Quantum Sails head Etchells NSW State Championship

by David Eickmeyer on 29 Nov 2011 Etchells NSW Championship winning skipper Graeme Taylor chose Quantum Sails to ensure he had the best product to help his team to victory in last week’s event.

Taylor and his Magpie team of Steve Jarvin and Ben Morison-Jack, pushed the boat hard to achieve consistency in boat speed and consequently in results.

Another Quantum Sails skipper racing in the championship was Melbourne’s Mark Bulka with Perfect Balance. He delivered a solid regatta to finish in fifth place overall.

Quantum Melbourne’s managing director, David Eickmeyer, said his team has been working on developing high performance Etchells sails for the last 12 years, but it is only the last two years that their testing program has delivered the right rig and sail combination.

'We have been working hard to get an automatic rig to mainsail set-up and the mainsail luff curve just right so it matches the right forestay sag to meet the jibs is critical.

'We have also developed automatic rig settings so the whole package works together.'

Quantum has been conducting two-boat testing for speed and rig setting. Taylor’s results from the NSW Etchells Championship are a testament to good work that has been achieved from the testing.

'With a lot of input from Graeme Taylor we have been chasing maximum power for the lighter breeze and reducing drag in the breeze for our upwind sail shapes. With great teamwork from our sailors we have achieved that with fast sails. There is also a lot to be gained from choosing the right fabric specifications for the sails and we have proven this makes a difference. We have also got all of our systems in place so all of our sails are now perfectly repeatable from our in-house design and robotic cutting table.

'We have also worked hard on the best combination for next year’s Etchells Australian Championship at Pittwater and the World Championship at Sydney. Both courses are offshore racing. Our sail selection, including two new jibs, will handle the expected bumpy conditions.'

The two new Etchells jibs Quantum has developed are the 2012 QH+ Jib with a generous wind range of 10 to 25 knots true wind speed and the potent new QKL5 Light Jib with a range of two to 14 knots true wind speed.

'With the combination of the new 2012 mainsail and jibs there will be no conditions that our Team Quantum sailors can’t excel in,' Eickmeyer said.

Quantum has also updated their Etchells Class Tuning Guide which outlines the race winning settings.

With orders flowing in from far and wide after last weekend’s winning performance, Eickmeyer said Etchells sailors will need to get their new sails orders in quickly to avoid disappointment.

For more information –
Quantum Sail Design Group
Factory 5
Quantum Way (off Progress Street)
Mornington VIC 3931
Phone: (03) 5975 1119
Email: deickmeyer@quantumsails.com