WIND VISION
So what’s the ‘secret sauce’, the crucial nitty-gritties of Spindler designs that have brought the famed forgiving feel and wind range – and results? You’ll have a hard time extracting that from most cutters of cloth, but Monty’s quite forthcoming about the fundamentals. For one, it’s plain to see he’s not a fan of deep and drastic profiles. His designs have much flatter, finer entries. And he constantly speaks of ‘trim reactivity’. In his view, fuller designs cannot be made flat through trim. In contrast, flat-profiled designs can morph to fuller foils with soft trim. ‘Trim reactivity is essential for wide wind range’ he claims. ‘Rigged sails have two “states”. “Static” pre-wind – and the “dynamic state” when filled with air and in motion. The “pre-wind” static state must anticipate the navigating, dynamic state. When hooking in, the profile settles – and shifts rearward. Designs that enjoy wide wind range must anticipate this rearward shift when underway, so that optimal profile is shifted into, rather than shifted away from.’
Monty also often mentions ‘Wind Vision’. It’s his philosophy. The way he sees air and water interact. ‘We play in the air and water interface. Using that wonderful wind on the water to move in the most natural way that we can is beautiful. We’re part bird, part fish, part human’ he says when describing the emotion we feel when out on the sea and how his creations react to the wind. You can see him respond to the movement in the trees. Always alert. In tune with the breeze, like a school kid hooked on the sport frothing to leave class and get to the beach.