Sailmaking is one of the oldest professions in the world. Think of the Vikings who set foot all over Europe thanks to their sails or the fishermen who desperately needed sailmakers: ‘no sail, no fishing’.

What will you do? This workshop will introduce you to the materials, tools and techniques a sailmaker uses. Think cotton, hemp, beeswax, the sail hand and corpse rope.

You will go home with a homemade cotton bag in which you will recognize the techniques of the craft.

The Zuiderzeemuseum presents various crafts, one of which is sail-making. There is a master and apprentice, just like in the old days. Both are present to teach a fun and instructive workshop.

Enkhuizen, West Friesland, Netherlands
Teachers of the Zuiderzeemuseum
(Photo by Guillaume Groen )