Sails for one-design series are subject to a strict set of rules. But that doesn’t mean they don’t evolve over time. From year to year, master sailmakers work to improve them in order to bring the performance gains that can make all the difference in a regatta. Kilian Wagen, sail designer at North Sails Switzerland, explains the subtleties of this exercise.
Interview by : Quentin Mayerat
“The special thing about one-design series is first and foremost the number of units they group together. When we design sails for Esse850s, Surprises, Grand Surprises or J70s, we’re not designing them for a single customer, but for an entire class. So we have to find compromises to make them versatile and high-performance. They have to be suitable for as many sailors as possible, whatever their level. The aim of the game is to offer a minimum number of sails according to wind conditions, and a product that outperforms that of our competitors.
For example, when we design a Surprise sail, we try to think of a sail that works on all Surprises, bearing in mind that not everyone sails with the same quest, with the same mast, or with the same deck layout, depending on the year the boat was built. Our aim is to offer a model that’s easy to use, fast and easy to trim, so that the crew can concentrate on other tasks during the race: maneuvers, tactics, etc.
When class rules evolve – as in the case of Surprise, which opened the door to new materials for genoas – we accompany these developments, for example by
Quentin Mayerat proposing 3Di. Generally speaking, we’re always looking to save those few extra grams, without constraining sail elongation or deformation.
Even if the sails’ dimensions are defined by the classes, we still have some leeway to adapt their hollows. We play with their luff rings, or even their clamps. As the years go by and we learn from our sailing experiences, the rigging settings evolve, which means we have to adapt our designs. The aim is to gain that extra tenth of a knot and degree of heading to get ahead of the others!
Finally, lake conditions require us to adapt the shape of our sails. We wouldn’t design the same genoas to sail in the Mediterranean. Depending on whether you’re sailing with 20 knots of medium wind or 5 knots, the approach is very different.”
Kilian Wagen
An experienced sailor, Kilian is part of the latest generation to arrive on the floor of North Sails Switzerland. He first learned his trade in the workshop, before apprenticing as a sail designer with the highly experienced Patrick Mazuay (with several America’s Cup campaigns to his credit). At 28 years of age, he already boasts an impressive track record: J70 world champion in 2022, 3rd at the 2024 RC44 Worlds, seven Swiss championship titles in 470, Surprise and J70, and a brilliant Olympic campaign with GrĂ©goire Siegwart in 470.
