November 8, 2011
I’ve got a bunch of deje-vu moments for captains in the yachting industry this month.
I bumped into Capt. David Clarke at the Monaco Yacht Show and learned that he’s just stepped back into yachting after an 18 month sabbatical to spend time with his wife and their two young daughters.
Before the youngest daughter, Indigo, was born, the three Clarkes spent three months traveling through China and New Zealand before settling in David’s home town of Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast in Australia.
“We consider the two years before a child goes to school as the most important time to build a solid relationship with them and to guide and encourage them in the right way prior to the outside influences they get from school,” Clarke wrote. “During this time we also focused on our second child and Jodie gave birth in January. We both feel fortunate to have had a 20-year career in such a great industry like yachting and now to have two little girls is such a blessing.”
One of the coolest parts of the Clarke story is that their eldest daughter, Kiera, spent the first three years of her life on Laurel where mom Jodie was purser. When they left the yacht 18 months ago after more than a half a million miles at sea, Clarke said he was ready to be home with his family.
But the economy being what it is, those plans changed and in August, he rejoined M/Y Laurel as executive captain and manager as it actively seeks a new owner.
Laurel, the 240-foot (73m) Delta, may very well be the largest yacht ever in the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.
Clarke is also active in the cause to have the yachting sea time of Australian mariners recognized back home and spoke on the topic at the recent Sanctuary Cove Boat Show.
Capt. Ian Walsh is back on the 170-foot M/Y Southern Breeze. Of course, she’s not called that anymore, she’s Stargazer, but that’s how the old-timers think of her.
Walsh came to Florida in 1976 to join the yacht as bosun and spent many a season varnishing her caprails and passageway ceilings. Thirty-five years later, he’s her port captain overseeing a refit.
He was surprised and touched and a whole assortment of emotions at being asked to work on her again. And he’s up to the challenge of returning her to her once honored condition.
In 2014, the yacht will be 50 years old. Wow.
Though the yacht in this next encounter is different, the face is familiar. Capt. Mark Howard, most recently of the 142-foot Feadship M/Y Kingfisher, handed the yacht over to the only captain he’s ever worked for, Capt. Scott Campbell, who was semi-retired but doing deliveries on Azzurra with partner Capt. Paula Sonnenberg.
Howard has moved on to the 198-foot (60m) Lurssen M/Y Lime Light, formerly Linda Lou.
I bumped into Capt. Chris Young in Monaco, too, touring the new Feadship M/Y Helix with his boss who is looking for new yacht. (There were several captains shopping for new builds for the boss in Monaco. It was nice to see, even if they were too busy to chat.)
Young is captain of the newest Delta, the 150-foot M/Y Katya, and was crossing the ocean when last we spoke. He’ll be in the Fort Lauderdale show, too, giving Delta a nice presence.Capt. Axel Koch dropped us a quick e-mail, simply dripping with joy. Here, judge for yourself:
“Just a quick note to let you know that I am happily aboard the prettiest boat on the sea, S/Y Sycara IV. The owners are fantastic and I hope that I finish my career with them.”
Told ya.
After more than six years aboard, Capt. Douglas Meier has handed over the 115-foot Hargrave M/Y Missy B II to her new owners and assumed command of the 101-foot Hargrave M/Y Seafarer, which he plans to charter in New England and the Florida/Bahamas areas.
Jimmy Floyd over at Bradford Marine is always a good source for finding where some of yachting’s veteran crew are these days. Here’s the latest on two, from the e-newsletter he produces ever few weeks.
Captain Franklin Taylor and his wife, Debbie, are shore-based in New Zealand, raising a family. They met there when Taylor was building the S/V Aquel II. Nowadays, he’s opening a new shipyard near Auckland, and they together have a new entertainment company called Alpine Entertainment.
Captain Mike Whiteside and his wife, Susie, left the yachting industry a number of years ago and moved to Virginia to raise their family. They opened an interesting business called Black Dog Salvage. Mike has more than 40,000 square feet of warehouse showcasing his treasures of antiques and commercial salvage.
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