Hello everyone,

Lovely weather, wasn't it for the past few days?

You might be surprised to hear that over 50% of our business is in cruising sails. Here are some lovely pictures of our wonderful cruising clients' sails in action!

So, we have some good news for cruising sailors of all shapes and sizes - especially if you are planning some "Indian Summer" trips to sunnier climes in the Autumn or early winter...or, indeed if you are planning your 2025 (and beyond,) sails...then:-

North Sails Norlon Easy Furling Gennaker on Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 349 Photo: Shane Hughes/North Sails Ireland

SPECIAL PRICING FOR AUGUST DELIVERY FOR NORTH CRUISING SAILS

If delivery in August is suitable, then we can offer you a special deal for any cruising sails ordered between now and the end of May 2024.

North Sails NPL TOUR UltraX in-mast furling mainsail on Discovery 67 Photo: Maurice O'Connell/North Sails Ireland

Please get in touch with us for a quote. We'd be delighted to hear about your day sailing, coastal cruising or blue water voyaging plans!

North Sails 3Di OCEAN In-mast Furling Main & Furling Genoa on Halberg Rassy 46 Photo: Maurice O'Connell/North Sails Ireland

North Sails NPL TOUR Xi Mainsail and Furling genoa on Moody S31 Photo: Maurice O'Connell/North Sails Ireland

Sail safe, everyone!

Maurice O'Connell

Hello everyone,

I am just back from coaching at the Etchells Worlds in Fremantle, Australia, so I am just coming up for air and wanted to share some news about North Sails Ireland.

It's always an exciting time for us when we are commissioned to supply sails for any vessel - but a brand new one always brings a certain "buzz".

The new J/99 "Mister Ollie" hit the water recently in Dun Laoghaire, and North Sails Ireland's Shane Hughes was on board for the sail trial.

This is the second J/99 project that Shane has worked on, and the sails look beautiful!

The owner's 2024 programme is aimed mainly at club sailing in DBSC with friends and family. With this in mind, we designed and supplied a five sail inventory with his usage requirements specifically in mind.

1. Mainsail:

North Sails 3Di RAW with two reefs and a composite luff set up with a mixture of luff tape and Antal luff cars.

This allows greater control and a cleaner flying shape, especially in the upper section of the sail

"Mister Ollie" flying her North Sails 3Di RAW mainsail and furling race jib: Pic Shane Hughes/North Sails Ireland

2. "AP" Furling Large Race Jib:

North Sails 3Di RAW with HELIX structured luff, vertical battens and painted black UV filter for minimum weight

"Mister Ollie" flying her North Sails 3Di RAW furling race jib: Pic Shane Hughes / North Sails Ireland

3. Heavy Weather Furling Race Jib:

North Sails NPL Sport Xi with light single-sided taffeta and vertical battens

"Mister Ollie" flying her North Sails NPL Xi SPORT furling heavy race jib: Pic Shane Hughes/North Sails Ireland

4. A2 Large Running Asymmetric:

Norlon 75 nylon with "Zip it" luff/foot system, take down system and gybulators

Vide above: Not much wind! - "Mister Ollie" flying her North Sails A2 asymmetric, check out the drop lines, gybulators and Zip-It systems Video by Shane Hughes / North Sails Ireland.

5. A3 Reaching Asymmetric: Norlon 150, same systems

All of us here at North Sails Ireland would like to wish the team on 'Mister Ollie' fair winds for a fun 2024 season.

See you on the water everyone!

Maurice O'Connell

North Sails Ireland is thrilled to congratulate the Swuzzlebubble team, led by the father and son duo of David and James Dwyer, on winning the prestigious ICRA Boat of the Year Award for the 2023 season!

This remarkable achievement is a testament to the team's dedication, skill, and unwavering passion for sailing. The Swuzzlebubble consistently demonstrated exceptional performance throughout the season, winning their class at all the major Irish regattas in 2023, including the ICRA Nationals.

Royal Cork Half Tonner 'Swuzzlebubble' (David and James Dwyer)downwind in breeze at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta 2023 Photo: Afloat

North Sails Ireland is proud to have been a part of Swuzzlebubble's journey, and we commend the team on their outstanding accomplishment. We look forward to witnessing their continued success in the years to come.

ICRA Yacht of the Year 2023, the Half Tonner Swuzzlebubble, pictured winning Class Two of the ICRA Nationals at Howth Yacht Club in September 2023 Photo: Afloat

The team's success results from their hard work, dedication, and use of innovative technology. Swuzzlebubble relies on North Sails' unique 3Di sails, which are known for their high performance and durability.

Learn more about the 3Di sailmaking process here: North Sails 3Di Technology

Celebrating 20 Years of Sailing Success at North Sails Ireland

We're thrilled to announce that North Sails Ireland is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year! It's been an incredible journey filled with milestones, achievements, and a shared passion for sailing.

