ASYMMETRIC -- Racing Spinnakers
Design Notes: North
sail designers work hard to match the distribution of area, girth and profile
to each boat and its style of racing.
Pointtopoint racers, for instance, are best served by a mold
optimized for reaching. Windward / leeward racers, on the other hand, benefit
from a "runner" mold optimized for deeper downwind angles. The
runner mold has a higher draft and fuller head designed to rotate to windward
out from behind the mainsail. North Asymmetric designs are optimized with
North's exclusive FLOW and MEMBRANE computer simulation programs, which
analyze pressure and stresses on the sail at various wind speeds and angles.
For
the 1995 America' s Cup, North Sails New Zealand developed a unique "twisted
wind tunnel" to better replicate the differences in wind speed and
angle a spinnaker experiences between deck level and the upper part of
the rig. The tunnel, developed in conjunction with the University of Auckland,
has allowed North sail designers to harness more speed over a broader wind
spectrum for a specific spinnaker design.
The ongoing development of fast shapes will continue
especially with the upcoming Whilbread Round the World Race; a true test
of speed and durability.
Specifications subject to change and may vary from loft to loft. 1997 North Sails. All rights reserved. NorLon is a trademark of North Sails.
Spinnaker Cloth Options
North ASYMMETRIC spinnakers
are available in two lightweight cloth types, polyester and nylon. Each
has its advantages. For instance, polyesters stretch less for their weight,
especially when wet, but cannot withstand "shockloading"
as well as nylon. Conversely, nylon loses as much as half of its strength
when wet, but is a better choice for rough water, or of Offshore racing.
Polyesters tend to last longer than nylon styles but are not as resistant
to tearing. Following is a table of available cloth weights and colors
for the complete range of Asymmetric spinnaker designs.
NorLon .75 and 1.5oz.
White, Red, Green, Yellow, Lt. Blue, Dark Blue,
Purple, Black, Caribbean, Fuschia, Mango, Grape, Raspberry
NorLon Accent Colors (.75 only)
Periwinkle, Sweet Pea, Pumpkin, Yam, Beige* (Great
for inlays, faces,and flesh tones)
NorLon 250 Colors White,
Red, Blue
.6 Nylon (30/20) White, Red, Blue
0.5 Polyester White, Red, Yellow, Dark Blue, Gray
0.60 Polyester White, Red, Dark Blue, Light Blue, Yellow, Green, Purple, Gray, Hot Yellow, Hot Green, Hot Orange, Hot Pink
0.85 Polyester
White, Red, Dark Blue, Yellow, Green, Hot Pink
