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Class of March 2009
Student
Profiles & Boat Diaries
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view the photographic diaries of the boats built on the March
2009 course click on the links below:
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8'
Traditional Pram Dinghy - built using 'trunnels' and no adhesives
or metal fixings
16'
6" (a half-size) 'Sgoth Niseach'
16'
Cold Moulded Motorboat based on a design by C.G. Pettersson
15'
11" Herreschoff 'Haven 12 1/2'
16'
10" 'Tirrik' double ended clinker, designed by Iain Oughtred
15'
'Chestnut' canoe, Western red cedar stripped
7' 10"
'Auk' glued clinker, designed by Iain Oughtred
10'
Flyer Midget Runabout
| Paul Braker |
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| Paul is a strategic-level IT professional whose
CV is incomprehensible to anyone who doesn't understand ITese.
He has sailed since young and recently bought a boat needing
a fair amount of work, for which he paid someone else. After
being made redundant twice in the last 18 months Paul decided
the time had come for a change. Repairing and building
boats looked like a good way of life and so he has come on the
course to train to work in the marine industry. |
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| Joseph Flynn |
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Joe, the youngest
student on the course, has worked in a variety of industrial
areas including garage door fitting, plant maintenance and
construction. He took a break to travel the world and while
travelling became very interested in boats. On his return
to England Joe enlisted on the course here. He is looking
to find employment in the marine industry when he leaves the
academy in December. |
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| Lars Herfeldt |
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| After spending 32 years in the window and door industry Lars
decided, at 60, to leave his job as a product manager.
Boats and building boats has always been his passion.
He is building a 1925 vintage motorboat designed by C G Pettersson
of Sweden as part of the course, but he is also finishing a
dory skiff donated by Peter Watson, a student on a previous
long course. Lars says there are a lot of boats for him
to build during his life. Click here
for Lars's blog (in German with photographs) |
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| Mairi Macleod |
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| At 18 Mairi left Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis for the Highlands
to work as a site engineer in construction. Much travel
followed: NGO work in Africa, a degree in Disaster Management,
emergency aid work, a spell as a logistician in South Sudan
and, shifting to colder climes, she followed in her Father's
footsteps (he was a Radio Officer at Leith Harbour) and became
Base Commander with the British Antarctic Survey in South Georgia.
On the course Mairi is building a replica half-size Sgoth Niseach,
from the Ness area of Lewis which, after a long time away, is
connecting Mairi back to the islands, their culture and history.
She hopes to continue and develop her connection to island boat
building on completing the course. |
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| Jeroen Porters |
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| Jeoen has dreamt of building boats for a long time, but in
Belgium it's an unusual career to choose. He started different
courses of study, from African Languages to History and Interior
Design, but finished none of them. He began his working
life in sales and worked for the last six years as an administrative
assistant in health care before finally finding the courage
to realise his dream. After the course Jeroen will move
to Sweden and find a job in the marine industry there.
Click here
to see Jeroen's blog (in Dutch with photographs). |
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| Nathan Richie |
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Nathan is an IT consultant
and also owns a chain of clothing shops. After 10 years in
retail, he is trying to get out of women’s clothing
(Nathan insisted we put that in). He has always wanted
to get into the marine industry and has already gained his
RYA yachtmaster and TDI diver. Nathan joined the course to
gain more knowledge of the commercial marine industry and
hopes to build a boat and join three facets into one.
Nathan's son Craig was also part of the Academy from May until
July, as a student on the 'Woodworking Skills' course. |
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| Nigel Sabin |
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| Nigel's son said Nigel could be described as 'aged 57, grumpy
at times,' but having trained initially as an Architect before
switching to sculpture, with a Fine Art degree from Goldsmiths,
Nigel could also be described as interesting. After spending
the last 33 years in the packaging industry Nigel felt that
a boat building course was the next logical step. He says
'Quite where it fits in with this progression is a bit more
of a mystery!' He is building a traditional clinker dinghy
without using adhesives or metal fixings, but made a conscious
decision to set out on the course without any preconceived goals.
Nigel eagerly awaits to see where it takes him. |
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| David Snelling |
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David developed a keen interest in
boats while studying at Indefatigable nautical training school
on the banks of the Menai Straits. After working for Stena
Line at Holyhead, he made the move to London and has been
contracting in IT ever since. The recession has prompted him
to implement phase one of a long term plan, build a boat and
sail around the world. |
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| David Taper |
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While
Dave was a Design Technology teacher in Teignmouth his students
were overall winners of the 2008 Schools Marine Challenge
with their radio-controlled power boats. Winning the
prize stimulated Dave's interest in boats and he decided to
train as a boat builder, with a view to applying both his
design and practical skills to new challenges in the marine
industry after the course. |
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| John Watson |
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| By joining the March 2009 class John is fulfilling a lifetime
ambition to be involved in the boat building industry.
For the last 30 years John has lived in the United States working
in corporate law and owning 'The Christmas Store' in Fredericksburg,
Texas. On completing the course John intends to pursue
opportunities to build traditional wooden vessels used on Britain's
canals and inland waterways. |
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