Since 2004, we've had the privilege of serving the Irish sailing community and high-performance Teams like Swuzzlebubble, providing top-quality sails and exceptional service to countless sailors. We're proud of our role in supporting their successes on the water.

This milestone is a tribute to the dedication and expertise of our entire team; their unwavering commitment has been instrumental in our journey, and we're incredibly grateful for their contributions.

As we look ahead, we're excited to continue our journey, fostering a love for sailing and empowering individuals to achieve their dreams on the water.

Here's to many more years of following the wind together!

Here at North Sails Ireland, we are blessed with having two of the best sailors in the country on our Team. Maurice O’Connell or “Prof” as most of you know him and Shane Hughes who is also running the North Sails Service loft. Between the three of us, there is nothing that we do not know about in the world of sailmaking and sailing.

We have over 85 years of combined experience in the industry; both Shane and myself are time-served sailmakers, and Prof has over 17 years in the industry plus his vast sailing experience. Prof competes in local competition through to the Olympic classes and, most recently, Melges 24 World Champion trimmer and Round Ireland class winner.

The Black Seal Cape 31 winning at Key West 2024

International coaching is also part of Prof’s workload, and this blend of local and International makes North Sails Ireland so strong in the local marketplace.

North Sails Ireland started back in March 2004 with just myself and a blank sheet of paper to work from. The business has been an amazing roller coaster ride from the dizzy heights of the Tiger days, the 2008 recession, and the rebuild up to 2019, when it looked like the World might end with COVID-19!

The Cape 31 Black Seal with Key West at its very best Photo: Sharon Green

The last twenty years have flown by, and I have really enjoyed taking the business from nothing to where it is today with the help of my two colleagues and the background team looking after the administration. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the clients who have been with us for the full twenty years! You know who you are, and I do not have the room to list you all here! But thank you from us all at NS Ireland.

International sailing and travel have always been a part of my work since I started with North Sails back in 1994; as the years roll by, this is becoming a bigger part of my focus.

2022 and 2023 saw my sailmaking and sailing life change quite a bit, with International competition coming back online, taking me out of the country more and more. Roughly 150 days of sailing and travel for each of those years, and now 2024 is ramping up to be the biggest year travelling for my international commitments.

I am currently involved with two Cape 31 programmes, one in the USA and one in the UK, the Club Swan 36 Mediterranean circuit and the occasional Melges 24 and regatta. All of these programmes are 100% North Sails and take a lot of time to manage and race. With the above in mind, we are having a small restructuring in North Sails Ireland to ensure we service all of our clients in the best way possible.

Nigel Young (left) Cape 31 Class Winners of the 2024 at Key West's Southernmost Regattas

With my commitments taking me out of the country more and more, it makes sense to spread my local workload out between my two colleagues.

This year, my International sailing is going to keep me out of the country more than I would like, but I will sail in the ICRA Nationals, J-Cup and the IRC Europeans, all being well. Let's see how the season unfolds, and I look forward to my Irish sailing in 2024.

For Sales and Service please do not hesitate to contact any of us here at North Sails Ireland. I will be on the phone and email as normal and running the business day to day as I have since 2004. The only difference this year is you will not see me as much on the dockside as I will be travelling all over Europe and the US supporting our International clients…..

Thank you again for the support over the last 20 years, and we look forward to seeing you all on the water very soon!

Spring is in the air…..

Nigel Young

A belated Happy New Year, everyone. We hope you are all safe and sound from Isha and survived recent storms, Isha and Jocelyn!

I am bringing you some wonderful news from our North Sails product development teams.

At the Dusseldorf Boat Show on Tuesday, January 23rd, we launched North Sails NPL RENEW - a North Panel Laminate (NPL) sailcloth for cruising boats from 25 to 45 ft. NPL RENEW sailcloth is constructed from more than 90% sustainable sources, with no sacrifice in performance or longevity.

Some background - for many years now, many of our cruising clients have opted for our wonderful NPL TOUR sails, which are tough. Performance cruising laminates have been available in a number of styles to suit a range of boat sizes and budgets.

Here is a video of our NPL TOUR sails on the Hanse 370 "Vohirana" sail testing on Dublin Bay....

Hanse 370 flying her NPL TOUR Xi self-tacking furling jib - Vid: Maurice O'Connell / North Sails Ireland

And on a Moody 31 in Strangford Lough...........

Moody 31 "Zeelander" flying her NPL TOUR Xi sails - Vid: Maurice O'Connell / North Sails Ireland

Today's announcement is a development of the successful NPL TOUR range with a BIG difference.............

NPL RENEW

The launch of NPL RENEW sailcloth marks an important shift towards building more sustainable sails with the best materials.

