UK-Halsey Newsletter
UK-Halsey International
March 2009

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UK-HALSEY TAKES PRIME POSITION AT PRIMO CUP
     Nicolas Bérenger’s KONE MONOSPACE dominated the Longtze one-design class in Primo Cup sailed in Monaco Feb. 13-15. Flying a brand new set of Kevlar MatriX Titanium sails and a very fast asymmetrical spinnaker, KONE took four first places out of the seven races. No other boat won multiple races.
     The competition was fierce among the eleven-boat fleet, which included skipper like ErwanTabarly (Eric Tabarly’s nephew), Guillaume Florent (Quingdao 2008 Olympic Bronze Medal in the Finn), Cédric Pouligny (Melges 24 European Champion), Luc Gellusseau (CHN 95, China Team manager), Marc Emig, and couple teams from Switzerland (Edkhard Kaller, Andreas BIENZ), and more. Nicolas Bérenger, the winner, won the 2008 Cap Istambul (Nice to Istanbul – 1670 miles) and is a famous Figaro racer.
     This was the first stop in the new Longtze European Tour and the crews got to a true test in a range of wind conditions -- 25 knots of wind, choppy seas, unbridled surfing for Friday’s three races and medium to light and unstable winds on the weekend when the fleet got two races per day.
     Designed by New Zealander Steve Thomson, Longtze One Design is built in Quingdao, China and is an outgrowth of the Chinese America’s Cup team. For more information on this exciting 22-foot (6.8 meter) sport boat, go to: http://longtze.org/index.php?lang=en
RULES QUIZ PROGRAM GETTING BETTER AND BETTER
     The UK-Halsey Rules Quiz program has been updated 10 times since first being released in December of 2008. Because the program is a download and not a physical CD, we have updated the program very simply via the internet. As a result of the changes, the interface is much easier to use, some of the quizzes have had their animations improved, a speed control has been added for each quiz AND We have added a whole new section called The Lifted Tack that is full of videos, a rules blog and helpful documents in PDF format that can be printed out. The videos are being shot at seminars that Butch Ulmer has been giving around the country. The quiz animations have been called the best way to learn the rules, and the videos of the rules being explained make the learning process that much easier. We have already posted seven videos which cover: the importance of the definitions, the definition of when you are racing and when the rules and penalties apply, definition of being on a tack, definition of proper course, the definition of finishing and much more. The videos are only available as part of the Rules Quiz program and we will continue to post videos throughout the year.
     The answers to all the quizzes were re-written for the rules changes by Rob Overton, who has been a member of the US Sailing Racing Rules Committee since 1993. Rob was one of five international rule writers who drafted the new Section C rules that took effect on January 1, 2009. Recently he was named the group’s chairman. As you can see, we take the answers to the quizzes very seriously.
     Click here to buy the Quiz program for $55 or $100 for the program plus two of the best books written on the 2009-2012 Racing Rules – Understanding the Rules by Dave Perry and The Rules in Practice by Bryan Willis. Both are reviewed in our Rules Blog.
SWAN 100
     UK-Halsey Mystic has been working with Stuart & MarrGwen Townsend's Swan 100 VIRAGO in preparation for the 2009 St. Barth's Bucket. New to their inventory for this event are a MatriX jib & A3 asymmetrical spinnaker.
     The Jib is a 100% Carbon load-path laminate with taffeta on both sides. CT Air Battens were chosen to help maintain a clean exit & allow for furling when deflated. Initial tests have been very promising both in sailing performance & furling operation.
     One area of extreme difficulty when racing mega yachts is dousing the spinnaker. VIRAGO's A3 is roughly 560 sq meters (6028 Sq. Feet), making it VERY hard to gather manually (and this is the small sail...). Dousing socks are an option on boats this size but can create their own issues often becoming stuck half way up. And when they don’t get stuck, they can raise too quickly causing burns to the sail. The challenge brought to us by VIRAGO's captain Richard Archer was to develop a furling spinnaker. Initial tests of the sail have proved very promising. The furling operation is carried by an Equiplite line-drive furler led to a powered winch. For fabric we chose Contender 350 & 250 Superkote fabrics, specifically designed for Mega Yachts sails.
     Look for an article form the St Barth's Bucket in the next newsletter.
THE UK-HALSEY SAILMAKERS LAZY CRADLE VS THE PACK.
By Tim Knight, owner of UK-Halsey Northwest, explains why UK-Halsey’s Lazy Cradle mainsail covering and capturing system has surpassed other sail containment systems.

