The company we are
Thirtyseven years ago a sail loft opened at
the BStreet Pier in downtown San Diego, California. The
space was just livingroom size at 15 feet by 40. "It
was a little dusty and dirty but big enough to build a Starboat
mainsail," commented Lowell North , the owner. Today, North
Sails, the company this young Berkeleytrained engineer started
in 1957, is the world's premier sailmaker with 24 major lofts
and 60 service, sales, and satellite lofts in 25 countries.
North Sails got where it is today through an unwavering
commitment to technical leadership and a serviceoriented
philosophy. Our technical successes are demonstrated at all levels
of the sport. For example, North Sails were on four of five semifinalists
in the recently concluded America's Cup competition
, including 100% inventories on finalists BLACK MAGIC (Team New
Zealand) and YOUNG AMERICA (Team Dennis Conner). North Sails have
been on every America's Cup defender and challenger since 1950.
Beyond the America's Cup, the most visible competition in sailing,
North is the world leader in making sails for one-design and Olympic
classes, the Whitbread
Round the World Race, and is the first choice aboard the world's
finest cruising yachts.
When the going gets rough, North goes the distance.
In 1994, ENZA NEW ZEALAND , 92foot catamaran using North
Sails, set a new non-stop-aroundtheworld record, and
PRIMAGAZ, a 60foot trimaran with North Sails, set the singlehanded
and doublehanded transatlantic records. On her solo transatlantic
run from New York to England, PRIMAGAZ established a 24-hour record
of 538.7 nautical miles an average speed of 22.4 knots.
No boat, fully crewed or solo, has ever sailed further in one
day. Just like this multihull world record, the Whitbread 60,
INTRUM JUSTITIA, skippered by Lawrie Smith in the Whitbread Round
the World Race, set 3 records as the world's fastest monohull.
The importance of these achievements translates directly to our
ability to build fast, durable sails for all of our clients.
A company's attitude and culture have much to do
with the delivery of products and services to its customers, and
North reflects the personality of its founder. Lowell North apparently
looked in the mirror and decided that successful smallboat
racers make good sailmakers and good businessmen. North, himself,
won two Olympic m a Gold in the Star class in 1968 and a bronze
in the Dragon class in
1954, and five Starboat World Championships. North notables,
what Lowell liked to call "Tigers," include such luminaries
as Joun Marshall, Heiner Meldner, Tom Schnackenberg, Tom and Richard
Dodson, Robbie Haines, Jim Allsopp, Hans Fogh, and Tom Whidden.
North's merger with Diamond Sailmakers adds another long list
of Olympic and World Champions with extraordinary track records
to the above list: Jens Christensen, Henrik Soderlund, Ib Andersen,
Jacob Boysen Moller and Theis Palm from Denmark as well as Pedro
Campos and Jose Maria Lastra from Spain. The combined list could
well serve as a Who's Who of sailing and sailmaking worldwide.
North Sails and Diamond Sailmakers are now one in
Europe, Japan, and South America. These once fierce rivals merged
to combine the best resources available in sailmaking today. "We
have entered this partnership for two important reasons,"
said Whidden. "First is to pull together what will now be
significant worldwide resources with the goal of improving service
and product value to our customers. Second, Diamond has proven
itself to be a talented, energetic, progressive sailmaking company.
By combining their people and sailmaking technology with North's,
we are creating what is unquestionably the most dynamic worldwide
sailmaking team ever assembled."
Owned by businessman and sailing enthusiast Terry Kohler, North Sails continues to flourish today. President Tom Whidden, the well-known tactician for Dennis Conner in six America's Cup campaigns, is assisted by a worldwide group of managers who oversee sales, manufacturing, and service in the 25 countries in which we operate.