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Adam Loory, smiling, with a grey beard and wire-rimmed glasses, photographed outdoors among greenery

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Adam Loory

Former General Manager, UK Sailmakers International

Adam Loory is a lifetime sailor, who worked as the General Manager of UK Sailmakers International for 34 years. He is based in Mamaroneck, NY and regularly sails his custom Rodger Martin-designed 40-footer Soulmates on the Long Island Sound.

36 articles

1988 America's Cup: New Zealand's KZ-1 monohull passes the US catamaran

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Ted Turner—Even More Stories...

By Adam Loory | Cracked Off and Reaching to Retirement Ted Turner was a strong leader and made a big splash on humanity and the sailing community. The title of his story written by…

May 15, 2026

Satellite image of a hurricane's swirling cloud bands approaching the Atlantic coast

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Dancing with Hurricane Erin

By Adam Loory | Cracked Off and Reaching to Retirement On August 23, we danced with Hurricane Erin and had a great passage skirting her northern edge. We originally planned to hide in the…

September 5, 2025

Nautical chart near Baddeck showing wind direction and the spot where the mainsail was dropped

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I’d Give Myself a B+ on This Test

By Adam Loory | Cracked Off and Reaching to Retirement Yesterday I got tested by the wind gods and while I got a passing grade, I bet there will be future pop quizzes. I’m a month into my…

August 9, 2025

Furled mainsail resting in a lazy cradle stack pack, viewed from the cockpit at anchor

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In Praise of My Lazy Cradle

By Adam Loory | Cracked Off and Reaching to Retirement Besides the auto pilot, the one piece of equipment that makes shorthanded sailing easier and more enjoyable is my Lazy Cradle.…

July 25, 2025

Cruising genoa filled with light air, seen from the cockpit alongside the dodger

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Light Air Cruising Sails

By Adam Loory | Cracked Off and Reaching to Retirement After sailing halfway around the world, I think that many people spend too much time preparing for heavy winds and not enough time for…

July 14, 2025

Adam Loory at the helm trimming the headsail aboard USA 1131 on a sunny reach

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When The Wind Shifts…

When the wind shifts, we must change course. My original plan was to set out on my retirement cruise to the South Pacific with my wife Jenni. I spent years getting the boat ready and we…

April 24, 2025

Sailing offshore in bright sun with an inflatable dinghy lashed on deck

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Leaving the Country

My first voyage that required clearing into a foreign country was the 24-hour sail from Cape Canaveral, Florida, to West End on Grand Bahama. I had been on many other boats that had gone…

March 28, 2025

Video still of two men in a boat galley captioned "Finally reading the instructions"

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The Perfect Day on the Water

For most of my sailing life, while I was racing, I always said, “Winning a sailboat race was the most fun you could have – with your clothes on.” There was performance sailing. There were…

March 14, 2025

SOULMATES sailing under a dark mainsail and jib, heeled to leeward

TECHNIQUE

SOULMATES Design Details - How To Turn A Racer Into A Fast Ocean Cruiser

SOULMATES is a unique performance cruiser. Most cruising sailors would turn away from her because of her eight-foot draft, powerful sail plan, small tankage and tiller steering. She is…

February 28, 2025

SOULMATES at anchor in turquoise water off a tropical shoreline

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Converting SOULMATES into a Blue Water Cruising Yacht

In this Part 1 out of 2 articles, I will explain how I turned my double-handed racer into a blue water cruising yacht for long distance, around the world sailing. SOULMATES was built in…

February 14, 2025

SOULMATES motoring past the Verrazzano bridge with the Manhattan skyline behind

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My Sailing Trip Begins

On November 6 th , I started my round-the-world retirement cruise on SOULMATES with friends Perry Burgess and Andrew Graham when we sailed from New Rochelle, N.Y., to Florida. The non-stop…

January 31, 2025

Adam Loory smiling on deck under a warm sunset sky offshore

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My Sailing Background

One of my first sailing memories came from when I was five-years-old. Our family was on a vacation in Hanko, Norway, and the hotel had a sailing instructor with a 20-foot sailboat. George,…

January 22, 2025

Ideal 18 fleet reaching hard off the start line in a breezy race at the Robie Pierce Regatta

