Product Description

"BECAUSE I'M THE CAPTAIN, I GET TO SLEEP WITH KATE TONIGHT!" Yachties and Millionaires, some well known and famous, mingle, match or clash, often with hilarious results. This book is filled with stories of the colourful characters who play their role in a collection of anecdotes set in a unique, Caribbean culture. Join the author during his escapades as owner and skipper of the luxury charter yacht Ring Andersen. Raving reviews! Now in it's third edition! On the highly recommended list of the best nautical sellers!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #707138 in Books
• Published on: 1998-03
• Binding: Paperback
• 235 pages

About the Author
The Author was born in Holland and roamed the 7 seas while serving in the Dutch and British merchant marine before coming to Canada. He alternates his residence between Grenada and Vancouver and is a regular contributor of short stories and articles on boating for various magazines.

Customer Reviews

What a life
Sage words on life and business. This book is a wonderful read if you have been to the islands or not. Insight is given on the charter industry and the personal relationships involved in such a job. Mr. DeGroot is a smart and amicable guy.
Obviously this is his first book and the writing is a bit stiff at the beginning, but don't give up he loosens up and turns into a wonderful story teller.
Highly recommend this entertaining read! And then don't stop till you are done with the second book!

A funny insight into the boat charter business
The Author is a sailor turned businessman turned sailor. This is a collection of short stories spanning his 9 years as the skipper of a beautiful wooden boat, the Ring Andersen, as he takes charterers to visit the Leeward and Windward Islands of the Caribbean. It is fun reading and it provides an 'in' into the apparent glamorous and adventurous life of men called 'Captain' that hold the fate of vessel and crew at their decisions and skills. I admit that I find some of the stories hard to believe (I.e. "the US is in war with the USSR now") they are simply too good to be truth, but they have high entertainment value. Other stories are hilarious and people may be wondering why you laugh so hard while reading or remembering them in public. Entertaining and informative.

Former owner - operator of a crewed charter yacht
I've sailed the same waters, know a few of the same characters, and all the ports, etc. This book tells what it was like in the Glory Days of chartering when most of the boats were owner operated. In its day, Ring was one of the largest, and most popular in the luxury side of the market, but its size was a disadvantage as well.

Jan de Groot spins a good yarn. One of the main attributes of a captain is to keep his guests entertained. As a reader you will feel the excitement, fun, sometime aggravation, and danger, sailing the eastern Caribbean. There is even a BIG BONUS, a bounty of wonderful pictures. And there are some true charter business insights such as " What makes chartering unique is.....the operator will be living with his clientele. Or, Chartering is a business.. A business is supposed to make a profit.........from a monetary point of view, chartering is a complete flop". The author quickly balances this, by quoting others who say NO, its the lifestyle!".

This is not just a HOW TO book. It is the story of one man's love affair with his boat, his young wife, his children from an earlier marriage, and a spectacular life style at sea. Even if you are not interested in investigating chartering as a business, but like travel, cruising or plain old boating, you will walk away with a warm feeling living the charter life through de Groot's eyes. To find out if he sleeps with Kate, you will have to buy the book because, I wont give that away.

Joel Jacobs, Forum Host YachtWorld's From the Bridge Forum...