AN aspiring ship architect has upped his bid to launch a career in the field with a summer spent drawing and touring cruise ships.

Harry Cotterill, 15, has already earned himself a Blue Peter badge for his drawings, after becoming interested in the subject after watching Titanic, aged seven. His passion sees him constantly drawing and making a huge number of contacts in the shipping world.

Harry, of Crown Bays Road, Colchester, got his coveted Blue Peter badge after sending in some of his drawings.

Now a junior member of the Royal Institute of Naval Architects, he is forging ahead with his dream of becoming a naval architect.

Since the start of the cruise season at Harwich International Port, he and his family have been a regular fixture, and Harry has been making contacts by delivering his drawings of the vessels to their captains.

The Holland America Line’s Eurodam’s captain sent a china plate in gratitude, while he also received gifts from the Costa Atlantica and the Costa Luminosa, as well as a whistle-stop tour.

This month, he passed on another drawing of the Celebrity Cruises, Constellation.

Harry said: “As the ship pulled off, we saw a hand waving out of the bridge.

“We all joked around and said it was the captain looking for me. So I took a walk along the dockside, and it was really the captain waving at me!”

The Sir Charles Lucas pupil was invited to tour the ship when it docked later in the month, and the captain blew the horn to salute him.

The drawing has been framed and passengers will be able to view it aboard the ship.

Harry added: “The captain and I both got a photo together, which is going to be hung with my framed drawing.”

The family has even been invited back by the captain and his wife on their last visit of the cruise season to Harwich, on Saturday, September 5.