Technology
No time to relax (... but still one heck of a finale!)
Doyle Sails builds on success with a renewed focus on next-level R&D A stellar showing at the 2023 Maxi World Championships might have been just cause for celebration at Doyle Sails. Instead, the mood of quiet satisfaction was eclipsed by a determination to keep focused on pushing the technology, design and development of high-performance sails on their upward trajectory. ‘We are obviously very pleased
huge investment in sailors and sailmakers, who occupy key positions within high profile Grand Prix and superyacht teams,’ he says. Behind the company’s ‘by sailors,
for the owners and teams who did so well,’ says Doyle Sails CEO Mike Sanderson. ‘We are part of those teams and hope that together we can add more good results next year. We have exciting new products in the pipeline that will move the bar again.’ Business as usual. Teams racing with Doyle Sails in
the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup included: Maxi A Division – Galateia 1st Leopard 3 2nd
, , Bullitt 3rd
, Pepe Cannonball 3rd Maxi Division – Y3K 1st Division – Convexity 2 2nd
Division – Bella Mente 1st 2nd
; Maxi B ; Super
‘This result has been quietly
building for quite a long time now,’ says Doyle Sails director and designer Richard Bouzaid, who has been directly involved with all three of the Maxi A podium yachts, along with Proteus, Pepe Cannonball and Y3K. ‘These results are also being backed up in other Grand Prix classes and superyachts.’ For Sanderson, the showing
at Porto Cervo is testament to a strategy he has pursued since taking over the leadership of Doyle Sails a dozen years ago. ‘What we are seeing now is the result of a
62 SEAHORSE , Proteus
; Multihull equal.
for sailors’ credo is a hand-picked team of 24 leading sailmakers and Grand Prix sailors who apply to every project experience accumulated from 12 America’s Cups, 30 Volvo Ocean Races, 31 World Championship medals, an Olympic gold medal, multiple maxi regattas and too many national titles to list. ‘We aim to have our people deeply embedded with their respective teams, who believe that having Doyle Sails as part of their team is a sound pillar of what they’re trying to achieve,’ Sanderson explains. ‘They are there because they can help make boats go faster and have earned the respect of the people they sail with on merit, not because of the logo on their shirts.’ But it only works as a dialogue
in which the sailmakers respect the particular sailing characteristics of the team and tailor the sail package to their requirements. Sanderson has a long-standing relationship with Bella Mente, which won Maxi B Division. ‘Doyle Sails do not produce Bella Mente’s sails in isolation,’ he says. ‘Team Bella Mente does that by working with us to produce winning sails. We consult closely with their decision-makers – the owner, afterguard, trimmers and so on. Once you are an integral part of the team and you have proved you can translate their input into reality and repeat that consistently, results
Above: Doyle Sails scored a remarkable hat trick of wins (and some other great results) at the last MaxiWorlds
follow. With that, you build trust and more results follow. It is the gift that keeps on giving.’ The ideal scenario is to work
within a team from the ground up on a new build, or a major refit. Y3K, the stunning newly-launched Judel/ Vrolijk Wally 101, is a case in point. From the outset, Richard Bouzaid collaborated widely with the design team on the rig, deck layouts and structures. ‘The result is a beautiful 30.8m cruiser-racer, which won the Maxi Worlds on its first outing,’ he says. ‘By taking full advantage of the benefits of Structured Luff, right through to components like furlers and hydraulic rams, we were able to reduce headstay loads to between 10.5 and 11 tons. ‘Compare that with the Wally
Cento Galateia, which was designed and built for conventional sails with headstay loads up to 26 tons. Since switching to Doyle’s Structured Luff Sails Galateia, which won Maxi Division A, is running headstay loads around 20 tons. This shows you can make improvements by applying Structured Luff to conventional set-ups, but not as much as when the technology is fully integrated throughout the entire design.’ The extensive refit of Leopard 3
was another project that fully embraced the Doyle Sails technology and came storming out of the blocks straight afterwards. Chris Sherlock fromthe Doyle Sails Palma loft is an integral part of the Leopard 3 sailing teamand, with Bouzaid, worked closely with all the relevant
ORIOL ESTEVE/PHOTONAUTIC
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