elv 50 års brochure GB.indd

CATCHING
THE WIND
50 years of sailmaking from dinghy to superyacht
Paul Elvstrom, the grandfather of sailing
Considered to be the greatest sailor in Olympic
history, Paul Elvström is one of only three
Olympians to win the same individual event four
times in a row. He is also one of only four athletes
to compete in eight or more Olympics.
He began his sailing career aged five, moving into
Olympic competition and his first gold medal at
the age of 20 at the London Olympic Games in
1948.
He picked up his second gold medal at the 1952
Helsinki games where he won four races ending
up 3000 points ahead of his competitors. He
followed these with more gold medals at the 1956
games in Melbourne and 1960 Olympics in Rome.
Back home in Denmark, Paul Elvström was busy
building his family life, his sailmaking business and
generally immersing himself in everything to do
with sailing. He still managed to find time to take
the world champion title 13 times plus several
European and national titles. In 1996 he was
named Danish Sportsman of the Century.
In 1984, the lure of the Olympic arena drew him
back to Los Angeles. Here he sailed a Tornado
catamaran with his daughter Trine (already
European champions in Tornado), making them
the only father/daughter combination to have
competed together at the Olympics. They secured
a fourth in class, narrowly missing a bronze medal.
Paul took part in the 1972, 1984 and 1988
Olympics where medals eluded him but in a career
spanning 40 years of Olympic sailing, what a
supreme competitor he was.
The story of the Elvström company
Paul Elvström started his company in the
basement of his mother’s house in Copenhagen
in 1954. ‘Elvström Dinghy Sails’ later became
‘Elvström Sails’ and one man and a sewing
machine working with cotton soon progressed
to a full production team, new premises and the
new wonder materials, Nylon and Dacron.
His innovative ideas didn’t stop with changing
the face of sail making, they included the
ratchet block, suction self-bailer, buoyancy
vest and numerous designs for boats, fittings,
clothing and even a sailing watch!
The years have moved on, the premises have
changed and many of the techniques and
materials are a world apart from the post war
fifties.
In 2002 Elvström bought American sailmakers
Sobstad, who brought with them the Genesis
technology that helps Elvström build the world’s
most advanced sails.
This year has seen the company move into
brand-new premises of 4500m2 in Aabenraa
on a road named Paul Elvström Street. From
these premises the company produces sails for
yacht owners and some of the largest and most
respected yacht builders in Europe. From here
they ship to representative lofts in 25 countries
around the world.
Sails to suit all sailors
With Elvström Sobstad’s wide range of sails, all
types of sailors and yachts are catered for. Cuts
and types of cloth, choice of weights, features
and manufacturing techniques make the design
of sails infinitely variable.
Elvström Sobstad’s range covers all types of
suitability from weekend cruising, or long
distance offshore sailing through to club racing
and international regattas with top of the range
Genesis sails.
Elvström Sobstad’s
‘Inspiration’ range
incorporates a
host of innovative
features,
guaranteeing
customers
fully tried and
tested sails
with features
designed to
make them
perform that
much better.
The network
of 52 representatives covering
25 countries
around the
world mean
that yachtsmen
everywhere
can enjoy
expert
service and
repair facilities
and benefit
from continuous
innovation.
Europe’s famous yachts sail with Elvström Sobstad
Elvström Sobstad’s superior production facilities
have enabled them to respond to the demands
of some of Europe’s largest and most respected
yacht producers.
Recognising that different yards
have very diverse requirements,
Elvström Sobstad’s flexibility
and leading edge technology
enables them to custom
produce distinctive sails to
meet different sail boat
styles and price ranges.
Elvström Sobstad
guarantees high quality,
delivered on time and
at the right price.
No other European
sail manufacturer
has such long
experience and
such a wide
knowledge of
production
yachts.
The new Shipman 50,
the latest in a long line
of yacht builders to
choose Elvström sails
The Genesis story continues
Elvström Sobstad’s world famous ‘Genesis’ sails
were the product of years of hard work, major
financial investment and the inspirational vision
of one man, Peter Conrad.
For the first time in sailmaking history it was
possible to construct a sail without conventional
cloth, to align load-bearing threads in the
direction of principle stresses and to laminate
them into a film material such as Mylar.
Freed from the limitations of the warp and the
weft of traditionally woven material, sails could
be made which were lighter, stronger and more
stable.
This was the birth of the contemporary ‘thread
line’ or ‘string sails’ patented by Sobstad.
Elvström Sobstad have continued to develop this
technology to its latest pinnacle ‘Radial Genesis’.
Here, no single thread or yarn is ever running
parallel to another. Furthermore, each yarn
runs continuous and unbroken, with individual
panel edges laminated into the structure and
also following the lines of stress. The resultant
strength is optimum and the profile smooth and
fair.
New developments of the Genesis technology
include the ‘evolution’ sails of Elvström Sobstad
Superyacht. Using new techniques, Elvström
Sobstad Superyacht are constructing vast
membrane sails combining light weight with
incredible strength and durability, specifically
designed to cope with the extraordinary loads
and stresses associated with the largest sailing
yachts.
Elvström Sobstad Superyacht, the newest loft
to join the Elvström Sobstad family, are located
on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca,
where they have been at the leading edge of
superyacht sail making for some years. They are
also responsible for running ‘The Superyacht
Cup’, an international sailing regatta for
superyachts.
C
M
Y
K
100
80
0
30
C
M
Y
K
0
86
80
0
Paul Elvstrøms Vej 4 • DK-6200 Aabenraa • Denmark • Tel +45 7362 4800 • Fax +45 7362 4819
www.elvstromsobstad.com