Sail Lofts Comparison: Annapolis

This last Winter season (2023-2024) as in the past, I decided to take each sail to it’s the branded sail loft for the usual service while the boat was on the hard. This summarizes my experience.

All requests were on the same day, 12/10/2023, and all sails were dropped off to their respective lofts by 12/11/2023. The lofts were requested to have the sails ready for pick up by the end of February.

Sail Loft	North Sails	Chesapeake Sailmakers (Elvstrom)	Quantum Sails
The Request Process	Sent an email asking for cleaning and inspection. No confirmatory response.	Submitted an online service request form asking for inspection/cleaning. The next day I received an email confirming they received my request	Submitted an online service request form asking for inspection/cleaning/repair of two small areas, received an email confirming that my request was submitted successfully and that they would contact me the next day, the next day received an email confirming the service had been logged
The Location	317 Chester Ave, Annapolis, MD 21403 Eastport, on the North side of Back Creek	2240 Bay Ridge Ave, Annapolis, MD 21403 East Annapolis where Bay Ridge and Forest Drive Meet	104 Severn Ave, Annapolis, MD 21403 Eastport, on the Spa Creek side
Nearest Marina	Allsop Marina (Shares the parking lot)	Bert Jabins Yacht Yard (1.5 miles)	Eastport Yacht Club (0.1 mile)
The Access	Tight neighborhood roads, small driveway leading to a parking lot. Near a city dinghy dock and the Safe Harbor marina, this location is essentially on the water	Commercial lot with multiple retail businesses, best to access this location by car. There is no water nearby, and you certainly won’t be able to carry your sail to the loft.	Near Eastport Yacht Club, off Severn Ave, in my opinion best to access by car, and I think you would struggle carrying your sail to the loft from any of the local marinas
Drop Off	Crowded coffin style box, the box was so full of sails that it would not close, the box is not well-protected from the elements	Small outdoor drop box reasonably protected from the elements	A shed with space in the back of the building, not well-lit
In Process Communication	There was zero communication until the end. I received a phone call discussing some previously agreed to work for the future. At that time I was told the sail was ready to pick up.	I was working with Chuck on another project, so our conversations sometimes involved the status of the sail.	Received a call the day after dropping off my sail telling me that they received it and asking some clarifying questions. 1 month before expected completion, I received a call stating that the sail repairs were in process. An email shortly after that recommended no cleaning was necessary. Immediate email reponses by a competent and clear person with details, notification just a few days later that the sail was ready for pickup, and that I needed to pay.
Turnaround Time	About 2 weeks later than requested	About 2 weeks later than requested	Earlier than requested
Pick Up Process	The bag was put into the overnight drop off box	Picked up the sail inside the building, no issues. Had a very nice chat with Chuck which is typical.	Picked up the sail inside the building with no delay, no issues
Payment Process	I was never sent an invoice for the work. This happened the previous year as well and I had to ask for an itemized invoice.	Paid on the spot and received a full invoice with details of the repair and cleaning	A full invoice with details of the repair and work, payment was online and fast
Service: Flake/Roll	Reverse flaked	Perfectly flaked and folded	Perfectly flaked and folded
Service: Condition	The sail didn’t look clean, but they gave me 2 additional sail ties	The sail was clean	Sail repairs were well done and the sail seemed clean even though we approved not cleaning

For the record, I have used these 3 sail lofts for a couple of seasons. I have not used other sail lofts yet; for example: Bacon Sails or Ullman Sails.

I was not happy with the overall service from North Sails; there was virtually no follow-up, no online request, and the sail looks like it hadn’t been cleaned. This is not my first experience where I didn’t get an invoice without asking for it. The North Sails representative spoke with me about replacing the UV cover next season, but we already discussed that topic 1 year ago. I don’t think I’ll go back to the North Sails loft unless there is online sentiment that the service has improved. However, if you are delivering your sail by dinghy/waterfront, this may be the best option to avoid renting a car.

Overall, I enjoy working with Chuck at Chesapeake Sailmakers. He has a wealth of knowledge and a large network from his 40+ year career in sailing, boating and sailmaking. He can advise on any number of technical items related to sailing, sail design and rigging supporting the sails. Working with Quantum is a leap forward in customer service with emails, personal phone calls and follow-ups, and peace of mind as a customer. With Quantum, you know where your sail is and you know what it will cost you along the way. They earn the award for the most improved in the area of customer service from the year before.

We will continue to use Chesapeake Sailmakers since it is on the way to Skyward at Bert Jabins, but our mainsail will definitely go back to Quantum. Hope this helps someone out there looking for a sail loft in the Annapolis area.

5/14/2024 UPDATE: My friends at North Sails rang me up to address the issues that I mentioned in this post. They were apologetic and asked sincere questions about what they could do. I respect the world of a business leader that cares that much.