27 February
WHY ARE RACING SAILS BLACK?
North Sails Expert Per Andersson explores fashion and function in the striking look of black sails on the water, and explains why sails may come in different shades of black.
Fashion, Function, and Material Composition
Black has not always been the fast look for sails, but lately more and more black sails are showing up on the water. Why? The simple answer is that many sails are now made with carbon fibers—the strongest load-carrying material in sails—and carbon is black. If some sails seem even blacker to you than they did a few years ago, you may be noticing North’s 3Di sails, a product that has gained significant market share since it first was introduced. Many sailmakers use carbon in their sails, but typically the carbon is laminated between layers of polyester or Mylar film, so it does not look completely black.
North’s 3DL sails fell into this category for many years, with variable densities of the carbon, depending on where it was needed to resist the heaviest loads. 3Di sails are darker because starting in 2013 with the introduction of 3Di RAW, we’ve rid our highest-performing sails of the cover layer and its associated parasitic weight.
We should point out that not all 3Di sails are black, because North has 3Di products that include aramid fibers, which are yellow, and Dyneema fibers, which are white. We also use black, white or gray taffeta or non-woven surface materials for durability on our 3Di ENDURANCE and 3Di OCEAN performance cruising products, for which the owner can choose the color of preference.
Early on, to make a more consistent and solid look on our RAW product, we began to pigment the aramid fibers because they simply looked better black, mixed with carbon and Dyneema fibers. “Dyneema fibers are not available with black pigment but with only a small amount of Dyneema in our 3Di sail structure, a small amount of pigment in the adhesive produces a solid black surface.”
Many sailmakers have followed the trend toward black sails. Most add a “light skin” or taffeta on top of the film to achieve the black look! Others simply add a non-woven layer of colored polyester material to make the sails black.
North Sails 3D molded downwind racing sails are grayer and more translucent, especially when the sun is behind the sail. These sails come with our Helix load shearing technology luff structure. The 3Di molded downwind sails use 3Di Downwind
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22 January
NPL RENEW FAQ
Available for cruising boats up to 45 ft, NPL RENEW is the start of a new and important shift for sailmaking towards a more sustainable sail that does not sacrifice performance or longevity.Learn more about NPL RENEW with our FAQs from NPL RENEW Product Director Tom Davis.
READ MORE19 January
FLYING SAILS 101
North Sails President and world-renowned race winner Ken Read lends his expertise to our Flying Sails Guide, a new breed of offwind sails that can add as much as 40 percent more sail area.READ MORE
READ MORE21 December
CAPE 31 TUNING GUIDE
The Engine Above DeckThe North Sails team has focussed hard on the Cape 31 Class since its inception and as a result it is no surprise that North Sails have been so dominant. North Sails IRC designs were the foundation of the Cape 31 One design rules. Starting as the sole sail maker in South Africa with tri-radial paneled, North Sails have worked to perfect their 3Di sails since the Cape 31 arrived in the UK in 2019.After countless hours sailing, testing and competing in the Cape 31, North Sails shares our tuning notes in an effort to get sailors and teams up to race winning speed quickly for the most competitive racing. As we learn more about the Cape 31 and further its development, new information regarding setup, tuning and trimming techniques will be updated online atnorthsails.com. As always, contact your North Sails Expert for all the most up to date information and for help tuning your boat.Tuning GuideDock tuneMast heel position: 135-145 mm from the aft edge of the mast to the center of the front keel bolt. Set the mast heel position to achieve the desired pre bend (see below). Moving the heel aft increases pre bend, moving the heel forward reduces pre bend.Setting the mast rake: 1,710mm. To do this, put a mark on the forestay, and measure the distance from this mark down to the middle of the forestay pin at the deck intersection.Swing the fixed end of the jib halyard back to the mast and mark the halyard in line with the top of the gooseneck measurement band.Next swing the jib halyard forward to the forestay and mark the forestay in line with the jib halyard mark.Measure the distance from the top of this new forestay mark to the middle of the forestay pin. On most boats this is the load sensor pin, the pin that the tack of the jib attaches to.The next step for tuning the rig is to make sure the mast is square in the boat.Set the shroud tension