Author: Stef Goodwin

Here at Dolphin we’ve had a busy 2020 so far and thought we would share some of what we’ve been working on to give you a little distraction from the current situation surrounding Covid-19.

You can also stay in touch with us and see regular updates via our website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – be sure to follow us!

Recent Cover Projects

We have been working on a variety of cover projects recently, including a full enclosure for a Najad 373; two different Moody 31 sprayhoods; a full set of covers for a Discovery 58 and a Hallberg Rassy 57 companionway cover. As well as these we have produced the full collection of covers for the four newest Oyster 565’s!

Take a look at our social media and website for more examples of our cover projects.

TALK TO ONE OF OUR TEAM ABOUT YOUR NEW COVER

Sail Projects in 2020

So far this year we have made several sails for new and old Oyster yachts which have been shipped worldwide. As well as these, we’ve had lots of other projects coming in, such as the below mainsail for a Rustler 36. The owners of this boat are planning to circumnavigate the UK and Ireland as soon as the lockdown is over – we can’t wait to see some photos!

One of the most colourful sails to come through the loft in a while was this blue asymmetric, complete with two sea horses! Another great painting from Ocean Art — we love working with these guys to create some really fun branded sails!

TALK TO ONE OF OUR TEAM ABOUT YOUR NEW SAIL

**NEW** Online Shop and Live Chat

You can now chat to us live on the website!

We’ve been busy behind the scenes updating our website. One noticeable change is the option to Chat With Us. Whether you want to discuss a new quote, get an update on a current order or ask for some general advice, you can now talk to a member of the team through our live website chat. Open during office hours, it will give customers an alternative way of instantly contacting the team.

Having been up and running for only a week, we have already taken our first order following a live chat so we’re sure it will be a useful tool for our customers and team members alike!

If you have a sail or cover project you would like to discuss, why not give it a try?

CHAT WITH US

Or you can shop online!

Another update on our website has been the addition of our online shop. At the moment we are only selling our merchandise, such as holdalls and laptop bags, but in the future we may well add more Dolphin products to the shop.

As part of setting up our online shop we have also increased our product range. Take a look below at some of the items we now sell, or why not head over to the shop and have a browse?

SHOP NOW

You may have also seen that in October last year we took delivery of a brand new embroidery machine! This has enabled us to personalise all of our merchandise, either with a logo, initials or someone’s name. We often work with race events and regattas, so have been able to produce sponsored prizes entirely in-house. Check out an example of this below – they also make great gifts so if you are after a personalised birthday present, get in touch!

ENQUIRE NOW

Success At Our Hamble Loft

Our Hamble based loft has now been up and running for 6 months and oh what a busy time that has been! From day one Oli and Paul hit the ground running with boats to pattern, sails to fix and even a couple of caravan/trailer covers to make.

Having been based on the South Coast for 6 years Paul has found that the Hamble loft is a great hub of activity and he’s pleased to be flying the flag for Dolphin with a proper service loft. Previously he worked out of a van and everything was sent back to our Essex lofts to be worked on. The introduction of our Hamble loft has improved our turn around time for South Coast projects hugely. It’s great knowing we can be of help to fellow sailors and Paul is always on hand to offer great advice too!

Over the last 6 months, we’ve had lots of customers popping in as they pass through Hamble Point Marina: enquiring about new cover or sail projects; bringing items in for winter washing and servicing; or just stopping for a chat! It’s been great meeting all those customers and both Oli and Paul are looking forward to the many more they will work with.

READ MORE ABOUT OUR HAMBLE LOFT HERE

Getting Involved

As we are all too aware, the current situation surrounding Covid-19 is very fraught and full of the unexpected. During this time we will be keeping our customers up to date via our website and social media, so be sure to keep an eye on these! Our sales team are also at the end of the phone or email should you have any queries and they are always happy to help.

One positive side to the Coronavirus epidemic is seeing communities getting involved and helping each other out. We are pleased to have done our bit out in Palma de Mallorca, with our Palma loft manufacturing masks.

