🔒Long-time Sea Bags employee Carrie Fletcher talks about why retired sails make for good bags

Sea Bags is a Maine-made product that's burgeoned into a national name. Headquartered at Custom House Wharf in Portland, Sea Bags hand stitches used sails into bags and accessories and sells them at three Sea Bags retail shops, online and through 400 retailers. Sea Bags claims it saved more than 2,800 sails from going into a landfill last year. The person who is instrumental in finding the used sails is Fryeburg native Carrie Fletcher, 39.

After working as an engineer and surveyor, she served in the Maine Army National Guard 133rd Engineer Battalion, and spent more than a year deployed to Mosul, Iraq. She joined Sea Bags in 2007 and, after stitching bags, helped carve out a job acquiring used sails. She was recently named vice president of sail acquisition for the 16-year-old company, which has a staff of 50. In addition to finding sails, her new role calls on her to provide direction to warehouse, as well as the cutting and acquisition staffs. Fletcher recently spoke with Mainebiz about the job.

Mainebiz: Why do retired sails make good bags and accessories?

Carrie Fletcher: There are a wide spectrum of materials. But many sails are made out of Dacron, which is lightweight, waterproof and extremely durable. It's geared to withstand the elements and weather. So even if it's not useful for a sailor anymore, because of the way that it's designed to capture the wind and perform, it makes a good bag. Some sails that have been used for racing come to us after just one or two races. The rope work goes all the way under the bag and makes it extremely sturdy.

MB: How does the procurement process work?

CF: We try to make it easy and advantageous for people to trade in their used sails. When someone with a sail gets in touch, we discuss the size and the condition of the sail and what they would like in return. I either go and get the sail or we pay to have it shipped.

MB: What do you like about your job?

CF: I get to meet a lot of fantastic people and hear their stories about where their sails have been, the races they've won and the adventures they've had. I love being able to have those interactions. You develop this great relationship and bond with the people who are giving you the sail.

MB: A significant portion of your business is done in trade. How does that work?

CF: We've found a variety of ways to work with people and organizations that want to trade their used sails. Some will trade their sails in return for Sea Bags totes, while others will forgo product and make a charitable donation. Many organizations, like schools and yacht clubs, will trade their sails in return for Sea Bags totes that they in turn sell to fundraise for their organizations. Others use their sails to make a charitable donation. Several years ago we partnered with Sail Maine to create a Sea Bags Scholarship Fund. We've also worked with different sailing schools across to the country to meet similar goals.

MB: Other companies now make bags out of retired sails. Has that made it more difficult to procure your raw materials?

CF: No. Each company has a different design or a different type of product. No one does it quite the same. We really value the relationships we have worked with on a regular basis over the years. That said, we are always looking for more material. I am constantly doing outreach to schools, yacht clubs, boat yards and sail makers to spread the word about what we do. Our goal is to keep the sails out of the dumpsters, to give each sail a new life and a new use. That's a never-ending job.

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