At Solo Sails, we aim to think big, yet stay small.
Why? … Simply so that we can provide the highest level of individual customer attention, keep operation costs low, and put those savings into the production quality of our sails.
In fact, we intend never to expand beyond a handful of employees so that we can maintain the benefits of a local loft whilst manufacturing world class sails.
Andrew Wood
Owner/Designer
Andrew grew up sailing with his family in Cornwall, and later worked as a professional yacht delivery skipper for over a decade accruing around 150,000 miles of ocean experience.
In 2003, Andrew became the first British Skipper to complete the Arctic Northwest Passage from west to east after a two year circumnavigation, and was later awarded the RYA’s Yachtmaster of the Year as well as the Royal Cruising Club’s prestigious ‘Medal for Seamanship’.
Andrew started his career as a sailmaker when he worked for Kemp Sails during their sponsorship of his Mini Transat campaign in 2005-2009. During this period, Andrew made sails for all types of yacht including his own Open 650 Prototype Mini Transat.
Andrew Started Solo Sails in 2011, after the birth of the first of his two children, deciding it was time to stop working offshore and start a more…’traditional’ job!
The plan was simply to create a small, friendly loft to build fast, affordable quality sails that were made in the UK …
Jon Ashworth
Primary Sailamkers and floor manager
Jon joined Solo Sails in 2015 as an experienced sailmaker having previously worked for another local loft as well as in the Isle of Wight.
Jon manages the loft floor, keeping stock and build schedules in order, as well as meticulously building our quality sails and covers.
Andrew Adey
CNC Cutting Operator
Andrew started working with us in 2014 and is mostly responsible for operating our Aeronaut CNC cutting machine.
Before working with us, Andrew trained as a marine engineer at Falmouth Marine School, so calibrating and running the cutting machine is well suited to Andrew’s skills.
After the sail designs have been completed, Andrew takes over an makes sure that they are nested and cut to the highest precision in order to create some truly accurate, smooth sails for Becky and John to build.
About What we do …
We specialise in shorthanded and offshore performance sails as well as quality durable cruising sails.
Our unique experience in both shorthanded racing classes and offshore cruising, combined with the latest design and build technologies, means that we build sails that are light, fast, durable, yet extremely affordable.
Racing Sails
As experienced Solo Sailors ourselves, we know just how important your sails are to your campaign, not only are they critical in performance terms, but they are a major part of your budget. This is why we work with you personally on every aspect of your sail plan, right from conception through to build and beyond.
At design stage, we send you our free interactive sail CAD viewer, so that you can interactively view each design at home just as we do in our loft. This way, we can provide exactly what you need to drive your campaign successfully, whilst offering a price that is refreshingly affordable.
Cruising Sails
We don’t just build race sails though, our personal experience of world cruising and high latitude Arctic expeditions means that we also fully understand the cruisers need for tough, durable yet affordable quality sails without the loss of all performance.
We build all types of sail from Load Path laminate sails, right through to traditional gaff rigged and lugger sails. Our cruising range, benefits from the very latest design and construction technology and thinking, meaning that we build tough quality cruising sails, that still perform well in all conditions.
Construction
We design, cut and build all of our sails in-house at our loft in Cornwall. We do not outsource any of our sail construction to any other company, British or otherwise. This way, we manage to maintain the highest possible quality control over our sails as well giving you the peace of mind of knowing exactly who is building them. We hope that you agree that by refusing to buy cheaply made overseas sails not only helps keep the British economy afloat, but it ensures that you receive genuine quality sails and local customer support.
Technology
Because we use the very best design software available as well as an in-house CFD system, we can draft your sails according to your initial specifications, then send you a small 3D interactive file so that you can study the designs from all angles prior to build. This way, you can discuss with us the finer details before we commit to build. This is a standard service for all our customers, as we believe your input is every bit as important as ours.
As we are partnered with the best sail cloth manufacturers available, we can provide everything from quality affordable Cross Cut Dacron sails, right through to the latest in D4™ Load Path Laminate sails.
Size matters
It is precisely because we are not a huge ‘super’ loft, that the same people are involved at every stage of your sail build throughout the entire process, this means that absolutely nothing is left to interpretation. Our small loft ethos means that you and your sails get full attention, yet at very affordable prices.