Rolex Sydney Hobart - Sail makers to the Rescue

by Brendan Maxwell on 21 Dec 2010 Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.

Just a few days before the Hobart race and there is drama everywhere. Crew stuck at Heathrow, boats still on freighters and last minute emergencies at every level.

Some problems are bigger than others ...

Hood Sails Australia's Ian Broad got a call on Sunday afternoon, (just seven days before the Sydney to Hobart start) during a family pre-Christmas party, from immediate past CYCA Commodore Mat Allen.

Mat and his crew had been on their pre-Hobart shakedown sail just a few hours before and had discovered the moulded composite Hobart mainsail on his IRC optimised Volvo 70 Ichi Ban had begun to delaminate.

You can imagine the conversation, we will leave the preamble to you, but the nitty gritty was ...‘Need a mainsail, need it bulletproof, need it by Thursday night.’

Broadie explains. ‘We undertook to deliver a Hood Dimension GPL carbon with Internal Taffeta two ply in the last two panels in leech and head..... 'bullet proof' by Thursday night.

‘We ordered the rolled cloth on Sunday, the material arrived Monday afternoon.

‘Since then we’ve had five sail-makers at a time on it, working in shifts, with another team.

‘Tonight it will be finished with all the patches in place and during Wednesday it will be edged and on Thursday we will take it to the CYCA for measurement and test sailing.‘

'We are proud of our ability to build in house in this day of offshore outsourcing. It/s an area we are focused on and we are carving out a niche, we are Australian sail makers.'

http://www.hoodaustralia.com.au/flash.cfm