Point Loma Outfitting - sailing clothing, outdoor performance wear, foul weather gear in San Diego

– State-of-the-Art Trimaran Will Undergo Modifications to Improve Performance and Start Phase II Sea Trials in San Diego in Late January
– BMW ORACLE Explores New Racing Options for Trimaran
San Diego, California, November 28, 2008 – Russell Coutts, CEO and Skipper of BMW ORACLE Racing, today announced that BOR 90, the syndicate’s state-of-the-art trimaran, has successfully completed Phase I of its sea trials in San Diego.
The 90 foot high-tech trimaran now will undergo further modifications to improve performance based on the team’s experiences with the trimaran on the Pacific Ocean off California since October. Over the next few months, a number of design changes will be implemented in order to make the trimaran an even faster, more responsive boat. In addition, decisions will be made about the optimum crew size and placement.
The boat will return to the water in late January for several additional months of testing in San Diego.
Said Coutts, “We’ve had some great sailing over the past seven weeks. Our team worked hard and pushed the limits of the boat, identifying its many strengths as well as several areas where it needs improvement. We saw it can consistently sail one-and-a-half to two times the speed of the wind, regardless of sea and wind conditions, and it has remarkable agility. Overall, it’s an amazing machine – none of us have ever sailed anything like it. Its extreme engineering enables extreme performance.”
Coutts also announced that BMW ORACLE had begun to explore opportunities to race the trimaran. “Our racing options for sailing a multihull are not limited to the America’s Cup. Indeed, a Deed of Gift race is only a default option forced on us if Alinghi declines to agree to a multi-challenger event after we win the appeal. It remains our hope that we will reach an agreement with the America’s Cup Defender that will enable a traditional, multi-challenger America’s Cup in monohulls.
“With that in mind, we are exploring a number of other ways to sail the boat, including match races, regattas or even an attempt at one of the sailing speed records,” he said.
Coutts added, “On behalf of all of us at BMW ORACLE Racing, I want to thank the people of San Diego – the reception we’ve gotten from the sailing community and everyone else has been wonderful.”
The Phase I sea trials followed several weeks of “shake-down” testing in Puget Sound off Anacortes, WA earlier in September.

The following piece was released by  Sfilate fashion magazine of Milan, Italy, Sfilate is a fashion magazine based upon runways and fashion news (www.sfilate.com):

