An issue bigger than sailmaking

While behind yacht club gates, or enjoying a day afloat, the troubles of the world can be forgotten. But for those connected to the troubles, they remain intensely attached.

That is the situation for UK Sailmakers, founded in 1946 and continuing today as one of the world’s oldest groups of sail lofts, in which a member of their group finds itself in international conflict as shared in this Facebook post:

For last eight years, UK Sailmakers has had a sail loft in Kherson, Ukraine, run by a father and son team with a small but dedicated staff who work to support their families. This morning, the airport in Kherson was bombed as the illegal forces of Vladimar Putin are sweeping into the sovereign country of Ukraine.

Forget sailmaking, we’re concerned about the safety of our friends, their families and all the citizens of Kherson…and the overall liberty and democracy of the Ukrainian nation. This morning, the UK group got the following email from the team at UK Sailmakers Ukraine:

“Action has started; I don’t know if I’ll be able to send messages in the future. Thanks to everyone from my father and me. If you don’t see any more messages, know that the best step in our life was entry into UK Sailmakers family.”

We sure hope this will not be the last time we hear from Alexander. The free world must not tolerate this aggression by Russia. UK Sailmakers stands behind NATO and all the other countries opposing Putin’s illegal and immoral actions.