I have just been reading the thread with interest on the North Sails.

Working with North on the F18 - I will endeavor to answer a few questions;

F18 Sails Background.
North Sails did a lot of work designing Tornado sails for the Games in 2008, using Americas Cup design and analysis software available to them.

From the lessons learnt, the mould shapes for the various F18s were developed. These sails have then been modified to fit the various F18s for dimensions and mast bends. These sails have been developed for the various classes through feedback from top sailors working closely with the designer. The designer has spent a considerable amount of time working with Tornados and following the F18s from the RIB.

Longevity of sails; Patching is a balance between weight and how long the product will last. The F18 sails are generally used for a longer amount of time to the Tornado sails. We have therfore bulked up the reinforcement in the head area. The head boards have also been changed on the Cirrus. With these alterations we have not had any problems.

2009 was a very good year for the North F18 Sails and we will continue to work hard on the sails. Details on the various classes can be seen on the One Design Europe website.

The sails have been going really well in a variety of classes. Downwind speed has been awesome in particular. Upwind round Texel we felt we had pretty good speed too.

All the best - and good sailing in 2010.

North F18 Sails results;
2nd World Championships 2009
1st Round Texel 2009
1st Round the Island 2009
1st Raid Irroise France 2009
1st Sandham Open 2009 – Nacra
1st Archipelago Raid 2009 – Nacra
1st Swedish Nats 2009 – Nacra
1st Norwegian Nationals - Nacra
1st/2nd UK Nationals 2008 (Shockwave/ Capricorn)
1st/3rd Belgian Nationals 2008 (Diam/ Cirrus)