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Meet the EYS crew!
Roy Edwards, owner of Edwards Yacht Sales has been boating since his childhood days. Growing up in the Midwest and later settling in Florida, Roy has been a avid sailor his entire life. He's been a liveaboard several times in Florida. Boating experience includes cruises to Mexico, Bahamas, British Virgin Islands and around various waterways of Florida. Roy made the jump to trawlers and motoryachts in the late '90's and has owned several including a 34' Sundeck trawler, 36' Albin classic, and a 44' Classic trawler. When not at the office, Roy enjoys his family, fishing and "tinkering'" with boats of all sizes.
Roy can be reached at 727-725-1600 or Yachts@EdwardsYachtSales.com
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Edwards Yacht Sales, Quality Listings, Professional Brokers
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Bill Mellon is based on the waterfront in southern St. Petersburg. He has been a Florida resident for the past 21 years. He is a second-generation lifetime boater originally from the southern New Jersey coast with an extensive 40-year background in power boats. His boating experiences have taken him from Atlantic to Gulf coasts as well as many bay and inland waterways. Bill, along with his father, has built several small racing boats. While earning his college degrees, Bill was a Research/Recovery Scuba Diver Instructor that trained many Police/Fire Department Rescue Divers. His Yacht Brokering started in early 2004 after an early retirement from the corporate environment in Information Technology Department and Project Management.
Rick Hoving began boating at a very young age while living on Lake Oswego in Oregon, just outside of Portland. Leaving the United States in the early seventies they immigrated to Canada and settled in Northern British Columbia where the boating was limited to a few months during the summer on the nearby lakes and rivers. Rick bought a 27’ sailboat to live aboard in Vancouver, B.C. while attending college and ventured up and down the west coast whenever his school schedule would allow. Surviving some brutal winters where chipping ice off the rigging during winter passages to Vancouver Island was normal, thoughts of warmer climates and sailing in the tropics became the focus. Pooling resources with a fellow sailor with a 34’ sailboat the plan was set into motion and they headed for the Caribbean. Arriving in St. Thomas in 1978, Rick went to Sea School and received his Captains License and began a career Captaining large catamarans doing daysail and snorkel tours for the tourist arriving by cruise ships. After 12 years of piloting various catamarans and riding out Hurricane Hugo on a 76’ Cat named “Spirit of St. Christopher”, Rick left the Virgin Islands and moved to Texas where he married his wife Michelle. In 1993 Rick and his wife Michelle took a cruise out of Tampa and fell in love with the area. Here in Florida Rick has owned several boats. Rick and his wife Michelle enjoy bareboat vacations here in Florida, the Bahamas and the Virgin Islands. Rick joined Edwards Yacht Sales in March 2004 and currently lives on the intercoastal waterway in Largo, Florida.
Leo Thibault literally grew up on the water, rowing his first boat before riding his first bike. From maneuvering small craft on the ponds and along the rivers of Massachusetts to racing power boats on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire and sail boats in Narragansett Bay, Leo has relentlessly pursued his lifelong obsession for boating.
With his vast knowledge of both power and sail boats, Leo has turned this lifelong passion into a thriving business. Inspired by one of his favorite authors, Mark Twain, and following his own dream, Leo packed up his family and relocated to Punta Gorda, Florida several years ago and established himself as an extremely successful yacht broker. Twain wrote: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Judging by his sales figures, the number of his listings, and the loyalty of his large client base, Leo’s enthusiasm is contagious.
Bob Cook is an experienced offshore sailor. He has held a USCG Master’s License for power and sail since 1985. Before joining Edwards Yacht Sales, he operated his own company as a delivery skipper, combining yacht deliveries and offshore sailing instruction. He is a consummate passage planner, mechanic, navigator, sail trimmer, radioman and chef. Bob has sailed all kinds and sizes of sailboats from boats as small as a Pacific Seacraft 28 sloop, to as large as a Palmer Johnson Custom 85 Ketch. He has raced and cruised extensively. He crewed on a 4,400 nm Trans-Atlantic race in 1987, sailing aboard a 42’ footer, from Belgium to New Jersey, finishing third.
With all his time at the helm, sailing on hundreds of extended coastal and offshore passages, teaching offshore skills, Bob has accumulated over 150,000 nm at sea. He has experienced about everything that can possibly happen at sea and is a real resource for knowledge and solutions. Having made so many passages to foreign and domestic ports, Bob has developed friends and clients all over the USA and Caribbean. His favorite islands he readily admits are Jamaica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, and St. Lucia. He can tell riveting stories for hours. Bob believes strongly in the need to be prepared, to know thoroughly any boat you plan to take to sea, all it’s systems, each crew member, planning the route carefully and staying “ahead” of the weather. With this level of attention to detail Bob has demonstrated over and over his ability to take any boat, anywhere, in any weather.
You will enjoy meeting and working with Bob. He brings a high level of professionalism and personal attention to all his relationships and transactions. You can be assured that he will take the same high level of personal interest and attention to your situation, whether it’s helping you find your perfect boat or helping you find a new owner for your present boat.
