Never Judge A “Book” By It’s Cover In The Caribbean

From Simon Davies, to Lisa Mead, to Katy Bednar, to Big Mamma, to Jason Kumpf – all are equals in the Caribbean!

Simon Davies: He is the British captain of Clasship I and is one of the charter captains who is at the top of his game. Clasship I is considered one of the mega-yacht motor sailors. It sleeps 12, has a crew of five or more and cost almost £3,000 a day to charter. Simon is a Royal Yacht Association Yacht Master for both sail and power yachts. If you are the Captain of a yacht like Clasship I you are at the top of your game. His current crew of Phil, Debra, Lisa and Neil are in a similar category. Check out their website.

Lisa Mead: Executive Chef of Clasship I. Lisa is from Australia and comes to Clasship I with 15+ years of cooking experience on yachts ranging in size from 50 feet to 150 feet throughout the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Australia. She was born in Malaysia, raised in Singapore which assisted her Asian Cuisine. Her cooking style also includes Mediterranean, Caribbean, Fusion, and Mexican. There is no way a charter will succeed without an unforgettable chef and Lisa is one of them.

Katy Bednar: She is the First Mate of Three Moons, a 72’ Ketch. Originally from Marblehead, Massachusetts, Katy Bednar always had a love for the ocean. After completing a major in Biology in 2005, she took a sailing trip down to the Virgin Islands with her family and the rest was history. After a season of crewing on another yacht she found Randy and Shelly who owned Three Moons. She was welcomed aboard without hesitation as their First Mate. Again, without some with the qualities of Katy as a First Mate, the charter experience is not complete. We discovered that her next adventure is to return to New England and become an orthodontist. Can you imagine the tales she will be able share with all of the patients?

Big Momma: If you want an unforgettable moment of shopping, stop by the Wikked Shack at Yacht Haven Grande and browse through the Wikked branded clothing with Big Momma. I just stopped by to take a look at their awesome baseball caps and before I knew it I had spent over $100 in clothing. When she handed me the credit card slip to sign there was a line for “tip”. I have never purchased clothing where a tip was suggested, but it didn’t seem to be odd with Big Momma. I left her a tip and she wrapped her arms around me and let me know that I needed to “divorce” Catherine – the manager of Wikked, and marry her. It was so confusing because I’m not sure who I am needing to pay alimony to – Catherine or Big Momma. I will sort it out over the next few days.

Jason Kumpf: Jason is the sales executive of Raffles Tortola - the ultra luxury resort development that is just starting it’s build-out at Lambert Bay, Tortola. I highlighted this full ownership resort project in one of my past blog postings. Jason decided to jump on a boat today and join me at the Boat Show. His entire career has been working with people of wealth, whether it was in money management in London to luxury developments all over the world. He is the go-to guy for those that have decided they want to own a piece of the Caribbean dream. We have a marketing agreement with Raffles that allows us to serve all of clients needs who are considering a purchase with any of the Raffles Resorts.

The reason I highlighted these five memorable people is because it is an example of how important each of them are to the Caribbean experience. Without each of them there would be something lacking in the total package of a charter sailing adventure. They are all required; captain, chef, first mate, retail sales person, and the resort executive. What a fun afternoon mingling with another group of unforgettable Caribbean characters! Until later…I will be meeting with the governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands tonight for an interview.