Captain, 121-foot Crescent motoryacht Olga

Date interviewed: October 2010

You’re averaging six weeks of charter a year at a difficult economic time when the industry average is three. What is your secret aboard Olga?

When I hire crew, experience is important, but attitude is more important. We want crew with beautiful smiles. The goal for me is that within six hours after the guests arrive, I want them to be relaxed and feeling at home.

You certainly seem to feel at home on the water. Have you spent your entire life on boats?

I was born in Valencia, Spain, in 1961, and my family always had small boats. I was always in the water, diving and fishing. Our family moved to Montreal, Canada, about 30 years ago, and we always had small boats on the water there, too.

At one point, I was a hydraulics salesman for an Italian company, traveling about 28 weeks every year. It was good money, but I hated it. One day, I said to my wife, ‘Let’s sell the house, get on our own boat, and go.’ She thought I was drunk. Six months later, we left on our 50-foot cruiser. Our son was eight years old, and we were at sea for the next three years.

Is that how you learned about charter?

We cruised the entire East Coast of the United States, the Bahamas, and Cuba. Along the way, we took six or seven charters a year to help pay our expenses. I met the captain of an 80-foot Lazzara motoryacht, and he asked me why I didn’t work on ‘real yachts.’ So I learned about the business and the licenses needed. I went to Fort Lauderdale to get my certificates, and my wife, Clare, got work as a cook/stewardess on boats.

My first job was as a mate on a 103-foot Broward motoryacht. About six months after I was hired, the captain was fired and I was promoted. That was in 2002, and I stayed until 2005 with Clare onboard as chef. We did 12 to 16 weeks of charter a year plus 90 to 100 days of owner use. It was an incredibly busy boat.

When did you join your current command, the 121-foot Crescent motoryacht Olga?

A little over four years ago, when the current owner bought the boat. Olga was built in 2003, and the original owner did only one or two charters. It was not known as a charter boat. They were getting only $55,000 a week as their base rate. We have worked hard with the help of the current owner to bring our rate up to $70,000, which is what it is today.

What did you add to the charter program to make Olga so successful?

We seriously equipped the boat for charter. We added washers and dryers, freezers, new blankets and sheets, and all the water toys that a guest could want. We also got the insurance that lets us offer scuba directly from the boat for certified divers. That sets us apart in the industry.

And Olga is a spa boat. The owners love massages, so we always have a stewardess onboard who is also a trained masseuse. Right now, we have two. They do full-body massage, foot massage, manicures, pedicures—whatever the guests want, at no extra charge.

What kinds of charter guests are your favorites?

We’ve had all kinds of guests. There is a couple who come from New York, one of our repeat clients, and they charter the whole boat for just the two of them. We’ve also had families with kids, and that’s great. We are really great with kids. The owners have 12 grandkids, so our crew is used to working with them. We do treasure hunts, fishing expeditions—we even let them eat with us and feel like part of the crew if that makes them happy.

Nearly half of our clients are repeats, and another 20 percent are referrals from previous clients. So I believe we must be doing something right.

What else should clients know before booking a charter aboard Olga?

The way Clare cooks is really healthy. We try to avoid things like heavy sauces. The owners don’t want to be unhealthy, so Clare is used to cooking that way while still making the most of her training at Le Cordon Bleu. Several of our previous charter guests have thanked us for that. They enjoy the gourmet cuisine, but they feel happy not to be overloaded with fried foods during their vacation.

I think guests also should know that I’m a fishing machine. On our last charter, the guests wanted to catch lobsters. In eight days, we caught 33 of them. The biggest was 6½ pounds. Whatever the guests want to catch, we will find it. The owners have a 61-foot Garlington sportfishing yacht that is available for separate charter, in tandem with Olga, on a day-by-day basis. It’s a beautiful fishing machine that the owner uses for competitions, so guests are getting a serious fishing experience if they want it.

Olga is part of the charter fleet at Churchill Yacht Partners. She takes eight adult guests, or eight adults and two children, with six crew at a lowest weekly base rate of $70,000. Any reputable charter broker can tell you more or help you book a week onboard.