En 1957, el marinero Americano decorado Lowell North comenzó una pequeña compañía de la vela en una habitación en el embarcadero de la calle de San Diego.
"Era un poco polvoriento y sucio", recordó, "pero lo suficientemente grande como para construir una vela grande de barco estrella".
Sesenta años más tarde, North Sails se ha convertido en el primer fabricante mundial de velas, con siete fábricas en seis países diferentes, 1.500 empleados en todo el mundo y decenas de miles de velas en los puertos y océanos de todo el mundo cada año. Fundada en un enfoque decididamente científico para la fabricación de velas, North Sails sigue teniendo sus raíces en los valores fundamentales que llevaron a Lowell North al éxito: análisis internos y desarrollo de materiales, diseño orientado al rendimiento, artesanía de calidad y servicio al cliente. Sumérgete en 60 años de Sailmaking con una serie celebrando el instinto de Norte para empujar los límites de la naturaleza, las velas y el yo. Historias que traen recuerdos e inspiran a la próxima generación de innovadores a ir más allá.
Winning the Star Class World Championship is the holy grail of one-design keelboat racing. The classic 23-foot one-design class was launched in 1911, and has since attracted generations of highly… Read More
That’s what Lowell North asked his friend John Shoemaker, one afternoon in 1957, while seated at the bar of San Diego Yacht Club. John replied, “Yes, I would,” which surprised… Read More
In the original North Sails loft in San Diego, Lowell North initiated in-house testing of sail cloth and design shape. With a focus on the Star class, it was in… Read More
Lowell North diverged from the traditional, artistic approach to sailmaking by closing his eyes. Lowell listened to the numbers. Historically, sailmaking depended on the eye of the craftsman, who drew… Read More
One of the most dramatic events in modern sailing occurred in 1983. Australia II, with its famous winged keel, defeated US defender Liberty and took the America’s Cup abroad for… Read More
In early 1986, a series of races were held off of Fremantle as a precursor to the 1987 America’s Cup. Dubbed the 12 Metre World Championship, a dozen syndicates competed… Read More
Among the tools most commonly used by North Sails designers are the Membrain and Flow modules, which apply wind pressure to a sail’s surface and calculate the load forces created…. Read More
North Sails has a long history with the America’s Cup, supplying every America’s Cup Defender and Challenger since 1988. Our shared story is one of innovation, often resulting in breakthrough… Read More
In 1997, North Sails designers and software engineers were given a mandate: to create a package that could model the forces of sailing, specifically those above the deck. What ensued… Read More
“As a management team, we had to decide if we wanted to invest in the technology or not. The bet was about a 20 million dollar bet,” said North Sails… Read More
The North Atlantic has never been a cake-walk for ocean racers, who historically encounter everything from 40-knot winds and high seas to the occasional floating container in the Bay of… Read More