Sailing Tips

18 June 2008
	Swiftsure success (again) with Lidgard sails
	Sean, I want to thank you and your staff for building such a fine product. This year’s race started out with very light air, and often our boat speed was 0.8 knts. With a heavy boat, this was not something we enjoyed. The wind came up in the early evening hours as we neared the mark. We jibed back out and headed on a rhumbline course toward the Canadian side, and the finish line. The wind continued to build and we saw 25-30 knots all the way down the shore. The big code 6 spinnaker you built out of airex really did the job! We beat both J boats in our class straight up (one ran aground, and the other owed me 30 seconds per mile). I guess their North product was not faster like their ad says! Michael J. Pack
25 March 2008
	Lipton Cup 2008
	Congratulations to "Tamarau" for winning the Lipton cup challenge on the 15th of March. Tamarau sailed another superb race over the 22 nautical miles to make it 4 races on the trot. The race was sailed in a mix of light to very light breezes with the wind swinging from a southerly direction right round to the north and back again, during the race all the boats were becalmed at least a couple of times each at various stages during the day. The lead changed numerous times with three - four boats enjoying the top position. As they say, the cream always rises to the top. The first three places went to Tamarau 1st Snatcher 2nd Orion II 3rd Snatcher was also 1st on handicap
25 October 2007
	Racing News From New Caledonia/Turkey
	Some racing news from New Caledonia: The last long race was won by Allan Quere's boat on the line, and corrected times went to Exocet a 30 year old boat. Both boats carried New Lidgard racing Kits. The race was a 110 miles with a finishing line off Ouvea Island. Hi Sean We just got back in to port after a couple of months looking around. Two days after getting the sails we got stonkered by some 50 knot stuff and had to beat off a lee shore with the storm sail and triple reef in. The sails were perfect and and I dear say that they have already paid for themselves so we are stoked. A few other people have noticed them and we have been recommending Lidgard Sails to other sailors. Thanks again,it was a pleasure dealing with someone who knows what's going on,especially when you are from the other side of the world. Clint and Jacinda News From Turkey Miharbi's X-46 "Jarramas" has started racing, she is a brand new boat with a full Carbon racing set of sails. This last weekend, there was an offshore race and Jarramas finished first on line in their class and a creditable 4th on handicap. Well done, once these guys have a handle on the boat and get it fully tuned they will be very hard to stop. Nai'a Cruises Ltd - Premier Pacific Diving Expeditions have just received a new Yankee for their flag ship the SY Nai'a 116'. Nai'a has been using Lidgard Sails now for 14 years and is upgrading their Sail inventory. Nai'a completes extensive ocean passages to Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu and New Caledonia all under sail. Attached photo is of SY Nai'a
20 August 2007
	Lidgard Success at East Aegean Race Week
	The East Aegean race week is the biggest race week held by the Turkish Offshore Racing Club. Boats entering from all over Turkey are treated to some spectacular weather and tight sailing in some very competitive classes, and this year's regatta was no different. The regatta is held over four races with three round the buoys and one 100 miler making up the series in light to moderate winds. The A fleet was made up of a number of Farr 40's, Mumm's, X Yachts, One tonners and IMX yachts. Turkish yacht "UNO" (Ex Orient Express III" a Ed Dubois Custom 38ft 1 tonner received two new headsails and a symmetrical spinnaker from Lidgard Sails in Auckland before the first race. Alkim Gulcan - Owners Rep, Ex North Sails designer says: "Never having used Lidgard Sails before we were a bit apprehensive about getting sails designed and built so far away by a company we new little about, we did know that they had a good reputation for quality and design and thought it worth a crack." "Right from the word go they were great to deal with, listening to our sail concerns helping us out with boat set up and recommendations on fabrics and design ideas." "The sails arrived on time and out of the box they looked great, the quality of workmanship was first class. However good sails don't only have to look good, they need to perform to the standard we expected." "I must say Lidgards did not disappoint on that front either with the sails being fast out of the box and they fit with no fuss!!" "UNO" is generally a good all round boat but we do struggle in the medium conditions especially against the class and superior speed of the Farr 40's. The first two races went as we expected with the new sails performing well, we had better speed and height than we have had previous." "Race three was where we were able to step up to a level not seen before with a gun!!! I have to underline the fact that the only bullet we had was with the new medium genoa from Lidgard Sails." "Before that, we couldn't win any race with more than 14-15 kts of wind. That day, the average was 16kts and we rounded the first top mark in front of the Farr 40's !!! The crew and the owner were very happy." "The long race was held in very light and fluky conditions with the lead changing through out the race, with two miles to go most boats struggled to finish." "Overall series results UNO finished a very creditable 4th." "Thanks to Sean and the team for the great sails and helping us to a result we can all be proud of." Regards --Alkim Gulcan.
