"Simplicity and performance are valued commodities.Sailworks has always believed in this concept. We make a rig to help every sailor reach a new personal best."
Bruce Peterson..... Brian Mckenzie.
BM: For our members/readers, can you tell us a little bit about yourself,
including when and how you got into windsurfing and sail designing?
BP: Bruce Peterson, age 33, born in Fredericton, Canada. Learned to windsurf,
self-taught, in June 1980 on teak-boom stock Windsurfer in Victoria, B.C.
Early sailing influences were Ross Harrington who was the Canadian freestyle
champion and regional hot-shot racer. This led to immediate exposure and
participation in racing. Built first short board in July 1981 - 9'6"diamond tail
(it sucked!).
First trip to Hawaii to windsurf in March 1982 to Kailua, Oahu for the last
Pan-Am World Cup. Hung out on Maui for four months in the spring of 1983,
working at Sailboards Maui, sailing Ho'okipa. Met Joseph Kohler, a.k.a. Joe
Kool, on Maui. Joe's lifestyle of sailing everyday while making a living
from sail repair and sewing bags and harness was a heavy influence. I
returned to Victoria summer of '83, bought a sewing machine and started my
first business, Strait Winds Design, making footstraps, bags and harness.
Meanwhile, in 1983 my buddy Ross Harrington underwent a sailmaking
apprenticeship with Windsure Windsurfing in Vancouver, B.C. He was making
the then very leading edge Hi-Aspect Blades (a fully battened hi-wind short
board sail that pre-dated the Pryde 'Not-normal' RAF). I signed up as a
Windsure team rider in the summer of 1983.
Labor Day weekend 1983 was my first trip to the Gorge. We scored a killer
3-day weekend of wind (it was nukin' but we didn't know it yet). Sailed
Swell City and Maryhill on a 35 sq. ft sail on a 7'2" converted surfboard.
That weekend the Gorge was packed with sailors - there must have been 35
people out at Maryhill - 20 of them Canadians.
In 1984 I missed the first Gorge Pro-Am cus I was planting trees for summer
cash. Worked to my favor though as by early July '84 Windsure found
themselves under-represented in the Gorge. Landed a paid sailing position
with Windsure for the summer - just sail every day in the Gorge with these
big Windsure logos on your sail ("Ahhh, I don't think that will be a
problem"). Raced my first slalom race in the Gorge - '84 Hi-Wind Classic -
came 4th. Worked that year with Harrington on Windsure's new seven batten
(two foot battens even!) Gorge sails - Solid Motion they were called, as we
were already into leading edge stability.
My big sailmaking break came in September 1984 when Harrington quit Windsure to pursue surfing on Vancouver Island. Windsure asked me to carry on with their sailmaking program and come up with a new design for 1985. I could
sew a sail from start to finish no problem, but I really didn't know much
sail geometry then. Thankfully I had the sense to keep very close and
accurate records of the geometry and methods I used so I had some idea of
what I did when it worked or failed. These records were the roots of the
geometric database that I use today.
Summer of 1985 I quit Windsure and moved to the Gorge. That year I made
sails in my living room for myself and a few buddies. Lacking all the
sewing machines to properly complete a sail, I used to take my sail panels
to Rushwind to sew the seams. There I started a working relationship with
Dave Russell, then sole proprietor of Rushwind. Winter of 85/86 I headed
for Perth, Australia and the beginning of a three-year, biannual hemisphere
hop of continuous sailing.
Returned to Hood River in the spring of '86. Moved my sail loft from my
living room into the back of Rushwind. For the first month I made my own
sails at Rushwind but in June of 1986 I bought into half of Rushwind.
Bought my first PC that summer and began the spreadsheet database for sail
design that I still use today.
BM: As we know, you have developed quite a following and are probably best
known for your race sail designs. For your bump & jump/wave designs, has
working with Pascal Hardy had any influence in this area, since he is an
such excellent all around free-sailor?
BP: My own interest in racing has always be the primary influence in my race
sail designs. The success I experience really lent a lot of credibility to
my designs. Because I never have spent a lot of continuous time wave sailing, I have never felt confident with just my own assessment of wave sails.
This is why I have always relied on top professional sailors to test and
develop my wave sails. At Sailworks, Bruce Wylie and Alex Aguera have
always been closely involved in the design and testing of the wave sails.
Lately, Pascal Hardy has been the driving influence behind the wave sails.
Pascal is very creative. He's very conscious of the style and aesthetics of
a sail, where I tend to be more minimalist and practical. It's a good
working relationship as our approaches to the sails are very complimentary.
Pascal and I have just finalized design the new Revolution SR4 wave sails.
BM: We know from your brochures and videos that you use computer-aided design tools. Can you tell us a little about the process of how you design and get
your ideas to the cutting table for prototyping?
BP: I have used computers in sail design for over eleven years now. First we
started with just a spreadsheet listing of the basic geometric values to make
area calculations. This developed to a much broader database of over 350 data-points that completely define a sail's geometry. Now we use the
spreadsheet to do complex calculations on shaping profiles, tension
profiles, polynomial equations to track and fair luff curve acceleration.
Four years ago we automated our cutting process with a flatbed digital cutting
table. Using AutoCAD as a design platform, we have DDE linked the
spreadsheet database to the graphical environment of AutoCAD via a complex
series of custom programming calls. I use Windows NT 4.0, MS Excel 97, and
AutoCAD 13 on a Pentium 166 with 128 Mb of RAM.
Using manual methods, it can take anywhere from 9 to 12 hours to
conceptualize, define, layout a pattern and cut a new sail design. Now I
do that same job in 1½ to 2 hours and a good chunk of that time is changing
materials on the plotter! The automation we have implemented allows us to
experiment much more with greater flexibility and accuracy. Now we can try
several different ideas at once and then revert back to the best idea with
100% reproductive accuracy.
