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Image credit: RORC 

Reducing mainsail area effectively is an essential aspect of depowering the boat as the wind strength increases. For offshore racing or cruising it is particularly important to be able to do so quickly and safely and this becomes even more critical when sailing shorthanded. Without weight on the rail, the need to reef comes earlier and the ability to deal with a situation is reduced. A mainsail reefing system should be reliable, quick to operate and produce an adequate sail shape once reefed. In this blog we discuss 4 options for taking a slab in the main. 

Next week the Upffront team will be heading to Amsterdam for the biggest and most prestigious marine trade show in the world, METS. We are planning to share with you some of the latest innovations in marine technology at the show next week, but for now, here are a few of the DAME nominated products that caught our eye!

It is up to us, sailors, navigators, racers, and adventurers, to act for the preservation of the oceans, our wonderful playground. Innovations are flourishing, attitudes and habits are changing, and builders and designers are now giving priority to the eco-design of boats and fittings, and to the search for more ecological materials. In this blog we shine a spotlight on the innovative construction technology in the Eco Concept furler range, and say congratulations to Karver Systems for doing their bit for the environment.

If you have a 25-30ft sailboat and you are looking to boost your sailing performance with a code zero or asymmetric spinnaker then you will need a furler in the 900-1000kg working load range. There is a decent selection of different products available at this size, but which one should you chose? In this blog we run through the relative pro’s and con’s of the main contenders.

The biggest marine equipment trade show (METS) is about to take place in Amsterdam later this month and they have just announced the 2021 DAME Design Award nominations, for what's new and exciting in leisure marine equipment. An independent panel of experts consider the expected impact on the marine industry of the entries, their suitability for intended purpose, the level of innovation, cost, ease of use or installation and environmental impact, in a number of different product categories.

In this blog we take a quick look at what is new and/or interesting in the sailing block world in 2021.