dp.forum

I was very fortunate to be asked to sail in

this year’s J-24 World Championship by my

friend Tim Healy, with whom I had worked

several years ago. Tim is a long time J-24

sailor who has placed very high in several

Worlds but had never quite topped the

podium.I have personally been sailingJ-24’s,

one of the biggest one-design keelboats

worldwide, since they went into production

in 1977, and this would be my 16th atten-

dance, more than half of all the champion-

ships (and hopefully my last, more on

that later). Our crew including John

Mollicone, Gordon Borges and Dan Rabin

did some light practice throughout the

summer in our home fleet in Newport, RI,

where the World Champion trophy had

resided at least 10 times, it’s a tough fleet.

When we arrived in Malmo, Sweden, site

of the 1983 Worlds (which I also attended,

I’m pretty sure I was the only one atten-

ding who had done that regatta and many

crew weren’t even born when it was last

held there), we were greeted with weather

worthy of the Biblical stories, torrential

downpours and steady rain that impeded

measurement and sailing. We managed to

get through all that quite well in our chartered

boat, and went into the regatta with top

ten expectations and top five hopes. Of the

55 boats attending, there were previous

World Champions Andrea Casale of Italy

and Mauricio Santa Cruz of Brazil, as well

as multiple European and National champions

from as far away as Australia, Singapore

and Japan. A true mixed bag of nationa-

lities and talent, this World Championship

was similar to most that I have attended.

In the Swedish Nationals, held just prior to

the Worlds, the wind had been moderate,

big genoas for every race over the three

day series, and in all our practice sessions,

and the practice race, the wind had been

between 4 and 10 knots. We were some-

what surprised, then, when the first day of

racing dawned with a steady 20-22 knots,

and we were firmly into the blade jib for

the entire day. Despite two very average

starts, we were able to sail fast and well

to finish 2,4 to place 2nd for the day

behind Matias Pereira of Argentina, who

sailed beautifully for 1,2 finishes. Having not

used the blade jib, built from DIMENSION-

POLYANT 310 Square® HTP® plus fabric in a

triradial construction, we were extremely

pleased with our boat speed, being able

to come back from two poor first mark

rounding’s to finish with the leaders.

Report from Moose Mc Cl intock

News 2010/Fal l

Boatshows 2010/2011

c l e a r a h e a d

The regatta withtop ten expectations

©DIMENSION-POLYANT

. AnnapolisUnited States Sailboat ShowOctober 7 - 11, 2010, Dock location F#1

. hanseboot, HamburgOctober 30 - November 7, 2010, B7 / D.410

. METS, AmsterdamNovember 16 - 18, 2010, Booth 04.323 Superyacht Pavillon: Booth 10.502

. Salon Nautiques, ParisDecember 4 - 12, 2010

. Key West, USA: January 17 - 21, 2011

. boot, Duesseldorf: January 22 - 30, 2011

. Strictly Sail Chicago, USAJanuary 27 - 30, 2011

. Kiel Week: June 18 - 26, 2011

Boatshows 2010/2011

© fotografteija.se

Continued on page 2 ...

J-24 WorldChampionship 2010

Forum 2010/Fall

• J-24: World Championship 2010 p. 1/2• Clear ahead: Boatshows 2010/2011 p. 1• Hydroptére in Kiel p. 3• Multihulls Down Under p. 4 - 5• D4® internal Taffeta p. 6• OD MP - One Design p. 7• Apprenticeship at DP p. 8

The 2nd day was a bit different, with a

very light race to begin. Another below

average start left us mid-fleet coming to

the first mark but we had excellent speed

in the light conditions with our minimum

weight DIMENSION-POLYANT ODL09/06

Technora® Black tri-radial genoa, and we

were able to pass about 15 boats just

before rounding. Though we rose as high

as 6th in the race, we settled for a 9th

after a muffed rounding cost us 3 boats

right at the 2nd weather mark. Those three

points would come back to haunt us.

