A one-of-a-kind miniature set of three contemporary recycled glass sailing boats, handmade in gently graduated sizes.
Fresh spring green, clear aqua and vivid blue move through the sails, creating shifting areas of colour that become especially luminous in natural light. The central boat carries a unique double sail, giving this small regatta its own distinctive character.
The sails were created from reclaimed sheet glass originally used in the making of the Our Lady of Magdalene window at St Francis Church in Ascot. Rather than allowing the remaining glass to go to waste, I have given it a new life in this miniature regatta.
Because the glass came directly from that commission and only a limited amount remained, this particular combination cannot be repeated. It is a genuinely one-of-a-kind set carrying a small fragment of the story and material history of the original window.
This listing is for the exact set of three boats shown in the photographs. Only one set is available.
THE STORY BEHIND THE REGATTA COLLECTION
The Regatta Collection grew from a lifetime spent around sailboats and the sea. Some of my earliest and strongest memories are connected with water, and sailing has remained a thread running through my life.
More recently, watching the racing from Felpham Beach and returning to New Zealand brought many of those memories back to the surface. While in Auckland during the Covid period, I was fortunate to attend the 36th America’s Cup. We travelled out by boat to the very edge of the racecourse, close enough to experience the extraordinary scale, speed and movement of the yachts as they passed. It was an unforgettable reminder of the power and elegance of a sail carried by the wind.
These glass boats are not intended as precise models. They are small responses to remembered sails, racing boats, shifting horizons and light moving across open water.
Each piece carries a fragment of those experiences: New Zealand waters, sailing in Hong Kong, the racing off Felpham and the enduring feeling of being at home near the sea.
DISPLAY AND CONSTRUCTION
Each fused-glass boat rests on its own handmade clear-glass base, shaped to suggest a hull and finished with polished chrome fittings. The central boat features two individually formed sails arranged together on a single base.
Display the three together as a miniature regatta or arrange them individually across a shelf, mantelpiece or windowsill. Placed near natural light, the blue, aqua and spring-green glass casts delicate coloured reflections onto the surface beneath.
Approximate overall heights:
Largest boat: 12 cm
Double-sail boat: 11 cm
Smallest boat: 10 cm
As every component is individually handmade, measurements, colour distribution, bubbles and markings may vary slightly.
The sails separate from their stands for secure, compact delivery and are easily reassembled on arrival.
Designed and handmade by Jan Simpson in her West Sussex studio.
The three boats are sold together as a complete miniature regatta.
