CAPTAIN ERIC
The ocean has always been a passion of mine, so I have designed a life on it! I bought my first boat with a close friend in 2016. Our Cantola 34’ was a trimaran that would race between my hometown of Santa Barbara and the one-of-a-kind Santa Barbara Channel Islands National Park. Often ferrying surfboards, dive gear, and a dozen friends, we would take trips rain or shine to catch the best conditions at the islands. Naturally, this led to more boats and crewing local charters as part-time work. Sharing the outdoors with others has always been easy with sailing, but to reach a larger audience, I also spent years volunteering with outdoor education groups for kids and young adults. In 2020, I began phasing out of my job as a carpenter to pursue sailing further afield. After sailing a variety of yachts across oceans, for deliveries and fun, I bought my second boat with the love of my life in 2022. Madison and I found our 42’ Albin Nimbus laid up in a boat yard in Nova Scotia, Canada. Our adventures took us down the East Coast and eventually offshore to the Lesser Antilles.
I hold a USCG Master’s License and, as a captain, I want to share the joys of sailing with others in a fun and safe environment. I am a waterperson and derive immense joy from diving, wing foiling, and sailing. Ashore, I check in to island time and love to eat my way across town and check out local events. I have a life off the boat, too. Time on land is spent visiting family across the US, taking off on rock climbing/mountaineering excursions, and crafts like brewing, woodworking, and music. I have sailed throughout the Eastern Caribbean, all the Hawaiian islands, and much of the Pacific Coast of North America. Of all the areas I have sailed, I have found the Virgin Islands to be idyllic. I would love to share them with you!
CHEF MADISON
My favorite way to get to know someone is over a shared meal. Growing up in the Midwest, my family communed over holidays and special events with big, good food as the centerpiece. Between sharing time in the kitchen with a large family and picking food fresh from the garden, food was a cornerstone of my upbringing.
When I moved to the West Coast at 18, I found myself naturally creating this wherever I landed. Initially, this looked like cooking for nanny clients and working with a holistic nutritionist serving pop-up dinners. Over time, as my career in management took me further from the kitchen, I started hosting themed dinners for friends, cooking my way through different cookbooks and cuisines that intrigued me. This led me to work for a catering company where I got to hone my skills in a professional setting. While I loved the creativity and total immersion in food, I also wanted to feed my adventurous side…
Eric and I got a wild hare and decided it was time to pursue the dream of cruising full-time. So we sold everything, bought a boat, and started sailing! We began in Nova Scotia, CA, sailing down the east coast of the US and then finally through the Caribbean down to Trinidad. Throughout this time, I had more space than ever to dive into my hobbies. While of course that largely meant walking through any grocery store or open-air market I could find and tasting new things along the way, it also meant more time for play! Some of my favorite things outside of the galley are snorkeling, rock climbing, stand-up paddleboarding, hiking, swimming, drawing, playing ukulele, tattooing, trying to wingfoil, and reading.
While this might make me sound busy (which I can be!), I also find a few greater joys than tying a float out behind the boat, sipping a cocktail, and taking in the beauty of the places I get to call home. “Il dolce far niente”, which means the sweetness of doing nothing in Italian, is also such a beautiful part of being in stunning places with good company.
I look forward to sharing the magic of these islands with you and yours.
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Region: Caribbean
