Tape-Drive Carbon/Spectra – Racing Mainsail
Ocean Race 60, Ltd., offers ocean racing experiences on TOKIO II, the 60-footer used in the Whitbread Around the World Race in 1993-1995. Based in Helsinki, Finland, the boat can be chartered for day sails, day races and ocean races. When the company needed new sails for the boat’s powerful sail plan, performance and durability were the company’s requirements. Ocean Race 60, Ltd., needed sails that can help their charters win races while being tough enough to stand up to crews who are learning to sail a boat of such size and power.
Tape-Drive Carbon/Spectra* sails are the ultimate dual-purpose sail for racing and cruising. If you are looking for one set of sails you can use for distance racing, club racing, day sailing and cruising for season after season, Tape-Drive Carbon/Spectra sails let you use your boat without having to bend on different sails for different events.
*Spectra is Allied Signal Corporation’s trademark for a specific yarn made of Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE, UHMW). Dyneema is another well known trademark for this type of yarn.
Many sailors have used Tape-Drive Carbon/Spectra sails for 10 years or more since they hold up so well. Spectra is one of the world’s strongest and lightest fibers; pound-for-pound, it is 10 times stronger than steel and up to 40 percent stronger than aramids such as Kevlar, Twaron and Technora.
Spectra doesn’t breakdown from folding; is impervious to UV radiation, and gets softer with use. While Spectra is more expensive than carbon fiber and Kevlar, the sails last and, depending on how you are using your boat, you can use one set of sail without the hassle and expense of changing from one set of sails to the other.
Other sailmakers have problems working with Spectra because it elongates after staying under high loads, but when used as a skin fabric in Tape-Drive sails, the Spectra fibers never become loaded enough to stretch.
Available details:
Available with:
– Reefs
– Loose Foot
– Cunningham
– Telltales
– Draft Stripes
– Sail Numbers
– Leechline
Options
Available with:
– Double Taffeta
– Single Taffeta
– Partial Taffeta
Battens:
– Powerhead
– Full Battens
– Square Top
Other options:
– Sail Cover