mind that you can purchase different sizes of boom section with different stiffness, although most sailors stick with a mid-range version. As a sailor grows, a stiffer boom may be preferred. If your mast is extremely bendy, it may also help to replace it with a stiffer one as experience and size merit. How do you move an Optimist Dinghy around? An Optimist weighs only 35 kilograms (77 pounds), which makes it easy to put on top of a car. There are also many trailering options; some teams own trailers that carry up to 18 boats, plus a coach boat! How long does it take to rig an Optimist Dinghy? Rigging time depends on how focused the sailor is on the task, but it’s not hard to have a boat ready in 40 minutes. What’s most time-consuming is attaching the sail to the spars, which in the Optimist requires tying knots in a way that’s carefully prescribed by the rules (see the North Sails Optimist Tuning Guide). The goal is to match the luff curve with how much the mast will bend in a given condition, which varies depending on a sailor’s weight. How many sails are allowed? Top sailors will take two sails to a regatta, but just one sail is allowed for the duration of the event; the other is a backup in case of a breakdown. There is some nuance to selecting Optimist sails, but North presents a good choice of radial or crosscut sails of different size depending on the sailor’s weight. Read more about what North offers, from a crossover sail for beginners, to two crosscut and four radial-cut racing sails. International Optimist Dinghy Tuning What are the keys to rig set-up? Tuning the rig on a boat with an unstayed mast is different than on other boats. It starts before you attach the sail on the mast; first measure your mast rake—from the top of the mast to the edge of the coaming on the transom—and then move the adjustable mast step until you get the right rake measurement for your weight. This is your “base” setting. The process is detailed in the North Tuning Guide. The Tuning Guide also covers the critical process of tying the sail to the boom, mast, and sprit, and connecting the sprit correctly to the mast. Properly eased outhaul tension shows wrinkles at each sail tie giving ample power to the lower part of the sail. What control systems are unique to the Optimist? Having a sprit pole, and a line to change the tension on it, is not the norm on most one-design racing boats. Sprit tension controls leech tension, but if you have too much, a wrinkle will appear between the tack and the peak of the sail. A sail that’s set right for upwind sailing often develops the same wrinkle when you turn downwind, so you’ll often need to ease the sprit tension at that point to get rid of the wrinkle. Preventers are another unusual concept on the Optimist. They are needed because of the way the sail, boom, and sprit are connected with the mast. The top preventer keeps the sail from popping off the top of the mast, and in heavy air, it can be tightened to force the sail to set lower on the mast. The lower preventer, called the boom preventer, maintains boom position on the mast and helps you set the right luff tension for the conditions. There are strict rules about how high or low the sail can be on the mast—a mark on the sail must fall between two marks on the mast to be legal.These controls are described in the Tuning Guide as well. We recommend the Guide to every new sailor and Opti parent. A modest wrinkle from the top of the mast extending toward the end of the boom indicates correct sprit tension. Optimist Dinghy Upwind Sailing How do you trim the sail upwind in light air? Here’s a checklist to run through if you’re sailing upwind in light enough air to be sitting in the boat. Set your mast rake a bit aft of your base setting, since your mast is probably not going to bend under this wind condition (see Tuning Guide). Ease the outhaul until any horizontal crease in the foot disappears and some vertical creases show up above each sail tie; the creases should not pass above the first seam in the sail. Luff tension should be eased enough that as you sail into a puff, horizontal wrinkles appear at the sail ties along the mast. To be sure you’re not closing the leech too much, ease the sprit pole just to the point that a wrinkle appears from the top of the mast to the clew. Focus on where to trim the boom relative to the corner of the transom—a good general rule is no farther inboard than the corner, or leave it just outside. Shown sailing in a clinic (without sail numbers), these Optimist Dinghies show off the design’s distinct profile with sprit rig and squared off bow and stern. When sailing in medium winds, how should the sail be trimmed upwind? Move the mast rake back to your base setting when you move to the rail, and in choppy conditions, pull the outhaul tight enough so the vertical creases at the boom sail ties extend only up to the first seam. Smooth out the wrinkles in the luff by removing one twist in your boom preventer, so you achieve a round, deep nice shape for the entry. You want moderate luff tension, but you don’t want it tight. Trim the sprit so the sail is very smooth, and trim the mainsheet so the boom is right over the corner or just inside the corner of the transom. In hiking mode or heavy air upwind, how do you trim the sail? When hiking, rake the mast a bit forward from your base setting to compensate for how the mast will bend. Have your outhaul tight enough that a crease shows in the foot, until you fill the sail with wind. Take another twist off the boom preventer to get good tension on the luff. Sprit pole tension should still be tight and the sail, smooth. When trimming, ease the boom to the corner of the boat and sometimes just outside the corner. When the Optimist is sailing upwind, overpowered, how should the sail be trimmed? When you’re fully hiking and still overpowered, you want to have the mast raked aft (2 cm from base setting, as per the Tuning Guide). You should also have more tension on the outhaul—on shore you may have a crease in the sail, but when the sail fills it should be deeper than that from the foot to the first seam. The key depowering technique is to loosen the sprit tension, take another twist off the preventer, and push the boom down hard to pull on the vang—then, pull only some of the sprit tension back on, which leaves the sail with a wrinkle from the top of the mast to the clew. This indicates that the top of the sail is flat and the leech is open, which will help you keep the boat upright. Check that when you flick the luff of the sail with your fingers, it is super tight. Tighten the bridle safety line to the boom so it is also super tight; now your mainsheet tension will start bending the boom a bit, further flattening the bottom part of your sail. The other way to depower is to pull the daggerboard up a little, but use this as a last resort. Demonstrating good upwind sail trim, this Optimist sailor is flying her leech telltales and has the boom trimmed at or near the transom corner. What are the key gear changes in an Optimist when sailing upwind? The Optimist sailor’s focus when sailing upwind is primarily on body movement, mainsheet trim, and steering the boat. None of the sail controls are adjusted. When there are choppy conditions or a big wave, bear off and ease the sail to stay powered up. In a flat spot, trim harder to improve your pointing. Because the Optimist is a hard-chine boat, keeping the boat flat is critical—the boat makes leeway and the rudder works like a brake when you allow heel. What else is important upwind? One important technique to learn is “sailing and bailing.” Two buckets are attached to the boat with bungee cords, and the technique is to scoot aft and squeeze the bailer bucket between your front leg and the bulkhead, rocking the boat to windward to fill the bailer by feathering the boat up and hiking at the right time. Move your mainsheet and tiller extension to the same hand and use your free hand to toss the water in the bailer overboard. Don't forget that a full bailer of water weighs 8 pounds, which is quite a bit of weight working against you when it’s sloshing around the floor of your boat. Optimist Dinghy Downwind Sailing Where do you sit when sailing the Optimist downwind? Heading downwind, you always sit on the rail, heeling a little to windward to lift the leeward chine out of the water and to tilt the sail a little higher. In light air and until you’re surfing, stay forward, with your shins against the bulkhead. Effectively, you’re staying in the middle of the boat. In surf and big waves, move aft quite a bit to avoid submarining the bow under a wave and then move forward again. The amount of fore-and-aft body movement is greater in an Optimist than in some other singlehanders because the bow is blunt, so in waves you need to work hard to keep it above water. How do you trim downwind? As a general rule when heading straight downwind, let the sail out until it’s about 90 degrees from the boat’s centerline. In very light air, it’s good to sail by the lee, letting the main out past 90 degrees, because it helps the boom to stay out as you heel to windward. Otherwise, the most important adjustment is your sprit tension. In light to medium winds, ease the sprit slightly when you round the weather mark so that the sail looks smooth. You’ll also raise your daggerboard fully out of the water, unless you need to hike or you have surfing conditions; then we recommend having a third of the board in the water to maintain good steering control. This sailor’s downwind trim shows slight windward heel, mainsheet eased to 90 degrees, and daggerboard fully raised. How much pumping of the main is fast downwind? Pumping the main is fast any time there’s good wind and waves. Top sailors grab the sheet at the ratchet block and pump it by extending their hand up over their heads. You are allowed one pump per wave, and at major regattas there are on-water judges keeping count. How do you shift gears when sailing an Optimist downwind? Think about how far in or out you have the boom, and think about how much you should be moving fore and aft. In max light air, the daggerboard is up, the boom is out past 90 degrees, and you’re focused on keeping the boat as quiet and at as steady an angle of heel as possible. In 20 knots, it’s completely different—the board is only two-thirds of the way up, you are pumping on every wave, and you are moving all over the place. Optimist Dinghy Boathandling What are the keys to starting well in an Optimist? It’s important to get into the front row and hold your position on the line in advance of the start. It’s also key not to get flagged for sculling with your rudder. This takes practice, always keeping the boat moving but at the slowest speed possible. You want just enough flow across the leech of your main to hold your spot. The boats tack quickly, so we recommend that you learn to do a quick double-tack; sometimes when there’s space to windward, you can tack twice and gain valuable room on your lee side for acceleration. What are the keys to tacking an Optimist well? In light air, the key is rolling at the right time. Be patient, and wait until the boat is head to wind before you start the roll. Start from sitting inside the boat. As the boat passes head to wind, move to the old windward side to initiate the roll. Then hop across to the new windward side, trying to land inside the boat so as not to over flatten. Steering from behind your back, move what was your forward, mainsheet hand aft to hold the tiller extension as well, then bring your other hand around and take the mainsheet. In all conditions, over-trim the mainsheet when you start your tack until head to wind so you maintain flow on your sail, then ease it through rest of the process and finally trim the sheet afterwards, usually after the boat has been flattened. In medium air, you make the same move, but it happens faster and you’re moving from rail to rail. The main trim is the same. When it’s windy, you hardly roll the boat and simply move quickly across, grabbing the rail with one hand to get there. Ease the main during the tack once you pass head to wind and then trim when fully hiked. What are the worst mistakes in tacking an Optimist? Over-rolling the boat and filling it with water is easily the worst mistake. In light air, be sure not to use too much rudder. That’s slow, and so is not getting enough roll. We have one word to describe finding the right amount of roll for each condition—practice! What are the keys to jibing an Optimist well? In light air, keep it smooth. Have the boat rocked to weather already, then just lean in and grab the parts of the mainsheet, lean out, and pull the sail over. Stand up and walk across the boat to avoid a big splash, then transition to heel the boat again to windward. In medium winds, your roll jibe is the same but involves a quick hop across the boat (as you would in a tack). In heavy air, the jibe is different. Your main goal is “Don’t flip over.” Try to pull the boom across while surfing a big wave because your sail will be less loaded and you’ll be more in control; however, you’ll often find the boom still has enough load on it to require a strong pull. A common mistake is to get stuck—you’ve turned the boat part way, but the main is too loaded to come across. When you are ready to jibe, jibe with confidence by making a decisive turn at the same time that you pull the main over. As the sail comes over, cross the boat quickly to the rail and steer back to leeward on the new jibe. Make sure the main doesn’t get eased beyond 90 degrees as you jibe, or you’ll surely flip. Do you have any other suggestions for jibing in heavy air? The chicken jibe (also known as “tacking”) is popular when it’s blowing. If you’re a less-experienced heavy-air sailor and not sailing in the top 20, this is a great way to be sure you’ll stay in the race. Can you recover on your own from capsizing an Optimist? An Optimist sailor can “self-rescue” because the boat has three air bags. Make sure they are fully inflated so less water gets in the boat. If you flip, right the boat from the windward side and spend at least one minute standing in the boat and bailing hard with both bailers, which are attached to the boat with bungee cords. At that point you can start sailing and bail out the rest as you go. What boathandling drills do you recommend? Practice making 720-degree turns. Doing circles not only is good practice for when you may have to clear yourself from a foul in a race, but also teaches you to sail the boat well, using your body weight to trim and turn the boat. The Optimist has a huge rudder, which also makes 720s fast, but good movement and trim is the key. The board is down and the main is powered up for the turn at the leeward mark. A bit of leeward heel would reduce the amount of rudder required. What are the most common Optimist boathandling mistakes? Let’s start with not capsizing. It takes practice to learn where the edge is in heavy air. Other mistakes we see include using too much rudder instead of doing smooth roll tacks and roll jibes. This applies to sailing in a straight line, too. For example, avoid using too much rudder downwind. If you start heeling to weather too much, the boat wants to head down. Instead of pushing the tiller to compensate, shift your body weight to leeward and trim the main. What’s the coolest thing about the International Optimist Dinghy class? The Opti class is by far the largest and most dynamic one-design class, in part because it has the most variables on the planet. Parents, coaches, and thousand of young sailors, growing up through a super-sensitive time of their lives. The basic strategies and tactics the class requires are a great outlet and an excellent way to learn the values of discipline and conservative decision-making. Whether you travel and learn about getting through airports and how to make friends in other countries, or you simply learn to take care of your own boat and sail on your own, Optimist sailing is a chance for you to learn a whole lot about yourself in a supportive, fun, rewarding environment. The Optimist is sailed all over the world and has a half dozen continental championships. After sailors age out, some go on to contend for Laser Radial and 4.7 world titles, and many become leading competitors in doublehanded classes such as the 420 and 29er. A final testament to the class: the great majority of skippers at the 2016 Olympics got their start in the Optimist class. READ MORE

