North Sails and X-Yachts Winning Partnership of 40 Years
Since X-Yachts started boatbuilding in 1979, there has been a very strong connection between the three founders of X-Yachts and the three founding members of North Sails Denmark (at the time called Diamond sails). They both share a common vision and commitment to producing the best boats, together with the best sails. The partnership together became a world-leading team, with numerous victories in many different classes such as the ½ ton, ¾ ton 1 ton, 2 ton and in the IMS 50” class.
With time, the need for more comfort in boats emerged and with that, the X-Yacht range of boats developed, however, always without compromising performance, continuing the philosophy started by the winning partnership with North Sails. No matter the requirement - whether for cruising or racing, we will find a perfect combination to best serve our client’s requirements.
“Ever since working for X-Yachts GB in the 1990’s I have admired the build quality and sailing characteristics of X-Yachts. Since joining North Sails in 2001 its been a pleasure to work closely with X-Yachts owners, designers and salesmen to deliver sails that compliment the sailing properties of their yachts. Our strong partnership, which has stood for nearly forty years, is a true testament to the shared vision of ensuring we make the best products for the X-Yachts clients” Jeremy Smart - North Sails UK Salesman
The cooperation was and still is based on the fact that a fast, high quality boat needs a sail inventory to match and that is exactly what the X-Yachts and North Sails partnership does.
At North Sails our designers, lead by Dick Parker and Morten Osterberg use the latest technology, the North Design suite, to make the fastest and most durable sails for X-Yachts, using the most advanced technology in the sail making industry. Due to the close partnership between the two companies, North Sails and X-Yachts are able to collaborate in both the sail and yacht design to ensure that the boats are optimized from the start of the designing process.
The most recent project has been the X-4.9, a luxury performance cruiser which is designed to embody the companies’ philosophies of performance and comfort. A high-end boat like this therefore has to have a suit of sails to match. The 'X' range displays a true embodiment of the key features, which sets X-Yachts apart from the competition. The recently built ‘Xstatic’ was fitted out with North 3Di 760M fully battened mainsail, self tacking furling jib and top-down furling G-1 Gennaker for downwind cruising performance.
When designing these sails, the customer’s comfort and ability to sail the boat short handed was in mind at all times. The Profurl Spinex furling system works well and helps greatly with short handed sail handling on this 200sqm sail. The mainsail, is large enough to perform well in light winds but flattens out nicely with the adjustable backstay, ensuring full main can be taken further up the wind range compared to some other cruising yachts. The mainsail is also fitted with two reefing points to ensure the owners can cruise with comfort at all times, whilst still making the most out of their inventory. The mainsail is complemented by the self tacking furling jib, which is also made from the same 3Di material. The sail has been designed to the maximum area possible for a self tacking headsail in order to ensure good light air performance.
Using North design suite the sail is designed and printed in exactly the mould that will be sailed. As you can see from the image above the sail matched the design near perfectly. Using the North design suite, the load areas and shapes of the sail are calculated using different wind strengths to ensure the best shape and design possible for the sail in all wind conditions. Click here to read more about North’s 3Di technology.
We really enjoy working with North Sails. With the high level of service and design support that we receive, the sails fit the rig perfectly and complement the boats’ sailing capabilities. Their global network of service ensures our customers are looked after wherever in the world they might be. Projects such as this are at the heart of both companies which is why they have such great success! - Stuart Abernethy, X-Yachts UK
