Are you putting your sailboat to bed for the winter?

In this part of the country, we are facing our first frost warning of the season. Post-Columbus Day harkens the end of the boating season for many people except for the most robust sailors.

Winterizing can be a tedious process. Are your sails “tired”? Have you had your sails repaired so often that they are worn out? Or are YOU tired of stepping over old sails in your boat shed or garage?

The good, green news is that old sails go to Sea Bags for a second chance! The journey of your sails does not have to end with the unceremonious burial in your boathouse, garage attic –or even worse- in a landfill somewhere. Sea Bags will recycle your sails into totes and accessories.

It is remarkably easy to dispose of old sails. We trade bags for sails. Understandably, if your sails have sentimental significance, we will make your bag from your sail so that memory is always near by.

We are known for no formulas for poundage and for ease of shipping and pick up.

We especially enjoy working with yacht clubs and sailing schools to recycle sails from respective instructional programs into unique prizes, thank you gifts or captain's bags for regattas.

If you already own “too many” (hard to imagine) Sea Bags we will connect your recycled sails with scholarship programs available to reduce barriers for children to learn to sail; thus creating the next generation of sailors.

Sea Bags’ Sail Trade program is the easy way to recycle sails of all sizes. Sea Bags will pay for shipping or arrange for sail pick-up. We can repurpose almost any used sail to continue its journey.

Eastcoast: sails@seabags.com or 1-888-210-4244.

Westcoast: christa@seabags.com or 207-415-5104.

We are in the business of recycling old sails. We think and talk about the dynamics and properties of sailcloth all the time when developing products and designs.

The heritage of sailcloth began with being made from linen (strong) and then cotton (light). But natural fibers don’t resist rot, UV light and become heavy when wet. In the late 20^th century natural fibers were replaced with synthetics for common use.

Primarily we work with sails made from Dacron. But we also receive plenty of composite (also referred to as laminated) sails. For example, Kevlar, an aramid fiber introduced in 1971 that has become predominate in racing sails, is used in some of our shaving kits.

The laminate sails are extremely strong. Woven fibers embedded into film or laminate give Kevlar a higher strength-to-weight ratio than steel. The process allows fibers to be placed in straight, uninterrupted paths.

Light shining through the bag above shows the balanced weave of the fibers.

Carbon fiber (as used in the bag above) is a synthetic fiber made from carbon atoms. It is virtually unaffected by UV and provides low stretch.

Engineers design patterns (coincidentally resembling preppy argyle) for greatest strength depending on the purpose of the sail.

Another construction style inserts fiber strands sandwiched between layers of film.

Each bag is as unique as the person carrying it. Check out this video on how these types of sails are manufactured.

Do you want to visit us in Portland, Maine?

We are excited to announce our online video contest featuring a GRAND PRIZE trip to Portland, Maine, Oct 5-7.

It is easy to enter. Just tell us why you want to visit.

Be creative in less than 60 seconds and upload your fun-loving video –through our Facebook page - beginning August 24-Sept 7.Online voting takes place September 7-14.

Then Sea Bags employees (note: we have always had a special fondness for clever rhymes and music) will select among the top three vote earning entries and announce the winner will be announced on September 19. 

Join us. The winner will receive round trip transportation to Portland, hotel accommodations at Hilton Garden Inn located right downtown, an afternoon cruise on Casco Bay by Portland Schooner Company and a tour of Sea Bags’ manufacturing workshop. And, if you haven’t heard, Portland is a Foodie City so we promise you a fine culinary experience too.

Since 1999, we have been making fun, functional and stylish totes from recycled sailcloth on Custom House Wharf within the historic Old Port. We are looking for folks to share the same enthusiasm that we have for Portland.

Product test: Vacation with Courier Bag in England

Recently my family took a 10 day trip to England and Ireland. Packing was challenging – especially with two young sons who initially lined up a cadre of stuff animals to put in their luggage. Each item had to have multiple uses – I told everyone.

That is why I chose to take my Courier Bag as my carry on and leisure travel bag. I knew I would need more space than my small tote that I carried everyday as my summer purse. I also suspected that I needed as much hands-free capability as possible and needed carrying capacity of a medium sized tote. Anything bigger would have been too cumbersome.

I am pleased to report that my Courier Bag was a great travel accessory and served me well. I appreciated the magnetic snap closure that kept belongings safe but the bag of roasted peanuts was still accessible by one hand when the boys spontaneously decided to feed dozens of pigeons at Picaddilly Circus.

The adjustable, cotton, crossbody strap was comfortable and versatile. When carrying lighter items, I wore the bag higher but was able to adjust the strap to accommodate the bulk of folded raincoats and tourist maps when needed.

And, finally the water resistance of used sails was the best! It rained a lot in England and I never worried about the contents getting wet or ruined. If you are considering a Maine made sail bag, I strongly recommend the Courier Bags.

Every once in a while (and often unexpectedly) something happens around the shop that forces us to take a break from our work.  For just a bit, we change gears and allow ourselves to look around our wharf and enjoy being in Maine.  We're lucky to work and live in Portland and to have one another to share the Sea Bags excitement and craziness.

Last week, Pete and Brandon visited Sea Bags to shoot video for a new project.  Soon we learned, one of our national retail partners will feature Sea Bags online as part of their focus on independent brands. We love our city and were thrilled to suggest some great spots to Pete and Brandon -- The Portland Lobster Company; Street & Co.; and our new Commercial Street neighbors, Rosemont Market and Bakery; and Crema Coffee Company.

And now for the unexpected part.  A few things came together in the afternoon that resulted in us being able to show off Portland's Casco Bay to Pete and Brandon -- while aboard the Portland Schooner Co.'s historic 88-foot schooner Wendameen. What made the afternoon so special is most of us at Sea Bags were able to take the cruise together -- and it was great fun to share it with some out-of-town guests.