the following in case you do not want to be a hotshot pro,
but a cruiser who can do repairs for him/herself and others
Quite a few people I have met while cruising around the pumpkin
have taken up sail and canvas repair
and thus supported their habit.
Most of them just started on their own
with a good strong zigzag machine -
- I believe the best one,
the one they use in all the round-the-world races actually comes from
Britain!
One guy who repaired sails most excellently on his sloop in Costa Rica
taught himself out of a book!
He made good money and did some amazing trades besides,
(scrimshaw from me)
look into google.com for leads on sailmaking/repair books
and ask lots of advice, esp. from prof. sailmakers.
Britain should be a great place for a little rain awning business
- once you are cruising South that translates into sun-awnings...