BUSINESS & PLEASURE

Stephen Hubbard is living proof that you can mix business with pleasure after buying a custom-built Cockwells then investing in the yard and restoring a Dunkirk Little Ship

- Hugo Andreae

IMPULSIVE Stephen’s relationship with Cockwells began when the company built this custom Cockwells launch for him

FLEURY II After buying into the company Cockwells then restored this Dunkirk Little Ship for him

Stephen Hubbard never intended to buy a boat when he visited the Southampton Boat Show in 2013, let alone a boatyard. But he made one fatal mistake – speaking to Dave Cockwell. The eponymous owner of Cockwells boatyard in Mylor, Cornwall, is a hugely engaging character and his enthusiasm for boats is positively infectious, as Stephen soon found out to his cost. “He showed me one of his beautiful custom-built 32ft wooden launches,” recalls Stephen. “I was utterly mesmerised and fell in love with the idea of having one built for me. Within half an hour of talking to Dave, he’d convinced me to build a 33ft version.”Thankfully, it turned out to be one of Stephen’s better mistakes and the resulting boat, named Impulsive for reasons that need no explaining, proved to be the start of an enduring friendship with the yard owner.

“The build process itself was a wonderful experience and I became firm friends with Dave so when the chance came to buy into the boatyard, I couldn’t resist it.”