Second Engineer, Stephen Fowler (Australian, Age 27)

Stephen hails from the Whitsunday Islands in Queensland, Australia . Stephen knew he wanted a career in engineering very early on in life. At the age of only 18, he entered the Moreton Institute of TAFE (a technical institute) in Brisbane where he earned his Certificate III in Electrician Engineering. During his years in school, Stephen also held a four-year apprenticeship as a marine and auto electrician with Benson and Brown Marine Electrics in Airlie Beach, Australia.This opportunity allowed him to gain valuable real-world work experience buying and selling stock and materials, interacting with customers, and performing under strict deadlines.

Stephen’s years pursuing his studies in Australia also left him time to pursue another of his passions: sailing. As an Olympic Sailing Campaigner, Stephen competed in various National Title competitions on the Australian circuit and in the International pre-Olympic series. He also competed in the 1998 Hobbie Cat World Title in Australia. Unfortunately, Australia can only select one team to represent the country in the Olympics, and Stephen fell just short of qualifying with a 2 nd place finish one year, and a 3 rd place finish another.

From 2000-2002, Stephen worked as the Head Electrician at the Hamilton Island Boatyard in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia where he gained experience servicing and repairing a fleet of charter boats. It was in 2002 when Stephen took his first full-time crew position working as an engineer aboard a heavily chartered motor yacht. When this yacht went into the shipyard for a refit that winter, Stephen found himself in charge of the project! Drawing on his previous apprenticeship experiences, Stephen managed the entire refit onsite while working with only a project manager.

From there, Stephen then went on to work aboard two luxury sailing yachts before making his way to M/Y Starfire in the summer of 2005.

An all-around athlete, Stephen enjoys spending his leisure time not only sailing, but also playing beach volleyball, hockey, and football. He also enjoys karate, horseback riding, and water skiing. In addition to his interest in sports, Stephen has managed to restore three collectible cars to their former glory over the last five years. Having already received his Y4 Engineering certification, Stephen intends to pursue his education and eventually hold a Y2 Engineering ticket. He is definitely here in the megayacht industry to stay!

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