Rik van Hemmen

President at Martin, Ottaway, van Hemmen & Dolan Inc.

Speaker

Rik van Hemmen built his first sailboat at age 6 and never stopped. At age 16 he moved to the United States and in 1982 graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Aerospace and Ocean Engineering. After working for a defense contractor, a classification society, a yacht designer and as the chief engineer on an America’s Cup Campaign, he joined Martin & Ottaway in 1988, where he is now the President.

Martin & Ottaway is a maritime engineering firm that has been in continuous operation since 1875 and provides consulting services on a very wide range of maritime issues, but generally as related to the resolution of unusual aspects of engineering, operational or economic maritime ventures.

He is licensed Professional Engineer, a fellow in SNAME and NAFE, and holds membership in a wide variety of other technical societies and historical societies. Since joining SNAME in the late 70’s he has been active in, and chaired, various committees. He has published numerous

technical papers that very much focus on the maritime human/machine interaction through a wide variety of media. He is the author of “A Chronology of Boating on the Navesink” and “Let me be Frank; 150 Years Martin & Ottaway”

While still deeply involved in the technical design, conceptualization, and creation of boats, ships and maritime equipment, his recent work has been particularly heavily involved in human factors and environmental issues.

He is a co-founder and past president of Navesink Maritime Heritage Association and a co-founder and treasurer of SL7 Expo.

He lives in Monmouth County, New Jersey where he keeps his SHEWAC (Solar Hybrid Powered Wheelchair Accessible Catamaran) Aberration when he is not cruising it up the Hudson and New York State Canals.