close to base tension and loosen the D1’s (& D2’s).Swing the jib halyard from one shroud base to the other and make sure the hounds are in the middle.Tighten the D1’s (& D2’s) back up to the tuning guide and make the mast look straight side to side.Base deck chocks: It is best to have light pressure on the front chocks. A good base deck chock setting is normally 4 to 8 mm of positive chock (fill the gap in front of the mast, plus 4-8mm). It is worth checking that when on +1 chocks compared to base that there is still a small amount of pre bend. Moving deck chocks has a large impact on the D1 tension.Measure pre bend by pulling the most forward main halyard down to touch the back corner of the lowest bit of the mast track just above the gooseneck (see image). Pull the halyard tight on a calm wind day and then measure the gap between the back of the mast track and the nearest piece of rope. Pre bend is measured at the height of the lowest spreaders. Measure on base with base chocks in and with the runners loose and the boom down. The ideal pre bend is between 40mm and 50mm.Tuning MatrixThis tuning matrix is developed for the unique 3Di North Sails technology. 3Di is a fundamentally unique construction process leading to lighter and stronger sails.TWS (kts)V1 “Shrouds”(PT-3)D1 “Lowers”(PT-2)D2 “Uppers”(PT-2)ForestayDeck Chocks4-7Base -2Base -3Base -2Base -8Base +18-9Base-1Base-2Base -1Base -4Base10-11BaseBase-1BaseBase -2Base11-12 (Base)Base (20)Base (35)Base (25-27)BaseBase12-14BaseBase +1BaseBase +2Base14-16Base +1Base +1BaseBase +4Base16-1818+Base +2Base +3Base +1Base +2 (37)BaseBaseBase +6Base +8BaseBase -1Each turn listed on the tuning matrix above is a 360 degree turn.The numbers in brackets on the tuning matrix are rig tensions.BattensA couple of stiffnesses of carbon full length battens in the head of the mainsail (and jib) help to perfect the sail set up across the wind range. North Sails have standard recommended batten upgrade options, please get in contact with aNorth Sailsexpert to discuss this further.Jib TrimCrossoversHelix technology in the jibs defies conventional sail design limitations enabling one sail to perform optimally across a wider range of conditions than ever before. Engineered for active camber control, Helix upwind sails enable sailors to radically adjust and control sail shape and power as well as minimizing luff sag by adjusting the jib halyard fine tune.J1 (J1-3): 5 -11 knots*new designJ2 (J2-1) 10 –17 knots*new designJ3 (J3-3) 15-21 knots*new designJ4 Heavy Weather OSR (J4-3): 20+ knots*new designStorm Jib: for use to satisfy a class rules requirement instead of taking the J4 sailing.JIB CARS. It is best in light and medium winds to be max inboard on the car. If out of range, or at the very top of the range, on a jib going one step outboard on the jib car works well. There is jib car height adjustment line next to the main hatch. Car height is the main car tuning tool for setting the depth and twist in the jib.SPREADER MARKS: It is really useful to have spreader marks on the underside of each spreader. Place these in the center of the spreader and 150mm inboard and outboard of the central mark.Mainsail TrimMNi-5: All purpose mainsail*new designTRAVELER. Maximum height and power are generated by having the traveler all the way up in light winds. In strong winds it is best to not go far below the centerline with the traveler car, use the fine tune to twist open the main. Once overpowered it is fastest to only have the traveler just above the centerline. Easing the traveler is one of the first moves to depower.RUNNERS. Off in sub 6 kts, then progressively tighter until max combined headstay / tack load of 1.8 tonnes. 1.8 tonnes is the max load according to the builders.OUTHAUL: Just loose so the sail is not touching the boom below base, and then tighten it when the wind builds.CUNNINGHAM: Off downwind and in light winds. Progressively pull it tighter as the wind builds, especially when sailing at/over +4 on the headstay. This helps to bend the mast and flatten the mainsail whilst holding the draft forward.DownwindSpinnaker CrossoversA1.5:(A1.5-2) 5-9 knots*new designA2 Minus (A2 Minus-1): 8-12 knots*new designA2 (A2-1): 11-18 knotsA4 (A4-3): 18+ knotsA3 (A3-3) ReachingTechniquesIn light airs the kite flies best and the gybes are best with the jib lowered.In over 8 knots of true wind speed sail VMG angles based on heel and apparent wind / true wind angles. It is fastest to leave the jib up.RUNNERS. Loosen the runners downwind to generate depth and power. Keep the windward runner snug. When the wind increases, tighten the runners just enough to keep the headstay straight / tight.Further InformationPlease get in contact with aNorth Sailsexpert to further discuss techniques and settings.Ben Saxton-North Sails Class Leadben.saxton@northsails.com+44 7962 238 742Crossover ChartREAD MORE
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