As a child I sailed small dinghies and was an active member of the Sea Cadets. I’d heard of the Royal Navy, but not the Merchant Navy. However, this all changed when my employer sponsored my first voyage from Oban to Hartlepool onboard the Sir Winston Churchill in 1995. From the first moment of stepping onboard, I was hooked! I was invited back to sail as a Watch Leader and as I did more trips, I met more people with Merchant Navy backgrounds and started to investigate a career at sea.
I commenced my deck officer cadetship in 2000, sponsored by Maritime London and was fortunate enough to get a placement with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) during this cadetship. This was a real turning point for my career and following qualification as an officer of the watch, I secured a role with BAS as a Third Officer. I had an amazing 10 years working for BAS, conducting science operations and resupplying Antarctic research bases. BAS also funded me through my Chief Officer and Master Mariners certification.
Having seen and experienced the life of the staff working on the bases, I was keen to try and find an opportunity to live and work ashore in the Antarctic for a few years. My maritime skills and qualifications were the perfect fit for the role of Government Officer on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. The role included the duties of Harbour Master, Fisheries Officer, customs, postmaster, and everything else involved in helping run a small, remote island.
After three years I returned to sea, having secured the role of Captain onboard the royal research ship, Discovery. At the time, the vessel was only 18 months old, and was the most technologically advanced research ship in the UK. In my four years of command, I took the ship as far north as Greenland and as far south as South Georgia. We carried out a full spectrum of science and I had the pleasure of sailing with some fascinating people from a range of scientific backgrounds.
Then, 20 years after starting my seagoing career, I decided to move away from deep sea and focus on gaining more of a work-life balance. After two years working for Red Funnel and Wight Link on their ferries, the opportunity to work as Harbour Master in the Falklands arose. I know the Falklands well from my time with BAS, so the job was the perfect fit.
