Displaying items by tag: 3Di NORDAC

17th January 2018

North Sails 3Di NORDAC Claims Pittman Innovation Award

3Di NORDAC is a familiar-looking white sail, boasting stronger, smoother, longer lasting shape, and priced to compete within the cruising market.

North Sails 3Di NORDAC, already recognised as game changing cruising technology, has claimed yet another coveted prize. The revolutionary polyester sail, designed for small to medium sized cruising boats, was yesterday announced as a winner of SAIL Magazine’s renowned Pittman Innovation Awards. The cloth recently featured on Afloat.ie here.

Since 3Di NORDAC was launched in June 2017, the sail has seen success with cruisers and industry experts, claiming awards and stellar sales in a short space of time, with more than 1600 orders placed since being introduced. The SAIL judges recognized that 3Di NORDAC offers the wider sailing community the unique 3Di technology developed on the race course: “With its new 3Di NORDAC sails, North has combined the great cost-effectiveness and durability of traditional sails with the 3Di process by building them entirely in polyester, with polyester filaments set in polyester resin in the 3Di structural tape ,” said SAIL editor Charles J. Doane. “The result is an affordable all-polyester sail that is lighter, less stretchy, more durable and more mildew-resistant than traditional woven polyester sails - a win-win for cruising sailors everywhere.”

Commenting on the award victory, North Sails CEO Dan Neri added, “In 2015 we saw a real opportunity to create product differentiation in the cruising market and we felt confident we had developed something special with 3Di NORDAC. We are pleased by the response from the cruising community.”

3Di NORDAC is a familiar-looking white sail, boasting stronger, smoother, longer lasting shape, and priced to compete within the cruising market. We would like to thank the SAIL Pittman Innovation Awards for celebrating this great product. Controlling your sail power with responsive sails is the hallmark of the North Sails cruising experience. 3Di NORDAC sails deliver this experience with less heel, less helm, less leeway and lighter, more easily-handled Dacron sails than ever before. 3Di NORDAC product does this without sacrificing the durability that is critically important to cruising sailors.

Many sailmakers might argue that Aramid or Dyneema yarn deliver a “better” sail, and that polyester is too low tech and offers no interesting properties. North Sails believes polyester remains the right material for the cruising market. Sail distortion of any type - stretch, compression, shear or shrink - has a negative effect on sail performance. Most sails concentrate on resisting loads in the stretch (tension) direction.

Ounce for ounce, 3Di sails have significantly more resistance to stretch than any other sail made in the world today. Polyester is high durability (UV resistant, flex, abrasion, toughness), soft, lightweight and forgiving to handle. Sailors enjoy the rugged external rip stop surface of 3Di NORDAC, zero risk of delamination, perfect sail shape and integrated reefs for better reefed sail shape.

Published in North Sails Ireland

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3Di NORDAC: A Smarter Way to Make Durable, Affordable, High Quality Cruising Sails

3Di NORDAC is a breakthrough polyester sail built with North Sails unique and patented 3Di technology

North Sails, the worldwide leader in sailmaking technology is pioneering a revolution in Dacron sailmaking. For thousands of years, sailcloth has been made by the ancient process of weaving fibers into a finished material. For over 60 years, Woven Polyester (Dacron) has proven to be the fiber of choice for cruising sailcloth – providing low cost and structurally durable sails. Today, Polyester remains a nearly perfect fibre for cruising sails due to its strength and environmental stability.

The problem with Woven Dacron sailcloth however, is that it fails to provide true value to cruising sailors. Woven sails lose their shape - far before their structural integrity is compromised. In short, their structural life and the performance life are out of balance. Cruising sailors are overpaying for poor performance and they are not achieving the enjoyment of experience they can have when their boats sail better through the water. Controlling your sail power with responsive sails is the hallmark of the North Sails Cruising Experience.

3Di NORDAC sails deliver this experience with less heel, less helm, less leeway and lighter, more easily handled dacron sails than ever before. 3Di NORDAC does this without sacrificing the durability that is so important to cruising sailors - by better balancing the structural and usable life span.

To create a North sails 3di sail woven cloth is calendared with high pressure rolling

UNIQUE TO YOU

North Sails is unique in its position of offering cutting edge sail technology to a wide range of sailors and boats. Born from the America’s Cup, 3Di is available to Grand Prix Around-The World Ocean Racers and family cruisers alike.

COMPOSITE CONSTRUCTION

3Di composite construction is unique in the sailmaking industry. Like other high-performance composite structures, only fiber and adhesive are in these sails. Spread filament prepreg tapes are interleaved, in varying numbers of layers and a multiplicity of orientations to best handle both the tension loads and the compressive forces in any given sail. The ability to precisely align fibers and vary fiber density throughout the sail membrane, optimizing the sail structure for the anticipated loads, is the essential advantage of composite construction. 3Di does not contain Mylar film, scrims, or taffetas. 3Di is not subject to the lamination problems of string sails, making them more durable and long lasting.

