Fundraising: Crowdsourcing Funds for the Boat Restoration

During 2019 some friends and I restored a classic sailing yacht. Certain aspects could not be covered by the owners of the boat, so we created a Crowdfunder. I used emotive language to tell the story of the boat, connecting donors to the story. I then described the work that we had conducted, demonstrating our commitment to the project. I clearly outlined what the funds were needed for, so that donors were sure their money would not be lost to a vacuum. We were successful in raising over £1000 (some donations came outside of the website). See the Crowdfunder here. 

Elixir was built in 1970. Over half a century, she has sailed hundreds of thousands of miles. She has completed a circumnavigation, has survived Cape Horn and a Southern Ocean knockdown. Sadly, after her previous owner passed away, she became buried under a blanket of moss and leaves at the back of a boatyard, in need of another restoration to get her sailing again. 

It's been almost a year since we started work on Elixir. As those of you who follow us know, the last 11 months have been an incredible journey for the team, testing our resilience, strength and discipline.

On a cold November evening, we launched Elixir and floated her down Mylor creek.

Over the duration of the Autumn months Elixir has undergone the greatest part of her restoration so far. We have all finished employment and are working seven days a week to get Elixir ready for departure. In the space of two months, we’ve gone from 14 hour days in the shed with what felt like no end in sight, to see her on the water for the first time, and now our departure really feels like a reality. However, having a boat on the water presents a new set of difficulties. Now, we don’t just face the challenges of restoring a stubborn classic boat but are also fighting against endless rain and daylight hours that decrease by the day.

As with most restoration projects, we have already run past our target deadlines. We're delighted to have launched Elixir only a month later than planned. Now we are being held up by weather and funds. Our aim is to leave the UK in 2019, so as you can see, there is some urgency to our mission. 

 

Your Help

Our final hurdle is the rigging, and like everything, we are trying to do most of the work ourselves. The standing rigging was beginning to fray, and some of the halyards fell apart in our hands. On inspection by the surveyor, we found that both needed to be replaced, as well as the furling gear, which was beyond repair.   

With the mast, standing rigging, running rigging and furling gear being the heart of the boat, it’s important that we leave some parts to the professionals. Understandably, to ensure that we have a rig that can withstand everything a circumnavigation throws at it, there comes a significant cost for both parts and labour. It is at this point that we are looking to reach out to our diverse and fascinating network, in order to crowdfund our final stage so with your help Elixir can fill her sails once more.