Archive for June, 2011
Volvo Ocean Race: Team Sanya Specifies Stratis Sails from Doyle
Stratis GPx sails from Doyle Sails New Zealand have been chosen to power Team Sanya around the globe in the next edition of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Mike Sanderson, skipper of Team Sanya and director of Doyle Sails New Zealand; “It was an easy decision for Team Sanya to make, notwithstanding the fact that I have a boot in both camps!
“The tremendous results that we are achieving with Stratis sails now in terms of both performance and durability certainly give me a lot of confidence and comfort going into the race. The Team and I will be working with Richard Bouzaid and the rest of the Doyle Sails design team in New Zealand to develop the optimum wardrobe for the race. The sail programme has been made all that much harder for this lap compared to any of my others because the boats will be carrying so few sails on board and they get replaced less frequently as well!”
Mike Sanderson’s sailing CV certainly makes him very well qualified to make a rational decision on sails to match the task ahead. Being a sailmaker by trade, having wins in two previous Volvo Ocean races as well as transatlantic and 24 hr speed records under his belt, Mike knows that as well as being fast, the sails have to be engineered and built with an extreme level of durability, particularly as sail wardrobes are so limited for the race.
“I think that the properties of Stratis make it ideal for the application, and with the practical expertise of the design team behind us, we are very excited about taking delivery of our first set of sails.”
Links:
Sanderson to Helm Chinese Entry
Team Sanya to Race in Refitted Renamed Telefonica Blue
Q&A: Mike Sanderson, Skipper of Team Sanya
Tom Londrigan Wins 2011 Star Western Hemisphere Championship
Congratulations to Tom Londrigan, Jr. and Steve Cutting for winning the the 2011 Star Class Western Hemisphere Championship held June 6-11, 2011 hosted by the Island Bay Yacht Club in Springfield, IL. There was strong competittion from the 33 boat fleet on Lake Springfield.
Tom Lodrigan, Jr. a Springfield native and
Steve Cutting discuss their success:
Steve: "We talk alot on the boat and have sailed together for a number of years, so we get what each other is doing."
Tom: "You can’t underestimate the value of number one having two guys that get along well on the boat and understand each other, but then also spend some time on the boat together as well."
Tom used a new Doyle M11 main and J8C jib. For more information on Doyle Star sails, click here.
Doyle 1-2 at 2011 Sonar Long Island Sound Championship
The Sonar Long Island Sound Championship hosted by Manhasset Bay Yacht Club’s Fleet 11 and the US Merchant Marine Academy’s Fleet 22 was held on June 4-5, 2011. Six races were completed over the two days. Congratulations to Rick Dominique and his team sailing 652 Dominatrix for winning the regatta by one point over Spencer Powers. Both Rick and Spencer were powered by all Doyle sails.
Tomas Hornos of Doyle Sailmakers sailing with Spencer Power explains the conditions and the competition:
“On Saturday morning there was a light westerly which shut off as soon as the competitors reached the race course. After a few hours of waiting with tempuratures in the 80s, a 10 knot N/NE breeze filled in and the Race Committee quickly got the line set and marks in place. For the first race, the left was heavily favored at the start, gradually becoming an oscillating breeze. The second race was windier with puffs in the teens as dark clouds filled in. The final race of Saturday was lighter as wind continued to shift to the east, towards the mouth of the Long Island Sound. We had a nice long downwind sail with spinnakers into Manhasset Bay where each boat was given a mooring for the night.
“Sunday was quite different with much colder temps and a steady easterly breeze established at 10-12 as we sailed out. Sailing fast through the chop and finding pressure was key all day. As the day wore on, it got cloudier and breeze started to die. First two races were pretty similar with an oscillating breeze making consistent results difficult. The last race was sailed in less than five knots and down to 1 or 2 knots as we drifted into the finish.
"We used the same design sails Jud used at the North Americans which are really fast with max dimensions in jib and an easily trimmed main. We adjusted the forestay length, outer and inner shrouds and mast chalks constantly.
"The last race was close, pretty fluky, but we knew our main competition was Rick Dominique and Alex Meleney. We tried to stay with them, but we lost Rick on a bad shift and only finished one behind Meleney. It was hard to catch Rick after he got ahead because he did a good job of covering. Rick was sailing really fast and had the most consistent results."
For more information on Doyle Sonar sails, click here.
Photos from Sonar LIS Championship
Chickara Chicks Win 2011 Australian Women’s Keel Boat Regatta
Congratulations to Joanne Norbury and her team Chickara Chicks for winning the Australian Women’s Keel Boat Regatta this weekend onboard Executive Decision under IRC and AMS handicaps. Sailing a wide range of boats under AWKR, AMS and IRC handicaps, seventeen all-women crews competed in six windward/leeward races on the bay over the weekend. This was the 21st running of the Australian Women’s Keelboat Regatta from St Kilda’s Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron.
Norbury borrowed an Adams 10, Executive Decision, for the regatta. Part of this year’s Chickara Chicks team have been competing in this event for six years, including Norbury, Genieve Popp (helm), Sue Beretta, and Emma Kirkhope. This year – for the win – the team included Madonna Kerks, Christine Farnan and Victoria Brooks.
"It was very exciting for us, we had been runner-up twice before and I think this is the first time girls from Geelong have won it," Norbury said. "We won two of the three divisions, the IRC and the AMS, which was very satisfying."
"It was generally light sailing conditions over the weekend but we were slowed by fog until 2pm on Sunday," she said.
