Oliver Cotterell

Charter work

“I have worked on various charter vessels over my career, starting aboard “Halcyon”, a 24m Classic built in 1929. I got to do an amazing season around the UK, a highlight of which was experiencing the West Coast of Scotland in incredible weather. I also worked aboard a 28m Andre Hook designed sloop. We had a busy Med season and watching Stromboli light up the night sky as it erupted will stay with me forever. Latterly I have run a Swan 80 called UMIKO. She has been incredibly busy and we have sailed in the UK, the Med and the Caribbean. Highlights would still be West Coast cruising and an ARC where we carried the kite the whole way across the pond!

Commercial Deliveries

“My first commercial delivery was a Lagoon 40 from Florida to Tahiti, this was the first of many transits of the Panama Canal. Since then I have done a number of long mediterranean and transatlantic deliveries for private owners…..

Tuition, Team management, Racing, and Expeditions

“Whilst working as a full time instructor for UKSA, I ran mile building courses on their large yachts and skills and drills on their small ones. I was a skipper and instructor for a company “Broadreach”, which aimed to widen young peoples horizons through adventure. They used sailing and diving to develop their soft and hard skills. It was incredibly rewarding.

“My life long dream to sail around the world was realised when I was selected as a Skipper for the 13-14  edition of the “Clipper Round The World Race”. I led the largest team “OneDLL”, to a podium position, but more importantly the crew, the sponsor and my employer were all very happy customers… Not an easy feat.

“In search of some high latitude experience I spent a season on a vessel called “Icebird” down in Antarctica. Operating in such a remote and hostile environment is a challenge and preparation is key. An unforgettable experience, which I followed with trips to Iceland and the Artic Circle as captain of “Hummingbird” for “Rubicon 3”.

“In 2015 I was offered a position as the Principle of “Team Maverick”, this project involved the build of an unique DSS enabled prototype racing yacht in Turkey. The boat was very experimental, and it took some time to get the best out of her. We got some great results with a 1st in class and 2nd overall in the Rolex Middle Sea Race and a 1st in Class and 2nd overall in the RORC Transatlantic Race. It was my job to run the project in its entirety, everything from logistics to crew selection, training, safety management, repairs, maintenance, optimisation, sail development etc.

Shore based yacht management and maintenance

“Latterly whilst trying to spend more time at home with family I became Operations Manager at “Oban Marina” on Kerrera. My role encompassed managing all aspects of the marina’s services and brought me back to the incredible West coast….

…and NOW

“Fast forward to 2020, I have founded OCMarine with the hope of utilising all my experience to offer my clients a high quality, professional and bespoke service. If you have a marine related issue I am confident I can find a solution for you. “