Q&A With Andrew Scott, President of Quantum Sails and Annapolis Sailor
In January, Annapolis native Andrew Scott was named president of Quantum Sails. With more than 70 lofts around the world and four state-of-the-art production centers, Quantum is the world’s second largest sailmaker. We caught up with Andrew at Quantum’s Eastport loft last month to learn more about growing up in a sail loft, high-end racing campaigns, and weeknight racing fun at home in Annapolis:
Tell us about working in your dad’s sail loft as a kid.
I was an employee on the (Scott Sails) loft floor and learned the old-school trade with thumb tacks and string lines on the floor, one guy on one side and me on the other rolling fabric back and forth to create the cross-cut sail. I remember it fondly.
What kind of sailing did you do when you were young?
My dad (Jim Scott) always had race boats, such as a Camper Nicholson 30 and a Farr 40 One Tonner. I did my first Governor’s Cup when I was eight years old. I was a bow guy for a long time but moved aft as I got older, as you do.
I grew up downtown and had a 420 on the dock. I went sailing every day up Spa Creek. Every few months my boundary got bigger until I could sail all the way to the Eastport Bridge. I did sailing school at Annapolis Yacht Club (AYC) and Severn Sailing Association (SSA) and later started the high school sailing team at the Severn School.
Then what?
In the 90s, starting at the age of 20, I worked for my dad, running the sail loft. I started dabbling in pro sailing in about 2000 and did so for the next 10 years. In 2003, the America’s Cup Stars and Stripes opportunity came. We shut down the loft. I started working as the VP of Operations and Quality Control at Quantum in 2009.
You’ve done some high-end racing from America’s Cup and Olympic (Star Class) campaigns to the TP52 Super Series (Quantum Racing). Can you highlight some moments from those years?
The Star Worlds in Portugal (2007) with George Szabo was memorable: racing in 20 knots in Portugal every day. My wife came over, and it was an amazing experience.
Coming in second at the Olympic Trials (with Szabo in 2008) was the biggest heartbreak of my career; we were winning going into that last day. It’s one of the few trophies I have kept over the years.
I have so many great memories of the TP52 Super Series. We won multiple World Championships and season titles.
Can you name one of your favorite positions on a race boat and explain why?
I really liked doing the runners on the TP52. You work in unison with the trimmers and work with the tactician, too. It’s not a static thing. It’s part of the acceleration package on the boat. I enjoyed being part of the speed team.
What kind of sailing do you do these days?
I race in AYC Wednesday Night Races with Kevin Elion on the J/105 Key Players. It’s fun, intense racing. I trim main and do tactics. I really like sailing with friends and people I enjoy socially. We’re serious competitors with a beer-can-racing attitude.
Do your children and wife sail?
My wife grew up sailing here, and the kids took sailing classes at AYC. These days we just enjoy the water together on our family’s center console. That my family loves being on the water as much as I do is the important part for me.
How has sailmaking changed since you were a youngster on the loft floor?
Dramatically! It was all done by hand back then with a drafting table and no CAD software. We went from printed sail plans to building a sail with chalk on the floor. It was more of a boutique industry in Annapolis, filled with smaller businesses. It’s still a local thing, even though it’s more industrialized and all digital now (with production facilities in Sri Lanka and Malaysia).
How is your new position at Quantum going?
It’s been great. I’ve met new people and visited some new-to-me lofts and will visit more in France and Spain next month. The responsibility for the company, our team, and our customers is something I take very seriously, and I work every day excited to meet that responsibility.
Learn more about Quantum.
Find more racing articles.
