Our Team
"Working to Teach, Preserve and Promote Traditional Maritime Skills
Dr Jasmine Armour-Marshall MRCPCH - Trustee
Paediatrician, humanitarian and child at heart, Jasmine divides her time between the East Coast and foreign climes. Her passion for traditional sailing vessels was sparked in 2013 when she fell in love with the 45ft Thames sailing barge Dinah (1881). This affectionately named ‘baby barge’ then became her home. Whilst resident in the boatyard she was initiated into techniques of wooden boat restoration and maintenance. She gained a profound respect for the methods of traditional shipwrights and barge-masters. Perhaps it was the heady intoxication of Stockholm tar, tallow and wood shavings, but she resolved to support and promote this old school of talent.
Through her volunteering and work with adolescents she has witnessed the profound effects of teaching young people practical, transferable skills and independence. She believes that the Heritage Marine Foundation will ensure the endurance of beautiful traditional vessels, whilst also empowering trainees with confidence, self-sufficiency and skills suited to their individual abilities and interests.
Jim Dines - Trustee
Born the son of a naval officer, Jim has traditional vessels in his blood, sailing aboard them with family and friends from very early on, and serving as a barge Mate at the age of 12. He left school at 15, and after a summer sailing the North Sea on a large gaff cutter as Mate, he joined the Merchant Navy as an engineer officer apprentice. Over the following 15 years at sea, he worked his way through the ranks, before being seconded to the Defence Procurement Agency as a design consultant on the build of two new fleet tankers for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. After 3 years working ashore on that project, and 18 years in the RFA, he left to set up as a marine engineer in his home town of Maldon in Essex.
Alongside his professional career at sea, Jim has continued to sail smacks and barges on leave, and recovered the 1914 East Coast Sailing Smack 'My Alice' (CK348) from a mud berth in local Peldon Creek. After a 10 year restoration project, with the smack back to her original layout and rig and with no engine, Jim skippered My Alice to prove herself a successful racing smack and powerful sailing workboat.
Immersed in maritime life, he and his wife Catherine now run a suite of related traditional marine businesses in Maldon, all from the co-operatively owned Downs Road Boatyard where Jim grew up. The yard, and Heritage Marine Ltd., are home to their traditional yacht brokerage 'M J Lewis and Son', and rigging company 'TS Rigging Ltd.', which was awarded the contract for the complete restoration and installation of the masts, spars and rigging on the clipper ship 'Cutty Sark' in 2009. In addition to his involvement in the many restoration and build projects in the yard, Jim also co-owns and operates the brigantine 'Lady of Avenel' to offer both sail training and adventure sailing in UK and European waters. All of these experiences over the years have made Jim acutely aware of the need for a recognised training scheme in traditional maritime skills, and the formation of the Heritage Marine Foundation is helping to make this a reality, as well as to preserve the vessels that are such a valuable part of our shared heritage.
Naomi Dines MA (RCA) - Trustee
Brought up on the East Coast of England, Naomi had been involved with traditional boats her whole life; sailing and racing on all kinds of vessels, from local fishing smacks to square riggers, via Thames barges and pilot cutters. She is a passionate supporter and advocate for working traditional sail, and believes in sail training as a valuable life experience for all. As an artist and university lecturer, she is also an experienced educator, and has taught at Central St. Martin's in London for the past 22 years, designing and delivering curricula to students of all ages and backgrounds. Naomi is an experienced charity trustee, and has been instrumental in establishing a number of local and national organisations over the years. As part of the foundation, she hopes to use her experience to help share the remarkable world of traditional vessels with a wider public, and to keep more of these boats and ships working and sailing.
Nick Dowden BSc (Hons) AFN I - Trustee
A master mariner with a maritime career spanning 20 years. Originally sailing deep sea and onboard a variety of merchant vessels, Nick was bitten by the sail training bug in the early 2000's and has since sailed in a professional capacity on a variety of square riggers, Thames barges and gaffers. After moving ashore to teach at one of the UK's leading nautical colleges he has turned his hand to marine surveying and consultancy and currently holds a position as Specialist Investigator for Maritime New Zealand where he continues to build on his experience gained at sea and his core professional standards on safety, training and a passion for the future of the industry.
Dr Lucy Woodall PhD - Trustee
Lucy is Marine Biologist with a passion for the aquatic world. She is an expert in diverse areas such as seahorses and marine litter, and uses her skills to research the impacts of human activities on the marine environment. The ocean is an important part of her life; she was Bosun with the Jubilee Sailing Trust and worked with the Cutty Sark rigging conservation project that was based at TS Rigging before returning to academia. She has sailed as a volunteer with many sail training organisations, holds MCA Yachtmaster and continues to race traditional vessels. Lucy is currently Principle Scientist with the Nekton Foundation, and is based at Oxford University. This summer she managed Nekton’s first deep-sea scientific expedition involving two ships and a range of scientific equipment and personnel. She also contributed to the STEM education programme that was developed for this expedition and works with the communication team to provide excellent interpretation of scientific findings.