BM: What do you feel will be considered the next "big breakthrough" in sail
design, and what is your impression of the new "flex tip" design?
BP: We have just finished a brand new sail line called RETRO. We applied late
90's tension and shaping concepts to a mid-80's sail concept - hence the
name Retro. It a six-batten cam-less slalom sail that rips! The Retro is
the most inspiring sail I have ever made. As a RAF design, with our new
screw batten tensioners it is an extremely easy sail to assemble and tune.
Performance-wise it has exceeded our expectations almost beyond belief. The
shear torque the sail develops in the low-end is astounding. Despite the
lack of cambers, the Retro does not lack any power or range. It gives up
nothing to ANY cambered sail (including full on racing sails) on a beam or
broad reach. Upwind its quick and efficient, but compared to fully cambered
racing sails, it lacks the top end penetration into high apparent wind
angles. Easy concessions to give up considering this sail excels at what
90% of all windsurfers want to do. In short, this is the next big
breakthrough, make windsurfing easier, more accessible and more fun.
As for the "flex-tip" designs that Simmer and Gaastra have introduced, we
looked very closely at this concept and had our own interpretation of this
concept digitally conceived. Our final assessment of the idea was that it
was not where we thought the sport should go, at least from the perspective
of the average user. We wanted to make the windsurfing rig easier to use,
not harder; cheaper, not more expensive; more compatible with existing
hardware, not less so. The "flex-tip" concept was literally everything we
did not want to pursue. Having said that, I have no doubt that the
theoretical concept behind the "flex-tip" design may lead to some
aerodynamic improvements, but at what cost?
BM: Could you explain your Variable Tension Cam (VTC) system and tell us a
little bit about your new S-X sail?
BP: The VTC cam has all the benefits of a passive camber system (and more!)
without the limitations of previously existing passive camber systems. The
benefits are being the ability to separate the batten tension from the
camber pressure on the mast. This allows the body of the sail to be kept
under tension without loading the camber onto the mast. The result is
taught sail shape and good rotation. The limitations of other existing
passive camber systems (i.e. Pryde) is the extremely tight manufacturing
tolerances they must be made to and the very specific mast diameters that
will work with the sail. For example, if the fixed camber position is not
sewn exactly in the right place, the mast will either not go into the mast
sleeve, or the sleeve will be loose. Further, a mast larger than specified
will not go into the sleeve and a mast smaller than specified will not
tension the mast sleeve properly. We wanted a passive camber system, but
did not want these limitations. We solved these problems the VTC cam.
Quite simply the VTC cam has a ladderlock type buckle built into one side of
the camber. This buckle controls the tension on a webbing strap that
adjusts the camber's position on the front of the mast. Have a fat mast?
Loosen the VTC cam. Have a skinny mast? Tighten the VTC cam. Further
benefits came in the ability to control and therefore vary the leading edge
tension completely separate from the batten tension. For high winds, more
cam pressure is used for more leading edge stability and draft position
further forward. Conversely, for light winds, less cam pressure is used for
better cam rotation and more draft aft power. Most sailors just set the
cams up once and forget about them. It's a very adaptable feature that's
easy to use, hassle free and speeds up rigging.
BM: What do feel is in the cards for skinny masts? Are they quickly becoming
extinct, or are they even a consideration in new designs?
BP: I never liked the idea, I spoke out against it when they became flavor of
the month and I'm glad they're gone. Skinny masts are heavier, more
expensive, slower reflexing and poorly dampened. I don't recommend using
them on Sailworks sails.
BM: Some of the Sailworks Team Riders have been with you for quite a few
years. What is the bond? How dependent are you on their feedback?
BP: We have always strived for close personal relationships with our team riders. We have kept a tight family of people together. They are more than just
riders, they play a larger role in the company and we make them involved in
the decisions we make. The feedback from these riders is indispensable for
product development and competitive validation of our designs. The exposure
that they generate is essential for maintaining a high profile image.
BM: What feedback other than your team riders do you consider to be the most
useful?
BP: I always like to hear what recreational sailors have to say about our sails.
For example, in developing the Retro line this year, we spent
considerable time getting the feedback from average sailors on what they
wanted from a sail. Their impressions were essential to the concept of what
we wanted the Retro to achieve. Our pro riders had much less of a role in
the development of the Retro, mostly to evaluate the top end performance.
BM: Most company's offer many lines, Sailworks has stayed with only three for
quite awhile. Do you feel that these three cover all the needs and range of
conditions for sailors?
BP: We have always tried to keep our sail range simple and clean, but very
highly developed and adaptable to a broad range of condition. Choice is
good, but too much choice is confusing. We strive for range and versatility
rather than specialization. Having fewer models we can concentrate on
making the one we do have that much better.
BM: Does having only three sail lines to deal with, leave you an outlet for
more creativity and prototypes in these lines?
BP: I think limiting our range to just three lines allows us to spend more time
on each sail line and each sail size. This means a higher level of
refinement for each sail. I am very big on adjustability - being able to
tune for the conditions or the components - this takes time to refine and
perfect.
BM: A lot of designers test mainly in Maui. Do you feel that R&D in the
Gorge and Maui gives you a better range of conditions to test your sails in
making them more applicable to us "real world sailors" who sail in less than
perfect conditions?
BP: Yes, using two locations to conduct our testing gives a broader range of
conditions and more exposure to different users. While both locales have
good reputations for windsurfing, "less than perfect conditions" abound. We
strive to test our sails in the conditions they were intended. Twelve knots
in the Gorge isn't much different from twelve knots anywhere else.
Bruce Peterson, Sailworks
Copyright WaveHog Web Designs 1997. Brian Mckenzie
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