Building something this big… needs brains and coffee as well as funding!
L to R Beth Powell (Elephant Boatyard), Alec Ryman (sculpture casting), Steve Winter (structural engineer), Tom Richardson (boatbuilder), Matt Richardson (boatbuilder), Amy Goodman (sculptor and project leader), Richard Farrington (Trustee and marine consultant)
Our sculptor and chief designer is the renowned Amy Goodman S.E.A. It’s her vision and creative genius that shapes this unique monument. Working with her is a growing team of experts in their field: boatbuilders, casting sculptors, metalworkers, structural engineers, boat designers and marine consultants. We like to think of them as the modern equivalent of one of those Gunboat crews… only without the danger!
The Elephant Boatyard, Bursledon is where the first major element of construction is taking place. here our boatbuilding team are producing a scaled down version of a British Powerboat Builders 71 foot Motor Gunboat – the same vessel that ‘Hitch’ commanded for much of the war until he was killed in 1943. The Elephant yard has a distinguished history of boatbuilding that goes back to Horatio Nelson. You might remember the BBC TV series ‘Howards Way’… this is it!Alec Ryman is Amy’s sculpture casting specialist. He has been bringing sculpture to life since the 1970s, working with the likes of Dame Elizabeth Frink, Oscar Nemon and now Amy. His work stands at the British Museum, the Royal Academy and Windsor Castle, amongst others.Tom Richardson is the second generation of the family to run the Elephant yard. He served his apprenticeship at Moody’s Yard in Swanwick and has an illustrious track record as a racing yachtsman and builder of some of the fastest, most beautiful yachts in the world. He’s been at Bursledon for quite a while!Steve Winter is our structural engineer. In a varied career, he has built lighthouses, bridges, bits of the Thames Barrier, umpteen motorways and still found time to race his own yacht in a clutch of Fastnet races. Mike Ring is a celebrated powerboat racing driver, designer and boat builder. Ring Powercraft are one of the best known producers of high performance racing boats in the world and Mike has held several National speed records and European championships over a long and distinguished career. Beth Powell runs the Elephant Yard. Together with her brother Matt, they are the third generation of the Richardson family here. Beth worked with digital consultancies in London before becoming Jamie Oliver’s Personal Manager at the height of his career. She’s now back where she belongs, running the yard and shaping its future.
Sailing and boat building are a way of life for Matt Richardson, who, along with his sister Beth, is now the third generation to work in the family business. Thanks to an exciting career constructing race boats, he brings a vast knowledge of build techniques to the business. When not building boats, Matt is a keen sailor and has competed in numerous offshore races.Bob Young is our steel fabricator. He learnt his trade as an aircraft sheet metal worker and welder with Hawker Siddeley Aviation on the Hamble. He started his own company in 1986, fabricating pressure vessels, pipework and stainless-steel structures. He has worked with many large companies but for the last 20 years has specialised in stainless and aluminium marine work.Richard Farrington has been at sea all his life. He spent 37 happy years in the Royal Navy, including two years driving a (reasonably) fast patrol boat in Northern Ireland. He has raced yachts around the cans and across oceans. These days he runs his own business as a marine consultant, yacht surveyor and blue water sailor. He is a Rear Commodore of the Royal Naval Sailing Association and a Trustee of the Coastal Forces Heritage Trust.The team examine the original MGB 71 drawings, sourced from the British Military Powerboat Collection in the Portsmouth Historic Quarter. Michael Richardson, who took over the Elephant yard in the 1950s, was an apprentice at the British Powerboat Company in Hythe in the 1930s and 40s. He may even have built this boat!Coffee-fuelled creativity – design drawings and the 3D model drive the team to find some innovative solutions to a complex project