WHO WE ARE : JOEL CARO Get to know your local sales expert Joel Caro is from Toronto, Ontario and started Sail-making/Sailing in Santiago, Chile in the early 90's at "Mississauga Sails", his family Sail Loft. He attended INACAP Institute for Engineering in International Business. What do you Sail? How long have you been sailing? I mostly sail One Design Classes from Wayfarers, Snipe, SR-21 to Etchells, Soling, C&C, J/24, J/105 and J/122. I have been sailing since 1993, so around 25 years now. What Boats/Classes do you sail in? I currently sail in the local J/105 Fleet 4 One Design Class here in Toronto. What got you into the marine industry? Favorite aspect of working in the industry? My family comes from a Sail-making background, both my parents started sail-making with Hans Fogh at Fogh Sails and then later North Sails Fogh Toronto back in the late 70's. I basically grew up in that Sail loft in Toronto, so I started learning the trade at a young age. My favorite aspect of working in the industry is being able to work in something that I love to do and to give our customers the best sails in the world while also delivering exceptional customer service. Another favorite aspect is being able to sail on different sailboats with customers with our sails. How long have you been working at/with North Sails? I have been working at North Sails since 2013. What is your earliest/favorite sailing memory? My earliest/favorite sailing memory would have to be when I was living with my family in Santiago, Chile, we had our own sail loft which we named " Mississauga Sails " (Mississauga is the city we used to live in). One of our customers called to ask if I wanted to go sailing on his J/24 at a regatta on Lake Rapel. I was 15 or 16 at the time and I said sure, let's go (it would be my very first regatta and I had no idea how to sail). My skipper picked me up and he said the rest of the crew would meet us there, and so the drive from Santiago to Lake Rapel is around 2 hours, so as we are driving about 10 minutes in, I ask why are we heading to the airport and he replied, "we are going in my plane". Long story short, I had no idea my skipper had a plane and that we were going to fly to this weekend regatta, so you can imagine the excitement, the flight was awesome and only took 20 minutes, we won the weekend regatta and we flew back to Santiago with the crew. The whole experience was amazing. How long have you been working in the industry? What keeps you coming back for more? I have been a sailmaker for 25 years, and I enjoy the competition and sailing with our customers with our sails. If you could have any boat in the world, what would it be? And why? It would have to be the DNA F4, which is an exciting Carbon 46 foot Foiling One Design Catamaran; designed and built to push the boundaries of long distance sailing (and because I like to sail fast). What's your best advice for sailors when it comes to sail care? My best advice for sailors when it comes to sail care (this goes for both cruising and racing) is to take care of your sails (they are not cheap!). They are the engines for your sailboat, just like a vehicle, your engine needs maintenance and repairs, so bring in your sails at the end of the season for a Full 10-Point Inspection. This ensures your sails are in top condition for the following season. Lastly, make sure to store your sails properly, in a dry area and in a pest free environment. READ MORE

INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN KEANE, J/70 U.S. WINTER SERIES CHAMPION North clients continue to succeed given the right tools for success Team Savasana, US Winter Series champions powered by North Sails. North Sails products are designed to be a tool for our clients to help them excel on the race course. North Sails has developed fast, user-friendly sails that give teams like Brian Keane’s a competitive advantage. We caught with Brian after his race series win in Davis Island, FL where he sailed his way to success through a high level of competition in the US J/70 class. Each regatta result finish his team had totaled 7 points in the three-event series, and given one throw out he was left with only 4 points. Here’s what Brian had to say about his team, how they prepared for the winter series, and how they maintained consistency through three regattas, giving his team the overall series win. NS: The entire series had all types of conditions. It was windy at the first event, shifty in the second, light air in the third. How did your team adjust to keep such great consistent results? “We were pretty happy that we had a variety of conditions because it gave us a chance to test our tuning and boat handling across a wide spectrum. I think we felt pretty fast in all conditions, whether it was windy or whether it was light. I think the key thing is being smart and avoiding the costly errors. At the end of the day, we felt as fast as anybody, but the real key is not shooting yourself in the foot by making any major mistakes.” NS: What are some things of most importance that you focus on going into each event given that you might have maybe a different crew every time? “Yeah, we had slightly different teams, even in each of the three events. When you do that, it just reinforces the importance of being able to communicate effectively within the team, so if somebody’s out and somebody new is in, they can get up to speed very quickly.” “Because we had a different trimmer in each of the three events, we made sure that we got there early >to practice. We spent about a day and a half practicing. And part of that practice is working on boat handling and our settings for different conditions, so everybody knows who’s doing what. The other part of that practice is then to make sure, from a speed standpoint, we are where we need to be. As far as the actual racing is concerned, our goal was to get off the line in a clear lane. We had enough confidence in our speed that if we could get off the line sometime in the lower-density area and be able to hold for a few minutes that we’ll quickly be near the top of the fleet and we can just grind down from there.” “Starts and minimizing risk I think are some of the key themes across all three events.” North-powered boats finished 1,3,4*,5*,6,7 at the 2017-18 US Winter Series. NS: Out of all three events, was there a race highlight, or a moment that stuck out that you remember? “In event two on the windiest downwind leg- it was blowing like stink. We just killed it and extended dramatically on the entire fleet. That’s always fun. We won the race and won it by a lot. It was exhilarating. You know, I think back on it … I haven’t looked at all of our finishes, but I think one of the things I feel good about and was how consistent we were going into each event. I am not sure if we ever had a race out of the top ten, and that’s a sign that you’ve got speed and you’re not shooting yourself in the foot. You’re just always there and relentless.” “That’s the kind of stuff that wins regattas, and wins a race series- it’s being consistent.” NS: What advice would you give a new J/70 team? “We sometimes call it “sail by the numbers.” We have a lot of data and we know exactly how we wanna set up for every condition. We’re not wasting time wondering what the right setup for the rig or for sail trim is as the conditions change. As the conditions change, we can look at our grid and we know what to do. That takes a lot of the complexity out of it. So a new team should ask some of the other teams what they should be focusing on. “How do you think about rig setups, sail trim in different conditions?” Try and create your own map, your own grid, so you can sail by the numbers, so you can think about sailing and what you’re doing during the race, as opposed to trying to figure out how to make your boat go fast.” NS: What were the biggest contributions to your team’s success this weekend? “Smart decisions, tactics, strategy, where to start, and where to go.” 2017-18 U.S. J/70 Winter Series Teams Powered by North Sails Event 1 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8*, 9, 10 / Congratulations Brian Keane Event 2 1, 3, 5*, 6, 7, 8*, 10 / Congratulations Joel Ronning Event 3 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 / Congratulations Jack Franco Series Overall 1, 3, 4*, 5*, 6, 7 / Congratulations Brian Keane and team Savasana! * Denotes Partial North Sails Inventory Max Nickbarg, Thomas Barrows, Brian Keane and Ron Weed. READ MORE

TIPS FROM DRAGON WORLD CHAMPION 2017 World Champion Andy Beadsworth shares tips from his World Championship winning experience © Jean-Louis Chaix Andy Beadsworth is the reigning Dragon World Champion, and a well known name among the International Dragon Class fleet, he has multiple national and international titles under his belt. We spoke to Andy about his top tips for going around the race course and how he sets up his boat for a day on the water. What are you looking for whilst setting up your mast on a race day? The most important thing is to make sure the sail plan looks the same on both tacks. Although that sounds fairly obvious, it takes a massive amount of effort and work to achieve that and is one of the big things. We put a lot of time and effort into is making sure the rig is symmetrical on port and starboard tacks and basically every race day we go through the rig and check our base settings that we record. We are quite diligent in checking a length as well as a tension so that we have got a good record (of our settings) and that also something that we can check on the water. What do you use to tune your boat on a race day? On a daily basis we would look at the rig and the sails and adjust what we felt is necessary in order to achieve what we want on the day and to achieve the characteristic of the boat that we are experiencing. We constantly make the adjustments to achieve what we are looking for. As you round the windward mark, what’s the most important adjustment to make? The most important thing is to get the spinnaker up and set and the jib furled and then making sure all the sails are working as efficiently as possible, then getting the rig forward and remembering to let the ram off before the runners. Spinnaker up, sails set and pulling efficiently before all the small stuff. Generally we let the ram off down the offset leg to make sure it isn’t forgotten and make sure the mainsail tack go down the run. And the same question for a leeward mark rounding, what are the important adjustments you make? Make sure mainsail tack is on, the rig goes back and ram comes on preferably before rounding, so that for the exit of the mark you are sailing the boat as well as possible, especially as most people aren’t so there are big gains to be made. This is especially important when not doing as well as you should be, the leeward mark rounding is one are where you can make big gains just by being set-up precisely with the boat going as well as it can go. With 2 more events left in the Cascais winter series, what advice can you give to the Dragon sailors competing at the event? Set-up for waves, it’s a wavy venue! Have a set up that gives a powerful, twisted sail . It’s generally a windy, bumpy venue unlike some of the venues that we sail at in the Med so expect waves. With a successful year last year under your belt, what are your goals for the team for the rest of 2018? Personally, I would like to try and consolidate on the year and try and maintain our performance prior to speaking again at the worlds in 2019. Thank you Andy for your time, we wish you the best of luck for 2018! Looking to speak to an expert? Contact your local loft to find out more about our Dragon World Championship winning products. READ MORE

O’LEARY BROTHERS WIN STAR MID-WINTERS Congratulations to Peter and Robert O'Leary for winning the Star Mid-Winters and the Walker Cup last weekend. Peter has returned to the Star class to race with his younger brother Robert as his crew. The full family compliment was on hand for the first regatta with father Anthony in the coach boat. Peter and Robert launched a brand new Star for the regatta and she was fully equipped with sails from North. Nigel Young from North Sails Ireland has been working with Peter in the Star class since 2010 and is delighted to play a small part in this campaign. We can expect to see more great results from this Team as the season unfolds, good luck from us all here at North Sails Ireland. Full results READ MORE