Technology clothes the city…A new thermo regulating jacket for all seasons: “Full Metal Jacket”.
Layered pants which boast a look for city wear but are technologically futuristic.
A warm-up vest in which to face the winter cold…The rallying cry for SLAM’s 2008-2009 collection is: TECHNOLOGY.
The company from Genoa is concentrating more and more on transferring the technology and engineering used for clothing in its ADVANCED collection to its TECHNOLOGY and SPORTSWEAR collections for everyday use.Thermo-taped seams, breathability, waterproofness are but a few of the intrinsic winning features in SLAM clothing.  An accurate choice of materials: cashmere, “soft shell” and velvet, precision in the stitching and care exercised over the finer points result in an attractive and attention-getting collection.  Apart from classic cuts, we find close fitting lines, custom fit shirts and polo shirts designed for sportsmen who follow the latest trends.Jackets, which for years have been the top of the range in SLAM’s collections warrant particular attention.  Quilted jackets increase in volume and become glossier; new cloth reefer jackets are matched up with the technical features which set sports jackets apart (thermal taping, lamination and waterproofing) whilst retaining the look and comfort of cloth. Worthy of a special mention are the futuristic “soft shell” jackets assembled thanks to a system which uses ultrasound technology.  The SLAM man, who has always been sporty, a lover of the great outdoors, is a dynamic individual, attentive to detail and to quality of life.Loads of innovation too for the ladies for whom a collection with greater fashion emphasis and femininity has been designed.  Waistlines are higher and pants figure hugging; knitwear has longer lines, prints become transparent and t-shirts double-sided.Created for the dynamic and glamorous woman, the new gold line is embellished with gold detail.The new “Full Metal Jacket” is thermo regulating, adapting itself to variable atmospheric conditions.
SLAM attentive to changes in weather conditions and clients’ needs has designed a revolutionary jacket capable of regulating temperature in tandem with changing atmospheric conditions which have now become so unpredictable.
By wearing the “Full Metal Jacket” you will never again feel too hot nor too cold, but will always experience a feeling of wellbeing thanks to the use of Outlast lining.Outlast is a material which is able to keep body temperature constant by absorbing excess heat and releasing it as and when required.  Excursions in unpredictable temperatures and changes in climate will no longer present a problem.  PCM Outlast® Adaptive Comfort® technology was originally developed for NASA to provide astronauts with protection against the freezing cold or fiery heat out in space.In the patented microcapsules, known as Outlast® Thermocules™, substances similar to paraffin capable of changing the state of matter have been incorporated.  This principle of physics is well known, for example water changes into ice or vapor when energy is added or removed.  Outlast® technology makes use of exactly the same law of physics.The other characteristic inherent in Outlast® materials is the fact that the sheaths of the microcapsules incorporated in the fabric remain intact, meaning that their temperature regulating properties remain active ad infinitum.Layered pants with a city look but technologically futuristic.
Another jewel in the crown from SLAM’s collection is the surprising Three Layer Pant. “Classic” for men and with “5 pockets side by side” for women, these formal looking pants disguise a host of technical features: they are windproof, waterproof and at the same time breathable thanks to their Sympatex® membrane.  These pants which will never let the wearer down, even when taken unawares in a downpour.Sympatex® is an ultra fine and non porous polyester membrane which, apart from guaranteeing excellent performance makes the trousers comfortable and elegant.In order maintain the human body’s energy balance, humidity produced by the body must quickly be wicked away to the outside; the membrane transports this moisture through the garment, creating an optimum micro-climate which keeps skin dry even during intense physical activity.  It offers protection, furthermore, against wind, rain and snow.In the wake of the success of the “Warm-up Jacket” the “Warm up Vest”.
THE COLD WILL NEVER AGAIN BE A PROBLEM THANKS TO THE WARM UP VEST; THE VEST MADE FROM SOFT SHELL FABRIC AND FURNISHED WITH AN INTEGRAL WARM-UP GADGET. 
Possessing three temperature settings, the new system guarantees 10 hours of warmth and, when the battery runs down, you only have to recharge it for three hours using the USB cable.
An overcoat in the wardrobe?  Let it gather dust because with this hyper technological vest you will never again suffer from the cold.  Worn under any jacket,  coat or top you will always feel warm and at ease.The ecological technology of the Light Bay Shirt and the Blue Peal Polo shirt
SLAM continues to amaze… engineering and turning clothing for everyday wear into technologically advanced garments.
The Light Bay Shirt and Blue Pearl Polo shirt, thanks to workmanship both inside and out, benefit on the inside from the use of high tech polypropylene Dryarn® and externally from fashion design detail. 
Dryarn® is an innovative (dermatologically tested) micro-fiber which guarantees increased levels of performance even in the context of extreme use.  The principal characteristics of the garment are:
BREATHABILITY: Dryarn® transports perspiration produced by physical activity to the outside. 
BACTERIOSTATIC:  It acts like an invisible barrier protecting and respecting the skin’s natural ph.
LIGHT: Dryarn is currently the lightest yarn on the market.
EASY CARE: Stain-resistant, non iron, colors don’t run.
THERMOREGULATING: stabilizes and keeps body temperature constant in external high or low temperatures, even in the most extreme conditions.
ECOLOGICAL: Dyed at the beginning (in paste) with non polluting additives. 100% recyclable. 

09/07/2008    

Porto Cervo: With the Maxi Rolex Cup put to bed, the rhythm has not slowed in Porto Cervo. It’s now the turn of the Swan Cup, the regatta which attracts the passionate owners of these elegant yachts, many of whom are real fans of the SLAM SHOP in Porto Cervo, to which they are quick to pay a visit. On sale in the SLAM shop, which is located just adjacent to the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, the Sailing Summer and Winter Jackets, Almeria Bermuda shorts and shirts featuring the event branding “Rolex Swan Cup 2008” are on sale. These, in addition to the usual SLAM technical and sportswear collections.

 The event will run from 8th to 14th September and will see various crews kitted out in SLAM clothing:  After the acid green chosen by “Moneypenny” during the Maxi Rolex Cup, it’s now the turn of the Dutch Swan 42 “Baraka” wearing the RC Spray Top and Long John in lime yellow.  Carlo Perrone on Atlantica Racing, the Swan 45 which has been wearing SLAM for years, has been supplied with the Albatron sweatshirt (featuring water resistant and wind-proof inserts on both back and front), the Buldir vest, Zip Grinder in meryl, Boabunda pants and Elba shoes as kit for the crew.

