Harry has his sights set on becoming a ship designer (From Gazette)

Harry has his sights set on becoming a ship designer

12:00pm Tuesday 12th May 2009

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A SCHOOLBOY is hoping to ride the waves of success by designing his own ships.

Blue Peter badge winner Harry Cotterill is already on course to achieve his dream of becoming a naval architect.

The 14-year-old, who attends Sir Charles Lucas School, lives and breathes ships.

Harry, of Crown Bays Road, Colchester, first became interested in the subject after watching the film Titanic when he was seven, and his interest was cemented five years ago when he saw a television documentary about the Cunard Line’s Queen Mary II.

A chance meeting with the designer of the ship, Stephen Payne, on a trip to see it sail from Hythe a year later led to Harry and his family keeping in touch with him. Mr Payne has since taken the youngster on a tour of his ship.

Harry’s persistence and obvious passion caught Mr Payne’s attention, and more recently he helped set up various tasks for the boy to carry out during two weeks work experience.

Harry said: “I had to do two tasks. One was to analyse a ship and its design, and the other was to work out a deck plan.

“I have not sent them off for him to look at yet, but I am fairly confident I did pretty well.”

Harry’s drawings earned him a Blue Peter badge from the popular children’s television show, while he is known to his friends and family for always drawing.

Not that they’re complaining as his drawing of another ship, P&O Cruise’s the Ventura, won a tour of the boat for him and his family.

Harry is also a junior member of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects.

He has written to a lot of big names in the shipping industry asking for their help in achieving his dream of one day helping to create his own ocean-going vessel.

He added: “I want to design the greatest ocean liner the world has ever seen.”

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