We were thrilled to be asked by IT firm Net Evidence to make two sails for them that they could use as marketing during the Silicon Cup 2012.
The Silicon Cup is the IT’s Regatta held in Cowes each year. The sun came and out and the sails were placed in the beer garden of one of Cowes landmark pubs, The Anchor.
We are thrilled to announce a partnership with Wates Construction at their Maritime Centre of Excellence site, Boldrewood Campus that sees a dedicated sail collection point at the site.
It is fitting they are building a Maritime Center of Excellence and we hope the sail collection will continue when development has finished.
I have been to the site and I must say what a great site it is. I am looking forward to seeing the finished project and also collecting some sails along the way.
So…. if you are in Southampton and don’t want to dump your sails into landfill, please head over to the Boldrewood site and look for the Sail Drop Off Point. See the map below. They will even pick them up if possible !!
Wightsails is now available at the UK’s most northern point!
Our latest stockist, Natural Retreats Outfitters, is based in John O’Groats, in a tiny hamlet set amongst some of the most sensational and extreme landscapes combining awe-inspiring coastal stacks, dramatic cliffs, forests and white sandy beaches.
Natural Retreats Outfitters provides everything needed for a range of outdoor activities, helping guests with equipment, clothing and supplies for the wide range of activities available at John O’Groats.
Professional guides will be offering guests the ride of their life thanks to the new Natural Explorer boat. Wrap up warm, grab your camera and head out for a day of wildlife watching around the north Scotland waters.
The Outfitters will also be offering guided hikes, wreck dives, historical tours, fishing, horse-riding, geo-caching (real-life GPS treasure-hunting) and even whisky appreciation sessions! The Outfitters will also stock everything you could need for a holiday exploring the great outdoors. As a champion of British designers and manufacturers, Natural Retreats Outfitters includes equipment and clothing from top British brands such as Hunter, Anta and Highland 2000.
Brimming with wildlife, guests can expect to see the largest population of Harbour and Grey seals and an array of birdlife including Guillemot, Kittiwakes and most famously Puffins. Forget indoor aquariums this summer as the coast of John O’Groats is home to the ocean’s most beautiful sea creatures including minke whales, dolphins, porpoises, basking sharks and even killer whales.
Following a huge £6 million regeneration project of the area, luxury self-catering experts Natural Retreats are delighted to announce the opening of 23 standalone Residences and co-operative Storehouse alongside the Outfitters, in the stunning wilderness of John O’Groats.
The Natural Retreats Residences have been designed in the style of the award-winning luxury eco-lodges at their Yorkshire Dales site and have been underpinned by strong sustainable principles, with the use of locally sourced materials such as Caithness stone, Scottish Larch timber and sedum roofs. Modern, open-plan living including a huge expanse of glass allows the magnificence of the natural surroundings to be as much a part of the luxury experience as the exquisite attention to detail showcased in the interiors.
With British patriotism at an all-time high and such a unique natural environment waiting to be discovered right here on our door-step, there’s never been a better time to holiday at home in the UK.
Natural Retreats offer incredible places to stay in beautiful and secluded locations, with a personal concierge service that is unrivalled.
Stunning UK locations include the Yorkshire Dales, Ll?n Peninsula in Wales, West Highlands in Scotland and Fistral Beach and Trewhiddle in Cornwall.
Guests can also stay at any of the four beautiful properties in Ireland, including new property ‘The Hollies’ – a magnificent 19th Century manor house perfect for a big family holiday.
Last year, Natural Retreats expanded abroad with beautiful luxury villas in Playa Blanca, Lanzarote. Each villa features spacious open-plan living, with a terrace leading onto a private, heated outdoor pool.
Across the pond, Natural Retreats now feature two incredible sites in the US, Virginia Hot Springs and South Fork Lodge in Idaho. South Fork Lodge is widely known as a world-class fishing retreat and Virginia Hot Springs offers outstanding year-round activities including hiking, kayaking and horse-riding in a truly breath-taking location.
Congratulations to Pimms who by building a huge deckchair and placing it on Bournemouth Beach obtained National and International coverage.
