ULI BITTERORF (Hardware engineering, 15 years experience.)
The man behind North’s pioneering Power XT base, Uli Bitterorf, has also been around in the North team for well over a decade. An avid windsurfer and visionary innovator, Uli is the heart and soul behind the incredible line of accessories North have on the market.
“I was originally an electrical engineer and I was fired from my job around fifteen years ago, so while I was unemployed I had some time on my hands. I have always been a fanatical windsurfer so I decided to take this opportunity to resolve the biggest problems for most everyday sailors. I decided it was rigging and in particular the downhaul! I came up with the idea for the Power XT. I knew a lot of sailors were unable to downhaul their new sails properly. It is like having a Ferrari and having hardly any air in your tyres, totally inefficient! After my first concept I put my idea out to the brands; I was so glad that I met Raoul who was the only person that was interested in my technical ideas.
So, at that time, I made my own engineering office for product development, which I have had for fifteen years now. My first project was to produce and refine the Power XT, which took over a year. I realized that I had a talent for detecting problems, finding ways of solving them or improving the existing ones and making products whilst at the same time keeping the costs down. The rotating clamp was the principle of the Power XT and the reason why it worked and the point of the patent. We started our relationship and now have been together for fifteen years. Right now I am particularly proud of our new Power XT version 2, which has been completely revamped and is working amazingly well. I am now in charge of designing all the North hardware. We are constantly trying to improve our products and also meet the new demands of the modern day windsurfing rig.”