Our performance in Palma doesn’t really deserve its own entry (we posted a very mediocre result, but the only way is up from here!).

So instead, here’s a topic that truly deserves editorial space. We’ve got the inside scoop on this one, this is almost a world-exclusive.

On the Friday of Palma Regatta, amid rumours and feverish speculation, the first batch of pre-production Zhik Trapeze Harnesses were delivered to the Zhik Van in the boat park.

And we managed to blag being one of the first in the world to try it out on the water.

At the moment Zhik aren’t really a household name in the sailing world - they are a new company, and are much better known on the Olympic sailing circuit (probably a cunning marketing ploy by Zhik).

They’re not going to remain obscure for long however - although you’d probably have to take out a second mortgage to kit yourself out in Zhik gear, there’s no denying that their stuff is the daddy of sailing gear. Everything they touch seems to turn to gold. They might even be the next Google.

Anyway, the rumours were that this new harness had been 2 years in the making, had patented-technology, and had led to 3 Zhik employees having to be institutionalised for literally going out of their mind during its development.

But I can say categorically that it has been worth the wait. This harness is going to make existing harnesses absolete.

For non-trapezers reading this, imagine being placed lengthways into a car-crusher while simultaneously being forced to wear a baby’s nappy stuffed with barbed wire instead of cushioning. Only then can you imagine attaining the comfort levels of existing harnesses.

But the first time I clipped in, I had to double check that I hadn’t missed the handle, because I couldn’t feel any pain or pressure in any of the usual places.

So what makes the Zhik Trapeze harness so special? I’m no expert, but I’ll have a go at explaining:

- it takes the best bits of both the nappy harness and the bar-harness and rolls it into one.

The overriding problem with nappy harnesses is that - although they are fairly comfortable - the hook extends about a foot away from your body under tension. It makes your trapezing feel sloppy, and it is hard to unhook. Yet it is impossible to make it tighter because if you make the waist any thinner you then can’t get it past your bum when putting on the harness.

Bar harnesses are just, well, uncomfortable. And fiddly. The maze of straps are supposed to make them ‘one size fits all’, but you just end up with ‘all sizes fit no-one’.

But Zhik have cleverly come up with a velcro system which acts a lot like a Victorian corset. You put on the harness and then literally velcro the harness around your body. It sounds a bit neanderthal, but it works perfectly. The guys at Zhik have promised me that the velcro itself is actually stronger than using fabric straps, so there’s no need to worry about falling out of the harness while on the wire.

- The ‘man bits’ area

One of the occupational hazards of trapeze sailing is, for want of a technical term, the ‘crushed ball’. I’ll avoid a vivid description. Let’s just say that the words ’sardine’ and ‘can’ come to mind when talking about how roomy it is when wearing a trapeze harness. Some harnesses tried to solve this by substituting the entire crotch area for a couple of straps, but then you are only really transferring the pain to another part of your body.

Zhik seem to have solved this by using a neoprene fabric which allows more room for movement. So things are still nicely packed (thus avoiding the dreaded ‘trapped ball syndrome’ - you don’t want to know) but also give you just a bit more room for maneouvre.

- No straps to get caught on

- A back support that actually works like a dream.

The biggest downside was the fact we had to return it to Zhik when we came ashore - there are only 20 of these things in the world at the moment so they are pretty protective of them. We asked Gary what would be needed for us to keep it, and I won’t post his reply here, but suffice to say we’ll be impatiently waiting until they release it for sale in June. Sorry Gary.

In the mean time, if you have any questions about the harness we’ll do our best to answer them below in the comments section. No we’re not Zhik employees nor have we been bribed to write this review, we’re just hoping that Zhik will read this and offer to give us one for free enthusiastic about what they’ve come up with and wanted to share it with you!