The Sail Loft will be lifting anchors and opening its doors this May after five months of closure.

The Sail Loft restaurant in the popular tourist town of Southwold will be reopening in time for summer after months of uncertainty about its future.

The café-bar and restaurant, located by the beach on Ferry Road, was forced into an untimely closure on Monday 23 October after suffering severe flood damage following Storm Ciaran.

Having missed out on the entire festive season while a lengthy insurance assessment took place, the Sail Lofts’s future was far from secure.

Thankfully, the owners have now been given the green light to proceed with repairs and renovations in time to open before the busy summer season.

“We are excited to get the Sail Loft back up and running in May,” said Sail Loft owner Jonathan Nicholson. “It has been a difficult time for us and our staff.”

Suffolk was hit by 117.9mm of rainfall in October 2023 which, according to the Met Office, was 90% more than expected rainfall for the month.

This resulted in floods across Suffolk, affecting hundreds of low-lying households and many businesses like the Sail Loft. Surveyors confirmed that on Ferry Road, the water table had risen by 80cm.

An announcement at the time read: "Due to flooding after recent storms, the Sail Loft has been forced to temporarily close its doors for the foreseeable future. We appreciate your understanding during this tough time and hope to welcome customers back through our doors as soon as it is safe to do so."

The Sail Loft has installed new flood resilience and prevention measures to prevent any further issues or closures in future.

According to the owners, the restaurant will be returning with a new and improved menu, internal refurbishments, and new additions to the kitchen and bar ‘crew’.