Sixty years ago a sail loft opened at the B-Street Pier in downtown San Diego, California. The space was living-room size at 15 feet by 40. “It was a little dusty and dirty but big enough to build a Star-boat mainsail,” commented Lowell North, the owner.

Today, North Sails, the company this young Berkeley-trained engineer started in 1957, is the world’s premier sailmaker with 63 major lofts and 56 service, sales, and satellite lofts in 29 countries. North Sails got where it is today through an unwavering commitment to technical leadership and a service-oriented philosophy.