Bent Jespersen

Bent served his apprenticeship in Denmark as a shipwright and attended technical school there. He immigrated to Canada in 1955 and began working at Starship Yards in New Westminster on wooden commercial vessels.

After moving to Vancouver Island, Bent worked in a production ship building small cedar strip boats for Woodwards and Simpson Sears. He next worked for Port Alberni Marine on maintenance and building small wooden boats. In 1961, Bent moved to Sidney and went to work for Philbrook’s yard where he stayed for 13 years, rising to the position of foreman. In 1971 the family spent one year in Ghana with the United Nations, teaching boat building.

Bent returned to Philbrook’s where he stayed until 1974 when he left to set up his own yard. Over the years Bent’s yard has earned an enviable reputation, particularly for their cold moulded boats.