The covering system that is attached to the main and made popular by a sailmaker in Marblehead was the first and the best till now! nstead of bashing the competition, I’ll discuss why the UK-Halsey Lazy Cradle is the finest main/cover stowage system around.

1) The UKLC (UK-Halsey Lazy Cradle) is built to have a low profile. A lot of the competition have what is called the envelope profile which has been nicknamed the “Storm Trysail” because the cover is so tall or poorly fitting that it has the area of a Storm Trysail. These covers have so much windage that they affect docking and make boats "sail" at anchor. One of the ways we keep the profile low is to make the top of the cover flat. After years of building and developing the UKLC system we realized that if we spaced the battens that support the upper edge of the cover by about 4"-12" we would lower the profile of the cover considerably. The flat-top has two other advantages: it is easier to zip up as there is less tension on the Zipper as it is not trying to pull the Lazy Jacks together and it is easier to reach the Zipper.

2) The negative to the Flat Top is in areas like the Pacific Northwest where it rains a lot, water gathers in the folds of the sail. Therefore we developed a removable (Zips Out) vinyl storm gusset that wraps around the sail and directs the rain that enters to the bottom of the cover and out the drains built into the cover.

3) We use Spectra Lazy Jacks with no blocks. To save on weight and to reduce chafe, we use sailmaker’s closed thimbles. The Jacks attach to the sail cover via eye splices that the pultruded battens pass through inside the cover.

4) Attaching the Lazy Jacks to the battens takes the load off the cover and transfers it to the battens to reduce stress and chafe on the cover.

5) The battens are 5/8" or appropriate size to resist sagging and come in convenient lengths with custom aluminum splice joints.

6) The UKLC is not attached to the sail so it can be rolled an stowed on top of the boom in a few minutes. From a hundred feet away, the rolled up cover it is almost invisible.

7) The Lazy Jacks are adjusted at the mast on a horn cleat, which also acts as a spot to loop the Lazy Jacks out of the way when the cover is rolled.

8) As the sail is loose footed and not attached to the cover you can adjust the sail for optimum sail shape.

9) The UKLC is a custom fitted cover so it is a much better fitting cover than most of the generic covers built, which are usually build big so that fewer sizes can fit all. This leads to more of the Storm Trysail effect.

10) The Zipper on the UKLC is a #15, which is HUGE. This zipper was developed for the Drift Fishing Industry and is basically bullet proof; it has excellent UV properties and the teeth look like their form a great white shark.

11) The UKLC system works great for reefing. When the cover is deployed, it eliminates the need for reef ties.

12) The UKLC is custom built from Glen Raven Mills’ Sunbrella fabrics. A lot of offshore covers are built with lesser quality fabrics that look the same at first but can fade within two years to a totally different color, which will then not match your dodger, weather curtains, genoa UV cover, etc. Sunbrella is guaranteed for 10 years.

I am sure there are more reasons but my fingers are hurting so if you want
more give me a call.