While waiting to start the 2nd race of the

day, the wind did a 90 degree left turn and

picked up from 5 to 25 knots. All crews

scrambled to get their large genoas down

and stored and went again to the small

blade jibs. For us, this was the race to

remember. After an atrocious start, we

were forced all the way to one side of the

course, and were below the middle of the

fleet. When we were finally able to tack,

however, we were able to sail over the

entire fleet to round the first weather mark

ahead. In these conditions, the J-24 is very

tough to sail well downwind, being prone

to round-ups or round-downs, usually with

catastrophic results. Tim did a fantastic

job of steering in the big puffs and huge

waves, and we were very fortunate that

our new DIMENSION-POLYANT Formulon

75 kite provided the stability and strength

we needed to stay in control, opening a

nice lead until the spinnaker halyard blew

out of the cleat in one particularly big puff

as we approached the leeward gates.

Fortunately, we only lost one boat as we

sailed without the spinnaker into the

marks, and we quickly re-passed them to

go on to win this, the windiest race, and

take the overall lead for the regatta.

From this point on, we managed to get

better starts and were able to use our

great speed to place 1,2,1,2 over the next

four races to take a 20 point lead heading

into the final 2 races. We stubbed our toes

just a bit with a 16th in the penultimate race

(had we not lost the three boats at the last

mark of the 3rd race we would have won

at this point), so going into the final race

we needed to stay somewhat near our nearest

competitor, Ian Southworth of England, who

was himself making a nice comeback after

blowing out a spinnaker the first day. We

started near Ian and we were both fortunate

to catch a big shift that had Ian first with

us in third at the first mark. We stayed in

the same general area as Ian and were

able to climb to 2nd at the finish, giving

us an emphatic 12 point overall victory.

This was great win for Tim and his team

(only Gordon had won the Worlds before),

they have been working at it a long time and

it was well deserved. I have been fortunate

to sail on many great teams in the World

Championships and this was the 6th time I

was a member of the winning boat. Every

winning program shared a common theme:

dedication, hard work and great sail cloth.

I was very proud to represent DP at this

regatta though I think I’ve reached my expi-

ration date for this class, it’s a young man’s

boat, and I’m not a kid any more. But what

a great way to go out...

J-24

Member of the winning boat for the 6th time

2 dp.forum

The race to remember

Report from Moose Mc Cl intock

J-24 World Championship 2010... Continued from page 1

© fotografteija.se

We first congratulated Alain Thebault

and the l’Hydroptère team in our 2007 DP

Forum when they set a world speed

record of 47.6 knots.

Since then Alain and his team have gone

onto raise the record to 51.36 knots for

500 m in September 2009 and then set a

new outright nautical mile record with

an average speed of 50.17 knots in

November 2009.

Relaunched in May 2010 in a new, more

versatile configuration for offshore sailing

l’Hydroptère has been on a European tour

that started in Cowes and then moved

onto Kiel for the traditional “Kieler Woche”.

Throughout the outright speed record

attempts and now into offshore sailing

l’Hyroptère has benefited from the per-

formance and durability of D4® mem-

branes. They have undertaken the new

tour with the same set of sails used in

their record breaking runs.

During Kiel Week the DIMENSION-POLYANT

crew had the opportunity to sail on

l’Hydroptère and inspect firsthand the sails

of this record breaking vessel. Our team

report on the excellent condition of the sails

and the l’Hydroptère crew themselves

reported their pleasure at the perfomance

of the sails utilising D4® membranes

and their continuing excellent condition.

Hydroptère

3 dp.forum

A new outright nautical mile record

Continuingexcellent condition

©DIMENSION-POLYANT

©DIMENSION-POLYANT

©DIMENSION-POLYANT

Hydroptère at Kiel Week

We have a number of noted multihull

designers, a few dedicated multihull boat

builders and several importers supporting

this growing trend. The entire range of

DP’s fabric can be found on these yachts

from AP Dacrons through GPL laminates

all the way to D4® membranes.

