Hyde Sails and Olympic Lasers
by Louise Crowden, Pro-Action 15 Feb 2008 11:02 GMT
In the run up to the Beijing Olympics it’s not just the sailors that undergo scrutiny at every turn. Supplying sails for such a prestigious event also comes with special regulations and conditions.
Hyde Sails will be supplying 50 Laser standard sails to be used in the men’s Laser competition and 35 radial sails for the ladies.
ISAF and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) monitor and document every step of the manufacture of each sail. A representative from ISAF will be present at the Hyde loft in the Philippines throughout the manufacturing process.
The stretch characteristics of the sail cloth used in each sail will be measured using the test specified by the class. The cloth will be selected from a batch with stretch as close as possible to the middle of the acceptable specification range. The shape of each panel of each sail will be checked against the class mylars. Once the panels have been glued and sewn together, the dimensions of each sail will be recorded. A further set of dimensions will be taken and recorded after the sail is finished. In this way a complete set of data will be available to the committee and organisers of the Olympic regatta.
In previous Olympics Laser sailors have been known to complain about the equipment supplied to them at the Games. If such a complaint relating to sails is made in Beijing the IOC and ISAF will be able to check the manufacturing record of the sail in question and make a considered judgment on the objection. This procedure was used by ISAF for the Laser class both in Sydney and in Athens and as a result no protest on the quality or the shape of the Laser sails was accepted as valid. Hyde supplied the sails for both regattas.