Michael joined the Royal Navy at BRNC Dartmouth in 1981 having graduated with a BSc in maths from the University of York. During his 16 years’ service, he served in HMS Fearless (BRNC training ship), HMS Fisgard, HMS Collingwood, HMS Sultan, HMS Dryad and Captain Naval Operational Combat Systems (CNOCS). In January 1991 Mike obtained an MSc in the Design of Information Systems from the Royal Military College of Science (RMCS), Shrivenham, thus becoming an IO computer specialist. After leaving the service in 1997 as a Lieutenant Commander, he worked in software development and as a database administrator in London, Sacramento, USA, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Having settled and married in Brazil, Mike now works as an English teacher and website designer and takes the lead role in web design and administration for the RNIOA website.