In my early twenties, I felt completely lost and without any real sense of direction in my life. Most of my close friends had left for university, and I was working in retail. By chance, I had the opportunity to go out for a day’s sailing — though it wasn’t exactly smooth sailing. The skipper was, let's just say, less than encouraging. I was shouted at, told I was clueless, and the experience really should have put me off for life. But despite the rough start, I discovered a real love for being out on the water. I found it invigorating, life-affirming, and, most importantly, it gave my life some much-needed direction at a time when I was struggling to navigate.
I started by learning how to sail in dinghies, then yachts. This took time, hard work, and lots of effort. It also cost me all my savings, which added a sense of jeopardy, as I felt I had to justify my decision to follow this career path.
From learning to sail, I began coaching young people in dinghies and was then accepted into a training scheme aimed at developing young aspiring seafarers in traditional skills. It comprised on-the-job experience and working with classic vessel operators throughout the UK. This was a hugely transformative experience for me, as I benefited from some truly amazing mentors who saw that I wanted to develop my skills further, both at sea and shoreside.
After 14 months, I was granted a bursary from the maritime charity wing of Trinity House (Est. 1514) to complete my RYA Yachtmaster qualification. I then moved into the world of superyachts for around two years, further building my experience working on a few classic yachts in the US, Canada, and the Caribbean.
After this, I returned to the UK and started working for some British vessel operators as a Captain and First Mate. On the advice of a close friend and confidant, I applied for a scholarship which enabled me to further develop my commercial seafaring qualifications through distance learning and short courses at Warsash Maritime Academy - which hugely aided my development.
I was fortunate enough to return to hands-on work during lockdown, working as a commissioning engineer for a well-known yacht builder, before finally ‘swallowing the anchor’ and moving into marine business development. This has led me to my current role as an Account Manager for LKQ Leisure and Marine. I feel very lucky to work with a team of experts in a market-leading business, all passionate about the sea. I’m also blessed to have had such a wide range of experiences within the industry, which have helped me develop both personally and professionally.
The marine industry is full of interesting, diverse, and fantastic people who all share the same passion for the sea. If you love being out on the water, or like the idea of it, it could be the perfect industry for you.
