Joe trained as an engineer and moved to Suffolk with his job at BT in 1974 and from 1995 he worked as an independent IT consultant in the UK, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Joe has always been interested in Anglo-Saxon history. He volunteers at the National Trust site at Sutton Hoo. Trained by the Sutton Hoo Society, he regularly gives guided tours there. He was drawn to this project through his lifelong fascination with the sea and ships. Before he was aware of other people’s interests, he explored the displacement and stability of the Sutton Hoo ship using the 1975 plans and a spreadsheet. He is a keen researcher and has spent hours trawling through important records to find the information needed to push the project forward. Joe was able to bring to light a copy of the ship’s original excavation drawing, which had been tucked away behind a door in the Ipswich Museum.
Joe had a brief rowing career at college, has crewed on yachts and took up dinghy sailing shortly before he retired in 2009. He is keen to see how the ship handles on the water.
This iconic ship attracts Joe through its power and simplicity, and as a source of endless speculation. He, like many others, believes that we have so much to learn from building and trialling the reconstruction, and has become a key member of the Ship’s Company team.