Bem-vindo, V.elo. From today, LiveWatersports carries V.elo, the sailing rope maker from Porto Alegre in southern Brazil. Across South America, V.elo is a familiar name in dinghy parks, rigging lofts and on the start line, and its lines have travelled from the J/70 Worlds in Florida to the Paris 2024 Olympics. Now they are on the shelf in Rotterdam.
We are starting with the lines that matter most for the dinghies we serve: an ILCA mainsheet, ILCA control lines and coated Dyneema® for loops, primaries and purchases.
A link, like the rope
If you speak Portuguese, you hear it straight away. Elo means link, and V.elo calls itself the link between sailors and the wind. The brand compares itself to the rope itself: a connection between sailors and their best moments on board.
That idea runs through everything V.elo does. It was set up as more than a rope maker: a sailing brand built to strengthen sailing culture, starting in Brazil. Its Portuguese slogan says it too: sailing in Brazil can do more. Over the past few years the brand has shown exactly that.
Made in southern Brazil
V.elo makes its ropes in its own factory in the Porto Alegre region, in the far south of Brazil. It was the first factory in Latin America dedicated entirely to producing and developing nautical rope, and V.elo is the only rope maker on the continent licensed by Avient, the company behind Dyneema® fibre. Behind it sits more than 90 years of experience in the rope industry.
What we like most is how much of the engineering happens before the braiding machine starts. V.elo twists its yarns to tune grip, softness and abrasion resistance, chooses the braid angle per application (more vertical for less stretch, tighter for more grip), and coats its Dyneema® cores for a tougher braid and a better fit between core and cover. The result is a range where every line has a clear job.
Proven on the water, from the River Plate to Antarctica
V.elo's home market is South America, and its racing record runs right across it. V.elo was an official supporter of the J/70 South American Championship in Buenos Aires, where almost 40 crews raced on the Río de la Plata with V.elo sheets, spinnaker sheets and spliced halyards developed for the class. It supported the Brazilian 420 Championship, and a crew racing on V.elo ropes finished second at the 2022 J/70 South Americans. At Paris 2024, V.elo lines were on board Brazil's ILCA and Nacra 17 boats, and João Siemsen and Marina Arndt reached the Nacra 17 medal race on DyTech Pro sheets.
Brazilian sailors trust it well beyond the race course too. Tamara Klink wintered alone in the Arctic in 2023 aboard her boat Sardinha 2 with V.elo ropes. And V.elo was the official rope supplier to the Endurance VP64, which set out for Antarctica at the end of 2023 with eight Brazilian sailors and custom lines, the most heavily loaded of them sized for up to 14 tonnes.
Multi-champion Tiago Quevedo runs V.elo on both his 30 ft cruiser and his 49er.
"The lines surprised me for their above-average quality and durability."
Tiago Quevedo, multi-champion in the Optimist, Laser, Soling and 49er
Now in Europe, now at LiveWatersports
V.elo had already crossed the Atlantic on the race course. Argentine sailors Pablo Volker and Federico Polimeni, racing for Spain, won the F18 World Championship on the Costa Brava with V.elo ropes on board, in a fleet of 131 boats from 26 countries. The brand also supported the J/70 World Championship in St. Petersburg, Florida, with more than 80 boats on the start line.
The European network is growing, with V.elo Europe stock in The Hague and dealers in Tenerife, Málaga, Switzerland and Poland. LiveWatersports now adds V.elo for dinghy sailors, with fast delivery across Europe from Rotterdam. Our first order came straight from the factory in Brazil, and V.elo made our ILCASheet in a custom colourway that leans towards the colours of Brazil.
The first V.elo lines at LiveWatersports
We picked four lines that cover the jobs sailors ask us about most.
- ILCA sheet 6 mm. V.elo's LaserSheet, a mainsheet developed specifically for the ILCA and supplied as a complete 14 m sheet. Polypropylene core, premium polyester cover, a smooth, stiff braid that resists knots, and it does not absorb water. 579 kgf breaking load.
- DyTech 4 mm. Coated Dyneema® SK78 core with a 50/50 Technora® and polyester cover: over a tonne of breaking load (1038 kgf) from a 4 mm line. Our choice for the ILCA control lines, with one colour per job: orange for the cunningham, blue for the vang and green for the outhaul. Also cut to length as the ILCA cunningham, vang and outhaul lines.
- DyCore Compact 4 mm and 5 mm. Coated Dyneema® SK78 in a tight single braid, with extra grip in cleats and better abrasion resistance. Think ILCA traveller, hiking strap adjustment and mast loops. 1370 and 2280 kgf.
- DyCore Plus 2 mm and 3 mm. Coated Dyneema® SK78 in a more vertical braid, for minimal stretch and easy splicing. For spliced primaries, the Optimist halyard and soft loops. 520 and 1039 kgf.
The ILCA control lines are ready to go: cut to length, in the right colour and unspliced, so you can finish them to your own setup. More ready-made V.elo kits follow in the coming weeks.
Why V.elo fits LiveWatersports
This summer we tested many lines before we placed the order. It was easy to splice, we loved the stiffness, and the colours stayed nice and solid. That is the kind of line we want to sell: built for a specific job, and good at it.
V.elo also works the way we like to work: close to the sailors, open to technical feedback and quick to adapt.
Frequently asked questions
Where are V.elo ropes made?
In V.elo's own factory in the Porto Alegre region of southern Brazil, the first factory in Latin America dedicated entirely to nautical rope.
Is V.elo a licensed Dyneema® rope maker?
Yes. V.elo is licensed by Avient, the maker of Dyneema® fibre, and is the only rope manufacturer in Latin America with that licence.
Which V.elo lines suit the ILCA?
The ILCA sheet 6 mm (V.elo's LaserSheet, 14 m) for the mainsheet, DyTech 4 mm for the cunningham (orange, 4.2 m), vang (blue, 5.8 m) and outhaul (green, 5.3 m) secondaries, DyCore Compact 5 mm for the traveller and 4 mm for the hiking strap adjustment and mast loops, and DyCore Plus 3 mm for spliced primaries.
What is the difference between DyCore Plus and DyCore Compact?
Both are coated Dyneema® SK78 single braids. DyCore Plus has a more vertical braid for minimal stretch and easy splicing. DyCore Compact has a tighter braid for more grip in cleats and better abrasion resistance.
Where else is V.elo sold?
Through more than 40 dealers in Brazil, plus stockists in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, the United States, Canada, Panama, Guatemala and across Europe. LiveWatersports ships V.elo across Europe from Rotterdam.
Has V.elo been used at the top level?
Yes. V.elo lines were on board Brazil's ILCA and Nacra 17 boats at Paris 2024, the F18 world champions raced with V.elo ropes on board, and V.elo supported the J/70 World Championship in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Ready to race
The first V.elo lines are on LiveWatersports now, with free delivery on European orders from €150 and fast shipping from Rotterdam. Not sure which line fits your setup? Message us on WhatsApp and we will talk it through.
Because life feels better on the water 💦
Explore the new V.elo range at LiveWatersports.
