Technology The Holy Grail
Dry and light! In two short years North Sails Performance clothing has firmly established itself among the most elite technical clothing suppliers... with the benefit of some pretty high quality assistance!
A dry bum is one thing that’s very pleasant about wearing North Sails Performance foul weather gear. The other is just how light it is. When North Sails Performance
director, Nigel Musto, set out to create the best sailing gear ever seen, or worn, his primary objective was for the wearer to be comfortable and dry. Truly, properly, dry even after hours on deck in heinous conditions. However, one nice side- benefit - the light weight of the North Sails Performance range - has ended up becoming one of the biggest draws for customers. More of that in a moment. It has been a whirlwind entry to
the market for the new range of high- performance offshore clothing. ‘Our two years have been outstanding for us,’ says Nigel Musto. ‘We’ve been delighted that several of the world’s top sailors, on board some of the most exciting boats – like the Gitana Team – have chosen to wear our kit. In particular the performance of 4DL, our “4-layer durable laminate” reinforcement, was way beyond even our own expectations and the feedback has been superb.’ Nigel Musto wanted to see if
he could achieve the Holy Grail of offshore clothing. Was it really possible to create products that would keep you properly dry, as opposed to faintly damp? ‘When
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we started the North Sails Performance project in 2018 we set out to solve several issues that the marine clothing industry has never been able to resolve. One was the problem of leaking knees and seats. Historically, when creating a robust garment that’s resistant to being torn or damaged by the anti-slip surface on decks, and other snagging points around the boat, it’s been common to put a Cordura patch over the top of the Gore-Tex fabric and then sew that patch into the side seams, but there are several problems with that. ‘The logical route was to laminate
something to the outside because with a laminated patch, you don’t need to go to the side seams and you don’t create a wet, damp pocket between the Cordura and the Gore- Tex. The patch material we’ve used doesn’t absorb any water at all, meaning no weight gain in this area no matter how long you’re offshore’. The biggest challenge was
creating amaterial that would fulfil such a demanding brief, and Nigel Musto says they have achieved it thanks to those clever boffins at the North Technology Group. ‘They had already done great pioneering work in sail design with 3DL and laminated sails, and we were able to draw on that expertise to create the perfect laminate for waterproof clothing.’
Above: onboard the Imoca 60 Holcim-PRB, which won the first two legs of The Ocean Race. Skipper Kevin Escoffier has sailed tens of thousands of miles in North Sails Performance gear
Two years of rigorous testing
followed, which resulted in some impressive feedback including a ringing endorsement from professional offshore sailor Kévin Escoffier. The Vendée veteran became the early leader of The Ocean Race after skippering Team Holcim-PRB to victory on Leg 1 from Alicante to Cabo Verde. His recent experience cements his already firm belief that North Sails Performance clothing is the best he has worn in his illustrious and adventure-filled career. ‘I tested the same North Sails smock and trousers over 40,000 miles of hard sailing including the Transat Jacque Vabre, Le Defi Azimut, Vendée Atlantique – and the kit is absolutely reliable,’ says the Frenchman. ‘What is just amazing about the North Sails Performance kit is how light it stays even in very wet conditions. The 4DL patches just don’t take in any water at all. It’s great and so comfortable.’ One of Escoffier’s crew for The
Ocean Race is British sailor Abby Ehler who spoke to Seahorse soon after the team’s successful Leg 1 victory. Stories abound about the discomfort of sailing on board a latest-generation foiling Imoca. The unpredictability of the bucking bronco ride – as the boats leap from wave to wave only to crash down into a trough without warning – no
JULIAN CHAMPOLION/POLARYSE
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