As 2019 draws to a close, Ullman Sails is celebrating yet another successful year in the sailing industry. After the 2018 acquisition of its largest sail loft in Cape Town, this was another year of growth for the international brand.

With over 75 locations in 25 countries around the world, 2019 saw Ullman Sails welcome seven new affiliates, expanding its reach deeper into Australia, Asia, North America and Europe.

This has resulted in a 21.5% increase in turnover, with a resultant significant improvement in operating profit caused by massive operational efficiencies. This has allowed the manufacturing facility to regulate production by investing heavily in professional production processes, product placement and development.

This has occurred alongside the launch of two new Ullman divisions – namely Ullman Gear and Ullman Kiteboarding. Ullman Gear is a pioneering initiative creating practical products, such as bags and foul weather gear, from upcycled materials, while Ullman Kiteboarding is a licensed business that brings new technology to the world of kiteboarding with their wings and kite range.

But perhaps the great success story of all is the fantastic results that Ullman Sails customers have managed to achieve this year. This included a 1st place at the Martin 242 North Americans hosted by Ullman Sails and top results at the Transpac with a 1st in class, 2nd in class, two 3rd in class and a 3rd overall. Ullman Sails also took podium position at the 2019 Iceboat World Championships (in a borrowed boat no less).

© Cathy Firmbach

Ullman Sails sponsored Sean Kavanagh, at just 10 years old, took an impressive gold fleet placing at the European Optimist Championships and a 1st in the 12 and under category and 4th overall at the 2019 African Optimist Champs. Ullman youngsters also placed 1st and 2nd at the Tenerife Unicef Optimist Regatta in Spain while other Ullman customers stole the show in the Quarter Ton Cup in the UK, leading the fleet from the opening day. Then in Australia the multihulls dominated at Airlie Beach Race Week (ABRW) & Hamilton Island Race Week (HIRW) with four 1sts, a 2nd and a 3rd across the various divisions. The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup also saw a second placing in the Mini Maxi CR Division and a 2nd in class for Ullman customer Fra’ Diavolo, while the Rolex Middle Sea Race brought home a 2nd placing in the ORC3 class and 3rd in IRC3 for Ullman Customers onboard Adrian Hoteles Macaronesia. What is really great to see is that a number of these results were achieved using Ullman’s state-of-the-art FiberPath sails.

To share in this success, Ullman has sponsored a number of projects and sailors throughout the year. These include sails for intrepid explorer Skip Novak, who will be undertaking another adventurous expedition at the end of the year, and for Irina Gracheva, the first Russian woman to compete in the challenging Mini-Transat race. Ullman also provided sails for the TP52 Macchia Mediterranea and is also extremely proud of their sponsored charity The Little Optimist, which was honored with the prestigious DAME Award in Amsterdam this year.

This is all made possible through the collaboration of skilled sail designers, experienced sailmakers and decorated sailors that have seen the group go from strength to strength. Ullman continues to concentrate on employing and being associated with people of the highest competence in the industry.

We look forward to seeing what 2020 holds for Ullman Sails!