Christophe our Service Manager, hearing of the shortage, contacted the local town hall and hospitals who then sent him instructions and materials. Once made the masks were sterilised and distributed between hospital staff, police and supermarket staff. A big thanks to Christophe for going in at the weekend to make the masks – a great effort and we are very proud that he is part of the Dolphin team!

For the latest update on our working practices during the Covid-19 epidemic, follow the link below.

COVID-19 UPDATE

Stay Tuned

As always, we are working our hardest to get your sails and covers made ready for the season and we join you in looking forward to getting on the water later in the year to enjoy some much needed tranquility.

We hope you stay safe and healthy during this unprecedented time and would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers for their on-going business and support.

Likewise, we are here to help and would like to support you in any way we can: from storing your sails until lockdown is over, to offering a friendly conversation on the phone, the Dolphin team are always happy to help as much as we can.

A polite reminder to anyone with an outstanding invoice for it to be paid within 30 days of the invoice date. Again, should there be any issues with this, do just give us a call and we can make alternative arrangements to suit.

As usual, we will continue to share our stories, recent projects, advice and new ideas throughout our various channels, so stay tuned for some light entertainment in the weeks to come.

All the best to you and yours,

from the Dolphin team

Despite the current situation surrounding COVID-19, we’ve had a very busy week fitting these three tensile awnings… The first two are for Milsoms and Le Talbooth down in Dedham and the other is for Felixstowe Snooker Club – we hope you’ll agree they look fantastic!

A good job done by all involved and under difficult circumstances following the government guidelines/restrictions too!! Well done team Dolphin 💪

While we all try to navigate the next few weeks and months, it is important that you know we are still open for business and have put in place all reasonable measures to ensure we stay that way: we will continue to be open for the benefit of all our customers and staff.

As usual we will be completing all manufacturing in-house to further reduce the risk of disruption to our customers: all templating, design, cutting, machining, finishing and installation will continue to be carried out throughout our lofts and rest assured that the necessary precautions are in place for our staff and any visiting customers.

Measuring, patterning and installation appointments will be completed, wherever possible, without customers present to help minimise the risk. Where customers are needed to discuss the details of the project, we will maintain a suitable distance as per the Government’s guidelines. Also, please don’t be offended if we don’t shake your hand!

Our sales team are, as always, on hand to give you the same professional advice and high end customer service we are known for. Please contact Paul, Stef, Christophe or Barry for any assistance you may require. Our continued aim is that as soon as you are able, you will be onboard and enjoying the peace and serenity of your favourite creek or open water!

We remain vigilant but calm and positive.  All staff continue to follow government guidelines: we are monitoring the situation closely and updating our team when we receive new information. Please keep an eye on our social media and website for further updates as we continue through this challenge together.

If you have any questions, new sales queries or concerns regarding orders you have already placed, our sales team will be more than happy to discuss these with you.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank you once again for your business and on-going support.

Best Wishes,

Matthew, Kate and all the Dolphin Team (both here in the UK and in Palma)

———————

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ONE OF THE TEAM

Late in October we took delivery of our brand new embroidery machine. After the whole team had played around with it and several of the Harwich machinists had been properly trained on it, we are now able to offer a bespoke embroidery service. Whether you want your name, initials, crew position, company name or boat logo to personalise one of our bags, we can do it. It’s a great gift idea too!

We will also be offering crew shirts in the new year — so if you need to kit out your crew with a holdall, laptop bag and polo shirts, why not get it all done together at Dolphin?

We can embroidery your own products as well as supply a range of items… Perhaps you’re a sports team or school that is in need of branded clothing, we can do that too, so get in touch!

In preparation for next year’s 400th anniversary of the Mayflower’s departure to the new world, the Historic Harwich Society have put together a guide for visitors to Harwich and Dovercourt Bay. We have been included in the directory as our head office and cover loft is based on Harwich’s Main Road – free copies of the guide can be found at either of our Essex lofts.

