New Storm Jib from Carol Hasse/Port Townsend Sails

I'm like a kid on Christmas Day with the receipt of our new storm jib from Carol Hasse and Port Townsend Sails.

It is a work of art and my experience with her loft has been top notch.

From the beginning of my contact with her business I have been treated as a valued customer and kept well informed of where things stand. I wish I could say this about all the sailing businesses I have used. When I sent them an email, I got a full response within a day. When I called, they spent time talking to me like they had nothing better to do. When Carol came to Friday Harbor to do a boat inspection, she was not only the diva of boat knowledge I expected, but warm and friendly, even to a relative novice like me. No attitude.

I say all this because when I am paying good money, and their sails are not cheap, you expect this kind of service, in addition to a superior product. Carol delivers both.

Look at some of these pictures and note the craftsmanship. I have a new mainsail by North, and a genoa by a now defunct Portland sailmaker. Neither begins to compare in quality.

We decided to go with Carol for our storm jib because when you need that sail, you really need that sail to not fail. Being a smaller sail, the cost differential was also not as great when compared with the corporate lofts. If we had more piles of cash, we would have had her make our new mainsail too, but her work is about double the cost of the big lofts who get their stuff made in Asia and shipped back.

The tack, clew and head are just beautiful. The hanks are sewn on with elegant line work. Note the hollow leech to minimize flapping. See also the triple rows of stitching between panels. The eyes at the corners are held on somehow with a woven roving that goes around an eye with a groove and feels bomb proof, and not a pressed in eye as on our main. I don't even know enough to point out all the details, but know outstanding quality when I see it. Like being able to appreciate the elegance of Porsche, without a clue how to make one.

Can't wait to fly this sail. It will be flown off our solent stay whenever we finally get that installed. Am waiting for parts from Brion Toss to complete the installation myself.

I can't speak highly enough of my customer experience and the quality of the work I received from Carol and her crew at Port Townsend Sails. We are fortunate to have her perpetuating these amazing skills.