A new spinnaker for your dinghy, or a completely new sail wardrobe for a racing yacht, there will be sails of every size, shape and colour – and all the advice and accessories to go sailing – at the Southampton International Boat Show, taking place from 10 – 19 September.

A visit to the show is a must for anyone looking to choose new sails, upgrade existing ones, and see the latest technology available to sail faster, safer and with more ease. With companies representing British sail makers through to some of the largest sail lofts in the world, the Southampton International Boat Show is the place to go to see the latest in carbon fibre rigs to hand carved wooden bowsprits, winches to furlers, covers and awnings, high technology ropes and lines to traditional blocks and warps.

Creating a flutter will be the Rolly Tasker Sails UK stand, which is adorned with 10 mini sails on show.  Each mini sail is constructed exactly the way the real sail would be made, demonstrating every detail from seams with triple stitching, radial patches, batten pockets and tack reinforcements to luff sliders, reefs, and even draft stipes. The mini sails also cover the different levels of construction and different fabrics from cross cut and radial cut Dacron, to cruising and race laminates.

Brand new at this year’s show, Rolly Tasker UK will also feature a new range of furlers for Asymmetric and Code Zero sails with torsion lines. Manufactured by Sveggen in France, these furlers are available in three sizes for yachts ranging from 20-60ft. With prices starting at £850, these high standard and precision engineered furlers are extremely easy and comfortable to handle.

Kemp Sails, which carries out all its sail design and manufacturing in the UK, will be showcasing its new Anchor Vane, an innovative product designed to stabilise the boat to the breeze whilst at anchor.

Dolphin Sails will be showcasing the technology used to create its sails, covers and awnings.  Investment into scanners and data capture tools, and design software now enables Dolphin to reduce the amount of template cloth – which is plastic waste – from conventional plastic patterning techniques. Paul Austin, Sales and South Coast Manager at Dolphin says, “The Southampton International Boat Show is a great place to showcase our amazing products and gain new business. It is also a perfect show for meeting new customers along with catching up with old ones and hearing about their adventures or getting feedback for product development on what we have produced.”

Seldén will be showcasing its full range of products including Furlex headsail furlers, CX and GX top down furlers, Electric Furlex, and deck hardware. Making their debut at the Show, the E40i electric winch and Synchronised Main Furling (SMF) system are both designed to enable easier sail handling especially with limited crew on board. Suitable for yachts up to 50ft, the SMF system is being fitted on new yachts as well as retrofitted on existing craft. Sam Vaughan, Head of Sales at Selden Mast, says, “With only a handful of regional shows in the last few months, which have been much more focused on boat sales, Southampton International Boat Show is an ideal opportunity to showcase the products we’ve launched over the pandemic period and introduce the Seldén brand to all the new aftermarket boat owners which have resulted from this period where travel has been restricted and alternative activities sought.”

The move to carbon masts and spars, as owners realise the performance gains with faster and more comfortable sailing, and choosing manageable and safe in-boom furling solutions, are trends acknowledged by VMG Technology Masts & Marine Systems Ltd.  On their stand the Show, there will be advice on sales and servicing, as well as viewing products from LeisureFurl in-boom furling, Gold Standard Rigging from Italy, masts and spars from Pauger Carbon Composites and ropes and lines from Armare Ropes.

Harken’s stand will be packed with its full product range of winches, furlers, travellers and genoa leads, mainsheet systems, blocks, complementary hardware and more. New products at the Southampton International Boat Show include the innovative Marine grip, a non-absorbent and non-abrasive tape which provides superior grip without damage to footwear, clothing, wetsuits or skin.

Performance cruising sails and sail handling systems will be showcased on Jeckells stand where Chris Jeckells, who has personally been exhibiting at Southampton International Boat Show for 40 years, is on hand to provide friendly advice. The company has also found ways to reduce wastage and support the local community from its sail making activities. “Our multi-colour spinnakers are extremely popular,” Chris says, “Offcuts are used to make these multi coloured spinnakers, and we also supply many local schools with the off cuts that we cannot use, so very little wastage goes into land fill.”

With all COVID-19 restrictions set to be lifted on 19 July, momentum and excitement is building for the show, and as everyone looks forward to being together again, now is the time to register for all the show news and be the first to know when tickets go on sale. Don’t miss out, visit www.southamptonboatshow.com.

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