We recently supplied one of the Queens-

land Sailmakers some 300 metres Hydra

Net® (HNR) to replace the working sails

on “Cutloose”, a 17metre performance

cruising cat. Cutloose’s home base is

Lord Howe Island 400 miles East of

Sydney, just a tiny dot in the ocean

between the Australian mainland and

New Zealand. She regularly makes the

800nm round trip to Sydney or Brisbane

bringing back supplies for her resort

owners. A 100nm detour can find her

fishing the isolated Elizabeth Reef

topping up seafood for the resort!

A somewhat different need for 15 metre

Cat “Soul”. She has been fitted with sails

using DYS®. Owned by world renowned

now retired surf board shaper Geoff

Darby, the attention to detail has

to be seen to be appreciated. Currently

cruising the reef breaks in Indonesia her

owner wanted the extra performance

edge that DYS® offered combined with

robust ocean cruising sails.

Yet a different style was chosen for Bullet

Proof. A new breed of high performance

cruiser, this time from the far North

Queensland Port of Mackay. Owned by

motorcycle dealer/racer Scott Gralo this

is one cruising cat that is always in the

fast lane. She took line honours and

handicap in the 2009 Brisbane to

Gladstone yacht race and just this week

a clear winner with an almost perfect

score at Multihull Solutions Multihull

Rendezvous. Sailed in the beautiful waters

of the Whitsunday Islands. GPL working

sails set of this stunning cruising racing

catamaran, with all Black Dilon 100 and

150 used in her downwind wardrobe.

2nd place went to Cynophobe who took

line honours in each race. This slick racer

carries a full set of GPL working sails and

uses CZ down wind sails.

Australia also has a strong fleet of

“Trailerable Multihulls”. Boats in this fleet

often travel thousands of kilometres by

road before assembling their boats to take

part in various regattas spread over the

continent. The boats below will always

be found fighting out finishing order.

The latest in a long line of Grainger

designed Trailerable Multihulls. Current

Australian Trailerable Multihull Champion

which was quite a feat as she was the

highest rating boat. Her sails are D4®

Premium with White Films, ideal to show

off sponsors logos. Downwind sails are

both from our CZ range.

As Max she was successful but with new

owner Darren Drew at the helm in her new

livery as “Indian Chief” has become the

boat to beat on Sydney’s Pittwater.

Sporting D4® Premium Main and Headsail

and CZHP down wind sails she recently

won the Pittwater - Newcastle ocean

sprint narrowly missing the record Darren

already hold in his previous Cat, Flat-Chat.

4 dp.forum

APC Mad Max

GPL working sails

Indian Chief ex Max

Multihulls Down Multihulls Down UnderMany Aussie sailors can be found sailing Multihulls

as their chosen cruising and/or racing yacht.

DYS® - extra performance edge

Hot Property

5 dp.forum

The evergreen Trilogy owned long time

multihull enthusiast Keith Glover seen

here using her CHS spinnaker and GPL

Main and Jib that has been sorely tested

over the last seven seasons and always at

the sharp end of the fleet. Trilogy recently

has ordered D4® Premium Main and Jib to

replace her 7 year old GPL sails.

Yet more GPL in action. Commercial real

estate guru Paul Steinhardt’s latest Farrier

designed trimaran launched early this year

plies the waters of Brisbane’s Morton Bay.

Audi Hamilton Island Race week is over for

another year and despite rather tough

economic times more than 160 yachts in 10

divisions made their way to the idyllic

island resort for this year’s event. This year

sailors enjoyed a good range conditions of

with everything from T-Shirts and sunglasses

to full wet weather gear required for some

exciting sailing in the beautiful waters

surrounding this world class resort. As

usual DIMENSION-POLYANT cloth found

its way to the podium in many divisions.

