The sail loft is very much back to normal working with some of the exciting development work under way at Batt Sails.
Our popular SailCare service has also never been busier
Check out these examples of our continual R&D involvement.
Offwind sails have always been a special interest at Batt Sails.
Countless successes in One-Design class racing are a part of this story, as are all the conventional spinnakers and asymmetrics on racing and cruising yachts of all sizes.
More recent developments are the Code Zero and its derivations. Born originally in the world of long distance ocean racing this style of sail has developed into a sophisticated and versatile option for amy yacht and mutihull owners. Its very flat cut, huge overlap and bowsprit make for an almost unbelievably close-winded light airs headsail. The big bonus for many is how well it works as a heavier-wind reaching sail that is so sasy to set and recover.
A ‘Code’ headsail is designed to roller-furl on its own luff. A modern continuous-line furling unit and an ant-twist luff torsion cable create an almost foolproof system that is reassuringly quick and simple to use. The materials are very special, a super-light, super-supple, super-strong laminate with a distinctive hi-tech ( frequently technora ) diagonal cross-bracing.
Many modern cruising yachts have large mainsail and minimla jib overlap. This can lead to disappointing performance in light airs withthe wind forward of the beam. This is where a Code Zero really score.
Our Code2 is a brillant development on this theme. Designed an the fullest Code-style sail that will still furl well it has proved a great sail for some racing multihulls and a more verstile option for general yacht cruising.
All sail design involves an element of compromise. With the Code2 we have definitely hit a sweet spot.
An exciting project. At the start of the European season we grabbed a chance to see the all-new Batt Sails 420 spinnaker put through its paces at a Warsash Sailing Club training weekend. All the signs are really good, with valuable feedback from the session and regular use since then. A second prototype went to Santa Cruz for more proving with the US team.
The El Toro class is not well-known in Europe. It is a mainstay of youth sailing in many regions of the United States and almost identical to Australia’s ubiquitous Sabot. Here is Kyra Phelan testing the latest ‘Batt’ sail for the El Toro in Santa Cruz.
Over the years Batt Sails have forged an enviable reputation in single-handers, including Optimist, OK Dinghy, British Moth, Solo, International Canoe and Contender. It’s been a real pleasure bringing this experience to bear so successfully in another keenly contested class.
The competition in the National Swallow Class has probably never been tougher. Batt Sails have enjoyed great success and populariity for many years but stern competition from some of the most prominent and capable One Design sail lofts drives the need for constant improvement on many fronts.
The start of last season saw some subtle but significant mods to our evergreen spinnaker design and a more major assessment of the mainsail in the light of changes to the permitted materials. Our Swallow jib continues to be a winner in any conditions and we decided that ‘no change’ was the best decision.
Confidence in this work was reinforced by Migrant’s dominant viciory at the 2022 National Championships hosted this year by Bembridge Sailing Club.