{"id":802,"date":"2019-06-10T08:00:16","date_gmt":"2019-06-10T12:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/?p=802"},"modified":"2023-02-03T13:42:00","modified_gmt":"2023-02-03T18:42:00","slug":"seeking-the-blue-tales-of-a-lifelong-sailor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/marine\/seeking-the-blue-tales-of-a-lifelong-sailor\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeking the Blue: Tales of a Lifelong Sailor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sailing, sand and sun have been a part of Sailrite\u00ae customer Marina Batham\u2019s life from the very beginning. Born on Tortola, the largest of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, Marina grew up \u201cin the life\u201d \u2014 the sailing life, that is. Learn how Marina\u2019s two favorite hobbies, sailing and sewing, are the perfect ingredients for a self-sufficient and rewarding life.<\/p>\n

Marina learned to sail at a young age by everyone around her. \u201cMy parents and both sets of grandparents all had sailboats in the British Virgin Islands,\u201d she recounted. \u201cOne of my earliest memories is when I was 3 years old, sailing down to the island of Martinique on my Grandfather Jack\u2019s Brixham trawler named \u2018Maverick.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Now living in Maui, Hawaii, she\u2019s continued her sailing lifestyle as an adult. The sea has been her playground all her life, and she\u2019s taken advantage of its endless possibilities. Marina has earned her United States Coast Guard captain\u2019s license, and when asked what she loved most about sailing, she couldn\u2019t pick just one thing. \u201cI love the adventure, the self-sufficiency, the creativity, the problem solving and the peacefulness that comes with sailing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"biminis
Marina’s sailboat with the new bimini and dodger installed.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A weekend sailor, she and her partner, Haydn, take their Beneteau 461 dubbed \u201cSeeking The Blue\u201d out every Sunday where they sail off the coast of Lahaina. Marina has owned a few sailboats over the years, but this is her largest boat to date. She purchased the Beneteau in May of 2016 and couldn\u2019t wait to not only take her new boat out on the water but to start sewing projects to spruce it up.<\/p>\n

Marina has been sewing almost as long as she\u2019s been sailing. \u201cMy mother taught me to sew clothes when I was 13. I love really getting into a project. It seems to get all the endorphins going.\u201d She doesn\u2019t limit her sewing to only marine projects. She\u2019s reupholstered chairs for her home, sewn lots of curtains \u2014 she\u2019s even made a hula dress!<\/p>\n

When Haydn gifted her with an Ultrafeed\u00ae LSZ Sewing Machine last year, it took her sewing hobby to the next level. As Marina put it, \u201cThere\u2019s been no turning back!\u201d Using her new Ultrafeed, she tackled a variety of sewing projects for the Beneteau. First up were new cockpit cushions with piping she made herself. Other projects included a mast ladder made entirely out of webbing and a bosun\u2019s chair.<\/p>\n

\"cockpit
(Top Left) Marina patterned the cockpit cushions using art paper. (Top Right) Sewing piping for the cushions with her Ultrafeed LSZ. (Bottom) Haydn enjoying the new cushions.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe bosun\u2019s chair I made up myself just from looking at pictures online,\u201d Marina said. \u201cI used ripstop nylon, Dacron\u00ae sailcloth, seatbelt webbing and welded D-rings. I used a piece of wood in the seat, which I padded with foam before covering it in Dacron.\u201d Not slowing down, she remade an aging companionway dodger. She was able to salvage the eisenglass from the original piece and added new Sunbrella\u00ae marine fabric.<\/p>\n

Next, she replaced the main cockpit bimini. Marina sewed the new bimini from scratch using her Ultrafeed and materials from Sailrite. The original bimini was over 10 years old and the fabric was yellowed and ripped in places, but she was able to use it as a template to pattern the new one. After the new bimini, she completed a cockpit awning. \u201cIt\u2019s 12 feet wide by 8 feet long with many zips, backstay funnels and flaps. My precise measurements created a super professional finish! I even used fabric weld tape (Seamstick) to join the large widths of fabric together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marina also sewed new awnings, throw pillows and more cushions. She used Sailrite\u2019s inventory of free how-to videos<\/a><\/strong><\/span> to get her through the projects she needed help with. In fact, she learned how to sew projects for her sailboat by watching Sailrite videos.<\/p>\n

\"new
A better look at the bimini Marina sewed with her Ultrafeed LSZ.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Her biggest and toughest project was retrofitting a standard storm sail to go over the roller furling sail. She successfully completed the project, but the retrofit took a toll on her machine and threw off the timing. Luckily, the Ultrafeed tuning and sewing machine maintenance videos were there to help. With the videos as a great resource, Marina was able to troubleshoot and solve the issue herself \u2014 the mark of a truly self-reliant sailor. Her machine is now back up and running and ready for more projects.<\/p>\n

