James’ love of boats started when he was a toddler. At 12 he was racing Mirror dinghies and crewing in Windermere class yachts at the local sailing club.
His interest in sailing then took him down a career path in boatbuilding, starting as a 17yr old at ‘Lakeland Sailing Centre’, incorporating a 4yr apprenticeship/college education in Lowestoft.
Then employed by ‘Robsons’, James worked as one of a team of three building Windermere 17 Foot Class Yachts, GP14 dinghies and many others, whilst at the same time performing the many and varied repairs that a busy boatyard brought in.
Since then James has worked in boatyards and on board super yachts along the Cote d’ azur and a further six years in a local yard specialising in GRP repairs.
In 2006 James set up on his own as ‘Nield Boatbuilders’
James says:
“Since ‘going it alone’ my brother Matt and I have never stopped! We do a lot of insurance repair work for many different companies, and some difficult, but immensely satisfying restoration projects – including the re building of a 1908 (the oldest one in the world) Windermere Class Yacht that was built for Beatrix Potter’s uncle.”
“The majority of insurance work seems to be on larger boats in GRP or gel coat, but I particularly enjoy working on the racing dinghies whether constructed of timber or GRP/FRP”