Over the past month we've been doing R&D on a new main design. In talking with both Steve Erickson (Prada) and Charlie McKee (One World) the consensus is that the days of triangular top mainsails are numbered. Without getting into details, wind tunnel testing has provided information that goes a long way toward explaining the improvement that chop tops provide. I've been cutting and recutting over the past weeks and today I feel that I hit the jackpot (the attached picture). The picture was taken at the dock--head to wind--sail luffing. The mast is the same height and the total sail area is the same. This is perhaps the best shaped main I've seen in 8 to 12 knots of wind. It has telltales all over it and attachment is nearly ideal in those conditions. The taper and stiffness of the top batten is a bit fussy but worth the effort. I do need to sail with it in more wind before becoming too convinced. The idea is that the top will sag off better in gusts and heavy air and make the boat easier to sail. The new mast from Forte should be ready by the end of the week and I believe that its' bend characteristics will match this main even better than the 49er mast in the picture. In a couple of weeks I will be racing with the I-14's again and should have some definitive results. It's an exciting time for a number of reasons. We will exceed 40 boats by the middle of next week. I sure want to encourage everyone who has not started to get going. I'm here to help and want to make this a high quality experience for you during construction and while learing to sail the boat. With enough boats in each area, I will be willing to put on some training sessions for those who need help with technique in the spring and early summer. Keep those saws smokin'. Best regards, Bram
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