Captain Sean & Chef Elise
Sean
PROFESSIONAL · FUN · DETAIL-ORIENTED
Grew up in Santa Barbara, learned to sail at the local yacht club as a teenager, and never really left the water. Twenty-plus years teaching sailing, from absolute beginners to offshore skippers, with US Coast Guard Master and ASA instructor credentials.
Multiple seasons in the BVI and California's Channel Islands. Skippered yachts in the Mediterranean, the Pacific Northwest, and the Caribbean from Grenada north. The passage he's proudest of: a solo transatlantic from Florida to Scotland aboard Spindrift. Forty-five hundred nautical miles in thirty-eight days.
On Perpetual Blue he draws every week's route around the weather and around what your group actually wants. Sailing instructor first, captain second. Happy to put a kid at the wheel or hand the chart to a curious guest.
CREDENTIALS
- US Coast Guard Master, 100 Ton
- ·ASA Sailing Instructor
- ·STCW Basic Safety
- ·Maritime Radio Operator
- ·ENG1 Medical
FAVORITE BVI SPOT
The Bight at Norman Island: easy anchor in any wind, great snorkeling, Pirates Bight for sundowners.
WORLDWIDE SAILING MEMORY
Halfway across the Atlantic, beating into a Force 7 for two days. The wind died at dawn and a pod of pilot whales surfaced ten feet off the bow.
LONGEST PASSAGE
Florida to Scotland: solo, 4,500nm in 38 days aboard Spindrift.
FAVORITE CONDITIONS
Fifteen knots true on the beam, flat water, four o'clock sun. Quiet boat, quiet rig.
Elise
CARING · PASSIONATE · CREATIVE
Grew up in Glasgow's east end where every Sunday was a family dinner that lasted until dark. Started cooking at fourteen in her aunt's bistro. Trained formally at SVQ Level 4 Professional Cookery, then spent years in award-winning Scottish restaurants, bistros and fine-dining kitchens alike.
At twenty-eight she left Scotland for the water. Crewed yachts from Cape Town to the Mediterranean. Six thousand-plus nautical miles under sail, including the Atlantic crossing from South Africa to the Caribbean. Has cooked in galleys rocking in twelve-foot swells and on glassy mornings at anchor.
On board she provisions every menu around the week's guests: allergies, intolerances, picky kids, anniversaries, hangovers. In her words: "Cooking is about creating moments, not plates."
CREDENTIALS
- SVQ Level 4 Professional Cookery
- ·STCW Basic Safety
- ·Food Hygiene Level 3
- ·ENG1 Medical
FAVORITE BVI SPOT
Anegada: empty beaches, lobster shacks, two-night anchor when the weather lets us.
WORLDWIDE SAILING MEMORY
A flat-calm South Atlantic crossing at night. Phosphorescence trailing the boat for hours, dolphins under the stars.
SIGNATURE DISH
Slow-braised lamb shoulder with anchovy butter and crushed peas. What my mum cooked every Easter.
SIGNATURE DESSERT
Sticky toffee pudding with brown butter ice cream. The Scottish in me can't help it.
Praise For The Team
“Elise made every meal feel like a special occasion. We're already planning to come back.”
THE HENDERSONS
TEXAS · MARCH 2025
“Captain Sean taught my kids to sail, found us the only empty bay in the BVI on a holiday week, and never lost his patience.”
DAVID & RACHEL
LONDON · FEBRUARY 2025
“What we'll remember: Elise plating dinner at sunset and Sean at the helm in his cap, having the time of his life.”
LAUREN & MARCUS
COLORADO · MAY 2024