It's race week! When the Women’s Match Racing World Championship starts today in Middelfart, Denmark, it will feature a full fleet of Blu26's - all equipped with the eXRP Cruise laminate from Elvstrøm Sails. A laminate, where the main components are made from recycled polyester materials - this includes the taffeta, the fibres as well as the UV-resistant film.
Event organizers GoSail had an important target in mind when they were named as the organizers of the 2023 edition of the Women's Match Racing World Championship - to make it more sustainable. And since the event is raced using the fleet of Blu26's which is the backbone of the regular activities of GoSail, it also was the perfect opportunity to opt for a more sustainable solution when it comes to the sails.
Sustainability and sustainable sports is a core value for GoSail, which was the starting point for the new cooperation between GoSail and Elvstrøm Sails, GoSails CEO and event organizer Søren Laugesen says:
- We are constantly trying to make sustainability a part of our everyday work as well as our events, and this was also our starting point in terms of buying our new sails.
A popular option
A World Championship does of course imply that everyone gets new and equal gear, which also was the perfect opportunity for GoSail to go for a solution that makes sense in the long run - and also after the 2023 World Champions are found:
- Outside of racing, our main activity is to make matchracing a sport for everyone. In GoSail, we take so many guests sailing, and most of them have never set foot on a sailing boat before. Thus, the longievity of the sails is an important factor - and when the championship is over next weekend, we still have 11 sets of sails that are going to be a part of our fleet for the future.
The eXRP Cruise laminate is a part of the Elvstrøm Sails EKKO option - a sail type made with sustainability in mind. And the demand for the more sustainable option is strong across all sectors - however, it was a great chance to test the material in a racing environment, Senior Key Account Manager at Elvstrøm Sails Søren Hansen says:
- The eXRP is in strong demand at the moment. Everyone does simply want a greener product these days - and to make it for racing has been a really interesting process for us. We were already working hard on the development of our eXRP line of products, and then this project with GoSail and the Women’s Match Racing World Championship turned up. It made us speed up the process to accomodate their specific ideas and needs for the new sails. I can't wait to see the races getting under way!
