You are here: home » Meet The Crew
Meet The Crew
Harbour Guides started life as one of those ‘really good ideas’ that like-minded people come up with when they get together to socialise. Fortunately for Harbour Guides those like-minded people were all sailing enthusiasts and experienced business people. Together they came up with a way for others like them to find useful information about Marinas, Harbours and Ports throughout the UK and Europe.
BHG (Before Harbour Guides) planning a cruise of any kind meant countless phone calls, wading through charts, studying pilot books, tide tables and weather forecasts etc. What’s more at the end of all the time consuming, expensive hard work you were rarely left with a complete and reliable picture. What was needed was a ‘one-stop-sailors-shop’ and the obvious place to build it was on the web. Harbour Guides was born!
AHG (After Harbour Guides) planning that trip to an idyllic coastal haven is no longer a costly chore. Harbour Guides is an easy-to-navigate site, providing all the necessary information within one resource. It has developed into the most comprehensive site of its type, offering additional information about destinations, news items and much more.
The secret of Harbour Guides success lies in a carefully planned marketing strategy. What is the point in having the best site of its kind if nobody knows about it? One of the earliest decisions was to plough all profits back into site development and marketing. Our aim is to make every mariner in Europe aware of the Harbour Guides name. Our marketing is aimed squarely at our potential targets via Marinas, Ports, Yacht Clubs, Boat Shows, Nautical Colleges, Yachting media etc.
And it’s working a treat. Harbour Guides have now charted in the top three sailing related web sites for over a year and it doesn’t look like slowing down. Our expansion into Spain in 2009 is merely a stepping-stone into mainland Europe.
In the meantime the Harbour Guides Crew would like to offer sincere thanks and appreciation to all those who have supported us in the creation of this wonderful resource.
Crew Members
Paul Smith ~ Our Man in the Field.
With his long history of marketing and sales. Paul heads up the Harbour Guides sales team, traveling the globe welcoming aboard our highly valued sponsors and supporters.
Steve Mallinson ~ Captain at Arms.
One of Harbour Guides founder members, Steve is at the wheel 24/7 keeping the site on an even keel and plotting the best possible course. A fitness freak and avid socialite; when Steve’s not down the gym on the tread mill, he averages a phone call every twenty-five seconds.
Richard King ~ Editor in Chief.
Professional writer and researcher, Richard likes to keep his finger on the nautical and worldwide pulse to bring you the latest gossip, trivia and news from around the world. He also likes swimming, cooking, playing harmonica and going to the pub.
Andy Dickinson ~ Creative Director.
With a background in graphics, audiovisuals and IT, Andy is another founder member of the crew. He works with the rest of the creative team to ensure that the Harbour Guides brand always reaches its full potential.
Liz Johnson ~ Company Director.
Here from day one, Liz brought with her a background in marketing, sales and bookkeeping. She is also the life and soul of the party keeping everyone motivated and happy. I’d say she was the company mother hen but she’d black my eye for sure!
Rob Bethell ~ IT/Web Development.
The youngest member of the crew and one of the hardest working. Rob came to us from university sold his self through enthusiasm. He then proved he was mustard when he took over the web design and development and increased the hit rate tenfold virtually overnight.
Shaun Beverley ~ Marina Research.
Another member of the original think tank and a sailing fanatic to boot; businessman, Sean is the oracle. Lending Harbour Guides his superior knowledge of all things nautical and basically making it all possible in the first place. Mind you who wouldn’t like to be in his position?
Andrea Lenehan ~ European Marina Research
Andrea became known to Harbour Guides through her relentless and always correct competition entries. Eventually she began contacting the site with information about marinas in Spain. Was she some kind of online nautical stalker? The crew began to feel like they might know her or else maybe she knew something about them. We had to ask the questions… ‘who are you?’ and ‘what do you want?’
It turned out that Andrea was a like-minded soul, who shared our vision of creating a portal for yachtsmen, the world over, to find essential information and news. She spends much of her time in and around Barcelona and has built up a wealth of knowledge, which she has freely shared with us and has since become invaluable in our quest to conquer Europe via Spain. Basically Andrea is an unofficial, but very much appreciated, crew member.
We recently called a meeting and have decided to allow her to continue entering the competitions.
Return to Top
Print Page
Bookmark Site