Alfa Romeo – High Performance Racing Sloop

For full overview click here

Designer

Reichel Pugh Yacht Design

Boat Builder

McConaghy Boats

LOA

27.5m (90.22’)

Mast LOA

341m (111.88’)

Booms

Racing Box

B&Q / Castorama

For full overview click here

Designer

Nigel Irens & Benoit Cabaret

LOA

22.9m (79’)

Mast LOA

30.6m (100’)

Booms

Racing Box

Beau Geste – IRC80 Performance Sloop

For full overview click here

Designer

Farr Yacht Design

Boat Builder

Cookson Yachts

LOA

24.40m (80.05’)

Mast LOA

35.84m (118’)

Booms

Racing Box

Belle Mente – Performance Sloop

For full overview click here

Designer

Reichel Pugh Yacht Design

LOA

20.7m (68’)

Mast LOA

33.3m (109’)

Booms

Racing Box

Ike Bowen

Rig Pro USA – Service Manager

Ike Bowen worked in the sail manufacturing divisions of North Technology Group for 16 years before joining Southern Spars Composite Rigging team in 2011.

Now the Rhode Island-based service manager, Ike is excited to take on another challenge to learn another part of this business.

He has won North American titles in three different classes and numerous regional titles including five New England championships. He’s sailed keel boats, dinghies, 24 ‘to 80’ racing yachts and 80’ to 144’ cruising yachts, taking in famous events such as the Newport to Bermuda races – eight so far. Ike’s 20-plus years in marine sector leadership roles include managing challenging assignments in the US and Sri Lanka in both manufacturing and servicing of sails.

He enjoys being part of a close-knit group which works well together to achieve a common goal and produce the best product possible.

Richie Boyd

Design Engineer

Richie has been with Composite Rigging for two years. He has forty years’ experience in the yachting industry and has sailed everything from 5.5 meters, to 12m AC boats.

Richie has competed in the Americas Cup, congressional cup and the Maxi World’s. It is this experience that really makes him a huge asset to our company.

Richie enjoys working for the innovative leader in the rigging industry and is happy to be working and living in Rhode Island USA.   

Steve Cotton

Rig Pro Auckland manager

Head of Rig Pro Auckland, Steve Cotton sailed in the 1993/94 Whitbread Round the World Race on W60 Yamaha. He was helmsman/watch captain on Toshiba in 1997/98 and in 2001/02 was watch captain on News Corp. Steve has also been heavily involved in the America’s Cup, firstly in 1995 as crew aboard Tag Heuer, and then in the weather team for Team New Zealand in 2000 and 2003.

Scott Hayden

Design Engineer

Scott has been with Composite Rigging since 2008 and is one of our most valued design engineers. Scott has a love for the ocean and enjoys recreational sailing in the waters around Newport RI.

Scott has a wealth of experience to offer the company after spending seven years in the Aerospace industry designing and analysing carbon fibre composites. He has a great attention to detail which saves time and eliminates mistakes in our time sensitive and expensive production enterprise. Scott enjoys developing and producing highly desired and sought after products; then loves picking up a yachting magazine at a supermarket and seeing the most elite race boats and Superyachts in the world showcasing parts that he designed.

ICAP Leopard – Supermaxi

For full overview click here

Designer

Farr Yacht Design

Boat Builder

McConaghy’s Australia

LOA

30m (98’)

Mast LOA

46.2m (152’)

Booms

Racing Box

Ilan Graetz - Project Manager

Mark Kroening

Design Team Manager

Mark Kroening has been with Southern Spars for seven years. Mark is an accomplished yachtsman, finishing at the top of his year at the RNZYS Youth Training Programme and has won numerous offshore races, setting new records along the way.

Marks extensive sailing background and application to design solutions makes him one of our most valued employees and the continuous growth of the company and product keep him in the game.

