Our Story
Developed during the America's Cup in 2003 and now being used by racers and cruisers throughout the world for attaching sheets to headsails and gennakers. Like all innovative solutions, the key to T Clewring's success is simplicity. It has no moving parts and instead relies on clever design. T Clewrings are produced in New Zealand and all materials are certified and sourced from the USA.
Not only does it ensure lightning fast, fail-safe connections, it guarantees a super smooth, soft connection. In racing mode, there is nothing for the clew to hook up on as the boat tacks or gybes, resulting in fast, slick manoeuvres. In cruising mode, the elimination of hard metal connections offers smooth tacking or gybing and also protects the paint or varnish on your mast, thus avoiding those unsightly and expensive scars. The danger to crew from flying shackles is also greatly reduced.
The idea for the T Clewring came out of the America's Cup where every effort is made to maximise efficiencies. Matthew Mason, a veteran of America's Cup and other Grand Prix campaigns, was the major force behind the T Clewring.
"Traditional clip shackles fail frequently and simply aren't strong enough for some of these big boats especially with all the carbon being used in the sails these days", says Mason. "Plus, they are a hassle to attach, and catch onto things in the middle of tacks and in the heat of the battle!”
With the T Clewring in the 2003 America's Cup, Mason could attach a pair of sheets to a genoa in 10 seconds. Traditional methods of clipping and taping sheets takes close to a minute!
Ask your sailmaker for T Clewrings!
