Cowes Harbour Commission has announced the appointment of a new Harbour Master, Captain Jon Kidd.
Reporting to CEO Gary Hall, Jon Kidd will join the Cowes Harbour Commission (CHC) team in January 2024 and take on the statutory duties of Cowes Harbour.
The appointment comes less than 12 months after Captain Shane Wood became Harbour Master for Cowes in February 2022.
As Harbour Master, Captain Kidd’s key focus will be managing a safe harbour, but he will also work alongside the CHC board and Senior Leadership Team to help deliver the Strategic Plan.
A resident of Cowes and currently working for Trinity House as Inspector of Seamarks, Jon knows Cowes Harbour very well as he was previously the Deputy Harbour Master for Cowes between 2015 and 2019 and has remained as a qualified Cowes pilot since that time.
He fully understands the role of Harbour Master and what it takes to ensure a ‘Beyond Zero’ safety culture and the importance of the Harbour in the economic prosperity of both East and West Cowes.
Gary Hall, CEO, said:
“I am very pleased to have secured the return of Jon Kidd as our new Harbour Master for Cowes. The Harbour team will offer a warm welcome to him on his arrival in post early next year and we are looking forward to building on the implementation of our safety and strategic priorities for the Harbour.”
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Reflecting on his appointment, Jon Kidd commented:
“It was fortuitous timing for me to secure the role of Harbour Master in Cowes. I am very excited to be returning to my home town to deliver the safety-first programme in the Harbour with the Cowes Harbour team.”
Phil Hagen, Chair of CHC said:
“We have an exciting Strategic Plan in place and now is a very good time to join the team. With Jon Kidd as Harbour Master and managing our number 1 priority of safety in the Harbour we look forward to implementing our strategic objectives and many more new initiatives with him on board.”
Captain Kidd? Seems a bit of a pirate to me!