News - 13/07/18

Jon Lucas started working at Shepards Wharf in 1996, where his father had been Yard Manager for many years. Cowes Harbour Commission (CHC) took over Shepards Wharf in 2001 and Jon then moved up to what was Kingston Marine Services to help set up the new boatyard for CHC in 2004.

Now Boatyard Team Leader for Cowes Harbour Services, Jon said: “I enjoy meeting customers and looking after their boats. When a customer is pleased with the work we have done for them, whether that is launching their boat or giving it a spruce up, it makes my day. Some of our regulars have been coming so long they are more like old friends than customers!”

The Lucas family has a long history with the Island with Jon’s great-great grandfather having moved here from Alford, Surrey to find work in the 1860s. Happy holidays for Jon and his wife Julie often involve their motor home “Lola” in places like Snowdonia, Cheddar and The New Forest, or simply watching the world go by at Cowes seafront or Compton Bay.

—

Helen Gilpin is our cheerful and very efficient Administrator at the Cowes Harbour Services Boatyard at Kingston Wharf in East Cowes. She joined us three years ago from IYWAC (Island Youth Water Activities Centre), where she had worked for 18 years. Helen’s two sons also both work on the river, one at Spencer Rigging and the other at the RNLI Inshore Lifeboat Centre. Outside of work, she really enjoys getting out and about with her five grandchildren, who are all under six years old!

Helen said: “I love living in Cowes, and I’ve been on the Island for 28 years now. At work, the view from my office over the River Medina is amazing, and the team here are really great, there’s such a friendly atmosphere.”