Local News
Catch your local teams live with our upcoming interactive webinar schedule. North Sails Class Experts from around the world have joined forces to bring you the best tips and techniques that will help you get …
Last week we announced the launch of our new Performance range of foul weather gear that will be available in Spring 2021. Each week, until launch, we’ll unpack how our team conceived the range, the …
X-Yachts are excited to introduce their new model of cruising yacht, encompassing 56 feet of luxury and performance with an emphasis on comfort.
The X5⁶ is one of the biggest X-Yachts models ever to be produced …
Time is closing in on the 36th America’s Cup which commences in Auckland on the 6th of March 2021, and with the recent launch of Emirates Team New Zealand’s (ETNZ) second boat, competition is heating …
"We know when we are departing, but we do not know when we will return," recalls Loïck Peyron in this seventh and last episode of our Vendée Globe video series. Although an absent crowd marked …
A record of six women are included on the 33 skipper roster for the Vendée Globe 2020. This is historic, considering only seven women have participated, and six have ever completed the race since its …
Singlehanded ocean racing is demanding and not for the faint of heart. It is a profession that requires a certain state of mind and a great ability to adapt. "It may not sound like much …
Bonanni is a five-time National and North American Champion, including the 2015 E Scow Nationals, and brings extensive experience in the E Scow class as the North Sails one design representative. An active racer in …
North Sails is pleased to announce that John Baxter and Christina Donnermeyer have joined the Chicago loft team. Baxter, the former owner of Doyle Midwest, brings over three decades of sailmaking industry experience and consolidates …
North Sails Expert Tom Davis is particular about sail storage. He’s shared his best tips below to ensure your sails remain in top shape for next season.
Given how strange 2020 has been in many respects, …
It wasn’t flashy imagery or action sports videos that got Steve Calder, North Sails designer, interested in kiting. His love for the sport began when his son decided he wasn’t interested in sailing optis while …
In the Wasatch Mountain Range, the team at Park City Sailing has created a sailing haven, where people from all backgrounds, in all stages of life, have experiences and make memories on the water that …
Pros at the top of the fleet share how the North 9DSX Moth sail takes them through the range of conditions and their personal tuning tips.
Shop Moth Sails
Making a name for himself in the fiercely competitive Optimist fleet is 14-year-old British sailor Santiago Sesto-Cosby. Having sailed the Optimist for an astounding 10 years, we were eager to find out about his journey …
November 8th, the next edition of the Vendée Globe race is set to start from Les Sables d'Olonne, North Sails has designed the sails for the ¾ of the IMOCA fleet, 17 of which have …
Steering off the wind, on reaches and runs, requires a coordinated effort between helmsman and spinnaker trimmer. The spinnaker trimmer often has as good a feel for performance as you do while driving, and together …
The most important element of upwind boathandling is tacking, though every once in awhile an efficient reef or genoa change could also win you a race. Tacking seems like a minor thing, but the difference …
A: Having higher loads is the biggest issue. Because the boat does not heel and release the load, when the pressure hits it means every aspect of the sails and rigging must be up-specked for …
In 2018, Mr. Enrico Bonatti purchased Kinina, a Swan 78. Why a Swan 78? “I prefer the best quality,” he said. “And the 78 is the right size for me.” Mr. Bonatti then met with …
Doublehanded sailing has gained momentum globally, as the gateway to getting back out on the water while remaining socially distant. It is also the latest event added to Paris 2024, so now is the time …
Owner and co-skipper, Catherine Pourre and co-skipper Pietro Luciani are the winning duo onboard Class40 Eärendil. Together, the pair are the reigning Class40 World Champions, have twice won the RORC Caribbean 600, The Atlantic Cup, …
With nearly 20-thousand miles under his belt, Sam Fitzgerald is no stranger to the challenges of going offshore, especially with only two sets of hands onboard. A naval architect and seasoned Class40 racer, with accolades …
In 2016, Ken and Liisa Bacco set sail from Newport, Rhode Island on December 1st during a snow storm onboard their Oyster 47.5 cutter rig, Altair, to meet up with the Oyster World Rally (OWR) …
A few months ago, North Materials Expert Tom Davis wrote an article titled “What are the Best Sails for Club Racing”. It only seems logical to have a companion piece to that, but with a …
The ClubSwan 36, which made its debut in May 2019, is seeing significant signs of growth. Despite a delay in sailing in 2020, the North Sails team has spent the first half of this year …
Southern Spars, a North Technology Group company, is proud to announce they have joined forces with Magma Structures to deliver a new generation of DynaRigs. The DynaRig concept has proven itself as an effective alternative …
A: 3Di OCEAN is the newest line of 3Di sails from North Sails, designed and engineered exclusively for cruising.
