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Stuart
Lindow finished second overall in the Texas Circuit and won the Canyon
Lake regatta, which qualified him to sail in the 2008 J/24 Worlds.
Doug Weakly finished third overall and Corey Harding was fifth. Here
is Stuart Lindow’s report on the season.
“Two years ago, I decided that it was time to commit to improving
and racing my J/24 on the Texas circuit. After many hours of crew
training and boat work we started to see some promising results. I
slowly provided my crew all the necessary tools to become competitive,
new hardware, winches and running rigging. The addition of a new mast
and boom changed the boat. Upgrading the boat showed my commitment
to the project and the crew responded in turn by bringing up the level
of their game. Our goal the first year was to finish in the top five.
We did not accomplish it but were close — we finished sixth.
After many years of telling my crew, "When you learn to tack the boat,
I will buy new sails," it was time to take my racing to the next level.
In spring of 2008 I decided to purchase a complete set of UK-Halsey
sails for USA 814. I must say that my boat was now in a different
place. Our training and boat upgrades made a huge difference, but
there was more to gain. The UK sails made the difference. Most of
the year it blew 18 to 25 and our performance improvement was apparent
from the instant we put up the new sails. The main and jib are PERFECT!!!
Later in the year we finally were able to work with the genoa. WOW,
what a difference it made. I am very happy with my choice with Pedro
Gianotti and UK-Halsey Sailmakers. |
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I estimate that after the boat
and crew are in order, the sails make 25% of the advantage. You
must spend time on the water in many different conditions. The key
is to reproduce the settings for every condition quickly. If you
can do this consistently and be the first boat to do so, you will
always have the advantage early. That is always a position you want
to be in!!!
If you are serious about racing,
plan your attack and commit to the game and buy UK. Any sailing
program will improve using UK-Halsey Sails. Every question I had
and every request I made was happily addressed by Pedro.
This year I reached past my goal finishing second in the Texas circuit
and winning Canyon Lake stop on circuit stop to qualify for the
Worlds. My crew and I are very satisfied with our results.
I look forward to my next set
of sails that will be used for the J/24 World Championship in May
of 2009 in Annapolis, MD. I proud to carry the UK name,” wrote Lindow.
And here are more words of praise.
"We had another great year using UK-Halsey sails on our J/24,” wrote
Doug Weakley (USA 3836). “We had great results early in the year,
using the jib in many cases. The UK jib is great as it can power
up quickly in the lulls and flatten out with little adjustment on
the car and halyard. The genoa shows very little wear after one
full season of Circuit and club racing. The shape is still excellent
and is ready for another season. We've never been faster, thanks
to UK Halsey."
"We had never really made gains downwind until we bought a UK-Halsey
spinnaker,” said Corey Harding (USA 2017). “Now, with a full set
of UK sails, the boat is fast all around the course. We are on our
third season with UK-Halsey and the results with these sails have
been great!"
Texas Class link
http://www.j24texas.com/
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