As a sailor from an early age I had this dream of sailing the Atlantic, so I hitched my way from Scotland to Gibraltar to hang out with some Uni Windsurfing mates and look for a ride across the pond. On my arrival in Antigua in 1986 I discovered that there were people who would pay me to sail and really the rest is history.
Many sailing yachts and miles around the globe later in 2002 I was offered with my now wife the job of Captain, Chef/Chief Stew on my first 100 foot plus motor yacht in New Zealand, (we had gone there for a wedding). From there I started the climb up the LOA Ladder on the Motor side to my now dizzy heights of command on a 78m Feadship.
I still pinch myself everyday that I am actually the Captain of this beautiful ship. I also realise that I would not have got here without the support of my crew and over the years this has shaped my style of management and I as I look back and think of the mistakes that I have made that could have been avoided with proper mentoring and leadership.
In someways it was a boon as I usually have a real time examples that I can use when I am assisting my crew in life or career decisions but wow it could have been so much easier. I am now entering my last ten years of yachting and hope to continue to work with the amazing teams that I have helped develop over the years.
