The masts will be made from repurposed telegraph poles. A rotating mechanism will carry booms on each side. This will allow the sails to rotate 360 degrees. This means they would not suffer excessive wind loading as they will always turn away from the wind like a wether vane. The mast itself will be dropped in to an augured hole which will act as the foundation. This will avoid the use of concrete.

The sails will be second-hand real boat sails, rigged in the traditional way so they can be raised and lowered. This fabric will be painted, for Phase one, based on the designs that came of the workshops. 

Phase One is being funded through Arts Council England’s Project Grants. The second phase: the design, making and installation of the wider project would also seek funding through ACE Project Grants along with additional/match funding from other sources.

The prototype mast/sail erected during Phase One are allowed under ‘Permitted Development’ rights which ordinarily allows a temporary structure to be put up without formal planning permission as long as it is removed within 28 days. The prototype sails would be in place for no more than 28 days. 

In Phase Two the sails would be in place for up to 3 months. Pre-application discussions with the local planning authority will happen as part of Phase One and a formal planning application made as part of Phase Two. North Somerset Council has specific guidance and a supportive, streamlined process for approving temporary public art projects.

Flotilla will use second-hand repurposed timber telegraph poles for the masts and other re-used timber for the booms. Timber is consider one of the most sustainable construction materials available. See here. The poles will be inserted directly, deep in to the ground, becoming their own foundation. This avoids the need for use of concrete with its very high production CO2 emissions. The sails themselves will be real, used boat sails. These will be resold at the end of the project so they can continue their life out at sea.

Flotilla will be easily accessible from Nailsea & Backwell and Yatton Railway stations on flat ground making it easy to explore the project foot and by bike for those who can. Each mast/sail will also be sited in consultation with an ecologist, using ecological surveys to ensure they don’t cause issues for birds and bats.

A toolkit from Julie’s Bicycle (an organisation that works to minimise the environmental impact of the arts) will be used to monitor and minimise the climate impact of the project. Openness and discussion about the carbon status of the project, sustainable sourcing of materials, information about the carbon footprint and other information will be published on the website. This information will form part of the project’s wider narrative.

The prototype mast for Phase One will ideally be resold or donated. Options for reuse of the masts and sails used for Phase 2 depending on the final materials and design used. Re-use will be factored in to the design process from the beginning. Re-use will be prioritised over recycling.

The Phase Two project will require permissions from more than one landowner. Ownership boundaries will be found using the Land Registry map search feature and owners contacted. Potential sites might include farms, local authority land and land owned by heritage or wildlife organisations. It’s likely many land owners will refuse to entertain the idea, some may require ‘ground rent’ for siting the sails with others fully supportive. Landowners will engaged as part of the Phase One consultation process. Depending on

permissions secured, the sails might be sited in several clusters on different farms or spread more evenly across the landscape.

Raising sails across the North Somerset Levels references more than just rising sea levels. It points to the past as well as the future of this historically amphibious landscape. In Pre-Roman and early Medieval times, the current Levels were inundated by the sea at high tide creating a large bay of open water deep enough for boats to sail right up to present day Nailsea and Yatton. In the future, due to climate change and rising sea levels, it may again be possible to sail across this landscape. This, however isn’t something that will happen in the near future.

This project is simultaneously about the heritage of the Levels and about its future. It aims to start conversations about how the landscape might be revisioned and remade in the future. It also aims to draw wider attention to the more immediate threat of river flooding and the impact that can have on people who live on and farm the Levels. Through Phase One we will engage with and involve local communities so that we can collaboratively explore the issues raised by the sails and explain the intentions behind the work. 

Some key benefits could include:

• Bringing new cultural activity to the area
• Attracting visitors to the area from other parts of the region and country
• Easy accessiblity using more sustainable modes of transport with Nailsea & Backwell stations and Yatton station nearby
• Encouraging people to explore the North Somerset Levels landscape