Team Adrenalin 'Glowfast' in the Tybee 500

by Brita Fowler on 29 May 2009 Glowfast Marine recently sponsored Team Adrenalin in the Tybee 500. Here’s what Todd Riccardi, Helm of Team Adrenalin had to say about Glowfast Luminous Draft Stripes.

'Last August, I bought a new spinnaker. I knew a black sail would look great on my boat and I went to a great effort to obtain this color. A few months later, once all our plans were finalized to sail the Tybee, I realized the black spinnaker might be a problem.

Sailing at night is typical in the Tybee 500 so two major concerns evolved… how were we going to see it at night and how were other boats (particularly commercial traffic) going to see us? After consulting several sailmakers I still had no practical solution.

It wasn’t until three weeks before the race that I saw Glowfast featured in an internet article. I immediately called Glowfast who sent me a roll of their Glowfast tape. Using the tape, I put chevron trim marks on my spinnaker and a draft strip on my jib. The tape is as thin and lightweight as your typical heavy-duty sail tape; it sticks very well and does not affect the sail performance.

While we were hoping we wouldn’t be sailing at night the Glowfast allowed me to be content knowing that we were prepared if it happened. Of course I probably jinxed us as this year’s edition of the Tybee was plagued with light winds leading to two consecutive late night finishes.

As the sun set we immediately noticed the Glowfast tape starting to glow against the black sail. Once it was dark, the tape made it easy to identify the amount of luff curl even with our tired eyes. Having stared at the spinnaker for 15 hours my crew was thankful for the Glowfast chevrons. His biggest concern prior to the race was that the tape would throw off our night vision but it did not, it glowed just the right amount.

Thanks again to Jason and the Glowfast team for supporting the safety of Team Adrenalin in the 2009 Tybee 500!'

To purchase Glowfast Luminous Draft Stripes go to www.glowfast.com, email sales@glowfast.com or call+61 3 9018 6581.