North Sails Seattle is an independently-owned franchise of the world’s largest sail manufacturer, and as of August 1, 2025, this local sail loft has new owners.
Accomplished sailors Alyosha Strum-Palerm and Tim Scanlon have purchased the business from longtime proprietor Jack Christensen, who has owned and operated North Sails Seattle since 1995. The loft itself has a legacy that predates the affiliation with North Sails—and its long history of service, sailing savvy, and community support is sure to continue in this new ownership era.
Regular 48° North readers will be familiar with Alyosha, who has written articles on numerous occasions, including reporting on his adventures as part of the Red Ruby team of local short-handed offshore racers enjoying remarkable success against top European competition. Alyosha’s skills and talents as a racing sailor blossomed as soon as he caught the bug at sailing camp around 11 years old. He has spent several recent years sailing professionally both locally and abroad, as well as working in yacht management—working alongside some of the region’s most renowned pros, Erik Soper and Jonathan McKee, each of whom Alyosha is humbled to call a mentor. His professional sailing opportunities continue to expand, but Alyosha is the first to say that his top priority has been to find work locally into which he can pour his passion and contribute to the local sailing community. As Sales Manager and owner of North Sails Seattle, he’s found a great opportunity to do so.
Tim grew up in Ohio and relocated to Seattle—where his wife went to graduate school—in 2022. A lifelong sailor, Lightning North American Champion (at a regatta he also happened to organize), and offshore navigator, Tim jumped into the Seattle sailing scene with both feet by buying a Tasar and competing at the Tasar Worlds held here shortly thereafter. Immediately plugged in with some of the area’s best sailors, including Alyosha, Tim started quietly looking for a business to buy. His professional background includes diligence service for private equity and consulting for mergers and acquisitions, but business ownership has increasingly been his goal. He said of his new ownership position with North Sails Seattle: “You get very connected to the sailing community when you help someone fix their sail, choose a new sail, or chase their racing or cruising dreams. That presence in the community combined with business potential is a compelling proposition.” Tim will be less visible to North Sails Seattle customers day-to-day, but will remain active in the administrative backend where he will utilize his business experience.
Consistency and continuity of the loft’s existing services to local sailors is job one for the new owners. Luckily, they’ll have excellent help in this endeavor. Outgoing North Sails Seattle owner, Jack Christensen, will stay on to assist with the transition and pass along some of his considerable expertise over the coming six months. And long-tenured Service Manager, Kerry Sherwin, is enthusiastic to carry on his 18 years of sailmaking experience in this loft with new colleagues, as well as new energy and ideas. It’s clear how much Tim and Alyosha value Kerry’s contributions. Tim stated plainly, “Kerry is the most important part of our loft’s service.” And Alyosha elaborated, “There’s not a ton of super skilled sailmakers anywhere, and we’re very lucky to have Kerry.”
Building on the loft’s successes, Tim and Alyosha have a wide array of ideas they’re eager to explore to serve the sailing community in new ways. Some of those include tangible services, but some of it just comes in support, ingenuity, and inspiration. One example: Alyosha is enthusiastic about helping more people with sailboats sail more and motor less. As a Race to Alaska winner, he has certainly seen what’s possible without an engine, but he also believes that a combination of technique and tools that better fit our region’s predominant conditions can help sailors feel more confident making miles under sail.
Aside from the ownership change, much about North Sails Seattle remains the same—from its location above Fisheries Supply at the north end of Seattle’s Lake Union to its phone and email contacts, from the the quality of design and construction of its cruising and racing sails to its commitment to serve and support the sailing community of the Pacific Northwest. With Tim and Alyosha at the helm now, the local North loft is sure to have telltales flowing as it sails into the future.
www.northsails.com/en-us/pages/sailloft-seattle-washington
