Eleanor came to the BBA after a year travelling solo around Australia and New Zealand. Previous to this she had completed a degree and a master’s in Marine Conservation:
“After travelling I looked for a job in marine conservation but found the job market being how it is, I really struggled.
“I have always dreamed of a practical career and one day I was here in Lyme, passed the BBA and thought: That’s it!
“I looked around and spoke to Director Will Reed and knew immediately that boat building was what I wanted to do.
“I’m still in the marine sector, but instead of educating people about the sea, I am making boats to sail in it.
“I’ve been impressed by how much and how quickly I have come on in terms of woodwork. From my very set of dovetails to the ones I am doing now there has been such a marked change, and that’s because of the expert advice of the tutors.
“If I could send a message to other women thinking of joining the course I would say: “Do it! It is still a pretty male dominated industry. But there are many women too – and that number is growing. Don’t be afraid to go out of your comfort zone and have a crack at it because it’s amazing.
“My dream end goal at the moment is to build boats, but I feel I’m on a journey with this course and I’m open to all routes I come across along the way. It’s so diverse meaning you learn so much about so many areas of the trade. I do a lot of sewing for example, so if I take well to sailmaking I wouldn’t be averse to taking that route.
“I’d also like to have my own boat one day – hopefully one I have built myself – and be able to take people out to sea and teach them about marine life and conservation. That would be perfect.”
