I founded Swiftsure Yachts in late 2002 with Scott Fuller and Brad Baker. Scott had a strong business background and was an experienced sailor and boat owner. Brad and I worked at other Seattle brokerages learning the trade. We worked together as a team allowing each of us to take time away to race and cruise while the other partners continued to service clients and listings. Scott returned to the technology sector after a few years. Over the ensuing years Swiftsure Yachts continued to grow with other brokers joining the team in Seattle and other west coast harbors.
I grew up racing and cruising sailboats in Rhode Island. My family owned many boats including a Herreshoff “S” class, Pearson 30, Freedom 33, J-24 and many others. I spent summers racing and teaching sailing at the Bristol Yacht Club. In 1984 I graduated from the US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY where I raced dinghies and offshore boats. I skippered the Frers 53 “No Quarter” during my senior year culminating with the Newport to Bermuda Race.
After graduation I worked for Exxon on their tankers as a deck and engineering officer. I filled my six months of yearly vacation with yacht deliveries, sailmaking, and boat repair work. In 1998 my wife Kirsten and I settled in Seattle after her she finished her OB/GYN training. In 2007 we took a two-year cruising sabbatical on our custom Perry 51 “Charlotte” with our five year old son Alden. In March of 2023 we returned to Rhode Island to provide an east coast presence for Swiftsure Yachts and be closer to family.
I’ve had the privilege to help hundreds of clients purchase and sell sail and powerboats during the last 25 years. Time spent on the water with clients and friends stands out. Highlights include two Vic-Maui races with Brian Duchin on “Voodoo Child”, crossing the Atlantic with Peter & Elaine Simon on their Outremer 49 “Bob”, a Seattle to Sitka trip on the Little Hoquiam 60 with Bob Trenner and many shorter trips on all manner of sailboats and powerboats.