HOW TO SURVIVE LIGHT AIR IN A LARGE FLEET Challenging conditions, team Flojito 3JT had it figured out The third event of the 2017-18 J/70 US Winter Series was sailed in light and shifty conditions. Even some of the best teams struggled with the unknown of when the next shift would happen, what would be the end result, and how they could set themselves up for the next puff without seeing it first. Some came out ahead, others had their worst finishes. Challenging conditions for all, but one team had it figured out and was confident in their strategy. Here are a few of the lessons learned by winning team, Jack Franco’s Flojito 3JT: Crew Weight The J/70 is very sensitive to weight placement and movement. Each upwind leg we work hard to get our crew weight as far forward, while sailing a lower angle and as maintaining as much balance as we could. The goal is to never let the boat heel too far either way. Ideally, it will have just a touch of leeward heel, which allows us the crew flatten hard, giving an acceleration, when each little puff comes down. Going downwind, the goal is to use the weight to steer the boat as much as possible so that the rudder cannot create drag. This can be very effective. The spinnaker trimmer leads by talking to the driver and the rest of the team, orchestrating the movements to keep everyone on the same page and working the boat hard. Starting – Critical in light air We had to focus hard. At this event in particular, finding a spot on the line where there was the least amount of congestion as possible wasn’t easy, but it really paid off. Generally, you want to be on starboard at 1:15 and about 60 meters off the line. This will allow more control of your boatspeed, and allow you to manage your hole with more confidence. The goal in this case was to have space on our leebow, and to make sure that we are going full speed at the gun. Communication is very important during the final countdown. On our boat, the bow guy calls the time, the trimmer calls meters/ distance to the line, and the main trimmer/tactician is dictating the maneuver. The key is to make sure you are going full speed at go! If you get too close to the line, you have to slow down which is a killer in light air. If you are too far, you can’t get up to the line in time, which reinforces that 60 meters rule at 1:15 to 1:30, making it critical to be right on time. Jib Trim We sailed with the North J-6 this weekend. In the light air you want to make sure the halyard is soft to give the sail more depth and a little draft -aft. It is also critical to make sure there is enough inhauler-on so that there is enough shape in the foot, but not too much return on the leech. If we had too much return, the lead would be set further aft, or we just ease the inhauler a bit. From there, the adjustments are made with the leeward sheet to adjust the upper leech tension. Never let the leech telltales stall out. When a wave comes or if you feel a little slow, ease the leeward sheet, but not the inhauler. From our experience at the 3rd Winter Series, It seemed to work well. Mainsail Trim For light air, you want to set the main up with the traveler all the way up, and the sheet with enough tension to keep the telltales flowing. If you want to sheet harder to get more height, the traveler needs to be moved or dropped to leeward a car width so the lower leech doesn’t stall. The outhaul is not eased too much as we worry about the lower main getting too full and closing the slot with the jib since we were inhauling so much. The big key is that light air is a finesse game Little adjustments make a big difference and teams that move and communicate well together make large gains. The other thing to remember is that it is easy to get frustrated in light air. If you work hard at keeping the boat moving at full speed, the tactician has a much easier job putting your boat in the right place at the right time. READ MORE

WHO WE ARE: GEOFF MOORE Get to know your local sales expert Geoff Moore with Zingara boat owner Richard Reid at the 2017 Beneteau 36.7 World Cup in Helsinki, Finland. Geoff Moore is a Rhode Island native who grew up sailing in New England. He attended the University of Rhode Island for Political Science. Since 2002, he has been with North Sails Toronto. What do you sail? How long have you been sailing? I have been competitively racing sailboats since 1974. What boats/classes do you sail? All types of dinghies, Lasers, Sunfish, Lightnings, Snipes, Albacore, Interclub dinghies, I14s, all manner of US collegiate dinghies. Small keelboats, J/24, J/22, Etchells, Shields, Sonars, Ideal 18's, IOD's, Stars, J/80's, J/70's, Melges 20's, 24's, and 32's, Farr 30s , and C&C’s every size. Larger One Design Keel boats, Farr 40, J/105s, J/30s, J/35s, J/111, Beneteau 36.7, Beneteau 40.7, Swan 42. 6 Meters, 8 Meters, 12 Meters.au 40.7, and the Swan 42. And, of course too, many handicappers, and cruising boats to list here. What got you into the marine industry? What’s your favorite aspect of working in the industry? I have always been passionate about sailboats, and specifically about how sail shape affects their performance. The technology has always fascinated me. Whether it be woven textile science, or spread filament, molded, composite, membranes, the goal is always the same, to construct sails light in weight, exquisitely shaped, with the least possible distortion under load. Achieving one or two of those objectives is rather easy these days. North Sails is a company full of highly motivated people who are committed to the challenge of achieving all three objectives. That makes it an exciting and challenging place to be. Delivering beautiful sails, and witnessing first hand, how they enhance our client’s enjoyment of their boats is by far the best part of this job. What is your earliest sailing memory? My earliest sailing memories were as a very young child, with my younger brothers, and parents, sailing aboard our Alberg 23 “Winsome” upon the waters of Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound. On weekends we would visit various harbors and anchorages, taking time to swim, dig for clams, fish, and learn about the ocean and sailboats. In those days there were always 12 Meters about training for the America’s Cup. It seemed to me that they had always been there, and they would never leave. The America’s Cup is now gone, but the 12 Meters, and their legacies, are still there. How long have you been working in the industry? What keeps you coming back for more? I get a kick out of learning and sharing little tricks about how to make sails perform better. It still excites me to help install beautiful new sails. I don’t think I will ever lose interest in that. If you could have any boat in the world, what would it be? And why? What kind of question is that! It is like asking someone to pick a favorite child. And, how could I possibly pick just one. I believe all sailboats have some merit, if not in their performance, then certainly in their history. Someone had to conceive and then construct every sailboat. To build a boat is not a trivial endeavor. If pressed I think I would not be alone in choosing a boat that was the most popular One Design fleet in the area where I lived. Beyond that it is fun to race fast boats on big open water, and slow boats in confined harbors. It is nice to do a little of both. READ MORE

BAM GEARS UP FOR CARIBBEAN 600 North Sails Ireland are delighted to play a part in the success of BAM with Conor Fogerty Conor had the following to say to us at the Volvo Sailing awards night: "North Sails have been a key part of the BAM story since her first launch in 2015. The new J2 and J5 played a key part in the OSTAR 2017 and I am looking forward to racing with the new 3Di mainsail for the RORC Caribbean 600 race in 2018" North Sails Ireland supplied the first inventory for Conor back in 2015 with which he won his class in the 2016 RORC Caribbean 600 race. These sails were a mix of 3DL and 3Di plus the Nylon downwind sails. In early 2017, for his epic OSTAR-winning attempt, NS Ireland supplied a new 3Di Code 2/3 reefing jib and a No. 5 "Radian" jib for exceptionally heavy upwind work. These sails did the business for Conor and BAM as she took first place in the Gypsy Moth Class in the OSTAR. We have also just supplied a new 3Di offshore main for his 2018 RORC Caribbean 600 Race which starts very soon! Good Luck with that one Conor, we will all be watching with interest. Click here to follow the Caribbean 600 READ MORE

NORTH U TERMINE 2018 Bevorstehende Termine TERMINE 13.-15. April 2018 North U 2018 / 1 - Neusiedlersee - auf Lago 26 Freitag, 13. April um 18:00 Begrüßung und Überblick zur North Sails University mit Einführungsvortrag über Segeltrimm vom Trainerteam Aufnahme individueller Schwerpunkte der einzelnen Teilnehmer Samstag, 14. April 2018 und Sonntag, 15. April 2018 Theorie Einheit(en) und Beobachtung am Wasser mit direktem Feedback (Einsatz von Funkhelmen) Debrief mit Foto- und Videoanalyse im Anschluss an die Wasserarbeit Teilnahmebeitrag € 595,00 (Trimmvortrag, Bootsmiete, Training) pro Teilnehmer Bei weniger als 10 angemeldeten Personen können wir die Veranstaltung leider nicht durchführen – wir bitten um Verständnis. 25.-27. Mai 2018 North U 2018 / 2 - Attersee – YST LM OÖ – auf eigenen Booten Freitag, 25. Mai um 18:00 Begrüßung und Überblick zur North Sails University mit Einführungsvortrag über Segeltrimm vom Trainerteam Aufnahme individueller Schwerpunkte der einzelnen Teilnehmer Samstag, 26. Mai 2018 und Sonntag, 27. mail 2018 Beobachtung am Wasser bei den Wettfahrten mit der Möglichkeit des direktem Feedback nach dem Zieldurchgang Debrief mit Foto- und Videoanalyse im Anschluss an die Wettfahrten Teilnahmebeitrag € 195,00 Skipper und Boot € 50,00 für jedes weitere Crewmitglied – maximal € 150,00 (inklusive Trimmvortrag, Analyse der Wettfahrten, individuelle Betreuung und Dokumentation) Bei weniger als 10 angemeldeten Personen können wir die Veranstaltung leider nicht durchführen – wir bitten um Verständnis. Inhalte Jeder Regattasegler möchte gerne das Potential von Schiff und seiner Mannschaft ausschöpfen und erfolgreich segeln, sich weiterentwickeln und im besten Fall gewinnen. Regattasegeln ist ein komplexes Unterfangen: Trimm, Taktik, Boat Speed, Steuern, Regeln, Bootshandling, Crewarbeit... aber bekanntlich ist eine gute Bootsgeschwindigkeit ein wesentlicher Schlüssel zum Erfolg. Nicht immer sind dafür neue Segel notwendig, meistens gehören sie nur richtig eingestellt! Daher bieten wir ihnen die Möglichkeit mit Wissen und Praxis ihr Schiff und ihre Segel optimal einzustellen und das Erlernte sofort umzusetzen. Der Schwerpunkt der North Sails University liegt auf dem Segeltrimm. Fragen, Wünsche und „Problemzonen“ jedes einzelnen Teilnehmers werden vorab besprochen und der Fokus bei den Segelaufnahmen danach ausgerichtet. Das neue und aufgefrischte Wissen über seine eigenen Segel und den eigenen Trimm ist sicher für die gesamte Segelsaison äußerst nützlich! Ablauf Ein strukturiertes, auf die individuellen Bedürfnisse und Wünsche der Teilnehmer abgestimmtes Programm – wobei wir Sie eine Runde um den Regattakurs begleiten - hält die Balance zwischen theoretischem Input, eigener Umsetzung und direktem Feedback am Wasser. Das am Freitag im Vortrag erlernte Trimmwissen wird bei den Wassereinheiten Samstag und Sonntag in der Praxis angewandt. Die professionelle Dokumentation der schnellen Boote mit Hilfe von Fotos und Videos - sowie die Herausarbeitung der Unterschiede zu den weniger schnellen - erfolgt an beiden Tagen nach der Wasserarbeit im Rahmen eines Debriefing. Bei weniger als 10 angemeldeten Personen können wir die Veranstaltung leider nicht durchführen – wir bitten um Verständnis. North U Die North Sails U. wurde 1980 in den USA gegründet mit den klaren Zielen: Segler zu Regattaseglern und Regattasegler zu Siegern zu entwickeln. Sind sie in Österreich mit dem gleichen Zielen dabei und kontaktieren sie unser Trainerteam. Ihr Trainerteam Für Fragen zu Ablauf, Inhalt und Schwerpunkten stehen wir gerne auch persönlich im Vorfeld zu ihrer Verfügung. READ MORE

North Sails auf der Boot Tulln 1. 3. - 4. 3. 2018 in Halle 4/419 READ MORE

North Sails auf der Boot Tulln 1. 3. - 4. 3. 2018 in Halle 4/419 Download deinen Ermäßigungsbon und besuche unsere täglichen North Events ab 16.00 Uhr in Halle 4/419 READ MORE

