Ready to go
North Sails named official sail supplier to The Ocean Race.
08 April 2020
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North Sails has to be selected as the official one design sail supplier to The Ocean Race 2021-22. The Ocean Race has attracted the most skilled sailors and competitive teams since 1973. Equipping the VO65 teams with the industry’s most reliable high-performance products is paramount to the success of The Ocean Race, its sailors, sponsors, and fans across the globe.
The relationship between this storied race and North Sails goes back decades. Many within North Sails have sailed onboard various teams and have won the race, while numerous designers and sailmakers have supported the technical side of programs in their quest to finish first around the world. Collaboration between North Sails and Ocean Race teams has resulted in breakthrough technologies, including North 3Di, which was born in response to skipper requests for reliable shape-holding, durability, and of course lightweight performance sails.
The extreme nature of The Ocean Race requires sails that can withstand upwards of 55,000 nautical miles and four equator crossings.
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In 2013 North Sails was first named the exclusive supplier to the then brand new VO65 one design class. Two editions later, North Sails has once again been selected to fit out the one design fleet.
“We are profoundly proud that our sails will have gone three editions on the VO65, and look forward to working with the new race organizers, partners and the teams in their upcoming adventure”
“The Ocean Race is one of the most prestigious events in our sport and is the ultimate proving ground for the reliability of 3Di,” remarked North Sails President Ken Read. “By introducing drones into the last event we have gotten to see how much abuse our sails can withstand. We are profoundly proud that our sails will have gone three editions on the VO65. North Sails and North 3Di are 100% on board for the 2021-22 race and look forward to working with the new race organizers, partners and the teams in their upcoming adventure.”
The 2021-22 edition of The Ocean Race is scheduled to start from Alicante, Spain in October 2021, with stops in Cabo Verde; Cape Town, South Africa; Shenzhen, China; Auckland, New Zealand; Itajaí, Brazil; Newport, Rhode Island; Aarhus, Denmark; The Hague in The Netherlands; before the Grand Finale in Genoa, Italy. The race course takes on some of the toughest ocean miles on the planet.
“Over the past two editions of the Race, our arrangement with North Sails to equip the VO65 fleet has contributed to the closest racing in the long history of the event,” said Phil Lawrence, the Race Director for The Ocean Race. “This competitiveness comes when the teams know they have sails they can push to the absolute limit, without compromising safety, durability or performance.
“We consulted with our VO65 teams who made clear their preference to again have a single-supplier for sails as in the past two races, and we’re very happy to be able to continue our relationship with North Sails into the next edition of The Ocean Race.”
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