Bay People
Meade and Cheryl Breese
What’s in a Name?
W
hile some can spend a lifetime establishing a recognizable name in their trade, others may be born with a nominative destiny to fulfill. Meade A. Breese and his wife, Cheryl, have distinguished themselves as one of the Chesapeake Bay area’s foremost sailmaking duos. The couple currently owns and operates the award-winning Breese Sail Loft in Rock Hall, MD, where for the past 21 years their partnership has remained focused on building high-quality, custom cruising sails and providing expert repairs with a uniquely personalized, small town flair. I recently sat down for a conversation with Meade and Cheryl beside a crackling miniature woodstove in their self-built, Bay-side home. Gazing out upon the Breese Sail Loft situated just outside of the house, I settled into the cozy, nautically inspired settee where the conversation would take place. Getting underway, Meade was quick to point out that above all else, he and Cheryl are builders. While a lifetime of building boats, businesses, eco-houses, hot air balloons and quality cruising sails certainly adds up to a wealth of skill, it is, perhaps, the building of their enduring relationship that has meant the most to their sailmaking success. Reflecting back to their earliest acquaintance as co-workers in social services, Cheryl adds, “It is the foundation of friendship that makes the rest of the partnership work.” Meade agrees but insists that when it comes to running the business, Cheryl is the captain. This bestfriendship has been the building block of a most adventurous and rewarding life together. The Breeses are renowned for their craftsmanship, customer satisfaction, and personalized service. Their work has been an important influence making Rock Hall a first class sailing community. Now operating from a quiet, secluded location just outside of town, it is evident as soon as you enter their driveway that the Breeses not only love their business, but they live it. 48 April 2017 spinsheet.com
by Capt. Mark Einstein
Like most sailors, some of the Breese’s expertise comes from the ever edifying School of Hard Knocks. Meade fondly remembers the first sail he ever made. At 19 years old, already proficient in sewing fabrics together, he constructed a sail out of parachute material to fit his home-built wooden Sailfish. When he raised the sail at the dock on New York’s Oneida Lake, he was pleased to see the sail filled well
and with great ease. “So I cast off and went sailing,” he recalls. Then, he chuckles, “and nine hours later, I was still sailing downwind!” He couldn’t sail the boat back upwind no matter how hard he tried. After a long tow back to the dock and plenty of time to think it over, his first lesson in sailmaking was well understood. In 1984, Meade and Cheryl, finished and fitted out a 31-foot, gaff-rigged ketch
##Meade and Cheryl Breese