You’ll see the crews of “White Lie” and “Moustique”, the other Swan 45, in the Regatta Polo Shirt.  From Cowes, the Swan 82 “Crackerjack” is kitted out in Wally and Freedom polo shirts (the latter made from resistex carbon); the Hissar model being their Bermuda shorts of choice.

BMW ORACLE Racing’s new 90-foot multihull yacht touched water for the first time today and the trimaran was commissioned with the traditional bottle of champagne smashed across the bow.

In a team gathering at the water’s edge, the carbon fiber boat was lowered into Fidalgo Bay in front of the boat yard where it was constructed on the Anacortes waterfront. Melinda Erkelens, Golden Gate Yacht Club board member and BMW ORACLE Racing team member, broke a bottle of Moët et Chandon as she commissioned the new BMW ORACLE Racing 90.

“We have learned a lot and developed a lot of new technology in building this boat and I’m really looking forward to testing it on the water,” said team CEO and Skipper Russell Coutts. “It is going to be an interesting challenge and we will need to build up slowly and carefully to testing its full potential,” Coutts said.

The team expects sea trials to begin in early September once the fit-out is complete and structural load tests are conducted dockside.

The team partnered with Van Peteghem and Lauriot Prévost (VPLP) of France and one of the most successful skippers in multihull racing, Franck Cammas, to design the innovative trimaran.

Led by Mark Turner and Tim Smyth, the BMW ORACLE Racing construction team has worked in a purpose-built composite yacht construction facility housed in a 100-foot x 200-foot, three-story shed.  Janicki Industries in nearby Sedro-Woolley provided high-tech precision tooling.

Bringing unique technological competence and setting new standards in the area of intelligent lightweight design, BMW has been a key partner in developing the boat. BMW aeronautical engineers, Christoph Erbelding and Thomas Hahn, have stayed with the design team since the 32nd campaign providing unique expertise in finite element analysis, which is a key tool for fulfilling EfficientDynamics requirements in the automotive industry.

The yacht is a key element of the team’s preparation for the next America’s Cup, representing San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC), on which a ruling is expected from the New York State Court of Appeals in the next six months.

The entire crew is kitted out by SLAM.

 ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, July 30 /PRNewswire/ — A new metallocene based polypropylene (PP) fiber produced under the trademark Dryarn from Italian synthetic fiber manufacturer Aquafil has been selected by Italian sportswear manufacturer SLAM to create a jersey for the national sailing team that will compete in Beijing 2008.

SLAM chose the PP fiber, based on a Metocene PP resin produced by LyondellBasell Industries, due to the unprecedented levels of comfort and performance it achieves in skin-contact textile applications. “We believe this is the first time that a PP resin has been used to produce nautical sportswear, which has historically been the domain of polyester and polyamide synthetic fibers,” said Bernd Schuetz, Global Business Manager for LyondellBasell’s Metocene resins.

The wicking effect

The Dryarn fiber was chosen by SLAM to produce the “Area 51″ jersey due to its wicking effect, which conducts perspiration away from the skin to the outside where it evaporates. This leads to a sweat expulsion rate that is nearly eight times higher than polyester, which leaves the wearer dry and comfortable. The fiber does not allow humidity to collect close to the skin, and it retains none of the microorganisms that create odor in garments made from synthetic fibers.

As climatic conditions at the Beijing 2008 regattas typically exhibit high temperatures and high humidity in the port of Qingdao, where the competitions will be held, tests were carried out to assess the performance of different fibers. The results confirmed that the jersey kept the wearer significantly cooler and drier than cotton or other synthetic materials. Athletes who participated in the tests reported that they felt dry 30 minutes after completion of the test. These trials have shown that Dryarn out-performs competitive materials in terms of wearability and comfort.

Lightest yarn in nature

Metocene resin can also be used to produce yarn with outstanding lightness characteristics. With a specific weight of 0.9 g/cm3, Dryarn is an extremely light yarn, which provides 20 percent weight savings compared with other fibers on the market. In addition, the fiber’s excellent resistance to sea water conditions and abrasion makes it a good choice for the demanding nautical environment, as sea water can cause fading and brittleness.

Metocene resin provides a narrow molecular weight distribution that improves the mechanical properties of the fibers, which enables up to 30 percent higher tenacity over other PP-based fibers comparable to polyester and polyamide fibers.

