J/70

Kris Werner grew up in Queens, NY, and spent his childhood on the water, sailing and fishing. He is a graduate of New York Maritime College at Fort Schuyler, where he earned an unlimited tonnage/oceans USCG license and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Transportation and Business.

After four years of collegiate varsity and offshore sailing, Kris served as a collegiate sailing coach and waterfront director. His career took him all over the world as a ship's officer on ocean-going tankers. In 2004, Kris came to Rochester to earn his way to Chief Officer on the Rochester Fast Ferry. He then worked as a Broker with RCR Yachts and began collaborating with Steve Haarstick on sail designs for various boats, including J/70s, J/24s, and other offshore vessels. For three years, he worked at Haarstick Sailmakers before transitioning to becoming the owner of the loft which is now Quantum Sails Rochester. Kris has extensive experience in offshore and one-design racing campaigns, both as a helmsman and a crew member. In addition to being a familiar face on the racing circuit, Kris enjoys spending time cruising with his wife and three boys.

Scott Nixon has been involved with racing his whole life. Scott grew up sailing on the Southern Chesapeake Bay in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia.

An All-American sailor at St. Mary's College of Maryland, Scott later coached many students to the All-American ranks at the College of Charleston in South Carolina. With decades of competitive racing, he has a wide range of racing experiences, including dinghies, one-design keelboats, inshore big boats, and offshore distance racing.

Scott joined Quantum Sails in 2000, and his experiences bring a unique skill set to Quantum's programs. Focusing primarily on one design classes, he is directly involved in testing, design, and development of Quantum’s One Design sail programs. He working directly with the design team and worldwide sales team to make sure Quantum sails are at the front of the fleet.

Scott has sailed with Quantum customers to win championships at the World, Gold Cup, European, North American, and National levels.

His hands-on approach includes active campaigns and racing in the following classes for Quantum: J/22, J/24, J/70, J/80, J/88, J/109, J/111, C&C 30, Farr 30, Farr 40, Swan 42, Swan 45, Melges 20, Melges 24, Melges 32, Melges 40, TP52, ORC, and GL52 classes. He is a three-time World Champion in the J/111, Melges 32, and ORC 52 classes.

Born and raised on Garda Lake, sailing has been Carlo Fracassoli’s favorite sport since childhood. It’s no surprise that he become a professional sailor in 2001. In 2003, he began collaborating in the development of racing and cruising sails for some of the industry’s best known sails brands. He designed sails for monotypes and had great results on the water.

In 2012, Carlo and Manlio Pozzoli opened their own sailmaking loft and affiliated with Quantum Sails as the Quantum Pro-Laghi S.N.C. loft. Since then, he has designed most of the sails sold by the Italian sales team. A One-Design specialist, Carlo designs many sails for Melges 20, 24, and 32 classes, Garda and European lakes monotypes, and ORC and IRC offshore boats.

An accomplished sailor, he won the Melges 24 World Championship in 2012, 2017 and 2019 and the European Championship in 2011 and 2018.

Adrien de Belloy started sailing at four years old, traveling around the North Atlantic with his parents on a boat they built themselves. As a family, they spent a year sailing across the Atlantic, from France to the Caribbean to New York and back. By the time Adrien was 12, he’d moved on to competitive racing. “I loved the sense of freedom, responsibility, team work and being out in nature,” he said. “Nowadays I still love reaching to the horizon and the technical aspect of it. I’m always searching for a way to go faster and trim better.”

With a degree in yacht and powercraft design from Southampton Solent University, Adrien joined Quantum Sails Barcelona as a sail designer in 2007. He left the loft in 2010 to work as a self-contractor for Quantum while he built the boat he and his wife sailed around the world, covering 44,000 miles from 2011-2013. He continues to design for Quantum at the France loft, and is back to racing IRC, Soto 40, and more.

Designing sails for everything from dinghies to super yachts, racers to cruisers, Adrien loves his work. “I love the never-ending improvement,” he said. “Getting to see my designs at sea, then analyzing them to keep on adapting to every situation.”

Working with the team at Quantum gives him the support and resources he needs to design the best sail for every sailor. “Working for Quantum means being part of a great team that is aiming for success at every endeavor,” said Adrien. “We work twice as hard to prove that we are ready for the next challenge.”

Mario Trindade was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He started cruising with his family as a newborn and racing on Snipes and IMS boats.

In 2008, Mario became a professional sailor. After a decade in the industry, he decided to pursue a degree in yacht design at Solent University in the U.K. His time at Solent allowed him to develop his skills and advance to the next level of Grand Prix sailing and technology development.

An experienced trimmer, Mario has competed in multiple Grand Prix and One-Design Classes and has won numerous titles, including the 2019 J/70 World Championship, 2021 SB20 World Championship, and multiple South American and National championships. He also has experience on the match racing circuit.

In addition to his successful sailing career, Mario operated a business focused on the racing yacht industry and served as project manager and boat captain on various projects. He is now the Grand Prix sail designer at the Quantum Palma de Mallorca loft.

"Combining my on-the-water knowledge with my education in yacht design makes me well equipped to develop excellent products for Quantum customers. Working with the iQ technology developed by Quantum Sails is a privilege. The tool is powerful and allows us to predict and understand the behavior of the rig and the sails, which in turn helps us design smoother and faster products."

Growing up around the Great Lakes was a truly special experience for me. Every weekend, from early May to the end of October, you could find me either on the water or right by the shoreline, creating lasting memories on my family's cruising boat or sailing with my dad on his Sunfish. One of the most defining moments from my childhood was when I was only nine years old, and my dad took me racing on a "big boat" for the very first time. I remember being in awe of the high-tech features like Kevlar sails, hydraulics, and check stays. The sense of having an important role, like pumping the hydraulics when asked and, of course, fetching drinks from the bottom of the cooler, made an everlasting impression on me and marked the beginning of my love for racing.

By the age of 14, I was already deeply immersed in the world of sailing, racing multiple times a week and even biking 5 miles to work at the local sail loft when I had time. Looking back, I can see how much support and amazing opportunities the people around me gave me. Before even graduating from high school, I was fortunate enough to convince my parents, teachers, and boat owners to let me take part in major sailing events, like Key West Race Week, SORC, Annapolis NOOD, and all the distance races in the Great Lakes.

After completing college and trade school, my family was among the first to embrace the new 36.7 class, forming a successful team with our friends. This marked the beginning of what many would call a rewarding sailing career, which has taken me to various corners of the globe. From racing across oceans on boats of all sizes to living in different countries, I have had the privilege of working on boats of all sizes and forming incredible connections with individuals from unbelievable backgrounds. Despite all the incredible experiences, I still hold onto that same childlike excitement and insatiable drive to make the boats I work with win. Now, as a parent, I strive to pass on the lessons of hard work, luck, and the importance of cherished friendships to my own children.