Norbury said the win was the pinnacle of her sailing career.
Executive Decision was powered by a full inventory of Doyle sails.
Read more: 2011 AWKR Winners Grinners Sinners
Read more: Local Skip Snares Keel Boat Regatta
Mendelblatt and Fatih Win Medal Race at 2011 Skandia Sail for Gold
Mark Mendelblatt and Brian Fatih won the Star class medal race at the 2011 Skandia Sail for Gold and came in 8th overall, the top American finish.
Skandia Sail for Gold is the first of two Selection Events for the U.S. Olympic Team as well as a qualifier for the Pre-Olympic Regatta. Skandia Sail for Gold took place June 6-11, 2011 across 10 Olympic and three Paralympic classes and hosted over 1,000 sailors from 62 countries at the venue to be used in the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Olympic Regatta will be held July 27 – August 12, 2012, in the towns of Weymouth and Portland, which are located on the southern coast of England, approximately 120 miles southwest of London.
Mendelblatt and Fatih, both from Miami, FL, lead the fleet to the weather mark in the medal race were able to hold onto the lead.
Mark explains, "It actually was a pretty simple race for us thankfully. We started in the middle of line and was able to hold my lane. Our strategy was to play left hand side of course. We were able to do that from there, keep our nose out ahead. We rounded with a little bit of a lead and just kept it simple. We did a straight bear away set. A couple of guys right behind us gybed off and they took a loss doing that. So we had a little cushion after that and were able to hold onto it."
The medal race is markedly different than the other races in the regatta. Only the top 10 boats competed in the race. The medal race is a short race, approximately 20 minutes versus 1 hour to 1.25 hour. The medal race was also held inside, so there was less wind and waves. In addition, the medal race is an umpired race, so if you get a penalty you are pretty much out of the race.
Mark used a Doyle M12 main and J8 jib in the medal race and for most races. For more information on Doyle Star sails designed using CFD, click here.
Mendelblatt and Fatih will represent the USA at pre-Olympics in Weymouth in early August.
Listen to the full interview of Mark Mendelblatt:
Mike Sanderson Pushes Stratis Production Plant to Near Capacity
ICAP Leopard with Doyle Stratis Main
Production at Doyle New Zealand has been pushed to near capacity since Mike Sanderson became a very active part of the company in recent weeks. The grand prix side of the business has taken off with the design and production teams at full speed on major international projects.
Super-maxi Leopard 3, fitted with a new Stratis main for the Annapolis – Newport Race, continued on her successful road with an excellent third overall on IRC and a very satisfying result of a lead out of the Chesapeake of 10 miles.
Alex Thomson’s full new set of Stratis race sails for Hugo Boss is due for fitting next week for the European circuit. From Hugo Boss, Alex Thomson commented: "The team at Alex Thomson Racing are looking forward to the next generation Stratis sails arriving on board Hugo Boss. The design and backup that Doyle New Zealand provides has been fantastic and the input form Richard Bouzaid into this type of program is invaluable."
On top of that the very successful Reichel Pugh race boat Shockwave has also ordered Stratis sails for its forthcoming campaign.
Doyle New Zealand believes that the future for high tech sailing in New Zealand is going from strength to strength. Mike Sanderson comments, "The New Zealand marine industry is acknowledged as a world leader when it comes to developing technologies, and the 100% Kiwi owned and operated Doyle New Zealand Stratis facility is certainly a showcase example. High tech sail making in New Zealand is continuing to lead the industry, and I am excited to be able to combine my experience with the already successful team here. The efficiencies that have developed at the Stratis plant allow us to continue servicing our customers in the local markets where we also have a strong presence. We have some very very exciting projects in the pipeline so all in all exciting times."
Mike Sanderson Joins Forces with Doyle Sailmakers New Zealand
Doyle Sailmakers is pleased to announce the appointment of renowned world class sailing professional Mike Sanderson. Mike will be joining the team at the beginning of June 2011 as Director of Sales and Partner for the Doyle New Zealand and Sydney operation.
Doyle New Zealand’s Managing Director Chris McMaster comments, "We have achieved considerable growth in recent times and the development and ongoing R&D with Stratis puts us in an ideal position now to join forces with one of the most influential professionals in the world of sailboat racing. Mike’s experience and personality perfectly complement our business; this development will allow us to increase the pace of our expansion into the Grand Prix sailboat racing market.”
Mike Sanderson was ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year in 2006, a veteran of three America’s Cup campaigns and two times Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Race winner.
Mike brings with him a wealth of experience having been involved on the technical side of sail programs and as part of the design and build teams for both Team ABN AMRO boats, as well as Skippering ABN AMRO One to one of the most convincing Volvo victories in the race’s history.
In addition, Mike has extensive Superyacht experience including the high profile race boats Mari Cha III and IV, which between them have dominated the Trans Atlantic Monohull record over the last twelve years.
Mike Sanderson and Head of Design, Richard Bouzaid, together present a formidable team with a huge amount of knowledge, skill and contacts in this field. Between them they have been involved at the premier level of America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race, Grand Prix racing, as well as local campaigns on both the technical side as well as in sailing capacities.
The knowledge base at Doyle Sailmakers with respect to design and sail making is now second to none, and combined with the high performance results being achieved by Stratis laminates, Doyle Sailmakers can continue to offer their customers the optimum sail product.
Doyle Sailmakers’ increasing share of the market can be credited to the success of the Stratis facility and the company’s continual commitment to innovation and advancing design.
