Help Axel make tall ships!

Who am I?

Hi, I’m Axel, I am 33 and currently based in Brighton, UK.

I am using gofundme to help with the costs of my career change. I left college aged 18 and never went to university, I have done a variety of work over the years; from picking cranberries in Sweden to archive work for Universal Pictures, more recently have run a game shop.

For the last 7 years I have been General Manager at Dice Saloon; Dice Saloon is a table-top miniature game/board-game community venue in Brighton. We have gone from strength to strength and are now one of the best communities on the south coast. I am hugely proud of what we have achieved with Dice Saloon but over the last two years realised I wanted to make the change and chase a childhood dream. The GM role will be passed over to Ben Todd, Ben started at the store age 15 and has grown into a fine young man, I have every faith his passion and care will take Dice Saloon in a fantastic direction.

What do I want to do?

I am looking to make the change and retrain as a shipwright. The UK has a few schools dedicated to boatbuilding, and I have chosen the IBTC in Lowestoft. IBTC Lowestoft has a fantastic track record of joinery and boatbuilding, it prepares students by focusing on relevant industry skills and being based so close to The Broads it is in the heart of the wooden boating industry. I have talked to Oyster yachts and assuming I can pass a skills test they would be happy to employ me post-course. I will receive a City and Guilds Lvl 2 in Bench Joinery and a City and Guilds Lvl 3 in Boatbuilding.

Why do I need help?

Despite preparing students to work in an industry in desperate need, students of IBTC don't qualify for government education loans or living grants. This means the only options I have are self-funding and private loans. I have arranged a private loan for the course fees, £16,750 and will be selling a large amount of possessions, but with cost of living, tools and general expenses the cost of retraining is going to be close to £35,000, any assistance with this is going make a huge difference.

Why now?

My girlfriend and I are having a Son, he was due February 7th. We currently live in Brighton and would really struggle to stay here if either of us were out of full-time employment. We believe now will be the least disruptive time to our family's life and the combination of maternity pay and a drastic difference in rental markets makes it the safest and only realistic time to make the change.

The British boat market has boomed in the last few years and the industry is in dire need of skilled craftspeople. Sail shipping and the general resurgence of interest in wooden boats means work is available and the whole sector is healthy.

Why boats?

Recently we moved the location of Dice Saloon, we renovated an old church and I played a huge part in the design and physical side of the build. We then had lockdown hit and I spent the best part of two years filling online orders. This really highlighted the happiness I got from working with my hands and creating things, so much so that it prompted me to look at a change.

As a child my grandparents lived in Portsmouth, I spent a huge amount of time in the docks and have always had a love for tall ships, my favourite memories are sitting on the hot walls in Portsmouth and watching boats come in for “the festival of the sea”. I would love to enter the industry and eventually be involved in the construction of something that could bring as much joy to others as tall ships did to me as a boy.

What next?

Officially the reigns of Dice Saloon are handed to Ben, I will be staying in Brighton and looking after my new family and helping Ben until the end of March. The end of March/April we will move to Lowestoft and on May 5th I will start my course. The course lasts 50 weeks and is full-time, I will be looking for weekend work in the boating industry or a boating adjacent industry once I arrive in Lowestoft. Once the course is completed I will apply to work at Oyster and start to pay back my loans.

In the future

The grand plan is to eventually find and restore a ship for sail cargo shipping, I follow a selection of collectives and initiatives who have been able to both deliver a sustainable shipping option and fund the care and protection of ships for future generations to enjoy.

Thanks!

If you made it this far thank you, I appreciate your time and interest.