NORTH SAILS’ ZEKE HOROWITZ CLAIMS OVERALL VIPER 640 WINTER SERIES WIN Good starts and pure speed were keys to success in Sarasota The final stop of the Sarasota Viper Winter Series finally delivered some beautiful conditions and 29 teams were able to complete eight races over the course of the weekend in 10-20 knots. Physical stamina and technique were at a paramount as the big breeze punished any mistakes made by the teams. Without big wind shifts, starting and speed were key. North Sails clients finished strong, showing great consistency that allowed them to have spectacular overall finishes in the series. We asked Winter Series champion, Zeke Horowitz, to share how he was able to sail upwind with great speed in the big breeze. Here is what helped him to the win the overall series. “Make sure you know how many turns it takes to get to 40 on the uppers on your PT1 when you feel fully overpowered and set the lowers to show a hint of weather poke in the middle of the mast. Make sure to get at least 3.25″ of mast blocks in front of the mast. The name of the game is keeping the head stay as tight as possible and keeping a steady angle of heel. Playing the jib sheet along with the main sheet (using heavy vang) helps with both of those key elements. Keys for downwind sailing are conservative boat handling (sets, douces, and jibe) and active crew weight. Having the crew weight move out and back when you get the ‘knock down’ puffs helps keep the rudder in the water and the bow down. Don’t underestimate the power of good puff calls from the crew! If the team knows the puff is coming, they’ll be ready to react quickly.” Learn more about the fastest Viper 640 sails. Contact our experts today for any additional questions you may have. 2017-18 Sarasota Viper Winter Series Overall 1 Zeke Horowitz 3 Jay Rhame / Peter Beardsley 5* Paul, Ken, and Karl Kleinschrodt 6 Jonathan Nye 7 Robert Harrison 8 Mike Dowd / Will Stocke 9 Geoff and Mary Ewenson * Denotes Partial North Sails Inventory Jake Doyle, Zeke Horowitz and Brendan Healy, overall winners of the 2017-18 Viper 640 Winter Series. Missing Ian Coleman who also sailed with Zeke in the first two events. READ MORE

AWAY TO THE RACES Kicking off the 2018 year with the Toronto International Boat Show This year marked the 60 th Anniversary of the Toronto Boat Show – quite the milestone for organizers. Each year has its own specialities and focus. For 2018 and our Toronto loft, the focus was on 3Di Nordac which many customers were eagerly interested in knowing more. The NEW product for 2018 has garnered widespread interest and support, specifically among cruisers. Torontonians were no exception. Our local North Sails experts Geoff Moore, Louisa Sonosky, Miro Balcar, Mike Wolfs and Hugh Baeton were on site throughout the show to answer any questions regarding 3Di Nordac and all North Sails products. Additionally, Hugh Beaton and Mike Wolfs were on-hand to share their North Sails stories. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VVd9kf797w&index=4&list=PL3EYJa84RjjlT3EZMHCmft8wvCRMit65D A busy show it was throughout the 10 days with familiar faces and new; thank you to everyone who stopped by! If you have questions regarding a quote you received at the show, products or materials please reach out to any of our local North Sails experts. Hear our team talk about their expertise in sailmaking and service. See you on the race course! https://youtu.be/7VVd9kf797w READ MORE

CHEERS, Die Limited Edition North Sails Bier zur Happy Hour auf der Boot Tulln 2018 täglich ab 17.00 Uhr bei North Sails Austria Halle 4 / Stand 419 solange der Vorrat reicht. Plopp, so einfach gehts: Gutschein vollständig ausfüllen und bei der Happy Hour abgeben oder bis zum 01.03.2018 an office.at@northsails.com senden. Trimm mit, bei unserem kostenlosen Trimmvortrag, der North University, welcher auf der neuen Kielversion der Lago26 von Hans Spitzauer täglich um 16.00 Uhr am North Stand gehalten wird. Staunen und Angreifen, das raffinierteres "Dacron"-Fahrtensegel- mit 3Di-Technologie nur bei North Sails erhältlich. Das 3Di NORDAC ist ein revolutionäres Produkt, welches das Dacron Fahrtensegel neu erfindet. 3Di NORDAC kombiniert die einzigartigen Eigenschaften von 3Di-Verbundsegeln mit altbekannter Polyesterfaser. Das Resultat ist ein innovatives Fahrtensegel mit einer noch geschmeidigeren und beständigeren Aerodynamik für bessere Kontrolle, mehr Komfort und höhere Performance. North Sails fertigt schon seit Jahren tausende 3Di- Segel, die Millionen von Seemeilen zurückgelegt haben. 3Di-Segel bestehen aus ultradünnen, gleichlaufenden Faser Tapes, die mit duroplastischem Harz vorimprägniert sind. Mit dem North-eigenen, computergesteuertem Tape-Legesystem werden die Segelmembranen mit einer hoch komplexen Faseranordnung versehen. Die 3Di-Segel werden dann über einer frei konfigurierbaren 3D-Form in einem Stück als Membran thermogefertigt. Im Gegensatz zum konventionellen Weben und Nähen von einzelnen Segeltuchbahnen verwendet die 3Di Technologie eine monolithische Konstruktionsweise, wie sie schon seit Jahrzehnten bei Yachten aus Glasfaser und Verbundmaterial Verwendung findet. 3Di NORDAC ist die moderne Lösung bei der Suche nach höchstem Cruising-Vergnügen und bester Performance. STARK – GESCHMEIDIG - NAHTLOS 100% Polyester für unerreichte Haltbarkeit. Weiße Oberfläche mit ausgezeichneter Reiß- und Verschleißfestigkeit 3D-geformte Verbundkonstruktion aus einem Stück Variable Faserdichte und -ausrichtung für optimales Verhältnis von Material und Belastung Integrierte Lattentaschen,Eckverstärkungen und Reffpunkte Hervorragende UVBeständigkeit Einsatzgebiete Speziell für kleine bis mittelgroße Fahrtenyachten mit einer Vorliekslänge bis 16m entwickelt Wir freuen uns auf Ihren Besuch! Andrea Seidl, Hans Spitzauer, Ernst Seidl Ihr North Sails Messeteam READ MORE

CHEERS, Die Limited Edition North Sails Bier zur Happy Hour auf der Boot Tulln 2018 täglich ab 17.00 Uhr bei North Sails Austria Halle 4 / Stand 419 solange der Vorrat reicht. Plopp, so einfach gehts: Gutschein vollständig ausfüllen und bei der Happy Hour abgeben oder bis zum 01.03.2018 an office.at@northsails.com senden. Trimm mit, bei unserem kostenlosen Trimmvortrag, der North University, welcher auf der neuen Kielversion der Lago26 von Hans Spitzauer täglich um 16.00 Uhr am North Stand gehalten wird. Staunen und Angreifen, das raffinierteres "Dacron"-Fahrtensegel- mit 3Di-Technologie nur bei North Sails erhältlich. Das 3Di NORDAC ist ein revolutionäres Produkt, welches das Dacron Fahrtensegel neu erfindet. 3Di NORDAC kombiniert die einzigartigen Eigenschaften von 3Di-Verbundsegeln mit altbekannter Polyesterfaser. Das Resultat ist ein innovatives Fahrtensegel mit einer noch geschmeidigeren und beständigeren Aerodynamik für bessere Kontrolle, mehr Komfort und höhere Performance. North Sails fertigt schon seit Jahren tausende 3Di- Segel, die Millionen von Seemeilen zurückgelegt haben. 3Di-Segel bestehen aus ultradünnen, gleichlaufenden Faser Tapes, die mit duroplastischem Harz vorimprägniert sind. Mit dem North-eigenen, computergesteuertem Tape-Legesystem werden die Segelmembranen mit einer hoch komplexen Faseranordnung versehen. Die 3Di-Segel werden dann über einer frei konfigurierbaren 3D-Form in einem Stück als Membran thermogefertigt. Im Gegensatz zum konventionellen Weben und Nähen von einzelnen Segeltuchbahnen verwendet die 3Di Technologie eine monolithische Konstruktionsweise, wie sie schon seit Jahrzehnten bei Yachten aus Glasfaser und Verbundmaterial Verwendung findet. 3Di NORDAC ist die moderne Lösung bei der Suche nach höchstem Cruising-Vergnügen und bester Performance. STARK – GESCHMEIDIG - NAHTLOS 100% Polyester für unerreichte Haltbarkeit. Weiße Oberfläche mit ausgezeichneter Reiß- und Verschleißfestigkeit 3D-geformte Verbundkonstruktion aus einem Stück Variable Faserdichte und -ausrichtung für optimales Verhältnis von Material und Belastung Integrierte Lattentaschen,Eckverstärkungen und Reffpunkte Hervorragende UVBeständigkeit Einsatzgebiete Speziell für kleine bis mittelgroße Fahrtenyachten mit einer Vorliekslänge bis 16m entwickelt Wir freuen uns auf Ihren Besuch! Andrea Seidl, Hans Spitzauer, Ernst Seidl Ihr North Sails Messeteam READ MORE

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Primeira Clínica de 2018, com Hugo Rocha, contou Onze Equipas de 420 2018 arranca com a realização da nossa Primeira Clínica do ano para a Classe de 420. Durante dois dias, 11 Equipas tiveram a oportunidade de partilhar experiências com o nosso Class Expert, Hugo Rocha. Velejadores do CVBarreiro, CNCascais, CVLagos, CNSesimbra e CIMAV aderiram com grande entusiasmo a esta iniciativa. Na sequência do trabalho realizado em Cascais, continuamos a apoiar os velejadores durante a presente época. Para participarem nesta actividade as equipas anteciparam a sua chegada a Vilamoura, onde vai já amanhã começar o Torneio de Carnaval e onde será, no próximo ano, o palco do Campeonato Mundial da Classe 420. Fomos recebidos pelo CIMAV que nos disponibilizou as suas instalações, dando assim o seu contributo para o operacionalização desta Clínica e para a viabilização de mais um momento importante no percurso destes velejadores. O primeiro dia ficou marcado por uma grande variação de ventos, contexto do qual conseguimos extrair várias situações-tipo para treinar diferentes cenários e utilizá-los como temas para reflexões em grupo. O segundo dia, por falta de vento, foi mais dedicado a uma abordagem teórica que se tornou num momento muito interessante, onde velejadores e treinadores se juntaram para partilhar dúvidas, dicas e experiências com o apoio do Hugo Rocha. Agradecemos a todas as Equipas a sua participação e empenho na partilha de experiências, ao CIMAV todo o apoio local que nos disponibilizou e aos Hotéis Dom Pedro as condições que proporcionou. O nosso obrigado também à Ingrid Braga Fortunado pelas fotografias que disponibilizou. Terminámos com um balanço positivo!l Velejadores saíram da Clínica com novas aprendizagens e aproveitaram a oportunidade para aprender que são várias as opções existentes, o que podem agora colocar em prática! Se tens interesse nas Clínicas North Sails não deixes de nos contactar! READ MORE

LAS VELAS 3Di, A EXAMEN EN EL MUSEO VOLVO OCEAN RACE Luis Martínez Doreste y Nacho Braquehais protagonizaron una charla sobre las velas 3Di que equipan los barcos de la Volvo Ocean Race. El evento, celebrado en el Museo Volvo Ocean Race de Alicante, contó con una nutrida participación de público y fue retransmitido por Internet. Luis Martínez Doreste y Nacho Braquehais explicaron cómo se fabrican las velas North Sails 3Di y repasaron el inventario a bordo de los Volvo Ocean 65 que participan en la Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18. El acto llenó la sala de conferencias del Museo Volvo Ocean Race de Alicante y fue retransmitida en directo a través de Internet. El vídeo está disponible aquí. North Sails es el proveedor oficial de velas de la Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18. READ MORE

LAS VELAS 3Di, A EXAMEN EN EL MUSEO VOLVO OCEAN RACE Luis Martínez Doreste y Nacho Braquehais protagonizaron una charla sobre las velas 3Di que equipan los barcos de la Volvo Ocean Race. El evento, celebrado en el Museo Volvo Ocean Race de Alicante, contó con una nutrida participación de público y fue retransmitido por Internet. Luis Martínez Doreste y Nacho Braquehais explicaron cómo se fabrican las velas North Sails 3Di y repasaron el inventario a bordo de los Volvo Ocean 65 que participan en la Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18. El acto llenó la sala de conferencias del Museo Volvo Ocean Race de Alicante y fue retransmitida en directo a través de Internet. El vídeo está disponible aquí. North Sails es el proveedor oficial de velas de la Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18. READ MORE

The boat appeals to these different groups because it’s fun to sail—it’s a mixture of dinghy and keelboat—and it’s not technically too difficult.  READ MORE

