Meet the Crew

Felicity keeps everything at the Pioneer Sailing Trust running smoothly both on shore and at sea. From coordinating day-to-day operations to ensuring projects stay on track, she’s the go-to person who makes sure the team and the Trust’s activities work seamlessly together. When she’s not keeping things shipshape at the Trust, Felicity loves spending her spare time out sailing.

Georgie looks after the Trust’s social media and manages sailing bookings, making sure our community stays connected and our voyages are well organised. She’s the friendly face behind our online presence and the first point of contact for many of our sailing adventures. Outside of work, Georgie loves heading to Cornwall—mainly to fail spectacularly at surfing!

Simon leads the Trust’s education programme, supporting our apprentices and supporting them during their time with us whilst they learn the skills they need for a career in the maritime world. He’s also responsible for finding new apprentices and working with employers to create valuable opportunities. Passionate about training the next generation, Simon makes sure our educational work stays at the heart of what we do. Outside of the Trust, Simon is also a dedicated district and parish councillor for Maldon, Essex.

Alan is a skilled boatbuilder who shares his expertise with our apprentices, helping them develop the hands-on knowledge needed to restore and maintain traditional vessels. With years of experience in the craft, he plays an important role in keeping maritime skills alive while supporting the next generation of boatbuilders. When he’s not in the workshop, Alan can usually be found fishing—often trying to outsmart the fish, and occasionally succeeding!

Noah is one of our enthusiastic apprentices, learning the ropes of traditional boatbuilding while gaining hands-on experience with the Pioneer Sailing Trust. Curious and eager to develop his skills, he’s already becoming an important part of the team. Noah has always dreamed of being a pirate—but after spending time out on the water, he’s discovering that sea sickness might make that dream a bit tricky, and prefers life in the yard!

Jamie is one of our dedicated apprentices, learning traditional boatbuilding skills and gaining hands-on experience with the Pioneer Sailing Trust. Enthusiastic and curious, Jamie is quickly becoming a valued member of the team. When he’s not at work, he’s busy working on his own boat and dreaming of exploring the world one day by sail.

Robin brings a lifetime of maritime experience to Pioneer Sailing Trust. He began his career in the Merchant Navy as a navigator before going on to serve with the Coastguard and later as Harbour Master at Brightlingsea Harbour. When he’s not teaching or supporting Pioneer Sailing Trust, Robin can usually be found sailing with his wife or enjoying skiing trips.

Simon is an invaluable member of the Pioneer Sailing Trust team. A practical, hands-on person, he is happiest when working on a project, whether that’s maintaining boats, tackling repairs, or finding creative solutions to unexpected challenges. When he’s not in the workshop or on the water, Simon can often be found playing the violin—usually to an appreciative audience consisting of his cat.

Mick brings a wealth of maritime experience to Pioneer Sailing Trust. After training as a marine engineer with French Marine, he worked as a fisherman aboard vessels operating from Brightlingsea before moving into boatbuilding. As part of a skilled restoration team, he helped restore the 100-foot sailing barge Thalatta. Mick later joined Pioneer Sailing Trust, where he led the boatbuilding projects on Priscilla and Trinity. Today, he continues to support the Trust as an ad-hoc Mate. Outside of work, Mick enjoys sailing with friends and spending time on his motorbike.

Matt is a dedicated educator and sailing instructor with a passion for working with young people. After studying at university, he gained valuable experience at outdoor activity centres, including Bradwell Outdoors, where he worked as a powerboat and dinghy instructor amongst many other activities. During this time, he also sailed across the Southern Ocean aboard a World Challenge yacht. Matt then spent 10 years working as a primary school teacher, further developing his passion for education and working with young people. When he’s not teaching or sailing, Matt enjoys spending time with his family and his much-loved dog.

Peter grew up in Brightlingsea, learning to sail on the Colne and Blackwater Estuary. As a teenager, Peter raced a variety of dinghies and learned alongside some of the top sailors of the time. Over the years, he progressed to racing small keelboats and cruising yachts before moving away and spending time without a boat. Missing life on the water, Peter joined a Thames Sailing Barge group helping to prepare barges during the winter and over the years he earnt his Sailing Barge Master’s ticket. This is Peter’s third season with Pioneer, and he particularly enjoys meeting clients and helping them experience a beautiful piece of local maritime history.

Teymour is one of two new crew members to join Pioneer Sailing Trust in 2026, bringing extensive tall ship experience and a passion for traditional sailing. He began his maritime career as a trainee with National Historic Ships UK, gaining hands-on experience with Jolly Breeze as part of his placement and learning woodworking skills at the International Boatbuilding Training College – Lowestoft. He went on to spend several years sailing aboard Bark Europa, exploring Antarctica and working alongside international crews during multiple seasons in the Southern Ocean. Having returned to Brightlingsea, Teymour now enjoys sailing his own wooden yacht.

Phil first sailed with Pioneer Sailing Trust more than ten years ago as part of one of the groups we welcomed aboard. The experience sparked a lasting passion for sailing, and he later returned as a volunteer crew member. With a professional background in carpentry, Phil brings valuable practical skills to the team and, following his relocation to Brightlingsea, now serves as one of our ad-hoc Bosuns and occasionally as Mate aboard Pioneer CK18. Outside of Pioneer, Phil enjoys sailing yachts with friends and is an active member of Greenwich Yacht Club.

Des is one of the bosuns on Pioneer CK18 and occasionally will work as Mate. Des was born and raised in South Africa, and is our big friendly teddy bear.