A: 3Di OCEAN is for you if you are looking for a premium cruising product, providing high …
After an exhaustive research and development program, North Sails is thrilled to launch 3Di OCEAN 370, our latest innovative sail product that completes a line-up of 3D molded sails dedicated to cruising.
This new product is …
You know when it feels right. It’s that moment when you could almost let go of the wheel and the boat could steer itself. A boat in perfect balance. Racing sailors will go to extraordinary …
North Sails announces an exciting new partnership with leading sailing rally organizers World Cruising Club. The aim of the partnership is to inspire sailors around the world to embark on a cruising adventure, using North …
It’s still a complicated time in many places around the world, and a huge thank you to our entire North Sails team, clients, and friends who have pulled together in a way that is quite …
https://youtu.be/mIXX-FBNr0A
With visual support from images and video, North experts Allan Terhune, Eric Doyle and Alex Curtiss analyze downwind techniques in different wind strengths, including displacement modes and planing in heavier air. Pick up new techniques …
By Tom Whidden
One of the goals for our book, The Art and Science of Sails, is to connect the theoretical with the practical. An understanding of the physics of aerodynamics will help us better trim …
https://youtu.be/Knn3YscY3xw
North Sails Experts and Southern California locals Eric Doyle and Alex Curtiss talk about the conditions and what to expect in Marina Del Rey, home of the 2021 J/70 World Championship.
Topics covered include:
9:35 - …
Fill your social feeds with all things sailing. Each day North Sails is curating our social media channels with content that showcases our passion for being on the water. We're collecting images that inspire us …
Class Experts Noel “Nitro” Drennan, Alex Curtiss and Eric Doyle discuss the new Australian setup and new sail designs for the Etchells Class.
Webinar Chat Questions Answered
https://youtu.be/V9GrYvcua_o
Personnel, lofts, clients, and friends of North Sails are navigating this global crisis together.
Many of our local Certified Service Centers have taken the initiative in their areas to build masks when possible and support their …
Lightweight, reliable, unique. North 3Di sails are engineered to minimum weight and maximum performance. By eliminating the use of mylar, 3Di will not delaminate. Each 3Di sail is precisely shaped on full-sized molds and built …
No matter where you are in the world, you can prepare for your next event or be ready for when sailing season picks up again by knowing what to look for when it comes to …
North Sails President Ken Read checked in to give us an update on what’s going on at North Sails this week. Ken, like all of us, is working from his makeshift home office in Rhode …
Do you race, cruise or do both? North Sails offers a broad range of sail materials to meet a wide variety of needs. This can make navigating sail material choices daunting. Depending on whether you …
Our experts have created a variety of articles to help you gain confidence for your next getaway. Topics include battens, weather, safety, durability of cruising sails, and more. Whether you are leaving land behind or …
Hardcore ocean racers and coastal cruisers alike should all make safety at sea a priority. Practices from racing around the world, including the toughest conditions of the Southern Ocean, can apply to sailors of all …
Libby Greenhalgh has navigated around the world twice with the Volvo Ocean Race; she's a director with the Magenta Project and has an offshore resume that ranks her among the top sailors in the world. …
Talented tactician and helmsman, Bill Hardesty has been part of sailing’s winning history in the J/70, Etchells, Melges 20, Melges 24, Farr 40, and has won a total of 12 World Championship titles, which include …
There are many ways you can help prolong the life of your sails. Here are some pointers to keep you aligned with our sail care maintenance practices, which can be part of your regular routine …
What happens if you furl your sail the wrong way? - with the sun cover on the inside instead of the outside of the furl? Unfortunately, we see the effects of this in our service …
The North Sails teams around the world have received a bunch of calls and emails recently. A quick Q+A has been put together to help provide you with information on where we are at during …
Thinking about battens? Preparing for a new season is something that is on everyone’s mind. Whether you’re staging your boat to launch, planning an extended cruise, or hoisting your sails for a weeknight club race, …
Cruising sailors demand durability. Yet, durability is not an easily quantified element of sail performance. Predicting durability is a tough challenge, because sails are subjected to so many different forms of use and conditions. That …
For some sailors, “club racing” means a casual jib-and-main evening race aboard a well-stocked cruising boat carrying roller furlers and its anchor and chain in the bow. For others, it means a no-holds-barred weekend race …
People with sailboats use them in many ways, but broadly speaking we define them as either cruising or racing. Cruising might be an hour-long daysail, with only one sail hoisted, or it might last a …
The basic rig dimension for a yacht are generally understood. However, there are some differences in how some sailors describe these dimensions. Here is how we define them at North Sails.
