Volvo Ocean Race- Team Sanya specifies Stratis Sails from Doyle

by Guy Waddilove on 29 Jun 2011 Stratis GPx sails from Doyle Sails New Zealand have been chosen to power Team Sanya around the globe in the next edition of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Mike Sanderson, skipper of Team Sanya and director of Doyle Sails New Zealand; 'It was an easy decision for Team Sanya to make, notwithstanding the fact that I have a boot in both camps!

'The tremendous results that we are achieving with Stratis sails now in terms of both performance and durability certainly give me a lot of confidence and comfort going into the race. The Team and I will be working with Richard Bouzaid and the rest of the Doyle Sails design team in New Zealand to develop the optimum wardrobe for the race. The sail programme has been made all that much harder for this lap compared to any of my others because the boats will be carrying so few sails on board and they get replaced less frequently as well!

Mike Sanderson’s sailing CV certainly makes him very well qualified to make a rational decision on sails to match the task ahead. Being a sailmaker by trade, having wins in two previous Volvo Ocean races as well as transatlantic and 24 hr speed records under his belt, Mike knows that as well as being fast, the sails have to be engineered and built with an extreme level of durability, particularly as sail wardrobes are so limited for the race.

'I think that the properties of Stratis make it ideal for the application, and with the practical expertise of the design team behind us, we are very excited about taking delivery of our first set of sails.'