The Santa Cruz 70 WESTERLY going upwind with her X-Drive main and Tape-Drive No. 2 genoa. A big boat makes a great test platform for sails.
Stuart and Joy Dahlgren are the owners of UK Sailmakers Northwest as well as the Santa Cruz 70 WESTERLY, which they use for testing sail construction, sail design and sail longevity. The latest test they are conducting is involves their massive the carbon X-Drive main — it is the largest X-Drive sail made to date. “What better way to test a new product than on my own boat, “ said Dahlgren. “Problems show up much faster in big sails than they do in small sails.” Dahlgren had such confidence in X-Drive that he built a 1,095 sq. ft. mainsail for his Santa Cruz 70. That same main just nished its second race to Hawaii after many other area races over the past three years. The picture above is WESTERLY on her way to finishing first in PHRF Class 1 and first overall in the 2018 138-mile Swiftsure Lightship Classic race. The photo below is the same X-Drive main at the start of the 2018 Pacific Cup that goes over 2000 miles from San Francisco to Hawaii. “I’ve proven to myself that X-Drive sails are a viable option for racing and cruising sailors on a budget, no matter what size the boat,” reported Dahlgren.
WESTERLY leaving San Francisco on her way to Hawaii in the 2018 Paciific Cup flying her No. 4 genoa and full X-Drive carbon main.
