Loft News

Minack Theatre Scan

Solo Sails have been working closely with the Minack Theatre in west Cornwall for the last few years and more recently we have been requested to use our scanning technology to create a 3D interactive model of the this beautiful theatre. We cannot show all of the work...

Peter Dunham – Lagoon 400 S2 – Code Zero

Hi Andrew, First picture of code zero in its element. I have some great drone shots I’ll send in due course as well. Question: what are the recommendations for wind speed limits up and downwind before we furl it? Thx [video width="3840" height="2160"...

Hugh Kilpatrick – Nicholson 43 – Radial Laminate Mainsail

Andrew I’m sorry - I should have let you know earlier. Work has got in the way until now, so we’ve just had a few days on the boat. The sail is absolutely first class - it feels more powerful. The sail cover is good - the lazy jack holes don’t line up perfectly but...

Solo Sails Kite still going strong

Fantastic photo from local photographer Robin Chiffers of a three year old Solo Sails Spinnaker still looking good during the annual Penzance sailing club regatta in Mounts Bay.

Boat cover from 3D Scan to fit.

Solo Sails use the latest scanning technology to create highly accurate covers. Having scanned this beautiful little sailing lugger, we set about digitally designing the cover so that the main panels including seam allowances and sailmaker's marks can be plotted and...

Ian Boston – Pogo 1250 – Full Set of Racing Sails

Dear Andrew, "All the sails fit perfectly, and the shape of the main now looks fantastic. I've shared some photos in [1], the modified sails start after the shot of the unmodified main head with the tape measure. The main now really responds to halyard tension with...

Bespoke Sailcloth Balcony Panels

And now for something completely different ... Solo Sails recently made a set of sailcloth panels to fit a new decking balcony area as a bespoke alternative to the common glass panels. This lightweight solution provides a bright, fun feel to the area and adds to a...

Lizzy Foreman interview – No-Frills-Sailing.com

An interview by Lars Reisberg with Lizzy Foreman from http://no-frills-sailing.com/ Lars Reisberg : Lizzy, first of all, my congratulations for the completion of this year´s MiniTransat! Some 2.500 to 2.800 miles of solo-sailing all across the Atlantic Ocean – what is...

Boat Show Sail Quote Price-Match

It's that time of year again when all the big lofts head over to the boat show in order to drum up some orders for the winter ahead, and for the customer, a good chance to snap a bargain price for that 'well needed' set of new sails. When we started Solo Sails, we...

New UK based marine trading site

A new marine 'Ebay' style website for members of the public to buy and sell their Marine equipment has just been launched. From the justboatstuff website... "The first dedicated UK based 'Just Boat Stuf' auction site. Run by sailors for sailors, supporting sailing...

Sail Design Software Downloads Page

We have just made a page with some free software available for download. The page includes a free analysis program from the Sail Design software leaders BSG Sailpack. SailPack vision allows you to analyse your sails flying shape from photographs taken whilst sailing....

New Sailmakers Forum and eCommerce website

We are pleased to have been involved in the development of a new global forum and trading centre specifically designed for the sailmaking industry called SailDesigner.net which is about to be launched this week at the METS 2014 trade show in Holland. The...

Toby Isles’ Mini Transat Qualifier Video

Toby Isles has just released this fantastic video of his single handed Mini Transat qualifying passage that he completed earlier this year on his RG650 'Mintaka'. Every Mini Transat competitor has to complete a 1000 mile, non-stop single-handed route in order to prove...

Lizzy Foreman makes her new sails

This week at the loft, we're lucky enough to have the pleasure of a visit from Lizzy, she is down to help design and build her next batch of sails for her single-handed Mini Transat campaign. So far, we have designed and cut a radial mainsail to be constructed out of...

We’re looking for a new Sailmaker’s Apprentice

Solo Sails are currently looking for two enthusiastic apprentices to join our small team of friendly sail makers. Sailmaking is a rewarding, practical job and is especially interesting for anyone who is already involved in the sport of sailing. It's particularly...

Amazing Aerial Video Footage of Lizzy and Nikki’s Mini’s under sail

Mini 6.50 from LPB Aerial Imagery on Vimeo. A group of Mini 6.50 race from Hamble to La Trinite. Nikki Curwen and Lizzy Foreman sail solo. This is fantastic aerial video footage of Lizzy and Nikki sailing single-handed in the 2014 Solent 650 race.

Lizzy Foreman’s Solo Sails are now branded and looking great!

Lizzy Foreman's new Mini Transat campaign just upped a gear last week as she officially launched her Mini campaign on the Isle of Wight with fully branded Solo Sails and hull by Grapefruit Graphics under the name of Hudson Wight, her tittle Sponsor. After the official...

Solo Sails Sponsor Lizzy Foreman’s Mini Transat Campaign

We're very proud to be helping young British solo sailor Lizzy Foreman power her solo racing project by providing sails during her two year Mini Transat campaign. In partnership with Dimension Polyant who will be supplying the highest quality performance sailcloth,...

New Solent SKZ Sewing machine installed

We are very excited indeed to have received and installed our new Solent Offshore SKZ sewing machine. The addition of this medium to heavy weight 'top of the range' sewing machine to our quiver of machines, enables us to take on another sailmaker, as well as speed up...

Top Down Spinnaker Furlers

We are now supplying the full  range of Karver KSF Top Down Spinnaker furlers which make the deployment and retrieval of spinnakers, code zeros and cruising chutes pretty much child's play. Unlike traditional code sail furling, the spinnaker furler starts from the top...

Twisted Flow CFD simulator software

We are very excited to announce the latest development of our In-House CFD R&D program in collaboration with ODS Engineering http://www.ods-engineering.com/ enabling us to recreate fully modifiable 'Twisted Flow' studies in our CFD analysis software. Wind tunnels...

Spinnakers Are The Work Of The Devil!

When I grew up in Penzance, my father used to get his sails made and repaired by the local sailmaker Albert Willoughby, a traditional sailmaker, who’s ‘lost in time’ loft was hidden away down a dark secret alley in the backstreet’s of Penzance. As a small boy, Albert...

Dimension Polyant Introduces UVi Sailcloth Technology

DIMENSION-POLYANT® has developed a new UVi® technology to improve the UV stability of their premium woven polyester sailcloth styles by up to 15%! Application of the UVi® technology in the finishing process increases the resistance to degradation from UV light by 10 –...

New CNC Cutting Machine Installed

We are very proud to announce the installation of our new Aeronaut Elektron cutting table at our Solo Sails loft in West Cornwall. Our new cutting machine has been producing the most accurately cut sails we've ever built so far. We're very excited about having full...