Now that the majority of her sewing projects for her Beneteau are done, Marina is enjoying taking her boat out on the weekends and basking in the beauty of the open water, as well as appreciating the effects of all the hard work she put into updating her boat.<\/p>\n

Always looking for the next adventure, Marina recently purchased a second boat \u2014 an Allied Mistress. She\u2019s looking forward to a whole new set of sewing projects to complete for her new boat. Among the list of projects includes cockpit cushions, side curtains, salon cushion covers and more. \u201cI might even tackle the forward and aft bunks!\u201d<\/p>\n

Marina is breaking in her new sailboat with a big trip planned for summer 2019. \u201cI\u2019m planning to move aboard on July 1 and will be traveling the Gulf of Mexico and up the East Coast, then back down to the Bahamas after hurricane season<\/span>.\u201d<\/p>\n

With new sailing adventures on the horizon and smooth seas ahead, the future looks bright for this intrepid sailor.<\/p>\n

\"Marina
Marina enjoying the view of Waimea Bay, Oahu, during a sailing trip in summer 2018.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Who We Are<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Sailrite is your one-stop DIY shop! We are a passionate crew of do-it-yourselfers who strive to equip you with the supplies and how-to knowledge you need to tackle your next project. Do you want to learn upholstery, leatherwork, canvaswork, hobby sewing, bag making or more? We have the fabric, tools, hardware, sewing machines and notions you need to master any DIY. And even if you’ve never sewn before, our tutorials and how-to videos are designed for beginners and experienced crafters alike.<\/span><\/p>\n

Start your DIY journey today: www.sailrite.com<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sailing, sand and sun have been a part of Sailrite\u00ae customer Marina Batham\u2019s life from the very beginning. Born on Tortola, the largest of the British Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, Marina grew up \u201cin the life\u201d \u2014 the sailing life, that is. Learn how Marina\u2019s two favorite hobbies, sailing and sewing, are the perfect … Continue reading Seeking the Blue: Tales of a Lifelong Sailor<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":806,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[2],"tags":[27,29,26,28,19,20,37,70],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/seeking-the-blue-boat.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/padSoq-cW","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":459,"url":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/marine\/sailing-pets\/","url_meta":{"origin":802,"position":0},"title":"Sailing With Pets: How to Cat-Proof Your Boat","date":"March 18, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"After marrying in 2008, Luisa Mixon and her husband, Seth, set their eyes to the sea. Like many Sailrite\u00ae customers, their dream was to buy a sailboat, learn to sail, and eventually gain enough experience to live completely on board. When they envision their retirement years, they see themselves sailing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marine"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/20180923_072825.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2123,"url":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/marine\/canvaswork-sewing-ultrafeed\/","url_meta":{"origin":802,"position":1},"title":"Marina Sewing Adventures With Lynn Ringseis","date":"August 6, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"What do you do when a global pandemic halts your international travel plans and you're forced to remain stateside? You tackle the sewing project of your DIY career, of course! That's exactly what Lynn Ringseis did. 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However, living in landlocked Durham, North Carolina, didn\u2019t make sailing an easy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marine"","img":{"alt_text":"Christine-R-Collage","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/christine-r-collage.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":305,"url":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/marine\/bria-white-sailing\/","url_meta":{"origin":802,"position":3},"title":"Woman on the Water: The Odyssey of Bria White","date":"November 27, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The sun was rising as Bria White dragged her 60-pound sail off the side of her boat and spread it on the dock. All the while, her male counterparts looked on in dismay. \u201cImagine this ... as a single woman on an all-male dock, I stunned the doubting onlookers. As\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marine"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/O-Day-sail-repaired.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1295,"url":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/marine\/sail-repair-sewing-sail-kit\/","url_meta":{"origin":802,"position":4},"title":"Hawaii or Bust: Mike Raymond’s Story","date":"January 22, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"At Sailrite\u00ae, the words sailing and sewing are often grouped together. Our Ultrafeed\u00ae Sewing Machine has a long-standing reputation of helping sailors sew and repair sails no matter where they are around the world. And Sailrite was the first American company to offer custom sail kits, providing even more flexibility\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Marine"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Screen-Shot-2020-01-22-at-1.34.24-PM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":356,"url":"https:\/\/blog.sailrite.com\/meet-our-customers\/marine\/sailing-sewing-south-pacific\/","url_meta":{"origin":802,"position":5},"title":"Sailing & Sewing in the South Pacific","date":"December 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Amanda Witherell\u2019s story is one of adventure, perseverance, serendipity and the kindness of strangers. She met her husband, Brian Twitchell, in San Francisco where they were both working. 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