I took time from my creative pursuits to fly up to Seattle and drive to Port Townsend, Washigton to attend a sail repair workshop with Carol Hasse and team.
Carol Hasse is sailmaker extraordinaire, owner of Port Townsend Sails, and I have always wanted to learn sail repair from her. She is as nice as can be, plus her background in sails, sail making, and sailboats are quite extensive. You may read about her impressive resume HERE. I lifted borrowed this photo of Carol Hasse from her website:
Carol Hasse, Port Townsend Sails
Joining me on this adventure was the talented designer and fellow sailor, Amy Arroyo, who I met while taking part in my South Pacific sail training earlier this year. Amy and her husband are the proud owners of the Millie J, a custom 36-foot aluminum sailboat berthed in Friday Harbor, WA.
The 2 full day workshop on sail repair featured separate classes in how to repair sails and reinforce existing sails using both machine and hand sewing. The commercial sewing machines used in sailmaking are very similar to the commercial quilting machine that I work with, so I loved the machine sewing part of the class. I know a new machine will be in my future. In class, we used a sewing machine to:
- Patch a hole
- Install a chafe guard
- Fix a torn seam
- Apply a spreader patch
- Reinforce a corner ring with webbing
The hand repair part of the class was also fun. The students used palm and needle to:
- Sew in a ring or grommet
- Seize a jib hank
- Attach a mainsail slide
- Mend a seam
- Add a leather chafe guard
- Make “Easy Reefs”
Port Townsend is a lovely place to visit. Previously, I had been to Port Townsend several times for ArtFiberFest, an art retreat run by Tesha Moore. This time, I made sure to visit my favorite shop- which sells fabric, beads and yarn, which is a winning combination!
In closing, I highly recommend Carol Hasse’s Sail Repair Seminar to any sailboat owner who wants to be more self reliant and learn how to repair their sails. She is a lovely person, and experienced in her field and craft.
Fair Winds, Carla
Carla Barrett 