Hear John Hearne master sailmaker at SIBS Cruising Masterclass 3/4 Aug

What kind of rigging and sails do you really need to go cruising? - John Hearne is going to tell SW

John Hearne, of Doyle Sailmakers © SW

It's John Hearne's 40 years of experience in making and advising sailors, both racing and cruising, about what will work best on their particular boat that makes him an ideal sailmaker to advise on what's best for cruising boats in general. That's why we've chosen John as the best expert to give the seminar on how to set up your boat for cruising - so different from how you set it up for racing.

John has sailed passages across many parts of Asia, but he has not only been involved in passage sailing. He has been an active racer over the years with many regatta wins to his credit, ten Sydney to Hobart races and almost every other race on the east coast of Australia. This extensive sailing gives him a broad range of experience, as does his long experience with feed-back from sailors about what works for them and what doesn't.

John qualified as a sailmaker serving his apprenticeship with Elvstrom Sails Australia. Over the subsequent years he has worked for a variety of sailmakers in various capacities, gaining valuable experience in every kind of yacht during that period. John's expertise has grown as technology and knowledge have increased with the explosion of interest in sailing over those 40 years. He has been a part of the evolution of the sailmaking industry in Australia, being a part of  where it stands today.
 
John has been involved in all facets of the trade from sewing, measuring, designing, production managing through to senior management positions in saillofts.

Sails that he has worked on range from Sabot sails to Superyacht sails and almost everything in between, giving advice to a wide range of sailors, from the Saturday sailor to the round-world cruiser. While the sailmaking industry tends to showcase racing sails, the cruising boats make up a huge percentage of the Australian market and is of growing importance.

John's seminar will include:
Cruising sails and rig setups, Cutter, furling mains and jibs, off wind sails,
Maintenance, chafe, reefing etc, battens
Storm Sails
Pre trip and during trip checks
Sailmaking spares,
Sail materials, batten material

Other subjects to be covered in the Cruising Masterclass on 3/4 August include:

Passage Planning
Anchoring
Electronics and communications, AIS and radar
Power options - solar, wind, trailing, generator, engine
MOB
Applied Navigation
Multihulls vs Monohulls,
Cruising with kids
Short-handed cruising
Insurance for cruising
Cruising to the Whitsundays - anchorages, dangers, timing
Cruising to Tasmania - anchorages, dangers, timing

Attendance is free for the inaugural Masterclass, but registration is essential to reserve your place as space will be limited.

For the full program and further information about the Cruising Masterclass, http://www.sail-world.com/index_d.cfm?nid=109962!click_here.

For ask for even more information about, or to register for, the Masterclass, http://www.sydneyboatshow.com.au/activities/cruising-masterclass/index.html!click_here.

About Doyle Sailmakers:
Right from our start in 1982, when Robbie Doyle established the first Doyle Sailmakers loft, to today, with over 80 Doyle lofts in 30 countries, Doyle Sailmakers has delivered a high degree of innovation, technology, value, and personal service to Doyle customers. As the company has grown into an international organization with worldwide resources, we've never forgotten that the measure of our success is not the size of our company but our clients' satisfaction.

Whether working on cruising sails for a large boat or a small boat, we strive for the right mixture of sailmaking art, science, and customer service.

The Sydney Doyle loft is run by Guy Waddilove and John Hearne and together they have access to the latest Doyle technology, such as computerized sail design, laser-cut panels, and exclusive Doyle-developed woven and laminate fabrics, yet the loft is small enough that their hands-on sailmakers can give each customer the time and personal attention they need.

Doyle Sailmakers has brought a high level of innovation to cruising sails, such as QuickSilver (the first radial-cut, roller-reefing genoa with a luff-flattening device), and StackPack and Cradle Cover (the first self-stowing mainsail handling system).

Moving into the future, Doyle Sailmakers is more committed than ever to developing better sails. But the most important point on our timeline is right now, when we are helping each Doyle customer get the very best out of their sails.