A New Yacht Manager joins West Nautical

Tom Leyland has this week started with West Nautical in the role of Yacht Manager, being based in their Newcastle office.

Tom started his maritime career on board cargo vessels where he sailed as an apprentice deck officer over twenty years ago. Since joining the maritime industry, Tom has gained onboard experience on a variety of vessel types from container, passenger, offshore support and subsea ships. Tom holds an MCA Master 3000GT and OOW Unlimited license, and will be trained whilst with West Nautical to be certified to act as the Designated Person Ashore, Company Security Officer and ISM Internal Auditor.

Tom moved into yachting in 2006 as First Mate on a 35m Benetti classic, where he was quickly promoted as Captain and served happily for over 6 years. In the years since, Tom has had command experience on a variety of yachts ranging from 27m to 73m, where he also oversaw a variety of refits and warranty claims.

With the birth of his second child, Tom decided to take the step of moving shore side into a management position which utilises his up-to-date industry knowledge, proven longevity and calm professional attitude.

Managing Director Geoff Moore said “Tom is a very welcome edition to our team. At West Nautical we pride ourselves in knowing the in-depth nature of onboard yacht operations, and therefore by employing former Captains who have this first hand experience, we can ensure we continue to build strong relations with our yachts and crews. He is at the perfect stage of his career to move ashore, and with experience of both commercial ships and yachts, Tom will enjoy a varied role with us, allowing him to expand his understanding of the industry from the other side of the computer screen!"