Next Generation Sheets for Performance Sailors Ph.D.
Yale Cordage announces it’s new Ph.D.™ line—decidedly not your grandfather’s double-braided sheets.
What sets Ph.D. apart from its competition? Intelligent engineering and a unique construction technique developed by Yale that is a complete game-changing departure from the standard double-braid core/jacket combination. The result ends the days of struggling to control a slick, hockle-prone piece of expensive rope core—its cover removed to save weight. Ph.D. behaves as if it’s a much smaller-diameter line and this translates to smoother, faster light-air tacking duels or starting-line sambas. Ph.D. even holds highly loaded knots and hitches. But its true knot-tying magic occurs when it’s time to unbend knots and hitches as Ph.D. is easily untied, even after exposure to high loads. Given that a common splice is more than twice as strong as a knot, we designed Ph.D. to splice quickly and easily, typically in less than three minutes. Ph.D.’s construction process entwines individual bundles of load-bearing, pre-stretched High Modulus Polyethylene (HMPE) strands with Yale’s proprietary iGriptreated, super-grippy polyester fibers. These ultra-strong encapsulated HMPE strands are then woven into an elegant 12-strand, single-braid line that boasts similar—or better— strength attributes as double-braid, sans the bulk, weight, or cumbersome, awkward construction that drove your grandfather crazy on the racecourse. Ph.D. grips winch drums and sailing gloves when needed, which equates to fewer white knuckles and less wraps around a winch drum, allowing for quicker, more deliberate sail handling and virtually instantaneous tacks and gybes. Yale’s Ph.D. Racer lines are sure to be your crew’s new favorite sheets, and they are designed for performance sailboats of all sizes.
“Four years in development, Ph.D. delivers true game-changing performance,” explains Tom Yale, president and CEO of Yale Cordage. Ph.D. ™ is the direct result of a truly collaborative process between our engineering team and a select group of top-shelf U.S. sailors. After more than four years of intense research and development—including hundreds of hours of on-the-water testing—Yale Cordage now offers the absolute best sheeting solution for all performance-oriented sailors. “Ph.D. is light and grippy, perfect for the ¼” mainsheet on my foiling Moth where every ounce counts,” says Jonathan McKee, two-time Olympic Medalist, seventime World Champion and America’s Cup veteran. “Yet it’s strong and secure enough for the ½” mainsheet on my 44-foot performance racer/cruiser.”
The true genius of Ph.D. is Yale’s ability to simply scale the product to the boat. For example, keelboat owners will love Ph.D.’s strength, predictability and its gripping attributes, but its ability to rapidly glide when a sheet has to be blown now is what will drop jaws. Likewise, dinghy sailors will love Ph.D.’s supple hand and featherweight construction, especially on ghostly light days when extra ounces equate to extra points.
“Ph.D. is simply the best Laser mainsheet I’ve ever used,” said Kyle Rogachenko, 2010 Bronze Medalist Miami OCR, World Champion, member US SAILING Team AG. “I use the 5/16” (8mm) Ph.D. for my all-purpose Laser mainsheet because it glides and runs smoother than a smaller-diameter double-braid mainsheet so the
boom quickly eases all the way out for running in light air, yet it grips like a much thicker mainsheet that’s easy to hold onto while trimming and hiking in heavy air. I even removed the cleats from my Laser because I no longer use them!”
Once you try Ph.D. Racer from Yale Cordage on your own boat, you’ll immediately feel the difference, and your crew will appreciate your fresh, new advantage over the competition. And unlike paying for your doctorate at an Ivy-League University, your Ph.D. from Yale Cordage is surprisingly affordable, leaving plenty of cash left over for new sails and upgraded gear.
For more information, please check out our attached Sell Sheet, which offers a detailed explanation of Ph.D.’s unique construction that allows it to perform equally well on everything from a foiling Moth to an Extreme 40 catamaran to your Melges 24.
Get your Ph.D. from Yale Cordage and you’ll immediately feel the difference.