NORTH SAILS ÖVERGÅNG FRÅN 3DL TILL 3Di ÄR NU HELT GENOMFÖRD Ökad produktionskapacitet i Minden (Nevada) och Sri Lanka med fokus på 3Di-segel till mindre båtar I januari 2018 passerade North Sails ytterligare en historisk milstolpe. Då var nämligen skiftet från membransegel till kompositsegel – eller från 3DL till 3Di – som pågått under nästan tio år helt genomfört. 3DL-seglen var banbrytande när de lanserades i början av 1990-talet. Sedan dess har de haft en dominerande ställning inom segmentet fiberförstärkta mylarsegel, och det krävdes en helt ny North-produkt för att rubba dess ställning. De första prototyperna till det som idag är 3Di testades under Americas Cup 2007 när North byggde ett antal kompositsegel helt utan film till titelförsvaren Alinghi. Sedan dess har 3Di-konceptet vidareutvecklats och används nu på alla typer av båtar, från extrema kappseglingsbåtar och superyachts till långfärdsbåtar. Dagens 3Di-segel håller formen bättre och har en överlägsen livslängd jämfört med alla typer av mylarbaserade membransegel, inklusive våra egna 3DL-segel. Intresset för 3Di har ökat stadigt sedan säljstarten 2010, och i och med lanseringen av 3Di RAW 760S och 3Di NORDAC har vi nu 3Di-produkter som är perfekt anpassade även för mindre kappseglingsbåtar och mindre cruisingbåtar. För att kunna möta den ökade efterfrågan har North Sails nu vidtagit en rad åtgärder för att öka produktionskapaciteten av 3Di-segel. I takt med utfasningen av 3DL-tekniken har North Sails genomfört omfattande anpassningar av fabrikerna i Minden, Nevada och Sri Lanka. I september 2017 stängdes den sista 3DL-linjen ner och båda fabrikerna tillverkar nu enbart 3Di-segel. Samtidigt har produktionskapaciteten höjts. Som exempel kan nämnas att den så kallade ATL-processen (Automated Tape Laying), där seglet byggs upp genom att prepreg-behandlade fibertejper läggs upp enligt ett noga specificerat mönster, nu sker 24 timmar om dygnet, sju dagar i veckan, på sju produktionslinjer i Minden och fem i Sri Lanka. Konverteringen av prepreg-strukturen sker med bakning under värme och tryck på totalt tio justerbara 3D-formar. © Ben Zucker Dan Neri, North Sails CEO, förklarar bakgrunden till företagets ändrade produktionsstrategi: "Utbyggnaden av fabriken i Sri Lanka är ett svar på de lyckade lanseringarna av 3Di RAW 760S och 3Di Nordac, som är speciellt utvecklade för att passa mindre kappseglingsbåtar respektive mindre cruisingbåtar. I och med detta har vi nu ett 3Di-sortiment som uppfyller alla de krav som kräsna seglare ställer, oavsett om det handlar om en 18 fots skiff eller en 100-fots superyacht. 3Di-teknologin ligger bakom ett oräkneligt antal regattavinster och världsrekord, och vi ser fram emot att få höra om de äventyr som möjliggörs nu när 3Di Nordac snabbt vinner mark bland cruisingseglare." “3Di-seglen från North har varit fantastiska. Storseglet har gått 35.000 sjömil, men om man bara målar om det är jag säker på att de flesta som ser det skulle tro att det är helt nytt. Samma sak med förseglen. Du kan se att de är använda men de är fortfarande i bra skick. Och då har de gjort fler sjömil än de flesta seglare gör under en hel livstid. Så jag vet vad jag skulle köpa till min båt.” -Bouwe Bekking, skipper på Team Brunel, Volvo Ocean Race Tillverkningen sker på exakt samma sätt i både Minden och Sri Lanka, men anläggningen i Sri Lanka fokuserar på segel till båtar upp till 50 fot, medan Minden är specialiserade på segel till superyachts och kappsegling på Grand Prix-nivå. Fabriken i Sri Lanka, som är helägd av North Sails, är en supermodern produktionsanläggning med nästan 1200 medarbetare i åtta separata byggnader. Anläggningen i Minden är förutom en produktionsanläggning även North Sails huvudcenter för forskning och utveckling av material, konstruktionsteknik och tillverkningsprocesser. North Sails har ett globalt team bestående av 72 personer som bara jobbar med design och konstruktion. Satsningen på forskning och utveckling är garanten för att North Sails ska kunna erbjuda de bästa produkterna även i framtiden. Om det bästa ännu inte existerar, så skapar vi det. © Amory Ross READ MORE

JORGE MARTÍNEZ DORESTE SE INCORPORA A LA RED COMERCIAL DE NORTH SAILS North Sails refuerza su red comercial en España con la incorporación de Jorge Martínez Doreste como responsable de la costa del Cantábrico, donde se concentra alrededor del 15% de la flota española de veleros. North Sails cerró 2017 con 650 velas vendidas en España y arranca 2018 con intención de incrementar su presencia entre la flota española y consolidar su posición de líder indiscutible en el sector. Con ese objetivo, la velería refuerza su red comercial incorporando a Jorge Martínez Doreste, entrenador de la tripulación masculina de 470 en los Juegos Olímpicos de Río 2016 y reputado regatista de vela ligera y de crucero, que se hará cargo del mercado de la cornisa cantábrica. “Queremos potenciar la presencia de North Sails en la zona del Cantábrico, que supone alrededor del 15% de la flota española, por lo que es muy importante para nosotros”, indica Luis Martínez Doreste, director comercial de North Sails España. “Jorge cumple dos objetivos principales: aporta juventud –algo muy importante para asegurarnos el futuro para la empresa–, y cuenta con una formación muy polivalente que incluye el título de ingeniero naval, experiencia en vela ligera y de crucero, y hasta en diseño de barcos”. Jorge afronta este nuevo reto con ilusión y el convencimiento de que puede contribuir a incrementar la presencia de North Sails en el Cantábrico. “Me atrae porque es un trabajo directamente relacionado con el mundo de la vela, en todo momento estás en contacto con el mar y aconsejas al cliente a elegir la vela más adecuada a su tipo de barco. North Sails es una referencia mundial, no sólo por la calidad de sus productos, sino también por el soporte postventa que ofrece al cliente, y los vendedores son mucho más que eso: son todos regatistas de renombre y transmiten confianza porque asesoran desde la experiencia. Entrenando a Jordi Xammar y Joan Herp desarrollé mi ojo en el tema de las velas, seleccionando la vela óptima para los Juegos, y creo que puedo aplicar ese conocimiento a escalas más grandes”. Jorge Martínez Doreste será el responsable comercial de la velería en Asturias, Cantabria y País Vasco, y colaborará con la zona de Cataluña. Su incorporación completa la red comercial de North Sails en España, que desde ahora cuenta con 32 expertos. READ MORE

JORGE MARTÍNEZ DORESTE SE INCORPORA A LA RED COMERCIAL DE NORTH SAILS North Sails refuerza su red comercial en España con la incorporación de Jorge Martínez Doreste como responsable de la costa del Cantábrico, donde se concentra alrededor del 15% de la flota española de veleros. North Sails cerró 2017 con 650 velas vendidas en España y arranca 2018 con intención de incrementar su presencia entre la flota española y consolidar su posición de líder indiscutible en el sector. Con ese objetivo, la velería refuerza su red comercial incorporando a Jorge Martínez Doreste, entrenador de la tripulación masculina de 470 en los Juegos Olímpicos de Río 2016 y reputado regatista de vela ligera y de crucero, que se hará cargo del mercado de la cornisa cantábrica. “Queremos potenciar la presencia de North Sails en la zona del Cantábrico, que supone alrededor del 15% de la flota española, por lo que es muy importante para nosotros”, indica Luis Martínez Doreste, director comercial de North Sails España. “Jorge cumple dos objetivos principales: aporta juventud –algo muy importante para asegurarnos el futuro para la empresa–, y cuenta con una formación muy polivalente que incluye el título de ingeniero naval, experiencia en vela ligera y de crucero, y hasta en diseño de barcos”. Jorge afronta este nuevo reto con ilusión y el convencimiento de que puede contribuir a incrementar la presencia de North Sails en el Cantábrico. “Me atrae porque es un trabajo directamente relacionado con el mundo de la vela, en todo momento estás en contacto con el mar y aconsejas al cliente a elegir la vela más adecuada a su tipo de barco. North Sails es una referencia mundial, no sólo por la calidad de sus productos, sino también por el soporte postventa que ofrece al cliente, y los vendedores son mucho más que eso: son todos regatistas de renombre y transmiten confianza porque asesoran desde la experiencia. Entrenando a Jordi Xammar y Joan Herp desarrollé mi ojo en el tema de las velas, seleccionando la vela óptima para los Juegos, y creo que puedo aplicar ese conocimiento a escalas más grandes”. Jorge Martínez Doreste será el responsable comercial de la velería en Asturias, Cantabria y País Vasco, y colaborará con la zona de Cataluña. Su incorporación completa la red comercial de North Sails en España, que desde ahora cuenta con 32 expertos. READ MORE

2018 FLORIDA STATES DOMINATED BY NORTH CLIENTS North Sails Powers Nine out of the Top Ten Finishers The 2018 Etchells Florida State Championship was like an instant replay of prior Biscayne Bay Series events: big breeze, rain, and some serious wind chill. Although conditions were in the upper range, the upwind and downwind legs were exciting, but not as exciting as the mark roundings. Unfortunately for some, escaping without incident was nearly impossible. This stressed the importance of being in the front of the fleet. We caught up with our Etchells expert, Skip Dieball, who raced onboard War Canoe. Here are some tips from his weekend experience: “From my perspective with boat set up, I learned that you could get away with setting up the boat asymmetric based on the wave patterns. The main needed more twist to provide a nicer groove for the driver while going into the waves. Conversely, when sailing across the waves, you could get away with slightly harder main trim to give you more height without fear of slamming waves”. Sunday was glamour sailing. 80 degrees, sunny and a more civilized 7-10 knots of breeze. Getting off the line was particularly difficult as the fleet bunched up towards the pin end. The current was pushing teams over the line, which forced the RC to start with the U-flag, which soon became the black flag in order to get races completed.. “Our team went for “low density” and this allowed us to remain consistent throughout an otherwise inconsistent day”. Congratulations to Lawrie Smith and team Alfie and all teams powered by North Sails products. Contact our experts today. 2018 Florida State Championship 1 Alfie / Lawrie Smith 2 Scimitar / Steve Benjamin 3 Lifted / Jim Cunningham 4 America Jane II / Scott Kaufman 6 Gumption 3 / Kevin Grainger 7 KGB / Senet Bischoff * 8 War Canoe / Michael Goldfarb 9 Tiburon / Dirk Kneulman 10 Swedish Blue / Ante Razmilovic * Denotes Partial North Sails Inventory READ MORE

