January Newsletter

Dear Boatyard Community,

It is good to look back at an amazing year and look to the future in 2022. The boatyard has the most boats in it we have ever seen and this year we probably turned away over 15 boats as we could not fit them in. We have seen more and more exciting projects taking place with Ben Harris and Constance and Peter Martin completing his Cornish pilot gig project. Andrew Massey has brought back to life the Laurent Giles, a major project that restored what I thought was unrestorable. Duncan Skingley and Susie Ferris continue to wow with their work and renovation projects. The smaller projects are too many to list and I have been delighted with the results of copper coating, repairs and overall maintenance. We are increasingly prioritising customers' work lists and professionalising how these get completed and checked.

People

At the start of this year David Furness left us to join the Coastguard. We are sad to see Dave go as he has brought so much to the yard, with his can-do attitude and infectious sense of humour. Come rain or shine Dave would always welcome a boat coming up as a long lost friend. We will really miss him. However, Dave has moved on for the right reasons and was keen to develop his career and we always support that.

Luke Jones also has moved on. Luke had been with us for 4 years and was keen to develop his remote access business. We will really miss Luke’s professionalism and calm demeanour. Both Dave and Luke have agreed to help out on an as needed basis and luckily their current jobs allow for that flexibility.

Sean Lynott joined in August and has had a baptism of fire at the yard. We now have a new crane and Sean has shown remarkable capability getting the boats in quickly and effectively. Sean has really settled in well to his role as yard manager. It is challenging working for Malcolm and I and taking over from someone like Luke. However, Sean has brought his own style and competence to the role and I am delighted with progress on the yard overall.

Justin Sinclair has now finished his apprenticeship at the yard and is a fully-fledged yard hand. His enthusiasm, capability and general helpfulness has been clear for all to see.

Alex Tuttiett has joined as a new apprentice and is bringing a fabulous level of competence and capability. He has been tasked as part of his apprenticeship to develop the chandlery therefore please let us know any suggestions and what you would like the chandlery to stock.

The office is working well with Kelly, Louise and Gemma. Louise is the lynchpin in day-to-day tasks and has taken on more and more responsibility. If Louise does not know about it don’t assume it will happen!

General News

Throughout the year GCBY has hosted a film production company who are filming a documentary of Cornwall, to be aired early this year. The episode will look at craning in and out, the shipwrights’ projects on the yard and our participation in Falmouth Classics. This is good publicity for the yard, and I hope creating more interest in the classic boat movement. We'll announce the air date as soon as we have it.

Malcolm has been working very hard on getting the holiday lets built. He has been down at the yard since September and can regularly be seen working on these exciting buildings. We hope to have some open this summer and will offer beneficial rates to the GCBY community.

GCBY is approached by over 30 organisations and charities every year for funding or advertising. We try to be even-handed and look at ones where they will gain the best benefit; it is difficult but is something we take very seriously. Over the years we have supported the local sailing clubs, Helford Marine Conservation Trust, Clean Ocean Sailing, Falmouth Classics, Falmouth Week, Helford River Children’s Sailing Trust, RNLI and Gweek Christmas lights to name a few, and we will continue to support wherever we can.

Increasingly we are taking on yachts where the customers want a turnkey solution and the boats ready for them on the moorings when they are to be used. We have been involved with finding the yacht, purchasing it, and project managing significant upgrades. I see this as an opportunity for the future.

Looking forward

Malcolm and I would like to thank our valuable customers for staying with us over the past four and a half years, your support and friendship has been remarkable. We would also like to welcome new customers who have joined during the recent years, we realise you have a choice. We are working hard to improve the infrastructure on the yard – especially the electricity, which is still a work in progress so please bear with us and be assured this is our top priority. Other improvements will be the sheds, toilets, showers and a superb launderette, and there have also been upgrades to our machinery and the big blue tent.

As we progress the yard, we are increasingly asking owners to tidy up their boats and remove the items around them; we realise we may not achieve the look of a slick marina and neither do we want to. However, it is something we have to keep on top of.

Warmest wishes for the New Year,

Mark Aichroth & The Boatyard Team