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Our Team

Our professional team, led by expert sailors, provides the back-up and support that results in added confidence and peace of mind for our owners.

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John Charnley

Founder & Chairman
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A former British Airways pilot, John started Sunsail – now one of the world’s biggest and most successful yacht charter companies. As a veteran of the single-handed transatlantic and other long distance races, John’s sailing experiences have taught him the importance of overall design combined with essential attention to detail. As Chairman of Discovery Yachts, John remains very much involved in all key management decisions and in leading the strategic development of the business. With Caroline his wife, he has put Discovery’s newest yacht designs through their paces on extended worldwide trials to ensure they really do live up to their promise as the ultimate bluewater cruising yachts.

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Nigel Stuart

Managing Director
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Nigel joined Discovery Yachts in 2007 and has been Managing Director since 2008. Prior to joining Discovery Yachts, Nigel supported a worldwide fleet of 600 charter boats giving him a highly experienced background in the complexities of managing yacht’s systems and ensuring customer satisfaction is at the core of the business. With 8 years spent working with yachts in the Mediterranean and Caribbean plus a background in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nigel is ideally placed to support the fleet of Discovery Yachts around the world and lead the team of skilled craftsmen, systems engineers and customer service
specialists at the yard. Nigel is passionate about delivering the highest standards of quality, craftsmanship and service at Discovery Yachts.

 

 

Mark Waterhouse, Sales Director

Mark Waterhouse

Sales Director
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Mark has been a key member of the Discovery Yachts team since 2005 and has been instrumental in the rapid growth of the Discovery brand as leaders of bluewater luxury cruising yachts. With a background in technical sales and a passion for the sea and sailing, Mark is ideally placed to lead the Sales Team and develop the customer base for Discovery Yachts. Mark has a wealth of blue water cruising experience and is well-respected by the growing number of Discovery owners for his breadth of knowledge and practical advice. Mark is a competitive and successful dinghy sailor in his spare time.

 

Ben Collett

Ben Collett

Production Director
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Ben has been with Discovery Yachts since 2003 during which time he has overseen the exceptional growth in the technical expertise of the company including the development of the highly skilled Joinery Department and the introduction of CNC machining and 3D modeling. Ben is a keen sailor and started his career teaching sailing, followed by five years working on boats in the Mediterranean and Caribbean; he continues to sail professionally and has extensive experience of racing and maintaining
yachts to the highest standard. Ben’s blue water sailing adventures together with 20 years production experience make him ideally placed to lead the production team at Discovery Yachts. Ben is particularly proud of the immensely skilled team of craftsmen that work at Discovery Yachts who are committed to building exceptional yachts of the highest quality.

 

Claire Langholz, Owner Care Manager

Claire Langholz

Owner Care Manager
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With a background in yacht design Claire has been an important member of the Discovery Team since 2006. Claire is responsible for looking after Discovery’s growing family of owners around the world from the moment they decide to purchase a Discovery Yacht. Claire and her team guide new owners through the detailed specification process including customization options and ensure that the yacht build is a smooth and enjoyable experience. Following hand-over Claire and her team continue to provide worldwide support for all Discovery owners during warranty and beyond. Claire is a keen dinghy racer and has enjoyed much success in the national Merlin Rocket fleet.

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Richard Smith

Designer / Naval Architect
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Richard joined Discovery Yachts in 2008 to head the Project Development Team which was embarking on the development of the Discovery 67 followed by the 50 Cat. He has a portfolio of 28 craft to his name varying from ocean cruisers, naval patrol boats to large power boats. As an experienced yachtsman he brings together the requirements of design along with the practical aspects of living and sailing on a yacht.

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Steve Loosemore

Joinery Manager
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Steve joined Discovery Yachts in February 2005 and quickly became Workshop Foreman and then ultimately Joinery Manager.
Steve runs a highly skilled team of craftsmen and was responsible for producing the original workshop drawings for the Discovery 55.  Steve served his apprenticeship as a ships joiner with Vosper Thorneycroft from 1982 to 1986 and from there spent 10 years working in refit and new build of cruise ships – this involved setting out and running of refits on many projects around the world.   Then followed 9 years working on super yacht interiors working in the drawing office and liaising with designers and clients on high end projects in both the marine and land based sectors. Steve now runs the joinery team at Discovery Yachts and has assembled a highly skilled joinery team which incorporates traditional craftsmanship alongside the CNC production process.