UnderReport from Nick Marler and Gary Martin

Trilogy

Hot Property

Breaking News

• IRC div 2 - First Local Hero sporting GPL, D4® working sails with RPN and Dilon downwind gear.

• IRC div 2 - Third Onya D4® partial

• PHS race div 1 - First Iago all GPL with Dilon 100 and 150 chutes.• PHS race div 2 - First Whale Watching Sydney GPL working sails

• PHS cruise div 1 - Second C’est La Vie D4®, RPN chutes

• PHS cruise Non Spinnaker - Second Supertramp Hydra Net ® radial, PX and Dilon 100/150

Preliminary podium results include:

Trilogy

Max

6 dp.forum

Much thought and engineering has gone

into developing an encapsulated woven

polyester taffeta within our existing la-

minate line. The resulting internal taffeta

(iT) laminate augments products that in

the past would have been offered as a

single or double taffeta, and after a season

of on the water testing is ready for this

coming season.

There are several considerations involved

when utilizing taffetas externally on la-

minates. On the positive side, taffetas

increase durability, bias stability, tear

factors, performance and abrasion. We

also take into account the taffeta fiber’s

denier size and count, creating different

weights depending on the over-all durability

required. On the negative side, taffetas

add weight, retain moisture, must have

stitched seams (required for roll goods

with woven exteriors) rather than the

glued seams of film/film sails, and are

more susceptible to mildew.

Our new iT line has been perfected within

the DP line of laminates, consisting of

standard roll goods as well as the

D4® family of performance membrane

products. By taking the added steps of

encapsulating the taffeta, we achieve

several advantages over external taffetas

on the performance end. iT, now provided

in several lines of roll goods as well as the

D4® product line, has a major advantage

over standard film/film styles in tears, bias

stability, and durability. Advantages over

external taffetas include less moisture

retention, no mildew issues and the ability

to be assembled with Q-Bond® or Ultra-

Bond adhesive, restricting seam slippage.

iT is a great solution for a dual purpose

performance fabric in a main, genoa or

blade for the club racer. It also addresses

the full race category with added durabi-

lity and increased longevity in performance

and shape retention.

less moisture retention, no mildew issues

D4®Internal TaffetaiT Production leads 2010 product development

durability, bias stability, tear factors

film

taffeta

film yarn load path

insert

film

film

taffeta

film scrim

X-Ply

film

X-Tech OD MP

©DIMENSION-POLYANT

7 dp.forum

The 2010 sailing season is coming to a

close and with it the second year of D4®

Multi Panel™ production. The process

has been embraced by Sailmakers across

the world from Australia, England,

Germany, France, USA and many more

locales around the globe. The D4® Multi

Panel™ line is designed to offer paneled

membranes for sailboats up to ~40’. While

D4® Premium offers distinct advantages

in larger membranes, the D4® Multi

Panel™ line offers specific options for

shaping the membrane due to the Multi

Panel configuration – a feature specifical-

ly applicable for membranes used on

boats under 40’. Many of these yachts fall

into a One Design classification with

specific class required specifications

as far as fiber content, overall weight

and dimensions, while being subject to

demanding sailing conditions that avid

One Design racers thrive in.

The D4® Multi Panel™ process has shown

immediate success in the One Design

marketplace. The first major victory

coming with the 2009 J/24 World Champion-

ship in Annapolis, MD, preceded by the

J/80 North American Championship and

Key West Race Week Championship. The

2010 season has witnessed further ad-

vancements and introductions of the D4®

Multi Panel™ process to the J/105, J/109

and J/122 classes. Recent North American

Championship titles have been collected

in the J/105 and J/109 classes and the 2010

Rolex USA-IRC National Championship

in Class 4 (J/122) and Class 5 (J/109).

The progression does not stop with

the traditional keelboat One Design

classes. DIMENSION-POLYANT has also

introduced smaller denier fibers to allow

for membrane technology to reach down

to the smaller skiff and dinghy

classes. These classes require extremely

light sails with superior shape control over

the full range of sailing conditions. Recent

testing conducted with the Melges 24,

505, A-Class Catamaran, Moth and 2.4

Meter shows the versatility of the mem-

brane product to produce the lightest

and strongest membranes with the ability

to place the shape correctly with variable

panel widths and orientations.