North Sails’ close relationships with the major companies supplying films, fibers, and fabrics, as well as their shared commitment to creating more sustainable products, have been the foundation of the journey to RENEW. For RENEW, North Sails was able to source recycled polyester film and yarn, and bio-based Dyneema, with no compromise on performance, to create a highly durable cruising laminate cloth that features more than 90% alternative bio-based and recycled raw materials.

The supplier products for RENEW are all Bluesign Certified and ISCC compliant to guarantee the validity of the sources and processes used in their manufacture.

For some more info in Q & A form on RENEW click here.

Here is a shot below of RENEW in action on a Jeanneau 349....

A Jeanneau 349 using RENEW on Narragansett Bay in late 2023 Photo: Amory Ross / North Sails

And here is a video of NPL RENEW in action:-

A word from North Sails Product Director Tom Davis: “There's been a lot of rigorous work behind the scenes over a number of years to ensure RENEW is a sailcloth with legitimate sustainability credentials. This product has been tested to the absolute limit, and we are confident that a sail constructed with RENEW will offer comparable, unbeatable durability and sail shape for our cruising customers without compromising on performance.”

And finally from North Sails President Ken Read: “We have been deliberate and comprehensive in vetting the authenticity of sustainability claims and thoroughly testing the materials before bringing a product to market. We wanted to be 100% certain with RENEW that North Sails could stand behind the improvements in the carbon footprint and authenticity of the sustainable materials in our sailcloth. With our wider commitment to continuous improvement and our push to strive for more sustainable solutions across the business at all levels, RENEW will not stop with panel laminates, and we will look to apply this approach to sustainable raw materials across our broader range of products.”

For more information and to get a quote for your cruising sails, please get in touch with us; we'd be delighted to chat.

Regards,

Nigel, Prof & Shane - Your North Sails Ireland team

FAST sails simplify tactics and make everything easier!

Flying Fifteen sailors Niall and Nicky Meagher powering upwind with their North Sails FR-3 and NXG-3 genoa Photo: Maurice O'Connell / North Sails

North Sails has powered thousands of one-design victories; this year alone, our sails have won over 20 world championships.

Howth Yacht Club's J24 team "Headcase" en route to winning the J24 Europeans in Hungary powered by their North Sails Fat Head main and DX-7TT genoa

Stephen Day's J80 flying downwind with their North Sails TR-5 asymmetric with graphics supplied by North Graphics - pic: Maurice O'Connell / North Sails

We've had a fantastic "One Design" season - check out a sample of these wonderful results in 2023 in the most competitive classes of all...

• 1st - Dragon Nationals - "Little Fella" - Cameron Good, Simon Furney & Henry Kingston
• 1st - Flying Fifteen Nationals - Niall & Ronan O'Briain
• 1st - Fireball class at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Week - Josh Porter & Cara McDowell
• 1st - IDRA 14 Nationals - "Dubious" - Simon Revill & Orla Doogue
• 1st - J24 Northerns - "Headcase" - Cillian Dickson, Ryan Glynn, Sam O'Byrne, Marcus Ryan & Louis Mulloy
• 1st - J24 Westerns - "Headcase" - Cillian Dickson, Ryan Glynn, Sam O'Byrne, Marcus Ryan & Louis Mulloy
• 1st - J24 Europeans - "Headcase" - Cillian Dickson, Ryan Glynn, Sam O'Byrne, Marcus Ryan & Louis Mulloy
• 1st - J80 Nationals - "Mojo" - Pat O'Neill
• 1st - Puppeteer Nationals - "Trick Or Treat" - Alan Pearson, Alan Blay, Michele Barron, Pete Barron & Oscar Langan

If you are a One Design sailor and are looking for FAST sails for 2024 at a reduced price, then NOW is your final chance..............

Do get in touch with us for a quote.

Your North Sails Ireland team - Nigel, Prof & Shane

*T's & C's apply

Maurice O'Connell

NORTH SAILS IRELAND

M: +353 86 2364200

www.northsails.com

One Design racing can be the toughest arena of them all - every tiny mistake is punished, and boatspeed is KING.

FAST sails help simplify tactics and make everything easier!

North Sails has powered thousands of one-design victories, and this year alone, our sails have won over 20 world championships.

Here at home, North Sails has had a fantastic "One Design" season - check out a sample of these wonderful results in 2023 in the most competitive classes of all...

