The Sunseeker shipyards, located in the heart of Poole Quay, have become synonymous with exceptional boat building for over 60 years. Sunseeker yachts adorn the Quayside before making their maiden voyage to owners around the world. After tens of thousands of hours of build time, the Sunseeker Test Team take a new boat to the local waters, where they push it to the limit to ensure a durable craft.

My name is Louis Castle, and I am an Electrical Test Engineer and crew at Sunseeker International. I joined Sunseeker as an Electrical Apprentice in 2013, learning the necessary skills over 4 years to become a marine electrical engineer for the leading motor yacht manufacturer in the UK.

The Test Team put the boats through their paces in all areas of the build, ensuring every Sunseeker is safe, reliable and ready for the client to enjoy wherever they are in the world. As an Electrical Test Engineer, I check that all electrics on-board are functional, safe and operating at optimum capability. My job is to test the entire boat from bow to stern from lights and sockets to air conditioning, generators, engines, steering systems etc. As an electrical tester here on the team not all my work is electrical, I also test plumbing, engineering and deck fit whilst working with the Production teams to make sure everything on board is working, meets the specification and is safe and practical to meet the high standard of a Sunseeker right before it departs Poole Shipyard.

In 2019, I joined a client and his family on the maiden voyage of their 116 Yacht from Poole to Barcelona covering approx. 1,800 nautical miles. The knowledge I had gained on this model and the skills I acquired during my apprenticeship and as a tester enabled me to complete a job as a sole engineer and crew during the week-long passage, I was responsible for checking and maintaining all systems on-board, dealing with any problems whilst out at sea and re fuelling in Gibraltar. I felt a great sense of responsibility to the client and his family to help deliver their brand new superyacht. The 116 Yacht is my favourite Sunseeker, so it was a real privilege too.

“I now hold a commercially endorsed Dayskipper licence and have recently passed my Yachtmaster theory. I enjoy new challenges and learning new skills everyday which currently now includes helming the Manhattan 68 on sea trials and manoeuvring around the shipyard. I enjoy working as a team and contributing to provide a fantastic final product.”

We test every Sunseeker year-round and in all weather conditions, which sometimes can be in blusterous winds and icy showers. But come rain or shine, we will be in Poole Harbour testing every Sunseeker to ensure a robust build for our clients. Despite the unpredictable weather, we are lucky enough to be located in an area of outstanding natural beauty, so on a good day, there are some breath taking views and the boats, well, they speak for themselves.