CLEAN SWEEP AT BENETEAU 36.7 NORTH AMERICANS

North Sails Clients Dominate The Podium

Patriot Owner Ken Sharpe and his crew for their overall victory, winning six of 11 races. Chris Duhan’s Tequila Mockingbird took second, and Jarrett Altmin’s Soulshine took third and was also the Corinthian Champion. “Our upwind speed made my job pretty easy. There was still another option to switch gears when we needed to,” said Todd Jones, tactician on Patriot.

Wind conditions for the four-day event ranged from light with flat water to light with a leftover chop to the top end of buoy Number 1. All three of the top boats sported 3Di for their upwind inventory. “The sails performed well and were easy to shape for the wide range of conditions we saw,” says North Expert Karl Kuspa, mainsail trimmer on Patriot. Kuspa shared one of his favorite parts of the event was that the host club was very accommodating and opened up their doors to competitors. “Columbia Yacht Club ran a first-rate event.” Looking ahead to future regattas, Karl noticed one area of improvement that all Beneteau Owners could takeaway. “Gear shifting- with the varying winds we had, there was a lot of on-the-fly gear shifting going on. I watched a fair number of boats fall off a cliff because they were not shifting gears frequently enough.”

Karl’s three tips for 36.7 sailors:

1. Upwind playing the backstay is crucial. Puff on, backstay on. Puff off, backstay off. I played the backstay way more then I played the sheet.
2. Consistent heel angle. This is done through crew weight (hiking), main trim, and most importantly driver.
3. When in doubt heat it up! This is especially true in light and slop with these boats when sailing downwind. It is easy to lulled into sailing too deep.