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ANOTHER GREAT ROBIE PIERCE REGATTA FOR SAILORS WITH DISABILITIES

The first weekend of June, I sailed in the Robie Pierce One-Design Regatta for sailors with disabilities. New York’s Larchmont and American Yacht Clubs have jointly run this event that…

July 5, 2023

Christopher Dragon crew holds their Block Island Race trophies

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CHRISTOPHER DRAGON WINS BLOCK ISLAND RACE

For the second year in a row, Andrew and Linda Weiss’s Italia 11.98 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON has won the Block Island Race overall under ORC. This year’s race was a tough, light air challenge…

June 4, 2023

Butch Ulmer and Naval Academy teammates hold a silver trophy cup, 1960s photo

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HISTORY AND HUMOR - BUTCH'S FIRST BERMUDA RACE

In this short clip, Charles “Butch” Ulmer talks about his first Newport to Bermuda Race. He took part in this race as a second-year student at the US Naval Academy in 1958 onboard a wooden…

May 9, 2023

J/109 Apsara crosses the fleet at a pin-end start, 2010 Newport Bermuda Race

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HOW TO WIN THE PIN

Many times in your racing career, you will find that the race committee has favored the port end of the line. The more the line is skewed, the more of a lead the boat at the pin will have…

April 10, 2023

Triple Lindy's bow buries into a wave as crew in foul-weather gear hold on offshore

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FLEXIBILITY IS THE KEY TO SEAMANSHIP

In a recent article in Sail Magazine’s Seamanship section, Andy Schell, the President of 59° North Sailing, wrote, “My friend and business partner, Nikki Henderson, likes to say that at…

March 16, 2023

UK Sailmakers Northwest loft team holding their Loft of the Year award plaque

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HEATHER MAHADY NAMED UK SAILMAKERS GENERAL MANAGER

Heather Mahady (front row right) has been named UK Sailmakers International’s new General Manager. Heather has been a sailmaker at UK Sailmakers Northwest for five years and is expanding…

March 15, 2023

RC44 fleet racing hard, video thumbnail with play button overlay

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LEARNING BY WATCHING THE PROS

Professional sailors often race around the course in close quarters because there is relatively little difference in their skill levels than most Corinthians. Learning by watching the pros…

March 15, 2023

Farr 65 Falken reaching under X-Drive® main and genoa near the coast

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X-DRIVE SAILS POWER SAILING ACADEMY FARR 65

59º NORTH SAILING is an offshore sailing academy with a fleet of four boats ranging in size from 34 feet to 65 feet. Their largest boat, FALKEN, is a Farr 65 which was newly purchased and…

February 18, 2023

Soulmates' white dodger and cockpit enclosure viewed from the side deck

PODCAST

LESSONS LEARNED PODCAST: ADAM & JENNI'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE

This is the fourth episode in UK Sailmakers Lessons Learned podcast series. Tune in to hear UK Sailmakers' General Manager Adam Loory discuss plans and preparations made for his retirement…

February 18, 2023

Nathalie Criou at the helm during an offshore race, crew working the rail behind her

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NATHALIE CRIOU: SHE SAILS WITH CONFIDENCE

Nathalie Criou is one of the top shorthanded sailors on the west coast of North America with a shorthanded race record in California going back 15 years. In 2014, she was second her…

February 18, 2023

Linjett 39 sailing close-hauled under grey X-Drive® mainsail and jib, coastal hills behind

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Two Companies Dedicated to Quality Boats and Sails

Cut from the same bolt of cloth. While the global market for recreational marine products may seem pretty large...sometimes it really isn’t. Here’s a story about two companies that have…

February 13, 2023

Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show graphic, February 15-19, 2023

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VISIT UK MIAMI AT THE MIAMI BOAT SHOW

This year UK SAILMAKERS MIAMI will be at Miami International Boat Show February 15-19, 2023. Visit us at booth MPM-45. This is just north of the Miami Heat Arena at the sailboat exhibits.…

February 2, 2023

Baltic Sea map showing the Around Skagen race route from Kiel to Skagen

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AROUND SKAGEN RACE 2022

This video was shot on Stefan Voss’ Archambault 35 OM ripping along into the darkest night on the Around Skagen Race 2022. That night they sped through the fleet keeping up with 50 and…