SKIFTET FRA 3DL TIL 3Di ER FULDENDT Øget produktionskapacitet i Minden (Nevada, USA) og på Sri Lanka fokuserer på 3Di-sejl til mindre både Starten på 2018 markerer et definitivt skift fra 3DL til 3Di. De seneste 10 år har vi brugt på at transformere vores 3D-produktion fra laminerede 3DL-sejl til 3Di-kompositsejl. Da North Sails lancerede de banebrydende 3DL-sejl, flyttede vi laminat sejl op på et helt nyt plan! 3DL-sejl dominerede performance racing fra start og frem til America’s Cup i 2007. Herfra begyndte skiftet til 3Di og de mylar-laminerede sejl er stille og roligt blevet udfaset til fordel for det helstøbte komposit, bygget op af pre-imprægnerede filamenttape, hvorved vi fik afviklet problemet med delaminerende sejl samtidig med, at vi har øget den unikke styrke i de formstøbte sejl, der forbliver grundstenen i vores sejlproduktion. Ved den 33. America’s Cup i 2010 var 3Di så langt fremme i udviklingen, at Alinghi blev det første hold, der skulle forsvare Cup’en med et fuldt stel 3Di-sejl. Sidenhen har vi udviklet og udvidet konceptet til at dække alle former for sejlads, alle niveauer og de fleste bådtyper. Formstabilitet og levetid er usammenlignelig med laminerede sejl. Et faktum, som hele sejlverden har opdaget og nu, hvor vi har lanceret 3Di NORDAC til cruising - og 3Di RAW til kapsejlads, har vi måtte øge produktionskapaciteten væsentligt. North Sails har systematisk omdannet produktionsanlæggene i Minden, Nevada og Sri Lanka fra 3DL og panelsejl til ren 3Di. Det sidste 3DL-sejl blev støbt i september 2017 og vi har ikke set tilbage siden. Både Minden og Sri Lanka kører med dobbeltskift, så de syv tapefremstillingsmaskiner (ATL) i Minden og de 5 i Sri Lanka kan køre i døgndrift. ATL- og imprægneringsudstyret leverer grundelementerne til 10 justérbare 3D-forme. Sri Lanka står for fremstillingen af sejl til både på op til 50 fod, mens Minden tager sig sejlene til Superyacht, Volvo Ocean Race og større kapsejladsbåde. © Ben Zucker "Udvidelsen af Sri Lanka-produktionen sker i kølvandet på den succesfulde modtagelse, som både 3Di RAW og 3Di NORDAC har fået. Vi kan nu leverer 3Di-sejl til alt fra 18’ Skiff i Australien til 100’ Ultime i Frankrig. Vi kan med stolthed siger, at North Sails’ 3Di-sejl har været medvirkende faktor til, at rigtig mange kan stille sig øverst på podiet til VM, EM og grand prix-sejladser verden over. Med 3Di NORDAC håber vi, at flere tursejlere kan få lige så stor glæde af teknologien, som kapsejlerne har." “35.000 sømil indtil videre og 3Di-sejlene fra North har været uovertrufne. Giv storsejlet en gang maling, og jeg sikker på, at alle ville tro, at det er et helt nyt sejl. Det gælder også for forsejlene. Man kan se, at de er blevet brugt, men formen holder. Det ville tage de fleste sejlere et helt liv at tilbagelægge så mange mil, så jeg ved godt, hvad jeg ville købe til min båd.” -Bouwe Bekking, skipper på Team Brunel, Volvo Ocean Race 3D fabrikken i Minden er hovedsæde for udvikling, research, teknologi og produktion af de 3Di sejl, som North Sails har patent på. Sri Lanka er en state of the art-produktion med små 1.200 ansatte, der supplerer Minden, så vi kan møde den høje efterspørgsel og leverer sejl til hver en havn i hele verden. Vores 72 ingeniører og designere sørger for, at udviklingen fortsætter og at sejlene passer præcis til din båd og dine ønsker, mens vores research- & udviklingsteam sikrer sig, at vi til en hver tid har den mest effektive proces og at materialerne er de ypperste. Hvis det bedste ikke allerede eksisterer, så opfinder vi det selv. © Amory Ross READ MORE

MATTEO SANGIORGI ENTRA NEL NETWORK NORTH SAILS North Sails annuncia che Matteo Sangiorgi si è unito al gruppo degli Specialist in qualità di One Design Expert della classe Optimist Matteo porta con sé anni di esperienza, che vanno dal coaching nell’Optimist, allo sviluppo vele di Optimist, 420 e 470. Lavorerà a stretto contatto con il team One Design globale, con un focus finalizzato ad aumentare la quota di mercato di North Sails nella classe più diffusa al mondo per quanto riguarda la vela giovanile, l'Optimist appunto. “Ho deciso di cogliere l’opportunità di North Sails perché adoro l’idea di far parte di un’azienda che è in grado di fornire le vele a tutti, dai giovanissimi dell’Optimist ai veterani dell’America’s Cup - spiega un visibilmente soddisfatto Sangiorgi - Mi piace anche l’idea di essere coinvolto in un network così grande, dove ricerca e sviluppo sono un punto focale dell’attività di ognuno" Tim Healy, Presidente della sezione One Design di North Sails, ha aggiunto: “Accogliere Matteo in North Sails è un piacere. Porta con sé un grande bagaglio di esperienza e la sua passione e dedizione per la vela sono chiare ed evidenti. La combinazione di queste caratteristiche con le sue conoscenze tecniche ed abilità in barca lo rendono sin d'ora un elemento chiave del nostro team One Design” North Sails vanta alle spalle ormai oltre 60 anni di esperienza nel design e produzione di vele. Il team di esperti One Design utilizza tutti gli strumenti più moderni a disposizione per offrire le vele più avanzate tecnologicamente a tutti i velisti, dai regatanti locali agli atleti olimpionici. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS WELCOMES MATTEO SANGIORGI North Sails expands the global One Design team welcoming Matteo Sangiorgi Gosport, UK, January 31st 2018: North Sails have announced today that Matteo Sangiorgi has joined North Sails as a One Design Expert for the Optimist Class. “I decided to join North Sails because I love the idea of being part of a company that is able to supply sails for everyone from Optimist sailors to America’s Cup sailors. I also like the idea of being involved in such a big network, where research and development a key focus for everyone.” Matteo brings years of experience with him, from coaching Optimist sailors to sail development in the Optimist, 420 and 470 classes. He will work alongside the global One Design team with a focus on the Optimist class to increase our market share in the most popular and largest global junior racing boat. Tim Healy, President of One Design at North Sails added, “We are delighted to welcome Matteo to North Sails. He brings a wealth of experience and his passion and dedication for the sport is clear. Combine this with his valuable knowledge and sailing skills makes him a great asset to our one design team.” North Sails is backed by over 60 years of experience in One Design sail making and design. North’s team of One Design experts utilize design and product innovation available to supply the most advanced sails to One Design fleets, which includes everything from club racers to Olympians. Full Interview with Matteo READ MORE

NORTH SAILS COMPLETES SHIFT FROM 3DL to 3Di PRODUCT LINES Increased manufacturing capacity in Minden (Nevada, USA) and Sri Lanka focuses on 3Di sails output for small boats The beginning of 2018 marks a milestone for North Sails as the company completes a 10-year transformation from 3DL string laminates to 3Di molded composite sail structures. North Sails was at the forefront of the mylar and yarn laminated construction wave with its groundbreaking 3DL sails. 3DL sails dominated performance sailmaking from the early 1990’s until the 2007 America’s Cup. With the shift to 3Di, the company ceased production of laminated sails reliant on mylar and is fully committed to the spread filament, prepreg, 3D composite structures. Three dimensional, full-scale shape molding remains a cornerstone of the North Sails approach. 3Di structures were first trialled by the defender syndicate, Alinghi in preparation for their defense in the 33rd America’s Cup. Since those early days, the 3Di concept has been developed and expanded for use across all types of sailing, from grand prix to one design and Superyachts to cruising. Today’s 3Di sails deliver greater shape-holding properties and vastly improved durability compared to any mylar and string, laminated sail construction. As the 3Di product line has gained acceptance, and in particular with the introduction of 3Di NORDAC for smaller cruising boats and 3Di RAW 760S for smaller race boats, North Sails has taken steps to increase production capacity.North Sails has systematically converted their manufacturing facilities in Minden, Nevada, and Sri Lanka as the product line has shifted from 3DL and paneled to 3Di. As of September 2017, the last 3DL production line was shut down and both factories are running exclusively 3Di product lines. Today North Sails has identical prepreg converting lines in both the Minden and Sri Lanka factories running 14 shifts per week, with seven Automated Tape Laying (ATL) lines running 24/7 in Minden and five lines running 24/7 in Sri Lanka. The prepreg converting and ATL lines feed a combined eight gantries and 10 full scale, adjustable 3D molds. North’s facility in Sri Lanka focuses on building 3Di sails for boats up to 50’, while Minden specializes in Grand Prix and Superyacht sails. © Ben Zucker Commenting on the evolution of the production strategy, North Sails CEO Dan Neri stated, “The expansion of the Sri Lanka factory is in response to the successful launch of 3Di RAW 760S sails for smaller race boats and 3Di NORDAC for smaller cruising boats. 3Di sails continue to meet the requirements of sailors in all classes from the 18' Skiffs in Australia to the 100' Ultime fleet in France. The technology is behind an unprecedented number of race victories and world records and we hope many more cruising adventures as 3Di NORDAC becomes more established within the cruising community.” “The 3Di sails from North have been excellent. 35,000 NM usage. Give it a new paint job, and I bet if you would ask anyone, they would say this is a brand new main. It’s the same for the other sails. You can see they’ve been used but they are still in good shape. This mileage would be a lifetime for the average cruiser. I know what I would buy.” -Bouwe Bekking, Team Brunel 3D Minden is the flagship center for materials research, engineering and manufacturing of 3-Dimensional products which are unique to North Sails. Sri Lanka Manufacturing is a wholly owned, state-of-the-art, facility employing close to 1,200 people across eight buildings. The products from Minden and Sri Lanka are sent to every port in the world. North Sails proudly employs a 72-person strong global design and engineering team. The R&D team ensures North Sails uses the best processes and the best in raw materials. If the best does not exist, we create it. © Amory Ross READ MORE

NORTH SAILS COMPLETES SHIFT FROM 3DL to 3Di PRODUCT LINES Increased manufacturing capacity in Minden (Nevada, USA) and Sri Lanka focuses on 3Di sails output for small boats The beginning of 2018 marks a milestone for North Sails as the company completes a 10-year transformation from 3DL string laminates to 3Di molded composite sail structures. North Sails was at the forefront of the mylar and yarn laminated construction wave with its groundbreaking 3DL sails. 3DL sails dominated performance sailmaking from the early 1990’s until the 2007 America’s Cup. With the shift to 3Di, the company ceased production of laminated sails reliant on mylar and is fully committed to the spread filament, prepreg, 3D composite structures. Three dimensional, full-scale shape molding remains a cornerstone of the North Sails approach. 3Di structures were first trialled by the defender syndicate, Alinghi in preparation for their defense in the 33rd America’s Cup. Since those early days, the 3Di concept has been developed and expanded for use across all types of sailing, from grand prix to one design and Superyachts to cruising. Today’s 3Di sails deliver greater shape-holding properties and vastly improved durability compared to any mylar and string, laminated sail construction. As the 3Di product line has gained acceptance, and in particular with the introduction of 3Di NORDAC for smaller cruising boats and 3Di RAW 760S for smaller race boats, North Sails has taken steps to increase production capacity.North Sails has systematically converted their manufacturing facilities in Minden, Nevada, and Sri Lanka as the product line has shifted from 3DL and paneled to 3Di. As of September 2017, the last 3DL production line was shut down and both factories are running exclusively 3Di product lines. Today North Sails has identical prepreg converting lines in both the Minden and Sri Lanka factories running 14 shifts per week, with seven Automated Tape Laying (ATL) lines running 24/7 in Minden and five lines running 24/7 in Sri Lanka. The prepreg converting and ATL lines feed a combined eight gantries and 10 full scale, adjustable 3D molds. North’s facility in Sri Lanka focuses on building 3Di sails for boats up to 50’, while Minden specializes in Grand Prix and Superyacht sails. © Ben Zucker Commenting on the evolution of the production strategy, North Sails CEO Dan Neri stated, “The expansion of the Sri Lanka factory is in response to the successful launch of 3Di RAW 760S sails for smaller race boats and 3Di NORDAC for smaller cruising boats. 3Di sails continue to meet the requirements of sailors in all classes from the 18′ Skiffs in Australia to the 100′ Ultime fleet in France. The technology is behind an unprecedented number of race victories and world records and we hope many more cruising adventures as 3Di NORDAC becomes more established within the cruising community.” “The 3Di sails from North have been excellent. 35,000 NM usage. Give it a new paint job, and I bet if you would ask anyone, they would say this is a brand new main. It’s the same for the other sails. You can see they’ve been used but they are still in good shape. This mileage would be a lifetime for the average cruiser. I know what I would buy.” -Bouwe Bekking, Team Brunel 3D Minden is the flagship center for materials research, engineering and manufacturing of 3-Dimensional products which are unique to North Sails. Sri Lanka Manufacturing is a wholly owned, state-of-the-art, facility employing close to 1,200 people across eight buildings. The products from Minden and Sri Lanka are sent to every port in the world. North Sails proudly employs a 72-person strong global design and engineering team. The R&D team ensures North Sails uses the best processes and the best in raw materials. If the best does not exist, we create it. © Amory Ross READ MORE

