Article from SDVoyager.com
Today we’d like to introduce you to Ian Van Tuyl.
Ian, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve been sailing my whole life. My Dad had a boat here in San Diego at the Marriott Marina downtown. During the 90s, my sister and I would come visit him and stay on the boat.
Eventually I got my first job when I was 20 years old working in service for my dad, who was Vice President of Nautical Enterprises/H&S Yacht Sales in the service department. This was on Harbor Island. I did everything from trouble-shooting electronics to fixing toilets. (I even fixed the toilet on my future father-in-law’s boat, but that’s another story. Her father did tell my future wife that I did a good job, and that she should date me.)
Soon I worked my way up to rigging, which means I was a project manager for all new yachts that got shipped in from France. My job was to meet with the future owner and customize the yacht to their liking. This included installing water makers, generators, high-end audio-visual systems…even fun stuff like Nintendo PlayStation. A lot of the buyers really wanted their boats decked out. After I completed the projects on this yachts, I was able to take them out and sea trial them on the boat, ensuring that all of the systems worked properly. It felt really good being in my early 20s and cruising around on a million dollar yacht.