I – Height of Foretriangle
Elevation …
Jeanneau America announced today that world-renowned American yachtsman and North Sails President Ken Read will campaign the new Jeanneau SunFast 3300 in the double-handed division of the 2020 Fort Lauderdale to Key West race along …
From October 18th to 27th, the J/105 fleet of the San Diego Yacht Club will be racing two consecutive events – the International Masters Regatta (October 18-20) and the Lipton Cup (October 25-27), proofing the …
It is safe to say that it’s never a dull experience sailing in the San Francisco bay. For the crews taking part in the 55th edition of Rolex Big Boat Series, the culmination of sailing …
Nicolas Popp has a day job in tech and is not a professional sailor, but he says he started preparing his boat Invictus, a SunFast 3600, for the 2019 Rolex Big Boat Series as soon …
We caught up with Local North Sails expert and Transpac aficionado Patrick Murray to get his personal download on the race.
What makes this race so special to you and other sailors who keep coming back?
This …
In division 1, Tom Holthus' Pac 52 BadPak (with North expert Jon Gardner) beat out Duncan Hine's Alive* by more than two hours. In division 2, Yabsley/Compton's RP70 TaxiDancer finished just ahead of Santa Cruz …
The One Design team at North Sails are driven by our commitment to find solutions for our customers and to always find more speed and boat performance. This is why the new F-1 mainsail was …
Development of 3Di began ten years ago and has continued at a rapid and accelerating pace ever since. 3Di is the sum of multiple technologies exclusive to North Sails, making it the ideal platform for …
As we come to the end of the sailing season and head into winter, the North Sails global service team is gearing up for a busy period - from helping clients prepare for the Caribbean …
We caught up with Steve Benjamin to get his overall perspective on sailing the Etchells, which is one of the most competitive One Design Classes in the world. As many of you may already know, …
On Tuesday September 26th, 51 of the world’s top Etchells teams gathered at SFYC for the opening day of the 2017 Etchells World Championship. The day began with a postponement on the water until the …
After Peter Wagner’s Skeleton Key won the 2017 J/111 Worlds on San Francisco Bay, hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club. North Sails caught up with tactician Seadon Wijsen, North Sails J/111 class expert and salesmen …
The Transpac Yacht Race first kicked off in 1906. As one of the longest ocean races, it is now considered one of the oldest distance races in the sailing world. North Sails is proud to …
Jim and Kristy Clark’s record breaking machine, Comanche, started their 2017 Transpac Race off with a bang. Halfway from Los Angeles to Hawaii, she broke the race’s 24hr distance record, averaging around 20.2 knots and …
When HL Enloe brought his Orma 60, Mighty Merloe, to California, he set a new bar for speed that was not only striking but rather inconvenient. “In the beginning, we convinced race committees to let …
Long Beach Race Week 2017 was an absolute success with amazing breeze, comfortable warm temperatures, and lots of fun and exciting racing. Winds ranged between 10-24 knots all three days, keeping things interesting on all …
Last weekend, Snipe sailors gathered on both coasts to take part in the competitive racing and friendly sailing the class is known for. On the west coast, Mission Bay YC hosted the Herb Shear Invitational …