New Sailcloth For America’s Cup Yacht Challenger

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31320, 16 March 1967, Page 9

New Sailcloth For America’s Cup Yacht Challenger

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

SYDNEY. A new sailcloth described by the manufacturers as “a real breakthrough” will be used by the Australian challenger for the America’s Cup at Rhode Island, Newport, in September.

The new light-weight sailcloth reduces the weight of the 12-metre yachts’ mainsails by 401 b or 25 per cent

Some details of the Austra-lian-developed fabric were released at a press conference by a spokesman for the manufacturers. He said the main advantage, of the new fabric, called Kadron, was its ability to resist stretch, and if it did stretch, to recover its normal shape quickly. Under America’s Cup regulations, the Australian contender must not use any American components in its sails. The new fabric is entirely Australian made. Both Gretel, the unsuccessful challenger five years ago, and the new Australian 12metre boat, Dame Pattie, have been supplied with sails of the new fabric. The spokesman said Dame Pattie was now using a complete set of sails made from Kadron, while Gretel’s “wardrobe” included a large proportion of the new fabric. The mainsails are made of 91 and 10f oz fabric compared with the previous traditional 12}oz weight. J. Sturrock, skipper of Dame Pattie, told the press conference that one earlier mainsail

fabric had stretched so much during a two-hour trial that the boom dropped about 3ft. Using Kadron sails since last October, he had found “not an inch of stretch.” Besides the new mainsail fabric, the spokesman said his company had produced fabrics in weights required for the 12-metre yachts’ headsails, including a new lightweight spinnaker cloth.

“We don’t know exactly what the Americans have, but at least we can be sure that the Australian yacht will

have sails every bit as good,” he said.

Dame Pattie and Gretel have both met in preliminary trials over recent weeks, and next Saturday will begin the series of races to decide which will challenge for the world’s top yachting trophy.

Dame Pattie is owned by a Melbourne syndicate and is named after the wife of Australia’s former Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies. Gretel is owned by a Sydney syndicate headed by Sir Frank Packer.