www.seawardboat.com

Seaward Marine made the Wight move. Imagine moving your business to a place where the Government gives grants of up to £75,000 and property prices start at £80,000. That is what Barry Kimber Managing Director of Seaward Marine did in January 2002, when he moved his company to the Isle of Wight.

Seaward Marine is the UK’s leading builder of traditional offshore motorboats. Established in Guernsey over 20 years ago, the company has built up a reputation for top quality and already had strong links to the Isle of Wight. Arthur Mursell of TT Boat Designs is the company’s naval architect and Peter Bassett runs the Seaward Owners Club from his base near Cowes.

The Island’s Inward Investment team played a key role in the relocation. A dedicated case officer worked with Seaward Marine over a number of months to help find premises, access grant funds, connect with skilled employees, generally guiding the company through the intricacies of moving to the UK and setting up successfully on the Island.

Seaward decided to move to the Island to kick-start further business growth, the cost of running the business is now reduced and finding staff no longer an issue. One year on and with time to reflect Barry says – ‘The Island is an ideal place to relocate for any marine company. It was a major upheaval to start with and took the best part of three months for us to get settled, but the business is running like clockwork now.’

On the subject of grant support Barry said – ‘Seaward qualified for a generous grant from the UK Government simply for setting up in Cowes. The first payment was £50,000, just for coming to the Isle of Wight and creating jobs.’ A small number of areas in the UK including the Isle of Wight qualify for Enterprise Grant aid.

If proof were needed, since the move to Cowes, Seaward has gained new business that would have to have been turned down in Gurnsey.

Back in January, Mike King, Inward Investment Director commented, ‘We are pleased to welcome Seaward Marine to the Isle of Wight, they are just the type of forwarded thinking quality company that will compliment the Island’s changing economy. We hope that Seaward Marine’s decision to come to the Island will encourage others to follow suit.’ He continued, ‘ The Island is a good location for marine based industry, with its traditional associations with the boat design, building and the prestige of Cowes. More importantly the Island has a pool of people skilled in this type of work, including laminators, boat builders and wood workers.’