Crosshaven in Cork Harbour is getting another sail loft.
Cork sailor ‘Nin' Nicholas O’Leary has announced that the former ‘Old Sunday Market’ building across the road from the Royal Cork Yacht Club in the village will be his base.
This follows the opening of a loft in Rush, north County Dublin in February, headed by David Kelly, who over the past decade has worked with various sailmakers across the industry and joined the Doyle Sails Solent Loft two years ago. He has raced Grand Prix boats such as the Cape 31s.
O’Leary has extensive world racing experience and has been with Doyle Sails of New Zealand, since 2019.
David Kelly
“David and I have been planning this for some time,” he told Afloat. “The Crosshaven loft has combined floor space of 400 sq.metres. Cleo Watkin, who formerly worked with Des McWilliam at Crosshaven, will manage the service, repairs and manufacturing requirements at the loft when it is up and running in the next two months at the Old Sunday Market, most recently known as the Hasset's Cafe building, 30 metres from the Royal Cork Yacht Club dinghy park fence.”
This brings the number of lofts in the Crosshaven area to three: UK Sailmakers Ireland, with a shop store at Crosshaven and a sail loft in nearby Carrigaline and Nigel Young running North Sails Ireland at Myrtleville and Cork Olympian Mark Mansfield running the Quantum Sails brand; which has a loft in Galway.
