From a panicked first encounter with the Queen to taking young princes William and Harry out fishing, Barry Spencer enjoyed many "great times" serving on board the Royal Yacht Britannia.
Mr Spencer, of Portchester, Hampshire spent more than a decade on the yacht, taking the late Queen and members of the royal family on holidays, state visits and hosting international statesmen and women.
As a young marine engineer in 1985, he secured a place in the crew to help maintain and operate the small tender boats used to ferry members of the Royal Family to and from the yacht.
Each of Britannia's 20 officers and 220 yachtsmen, known as "Yotties", were personally selected by the commanding officer to serve on the vessel.
"I was very proud to be accepted to join – I was in all the papers at home." said Mr Spencer, originally from Bradford.
He vividly remembers the first time he encountered the monarch while working on deck.
"I was going about my duties and I glimpsed, out of the corner of my eye, the Queen looking out to sea.
"I went into a panic. 'Should I be here? Should I get out of the way?'. But it was too late, she was walking up the deck straight towards me."
Knowing the strict protocol, Mr Spencer stood to attention and waited to be spoken to first.
"She said 'Good morning, the weather's beautiful. Is it going to stay like this for the beach party this afternoon?'," he said.
"She just started chatting – she asked me what I did on the boat, asked about family, my history of what navy ships I'd served on.
"We were just having a chat for three or four minutes – just me and the Queen.
"I remember everything she said – it was an amazing moment."
On cruises around the Western Isles, Mr Spencer would ferry members of the Royal Family ashore for barbecues or games on the beach.
He recalled a trip when the then Prince of Wales requested the young princes, William and Harry, be taken out fishing.
"We had a few hours together in a boat. They must have been about five-years-old or so and had their little fishing rods. It was just a fantastic experience – we never caught anything unfortunately!," he recalled.
Mr Spencer remained on Britannia up to and beyond its decommissioning in 1997.
"I just remember the great times – how honoured we were to be working for the Royal Family," he said.
"They'd take time out and chat to the crew – they really appreciated what we did for them. There was a really nice atmosphere."
On hearing the news of the Queen's death on Thursday, Mr Spencer said he "took time to reflect" at his home in Portchester, Hampshire.
"She was such a fantastic woman – it was the dedication to the country and she always had a smile."
He and former crewmates are due at an upcoming reunion on board Britannia.
"It will be very a emotional moment getting together and no doubt there'll be toasts made to Her Majesty, so that'll be quite poignant," he said.
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