Now retired. Front of the wheel for 40 years. My last owners I worked for 24 years.
All started in Cowes when in school on the island from age of 6. After that
Army for 3 years in Asia in Tank regiment
My dad retired from Air Force early and bought a boat to sail to Caribbean to charter with Mum.
Helped to sail her to Grenada.
Copy from Superyacht Guide by Caroline Blatter:
Once there, they ran a successful business, but surplus to requirements as crew and left to his own future, Steve sought, and quickly found, a crewing position on another boat, a 60 footer, graduating the following season to a 72 footer, sailing up to the USA. There he met Bob Garland from S&S who offered him a choice of positions, and he chose Sea Star, a 90 footer that was going around the world with just three crew, giving Steve a perfect opportunity to learn every aspect of running a boat. One charter guest was celebrity American TV present, Hugh Downes, of the Today Show, who offered Steve his next job, and the first as a captain. His Grand Banks 50 commuted between New York and the Caribbean. “There was only celestial navigation and a DF radio in those days,” recalled Steve, “so every voyage was a much greater adventure than it would be today.”
Once established as a captain, Steve had a series of positions. He ran a maxi yacht and did the Transpac race. He went on to run two iconic classic sailing yachts, Gitana IV, originally built in 1962 for Baron Edmund de Rothschild, and the 169ft Adela, a modern classic built at Pendennis Shipyard in Steve’s hometown in 1995 and refitted in 2000. Steve carved out a steady career staying with one of the owners for 24 years. He did the Fastnet Race on Gitana in 1993 and started work on Adela in 1993,
“Well of course it’s not the same – I wish I’d been around in the time of Captain Cook when there were no limitations,” says Steve. “But it’s a good thing there is more regulation. With 20 or more crew on modern superyachts regulation is needed. Management companies are playing larger roles, and tend to arrange refit and restoration projects near their own bases. I also notice that the turnover of captains and crews is quite high, as everyone is constantly looking for the bigger boat.”
Talking about the future, he sees more growth. “I believe the number of yachts and their sizes will just get bigger and bigger. There was a time, back before World War One when huge motor and sailing boats were being built, but only for the wealthy few. Now the era of big boats is back, but a lot more people can afford them.”
When we built Adela she had the tallest carbon rig in the world. They are now three times the size. Not many superyachts today go to the scrapyard. They are usually bought inexpensively or at auction. Then are completely refitted to the owners’ requirements. This is common practise because it cuts the build time of a new built by half. I worked for an owner who bought an old Feadship and started again building up from the original hull. The cost of a steel hull nowadays is very expensive when you take into consideration the designs, and drawings, materials and engineering, not to mention the time involved in building a new yacht. The second hand market is not as healthy as it could be, though, as a lot of new owners still want new builds.”
Thank you/.
