Keeping Italy's sailors cool, dry, and comfortable in the heat of competition at Beijing in 2008
A pair of Italian manufacturers have teamed up to help boost the fortunes of that country’s sailing contingent at the 2008 regatta in Beijing. Their contribution is the new “Area 51” nautical jersey made by SLAM, a leading supplier of high-tech sailing apparel.
Because high temperature and high humidity are typical at this summer’s sailing venue, SLAM tested garments made from several fibers, not just the polyesters and polyamides common in nautical sportswear. Athletes in the tests preferred the jersey made of Dryarn® fiber, for its ability to keep the wearer cooler and drier than cotton or other synthetics. Dryarn is a product of synthetic-fiber manufacturer Aquafil, and it is spun from a new metallocene-based polypropylene developed by LyondellBasell.
The Dryarn fiber demonstrates excellent wicking effects, conducting perspiration away from the skin eight times faster than polyester, for better evaporation. The metallocene process can produce polypropylene resins with a very narrow molecular-weight distribution, leading to lightweight fibers with excellent mechanical properties, including higher tensile strength and greater resistance to seawater and abrasion. And SLAM’s trials showed the polypropylene “Area 51” jersey to be more comfortable, as well.