Multi million pound boat deals for designer Multi million pound boat deals are on the horizon for young designer Henry Ward who has sold plans for a luxury speed yacht – with a diamond encrusted spa - and floating houses to companies in France and Asia respectively.

Henry’s career was kick started after he graduated in Transport Design from the University of Huddersfield and soon after began work for Cockwell’s Boatyard, in Mylor, Cornwall, under the Unlocking Potential scheme.

Unlocking Potential receives ESF (European Social Fund) Convergence investment to help SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to employ graduates. A Combined Universities in Cornwall scheme managed by Cornwall College, it places graduates with businesses in Cornwall and offers support including valuable expert mentoring for up to one year.

Following the placement Henry became a permanent member of staff at Cockwells and also set up Henry Ward Design - http://www.henryward-design.com/ - to work on his own projects in his spare time. His design for a 46 foot, £1.5 million boat with the diamond encrusted spa has been bought by French company Spire Boat that is hoping to attract orders at this year’s Cannes and Monaco boat shows. Henry will receive a royalty cheque each time one is made. His series of licensed designs for the floating houses has been bought by BMT Asia Pacific.

Henry said, “I am very happy to be working in Cornwall and would not want to be anywhere else. All the training and mentoring I received via Unlocking Potential has been fantastic.

“When I was at university I could not have envisaged working for a company as respected as Cockwells so soon after graduation. I have learned a huge amount by working alongside Dave Cockwell and the team there and have very much appreciated their input into my development as a designer. To now have a growing number of international clients of my own is the icing on the cake.”

Mark Yeoman, Head of ESF Convergence Communication, said, “It is great to see Henry's ambition and the reach of international markets that he is tapping into. His work with Cockwells in Falmouth, and the ESF Convergence expert mentoring he received through Unlocking Potential, is acting as an ideal catalyst for his entrepreneurial spirit."

Cockwells itself specialises in restoring old and designing and building new boats ranging from classic yachts and motor launches to pilot cutters and superyacht tenders. Their traditional shipwrights' skills, combined with advanced engineering and boatbuilding techniques, enable them to build craft built to high standards and ideal for the modern world.