Richard trained at the International Boatbuilding Centre, Lowestoft, and then worked for Whisstock’s Boatyard, Woodbridge, when both were at the centre of wooden boatbuilding in Britain.

After Whisstock’s closure in 1991, the site stood for many years before being developed into the retail, housing and community space that it is today. This space includes the Woodbridge Town Council-owned Longshed in which our talks are happening.

Richard’s career since Whisstock’s has seen him become the first Professor of Small Craft Design at Newcastle University, Head of the Marine School there (the largest in Europe), Founding Editor of the International Journal of Small Craft Technology and the President of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects (2018 - 2020). His ‘Boat Building Techniques’ (first published 1984) is considered a staple of many wooden boatbuilder’s bookshelf.