LyondellBasell sees nautical sportswear as just one of a growing range of applications exploiting the outstanding skin-contact characteristics of Metocene-based fibers for use in demanding conditions.

Aquafil (http://www.aquafil.com) is an Italian company with headquarters in Arco di Trento (Italy) and about 2,000 employees working in 11 factories in Italy, Slovenia, United States, Croatia and Thailand. There is a strong synergy between the activities of the three Business Units (carpet yarns, textile yarns, Plastics Engineering/Polymers), characterized by a high level of innovation and product diversification. http://www.aquafil.com - http://www.dryarn.com

SLAM, founded in Genoa in 1979, is the Italian leading company in technology clothing for sailing and is well established in the sportswear sector with expanding collections for men, women and children. http://www.slam-shops.com

LyondellBasell Industries is one of the world’s largest polymers, petrochemicals and fuels companies. We are the global leader in polyolefins technology, production and marketing; a pioneer in propylene oxide and derivatives; and a significant producer of fuels and refined products, including bio-fuels. Through research and development, LyondellBasell develops innovative materials and technologies that deliver exceptional customer value and products that improve quality of life for people around the world. Headquartered in The Netherlands, LyondellBasell (http://www.lyondellbasell.com) is privately owned by Access Industries.

SLAM will be at Pietro D’Alì’s side once again as he takes part in the 39th edition of the Solitaire du Figaro – the tough, legendary, solo race divided into various legs – which starts tomorrow, 25th July, from La Rochelle in France.

Over the 1880 mile course, subdivided into three legs, Pietro will have the best garments from SLAM’s most technical, “Advanced” collection at his disposal.From the foul weather gear category he will have use of both the “Ocean Waves” model and the Spray top with matching Long John. The rest of his kit will comprise of the Anemon bag, both summer and winter “Seamless” underwear (truly appreciated by Pietro, especially for long distance races), Almeria. and New Hissar Bermuda shorts, New Mistral and Prince Evolution shoes, and the short and long sleeved versions of the Zip Grinder.

Pietro is the only Italian amongst the 54 participants.

The first 465 mile leg will end in Vigo, Spain.

The Second leg, scheduled to depart from Vigo for Cherbourg-Octeville on 31st July, is 590 miles long.

Then, the 8th August will see the start of third and final leg – the longest in the history of the Solitaire du Figaro – 825 miles which will circumnavigate the Isle of Mann in the Irish Sea, before heading for l’Alber Wrac’h, which is back in France.

Pietro will sail aboard Mc Louis.

Go for it, PIETRO!

SLAM was official sponsor of the first ever “Golden Gate Cup”, a regatta organised by the Golden Gate Yacht Club in San Francisco. 

An inter-yacht club challenge, it featured Fleet regattas and Match Races; an original formula to which many Yacht Clubs appear to have taken a liking.  Participating in the sailing were some members of the BMW ORACLE Racing Team. 

Victory in the Match Race went to the crew of the GGYC, which included Sgannon Falcone and Gilberto Nobili, sailors from BMW ORACLE.  The crew wore SLAM foul weather gear oilskins from the RC line.

By Wendy Donahue | Chicago Tribune reporter

July 13, 2008

Johnny Depp’s puffy shirts in “Pirates of the Caribbean” are one version of nautical performance wear. Attire for the historic 100th running of the Race to Mackinac next weekend is quite another.

A record number of boats—460—are competing this year in the race, which stretches 333 statute miles from Navy Pier to Mackinac Island, Mich. The crews don’t exactly primp or fuss over their clothing during the world’s longest annual freshwater sailing distance race.

But the course demands a great deal of adaptability from a pair of shorts, shoes and a shirt. Mariners must be dressed for blistering sun, breaking waves, gale-force winds and slippery dashes from stern to bow.

Perhaps not all that different from the demands on other athletes. Or tourists. Or parents.

Besides availing themselves of Patagonia, and other standbys, sailors are abetted by a number of specialty brands, many of which are known only to its subculture, some of which are worthy of broader applications. We’re spilling a few style secrets for your next Kankakee River kayaking adventure, Starved Rock hike or just a stroll along Lake Michigan.

BRAND: Slam, based in Genoa, Italy

KNOWN FOR: Being worthy of Russell Coutts, three-time winner of the America’s Cup.

