 Captain, 198-foot CMN motoryacht Cloud 9
Date interviewed: December 2009
You’re the first captain we’ve interviewed who was at one time a philharmonic musician.
It’s true. I grew up in Scotland, and I sailed a bit as a child, but I studied percussion and piano at the Royal Academy of London. I toured with various philharmonics and orchestras, and I worked in contemporary and minimalist music as a soloist. By the time I was 26, I was a professor of modern music at the Royal Academy.
That’s quite a different career path than most megayacht captains describe.
I’m a firm believer in running as far as you can with the torch, and then passing it to someone else. I did one last tour in Japan and got a bit of money in my pocket, and I took a year off to sail in Southern England. It’s a hobby that requires total attention, so your brain turns off. It completely relaxes the mind.
I’d always intended to go back to music, but I met someone from the around-the-world race. They invited me to do corporate charters as a skipper, and it was enormous fun. Then they asked me to take a boat from Cape Town, South Africa, to Sydney, Australia, as part of a promotional tour. I never went back to music professionally.
Were you always a captain after that?
No. I did some work as a deckhand, and the owner of that boat was into music, so he would let me play piano during his dinner. I learned to love the interior service aspect of motoryachts. It just felt right.
In 2001, I went to the 140-foot Feadship motoryacht Masquerade of Sole, and I stayed for six years. It was a good charter yacht. We had multiple repeat clients year after year. I was the captain there. I believe I took the boat as far as it could go by the time I got off in 2007.
How did you get to your current motoryacht, the 198-foot CMN Cloud 9?
I was on a six-month break after Masquerade, and I got a call about Cloud 9 being built. The owners had an 80-footer in Australia, and they were jumping up to this 198-footer. They had done a couple of charters on big boats, and they told me from the start that building this boat was the most outrageous thing they’d ever done. They were looking for a captain.
Cloud 9 launched on June 15, 2009, and I took the owner for a cruise in Greece. They grinned for a month. I've been here ever since.
Besides Cloud 9 being one of the newest and largest yachts available for charter, what do you think sets her apart?
Our crew have huge experience with families, from the youngest children to the grandparents. Our team-building is all intended to provide the most relaxing environment possible. To me, charter all comes down to a well-managed team that is fully dedicated to providing the ultimate vacation experience of a lifetime.
On a note that is maybe more fun for the readers, we have an outdoor karaoke setup that you don’t find on a lot of other charter yachts. We’ll be out in some secluded anchorage, and prying eyes are a world away, and then the yacht’s owner can be free and have fun. It will be terrific for charter guests, too.
Cloud 9 is part of the Camper & Nicholsons International charter fleet. She takes 12 guests with 15 crew at a lowest weekly base rate of $350,000. Any reputable charter broker can tell you more or help you book a week onboard.
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Trina Howes has 10 years of experience in the charter industry finding great pleasure in creating the best yachting vacations possible. E-mail Trina
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
DJ Parker has been a leader in the charter industry since 1980. She is currently president of the American Yacht Charter Association. E-mail DJ
Shannon Webster is a longtime AYCA member. She books yachts worldwide from 80 to 400 feet long. Email Shannon
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
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.
