Jason Currie-Smith

Some of my earliest childhood memories are of dinghy sailing and surfing on the beaches of Devon and Cornwall, then back home, being glued to the telly watching the incredible adventures of Jacque Cousteau (showing my age there) which left an indelible mark on me and thus began my lifelong passion with the sea and all things nautical.

Following my passion, I trained and qualified as a scuba diver with PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) in 1986. I then spent all my free time diving and advancing my qualifications and working with dive schools and businesses both in the UK and the USA. I qualified as a PADI diving instructor in 1989. Soon after qualifying I packed my bags and set off to work in Jamaica, and then the Middle East for several years. My current teaching certification level with PADI is Master Instructor and I remain as passionate as ever, and dive as often as possible.

Whilst working in Middle East as a dive professional I skippered a range of vessels from Ribs to large charter dive boats and our 13 meter purpose built high speed catamaran, a state of the art dive vessel.

It was during my time in the Middle East that my free time turned to sailing and other water sports. I was a member of the Dubai Yacht Club and I sailed as much as possible. In 1993 when I took part in my first yacht race from Dubai to Muscat in Oman and back. This experience truly cemented my love of sailing and racing.

Since returning to the UK, I have owned several yachts, a Westerly Centaur being my first and the largest, a Bavaria 50 which I purchased from Boatshed Cyprus (of course) and skippered her back to central London. A challenging and incredibly testing passage of over 4,500 nautical miles and one of which I shall never forget!

My RYA qualification include yachts, motorboats, engine maintenance, and my inland waterway helmsman certificate. I am currently studying for my RYA Yachtmaster.

The opportunity to work within the marine industry, to share, enthuse and work with other likeminded people is truly a privilege and one I relish every day.