3di sail The sail’s shape and durability are permanently locked into the rigid airfoil that is customized to the user’s sailing preferences

PERSONALISED SHAPE

North Sails is the only sailmaker in the world to build sails on full-sized 3D molds, inflated to the sails’ precise flying shape. Heat and vacuum pressure are then applied, consolidating the composite structure. The sail’s shape and durability are permanently locked into the rigid airfoil that is customized to the user’s sailing preferences

COMMITTMENT TO QUALITY

Batten pockets, reefs and patches are integrated into the tape structure. Finishing on a 3Di sail is minimal. Edge tapes, corner strapping and hardware are sewn by hand on the loft floor with careful attention to detail. All North sails are manufactured in wholly-owned facilities. Our Blue Book Standards for strict construction, material and labor standards result in consistency for all of our products. 3Di quality and North’s reputation for consistency has won North Sails exclusive supplier status to the 35th America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18.

3Di APPLIED
In addition to use in sails, North Thin Ply Technology has been adopted in a variety of high tech manufacturing applications. TPT flew around the world on the first non-stop solar powered aircraft and can be found in advanced golf shafts, Southern Spars masts and booms, and F1 motorcars. When using 3Di sails, you are joining an elite group who has chosen the world’s leading composite technology.

More about 3Di technology

THE NEW STANDARD FOR PERFORMANCE AND DURABILITY
North Sails 3Di exemplifies outstanding value with industry leading shape holding and a longer service life compared to other sailmaking technologies. Proprietary engineering and construction methods allow 3Di sails to maintain their shape to an unprecedented level. Superyachts now use one set of 3Di sails for racing, cruising and deliveries. Volvo Ocean Race teams trust one mainsail for 35,000+ miles around the world; they formerly used two or three string laminate sails. Circumnavigators are using 3Di sails for multiple laps. Do the math, and you’ll find that 3Di sails have a lower cost of ownership than any other sails in the world.

ONLY THE ESSENTIALS
3Di sails are significantly stronger and lighter than our competitor’s laminate string sails when made of comparable materials. Filaments are the elemental form of fibers. What we think of as a yarn used in traditional sailcloth and string sails are in fact a twisted bundle very small filaments, each less than the diameter of a human hair. Using filaments instead of yarns in sail constructions allows better exploitation of the fiber properties.

For further information about 3Di NORDAC visit northsails.com or download a press pack below

Published in North Sails Ireland

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Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta

From the Baily lighthouse to Dalkey island, the bay accommodates six separate courses for 21 different classes racing every two years for the Dun Laoghaire Regatta.

In assembling its record-breaking armada, Volvo Dun Laoghaire regatta (VDLR) became, at its second staging, not only the country's biggest sailing event, with 3,500 sailors competing, but also one of Ireland's largest participant sporting events.

One of the reasons for this, ironically, is that competitors across Europe have become jaded by well-worn venue claims attempting to replicate Cowes and Cork Week.'Never mind the quality, feel the width' has been a criticism of modern-day regattas where organisers mistakenly focus on being the biggest to be the best. Dun Laoghaire, with its local fleet of 300 boats, never set out to be the biggest. Its priority focussed instead on quality racing even after it got off to a spectacularly wrong start when the event was becalmed for four days at its first attempt.

The idea to rekindle a combined Dublin bay event resurfaced after an absence of almost 40 years, mostly because of the persistence of a passionate race officer Brian Craig who believed that Dun Laoghaire could become the Cowes of the Irish Sea if the town and the local clubs worked together. Although fickle winds conspired against him in 2005, the support of all four Dun Laoghaire waterfront yacht clubs since then (made up of Dun Laoghaire Motor YC, National YC, Royal Irish YC and Royal St GYC), in association with the two racing clubs of Dublin Bay SC and Royal Alfred YC, gave him the momentum to carry on.

There is no doubt that sailors have also responded with their support from all four coasts. Running for four days, the regatta is (after the large mini-marathons) the single most significant participant sports event in the country, requiring the services of 280 volunteers on and off the water, as well as top international race officers and an international jury, to resolve racing disputes representing five countries. A flotilla of 25 boats regularly races from the Royal Dee near Liverpool to Dublin for the Lyver Trophy to coincide with the event. The race also doubles as a RORC qualifying race for the Fastnet.

Sailors from the Ribble, Mersey, the Menai Straits, Anglesey, Cardigan Bay and the Isle of Man have to travel three times the distance to the Solent as they do to Dublin Bay. This, claims Craig, is one of the major selling points of the Irish event and explains the range of entries from marinas as far away as Yorkshire's Whitby YC and the Isle of Wight.

