Why I relocated from Argyll to the Isle of Wight…

In the maritime world, decisions aren’t just made by the wind; they’re shaped by the currents of opportunity and innovation. My journey as a yacht surveyor took an exciting turn when I decided to trade the tranquil shores of Argyll for the picturesque beauty of the Isle of Wight. This transition not only offered a…

What3Words

What 3 Words is one of those ideas you wish you had come up with, or at least I do! Split the entire surface of the earth into 3mtr squares and you get 57 trillion of them. Turns out that in the English language there are enough words that you can assign three words to…

Using Google Earth with Open CPN

Mirroring a Google Earth image next to your OpenCPN charts whatever they may be, is a hugely beneficial FREE feature! As you can see from the images here which I took whilst using my C-Map Charts alongside the latest Google Earth images, there is quite a discrepancy, admittedly my charts are from 2011, but you…

New Power System for Elizabeth G

Technology I’m a big believer in technology being used well, and love it when I have the opportunity to design a system, within the constraints of the budget and the owners requirements of course, to fulfil their needs as well as possible. Here the charter yacht Elizabeth G wanted to be able to run their…

Welcome to the YourSkipper Podcast!

This is the start of a regular series of interviews with Captains and Industry Professionals. Welcome to the YourSkipper Podcast and thanks for taking a moment to download this, the introduction to my new show! I’m very excited to be launching this podcast, I have thought about it for at least a year so it’s…

Superyacht engine room tour aboard a Horizon RP110

It’s easy to take for granted where I work, so I thought I would make a little video to share with you so you can have a look behind the scenes at the highly polished engine room of the Horizon RP110. She is a great yacht with plenty of access and clear labeling on all…

This is what a bilge should look like!

Last month I started a new job looking after this lovely Horizon Raised Pilothouse 110 in Puerto Portals, Mallorca until she is sold or shipped to the States. These Horizon yachts are so well-constructed, as demonstrated by my pics here of the bits that are not normally included in the sales material, but matter so…

Viewing Ocean Pearl (ex Club Med / Maiden 2)

Recently I was asked by a friend to inspect an incredible catamaran for a round the world project he is planning. What a privilege to be aboard this yacht which has such an amazing history and has recently been restored back to life as a ridiculously fast cruising boat! Hopefully, we will get to take…

Crewing agencies that actually list jobs

If you are new to the industry and looking for work it can be daunting the amount of crewing agencies that are around. They all want you to update their website in their own specific way and it is huge time commitment, I was keeping a list of all agencies but when I reached sixty…

Seatrial and Handover on Seahorse II

At the start of this week I spent a nice couple of days in the Holy Loch getting to know Seahorse II, the vessel newly purchased by St Hilda Sea Adventures. Towards the end of May, June and July this year I will be skippering her around the western isles and really looking forward to…