Former US Navy chief boatswain Dean Bottomley is riding the crest of a wave thanks to the America’s Cup.

For Captain Bottomley, of the family-owned specialist diving firm First Division Maritime Consulting and Services, landed the lucrative contract to clean the hulls of the majestic J Class sailing yachts anchored in Hamilton Harbour.

Capt Bottomley, who runs the firm with sons Dustin and Dane and safety observer and deep sea diver Taneah Bean, said the seven-strong J Class fleet was just one the America’s Cup-related contracts the company had picked up.

First Division Maritime, based in Somerset, has also cleaned the hull of the visiting 215-foot superyacht MV Shemara — the company’s biggest job so far.

Capt Bottomley, who also skippers tour boats, said: “We’ve been doing cleanings all around the island for the last several months since May.

“I got a call when the very first J Class, Lionheart, showed up. It had been at sea for a while and needed a clean. They were delighted with the service and it went from there.”

He added: “I just never thought we’d be working with such a prestigious group of vessels.”

“We feel like a Nascar pit crew — we’ve just about worked every day since May 5 and sometimes we’re doing three or four vessels in a day.”

Capt Bottomley said he was sceptical about the prospect of a boom in business from the global sailing competition.

He added: “I didn’t think it was going to be, but it has been. It’s been really great.”

The company, which can also draw on a pool of freelance divers at peak times, now plans to recruit another full-time diver for the team.

The company was founded in 2007 and taught lifeguarding, ocean rescue and swimming skills as well as providing captains for tour boats owned by other companies.

The firm, owned by Mr Bottomley’s sons Dustin, who has just completed three years in the Royal Bermuda Regiment and is a rescue diver, trained in maritime security and a certified police diver, and Dane, who is studying marine science and science diving at California State University at Monterey Bay, branched out into hull maintenance and that side of the business took off.

Capt Bottomley said: “When you get down there, it depends on how long the vessel has been in the water. Sometimes it’s an easy clean, but if they haven’t had any attention to their hull for a while, you have barnacles, coral and sea toast, which looks like burnt toast. It’s a growth that appears on bare metal, mostly.”

He added: “Having been on ships for such a long time and knowing a lot about them, it’s an asset to captains.

“I know exactly what’s going on and can articulate it to them in nautical terms.”

Marine growth on the hulls of yachts increases resistance in the water and slows them down — a serious problem when races can be won and lost in the space of seconds.

Capt Bottomley added: “We also do maritime security — my son Dustin and myself are both certified maritime facility security officers. We bring a little bit of expertise to the table.”