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Image credit - 11th Hour Racing/The Ocean Race

Why will your standing rigging benefit greatly from replacing the steel wire with composite fibre stays? I have been thinking of the advantages of composite rigging while following the different races and yachts challenges circumnavigating the world. With so many people chasing the dream of crossing oceans and sailing around the world, the importance of fitting your boat with the right material is paramount.  
 

Image credit - © Kohlhoff GmbH

Today we are speaking about deck hardware and rig setup to Max Kohlhoff, the winning helmsman of the 2023 Star Worlds. With Ole Burzinski from Flensburg Yacht Club, onboard Playmate, they recently scored two bullets out of six races in Scarlino, finishing the championship ahead of double Star World champion Diego Negri. They now join the long list of Star World Champions, that have raced annually since 1923, to claim this prestigious title.

Sometimes the most difficult problems to solve can have the simplest resolution, provided you know who to talk to! 

We have previously reported on the benefits of composite backstays: to reduce weight aloft and increase performance. An effective control system to finely tune backstay load is equally important, particularly for a race yacht. In this blog we look at 3 popular configurations for backstay purchase systems using block and tackle. 

The world of modern sailing ropes is bright and bountiful. But from the plethora of brands, colours, materials and styles, Gottifredi Maffioli’s Superswift perpetually stands out. The family run Italian firm pioneered the ‘Swift’ style of lines more than 2 decades ago which have since been imitated by so many other manufacturers. Superswift features that iconic grippy, durable cover with a compact braid DSK78 Dyneema core. In this blog we explore why this material lends itself so well to light weight spinnaker sheets. 

All sailing boats need ropes. But what is required of a rope varies greatly depending on the application. A vang purchase system demands different characteristics to a sheet, just as a halyard on a cruising boat can differ greatly to that on a grand prix racing yacht. Typically we don’t need to worry about the details too much as manufacturers tend to target their product lines: ‘cruising sheet’, ‘performance halyard’ etc. But what really differentiates these ropes on a technical level and which materials are responsible for providing the various characteristics? In this blog with give a brief overview of some of the fibres most commonly found in modern rope covers.