• 1st - Dragon Nationals - "Little Fella" - Cameron Good, Simon Furney & Henry Kingston
• 1st - EBoat Nationals - Cliff and Sean Waddilove
• 1st - Flying Fifteen Nationals - Niall & Ronan O'Briain
• 1st - Fireball class at Volvo Dun Laoghaire Week - Josh Porter & Cara McDowell
• 1st - IDRA 14 Nationals - "Dubious" - Simon Revill & Orla Doogue
• 1st - J24 Northerns - "Headcase" - Cillian Dickson, Ryan Glynn, Sam O'Byrne, Marcus Ryan & Louis Mulloy
• 1st - J24 Westerns - "Headcase" - Cillian Dickson, Ryan Glynn, Sam O'Byrne, Marcus Ryan & Louis Mulloy
• 1st - J24 Europeans - "Headcase" - Cillian Dickson, Ryan Glynn, Sam O'Byrne, Marcus Ryan & Louis Mulloy
• 1st - Puppeteer Nationals - "Trick Or Treat" - Alan Pearson, Alan Blay, Michele Barron, Pete Barron & Oscar Langan

and many more...

So, if you are a One Design sailor and are looking for FAST sails at a great price, then take a look at this:-

Today is the day to get in touch with us...............

Maurice O'Connell

NORTH SAILS IRELAND

Next season starts now. For a limited time until October 31st, save 15% on all Inshore One Design sails.

Unleash your performance potential with North World championship-winning sails. To dominate the competition - Go North.

Terms & Conditions: Promotion is valid for Inshore One Design sails delivered in countries in the Northern Hemisphere.

Excludes Offshore and Grand Prix One Design classes. Valid for orders placed between October 1 - 31, 2023.

Sails will ship as soon as the order is complete. This offer cannot be combined with any other discount/promotion. A 50% deposit is required when an order is placed, and the balance is due prior to shipping.

Please do not hesitate to contact us at North Sails Ireland for advice and a quotation to be ready to win in 2024.

Nigel Young

NORTH SAILS
Ireland

Victory was hard fought for Barry Cunningham and his team at the J109 National Championship on Dublin Bay last weekend.

The team felt they underperformed in Volvo Dun Laoghaire Regatta so it was fantastic for this one to go their way against a very tough fleet.

Their 2, 3, 2, 5, 1, 1 was impressive to say the least, winning by a 4-point margin from Pat Kelly's team on "Storm II" and Nicky Smyth's team (standing in for owner John Maybury) on "Joker II".

"Chimaera" flying her 2019 AGRADE composite A2 asymmetric and 2018 3Di RAW mainsail Photo: Key Yachting

Here are a few onboard videos of the team training on Friday night in the rain before the start of the event...........as the great golfer Arnold Palmer said, "The more I practice, the luckier I get!"

"Chimaera" roll tacking in Dun Laoghaire Harbour before the J109 Nationals - video: Maurice O'Connell / North Sails Ireland

"Chimaera" kite set practice - video: Maurice O'Connell / North Sails Ireland

"Chimaera" gybing practice - video: Maurice O'Connell / North Sails Ireland

From our perspective here at North Sails, we were especially delighted because her sail inventory is far from new but is still delivering outstanding performance.

For the event, "Chimaera" flew only three sails, which were.....

1. A2 - 2019 - A-Grade Contender Composite Superkote 60 / 75
2. Mainsail - 2018 - 3Di RAW 760
3. Code 1 Jib - 2018 - 3Di RAW 780

Congratulations to the "Chimaera" team of:-

• Andrew Abbott - bow
• Rose Tyrrell - mid-bow
• Red Power - mast
• Hazel Rea - pit
• Alan Crosbie - Mainsheet
• Max Goodbody - trimmer
• Adam Hyland - trimmer
• Nevan Powell - tactician
• Barry Cunningham - helm and owner

From your North Sails Ireland team of Nigel, Shane and myself............

..........Sail FAST.

Huge congratulations to Cillian Dickson, Ryan Glynn, Marcus Ryan, Louis Mulloy and Sam O'Byrne for winning the J24 Europeans on "Headcase" over the weekend. Tremendous stuff, guys!

Here's what trimmer Sam O'Byrne had to say after the event:-

"We are delighted to win the J24 Europeans, especially being the first time an Irish team has done so. We were set up with the North sails Fathead mainsail, DXTT7 Genoa and FR-2 Spinnaker.

These performed really well across the range, even though they are aimed more at choppier and windier venues.

The Irish Headcase crew celebrate victory in the J24 Europeans on Lake Balaton Photo: J24 European Championships

In Balaton's super light air venue, we were fast up and downwind with these sails.

We have been working very closely with Shane Hughes and the guys at North Sails Ireland since the beginning of our campaign. They are always only a phone call away at any time to sort out any issues or help with set-up. Shane, in particular, has been at various times a coach, wealth of knowledge, last-minute sail logistics organiser and all round a massive supporter of the team.

Also, having close access to past J24 world champions like Will Wells and Mike Marshall with North Sails has helped us at different times when trying to move forward.

We look forward to the World Championships in two weeks in Greece, where we will use a full North inventory again".

Well done, "Headcase" - brilliant stuff.

From your North Sails Ireland team - Nigel, Shane and myself

Maurice O'Connell

NORTH SAILS IRELAND