I’ve been making sails in Melbourne now for 33 years. It was a dream of mine to become a sailmaker since I was in high school, to make these objects of mystery, art, function and beauty, and to be able to think and talk sailing all day.

I was lucky to get a position with Noel Brooke at Brooke Sails to start off. Noel was old school, a great natural sailor and knew a lot about sails and sailing. I got to learn everything from designing a sail from scratch, bending battens to mark the seam shape, sewing them up with no seam tape, and hand finishing techniques. I consider myself fortunate to have learnt first principles rather than have learnt in the computer age. I feel I really understand shaping a sail much better for it.

A few years at North Sails Melbourne and then Gale and Rimington honed my skills. Then I opened Thomson Sails in 1994 in Caulfield, Melbourne. There was one move just a little further up the road in 2003 until I closed up shop for two years in 2009 to go cruising the Paciific. Now I’m based in North Balwyn for one design, trailer sailer, small keelboat sails and repairs.  Though Melbourne based, I make and send sails for all over Australia. In 2013 I became the agent for Hyde Sails UK in Victoria. I’m proud to be able to offer Hyde Sails for boats over about 10m in size. They produce sails of exceptional standard in design and finish. I couldn’t let my name be associated with them if it weren’t so.  So now I can offer my successful one design and smaller boat sails made in house here, as well as Hyde Sails for larger boats and also some of the one designs too, such as Flying Fifteen.

Producing and providing great looking sails that perform is still a passion, and will be for many years to come yet.