Mayflower Marina’s harbour master, Tony Saunders, is retiring at the end of September after nearly 37 years of continuous employment, which will make him the longest serving employee in the company’s history.
Tony’s career started when he joined P&O as a deck cadet. He left their service for family reasons, but not before he had risen to the rank of chief officer. He joined Mayflower Marina in 1986 as assistant harbour master, where his sea going skills and practical approach to life, proved a great fit for the marina.
Tony was appointed Harbour Master in 2001 after the retirement of his long-serving predecessor.
Over the tenure of his employment Tony has seen almost constant change as both Mayflower Marina and the wider marine industry have evolved to meet service expectations, best practice working processes and legislative changes.
Charles Bush, managing director of Mayflower Marina said:
“One of the great strengths of Mayflower Marina is the long service of its employees and the vast pool of experiences and skills they have amassed over the years. Tony has been at the vanguard of this, and it is a gross understatement to say we will miss him!
“When he told me of his plan to retire, one of his overarching concerns was that he would leave the marina in a better place than he found it – it’s safe to say, ‘mission accomplished’! It has been a pleasure working with Tony and I’d like to thank him for all that he has done both for me personally and for the marina over his years of service.”
Tony Saunders said:
“I’ve had a very enjoyable 37 seasons at Mayflower Marina, and I’ve worked with some great staff and met some very interesting characters from the sailing world. It has been a great privilege to be part of the Mayflower family. I would like to thank Mike Knowles for being such a tolerant deputy throughout the last 30 years putting up with my odd requests and occasional moods! We have built a good team and I wish them Charles and Mayflower Marina continued success for the years ahead.”
David Crouch chairman of Sailport PLC said:
“We are indebted to Tony for the service he has provided to us as a company and the great many boat owners who have berthed at Mayflower Marina over the years.“
Mike Knowles, the long-serving deputy harbour master will take over from Tony as harbour master at the beginning of October.
Charles Bush said
“This is a much-deserved promotion for Mike, and I wish him every success in his new role.”
