focus on asymmetrical downwind sails and VPP sailing. We were surprised how many teams turned up with spinnakers and poles, just because the rule included them.’ More recently, early involvement
in the process has enabled grand prix and superyacht projects to take full advantage of Doyle Sails’ Structured Luff technology, which has profound implications for the global design. Luff loads reduced by up to 30 per cent create a virtuous circle of lighter rig packages, lighter winches, smaller engines, lighter fuel loads, improved performance – all big-tick items to factor into the naval architecture from the outset. Raised awareness of sustainable
practice and concerns about fuel supply mean superyachts are paying increased attention to efficiency, even if they do not intend racing. For the growing numbers of superyachts that do race – even if only occasionally – these factors take on even greater significance. ‘One of the changes that has
taken place in the past 10 years or so is the switch from performance- type handicapping for superyachts,’ says Sanderson. ‘A couple of bad races and your handicap would change to give you a better chance of winning. Now, ORC-SY just measures how boats should perform according to their VPP and you get rated on that. If you have not designed an efficient yacht, you are not going to do well.’ Part of the early conversation
centres on how the yacht is intended to sail downwind. ‘If it is intended to sail with just two degrees of heel downwind, that is one thing. But if it is going to sail at seven to eight degrees of heel downwind, that is an entirely different style of boat. ‘That brings in the opportunity
for twin rudders, which opens other opportunities. The tender, for example, can be situated between the rudders in a transom garage. The rudders can be as efficient as they need to be for a lifting keel, so there can be a draft gain. These are all important early decisions.’ In a grand prix context, a commitment to Doyle Aero team involvement in the highly competitive Maxi 72 class set off a chain of events that validated the concept. Bella Mente was the first cab off the rank. ‘They gave us an opportunity to combine the new sails with a new Southern Spars rig to take full advantage of the technology,’ Sanderson notes. ‘Bella Mente dominated. ‘Momo then switched to Stratis
and also built a new mast – and won the world championships twice. Cannonball did the same and they
Above: Doyle Sails and Doyle’s sailmakers are very often at the front of the eet at the world’s top regattas including Hamilton Race Week. Right: Doyle Sails’ chief exec Mike Sanderson at the helm of Aquarius in St Barths Bucket 2019
won the worlds and now Vesper has just won. That formula has worked well for seven years.’ Often the genesis of new projects
begins months or even years before a formal design process is launched. This is where years of close relationships with owners, captains and team bosses bear fruit. Investing in top-echelon sailors
means they are already on board, sailing as senior members of the team and participating in afterguard exchanges, where the seeds are sown for new developments or entire projects. The cockpit conversations lead directly to the top table conversations. ‘This is not unique to Doyle
Sails,’ Sanderson acknowledges, ‘but we have worked hard to ensure the calibre of people we recruit have all the credentials to be in those conversations. If somebody said to me 10 years
ago that we would have four or five Maxi 72s running the Doyle Sails brand, or about the same number of Wally boats, or a J-Class, I’d have shaken my head. What we’re talking about is that the success is down to the investment we made in people constantly for the past six years.’ Reviewing the most significant
recent advances in sailmaking, Sanderson credits a rival brand
with the first: switching from panel construction to 3DL moulded sails. ‘Structured Luff was the next game- changer,’ he says. What’s next? ‘Structured Luff is a big deal
and we are still only scratching the surface. We have a constant R&D programme looking at issues like weight, longevity, elongation, reliability, range and so on. We incorporate every small gain as it evolves. The beauty of Structured Luff is that it is not a gimmick. It is real. It works. Everybody who has understood it and run with it, be it rig designers, naval architects, owners or sailing teams has gained from it. ‘We are not consciously looking
for the next Big Thing. We are looking at constant refinement, but for sure, when the next genuine Big Thing comes along, we will embrace it. We are very conscious of not looking for mere gimmicks, or marketing points of difference. Just as our people investment demonstrates and fully justifies our “By Sailors for Sailors” position, so do the claims we make about Structured Luff.’ It is part of an acute awareness
that when you take a seat at the top table, playing a false hand or bluffing will get you ejected from the game.
www.doylesails.com
❑ SEAHORSE 67
SALTY DINGO
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