Meet the team

Nick has been sailing the Norfolk Broads all his life and there isn’t an inch of water he doesn’t know.

A prominent competitor in the many races held locally, sailing really is his passion. His daughter Zoe can also be found here during the summer months teaching many families the joys of sailing with her expert tuition.

Every business needs a Bob. He is completely unflappable no matter how busy things get and always ready to get stuck into the next challenge. This could be anything from working in the shed finishing projects, to getting our hire fleet ready to set sail. Whatever it is Bob will work calmly and methodically to get the job done!

Fresh out of the International Boatbuilding Training College at Lowestoft, Bea has joined us to help with our busy yard load. Not only is she our first female boatbuilder but she brings with her our first boatyard dog, a Border Collie called Brody.

Sue is a regular at the yard during the busy summer months. She will usually be found prepping our yachts, making sure you have everything needed on board for an easy and relaxing holiday. Sue is our home cook extraordinaire! Her speciality is a tasty pie or sumptuous quiche but whatever she serves up it always goes down well in the staff mess room!

Introducing Terry. A long time member of the crew, his hard work means that all of our yachts are sanded, varnished, painted and finished to the highest of standards. He has lovingly restored many of the yachts in the fleet over the years. A secret petrol head on the side, outside of work Terry enjoys any opportunity to dabble in a spot of car maintenance and restoration.

Frosty by name, but not by nature, David is a gentle and caring member of our team and a total legend. He helps keep team morale up with his cheerfulness, singing and playing of sea shanties on his accordion! He helps with rigging, varnishing, launching, re-fuelling and customer briefings. He can be found skippering the Wherry Albion, guarding on the Bure Valley Railway in his spare time!

Hannah is an important member of our cleaning team here at the yard. Meticulous in her standards she always adds those ‘little touches’ to our yachts leaving them pristine and sparkly clean ready for your holiday to begin. With her mum and sister also working at the yard it is a real family affair. Hannah lives locally with her young family and knows all of the best dog walks in the area if you have a furry friend on board.

Tom is the latest recruit to join our hard working boatbuilding team here at Eastwood Whelpton. In another life he was a teacher and worked internationally for many years. However, having recently re-qualified at the Lowestoft Boatbuilding College, we are delighted that he has chosen to settle into a new ‘Norfolk’ way of life with us.

Angie joined the EW team for summer 2021 – our busiest year ever! She really did hit the ground running and it is fantastic to have her back again this season! Angie grew up living and working on a boatyard in Norfolk, so she shares our passion for introducing folk to sailing on the Broads.

One of our longest serving team members, Jacob is a real Norfolk gem. A talented boatbuilder, Jacob has a superb eye for detail and has worked alongside Local Master Mast Builder Peter Charlton to make new masts for the fleet. Jacob also helps with running the yard in the busy sailing season, managing the Changeover Team, on-going maintenance, and customer care.

Gerry is a Norfolk lad and has a fantastic backstory as a submariner travelling all over the world in his youth and as a local postman more recently! His Navy background, cheerfulness and hard work ethic is a great asset to us at the yard where he helps with a variety of boatyard tasks. Gerry is the fastest splicer in the yard and has many stories to tell.

Sarah first came to the yard for work experience while she was at school and has become a regular seasonal team member, when she is not studying for her degree at University. Sarah is hardworking and enthusiastic, helping out with a variety of boatyard tasks from varnishing spars to deep cleaning a yacht. She takes real care to ensure yachts are fully equipped and beautifully clean for customers.

Ed also came to the yard for work experience and helps out when he is not at University, trying to keep the ‘Saturday boys’ in order! Helping with anything from rigging to scrubbing decks and deep cleaning yachts. Ed is also an assistant instructor and loves getting out on a Dinghy or borrowing one of our half deckers for a sail.

Tony has been with us for 2 years after completing his training at the International Boatbuilding College in Lowestoft. Having worked with wood and furniture all his life, he has been a great addition to the team. Tony enjoys the variety of work that comes with a Hire Fleet and can turn his hand to many other tasks, as needed. Another awesome member of our crew.

Before Guy joined us here at Eastwood Whelpton he was a professional sailor, crewing for yachts all over the world. Yet get him on the subject of why he loves the Norfolk Broads and you won’t be able to stop him! Guy takes a lead with sailing issues including rigging our fleet during the season. He is also dedicated to instructing those that want to enjoy time on the water.

Kim is another valued member of our cleaning team during the busy summer months here at Eastwood Whelpton. Always working hard to make sure that our yachts meet her very high standards. Kim lives locally in the village of Upton and outside of work enjoys spending time with her family. In particular it is her two gorgeous young grandsons that keep her on her toes!

Tracey spent over 40 years working as an NHS nurse, mostly on acute wards. As you can imagine she is meticulous when it comes to hygiene and cleanliness and our boats never leave the yard without her seal of approval. We are thrilled that Tracey is back again this season and has chosen to spend her ‘retirement’ at Eastwood Whelpton.