Hydes offers a great service for Scottish sailors

Chic Medley on the water on his Projection 762 © Liz Tulloch

Peter Watt sailing ‘Vaila’ © Hyde Sails

With the appointment of The Sail Loft in Edinburgh as its east coast agent, Hyde Sails now offers a comprehensive coverage in Scotland. Complementing perfectly the service offered by Hyde’s west coast agent, Peter Watt, the leading brand of high quality sails is now available to sailors throughout the region, with all the benefits and support of two local lofts.

East Coast agent

The Sail Loft is based at Port Edgar marina, near Edinburgh. Started by Kate and Craig Thomson in 1997, the loft is managed on a day-to-day basis by Chic Medley.

Originally a saddlemaker by trade, Chic Medley joined the business five years ago. “A lot of machinery is the same, and when I started sailing I became completely addicted to the sport, so sailmaking was a natural step.” The team has grown over the years and developed a unique skills base, widening their range from doing mainly sail repairs, canvas work and rigging to a variety of commercial applications. The company’s banner work can be seen outside the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, while the Atrium Restaurant in Edinburgh features an unusually-shaped fabric ceiling, but the core of the business is still in the marine sector.

Hyde quality

The tie-up with Hyde’s was a logical progression. Chic explains: “It’s very tidal up here and most areas dry out, so there area lot of bilge-keelers. Hyde stood out as the company offers different ranges of sails, covering everything from hi-tech racing to sails for small leisure boats.”

Used to dealing with repairs for sails that he found to be poorly-finished, high quality was an important factor for Chic. “As a result I think we’ve picked up a number of orders from people who want to buy locally rather than over the phone.”

The Sail Loft offers a boat measurement service, and all the reassurance of a local loft with repair support, and the added benefit of its association with Hyde’s. The Sail Loft will also have access to all the specialist cloths used by Hyde’s for any repair work, which previously wouldn’t have been available. With a strong local fleet of Musto Skiffs, as well as other dinghies and keelboats already using the Hyde marque, this also means the loft can further improve its repair services. When not running the loft or sailing with clients, Chic races his Projection 762 ‘Hobb’s Express’ from Port Edgar, and is currently competing in the Royal Forth YC’s Autumn Series in the build up to the Scottish Series in May.

West Coast agent

Hyde Sails’ West Coast agent Peter Watt is a familiar sight on the West Coast of Scotland, with a string of successes racing his pretty, classic Scandinavian-designed 33-footer ‘Vaila’. Peter has been working with Hyde Sails for five years now, and was drawn to the Hyde brand due to the quality of their sails. Peter explains: “Hyde offers a good back up service. Everyone within the group is very knowledgeable and very helpful — good products, and good people.”

Based 10 miles north of Oban, Peter’s yard offers services from rigging to boat maintenance as well as storage for about 130 yachts. With another 80-boat storage facility next door and moorings for 60 boats, Peter is ideally placed to provide support and advice for owners looking to improve their sail wardrobe. With steady growth, the yard is expanding and developing with new buildings and facilities planned for 2009.

At the end of a busy season, Peter commented: “We’ve had a successful year, notably with ‘Stoirm Mhor’.” The Skyebased Westerly Typhoon won its class convincingly at this year’s Scottish Series with a new suit of Hyde’s, having finished eighth the previous year, which shows the difference a good suit of sails can make.

Complete Scottish coverage

With the two agents, Hyde is now poised to build its presence across Scotland. Peter Watt explained, “It was a gap that needed to be filled, and it’s a very positive step.” With success on the water, backed up by excellent service and local support, it’s not surprising that an increasing number of Scottish sailors are making Hyde Sails their brand of choice.

More information on the Hyde Sails website.