January 27, 2023

2023 Toronto Boat Show promo graphic for UK Sailmakers booth 1783

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TORONTO BOAT SHOW: FIND UK SAILMAKERS AT BOOTH 1783

The live, in-person Toronto International Boat Show is back at the Encare Centre. The show starts Friday, Jan. 20 and runs through Sunday, January 29. Because of Covid, the show was a…

January 20, 2023

Large dark sail laid out across a sail loft floor for finishing work

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MEET TOM SPEES: UK SAILMAKERS WESTERN MICHIGAN REP

Tom has over 40 years of sailing experience that includes 27 Mac's, 15 Tri-States, 6 Queens Cups and 10 North American Championships for T-10s and J/105s. In the late 1990s he was part of…

December 16, 2022

Lessons Learned podcast logo, a microphone over a photo of a sailboat racing

PODCAST

UK PODCASTS NOW ON SPOTIFY AND APPLE

The UK Sailmakers podcast series LESSONS LEARNED is now available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The UK podcasts have been created to help sailors around the world up their games. For over…

December 15, 2022

Ewincher 2 electric winch handle displayed on a stand next to its box

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Ewincher Holiday Sale

EWINCHER HOLIDAY SALE Purchase an Ewincher2 from UK Sailmakers through December 23, 2023, and save $100 off the purchase price. Continue reading to learn more about how the Ewincher2 can be…

December 13, 2022

Aerial shot of J/122 Dire Wolf, sail number USA 12204, heeled upwind

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J/122 LEADING EDGE Wins Class In Palm Beach Race

Congratulations to Tom and Diana Sutton for racing their J/122 LEADING EDGE to first place in Class B and second overall in ORC in the 60-mile Wirth M. Munroe Ocean Race from Miami to Palm…

December 13, 2022

Lessons Learned podcast logo, a microphone over a photo of a sailboat racing

PODCAST

2 SAILING LESSONS LEARNED PODCAST EPISODES

UK Sailmakers is introducing a new video podcast series, Sailing Lessons Learned, created to help sailors around the world up their games. For over a decade, our website’s How To section…

November 10, 2022

Three-photo composite of a sailor using an Ewincher handle aboard the catamaran Time Bandit

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RAVE REVIEW FOR THE EWINCHER

Scottish sailors Anne and Stuart Letton bought an Ewincher for their Outremer 51 catamaran TIME BANDIT before leaving South Africa on their way to the Caribbean. While they were on the way…

November 10, 2022

Diagram of Racing Rule 20: a green boat hails 'I've got a starboard tacker' as red protests

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RACING RULES OF SAILING LEARNED IN THE PROTEST ROOM

Part of winning sailboat races is knowing the racing rules of sailing and I've learned a lot of lessons in the protest room. It turns out, as in the following case, it’s not only important…

November 2, 2022

Scott Spurlin's J/105 Yolo close-hauled under a mesh-look genoa at J/Fest Southwest

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UK SAILMAKERS CUSTOMERS DOMINATED J/105, J/24 J/22 AND ORC CLASSES AT J/FEST SOUTHWEST

LAKEWOOD YACHT CLUB, Texas Oct 22-23, 2022: UK Sailmakers customers dominated J/Fest Southwest. Sailors racing with UK Sailmakers sails took first and second in four of the five classes and…

November 1, 2022

Video thumbnail: sailboat SWE 52 flying a pink spinnaker near a lighthouse, kite drop demo

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THE LETTERBOX TAKEDOWN, THE SAFEST SPINNAKER DROP

The letterbox spinnaker takedown is the safest spinnaker drop when sailing offshore. It keeps people off the bow, keeps the forward hatch closed, and it prevents the sail from getting away…

September 15, 2022

Classic IOR racer Imp sailing with crew hiking out under her new X-Drive® Carbon sails

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CLASSIC IOR RACER IS BACK

UK Sailmakers Ireland’s Barry Hayes caught these great photos and video of the magical classic IOR racer IMP showing off her total refit and new X-Drive Carbon sails. Those who restore…

July 29, 2022