New sail wardrobe for China Team

by Guy Nowell on 27 Jun 2005 After the first couple of races in Louis Vuitton Act 5 in Valencia last week, Pierre Mas, sailing master for the China Team, was quoted as saying 'the size and quality of our current sails in 6-7 knots of wind was an impediment.'

He continued, 'we have a lot of work to do on the appendages and sails if we are going to improve the boat for Sweden and Trapani, with much greater boat improvements planned for 2006.'

Current generation America's Cup rules now allow battened headsails and China Team have thus far been training and racing with old-edition sails.

That is about to change - and the sailmakers involved will be UK-Halsey. Barry Hayes, sales and service manager for UK-Halsey (Hong Kong), reports that China Team are shortly to be equipped with a new sail wardrobe of spinnakers, headsails and mains by UK-Halsey.

‘Current discussions are centred on the preference for either Ultra or Millennium sails. In any case, the new sails will have to be ready in time for the next AC Act in Malmo-Skane (Sweden) at the end of August 2005.

‘There’s a lot of work to do before then’, said Hayes. ‘UK-Halsey will be supplying China Team with the shaped skins for the sails. They will be finished by their own sailmakers in the team loft in Valencia.’

This is going to be a real international effort, with the English sailmakers pulling in expertise from their numerous lofts around the world. Depending on the specification of the sail skins, manufacture is likely to involve UK-Halsey lofts in Italy, the USA and Hong Kong.