SPEED READING: HOW TO MAINTAIN FOCUS WHILE OFFSHORE Surviving Times of Isolation 📸Konrad Frost Day after day, mile after mile, distance racing reminds us of that never-ending feeling of being stuck in one place for extended periods of time. Hear more from Casey Smith(CS) how to cope with those long periods of isolation where you can only do so much. Casey is a two-time Volvo Ocean Race veteran and was a key member onboard during all of Comanche’s record runs and race wins. Casey knows a lot about being stuck out at sea, but still finds humor in the little things and gets his job done, which is most important. Here are Casey’s tips for maintaining focus while isolated at sea for days on end: What’s the longest race you’ve done? CS: For sure it’s the Volvo Ocean Race. Four hours-on, four hours-off, the whole way around the world. Waking up and coming on deck “Oh, hi. Fancy seeing all you guys here! And look, that other boat we are racing against is still right there, and it has been for the last week!” Do you have a sequence of things you think about that help you stay focused? CS: Sleep. Eat. Four hours on watch. Repeat (10, 20, 30+ days…). Do the days blend together or do you lose track of time? CS: For sure you lose track of the days of the week you never lose track of time because the whole boat revolves around time. The four hour watch rotation or the weather schedules and boat position schedules are all very closely followed and everyone wants as much time to rest as possible and also know how you are doing on the fleet. 📸Yann Riou What are some things you think about while you are sailing for extended periods of time? CS: You just need to concentrate on the competition aspect of the race; that’s why you are out there in the first place. Compete and try to win. It’s really important to put everything into sailing the boat 100%. How do you maintain your focus if the weather gets rough and you are on the same tack/jibe for hours on end? CS: Focus comes from wanting to win. Chances are if it’s windy and downwind are probably going fast. You want to make sure you are the fastest boat and keep the pedal down. If you’re sailing upwind, and conditions are windy and rough, that’s a bit tougher because it’s hard to sleep during the off-watch and your energy is a bit lower. Being on the same tack or jibe for long periods is great as it means you get a break from moving sails and equipment so everything has a silver lining! What advice can you give to someone who is sailing offshore for their first time in relation to staying focused and not feeling overwhelmed? CS: It’s all about making the boat go fast. Basically nothing else matters. You have a job to do, it might be helming, trimming, grinding, sail changing and everyone contributes to miles gained or lost. Do your job at 100% and keep the boat moving fast. Also, stay calm and level. There will be times when another boat (or boats) is doing better than you but stay calm and keep sailing your boat 100% as that’s all you can control. 📸James Blake When you are down below, if you are not sleeping, what do you do to still stay alert and ready for when it’s time for your shift to start? CS: Eat. Make coffee for the team. Tidy up the living space up. Dry water out of the bilge. Check the steering and other systems. Watch movies. What are your favorite foods to help stay awake and focused if you are the crew on shift? CS: We are usually limited on what foods we can have on board, so your mind does wander to what food you love and would love to be eating. The reality is you have never seen faces light up as much as when a fresh bag of jerky comes on deck. Coffee and warm drinks are huge as well, but chewing gum is needed after the jerky and coffee. Brushing your teeth is something that slips a little offshore. Is there anything you have vowed to do when you’ve been on a long leg? (Did you do it?) CS: Remember to load some more movies, music or books on the iPod. You can only watch the music video of Umbrella by Rihanna so many times. Staring at the horizon for so many hours on end, have you hallucinated offshore? CS: No hallucinations on deck but I’ve had some crazy dreams during the off watch. Also waking up and forgetting where you are and then slowly coming too. Then the realization of “crap, I’m on the boat and only one week into a six week leg from China to Rio.” READ MORE

WORLD CHAMPION SAILOR ALLAN TERHUNE, JR. RETURNS TO NORTH SAILS Terhune to focus on customers in Annapolis and Chicago (Annapolis, MD) February 1st 2018: Allan Terhune, Jr., who first joined North Sails in 2007, returns to the North sales team to provide world class expertise to customers. North’s head of One Design Vince Brun first recognized Terhune’s raw talent and originally recruited the young racer, who has notched up eleven North American Championships (in the Lightning, Flying Scot and Thistle Classes) and was crowned the 2013 J/22 World Champion. After six years with North honing his skills in the loft and on the water, Terhune subsequently joined Quantum in 2014, but the champion sailor is now returning to join the world’s leading sailmaker in what promises to be an exciting year for the respected One Design expert. Commenting on his return to North Sails, Allan Terhune, Jr. said; “It’s a huge opportunity to work with the amazing team at North Sails and grow in the sport, and I’m really excited to work with both Jonathan Bartlett and the Annapolis team, as well as with Perry Lewis and the Chicago team. When you want to sail at the top level of the sport and raise your game, you want to have the best gear and equipment, and there’s no denying that the North Sails network and product offering is the best in the industry. I’m looking forward to being able to offer my customers more opportunity for success and help them enjoy their time on the water with North Sails products.” Allan will join the Annapolis and Chicago teams with special focus on Offshore One Design while still helping with traditional small boat One Design, which is Allan’s speciality. He will continue working with clients in J/111, J/70 and J/88 Classes, plus expanding into J/121 and other projects. Terhune is a resident of Annapolis, MD and graduate of the US Merchant Marine Academy. In 2007, Terhune was awarded US Sailing’s One Design Leadership Award and named Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Finalist in 2008 and 2013. READ MORE

THE PERFECT ALIBI Powered by 3Di, Gary Grant takes on doublehanded sailing © Photoboat Gary Grant races his J/120 Alibi doublehanded and regularly beats fully crewed boats in major long distance races. Here’s what he had to say about his sails, his racing program, and his plans for the future with the help of his North Sails expert, Tom Castiglione. When did it all start and what have you won recently? I bought Alibi new in 2004 when I lived in London. My first boat was a 32-foot cruising boat, which didn’t allow me to race, so I got the J/120 which gives me great opportunities to compete. In the 2015 Halifax Race, we were first in our division and in class against four fully crewed J/120s. We had a 2nd in the Block Island Race and the Vineyard Race, and we also won Stamford Yacht Club’s doublehanded racing trophy for that year. Who’s your partner in crime? Stephen Fisk is my primary crew. We started sailing together in 2005. Stephen was a member of my yacht club, and I heard he had a lot of experience in distance racing and on the J/120. Both of us really enjoy sailing together, and we both enjoy sailing doublehanded. We wanted to try something different, and we enjoy it so much we haven’t given up. © Photoboat What’s it like competing against fully crewed teams? We do well in light air against the fully crewed boats, but when the moderate to heavy air conditions come up we lack weight on the rail. We use the autopilot when my help is needed up front, and as the sea-state picks up, it isn’t as effective either. So the light to medium wind range is our preference. In the 2013 Block Island Race, we beat fully crewed J/120s. In 2017 we won the doublehanded PHRF award, even though we got third in our division on corrected time. My boat is a bit different from some of the other J/120 teams, as we have a carbon mast and they have aluminum masts. When did you know you wanted to make the switch to 3Di? In 2004 I had a suit of 3DL sails, but after about 3 years they started to deteriorate. I decided I wanted to go with something bulletproof, so I reached out to my local loft and got the details from Tom on 3Di and knew that would be the right choice for my program. “After seeing the success of 3Di in the TP52 class and in the Volvo Ocean Race, I knew it was going to be the right move. I needed a set of sails that wouldn’t deteriorate on the shelf and was going to be reliable year after year. Doublehanded sailors need robust sails, as it’s hard to change sails without flogging or luffing, and we are often pushing our sails above their designated wind ranges.” What are some advantages of 3Di for doublehanded sailing? For sail changes, the sails get more wear and tear naturally since we are short on crew and it takes a little more time to make changes. They luff a bit longer than they would if we had a full crew to take them down. The J/120 is a stiff boat, and we often push the #1 pretty hard, especially in the reaching position just because it’s hard to make changes on that point of sail. The greatest advantage of having 3Di is that when you get them set up they don’t stretch. It’s a major factor for doublehanding the boat. When you are alone on deck you are always thinking “would the boat be faster if I was steering or trimming?” You may spend less time trimming being alone on deck when your crew is sleeping or eating. “The 3Di has been great for us, they are bulletproof and look just as good today as they did when I got them in 2014.” Gary commented; “Doublehanded sailing has gotten more popular in distance racing. 3Di sails are perfect for distance racing in general, and especially in doublehanded or shorthanded sailing because they are durable and they hold their shape perfectly once the sheets are set. It really makes a big difference. They can handle the flogging and uncontrollable luffing that occurs when it takes a more time to execute a maneuver, especially when we only have only two sets of hands.” If the sea state doesn’t allow you to leave the helm, how do you go about making sail changes? If we have to do a sail change, we pick a point of sail that the autopilot can handle well, and go from there. Under the mainsail alone, the autopilot does the best. With an asymmetrical the angles become critical, so you end up oversteering with the autopilot. “When we go offshore we take off the roller furler and use our 3Di hank-on sails. It is just easier for us. With the hank-on option, the sails practically flake themselves as they come down and it saves us time and manpower.” Do you have any “memorable” moments sailing shorthanded? We’ve had our fair share of wipeouts and spinnaker wraps. Fortunately, the boat is pretty well behaved so when it does go over, it happens slowly then comes right back up again, so it hasn’t been too bad. A memorable moment was the 2013 Block Island Race, when we got the overall award for our division the year Rambler broke the course record. After the awards, I went up to the PRO and asked why they didn’t give it to Rambler. He replied,“Rambler doesn’t race against anyone, and you are in one of the most competitive fleets.” In that particular race, the wind was perfect for us. We started out with the Jib-top reacher and came back in with the A3. The wind was around 18-22 knots. Around 2 AM we put the kite up to sail around Block Island, and the shackle on the sheet came off and all of a sudden we had the kite blowing all over the place. We were trying to get it down and it wrapped around the headstay. I set the autopilot and we barely got the sail down in time (5 miles later!) to put the jib up. We ended up not losing any ground at all, as it was perfect timing. When it’s windy and we both have to be on the foredeck, it can be a little crazy. We pick angles so if the boat gets caught we don’t roll into a jibe. We always set the autopilot so we would round up, as opposed to a crash jibe if she got pushed by a wave. The worst that could happen is we get a wave over us, that’s why we have our gear on and we are always clipped in. © Photoboat How did Alibi get her name? I’m a lawyer by training so it’s a good name for the boat. It’s not an excuse, which most people think when they hear the term. It means you couldn’t have done what you are being accused of because you were not there. “If I’m on my alibi, I can’t be doing anything wrong.” What is different about preparing for a doublehanded distance race vs. a normal fully-crewed distance race? It’s like tag-team sailing. When one crew is sailing the boat, the other is down below. I have a different way of setting things up on the boat from what Steve does. After criticizing each other and trying to improve each other’s trimming styles, we’ve optimized our techniques together and now we sail more consistently, which has resulted in more consistent results. Do you have a plan if something goes wrong? That’s one of the reasons I knew I had to get my 3Di sails to hank-on. In 2012 I was on deck sailing the boat alone and Steve was down below. I had the #1 up and all of a sudden the wind went from 12 knots to gusting over 30. I had to wake Steve up while driving and flogging the sails until he was up on deck. We both had to go forward and we got soaked. That’s when I decided I didn’t want to do that again. In 2014, the wind came up and we had to change from a # 1 to a #3 quickly. Steve was down below. I said, “bring the #3 when you come up!” I opened the halyard for the #1 and easily brought it down on deck, It flaked on its own. We did the sail change in just three minutes and it worked really well. The hank-on 3Di sails were exactly what we needed. What’s next? This year we have the Block Island Race, then Bermuda. We may do the Vineyard Race. Longer term we want to bring the boat down south to do some winter racing. I’ll be doing the Caribbean 600 this year on a friend’s boat, and hopefully will be able to get my boat down there for next year. The J/120 I think would be a good boat to sail in the Caribbean circuit since there are more reaching opportunities with island sailing. In given wind conditions I think we would do quite well. Out of all the events you’ve done so far, what is your favorite? All the races are fun. They are all different. My favorite race is Newport to Bermuda because there is so much excitement and anticipation in Newport, and a very competitive fleet to race in. The top sailors are out there. The Bermuda Race is like three races in one. You start in Newport and it’s cold on the boat. Then you get into the Gulf Stream, and the only thing predictable is that the sea state is very confused. It’s an incredible climate change. When you get out you are close to Bermuda; the humidity drops, the water changes colors, it’s the perfect conditions for sailing. How was your experience working with your local North Sails expert? I knew what I wanted to do, and Tom is very familiar with the J/120 so he helped me create the best options. My first set came with the idea of doing Bermuda, so my first #1 is a bit beefier, with a slightly smaller LP, as we sometimes have to carry it above the stated wind range. It’s a little slow in Long Island Sound in light air, but for Bermuda it was right. I also have a lighter #1. One of the great things about working with Tom is that we’ve done tweaks with the sails like the Code 0 to make things easy for the type of sailing I do. Tom really knows how the boat is sailed and understands that I have different configurations for each division I am competing in. “Tom has optimized my sail options for the different races I do. It’s working out very well and I’m equally competitive with other boats. It takes a lot of understanding of how to sail the boat, conditions, and handicap systems to make it all work and he gets it.” © Photoboat Interested in North Sails 3Di? Contact your local expert today! READ MORE

