Q&A with Engineer Kevin Ormonde of 37m M/Y Ludy

If I weren’t on a yacht, I’d be doing a job in automotive engineering, I think. My father is a marine engineer in the commercial sector and after talking to him about marine engineering as a possible career avenue, he advised me to go into yachting.

I started out in the automotive engineering in 2009 and completed my apprenticeship in 2013. I joined the superyachts in 2016. Then I took a break from the industry and worked on commercial/tug boats. I rejoined M/Y Ludy and my captain a few months ago.

The hardest part of the job is being away from family.

I remember a bad day when I was working as an engineer on board a workboat heading up the east coast of Scotland, towing a barge. We lost one of our main engines due to a fuel pump failure. It was diagnosed and repaired promptly.

I don’t really have any views about issues facing yacht engineers today. I’m quite easygoing.

To young guys looking to make a go of a career in engineering on superyachts, I’d say be ready to work hard and always stay curious. If you’ve landed a job and want to keep it, my advice would be work hard — don’t be afraid to ask if you are unsure or curious about something or the way things work.

Engineering aside, I’ve learned that I really enjoy helping out on deck and picking up new skills I wouldn’t normally get a chance to learn if I was only willing to work in an engineering role.

My greatest achievement so far? Getting to the Pembrokeshire Cup final with my local rugby team!

The thing I love best about my job is that you get to meet interesting people from different parts of the world.

This article originally ran in the January 2022 issue of Dockwalk.