Welcome to the Olympic issue of At The Front, a quarterly digest of top news and stories from the world of Harken.
Shown above - Italian Nacra 17 duo Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti © Carlo Borlenghi
faster - higher - stronger
That's the Olympic motto. It translates almost perfectly to what it will take to bring home the gold. Faster-Higher-Flatter. Faster-Higher-Get The First Shift Right. Faster-Higher-Better Tacks. Faster-Higher-In Clearer-Air...You get it. It's an Olympic Summer. We say BRING IT ON.
By: Brice Savignat - Sales Manager, Marseille, France
In my sales manager’s role for Harken in France, I service customers with a geographic concentration on the Mediterranean coast of France. I do it from the city I’ve always called home, Marseille. Yes…Marseille, which will be the venue for the 2024 Olympic sailing competitions. As a sailor myself, I can tell you playing host to the on-water battles that will decide the hopes and dreams of the world’s Olympic sailors on the same waters I’ve been sailing since I was a junior affects me in at least two interesting ways.
First, thinking with my heart, I believe the sailing in my region to be the best in the world. And I am really proud that sailors everywhere will either be here competing or tuning in to see the event. I think there will be great footage and the sailing will come off beautifully.
Then, thinking with my brain, I really hope the condition that seems to often happen at regattas, I’ll call it, “It’s NEVER Like This Here” Syndrome DOESN’T HAPPEN. That’s where the prevailing breeze gets interrupted by a series of frontal passages or a tropical depression creates giant waves and pulls the breeze to a direction not seen in years. I’m a little nervous about that…we all want the conditions to be varied and well, perfect. We routinely host big events in this area, but somehow the Olympics seem like a bigger deal. That may be because it is a bigger deal.
Off the water, there will be plenty to do and the weather is generally perfect. It will be busy. But that’s part of the fun of summer in the South of France. We hope you enjoy this Olympic issue of “At The Front”. I also hope you’re enjoying your own sailing and that you’ll enjoy every tack, gybe, and medal race finish of the 2024 Olympics. Marseille is a beautiful place. We’re set up so fans can see a lot from shore. Come watch!
Photo: Marseille Olympic Sailing Venue © Paris 2024 Olympic Games
what do the olympics mean to harken?
It wasn't that long ago that the Harken brothers were making their own blocks to improve their ice boating. Quickly, their competitors started to notice the change in the Harken's trimming and ask where they could get some of their own. And so the Harken brand was born. Harken blocks made their Olympic debut in 1968. Since then, the blocks have grown, shrunk, evolved, and are ever-changing to match the level of performance needed to stand on an Olympic podium.
Background photo: Lowell North blasting in the Star Class in San Francisco Bay. No, it's not the 1968 Olympics, but it's too good of a photo to pass up. © North Sails
TEAM USA BRINGS EXPERIENCE
We know Midwest sailors when we see them! This will be Steph and Maggie's second Olympic Games together in the 49erFX. We saw them in Chicago before they went back to Marseille in the final lead-up to racing in July.
They answered all of our pressing questions like, "Who will go to the official measurement?" and "Who is looking after the boat right now if you're here in Chicago?"
Background photo: © Sailing Energy / Lanzarote Sailing Center
At The Front…of a little Olympic local sailing knowledge.
As you read earlier, our Harken colleague Brice Savignat lives in Marseille. He’s not only a local, he’s a local SAILOR who has been racing there for years. We reached out to him to get a feeling for conditions the Olympic sailors might encounter when competing in late July and early August.
In the run-up to the Games we’ve been reading that the sailors should come ready for the breeze to come from anywhere. True?
Yes. We have three…perhaps four kinds of wind in Marseille during the year, the famous Mistral is coming from the North, strong wind (possibly more than 40 knots)! It’s very gusty but with full sun! There is an East wind coming from the sea in the Southeast. It’s more stable than the Mistral, but on the south bay of Marseille is disturbed by the mountains at the south of the city (the “calanques” of Marseille) so that wind is very shifty and often with clouds. Then, during the summer we have a sea breeze, also coming off the sea but more westerly.
What is the breeze called that comes from the South--Africa...does it smell dusty?
When that breeze comes in from Africa the name is Sirocco. It’s not the usual wind but it happens. It’s a hot wind and when it happens, it’s sometimes very cloudy with clouds full of sand!
Does that happen in the summer or does the sea breeze generally blow most of the time?
