Captain Wayne and Barbara
Elsworth
If you ask Barbara or Wayne Elsworth what their
earliest memory is, it would certainly involve boating. They both grew
up on the shores of the Hudson River, only 150 miles apart.
Coincidentally, their families summered at the same Adirondack lake, just on
opposite shores! It seemed inevitable that one day they would meet,
ironic that it would be on a Caribbean island, 2,000 miles south of
their native New York.
Wayne Elsworth attended Fredonia State College until 1973 when he discovered the islands
while visiting his parents winter home on Great Exuma. In 1979 he became a
US Coast Guard licensed captain and has operated a variety of sail and power
yachts ranging from 50 to 95 feet. He has sailed from Nova Scotia to
Grenada and now has settled in the Virgin Islands. While in Great Exuma,
Wayne's father taught him to spearfish, Bahamian style. He is an avid
hunter and can be counted on to bring home fresh fish, conch or lobster during
your vacation!
Barbara Elsworth graduated
Phi Beta Kappa, cum laude from the University of
Vermont in 1983 with a degree in history and a great love of sailing.
Pursuing a career in the accounting side of the restaurant business occupied her
until a fateful vacation in 1987. She traveled
to Antigua for Sailing Race Week, accepted a job delivering a sailboat to
England and has never looked back. Barbara met Wayne six months later.
She began working with him shortly there after and they have been together ever
since. Classical French cuisine was the daily fare as Barbara grew up and
she draws on that training to develop a lighter French and Italian inspired
style. Naturally, she specializes in seafood, using only the freshest of
ingredients which Wayne provides. If desserts make your day, watch out!
Barbara has a sweet tooth and can be counted on to go overboard.
From time to time Barbara and Wayne
mistakenly claim ownership of Flame. The true owner is Jacob, the cat.
He is a new addition, heir to the beloved Joshua. Jacob has quickly
discovered that he loves chartering. Our guests have showered him with
love and attention and he is required to do nothing more than sleep and look
cute.
When they are not chartering, Wayne and Barbara
restore antique speedboats: the classic mahogany Chris Crafts and Garwood's.
When they stumbled across Flame, a 1956 Feadship fallen into disrepair, it was
love at first sight. Well, almost! Her restoration and
reconfiguration took a full three years. They did all the work themselves:
Wayne taught Barbara carpentry and expanded his own engineering talents.
Flame is the culmination of their many years chartering and maintaining yachts.
Barbara and Wayne have been chartering together
in the Virgin Islands for fifteen years and these islands are their playground.
Come aboard and let them show you all their secret spots. Find out what a
difference experience makes!!
