Jon needed to start earning again. It had been a year and a half since we sold up in Norfolk and the proceeds from that were now getting dangerously low. It was time to earn a regular income. The odd repair and canvas work he had done on board within BVI territory was no longer sensible. He would have to get a work permit in order to stay in the BVI. Also Jethro should be going to school regularly. There were several options.
Work Options
We could move down to St Barths to take up Lou Lou’s suggestion of establishing a business there. He had even shown Jon an upstairs space above his chandlery where he could set up. No work permit was needed there. The biggest disadvantage was that Jon did not speak French, although a lot of the customers would be English speakers.
When we were in St Thomas for the Carnival Jon had been approached by Nick Bailey of the well established Jasper and Bailey sail loft on that island. They were Caribbean agents for North Sails and planning to set up a sail loft on Tortola probably in the fast expanding Nanny Cay complex. Nick explained,
“We need an experienced English sailmaker to manage this BVI venture.” Jon was flattered. “We would get the work permits and stuff. I’m off to Antigua for Race Week but I’ll get back to you…” he said shaking hands with us both.
Next there was the huge demand for the sail repair and canvas work he was doing on board. That could be turned into a shore based business with the right premises. He would have to find or build a workshop, apply for a trade license and work permit. That was easier said than done, and would require considerable investment. Having spent so much on restoring the boat we did not have that kind of money available.
Another possibility was to use Camelot for day charter work as our friends had done in Virgin Gorda a few years previously. We could easily take 10 guests at a time out for a daysail to a snorkel destination and beach. I could prepare a buffet lunch and with a cool box full of ice we could serve soft drinks and rum punch for a price of about $40 a head. With that in mind we actually approached a few hotels. On my portable typewriter I wrote to half a dozen of the biggest hotels in the BVI enclosing photographs of Camelot under sail.
While we were considering these choices Bill Bullimore came alongside again in his whaler while I was bathing baby Oliver. “I expect you know why I’m here, “ he began. We both assumed he was delivering an ultimatum about Jon carrying on his trade on board Camelot. But that was not the case. He said to Jon,
“I am desperate for you to help me set up a new sail loft near the Moorings. We have done a deal with Ted Hood in Massachusetts. It will be a Hood Sail Loft. I would like you to be the Production Manager.”
Before he left he invited our whole family round to his home to talk through more details. We would go for a barbecue on Saturday.
School for Jethro
Julia was back on Island with her new baby son Anthony. She told me that James would be starting at St Joseph’s kindergarten class at the school in Main Street in early June. It was mornings only five days a week for the half term until July. That would be a great start, then he could stay on for the full school day in September, when he would move up to the first infants class. They had to wear a uniform of a green and white gingham short sleeved shirt and dark green trousers.
When we arrived at the Bullimore Home at Slaney, Bill introduced his Dutch wife Davina and their toddler son Kuy who was sitting in a playpen in the living room. While Davina and I played with the children Bill outlined the position of Production Manager. Jon would be responsible for all staff training programmes, allocation of work, overseeing each job, hiring and firing – eventually. There were nine Tortolans working for him then, all of whom he had trained from scratch, two were capable of making new sails. Bill admitted he was not an expert sailmaker himself, but he was good at managing and selling. They had six weeks work in hand.
“Ah yes, and then there is the confidentiality agreement you would have to sign.” Bill added.
He was pointing to the Hood Workshop Manual on the coffee table. It was a massive tome complete with colour photographs explaining every stage of the Hood Methods. There were unique special finishes such as ultra violet seam screening liquid to be painted onto each seam.
“The information in that file is so confidential, “ he went on, “that all sailmakers who work for Hood have to sign up to prevent them from working for any other company within two years of terminating a contract with Hood.”
In Jon’s case Bill would write in a territorial clause too, so preventing him from setting up in the BVI after leaving his employment. He would pay for Jon’s work permit, give him a three month trial period, offer a fair salary and medical insurance for the whole family. Jon would pay 9% income tax . The working hours would be 8am until 5pm five days a week with an hour for lunch. He would also have to work Saturday mornings during the busiest months from November to June. There would be three weeks paid leave and as much unpaid leave as was reasonable outside the peak season.
Davina and I set the salads onto the dining table with a large platter of barbecued chicken and some freshly baked bread rolls. She fixed Kuy into his high chair and called the men over to sit down. Olly kicked away happily in the playpen and Jethro sat at the table tucking into a chicken drumstick and some salad. By the time we were leaving a couple of hours later I was convinced Jon would take up the job offer. He was being noncommittal with Bill, playing it cool until he could think it through.
“Come into the new loft early next week and have a look round, “ were Bill’s parting words as we left.
We went over to Peter Island on the Sunday to anchor in Deadman Bay. Jon had been deep in thought for hours. We still had not heard back from any of the hotels. Nick Bailey had not been touch. He decided he would go ahead with the three month trial period. If it did not work out then maybe one of the others would. We could anchor Camelot in the inner harbour between Wickhams Cay 1 and 2, where three or four other boats were at anchor, as it would be a easy little commute for both work and Jethro’s school.
The anchorage at Wickhams Cay
After he went to look around the new sail loft on Monday Jon’s mind was made up. The premises were fifty feet wide and one hundred feet long with two extended arm industrial sewing machines set into the floor. There was an electric winch to lift sails up from ground level. There was good cross ventilation provided by louvred windows and views out over Road Harbour. Downstairs was Bill’s office, an excellent kitchen with a large fridge for communal use and a sitting area for staff breaks and restrooms with showers.
The deciding factors in taking this job offer were threefold. Hood was the Rolls Royce of sailmakers at that time. Jon could learn so much to further his own career by familiarising himself with their designs and methods. Looking further into the future, that would help with setting up again in England in due course. Lastly the need to earn a regular income was imperative.
The new premises were just perfect, with the space and machinery Jon could never afford to set up anything like that on Tortola himself. It would be a pleasant place to go in to work each day.
They shook hands. In order to get a work permit Jon had to swear an affidavit with a Notary to confirm he did not have a criminal record. Then came the medical – which included a stool test!