Technology
Fast clothing – why not?
Assemble a group of top international sailors for their ideas. Add one of the most famous names in the development of technical clothing for his knowledge and experience. The result was always going to be special...
It’s difficult to pinpoint at what stage clothing started to become “technical”. Some say the advent of truly breathable fabrics presented designers with the opportunity to completely re-think the way that items were constructed as the materials were behaving in a new and sophisticated way that allowed wholesale changes in construction techniques. Others say it was more complicated than that because new materials and methods complemented the breathable fabrics to drive a bigger revolution. But whenever and however the transition took place, the new Performance range of foul weather gear that has just been launched by North Sails isn’t just firmly placed in the technical category, but takes specialist sailing clothing on to a new level.
‘For decades the North Sails Team has sailed a lot of miles wearing all sorts of fair and foul weather gear,’ explains president of North Sails, Ken Read. ‘These new clothing lines incorporate our combined experience with that of one of the most successful technical sailing clothing designers in the world, Nigel Musto.
74 SEAHORSE
Following extensive testing, our team is really looking forward to our customers wearing the range we have put together.’
Nigel Musto has been at the leading edge of technical clothing for many years and was one of the key players in the clothing revolution that took place almost 30 years ago. As he knows better than most, when your products rely on modern materials, product evolution is fuelled in part by innovative thinking and new technology, but also by modern techniques. Couple this with the hands-on knowledge that comes with a long career as a competitive racing sailor both inshore and offshore and the result is an appreciation of not only what is required, but what could change things for the better.
Yet sometimes the catalyst for change comes down to more basic issues. Having a damp backside is one very good example. ‘It’s an age-old problem,’ he explains. ‘Your gear might not be leaking but you’ve constantly got a damp backside. There are a number of reasons for this.
Above: the North Sails Performance range of tech- nical sailing wear has been tested by some of the worldʼs top sailors in ocean races and inshore grand prix regattas. Its brand new 4DL laminate has already had almost 40,000 sea miles of test- ing aboard elite racing yachts and performed well in some of the
harshest possible conditions
‘The Cordura patches that people
have frequently used on foul weather gear hold a lot of water when they’re wet. They also create a pocket between the foul weather gear and the patch which can’t dry out once it’s got wet. So, we developed 4DL which is a four-layer durable laminate.’ This new laminate involves a non-absorbent and highly abrasion resistant patch material. Bonded to it is the Gore-Tex fabric, thus eliminating the troublesome pocket. In addition, there is no stitching into the side seams, removing another area where water could enter the material. As an indication as to just how big a step forward this is, when dry 4DL is 30 per cent lighter than traditional materials with even greater weight savings when wet, all of which improves comfort considerably. In addition, the laminate has proved excellent for knee areas too.
‘4DL has already been tested over 30-40,000 miles aboard some of the most extreme machines around in some harsh environments and the feedback has been superb,’ says Nigel. ‘The durability side has been
POLARYSE / PRB
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