Newsletter Volume 13 4 th Q N W

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1 Michele Stevens Sailloft Ltd. of Second Peninsula, Lun. Co., is an independently owned company not affiliated with any other sail provider. Newsletter Volume 13 4 th Q N W Michele Stevens Sailloft Ltd. Sailmaker to Bluenose II Tel: (902) mstevens@tallships.ca Web site: Office Hours: Monday Friday 8:30 am 4:00 pm Sailing people DO NOT PANIC! Just because we are going to talk about winter storage does not mean that the sailing season is over! Take a couple of deep breaths of that heady salt air and read on As you ready your boat for winter, Michele Stevens Sailloft Ltd is pleased to present the following options for your convenience: CAPTAIN S PACKAGE $90.00 plus tax per sail Pictured at the Classic Boat Festival with Michele is musician/boater George Hebert. George and Claudette own a Mirage 27 and recently purchased a new main sail for their boat. They just dropped by Michele s booth to say thank you and that they loved their sail of course Michele cannot resist a photo opportunity! * General Check Over of the Sail including all stitching, fabric and hardware. * Quote for Sail Repairs or New Sail. * Winter Storage in the Warm & Dry environment of the Loft. * Sail Measurements. * Sail Assessment.

2 FIRST MATE PACKAGE tax per sail $65.00 plus When asked where I got the new sail, I proudly praise your company. * General Check Over of the Sail including all stitching, fabric and hardware. I guess I need a new main and a drifter. Will start looking at that once I lift out for the season. * Quote for Repairs or New Sail. * Winter Storage in the Warm & Dry environment of the Loft. CREW PACKAGE $30.00 plus tax per sail * Winter Storage in the Warm & Dry environment of the Loft. Thanks again for all the help. John Bacon, Mary Orr NB: Customer to sign an insurance waiver and payment due upon dropping off the sail(s). TESTIMONIAL The following testimonial is from John Bacon and Mary Orr regarding the 150% Genoa that we made for them. Thank you John and Mary for sharing with us. Just thought I would drop you a note and tell you how delighted we were with the genoa. It fits perfectly! It has worked just great and the craftsmanship is wonderful. I know there were lots of s back and forth but all worked out. Everyone I spoke with at your Loft was great and patient with me. I have to say it is great having a sail on our boat from "down home". Thank you to Colin & Elaine Finlay for sending in photos of their beloved boat Scot Free as she is sitting in Marriotts Cove with her new dodger, sail cover and jib UV protection.

3 From the Sailmakers Notebook.. A LOOK AT SAILCLOTH The dodger has worked great and we are really enjoying the boat more because of it, should have done it 20 years ago. Thanks for the great job; Colin and Elaine Finlay How to remove Mildew and Mold from your Sails For those of you with sail covers, dodgers or any accessory constructed of Sunbrella fabric, cleaning is also important to longevity. Sunbrella items should be cleaned regularly before dirt becomes embedded in the fabric. Simply brush off any loose dirt, hose down and clean with a mild natural soap in lukewarm water. Rinse thoroughly and do not use detergents. Sunbrella is water repellent and therefore may have to be retreated with a water repellent after the items are cleaned or exposed to the elements constantly. For more details check out the following website: ella/cleaning.htm For a very long time the materials of flax and then cotton were used to make sails. Flax, and to a lesser degree, cotton were subject to a considerable stretch under wind pressure and moisture especially on the bias. As well cotton/canvas would quickly mildew if not quickly and fully dried after a wetting. Sailors learned to live with this, but inevitably as time passed change occurred. For sail making materials a major change arrived in the 1950 s with the advent of Polyester fabric for use in the weaving of sailcloth. This new polyester material (Dupont s brand name for it is Dacron) possessed some striking advantages over the former fabrics. It is strong with a much lower degree of stretch. It doesn t absorb water the way the earlier ones did. Its cut edges could be sealed from fraying by heat. Its tendency to mildew is much less, especially in our moderate climate as it doesn t absorb water as cotton does. Because it can be molded with heat, pressure and chemical resins, the lengthwise and cross (warp and fill) yarns can be bonded together or stabilized to form a product that reduces stretch, especially bias stretch. This stabilized polyester produces sailcloth that is easier to shape to an airfoil configuration and it holds its shape better and longer. In the weaving fill yarns can be made large and strong so when oriented along the load path up the leech, this cloth lends itself very favorably to the cross cutting of sail panels which is the best

4 and most time tested method of shaping a sail. On the downside however, polyester (Dacron) is damaged by the sun s ultra violet rays if left exposed over time, hence the need for the protection of sail covers. Considering these points though, polyester (Dacron) is still a quality fabric for manufacturing cruising sails and with appropriate care will give many years of economical service. News Snippet: September 2008 is the first Tallships Race Around the Island. Summerside, PEI is hosting the First Tallships 360 nautical mile Race Around the Island Check out all the information at Notes from the Editor: Paul Tingley brought his 2 young sons to visit at the loft where he worked in the 1970 s with Robert Stevens (pictured with Paul). Michele met up with Clark Blynn on her recent trip to Baddeck. If you are upset because we have been talking about winter storage you are going to go positively apoplectic when we start talking about Christmas! But really, planning ahead is so important when choosing just the right gift.

5 Gift ideas for the sailing people in your life include: Canadian Made sails Sail Repair Gift Certificate Sail bags Sail Repair kits Monogrammed Duffle and Tote bags Step Upon or Paw Upon (you have to ask what they are!) Tool pouch Chart bags Sheet bags Covers of all kinds Dodgers, awnings and biminis Sail covers Cockpit and interior cushions And custom items of all kinds. If you wish to have a Dodger, Cover, Sail Cover, Cushions or any type of Custom Work carried out at the Loft, call Michele and make arrangements for her to visit your boat to take measurements prior to your boat being hauled out. This will save time in the Spring and ensure that your Gift Recipient will be able to enjoy the item early in the season. example of the two methods. A regular sewing machine will stitch one zig and one zag per stitch. If you wish to have three rows of what I would refer to as a regular zig zag then the sewing machine would pass over the seam three times. There are sewing machines that have the capacity to sew three stitches in one zig and three stitches in one zag. This is a strong stitch because it will not unravel quickly when the threads start to deteriorate. This type of triple stitch would only require the sewing machine to "run" down the seam once (depending on the width of the seam and the size of the sail). So you need to ask what "type" of stitch would be best for your size sail. Happy sailing! Dear Clewless. Example of Types of Triple Stitching Dear Clewless: What does it mean when a sail is triple stitched? Hello Sailor: That is a good question to ask your sail maker especially when you are ordering a new sail. There are two possible answers for triple stitching and I have included an

6 October 2008 Michele Stevens Sailloft Ltd Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Contact us about our Winter Storage Packages! Need a New UV? Call us for a price Turkey Bowl Handicap RNSYS THANKS GIVING Danginn Race BBYC ABF Regatta RNSYS HALLOWEEN

7 November 2008 Michele Stevens Sailloft Ltd Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Need Christmas Gift Ideas call us at New Cockpit Cushions would be a nice gift Rememberance Day Order your monogrammed kit or tote bag from us today

8 December 2008 Michele Stevens Sailloft Ltd Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Need Christmas Gift Ideas call us at Winter Begins CHRISTMAS EVE 25 CHRISTMAS DAY 26 BOXING DAY New Years Eve