At 8.5 meters high and 5.5 meters wide, weighing almost 6 tonnes it isn’t going to fall down. That said, you wouldn’t want to get your fingers trapped in this one.
Stuart Murdoch, the sculptor who created the deck chair, also designed and built a full size Challenger Tank entirely out of egg boxes in support of Help for Heroes. The deckchair won’t be there for long and no one is sure where it will go to next.
This is the official press release from Sunsail, announced as part of their environmental initiative at the London Boat Show 2012. We dressed their stand with a few deckchairs and some red white and blue bunting. All very exciting:
Sunsail are pleased to announce at the London Boat Show, a new partnership with Wightsails which will see Sunsail sailcloth recycled to create new products, handmade on the Isle of Wight.
Simon Conder, UK head of Marketing commented: ”Sunsail are proud to be working with Wightsails to recycle our old sailcloth. Responsible Tourism is an ongoing commitment to ourt customers and we are delighted that Wightsails are able to convert our old sails into new products to reduce landfill and create new products that people will use and enjoy.”
I then go on to say how thrilled we are and we are! We will be making many products for Sunsail that will eventually be available around the world, setting up another sail collection centre in Port Solent and spreading the word of recycled sails.
We are pleased to say that you can now buy our bags in the heart of London.
Established and well known art gallery Two Columbia Road is stocking our bags. We have always said we don’t plan to have our products in hundreds of outlets and this has let us choose such outlets carefully. Indeed, we have a couple more to announce over the next few weeks and we think you will be impressed.
Have a look at the Two Columbia Road website and see what good company we keep these days. Designers such as Hans Wegner, Finn Juhl, Arne Vodder, Joe Colombo, Ettore Sottsass, Charles Eames, Poul Kjaerholm, Cees Braakman and Artists such as Patrick Caulfield, Marc Quinn, Joe Tilson, Ed Rushca, Wolfgang Tillmans, Peter Blake and Sarah Lucas.
Two Columbia Road are regularly in Elle magazine and all the living style type magazines, feature in newspapers and are a well respected and well liked London landmark. We are thrilled that they have decided to stock our bags.
Great to be in the news again for the 16 deckchairs we made for the Ellen Macarthur Trust for their Bestival enterprise with EcoIsland’s mobile phone charging boutique.
Windfarm wars could be coming to the Island as the planning departments is soon to decide whether to approve a wind farm in Yarmouth. (photo courtesy of the Daily Telegraph)
Given we are all hoping to be an eco island and actually leave something good behind for our children I thought I would have a quick look at the arguments for and against wind farms (yes I sit on the pro wind turbine side of the fence – but this is an open minded post).
The basic arguments for windfarms
- the government has a target to reach in 2020 to generate at least 15% of energy from renewables
- no nasty smells or gases in the process, clean energy
- we decrease reliance on other sources of energy both at home and buying from abroad
- we create eco reliant jobs and create centre of excellence for eco projects. We lead!
- as more are created the price becomes cheaper to install and maintain
And the arguments against
- often in areas of outstanding natural beauty.
- noise has been blamed for health issues such as stress and insomnia
- they have to be backed up by traditional methods as they don’t operate at full power all the time
- money has to be spent upgrading the grid to deal with them and surges etc
- expensive to build and only have a shelf life of 25 years
There are more arguments, but these are some of the normal ones put forward. The writers opinion is largely based on logic and fact, namely oil, coal and gas will run out, nuclear is unpopular. Wind will always be around and technology will improve efficiency, cost and even the look of the things.
Have your say on the planning application.
We are delighted to say that we have just delivered our first consignment to the number one tourist attraction on the Isle of Wight, Chessell Pottery. Deckchairs, windbreaks and bags will not only be used functionally in their courtyard cafe, but they will be on sale as well.
What is more, the lovely people at Chessell Pottery have included us on their promotional flyers (see above).
For those of you who have not ventured out to Chessell Pottery you are missing out, great fun for all the family, a wonderful courtyard cafe with the best cream teas on the Isle of Wight and that’s official. Winners of best cream teas for years in a row, I don’t think anyone comes close.
A large gift shop compliments the show and all their products are made on the Isle of Wight.
We shall be popping over next to take some photos and perhaps have a cake or two 