Tim Knight
(250)656-8843
northwest@ukhalsey.com
THE NEXT GENERATION OF TRAILERABLE MULTHULLS HAS ARRIVED AND
UK-HALSEY WAS THERE
BRISBANE, Australia (Feb 21-22, 2009) -- Lloyd Crisp, sailing the smallest boat in the multihull division of the Moreton Bay Classic, dominated the fleet of much bigger boats. His new F-22R tri named STICK SHIFT also took the Family Award as he sailed with is son Jabin and daughter Amanda.
     Lloyd wrote to the boat’s designer Ian Farrier, “The boat performed beautifully, it’s the first time I've been racing a long windward race in 15 to 25 knots hard on the nose and been whistling for more wind. We blitzed the F-24s and were faster than the two F-27s going hard to windward in up to two-metre short nasty wind-against-tide swells. The harder it blew, the more we pulled away from the F-27s. Most surprising!”
     In talking about his Tape-Drive sails, Crisp said, "Gary Saxby at UK-Halsey Brisbane has been making my sails for many years. The working sails he has made for my new F22R have given us a huge advantage to windward and the spinnaker is working beautifully on the reaching legs."
     Peter Hackett who finished second with his F-27 INTRIGUE said, “The next generation of trailerable boat landed well and truly in our faces on the weekend when Lloyd Crisp brought his gorgeous new home-built F22 STICK SHIFT to the Moreton Bay Classic Regatta. I always knew this boat would go well, but the shock to me was how well she powered upwind in the steepest chop, defying her shorter waterline length.”
     For more information about the F-22 and more pictures from the Moreton Bay Regatta, go to:http://www.f-boat.com/pages/News2/F-22MBClassic.html
UK-HALSEY SAILS GOING OVER THE TOP – OF NORTH AMERICA
     The Open Passage Expedition has set June 6 as its target departure date from Victoria, Canada, in its voyage through the Northwest Passage. Cameron Dueck, team leader of the 4-member team, delivered a new UK-Halsey mainsail and furling genoa to SILENT SOUND in March as the team gets ready for their adventure. The team has added a few members as the expedition nears, including a shore-based scientific advisor to help them understand the signs of climate change. The expedition’s goal is to observe how climate change is changing Arctic communities, and then re-tell that through a documentary, book and other creative mediums.
     “The sailing will be a challenge, we know that, but we’re also trying to spend some time getting to know the place and the people. That’s always the appealing thing about sailing in a new place for me,” Dueck said.
     The expedition is still trying to raise sponsorship support, both in funding and equipment. In particular, they are looking for clothing, electronics and a satellite communications partner. The project has already been featured in a national Canadian newspaper as well as a Hong Kong newspaper, with radio interviews in both continents set up for this month. Traffic on the project’s website http://www.OpenPassageExpedition.com/ will grow even faster in the coming weeks when the expedition announces its partnership with a major science/travel media group.
     “It’s a tough sponsorship market, but we’re going ahead with our plan and we’re very excited about the partners we’re bringing in,” Dueck said.
     Direct Energy, one of the team’s sponsors, is helping to make the voyage carbon neutral. The expedition has also just translated its site into German and the team doctor, Tobias Neuberger, is looking for sponsors in that market.
Archambault 40
MIAMI, Florida (March 8, 2009) - After four days of champagne sailing at the Acura Miami Grand Prix, the Archambault 40RC CIAO took second place in IRC 2. First place went SOOZAL, which also won the division at Key West Race Week.
     "We sailed a lot better than we did at Key West and we had some very, very close races with the faster rated SOOZAL. In three races they corrected over us by a handful of seconds. "The close races give us confidence in the boat; since we are still learning to get the most out of her we know that we will just get faster and faster," said trimmer Sylvain Barrielle of UK-Halsey San Francisco.
     While being trucked to Key West for race week, the boat hit a bridge and the cabin top and mast partners were severely damaged. The boat sailed Key West and the Miami Grand Prix with temporary repairs. The boat is now getting fixed properly and will race at Charleston Race Week next.
     "The boat is a great boat," said Barrielle. "It is well set up and for a production boat it is quite unbelievable."
     For more information on the exciting Archambault 40rc, the award-winning Archambault 35, and the exciting new Archambault 31, please go to the Archambault Boats Canada/USA website at http://www.archambault-boats.ca/. Please check in as often as possible for news of this exciting new French racer/cruiser. For direct information, media inquiries, and high resolution photos for editorial use : contact@archambault-boats.ca.