LARGS Yacht Haven marina director Carolyn Elder is stepping down from day-to-day management of the 700-plus-berth facility after 35 years of service.
Ms Elder joined Largs Yacht Haven in 1987, helping owner Yacht Havens Group develop the site from initial proposals into a thriving boating community which now hails itself as “Scotland’s largest marina” and provides more than 100 full-time jobs.
Dave Hewitt will become marina manager at Largs Yacht Haven. He has been assistant manager, having joined the company in 1999.
Mr Hewitt is a longstanding member of the Largs RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) team and is station mechanic for its B-Class lifeboat.
During her time at the helm, Ms Elder has taken on several additional roles locally to drive marine tourism and trade in Ayrshire. These included being president of Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce and working with yacht clubs and classes to develop Largs Yacht Haven as a host to national and international sailing events.
Ms Elder, who is also part of the local committee which manages the Largs Regatta Festival and Fife Regatta, said: “It’s been an honour to have managed Largs Yacht Haven for so many years. I’m so grateful that the Kalis family [owners of Yacht Havens Group] entrusted me with developing Largs Yacht Haven and I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to achieve together.”
“During this time, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful characters, colleagues and companies from around the world. I will treasure the memories of welcoming members of the royal family to Largs Yacht Haven, hosting the wonderful Fife regattas, and winning UK Marina of The Year in 2017.”
She added: “I would say that establishing the new clubhouse and events centre for Largs Sailing Club in 1999 would be one of my proudest accomplishments. The facility, supported by a Sport Scotland grant, allowed us to bring national and international events to Largs, bringing with it benefits for the wider economy, as well as providing an RYA (Royal Yachting Association) centre of excellence for the Scottish sailing community.”
Yacht Havens Group managing director Dylan Kalis said: “Carolyn has spearheaded the development of Largs Yacht Haven for over 30 years, making it…a thriving nautical centre. We’re so grateful for Carolyn’s outstanding dedication to the company and we were delighted when she accepted the invitation to join the group’s board of directors in 2013. What’s more, her contribution to the wider Ayrshire economy cannot be overlooked. Carolyn has brought events, businesses, tourism and, most importantly, jobs to this part of Ayrshire.”
Ms Elder will remain as a Yacht Havens Group director. And she will take on a new role providing operational support to the group’s nine marinas around the UK and in the Netherlands, and spending more time on her 8.5-metre sailing yacht, Wavelength.
John Stewart, who joined Largs Yacht Haven in 2002 working as a hoist driver, will become assistant marina manager.
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