by Robert Deaves
There is a new name in sail making in Germany, but with a familiar face. Turtle Sails is the new name for Quantum Sails Potsdam. After seven years as part of the Quantum Group, owners Greg Wilcox and Juliane Hofmann decided to go it alone and all sails will now be made under the new name of Turtle Sails.
Greg has been making championship winning OK Dinghy sails for many years, first in Wellington, New Zealand, with Port Nicholson Sails, before moving to Germany and starting the highly successful Quantum Sails Potsdam with Juliane in 2007. He is one of the most experienced and successful sailors in the OK Dinghy class, a former world champion and the current world No 1. Greg also sails Finns and Pirats and has sailed J24s successfully.
Juliane is arguably the most successful female OK Dinghy sailor in the class, and is evidence that small people (she is under 60 kg) can compete in the OK Dinghy with the correct mast and sail combination, something that Turtle Sails works hard to achieve, and in which it has had great success. Juliane is also the vice European Champion in the Pirat class and the holds the Masters title for the Europe class in Germany.
The move to an independent loft reflects their ongoing commitment to provide a quality product to sailors using the experience gained over many years working for a global loft franchise and sailing in these classes. Greg said, “All sails are designed, plotted and made at our Potsdam loft, so new ones can be made exactly the same as previous sails or to the latest design, depending on your preference.”
Greg and Juliane bring extensive experience from many classes to the table, with the combined knowledge benefiting all classes they work with to make championship winning sails.
Greg Wilcox winning in the OK. Supplied image.
The results speak for themselves. Sails built by Greg and Juliane have won six OK Dinghy World Championships since 2002, while each year their sails win more races than any other sailmaker and continue to be the loft of choice for many top OK Dinghy sailors around the world. This success is repeated in other the classes that Turtle Sails work with, including two German national titles in the Europe class.
Greg and Juliane look forward to working with their existing customers through 2014 and well as welcoming many more new ones. Turtle Sails website is www.turtlesails.de, while English pages can be found at www.turtlesails.com. The loft can also be contacted on mail@turtlesails.de.
Turtle Sails
