Building the Future of Sailing in South Africa: SailPro and Quantum Sails

Most of South Africa’s passionate sailors talk often about how wonderful it would be if we could build sailing as a sport in South Africa to the same level it is in the big sailing countries all over the world like the UK, Australia and France…This is certainly a dream at the moment in South Africa, but if it were realised, it would change things completely for South Africa sailing in terms of sponsorship, the professionalism of the sport and most importantly, in terms of making South Africa one of the top competitive sailing countries internationally.

Quantim Sails and the Pacer 27 Class

Understanding a sports boat is the first leap one has to make when making the transition from a conventional keel boat to a sports boat. Once that line has been successfully crossed you will unlikely ever sail a ‘normal’ keelboat again. The reason is that the sports boats are epitomised by one word: FUN!

The Super-Fast New Cutting Machine at Quantum’s Cape Town Sail Loft

Quantum Sails in Cape Town have recently made an incredible new acquisition: the Genesis 2200 combines laser and blade computer cutting table.

Supplied by Blackman & White in the United Kingdom, this incredible machine is a big hit internationally with sail makers, the clothing and apparel industry, the furniture industry and is also used, amongst other, to cut carbon strips such as those used in the manufacture of F1 cars as well as awnings and sunshades.

Spending Time on One Design

Quantum Sails’ Durban loft in South Africa is known for being the loft for One Design sails.
Over the past few years, Craig Millar from Quantum Sails in Durban and his team have spent much time and effort working on one design sails, and have been rewarded with some great successes

Quantum Sails and the Yacht Market in the Netherlands: Saffier Yachts

Saffier Maritiem BV is an old family business owned by the Hennevanger Brothers. Saffier is Dutch for Sapphire. Richard Hennvanger, the father, originally owned a shipyard in Australia which he then and returned to the Netherlands to build a yacht for himself. With this yacht, the family Hennevanger sailed around the world for eight years. On their return to The Netherlands, Richard found a job in boat construction and for the first few years of his work here, he worked mainly in shipping and fishery. In the late1980’s, Richard Hennevanger shifted his interests increasingly towards the construction of yachts and Saffier Maritiem developed into a fully-fledges and successful shipyard. His sons, Dennis and Dean Hennevanger, took over the company in the mid-90s.

Quantum Sails Announces the “Live The Dream” Contest

From Friday, May 29, Quantum Sails will began accepting entries to win an all-expenses-paid trip to be part of the crew on board TP52 Quantum Racing for the Audi MedCup event in Portimao, Portugal. The regatta will take place from 18th – 23rd August 2009.

Maverick Yachts: Quantum Sails and the Luxury Catamaran Market

Maverick Yachts, based in Montague Gardens, is owned and run by Rudi and Deslynn Pretorius, and Rudi and the company’s story is a really great and truly inspirational one.
Rudi and Deslynn started Maverick Yachts two years ago, in 2007, and for Rudi and his family, this was a dream that became a reality.

The Quantum HMYC 9 Hour Race 2009 at Midmar Dam

The weekend of 21st – 22nd February 2009 saw the best and most successful local event that Quantum has sponsored so far - The Quantum HMYC 9 Hour Race 2009 at Midmar Dam. This is now the third year running that Quantum has sponsored this event.

Sixty-one boats of different designs took part, racing each other according to their handicaps.
The racing circuit was three nautical Miles. Each team or boat had two complete crews, who had to change four times in the 9 hours of the race. The race got off to a great start in a stiff Northerly wind, which provided many thrills and spills at the downwind crew changeover point, well placed directly in front of all of the spectators, who had some entertaining and thrilling sailing to watch there!

The New Gunboat 66 is launched… with Quantum Sails, of course!

Gunboats are legendary. They are best known for being highly luxurious, cruising catamarans with performance that embarrasses most racing keelboats! Originally designed by the same team who designed world record-breaking cats like Playstation, these all carbon world cruisers can reach upwards of 35 knots under sail.

Gunboat has now gone up a step from the renown Gunboat 62, and has just launched the first of six contracted Gunboat 66’s, Sugar Daddy. Like her predecessors, she was built in Gunboat’s facility in Cape Town. And of course, Sugar Daddy’s sails are made by Quantumsails in Cape Town.

Leg 1 of the Portimão Global Ocean Race with Quantum Sails

South African brothers Lenjohn and Peter van der Wel are finally safely in Cape Town after a very trying first leg of the Portimão Global Ocean Race, which started on 12th October this year in Portimão, Portugal.
South Africa can be proud of Lenjohn and Peter, the first South Africans to set out on a single or double-handed circumnavigation race since JJ Provoyeur did the Around Alone in 1994 fourteen years ago. They are also following in the wake of great South African circumnavigators John Martin and the late Bertie Reed who both competed in the BOC Challenge in 1986 and 1994.

Cruising with Quantum Sails

The following email was received from John and Sue Reeves, about their suit of cruising sales from Quantum in Cape Town

Dear Tony
Sue and I would like to convey our very strong recommendations to anyone thinking about obtaining a suite of sails from Quantum. We recently purchased a new set for our Bavaria 42 cruiser to sail the Indian Ocean and have nothing but extreme confidence in them. We sailed from Dubai in the UAE around to Muscat in Oman where we stopped for a couple of days to take on one or two extra provisions and then set off to the Maldives where we stayed cruising for a month.

Quantum Sails for the Luxury Catamaran Market: Matrix Yachts Launch the 3rd Silhouette Catamaran

Matrix Yachts in Cape Town have just launched the 3rd of their futuristic 76ft Silhouette catamarans, Kings Ransom, a sailing cat with unrivalled luxury and a master suite of spectacular dimensions as normally only found on large motor yachts. King’s Ransom is headed for the Tortola Boat Show and then for charter in the British Virgin Islands at the impressive rate of $ 10, 000 per day.

Quantum’s Large Expedition Yacht Sails Power Skip Novak’s Pelagic Expeditions

Skip Novak
Skip Novak was born in the US in 1952 and is now based in Cape Town. Skip has an extremely illustrious sailing career but is probably best known for his participation in four Whitbread Round the World Yacht Races:

Living a Dream with Quantum’s Racing Sails

Len John and Peter van der Wel and the Portimão Global Ocean Race
Quantum Sails in Cape Town is very proud to be the sail supplier to the home-grown Capetonian double-handed racing team of Lenjohn and Peter van der Wel, who are taking part in the inaugural Portimão Global Ocean Race, starting on 12th October 2008 in Portugal.

The Portimão Global Ocean Race was founded by veteran sailors Josh Hall and Brian Hancock and can be entered solo or double handed. The fleet are predominantly Open 50’s, Open 40’s and Class 40’s.
It starts in Portugal in September 2008. The race organisers decided to start the race in Europe, making it easier for European-based competitors to compete and also avoiding potential problems with hurricanes, which would certainly be a risk if the event was to start from the east coast of the USA.

Jaz Marine’s Moxie 37 Inter-Island Cruiser is launched

Well-know Cape Town yacht builder Uwe Jaspersen of Jaz Marine has just launched the first of his Moxie 37 inter-island cruising catamarans. This amazing new 37 foot catamaran is designed by Uwe and is marketed by an American company, Moxie, hence the name of the cat. This fast and comfortable catamaran is the first to be launched and is on its way to the Annapolis Boat Show, where it has been entered for the prestigious Boat of the Year Award. Prior to the launch of the Moxie 37, there were two prototypes, now in the USA and Dar es Salaam.