Lahana – (Former Konica Minolta/Zana)

For full overview click here

Designer

Brett Bakewell-White

LOA

30.2m (100’)

Mast LOA

38.2m (125.33’)

Booms

Racing Box

Majan – OMAN Sail Trimaran

For full overview click here

Designer

Nigel Irens

LOA

30.2m (100’)

Mast LOA

32.5m (106.63’)

Booms

Tube boom

Mari Cha IV– Schooner supermaxi

For full overview click here

Designer

Briand/Elliot/Oliver MC4 Design Group

LOA

42.6m (140’)

Mast LOA

40m (131’)

Mizzen LOA

40m (131’)

Booms

Racing Box

Number – JV66 performance Sloop

For full overview click here

Designer

Judel/Vrolijk

Boat Builder

Goetz Boatbuilders

LOA

20.29m (67’)

Mast LOA

30.8m (101’)

Booms

Racing Box

Open 60

For full overview click here

The class is governed by the International Monohull Open Classes Association (IMOCA). Sailed singlehanded, Open 60s are raced at the extremes of the sport including the round-the-world Vendee Globe and Velux 5 Oceans races.

Pyewacket – Maxi

For full overview click here

Designer

Reichel Pugh/modified Juan K

LOA

28.5m (94’)

Mast LOA

41m (135’)

Booms

Racing Box

Tony Reaper

Composite Rigging Sales Manager

Tony Reaper joined the Composite Rigging team in Rhode Island on the USA’s East Coast in 2008, adding a new dimension to his 30-year career in the yachting and marine business. Having run race programmes, managed yacht builds and sailed professionally on the world circuit, Tony says being part of the winning crews in the 50 Foot Worlds, the Congressional Cup, the Fastnet Race, the Bermuda Race, numerous SORCs and more recently the Transpac Race are some of the true highlights. As Composite Rigging’s sales manager, Tony enjoys working with a fantastic, highly motivated team to deliver world-class products and services. He’s passionate about selling a product in EC6 that is a market leader and getting to see Southern Spars’ products successfully in action around the world.

George Reeke

R&D manager

George Reekie is new to our team at Composite rigging, but has a wealth of experience to offer in innovation and implementation of carbon fibre composites. George’s main reason for joining the composite rigging team was to have the opportunity to have a R&D impact in the sailing industry; making the best better. He really does love pushing the envelope with high tech, leading edge materials, designs and processes.

Speedboat - Maxi

For full overview click here

Designer

Juan K.

Boat Builder

Boat Speed

LOA

30.48m (100’)

Mast LOA

44.3m (145’)

Booms

Box Boom

TP52

For full overview click here

They are extremely fast carbon fibre yachts that are built to ‘box rules’, allowing owners to select their designer, spar builder etc. 

Nick Turcotte

Design Engineer

Nick Turcotte started with composite rigging in 2008 and has been sailing since college. He loves having the opportunity to get into a field that interests him, with a company that is a leader on innovation. Nick loves the variety of work that he has and the unique challenges he has to overcome

VO70

For full overview click here

Designer

Each team can choose their own designer

LOA

31m (79’)

Mast LOA

30.6m (100’)

Booms

8.5m Racing Box

The yacht is a rule based, box design allowing designers plenty of scope to create boats to withstand extreme conditions in the most gruelling of offshore races, yet remain competitive throughout the inshore racing.

Scott Vogel

General Manager – Composite Rigging

Having started with the company in 1993, Scott Vogel heads Southern Spars’ Composite Rigging division based in the US.

Scott sailed and raced competitively through his teenage years before heading to college and graduating with an engineering degree in naval architecture. Numerous offshore and trans-oceanic races followed over the years, including SORC, Bermuda, Fastnet, Transpac and Trans Atlantic with highlights such as being a member of the team onboard Stars and Stripes to win the 1987 America’s Cup in Freemantle, Western Australia. Scott has also crewed on yachts which have won the Bermuda, Transpac and Fastnet Races.

Scott’s technical background and training combine with his yachting experience to help him lead a great team of like-minded professionals. He is passionate about being involved with an industry-leading company with a commitment to quality and innovation like Southern Spars.