Technology
It all started with the Quantum TP52 team, which has stood on the 52 Super Series podium every season since
Built Differently Quantum Sails’ Grand Prix sailmaking innovations always trickle down
not only how sails are designed and built, but also the role of the sailmaker itself. Quantum’s collaborative, high-touch, performance-driven ethos continues to resonate as the sport evolves. Among the many differentiators
S
developed and championed by Quantum is the concept of a “Factory Team” competing at the highest levels of yacht racing. Borrowed from Formula 1 and other professional circuits, the model provides direct access to performance data and collaboration between designers and sailors. Real-time feedback, combined with hard metrics gathered in the most competitive environments, creates a fast testing-and-innovation cycle that optimises performance and reliability. Lessons from this process flow outward, shaping not only Grand Prix sails but also those for other racing classes and even cruising boats. Quantum's Pablo Campano notes, ‘whatever we learn at the Grand Prix level shows up in every other sail. It’s like Mercedes’s F1 team: eventually, you see that tech in your car.’ To prove the model, Quantum’s
longtime principal, Doug DeVos, established the Quantum Racing TP52 programme in 2008. The team won the world championship in its debut season and, in 2012, joined the newly launched 52 Super Series. The on-the-water results were immediate, and Quantum Racing
62 SEAHORSE
ince its founding in 1996, Quantum Sails has taken a unique approach to sailmaking. Over the years, the company has reimagined
has stood on the series podium every season since, with seven overall titles, including the 2025 championship. Now sailing under the banner American
Magic–QuantumRacing, the teamhas been the cornerstone of Quantum’s testing platformformore than 14 years. Quantum’smodel is now embedded across all Quantum-powered teams in the 52 Super Series, and its effectiveness has been repeatedly proven – not only through QuantumRacing’s accolades, but also in the successes andmajor improvements of other Quantum-powered TP52 teams. Each teamcontributes its own data, insights, and feedback to the collective system, strengthening the network of development. The British-flagged Gladiator, fully powered by Quantum, is a prime example: third overall in the 2024 Super Series, winner of that year’s TP52 world championship in Newport, and victor in the St Tropez opener of the 2025 season. At the centre of thismodel is an
integrated coaching programme. Spearheaded by James Lyne, whose résumé includes 24 world championships across seven classes, the systemprovides real-time observation, data collection, and post-race analysis to every Quantumteam. Froma chase boat, Lyne photographs sails and trim, while drones capture video from above. Onboard data streams are logged throughout racing. After racing, the real work
begins.Working across time zones with a colleague located in the United States, Lyne crunches the data provided by onboard instruments, studies all available photos and video, and reviews tracking
information fromeach boat in the fleet to compile a 50 to 75-page performance debrief each evening. These documents are filled with photos of sail trim, snaps of the starting line, and deep dives into every leg, specific roundings, crossings, and other keymoments, all overlaid with corresponding onboard data. In the morning before racing, sailors fromevery Quantum-powered teamin the fleet gather for Lyne’s debrief session – an opportunity not only to sharpen individual performance but to share learnings across the fleet. Quantum CEO Ed Reynolds and sail
designer Brett Jones are also near- constant presences on site. Jones is often next to Lyne in the chase boat, feeding observations directly into both the daily recaps and long-term design adjustments. ‘During training periods, Brett and I are checking sails and are in real-time communication with the trimmers,’ says Lyne. ‘During the racing, Brett and I are next to each other on the water and having trimming conversations. We then translate the output of those discussions into the daily debriefs for Quantum customers and from there into Quantum’s sail development program, iQ Technology.’ Lyne adds, ‘At this stage, in such a
refined class such as the TP52, the sail designs are relatively evolved but there is always room for improvement, and this is where Quantum’s unique strengths really show up. The team is always working to make the sails better, in design, structure and construction. When we look back at the winning Super Series sails we used 10 years ago and view them next to this
NICO MARTINEZ
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