CROSSOVER APPEAL: Equally adaptable to running or biking, the Evolution Fresh shirt, $75, is a half-zip top made from Silver Aid fabric, with threads covered with pure silver, which has antistatic and antibacterial properties (essential for long passages without long showers). It stays cool in summer and warm in the winter.

ANOTHER MVP: For feet, Slam’s Defender shoes replace laces with elastic fastenings for a closer fit. A rubber anti-slide sole negotiates slippery surfaces. The suede upper is treated with Scotchgard, the felt midsole is water resistant, and an antibacterial insole is removable. Plus, the denim blue (the most popular color) just looks cool. Available in women’s and men’s, $109.95 at www.slam-shops.com

BRAND: San Diego-based Camet (pronounced CAM-et)

KNOWN FOR: Breathable shorts that repel water and still look and smell presentable after three days at sea.

CROSSOVER APPEAL: Perfect for travel, mountain biking or hiking, Camet Agility shorts, $84 (above), boast a Cordura-reinforced seat to withstand abrasive surfaces. Cut loose for ventilation, they feature a two-tone shell with deep side pockets as well as unobtrusive cargo pockets. Velcro waist adjustments keep the shorts from shooting down to the ankles if the wearer dives in the water to cool off (not advisable in the middle of the Mac race).

ANOTHER MVP: Camet’s Hobart Extreme Technical Shorts, $80, add a UV rating of 40-plus, weigh in at a featherweight 9 ounces and offer offset side seams to reduce chafing.  See www.pointlomaoutfitting.com/camet.php

SLAM, the Fraglia Vela Malcesine sailing club and the RC44 class sailboats were protagonists, over the past few days, at an event which could best be defined as “sailing par excellence”.  The big names in international sailing, top skippers from the Americas Cup and, naturally, the presence of SLAM clothing worn aboard the most competitive boats at the Malcesine SLAM CUP.  Five days of superb sailing and outstanding performances especially as the boats often passed just a few metres away from the shore, under the amazed gazes of the tourists who flock to Lake Garda at this time each year.

SLAM on-board BMW ORACLE, which won the Match Race with Larry Ellison making a real mark as helmsman and Russell Coutts on tactics (and with official announcement made at last Tuesday’s event launch press conference of an agreement, between the two parties, for SLAM to be the Team’s official apparel supplier at the 33rd Americas Cup).  SLAM clothing also featured aboard Banco Espirito Santo which won the “Trofeo DHL” long race with an exchange of tacticians: Dean Barker went onto BMW ORACLE and Russell Coutts took his place on-board Banco Espirito Santo.  Both crews wore New Hissar Bermuda shorts and Bistrow and Grig t-shirts.  New Mistral shoes featured as Russell Coutts’ preferred footwear.

Lake Garda lived up to expectations, over the first few days, with the wind and sun enabling a series of extremely technical and tactically difficult regattas.  Only on the last day, yesterday, did the thunder storms, which began on Saturday night, stop the wind which usually blows relentlessly from the south from early afternoon.

The event was divided into three competitive episodes: during the first two days Larry Ellison (with Russell Coutts on tactics) won the match race on BMW ORACLE.  On Saturday, the Trofeo DHL was awarded to the Portuguese “Banco Espirito Santo” (where Russell Coutts took on the tactician’s role) in the “long” 14-mile regatta.  And on Sunday it was the turn of Italy’s Armando Giulietti, owner of Hiroshi-Città di Milano, to win the fleet regatta class, an award arrived at by totalling the points achieved at Thursday’s 3 trials and adding them to the points from Saturday’s long distance race.  An outstanding performance for Giulietti who also won a place on the podium in the match race, for finishing 3rd overall.

“Even if with the enforced stoppage on the last day we were unable to complete the planned number of trials, we are happy to have been able to organise an event of such high standing without any real problems.  Everyone was stunned by the top conditions during the first few days, evident from the boats passing just a few metres from the shore and putting on a real show.  The technical demands of champions like Russell Coutts, James Spithill and all the other sailors, who have superb Americas Cup experience, taught us a great deal.  I believe that the entire staff of the Fraglia Vela Malcesine reached a good organisational level… enough to leave an excellent impression of this Malcesine SLAM Cup,” said, Gianni Testa, President of the organising sailing club, shortly after the prize-giving ceremony.  The sailing club originally played host to Russell Coutts in 2005 for the very first tests on his new craft.