STARTING STRATEGIES: LOW RISK, HIGH REWARD Tricks for a Better Race Start The first two minutes of a race is arguably the most important. Those first two minutes will define where you start on the line, and how much space is around you to accelerate. This makes starting one of the hardest skills to master in sailboat racing. Good news is there are a few tricks that can make starting much easier. These tricks focus on executing a start that is low-risk and has a high-reward. A low-risk start isn’t going to mean that you are leading at every windward mark, but it will keep your options open on the first beat so you can go where you want without being forced which will give you a better chance of rounding the top mark in the front of the pack. Once you are in the front, it is easier to hang in there. In the video below, our expert Mike Marshall talks us through a ten-boat start where one boat, in particular, had the opportunity to contain the fleet and have a low-risk start with just one small decision change. Instead, because they were too early, they had to sail down the line which then forced them into a high-risk starting situation that gave them no control of the race, or their competition. READ MORE

Drie speciale zeilen ontwikkeld voor nieuwe Melges IC37 klasse Mogelijk gemaakt door de 3Di technologie en North Design Suite software Als de officiële en exclusieve zeilmaker voor de nieuwe Melges IC37 klasse stond het North Sails design team voor een uitdagende taak; een zeilinventaris ontwikkelen bestaande uit slechts drie zeilen, een grootzeil, fok en één spinaker, waarbij er tijdens regatta's slechts één wijziging mag worden aangebracht in de verstaging. Met deze vereisten moesten ze een set zeilen ontwikkelen die voor elke windrichting geschikt is. Met de 3Di technologie en North Design Suite software (één van de meest specifieke en krachtigste design tools in de zeilmakers industrie) in huis werd de uitdaging geaccepteerd. Het complete verhaal van ontwerper Mike Marshall, waarin hij het 3Di ontwikkelingsproces voor de Melges IC37 uitlegt, is (in het Engels) te lezen op onze website. READ MORE

DAY DREAMING OF SAILING? Escape with North Sails Waterlogs Landlocked? Cabin fever? Have not seen the sun in days? Many of us in the Northern Hemisphere are counting down the days until winter is over and we’re back on the water. While we can’t put you on a plane and fly to warmer water, North Sails is serving up daydream-worthy reading through our Waterlogs. Our Waterlogs are a collection of stories from our cruising customers around the world. The stories range from cruising on a multihull in the Mediterranean with 3Di NORDAC to Tom and Susie Partridge who stopped by our loft in Sri Lanka en route to Cape Town, South Africa. Whether you’re a racer or a cruiser, we all appreciate stories about casting off the dock-lines and using the wind to power our journey. We hope you enjoy reading these stories as much as we like receiving them. Just don’t let your boss catch you daydreaming! Gustave’s Adventures in the Mediterannean One couple, three young children, a catamaran, and six months sabbatical to make the most of the Mediterranean. That was the project in 2017 for Jérôme Aubert, 40, and his wife Hélène, 35. Not necessarily an obvious choice for this sailing professional as he has been working at Harken for eight years but the family wanted to leave it all behind them and take off on an adventure. Click the photo for full story. 3Di NORDAC Test Sail Everyone at North Sails was excited to launch 3Di Nordac in June 2017. We wanted to share the news far and wide and tell all our customer about the new addition to our 3Di product family. In preparing for launch, we sent Bill Fortenberry, our cruising segment leader on a test sail in the BVI’s. The perks of working for North Sails! Click the photo for full story. Adina Explores Sri Lanka Tom and Susie Partridge were early contributors to the North Waterlogs. They are from the UK but were making their way from Asia to Cape Town, South Africa. Tom emailed us one day to say they were going to be in Sri Lanka for two weeks and was possible to stop by our factory in Sri Lanka. Naturally, we welcomed him with open arms. Click the photo for full story. First Hoist With Onne van der Wal Onne van der Wal is a name you may have heard. He is a world-class photographer who spent the winter of 2016 restoring his Pearson 36. Being a photographer, Onne documented this project and shared his first hoist story with North Sails. Click the photo for full story. Still want to get away? Read all of our Waterlogs here. Do you have a story to share? We’d love to hear from you! Email us at contact@mktg.northsails.com. READ MORE

NORTH SAILS CELEBRATES JEFF TODD'S 20 YEARS OF SAILMAKING Todd Named Master Sailmaker to US Naval Academy in Annapolis It is with mixed emotions to announce that Jeff Todd will be leaving North Sails after 23 years. Jeff has been a staple to North Sails in Annapolis for nearly a quarter of a century as manager of our service department, seeing the loft through three location changes. While he will be greatly missed, North Sails wishes Jeff much luck in his new endeavor as master sailmaker at the US Naval Academy. Jeff is an accomplished sailor and sailmaker who joined North Sails in 1995. His career with North has spanned J-Boat class titles, as well as providing local support and expertise to events such as the Volvo Ocean Race and transatlantic races during stopovers in Baltimore. Jeff somehow managed to repair the PlayStation Code Zero, despite the fact that the sail was larger than the loft floor. “Jeff has always been approachable and positive, with the skill to assess a situation and provide a fair solution,” commented Pete Colby, North Sails North American Service Manager. “He is hands-on in the loft and out in the field. I always found I learned something new about sailing or sailmaking after speaking with Jeff. North Sails and the Annapolis area are lucky to have worked with and learned from Jeff over the years.” “Jeff brought an inherent wealth of knowledge to the job,” commented Jonathan Bartlett, loft manager in Annapolis. “Whether it was service work for the Whitbread, NOOD Regatta or seasonal service, Jeff always completed the work with the utmost care. Our customers always benefited from Jeff's honesty and fairness. Jeff has the same approach on the water, which is the mark of a true North Sails personality. He also sails the same way too. Our loft and customers will miss Jeff, but we’re confident they are in good hands with Ridgley MacKenzie.” Ridgely will take over as Service Manager in Annapolis. He is from a family of sailmakers with a 50+ years history in the Annapolis area. Like Jeff, Ridgely will become a familiar face to North customers both in the loft and on the water. © Ian Roman READ MORE

PALMA SUPERYACHT EXPERT JOINS NORTH SAILS Quinten Houry joins North Sails in Palma to offer customers unrivaled products, technology, service, and expertise North Sails today announced that Quinten (“Quinny”) Houry has resigned from Doyle Palma and has joined North Sails. Furthermore, Doyle Palma informed North Sails that they have given notice to Doyle Sails International LTD to terminate their license agreement. The former Doyle Palma business will become a wholly owned loft within the North Sails Group once the 90 days notice period has been completed. Quinny is part of dynamic team of experts including Fiona Bruce and Russell Thom, all of whom are amongst the leaders in their fields within the Superyacht community. The consolidation of operations, personnel, and expertise in Palma strengthens North Sails presence in the heart of the European Superyacht community. “Over the last seven years our loft and North Sails have competed on and off the water but with a common initiative of providing the best service to our customers” commented Quinny. “My thinking and approach to sailmaking are in line with the North brand, and I am proud to join a company who shares the same vision. Joining forces merges our wealth of experience and knowledge, and will strengthen our global Superyacht support and products. Beyond service, North is unique with their offering of 3Di. Their technology is innovative and intelligent, and I am looking forward to offering the industry-leading product to my clients.” “Quinny joining North Sails adds another Superyacht expert with a wealth of experience to our team,” commented Scott Zebny, Superyacht Sales Manager based in Palma. “He is passionate, customer-focused and is highly respected in the Superyacht circuit. I admire what Quinny, Fiona, and Russell have achieved as our competitors and it’s a big win for North Sails to have them join our team.” “We firmly believe that the thing that matters most in our business is the client,” said North Sails President Ken Read. “Quinny, Fiona, Russell and their entire team share our “customer first” mentality that is the bedrock of North Sails. Combine this ethos with the longevity, weight savings, strength and overall performance that our revolutionary 3Di product line gives all styles of sailing yachts, and you have an unbeatable package that our customers will love.” Backed by over 60 years of experience, North Sails is the market leader in the Superyacht world. North’s team of Superyacht experts utilize design and product innovation to find solutions to outfit the world’s largest yachts. The North Sails network includes seven wholly owned manufacturing facilities and 110+ Certified Service Centers, including 16 dedicated Superyacht service lofts. Superyachts rely on this global network of North Sails experts to actively support their adventures and, the addition of Doyle Palma will deliver an enhanced service standard for even more clients. © Stuart Pearce READ MORE

3Di NORDAC – VERDENS BESTE TURSEIL! 3Di™ er en helt unik måte å bygge seil på som har tatt Grand Prix regattamarkedet med storm. Faktum er at seilene varer lenger, tåler mer og holder fasongen bedre enn noe annet seil. Mange spør hvordan det beste regattaseil også kan være det beste turseil? Godt spørsmål! Svaret ligger I teknologien. Den går ut på at seilet støpes av filamenter og ikke tråder eller bunter av filamenter som vi har sett til nå. Videre støpes filamentene på hverandre i en homogen støp og ikke som i laminatseil hvor trådene limes mellom 2 lag. Forskjellen mellom 3Di seil til regatta og tur ligger i valg av fiber og mengde fiber. Slik at pris, soliditet og holdbarhet blir samsvarende med den enkelte kundes forventninger og krav til seilets egenskaper. Her kan du lese mer inngående om 3Di-teknologien. 3Di NORDAC Vår praktiske erfaring med 3Di Nordac er at det gir det mest solide turseil. Det tåler fuktighet, blafring, sol og salt sjø bedre enn noe annet tur-alternativ. Samtidig gir det din båt bedre seilegenskaper gjennom bedre fasongstabilitet. I praksis vil du og din familie erfare mindre krengning i rossene og bedre fart under alle forhold, altså en tryggere og mer komfortabel båt. Kurt-Arne Mosand - 3Di NORDAC Disse seilegenskapene setter deg også i stand til å vinne regattaer, som Kurt-Arne Mosand med sin Grand Soleil 40R. 3Di NORDAC - Storseil 3Di NORDAC - Rullegenoa READ MORE