10 July 2007
	Fontaine Launches Lastest Yacht
	Fontaine 40' Sea Trials have been very successful. Fontaine Yachts have launched their latest Friendship 40' "SY Cary Ali" in Whangarei. Sail Designer James Heckler was on board for the launching. We had a beautiful sailing breeze of around 8 knots to test her Gennaker, Mainsail and Genoa. The sea trials went very well with all onboard impressed with the way the boat handled under the conditions in all points of sail. Well done to everyone.
08 June 2007
	Race Report: Michael Pack : Satisfied Customer
	Michael Pack's latest report to Sean Lidgard Hi Sean I raced the Cape Flattery Race in Swiftsure this year. I finished 6th out of 79 boats. The conditions were perfect! 15-20 knots on the #3 most of the way out to the mark. For a short while we went to the #1 near the American shore. Then the wind went from 8 to 25 in about 3 seconds. Switched back to the #3, rounded the mark, up goes the kite, and we are off and running! The wind built to steady low 20’s with sustained gusts to 30. We decided to drop the kite (fear of a broach, rather than fear of destroying the kite), and pole out the #3, which carried us all the way to the finish. We knew the kite would give more speed, but we were at 9-11 knots (past theoretical hull speed of 8.5) and a bad jibe or broach would ruin everything we fought for all day long. On the delivery home we hit a new record 12.4 knots with #4 and full carbon main broad reaching. It was a great race, and the Lidgard sails delivered! Michael Pack is the Owner and skipper of CAELESTIS, a Wauquiez 49' sailing out of Seattle, Micheal has a set of Carbon scrim race sails and Airex Kites.
30 May 2007
	Race Results-Panmure Yacht Club
	Race 1 of the Panmure Yacht Club winter series was held in a 10 knot South Easterley breeze The course was inner harbour. 1st Etchell "Sally" 2nd D28 "No Response" 3rd Y88 "Rush" 4th Elliot 8.1 "Bouy" Racer Race 2 was held in 15-20 knot Northerly. The course was also inner harbour, 1st Y88 "Rush" 2nd "Salty" 3rd"River Rebel" 4th E 8.1 "Buoy Racer" E 5.9 "Elligater" Picture: shows "No Response" Davo 28' on her way to getting second in the first race on day. one of racing.
29 May 2007
	Swiftsure 2007
	A Class 138 Nautical Miles Rest 103.8 Nautical Miles VICTORIA, British Columbia - The wind gods smiled on the Strait of Juan de Fuca this past weekend, making the 64th running of the Swiftsure International Yacht Race one of the fastest on record. Two hundred and six racing yachts hit the starting line Saturday off Clover Point at Victoria's waterfront. Almost 1,000 spectators were on hand to witness the ideal sailing conditions for the start of one of the West Coast's premiere yacht racing events. Crews from all around the West Coast converged to take part in Swiftsure for a weekend of races and parties, and they weren't disappointed. Principal Race Officer Andrew McBride commented: "Steady westerly breezes contributed to an exciting start, which enabled the lead boats to head toward their rounding marks at a record-setting pace." Taking into account each yacht's time allowance, preliminary results showed Rob Fleming's Coruba, from Seattle, as overall winner of the Swiftsure Lightship Classic, making this Coruba's third overall victory in the past five years-winning in 2003, 2005, and again this year. Coruba NM 68 - 1st in class, 1st Overall Neptune's Car SC 70 - 3rd in class, 3rd Overall Caelestis Wauquiez 49 - 2nd in class, 6th Overall Mystique J-30 - 2nd in class Bluefin Thomas 35 - 3rd in class