Capt. Jack Mckay
Motoryacht Harmony

Date interviewed: December 2007

How did you realize you wanted to become a captain?
I bought a sailboat, a Mariner 40 ketch designed by Bill Garden, in the late 1970s so that my son and I could spend more time together after my divorce in southern California. I was a natural foods businessman, and I kept that boat at Marina del Rey. The captain talked me into going cruising down to Mexico—me, him, and eight friends, plus the captain’s wife, who was the cook. That made me want to learn.
     I spent a month learning on the boat in Cabo San Lucas, then went back to Los Angeles to work. Then I ended up in Puerto Vallarta learning more on the boat for two months. Then I was sunk. I was in my mid-30s, too early to retire, but I had to figure this boating thing out.

What training did you undergo to become a captain?
For five years, I made various trips and the captain of my boat taught me how to sail. I sold my business and became a day charter captain on my own boat. I had a little contract with the Club Med there in Mexico. I was going broke, but I wasn’t in an office, and I loved it.
     I met a few charter brokers, and they sent me a few term charters, a week at a time, and I liked it. It was me and a cook, and at that point, I realized as a businessman that you have to drive other people’s boats to make any money.
     So I went to get a license. That was in 1987. I delivered a boat from San Diego to Hawaii, a Catalina 30 sailboat. Then I started running boats out of Hawaii, like a 50-foot Herreshoff ketch in the Molokai Channel. I loved it.
     I started to get more delivery offers, and in 1989, I did my first motoryacht, from Florida to San Diego. I stayed on the West Coast, all the way down to Costa Rica, working on and around boats with snorkelers and divers until 1996. That’s when the owner of Harmony came along.

How did you meet Harmony’s owner?
He had just bought his first boat, an 80-foot Hatteras motoryacht. I took the job as a temporary, three-month arrangement. He wanted his boat delivered from Florida to Trinidad. I made it as far as the Bahamas, and then his wife got breast cancer, so their family plans changed. Nobody was going to go cruising. So I said, “Instead of letting the boat sit here in the Bahamas, let me put it into charter.”
     So I developed that in the Bahamas, with two crew. In a very short time, we had lots of business, some 19 or 20 charters a year. Then his wife got better, and they wanted a bigger boat. They boat this one, Harmony, which is a 115-footer built by Crescent Beach, a Jack Sarin design. She used to be called Dare to Dream when she was originally built in 1989.She’s been Harmony since 2003, when this owner bought her. We've both been here ever since.

What do you think makes Harmony’s crew special?
All of our charters last summer in Europe were repeat clients except for one, and they had to book a year and a half in advance. We have earned a solid reputation, and we keep people happy so that they keep coming back. One of our clients booked this boat six times in a single year.
     The chief stewardess and chef have been here with me for four years now. They’re a couple, in their 30s, doing this as their chosen professions. Our chef, he loves what he does. There are no limits to what he’ll do. And our chief stewardess, she’s always going the extra mile, too. There are pirate hunts with treasures for the kids, game nights, all of it. She’s a championship Scrabble player. People love her. Families are our strong suit. We do that really well.
     And I can relate to the old guys. I’m 62. So the experience they have on here is terrific, too.

How do you determine what itinerary you will set for a charter?
I get an idea from the charter broker about where the client wants to be. So we start with that. But I also talk to the client about how they want to charter, not just where. Water sports, shopping—all of that.
     By day three or four, in the mornings, we just sit down and discuss the day’s options. Anything can be changed at any time.

What are some of your favorite cruising destinations, and why?
I like France, Italy and Croatia. There’s culture and culinary experiences. There’s history and castles, and in all of those places, people get a warm greeting.
     It’s easier and less expensive to run a charter in France than in Italy, but Italy has its own elegance. Bringing people into St. Tropez, boy, that is such an experience.

What features onboard Harmony do you particularly enjoy sharing with guests?
It’s a very comfortable boat. We have a very big top deck, so kids can be in the sun while parents are in the shade. Our furniture is casual, and we have a Rug Doctor machine for any mishaps with the kids. We’re just a very comfortable boat.

Describe a typical guest’s day onboard Harmony.
In the Caribbean, we get up and have a breakfast buffet for the early risers. When the whole family is up, they can put in their plated breakfast orders. It’s carte blanche, whatever they want.
     Then there’s usually snorkeling or swimming or a trip in to town. After that, if they want to go see a new anchorage, we cruise there. We do maybe an hour and a half, two hours a day maximum of cruising. We don’t make big jumps. It’s not about chugging down the road.
     Lunch, we do that on the aft deck, and by the time that’s done it’s about 2:30, so there are more water sports on the Jet Skis, the kayaks, maybe a trip in to town. At 5 p.m. it’s usually cocktails in the hot tub with hors d’oeuvres on the top deck.
     By about 7 p.m., everyone is showered and gathering in the main saloon. Before dinner, people tend to play games. Karaoke, cards—we have an endless supply to get the guests howling. Justine, our chief stewardess, gets these big old fellas howling. She had a senator in a toga once, having a complete hoot.

What kind of charter guests are your favorites?
Families are our favorites. We do adult couples, but I think we’re a better experience for families.
     Chartering is about bringing people together. Harmony has two double-bed cabins, a king, a queen, and two twin-bed cabins with Pullman berths. You can put four kids in any one of those twin-bed cabins. So we’re set up for families, and we’re good at families.

What awards have you won?
In 2005, our chef Cam won the best chef award at the Sint Maarten charter yacht show. We also won the award for best yacht in the whole show that year.

What else should CharterWave readers know about you and Harmony?
Not so much about us, but about charter in general, is that when you look at a boat’s website or brochure, you should try to decide where you’re going to be the most comfortable. All of these charter yachts are nice, but try to think about where you’re going to feel the most relaxed. It might be with a crew of 20-year-olds, or it might be with a crew like ours, a 62-year-old and a couple of 30-year-olds.
     We hope people like the look of us. We try to be a good value.

Harmony is part of the fleet at The Sacks Group Yachting Professionals. Her weekly base rate is $43,500 for 10 guests with six crew, or about $5,500 per person with typical 25-percent expenses factored in. Contact any reputable charter broker for information on how to book.