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4 CENTURIES OF HISTORY. 1770-2008.

My family's long and varied association with "boating" commenced in the 18th century when we transported goods on narrow boats by canal in the Midlands (for Pickfords) which included working the Grand Union Canal. In 1842 my great-great grandfather started the firm, J.Parsons, manufacturing flour and seed bags, coal bags and tarpaulins for hauliers, merchants and farmers.

My grandfather was a keen yachtsman and sailed off Brighton beach in Victorian and Edwardian days, his favourite yacht being 'Wisp', a heavy and old fashioned twenty-five footer which was great in heavy weather! My father (who was also a keen modelmaker) built his own dinghy in the early 30's (making his own sails) and also called her Wisp. I perpetuated the name in a model yacht in the 80's, a 36 inch restricted plan with ply chine hull. Another 36 inch design, which we sold as a plan, was the "Djinn Fizz" and was produced in collaboration with Vic Smeed.

My father's firm (F.Parsons, Sailmakers, Duke Street, Brighton) commenced making full size sails in 1932, and for many an ocean racer in the 50's. We also started making cotton sails for the Brighton & Hove Model Yacht Club about the War years. He made my first yacht in bread & butter construction with Egyptian cotton sails and I sailed her on the Hove boating lake in the 1950's at the age of 8. "Nylet" came into being in 1958. I took his interest in model sailmaking and joined "the firm" at the age of 19. Our first coloured Terylene sails were made in 1966 priced at under 40 shillings and in the early 1970's a Marblehead yacht was kitted at around £35; I don't beleive there were any complete yacht kits made at that time in the UK, we must have been the first. The hulls were made by the late Tony Abel and we had a very fruitful business relationship for 30 years and became firm friends.

Our machine shop turned out thousands of fittings for racing yachts from 1967 onwards. We also marketed sailwinches in the 70's, they were somewhat larger than those available today! Currently there are many exciting advances in both the materials and techniques used in making model racing sails, and I am keen to incorporate the very latest materials, coupled with the experience of many years of sailmaking, to produce and build sails that will perform with the best.

I have had the very great privilege to meet with many interesting, spirited and kind enthusiasts over these many, many years, and I look forward, with renewed enthusiasm, to another season! I do wish you every success with your yachting, whether vintage, fun sailing or racing, or purely building - do enjoy it all.

Frank Parsons.