Bull Sails. Sailmakers

USING YOU STORM SAILS   Whether we like it or not, on occasions the sport of yachting can be dangerous, anyone who has ventured into or been caught in extreme conditions can vouch for this. We always talk in yachting circles of the value of practice and preparation, yet one area that we tend to ignore is the art of survival in extreme conditions. Several years ago it became quite common for a lot of ocean race organizing committees to insist that prior to the start of the race the competitors sailed through a set of buoys with their storm sails set and drawing. This is a great initiative as I am sure that on a lot of race boats this would be the only time that these sails are brought out of the bag. Even so; I am always amazed at the bungled and botched attempts that ensue when the setting up of the storm sails is done on these occasions. I have even been on a boat where the trysail has been set upside down in broad daylight and light winds, imagine the confusion if th...

29 Jun 2011 Australian Sailing - April/May 2011 Tony Bull looks at the fine-tune controls used to fly a symmetrical spinnaker off a pole . When a complete novice first steps on board a racing yacht, invariably the first response is amazement at the number of sheets and lines that run along the deck and up the mast. They find it hard to comprehend that all these ropes have a role in the sailing of the boat. All top sailors will tell you the difference in the relative speeds of similar craft is the ability to constantly adjust the setup of the boat to counter the wind and wave variations as they are faced. This ability to change gears and keep your boat sailing well through the oscillating conditions is what sets the top boats apart. All these various lines and sheets each have a role to play in these alterations. I see so many boats sail around the course with a very token approach to changing gears. I had a recent experience of doing some two-boat sailing with a couple of ...

Interesting and factual article on the offshore manufacturing plant we use. http://www.leesails.ca/images/Sailsfromchina2.pdf

Now out. Get aboard.

Sailing by feel It is quite a fascinating thing to sit and watch a fleet of yachts sailing upwind in a heavy wind; so much can be learnt from observing the different styles and techniques from a bird’s eye perspective. It is amazing how much variation there is between the good ones in the lead doing it easy and the ones having all sorts of trouble at the back. The leaders always look so much settled and in control, whilst at the back of the fleet there are roundups and flapping sails and it looks like they are sailing in twice the breeze. Two things are always obvious to the naked eye; the leaders nearly always have less angle of heel and as well seem to have their sails a lot more stable and flapping or ragging a lot less. Teamwork This ability to handle these conditions is a result of teawork between all the crew, in particular the trimmers and the helmsman. In these most testing of circumstances it is the ability of both parties to have an inate “feel” for the boat and its pe...

That Damn Barger There is a certain sound that makes yachties wince, the crunch of two boats meeting. Unfortunately it is not that uncommon, despite the yachting rules being relatively simple and orientated toward keeping boats apart. There will always be the collisions caused by poor decision making or loss of control. It is unavoidable when you have a lot of boats in a congested area. But a strong working knowledge of the rules is absolutely mandatory for all sailors and would go a long way toward making the racecourse a much safer place. A lot of sailors regard the rules of sailing as a bit of a minefield. But when you break them down into simple areas and likely scenarios then it does become relatively straight forward. Let’s start by looking at probably the most flagrant violation of the rules. Barging in at the boat end of the starting line! In every yacht club in the world there is a serial barger who incurs the wrath of the competitors. The person who comes sweeping in ar...

Who says you need to go to a "Franchised big name" sailmaker for fast racing sails. Our new carbon membrane MXL and downwind sails on Cinquante were right on the pace in the recent Sydney 38 State titles. First home in 2 races and consistently fast in all conditions. Unfortunately a DSQ and some boat handling took its toll on the overall results, which was disappointing from a participants point of view but we had lots of good comments about the new sails.

Sails by Bull Sails

Rounding the Top Mark In any race there are certain hot- spots where significant distance can be gained or lost. One of these is in the vicinity of the top mark, particularly on the first beat. The fleet is generally congested and tend to arrive in a clump. It can be an area of anxiety where things go awry and have a dramatic effect on our race. We have this situation with the closing up of the fleet in a concentrated area around the top mark with boats in close vicinity jostling for position. Then we have to turn the corner amongst all this mayhem and set a spinnaker which is a relative complicated manoeuvre in itself. Acute tactics, boatspeed and crew-work all have a significant role to play. Tactics There are two aspects to the tactical consideration, the approach and the exit. A good mark rounding’s merit is judged by the result that once around you are heading where you want to go at reasonable speed in relatively clean air. Approaching the top mark, keep clear lanes if you can. ...

Bull Sails Cruising Sails Cruise- Dacron crosscut sails made from our Bluewater Cruise Dacron, this range of cloth is woven in-house and represents good value for money. Aimed initially at the Caribbean charter market where cost and longevity are the main priority. The cloth is of a balanced construction to pr ovide good life span without reliance on coated resins. Still manufactured to the highest standards and coupled with our range of pre-cut Momentum spinnakers in both symmetric and asymmetric they represent quality cruising sails at an affordable price. Suitable for sails up to 50 sq. m. Premium Cruise- Built for the sailer who cruises but also like to race regularly. Crosscut from premium quality Challenge Dacron, this range has more options for better performance and individual preference. These sails are at home in the middle of the ocean and rounding the top mark. Over 70% of the world’s sails are still made from Dacron, the performance cruise range represent the lea...