No other regatta in the Irish Sea area can claim to have such a reach. Dublin Bay Weeks such as this petered out in the 1960s, and it has taken almost four decades for the waterfront clubs to come together to produce a spectacle on and off the water to rival Cowes."The fact that we are getting such numbers means it is inevitable that it is compared with Cowes," said Craig. However, there the comparison ends."We're doing our own thing here. Dun Laoghaire is unique, and we are making an extraordinary effort to welcome visitors from abroad," he added. The busiest shipping lane in the country – across the bay to Dublin port – closes temporarily to facilitate the regatta and the placing of six separate courses each day.

A fleet total of this size represents something of an unknown quantity on the bay as it is more than double the size of any other regatta ever held there.

Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta FAQs

What is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Ireland's biggest sailing event. It is held every second Summer at Dun Laoghaire Harbour on Dublin Bay.

When is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is held every two years, typically in the first weekend of July.

Where is Dun Laoghaire Regatta held?

As its name suggests, the event is based at Dun Laoghaire Harbour. Racing is held on Dublin Bay over as many as six different courses with a coastal route that extends out into the Irish Sea. Ashore, the festivities are held across the town but mostly in the four organising yacht clubs.

How big is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is the largest sailing regatta in Ireland and on the Irish Sea and the second largest in the British Isles. It has a fleet of 500 competing boats and up to 3,000 sailors. Scotland's biggest regatta on the Clyde is less than half the size of the Dun Laoghaire event. After the Dublin city marathon, the regatta is one of the most significant single participant sporting events in the country in terms of Irish sporting events.

How old is Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The modern Dublin Bay Regatta began in 2005, but it owes its roots to earlier combined Dublin Bay Regattas of the 1960s.

How many boats compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 500 boats regularly compete.

How many yacht clubs are represented at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Up to 70 different yacht clubs are represented.

Where do the yachts come from to compete at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Channel Islands, Isle of Man, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland countrywide, and Dublin clubs.

How many boats are visiting boats at Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Nearly half the sailors, over 1,000, travel to participate from outside of Dun Laoghaire and from overseas to race and socialise in Dun Laoghaire.

What type of yachts race in Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

21 different classes are competing at Dun Laoghaire Regatta. As well as four IRC Divisions from 50-footers down to 20-foot day boats and White Sails, there are also extensive one-design keelboat and dinghy fleets to include all the fleets that regularly race on the Bay such as Beneteau 31.7s, Ruffian 23s, Sigma 33s as well as Flying Fifteens, Laser SB20s plus some visiting fleets such as the RS Elites from Belfast Lough to name by one.

What famous sailors race in Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Some sailing household names are regular competitors at the biennial Dun Laoghaire event including Dun Laoghaire Olympic silver medalist, Annalise Murphy. International sailing stars are competing too such as Mike McIntyre, a British Olympic Gold medalist and a raft of World and European class champions.

How much does it cost to enter Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

There are different entry fees for different size boats. A 40-foot yacht will pay up to €550, but a 14-foot dinghy such as Laser will pay €95. Full entry fee details are contained in the Regatta Notice of Race document.

Where can spectators view Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

Spectators can see the boats racing on six courses from any vantage point on the southern shore of Dublin Bay. As well as from the Harbour walls itself, it is also possible to see the boats from Sandycove, Dalkey and Killiney, especially when the boats compete over inshore coastal courses or have in-harbour finishes.

How does Dun Laoghaire regatta compare to international regattas?

Very favourably. It is often compared to Cowes, Britain's biggest regatta on the Isle of Wight that has 1,000 entries. However, sailors based in the north of England have to travel three times the distance to get to Cowes as they do to Dun Laoghaire.

Why is Dun Laoghaire Regatta so unique?

Dun Laoghaire Regatta is unique because of its compact site offering four different yacht clubs within the harbour and the race tracks' proximity, just a five-minute sail from shore. International sailors also speak of its international travel connections and being so close to Dublin city. The regatta also prides itself on balancing excellent competition with good fun ashore.

Who organises Dun Laoghaire Regatta?

The Organising Authority (OA) of Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta is Dublin Bay Regattas Ltd, a not-for-profit company, beneficially owned by Dun Laoghaire Motor Yacht Club (DMYC), National Yacht Club (NYC), Royal Irish Yacht Club (RIYC) and Royal St George Yacht Club (RSGYC).

What does Dun Laoghaire Regatta contribute to the local economy?

The Irish Marine Federation launched a case study on the 2009 Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta's socio-economic significance. Over four days, the study (carried out by Irish Sea Marine Leisure Knowledge Network) found the event was worth nearly €3million to the local economy over the four days of the event. Typically the Royal Marine Hotel and Haddington Hotel and other local providers are fully booked for the event.