Winter Testing Delivers World Championship Results for P&B

P&B Sails: 2025 Season Review

Winter testing delivered results. Following months of development work in challenging conditions, P&B-equipped sailors took a string of championship wins that validated the loft’s approach to continuous improvement.

In near-one-design fleets, marginal gains decide results. P&B combines on-water testing, design updates, and video analysis to create faster sails. The process is straightforward: identify areas for improvement, test modifications, measure results, refine further.

The Development Approach

505 Class: Light Air and Heavy Weather Gains

Despite leading the 505 class globally, P&B identified room to improve genoa performance in light, choppy conditions. Working with 505 legend Howie Hamlin, the team refined their design to deliver increased power. Hamlin captured the North American Championships early in the season.

Meanwhile, customer feedback from Mike Sims – relatively new to 505 racing – sparked another development. Sims needed better heavy-air performance. P&B reimagined their proven flat-entry design in ODL06, a lighter, more dimensionally stable cloth that holds shape integrity in stronger winds.

The new sail delivered immediate speed gains and contributed to Mike’s UK Nationals victory.

Merlin Rocket: Solving Class-Specific Challenges

P&B’s multi-year involvement with the Merlin Rocket class produced consistent podium finishes at the 2025 Nationals and Salcombe Week. Success in this fleet – packed with talented sailors pushing a platform that offers variable sail plans, hull shapes, and mast characteristics – requires detailed attention to setup nuances.

Rather than wholesale redesign, P&B refined proven designs based on customer feedback. The first breakthrough addressed batten pockets disrupting sail shape. The solution integrated pockets within the sail structure itself, creating consistent shape on both tacks.

Meanwhile, the jib presented another opportunity. In particular, larger, modern head designs were twisting and collapsing in key conditions. In response, P&B developed a redesigned jib that maintains shape integrity and prevents luff distortion, improving control across the wind range.

On the water, the redesigned sails proved competitive immediately, collecting multiple open meeting victories at the season’s start. Ultimately, Chris and Sophie finished second at this year’s Nationals.

Solo: Single-Handed Development

The competitive Solo circuit has been the focus of considerable P&B investment aimed at creating the fastest rig and sail combination available. Results validate that commitment.

At the core, P&B’s Maxx sail has undergone refinement over multiple seasons. One our Loft team members personally oversaw development, going undefeated through every race at this year’s Nationals and nearly replicating that performance at the Inlands.

Beyond sail development, this year we introduced the Allen XG1 Mast to our range, becoming one of the first UK lofts to offer this option. Crucially, testing confirmed that P&B sails perform exceptionally across all mast sections available, giving sailors confidence in their equipment choices.

Flying Fifteen: World Championship Results

The Flying Fifteen class reached its competitive peak in 2025 with the World Championships at Weymouth. Among 82 teams competing, Ian Pinnell, sailing with Ian Cadwallader, demonstrated the value of continuous development and meticulous preparation.

This year’s sail modifications were incremental. Instead, P&B focused intensively on setup optimisation. Following adoption of their new jib design, the team identified sheeting angles as critical to unlocking performance. The breakthrough came with P&B’s new Flying Fifteen Jib Tracks Sheeting and Wedge Complete Kit, allowing crews to move the sail’s clew inboard – dramatically improving pointing ability without sacrificing speed.

On the water, Pinnell invested numerous weekends at Hayling Island refining settings, with findings now incorporated into P&B’s updated tuning guide. The results: P&B sails captured first and second at the World Championships, with P&B sails also securing second at the Nationals.

Osprey: Continuous Refinement

The Osprey class has cultivated a quality following, and with boat development comes sail evolution. P&B sails have remained at the forefront of results for several years, but the team identified room for improvement.

Specifically, the existing mainsail performed well for lighter crews but lacked punch in certain conditions. Working from Richard Bowers’ original design, P&B gradually refined the shape, reducing depth in the lower section to create a sail that excels across all conditions.

Simultaneously, the team flattened the leach exit on the standard genoa to make the sail less sensitive to leech tension adjustments – improving consistency and ease of handling.

On the race course, results validated the development: P&B sails secured a Nationals victory for the second consecutive year.

Fireball: New Rules at the World Championship

The Fireball class has experienced remarkable resurgence, and 2025 marked another step forward with over 130 boats competing on a single start line at the World Championships on Lake Garda.

Significantly, the class adopted new rules in February allowing deck and hull modifications along with rigging improvements. P&B immediately began designing systems to maximise the new regulations.

However, while the team had successfully fitted twin poles and one-string raking systems to championship-winning Scorpions, the Fireball presented unique challenges. After several iterations, working with Fireball guru Ben Schultz, P&B developed a system utilising the lazy guys to maximise twin-pole benefits, a retrofit-friendly upgrade offered by the Northampton-based workshop team.

On the water, despite a packed schedule, P&B found a testing window at Hayling Island during regatta season. With coaching support from Chips Howarth, the team tested setups against renowned sailors DJ Edwards and Vyv Townend. Crucially, video analysis revealed that the new one-string system (also available to retrofit) and its ability to gear change in varied wind conditions delivered superior control, including improved height and pace.

In practice, the new system provided a wider rake range than previously possible, now usually fitted as standard. Teams raked earlier and used more rake upwind than traditional Fireball wisdom would suggest – a strategy that would typically compromise downwind speed. However, the ability to rake back for offwind legs maintained consistent speed throughout the course.

Ultimately, results validated the approach: DJ and Vyv’s pace earned them second overall, while P&B Sales Manager, Dave Wade with crew, Iain Blake secured fifth in the 136-boat fleet.

2026 Development Continues

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About the Author:

Dave Wade Sales Manager | Multi-Class National Champion | P&B Sailing

Dave Wade is the Sales Manager at P&B, a UK sailmaker with over 50 years of heritage in championship-winning sail design and boat equipment. With thirty years of competitive dinghy racing experience, Dave has achieved national titles and multiple national podium finishes across five classes: Fireball, Mirror, Scorpion, Albacore, and Wayfarer. His international racing credentials include podium finishes at European and World Championships in both Fireball and Mirror classes.

Based at P&B’s Northampton headquarters, Dave combines his extensive racing experience with technical knowledge of sail design, rigging systems, and boat setup optimisation. He works directly with P&B’s sail loft and race team, translating championship-level development into practical equipment recommendations for sailors competing at club, national, and international levels.

Dave’s ongoing competitive sailing across multiple classes provides firsthand experience with the equipment, techniques, and setup challenges featured in P&B’s technical content. His role involves specifying equipment for diverse sailing conditions, classes, and competitive goals – expertise built on three decades of racing experience and daily collaboration with P&B’s sail designers and championship sailors.

Contact: dave@pinbax.com