Ronstan Series 40 Orbit Blocks: New 12:1 Mainsheet
Release & pics sent by Ronstan.
Ronstan , NAASA & new Series 40 Orbit Blocks
Last summer, Ronstan was happy to support the Narraganset Bay Adult Athletic Sailing Association. More commonly referred to as NAASA, the association is a Rhode Island based non-profit dedicated to the promotion and support of high performance competitive sailing on Narragansett Bay. Through their grant scholarship program, qualified sailors can apply for one of their fully funded F18’s for the summer sailing season. Scholarship recipients not only receive a fully rigged F18 to use for the entire summer, but also paid storage at Sail Newport and entry to local F18 regattas including the Wickford Regatta, Sail Newport Regatta, New England 100, and the United States Multihull Champs.
Getting onboard with such a great program local to Ronstan’s US Head Office was an easy decision. In addition to financial support for NAASA, one of the program’s grant scholarship boats was fitted out with new Ronstan hardware, Robline cordage, and team graphics to become Team Ronstan. The scholarship recipients, former college sailors KB Knapp (Yale ’18) and Parker Colantuono (URI ’22), were also fully decked out with Ronstan sailing gear.
“I never imagined having the opportunity to sail a high performance boat after college, let alone while building a career. Through the sponsorship of NAASA and Ronstan, many of the classic barriers to entry sailors face were quickly resolved. With the F18 being a highly technical boat, frequent boat work and part replacements are a common occurrence. The Ronstan team ensured we had the right equipment at all times to get us on the water and provided us with the latest and greatest.” -KB Knapp, Team Ronstan skipper
The highlight of Team Ronstan’s fit-out was the 12:1 mainsheet system comprised of blocks from Ronstan’s brand new Series 40 Orbit Blocks™ range. Developed in conjunction with sailors from the Australian Sailing Team, Ronstan’s newest product range features the most capable 40mm blocks on the market with class-leading working loads (from 400kg on ball bearing models all the way to 1,000kg on HL models).
“Being a smaller skipper, we were extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to try the new Ronstan 12:1 mainsheet system, which creates less frictional load through multiple purchases, making main trim a lot easier. I feel extremely fortunate for our partnership with Ronstan and the support they provide to younger females trying to enter the class. Have to say after this summer I am definitely hooked and looking forward to the future racing to come!” -KB Knapp, Team Ronstan skipper
The boat’s spinnaker blocks were upgraded to the new RF48109 single lashing blocks. Also available in an impressive High Load version, the single lashing blocks feature rotating cheeks for optional snatch block functionality, increasing their versatility for other applications. As a performance multihull where small details can make the difference in a race, the F18 is a perfect platform to introduce the new blocks to the market.
Team Ronstan was also fitted with a Carbon Battlestick™ Tiller extension, Robline’s High Tech Shockcord, and a multitude of other fittings including Shocks™ and trapeze handles. Ronstan is looking forward to staying involved with NAASA in the coming years as the program continues to grow and succeed.
