Banks Sails : Banks > Sails Talk 2005


		3.9.06 Sails for Mini Minx This year saw Banks Sails leading the way with sails for the Mini Transat racer Mini Minx. Due to work being carried out on the boat the sails were unseen until the day before the start of the gruelling Mini Transat .The course was all the way from Douarnenez around the Fastnet and back to Douarnenez. With a new Contender Polykote Square Top Mainsail and Contender Maxx Jib, Mini Minx sailed by Raeffer Govoni and Alex Thomson led the 96 boat fleet to the Fastnet Rock . Not having the power of a swing keel, only relying on water ballast, the pair struggled in the high winds of the final few miles and eventually finished in an amazing 6th place. A great result from a well sailed but relatively old boat design.

		3.9.06 New D-4 Carbon / Kevlar Membrane Sails This year Banks Sails constructed a full set of D-4 Carbon / Kevlar Membrane Sails for the Raider 30 Catamaran “Team Eiberspacher”. Light weight but fantastically strong, these sails have covered over 5000 miles this year, winning R.O.R.C Offshore Multihull Series, M.O.C.R.A Multihull Nationals and the Multihull Grand Prix Class at Cowes Week. Using D-4 Technology allows us to build custom sails, whether Super Yacht or ¼ Tonner, to the customer’s exact requirements, with choices of Kevlar, Carbon, Technora and Vectran fibres. For extra longevity there is the option of Taffeta protection, which provides that extra ruggedness for the more demanding sailor. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

		8.9 Success after 30 Years! The Three Rivers race is the premier long distance race sailed in the Norfolk Broads area and attracts a huge entry of dinghies and Broads Cruisers. John Parker has been competing in the annual event for over 30 years, and finally achieved his ambition in the 2005 race, winning overall on handicap in his Norfolk Punt "Wild Goose". With less than 48 hours to go to the start it didn't even look likely that John would be starting the race as he was distinctly under the weather. However, reassured by the fact that his crew for the event, James Savage, was a doctor John decided to go ahead and race. Conditions for the 2005 race were tough and the gusty winds caught out quite a few competitors, however, fast times were possible. The leading boats were the Thames Raters with their towering rigs making the best of the winds coming over the river banks. The Raters broke the record for the 3 Rivers course but the relatively diminutive Punt (it has a tall rig for a dinghy, but nothing like the Rater's!) was not many minutes behind! Still finishing the course within the old record time, John and James won overall on handicap "without even having to use the nav. lights!" said an elated John, feeling much better!

		15.7 Tarka does it again! Following an ultra successful year in home waters in 2004, Glen & Nick Jones took their First 40.7 "Tarka" across the pond and raced in the 2005 Antigua Race Week in April. With Nick Colbourne on the helm once again, they were racing in Racer Cruiser II class and won every race, some by considerable margins! Their regatta total of just 4 points would have won the "Boat of the Week" prize except that only the "Racing Division" qualify for the top award! It went to the Reichel Pugh 75 "Titan XII", as did most of the TV coverage! Nonetheless, the Tarka team can be proud of their achievements: 1st in Class (Racer/Cruiser II) 1st in Fleet (Racer/Cruiser I & II) 1st British Boat 1st in the Team event (with Swans "Spirit of Jethou" and "Gienah") Tarka used their 2004 inventory of Banks "Checkmate" fore & aft sails, cut in Dimension-Polyant GPL Carbon Laminates and Banks Series 2000 Running Spinnaker.

Optimum 3 (Photo: Carlo Borlenghi/Rolex)		25.2 Mediterranean Victory Optimum 3, a Farr 52 owned by Nick Lazos and Pericles Livas was the clear winner of the 2004 Rolex Middle Sea Race. This is the Mediterranean's classic long-distance race and this year the fleet encountered almost every weather condition imaginable, from drifting to over 50 kts of wind! The Athens based 52-footer had been equipped with new Banks Carbon sails in 2004 and, after leading the huge fleet away from the start, kept the Maxis within range to win overall under both IMS and IRC. Tactician for the race, Eddie Warden Owen said, "The mainsail survived being dropped in a 52 knot squall without a scratch which speaks volumes for the material and the construction." Optimum 3 also won the Aegean Sailing Week earlier in the year, the major offshore regatta in Greece.

Tarka (Photo: Ingrid Abery)		25.2 Boat of the Week Following the success in 2003 of Solent based IMX 40 Exabyte 2, Banks Sails' customers have enjoyed another terrific year of racing in 2004. This time it was Glen & Nick Jones's Beneteau First 40.7 Tarka that dominated the results sheets. Success in the Solent, winning the Hamble Spring Series IRC2 and Cowes Week IRC3 amongst other races, was followed by the award of "Boat of the Week" at Cork Week for the manner of their victory in IRC3. Tarka ended up being the lowest rated First 40.7 without sacrificing her impressive speed upwind and down. Helmsman Nick Colbourne commented "We were certainly a little faster than the other 40.7's upwind". Tarka also took part in the 2004 Commodore's Cup in the British "White Team" and has now crossed the Atlantic in the ARC with some Caribbean racing in mind!