New Sails
November 23, 2023
A month after my last post here and an email arrived from Kenna at Sanders Sails to let me know that the sails I ordered for Paloma in September were ready for collection…
Back in September , I had the option of casting around at the sailing club I belong to for a set of unwanted sails from a dinghy like a Wayfarer or of getting new ones made up to the pattern of the original, which Peter Sanders seemed to be best placed to do since he has kept a set of plans for every model of yacht sail that his company have fabricated. I’m glad I had ones made because they will be critical to sailing safely but they’ve arrived at the end of the sailing season and I don’t know if I’m going to get any sailing in before the New Year.
I drove down to Lymington where Sanders Sails have their business just behind the Force 4 chandlery on the Bath Road and collected two fairly small sail bags from Kenna at lunchtime. I considered returning home via the marina and a try-out but it was a wet and breezy afternoon - will hopefully be back on a calm day soon with the outboard motor in the van to provide an alternative option to sailing off the berth for the first trip out to sea.
In the meantime I’m working through the theory of what to do with the help of Ken Duxbury’s excellent “Dinghy Sailing for Beginners” from 1970 - my copy signed by the author and an Abe Books second-hand bargain. Am also fretting about what I can do if the mast proves to be the next weak point. On the plus side, it should be possible to substitute one from another trailer sailor, it isn’t a complicated affair. The hull and deck are watertight and in good condition thanks to the care lavished on her by the previous owner during her refit but it would be prudent to get the sea trial in that has been at the top of the snag list since trailering her home from Northern Ireland before investing in electronics or a new outboard. The Suzuki 6HP is the next project on the list after we’ve got the log cabin home office erected in the back garden at home from the kit that arrived at the end of August - that’s another story…