2011 offers further improvements for the

One Design racing market for classes that

have not yet allowed Aramid fibers in their

class regulations. Polyester fiber within

laminate technology will open the

membrane possibilities to an entire new

group of high performance OD fleets and

markets. Look for this technology to be

tested in late 2010 with introduction

to the worldwide marketplace in 2011.

In One Design applications D4® Multi Panel™ gains more and more success

OD MPOne Design

The progression does not stop

Immediate success

© Klaus Andrews

8 dp.forum

on site

DIMENSION-POLYANT GmbH, GermanyHeadquarters

Speefeld 7

D-47906 KempenPhone: +49 (2152) 891 0Fax: +49 (2152) 891 149info@dimension-polyant.com

DIMENSION-POLYANT SAS, France

Rue NewtonParc TechnologiqueF-17000 La RochellePhone: +33 (0) 546 282 200Fax: +33 (0) 546 412 840larochelle@dimension-polyant.com

DIMENSION-POLYANT SAS, France

Port de la Pointe RougeF-13008 MarseillePhone: +33 (0) 491 736 628Fax: +33 (0) 491 722 505marseille@dimension-polyant.com

DIMENSION-POLYANT UK Ltd.,United Kingdom

Unit 11, Kingdom CloseKingdom Business ParkSegensworth EastGB-Fareham Hampshire PO15 5TJPhone: +44 (1489) 570 551Fax: +44 (1489) 570 451uk@dimension-polyant.com

DIMENSION-POLYANT Inc., USA

78, Highland DriveUSA-Putnam CT 06260Phone: +1 (860) 928 8300Fax: +1 (860) 928 8330info@us.dimension-polyant.com

DIMENSION-POLYANTSailclothPTYLtd.,Australia

P.O. Box 825Unit 7/9 Powells Rd.AUS-Brookvale N.S.W. 2100Phone: +61 (2) 9905 9565Fax: +61 (2) 9905 9569dp-aus@dimension-polyant.com

DIM

ENSI

ON

–PO

LYA

NT.

COMApprenticeship at

DIMENSION-POLYANT

imprintDIMENSION-POLYANT GmbHSpeefeld 7 . 47906 Kempen . GermanyPhone: +49 2152 891 0 . Fax: +49 2152 891 123E-mail: info@dimension-polyant.comManaging Director: Uwe SteinRegistered Office: Krefeld . Text: DIMENSION-POLYANTResponsible for editorials: DIMENSION-POLYANTDesign: www.SprinzundSprinz.de©DIMENSION-POLYANT GmbH

©DIMENSION-POLYANT

©DIMENSION-POLYANT

The quality of a production site is depen-

ding to a very high degree on the quality

of the people working here, particularly

if the product is so special like sailcloth.

For that reason it has always been the

strategy at DIMENSION-POLYANT to gene-

rate quality people on site and partici-

pating in the German dual apprenticeship

system is our way to achieve that. Over

three years our apprentices get practical

training by specially qualified mentors

and they go to a vocational school.

During their apprenticeship time they

will be integrated more and more in our

production processes with an increasing

level of responsibility.

At the end of the three years they have

to pass final practical and theoretical

exams to receive their specific appren-

ticeship certificates. Our current appren-

tices will become Textile Machine Ope-

rators, Textile Mechanics, Electronic

Technician and commercial clerks.

©DIMENSION-POLYANT

Above photos shows our apprentices and their mentors (from left to right):

Nico Siemes, Patrick Lindner, Aras Younis, Fabio D’Agnone,Jutta Schmitz, Frank Hofman, Jochen Nellis, Stefan Nauber, Yannick Bonilla, Franz-Josef Thönes