The best race was saved for
last at the Hempel World Cup
Series in Marseille, as Hannah
Mills and Eilidh McIntyre
(GBR) faced Camille Lecointre
and Aloise Retornaz (FRA) in
the Women’s 470 Medal
Race. Just one point
separated the two teams
ahead of the start, meaning
the winner would take gold at
the event in June. As
expected, the pair match-
raced o the start with the
French managing to loosely
cover the British in the fi rst
beat. At the fi rst mark, the
French had the advantage.
Using all the experience that
earned her gold at Rio, Mills
constantly looked for
openings but the French
managed to keep ahead in a
gripping chess match on the
water. Mills and McIntyre
eventually found a small
opening at the fi nal mark,
before a reaching fi nish, but
the French just held on to
claim a hard-earned gold. Mills
and McIntyre fi nished
seconds behind to take silver.
Lecointre said: “It was a very
intense race with the British
girls. It was real match racing
at the start and we got the
advantage but nothing was
confi rmed until the end.”
The Marine Accident
Investigation Branch has
published its report into the
death by drowning of Clipper
Race sailor Simon Speirs, a
60-year-old retired solicitor
(pictured below with his son
Mike) who fell overboard
during the last Clipper Race.
The MAIB fi ndings show that
Simon died after being
dragged by a long safety
tether alongside the 70ft
yacht. The failure of his tether
clip, which was subjected to
excess lateral loading after
being wedged under a deck
cleat, meant he was
subsequently swept away
from the boat. He was unable
to be resuscitated when
recovered and was later
buried at sea.
The MAIB report includes
a recommendation that
World Sailing seeks to raise
awareness of the danger of
lateral loads on tether clips.
Mills and McIntyre battle to
the last at Marseille
Report released on Clipper
Race fatality
JEREMY WHITE
Elvstrom Sails UK
Would Paul Elvstrom be happy with
how Elvstrom UK looks today?
I’d imagine he’d be amazed at how
much sailmakers have evolved over
the years. When I started sail-making
in the early 1980s there were only
a handful of sailmakers.
What is the advantage of your new
Cable Free Code Zero?
It can be fl own with signifi cantly less
halyard tension than a cabled Code
Zero, which enables the sail to project
further forwards. This helps create a
straighter, non-fl apping leech and
means the sail works across wider
sailing angles. Without a sti , heavy
cable, the sail is lighter to move
around and storage is easier.
How do you test a new product
such as this?
It had a season of testing with the
Lady Mariposa Racing Team, on
board their Ker 46 and no doubt
contributed to their success with
overall victory in the 2018 RORC
O shore Points Championships.
How can you confi dently guarantee
your EPEX laminate membrane?
EPEX membranes are constructed in a
humidity-controlled building attached
to the main Elvstrom loft in Denmark
and are checked at each level of
lamination. It is guaranteed against
delamination for life, with a sliding scale
of compensation after three years.
What are your favourite new
developments?
Most laminates are quite fi rm to
handle and can be di¤ cult to fi t in
to zip-packs. We now have Soft-Touch
EPEX, which simply fl ows into a zip-pack
- no wrestling needed! In addition, for
maximum air-fl ow our new batten
pockets on our EPEX sails are in the
centre of the membrane, rather than
a bulge on one side of the sail.
What sailing sectors does Elvstrom
work in?
Racing of course but our biggest sector
is the performance cruising market,
where we supply all the leading brands.
We also do superyacht sails, classic
sails and dinghy sails, including
championship-winning Contender sails.
How many sails does Elvstrom make?
More than 10,000 sails per year. The
majority are made in Denmark. We do
build sails in Hamble occasionally when
additional capacity is needed, or when
something is required urgently.
Has the Blue Water Runner been
a successful concept?
We’ve been delighted with the response
and the sales. It was launched as a safe
downwind sail you could fl y for days on
end – aimed at blue water cruisers. It can
be reefed or furled from the cockpit and
it doesn’t require anyone on the
foredeck handling sails or poles.
Your own sailing experience is very
varied – what is your ideal day afl oat?
I am very lucky, one day sailing a
wooden classic, the next doing the
Fastnet in a carbon machine with
a bunch of crazy Americans! I have
recently bought a Fusion dinghy with an
asymmetric. It’s the fi rst boat that has
put a smile on my face for a long time.
You teach sail-making at the Boat
Building Academy. Are there enough
people coming into sail-making
generally?
So many sails are now imported and
of course mechanised, people call
themselves sail-makers when in-fact
they are really sales people. Over the
years, six of my pupils have now started
their own sail-lofts manufacturing sails,
which is very gratifying.
Q&A
10 Yachts & Yachting August 2019