Project Management Services
Given my diverse background in engineering, boat-building and elite sailing, I'm uniquely positioned to offer services for overseeing boat-building or refurbishment projects on behalf of clients.
I have always had a passion for making boats go faster and helping teams perform to their potential. This extends to the design and installation of hardware systems.
Over the past three decades, I have managed the build and optimisation of dozens of new yachts all over the globe.
5.5 Metre Class
In recent years I have been fortunate to become involved in the design, construction and optimisation of International 5.5 Metre class yachts. My friend and fellow Cowes resident Peter “Morty” Morton engaged me to oversee the development of two new 5.5 Metre yachts in Cowes, during the pandemic.
After an exhaustive study in 2020 involving an international team of yachting design greats. As well as CFD analysis of candidate designs (where computer generated models of hulls and appendages are virtually sailed in a "virtual sea" at a range of speeds and heel angles to measure forces and drag), we launched into milling a mould in Spain for a David Hollom design and having the boat built in pre-preg S-Glass by Gavin Tappenden of Composite Craft in Cowes. Soon after - Morty (being Morty) decided to build the 2nd best candidate (and more of an all-rounder within the rule).
The second boat was a design from Steve Quigley of Sydney and was built in strip-plank-cedar over computer cut frames at David Heritage Racing Yachts in Cowes. David Heritage commented "Building in cedar-core produces a lovely boat. Incredibly stiff, lightweight and very fair. In a class like the 5.5 Metre, where you have restrictions on panel weight, the cedar-core construction is not a compromise to stiffness, weight or ultimate performance. It is also the most cost-effective way to build a one-off design to a very high level.”
We commissioned new spars from Heol Composites - a very high-end carbon composite manufacturer in Vannes, France.
So, there we were in the depths of the UK covid lockdown with travel shut down and the marine industry at a stand-still. But in Cowes - and with huge thanks to Morty - a small and privileged group of us had loads to do and an outlet for our creativity in crafting these lovely boats and spars from scratch.
In the Quigley boat we won on our first outing at Lake Garda in the 2021 Alpen Cup. This was 100% validation of the CFD and VPP analysis. It was also of huge credit to all involved across our wider team of designers, builders, mast-builders, sail-makers and sailors. It also provided a great platform for the testing and development on the water for the Hollom design.
We sailed the Hollom boat for the 2022 season. We did three regattas and won them all. The Alpen Cup, the prestigious and historic Scandinavian Gold Cup and last but by no means least, the 2022 World Championship.
That Hollom-designed boat was sold to our Norwegian friends and we built a 3rd 5.5 Metre in Cowes during 2023 and subsequently went on to win the 2025 World Championship in her with Ruairidh Scott as our tactician and bowman.
Read more about the three International 5.5 Metre yachts built in the UK.
Etchells Class
For 40 years I have helped owners extract the best performance from International Etchells class yachts. With new-builds this involves visits to the builder at critical times to ensure alignments are perfect and weight is in all the right places, as per class rules. Whilst the class is very lucky to have great and passionate craftsmen as their licensed builders, it never hurts to make absolutely certain the boat is spot-on. I have also overseen rejuvenation of older boats so they can compete without compromise. Check out my various Etchells projects below.
6 Metre Class
In 2025, I was asked to get involved in the project management and rigging of a new Howlett-designed 6 Metre class yacht for Mr Rainer Müller of Switzerland.
The boat was built in Aldeburgh, Suffolk, UK, at Demon Yachts by Matthew Lingley and his very capable team. My remit was not only to design the rigging and specify the hardware, but also to liaise closely with suppliers to make sure we got exactly the components we wanted — and that they arrived at the right time in the build process.
What became one of the highlights of my sailing career was the six-month build itself, which was hugely enjoyable. We had a clear vision, great people, and loads of energy and passion. The result was one of the loveliest 6 Metres ever built. The project ran on a compressed timescale so the boat could compete at the 2025 Worlds in Seawanhaka, New York, USA, and Eau Vive was completed perfectly on schedule — to the very day we had nominated six months earlier.
Under the astute leadership of Jamie Hilton, Eau Vive went on to place 2nd at the Worlds, just over eight weeks after rolling out of the build shed in Suffolk.
If you have any questions or want any more information, please get in contact with me.