Take a look at the website for more information about the 400th anniversary and to see what events are on to celebrate!

www.historicharwich.co.uk/mayflower-400/

It’s been a busy year here at Dolphin with the expansion of our Palma loft, new team members joining us, internal promotions and opening up a new loft in Hamble! After a very successful Southampton Boat Show the Hamble loft is in at the deep end and extremely busy. The rest of the team have also had lots to do and with the changes in staff this year we’ve got a few new faces around. Why not take a look at our Meet The Team page to see who is part of team Dolphin?

Whilst Dolphin goes from strength to strength with new ideas and ventures in discussion, we’ve still been working away on the usual sails and covers and have had some great projects come through this year. Take a look at the photos of some of the best 2019 jobs and see what else we’ve been up to this year…

…..

Dolphin’s Union Flag Kite Goes Under Tower Bridge

One of the most notable projects from 2019 was the Union Flag asymmetric that we made for Oyster Yachts. A big thanks goes to Ocean Art for the paint work — we think it looks brilliant and are sure you’ll agree! This photo was taken of the new Oyster Yacht’s ‘Pocket Superyacht’ just after it sailed under Tower Bridge earlier in the year.

Now an award winning boat -Bluewater Cruiser of the Year- we are extremely proud to have been involved in the whole project and have supplied her with a full set of sails and covers, including one of our stunning tensile awnings. Having also kitted out the second in the series, we are now working closely with Oyster on hull number three and hope to be able to share more with you in 2020!

…..

*NEW* We Now Offer Embroidery

Late in October we took delivery of our brand new embroidery machine. After the whole team had played around with it and several of the Harwich machinists had been properly trained on it, we are now able to offer a bespoke embroidery service. Whether you want your name, initials, crew position, company name or boat logo to personalise one of our bags, we can do it. It’s a great gift idea too!

We will also be offering crew shirts in the new year — so if you need to kit out your crew with a holdall, laptop bag and polo shirts, why not get it all done together at Dolphin?

We can embroidery your own products as well as supply a range of items… Perhaps you’re a sports team or school that is in need of branded clothing, we can do that too, so get in touch!

Looking for Christmas presents? Check out our sail bag range, starting at £30!

…..

Still Old School!

Whilst sail and cover design is moving into a much more digital production, we still like revisiting the old methods for certain projects. This year we made several sails for the West Mersea MFOB fleet and donated some prizes for their Turkey race held in November. Many winkle brigs and smacks took part despite the chilly weather!

During the summer we also made a new “whoomper” and topsail for Kismet, Richard Matthew’s classic Fife. She was raced at the Panerai Classic Regatta towards the end of the season and won one of the races! Kismet is often seen at classic events and we are pleased to be continually involved with such a beautiful yacht.

…..

We were pleased to sponsor the Cleanwave Water Rocket at this year’s Oyster Palma Regatta, helping Oyster gain GOLD status in their effort to be ‘A Clean Regatta’!

Something we’ve been particularly keen to be involved in is the #cleanwavemovement and their pledge to reduce single use plastic and keep our oceans clean. Alongside this we have worked with other charities, through donations and raffles. The Bradwell Cruising Club recently raised £1400 by holding an auction for which one of the lots was a ‘Wash & Service’ voucher we had donated. In 2020 we hope to do more for these worthwhile causes and are always pleased if our customers and colleagues get involved!

The Harwich team really got into the festive spirit when we took part in Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day on Friday 13th December! They even enjoyed some hot chocolate and mince pies at tea break.

Thanks to all who donated!

…..

We will be open until lunchtime on Christmas Eve and then closed through to the 2nd January. During this time emails and phone calls may not be monitored, but we will endeavour to get back to you promptly once the offices open again in the new year.

We wish all our staff, customers and suppliers an enjoyable Christmas break and look forward to a great 2020!