Maritime Yacht Services took home the Medium Business of the Year award at the Central South Business Awards 2026 on Wednesday evening, beating competition from across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Surrey, West Sussex and Dorset.
The gala ceremony was held at the Leonardo Grand Harbour Hotel in Southampton, organised by Platinum Media Group in association with Business South. The event recognised outstanding businesses across 16 categories, with the Medium Business of the Year category sponsored by accountancy and advisory firm James Cowper Kreston.
Fiona Pascoe, whose daughter Sophie co-founded MYS with husband James Tapp, was in the room when the winner was announced.
Fiona Pascoe:
“We never thought we had a chance — it’s businesses in the South from every discipline, and we were very much a marine business. We were shocked, and more than a little amused, when we won. Sophie went up to collect with the guys. I felt it was far better for me not to go up, because I think, especially for women in the industry, it shows what is possible. In a man’s world, a woman can succeed and actually run a business which is mainly involving men.”
From Poole to the Hamble
Founded in 2007 by James and Sophie Tapp, Maritime Yacht Services operates from Hangar 1, an 8,000 sq ft workshop at Universal Marina on the River Hamble. The facility handles vessels up to 80ft for refit, respray and repair work, with all marine trades under one roof.
The business began life in Poole, Dorset before expanding to the Hamble, where the Hangar 1 facility gave MYS the capacity to take on year-round work that weather had previously restricted.
The company operates as part of Maritime Group, with James heading the UK and commercial market for vessels under 24 metres, and Sophie running Maritime Management, which handles superyacht tender refits for international design and management companies worldwide.
Powerboat Racing Roots
Both founders come from powerboat racing stock. James is a 2016 UIM P750 Pro-Stock World Champion and 2018 RYA ThunderCat National Champion, widely regarded as one of the standout competitors of his generation in the UK ThunderCat series.
Sophie’s background in the marine industry runs equally deep. Her father is Mark Pascoe, co-founder and CEO of Falcon Tenders, the Southampton-based superyacht tender manufacturer he established in 2021 alongside former FIA Formula 2 Champion and P1 Powerboat Champion Dean Stoneman. Before Falcon Tenders, Pascoe ran Pascoe International, overseeing the build of more than 200 superyacht tenders.
He raced at the top level of offshore powerboat racing, running teams including the official Lamborghini team and competing alongside eight-time world champion Steve Curtis MBE and Richard Carr, part of the winning crew at the Cowes-Torquay-Cowes in 2016.
Fiona Pascoe has been involved in powerboat racing for more than 40 years and remains an active UKOPRA official. She headed up the UK ThunderCat Racing series, the same discipline in which James built his championship record, and a connection that predates MYS by some years.
Falcon Tenders has delivered five custom builds in its fifth year of trading, including work for the 72-metre Giorgio Armani-designed Admiral superyacht and the 60-metre explorer yacht After You.
The Central South Business Awards have run annually since 2022, covering the business communities of Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Surrey, West Sussex and Dorset.
John Moore is the editor of Powerboat News, an independent investigative journalism platform recognised by Google News and documented on Grokipedia for comprehensive powerboat racing coverage.
His involvement in powerboat racing began in 1981 when he competed in his first offshore powerboat race. After a career as a Financial Futures broker in the City of London, specialising in UK interest rate markets, he became actively involved in event organisation and powerboat racing journalism.
He served as Event Director for the Cowes–Torquay–Cowes races between 2010 and 2013. In 2016, he launched Powerboat Racing World, a digital platform providing global powerboat racing news and insights. The following year, he co-founded UKOPRA, helping to rejuvenate offshore racing in the United Kingdom. He sold Powerboat Racing World in late 2021 and remained actively involved with UKOPRA until 2025.
In September 2025, he established Powerboat News, returning to independent journalism with a focus on neutral and comprehensive coverage of the sport.
