Dulcinea

Beverly Parsons has been chartering since 1969. She is a licensed, bonded broker and a founding member of the professional groups AYCA and CYBA International. Contact Beverly.

Trina Howes has 10 years of experience in the charter industry finding great pleasure in creating the best yachting vacations possible. E-mail Trina

Shannon Webster is a longtime AYCA member. She books yachts worldwide from 80 to 400 feet long. Email Shannon

Sharon Bahmer is an expert at booking charters in the Americas, from Alaska to Brazil. She's also a member of FYBA and CYBA. E-mail Sharon

Liz Howard joined Fraser Yachts as a charter broker in 2002 after more than 15 years in the maritime industry. E-mail Liz.

Nicole Caulfield is licensed, bonded, and a longtime member of FYBA and AYCA. She brings a unique perspective as a broker, having worked aboard yachts for nearly 10 years. Email Nicole

Ed Hamilton has worked in every part of the charter industry over the last 37 years and heads one of the largest, most respected charter brokerages.

Dulcinea

First Impression: Dulcinea

Date toured: December 2008

The 63-foot sailing yacht Dulcinea is what is known in boating circles as a one-off design. Built in 2002 with lines penned by naval architect Bill Dixon, the yacht is a one-of-a-kind built for the same owner she has today. He put her into charter in 2004 and got a new crew in late 2008, just before I had a chance to get onboard and take a look around.
   Capt. Jon Keen and chef Hannah Davies had been with Dulcinea about six weeks, having boarded in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and delivered the yacht across the Atlantic Ocean to the Caribbean island of Antigua. Previously, Keen had skippered racing boats, worked as a mate aboard the 130-foot sailing yacht Aspasia Alpha, worked as a carpenter aboard the classic 144-foot sailing yacht Shenandoah, and served as a deckhand aboard the 173-foot Alloy sailing yacht Drumbeat. Davies’ experience included serving for a year as crew chef aboard a 131-foot motoryacht and working for three years as the second stewardess aboard the 190-foot motoryacht Zenobia in the Mediterranean and Indian oceans.
   Those are some noteworthy, big-boat resumes for a two-person crew aboard a 63-foot sailing yacht in the Caribbean.
   “I have the advantage of the motoryacht background,” Davies told me. “I also have worked on private jets, where everything is to the highest detail and standard. John has worked at the top of the sailing industry. We’re here because we want to do that level of service, but working on our own.”
   While I did not get a chance to taste Davies’ cooking during a full meal, I did enjoy her hors d’oeuvres of tuna carpaccio with tomato and basil atop French bread. I also heard good reports from brokers who went aboard Dulcinea for lunches the same week I took my to charter yacht Dulcinea

ur. One lunch featured salmon cakes with pesto and lemon mayonnaise, while another include salad Niçoise with seared tuna and red onion marmalade.
    Davies says her specialties are Mediterranean dishes based on fresh ingredients. She’s also experimenting quite often with fish, since they are so easy to come by in the Caribbean.
   “I studied at the Tante Marie School of Cookery in the United Kingdom, during a three-month cooking course there by Le Cordon Bleu,” she told me. “I’ve also done a few wine courses.”
   Dulcinea herself is ideal for a family or three couples to charter. The layout includes a master cabin with a queen-size bed, plus two cabins with double-size and bunk-style Pullman berths. Each cabin has its own bathroom, and there is a day head onboard—an unusual feature in a yacht this size.
   “For a 63-foot boat, she has everything the 173-foot Drumbeat had,” Keen told me. “Ice makers, audiovisual equipment, snorkeling gear—all of it, just tsmaller.”
   Nicholson Yachts is the management company for Dulcinea. Any reputable charter broker can help you book a week onboard or talk with you about current weekly rates.—Kim Kavin