A MAN has quit his job to follow his dream of building tall ships.
Axel Abbott, 33, from Brighton, has been the manager of the Dice Saloon, a board game venue for seven years, but with a baby on the way he fancied a change.
He is now giving up his job to pursue a career as a shipwright, someone who builds boats.
Axel and his girlfriend Jodie, are expecting a baby any day now and feel this is the ideal time for him to chase his dream due to the combination of maternity pay and a drastic difference in rental markets.
He said: "Recently we moved the location of Dice Saloon, we renovated an old church and I played a huge part in the design and physical side of the build.
"We then had lockdown hit and I spent the best part of two years filling online orders. This really highlighted the happiness I got from working with my hands and creating things, so much so that it prompted me to look at a change.
"As a child my grandparents lived in Portsmouth, I spent a huge amount of time in the docks and have always had a love for tall ships, my favourite memories are sitting on the hot walls in Portsmouth and watching boats come in for 'the festival of the sea'.
"I would love to enter the industry and eventually be involved in the construction of something that could bring as much joy to others as tall ships did to me as a boy."
Axel will be retraining at International Boatbuilding Training College (IBTC) in Suffolk and has launched a Gofundme to help him do this.
Students of IBTC do not qualify for government loans or living grants which means the only options are self-funding and private loans.
Axel has arranged a private loan for course fees and will be selling a large amount of possessions.
With the cost of living, tools and general expenses the cost of retraining is going to be around £35,000.
Axel will be handing over the reigns of his Dice Saloon imminently and in March he and his new family will move to Suffolk, where he will find weekend work during his training.
He is looking to start work as soon as possible.
To donate to Axel's Gofundme visit: www.gofundme.com/f/help-axel-make-tall-ships
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