During the summer the sea breeze work is the dominant condition. It starts around 12pm as a southerly. It turns all day long to finish from the west. This breeze is generally quite stable, very sunny, and it blows around 15/20 knots. Perfect conditions! Champagne sailing!
Will the events be held where you sailed as a kid? What advice would you give to sailors?
I sail a lot in the two bays of Marseille, we call them the north and south bays. The games will be contested on the south bay, it’s the best place for sailing because of the landscape. You are protected by the island of the Frioul in case of mistral so the water is flat. There is also protection in case of east wind but the wind could be very shifty because of the mountains. My advice is to stay focused. In Marseille everything is possible! “ C’est Marseille bébé !”
Will you be out on the water watching?
It will be very complicated to be on the water during the Olympics because of the security zone. Plus in Marseille we have a natural stand just over the south bay, so it will be very easy to watch races. I will for sure be up there on “La Corniche” to watch the regatta.
Pictured: the best spot for viewing the Olympic sailing!
domination nacra 17 style
Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti are on a different level. They have one gold medal, four world titles, and countless European and National championship podium finishes. They are At The Front of the Nacra 17.
Now it comes down to the 2024 Paris Olympics, where they aim for another gold. How do they prepare to sail the next 'regatta of their lives'? Perhaps just as they any other?
Background photo: © Francesco Tagliabue | Harken
moving the front forward because we must
Just because something is At The Front doesn't mean it's perfect—often, it's not. One of our favorite things to do at Harken is collaborate. It's the best way we know how to make gear for sailors—listen!
While we welcomed the legend Santiago Lange to Pewaukee, Wisconsin, we sat down with him to reminisce on the birth of the Harken 40 mm Zircon Catamaran Mainsheet System. Its predecessor was one of the most lightweight advanced systems on the water, but Santiago thought there was still room for improvement. Turns out, he was right.
Background photo: © Allison Chenard
the 470 the way andré Cornu could have only imagined
For the first time this year, the 470 fleet will be mixed. Until now, there has been a men's fleet and a women's fleet. Camille and Jérémie are not new to either the 470 or the Olympics. This will be both of their third Olympics in the 470—Camille with two bronze medals—but this will be their first time competing as a team.
So, how did they decide to sail together? And how do they change their campaign in the last month leading up to the Olympic Games in Marseille?
Background photo: © Alison Kent | Harken
flying the kiwi flag for the first time
Representing a country in any discipline at the Olympic Games is something many dream of, but only a handful accomplish. From the talent-filled country of New Zealand, where many professional sailors hail, it's no easy feat to make it to the starting line of the Olympic Games.
For 49er duo Isaac McHardie, 26, and William McKenzie, 27, it's all happening for the first time this year! Originally from Auckland, they are now settled in to the Olympic venue in Marseille, France. They raised their New Zealand flag spinnaker for the first time on the sailing venue waters a few weeks ago. So, we asked them about it!
Does everyone have a spinnaker with their country’s flag, and how is it built?
Yes, everyone competing in the Olympics will be racing with a "flag kite" with their country's flag on it. The kites are made with individual panels placed in them. All the kites are built with exactly the same amount of panels to keep everything even. So, as you can imagine...some flags are harder than others to make!
Did you have to wait until you were in Marseille to receive your flag kite, or did you have it in New Zealand?
We received our kites back in New Zealand, but we didn't pull them out until we arrived in Marseille. The weather back home wasn't ideal for testing, so we waited until we had a nice sea breeze day here in Marseille.
Describe what it felt like to fly the New Zealand flag kite in Marseille for the first time.
Putting the flag kite up for the first time was very surreal. Flag kites can only be ordered by Olympians, so hosting the New Zealand flag for the first time made us feel immensely proud to represent New Zealand at the Olympics.
How many spinnakers do you have, and how do you choose which one to sail with for the Games?
We order our own Olympic flag kites, so each team decides how many they receive. But it's important to order a few so you can pick your favorite kite for the Games. We have a few different kites to choose from. All of our sails are one design, but we can still find small differences in them. This means we have to measure our sails, then take them out on the water and fly them all to decide which ones are the fastest.
How long have you been campaigning together?
We started sailing together in 2017, so it's been seven years of sailing together now!
This is your first Olympics. Tell us how it feels to be in the final months of the lead-up.
Things are starting to get exciting here in Marseille. We aren't far off having our full team here, so it's starting to feel like home. It's been a busy few months, but since arriving here in Marseille, it feels like everything is starting to come together. It will be our first Olympics, so we are looking forward to trying to take down some of the hot shots and claim a medal!