North Sails at VELAFestival, come learn about the latest technologies

At the TAG Heuer VELAFestival, in Tigullio, one of the most famous sailmakers in the world could not fail to be there, which right in Carasco, a village just above Chiavari, has its historic Italian loft: we are talking about North Sails.

COME LEARN ABOUT THE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES
Come learn about the latest technology in sails, 3DL but especially 3DI: this is a patented technology that enables 3D printed sails to achieve load balance and the shape of a rigid airfoil. After a long period of intensive testing and amazing regatta results, today 3Di’s represent the future in sailing: the membrane is composed of stretched ribbons of filament, the diameter of each filament is less than that of a hair, and it can be oriented in any direction, thus ensuring unprecedented precision in matching the sail structure with the expected loads on ess

THE LOFT OF CARASCO
The loft, which has been in Carasco since 1981, has 3100 sq. m. of parquet flooring, on which a mainsail of an America’s cupper can be spread. Fifty meters of cutting plane distributed over two laser cutters that allow very high cutting precision and ensure a perfect match with the designs made by the highly advanced North Sails software. A number of drop sewing machines are placed on the parquet, by means of which the sail can be sewn by a single person following only the needle track. In addition, to have greater control over temperature and humidity levels and to ensure that the sails do not warp and the measurements remain stable, a highly sophisticated air conditioning system was installed.