The 9th generation of the family to join 191 year old Jeckells the Sailmakers
by Chris Jeckells 22 Aug 2023 17:23 AEST
The 9th generation of the family to join 191 year old Sailmakers © jeckells.co.uk
Mason is the ninth generation of the family to join Jeckells the Sailmakers. He has been working in the Sail Loft on Saturdays and throughout the school summer holidays.
He is pictured with his mother, Sammy (Eighth generation and Office Manager) and his Grandad, Managing Director Chris Jeckells.
It all started with Mason's Great, Great, Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather who was a fisherman based in Great Yarmouth. He was not a very good fisherman and could not afford to buy new sails. His only option was to make his own.
It was only when he started regularly coming back to harbour before everyone else that he realised that he must have done something different. Unwittingly, he had made his sails with the panels running on the 'wrong' direction, according to the thinking at the time.
As the first smack back to land commanded the highest price for the catch, his fellow fishermen soon realised the potential of his sails. Thankfully, he was bright enough to realise that making sails in a draughty shed was a better and safer way of earning a living than fishing in the cold waters of the North Sea. So, in 1832, Jeckells the Sailmakers was born.
There cannot be many companies with 7th, 8th and 9th generations working together!