Joe Weber has joined Edwards Yacht Sales following eleven years in the new boat and brokerage business. This included selling Tartan, Jeanneau, Beneteau, Catalina, Island Packet, Freedom and Lagoon catamarans for leading dealerships.
Joe has been a sailor for over forty years, sailing the Gulf of Maine, Long Island Sound, Bermuda, the Grenadines, the Virgins, San Diego Bay, Narragansett Bay, Nantucket Sound and the Bay of Fundy. He has captained over fifty models of mono hulls and catamarans which gives him a wealth of hands-on experience.
Joe founded the Tartan Owners' New England association and led owners cruises from Connecticut to Maine and New Brunswick.
Joe's goal is finding the right boat for you!
Tom Morton learned the pleasures of boating at an early age, spending every summer in his youth cruising the Great Lakes on his family's powerboats. He learned to sail on dinghies, one designs, and beach cats through his college years. He has sailed a variety of “classic plastic” boats through the years with his wife and three children, ultimately evolving into a multihull enthusiast. After a successful career in the restaurant business, Tom is following his passion for boats to a second career as a yacht broker. When the water beckons, Tom enjoys sailing and scuba diving from his catamaran in the Caribbean, or kayaking and fishing on Salt Run, where he lives in St. Augustine, Florida.
Roy Stringfellow has joined EYS after cruising the eastern Caribbean for several years on his Tayana 55 cutter. He and his wife sailed from Miami to Trinidad during this time, exploring most of the islands for extended periods of time. His previous boating experience including running and captaining a charter business in Miami (Biscayne Bay) on both his Tayana (yes, it has a coastwise endorsement) and a Catalina 42 sloop. Roy also worked as a master scuba instructor in the Tampa area for 16 years where he certified over 600 divers as open water qualified. These experiences, along with his personal boating, have lead to a rounded background in both power and sail. In addition to being an experienced boater, Roy also has an extensive professional sales background with 10 years of medical industry experience and over 12 years of investment and securities sales, of which the last 6 years were as a regional vice president of American Express. Roy lives in Tierra Verde with his wife and will work with buyers and sellers from all over the Florida area.
Thomas Johnson "TJ" has been an avid boater for 40 years starting with small powerboats and eventually graduating into larger cruising sailboats. TJ and his wife Pam learned to sail on the Great Lakes and cruised to Florida from Michigan in 1984 via the upper Great Lakes the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. TJ has been involved in the selling, equipping and commissioning of new and used sailboats and trawlers on the central west coast of Florida for the past 23 years. Hunter, Catalina, Morgan, O’Day, Endeavor, Hirsh 45, Com Pac, Precision and Beneteau are just some of the new boat lines TJ has sold over the years. Put that experience to work for you whether buying or selling.
Harry Schell & his wife Melinda began sailing on the Great Lakes. After years of club racing, daysailing and vacation cruising they sold their home and took off cruising. They’ve been living aboard and cruising from Nantucket to the Florida Keys and on through the Eastern Caribbean to the Manamo River in Venezuela. Along the way Harry earned his USCG Master’s license and used it to drive Water Taxis in Baltimore and deliver power and sail boats to Bermuda and the Gulf of Mexico.
Harry knows intimately how to handle steep learning curves. After 25 years in health care management and a Master’s Degree in Health care & Administration he changed careers for another 15 years in financial services. If you think you’re ready to make a major change Harry has the perfect background to understand and help you realize your dream
Captain Brian Beckham grew up on Hatteras Island, North Carolina and was nicknamed “Captain Fun”. He spent his entire life in, on and flying over the water. At an early age he learned to surf and has surfed for over twenty years. He also learned to fish and became a free lance, off shore fishing Mate. This was the beginning of his love for the sea.
But he had a dream and shortly after high school graduation went off to Florida to Aviation School where he received his Pilot and Instructor’s license. He then went on for a degree in Aviation in North Carolina. Upon his graduation, he moved back to Hatteras Island where he flew Aerial tours over Hatteras Island and the Graveyard of the Atlantic. This stirred his interest in diving. He received his dive certification and love to dive the Graveyard of the Atlantic looking for artifacts. This inspired him to move to the Florida Keys where he became a dive boat captain and Dive master and Rescue Diver.
Brian's experience as in both power and sailboats will make it easy for him to find that perfect boat for you.
Butch Farlesshas been into boating his whole life. His parents were into boating as well, so Butch started early. He has been working in the Marine industry for 5 years. Starting out he was crew on deliveries and worked in boatyards as well. Butch says" I love the boating lifestyle and have lived on several boats myself.I love sail as well as power boats.
Captain Wendy Young and Capt. Calvin, her husband, love boating. They turned their avocation into their vocation when they moved to FL a decade ago. They’ve worked Trawlerfest, and belong to Marine Trawler Owners Association, Sail and Power Squadron, and their local Punta Gorda Cruising Club. Wendy grew up boating on the Great Lakes, taking her first Power Squadron course at 14 y.o. After nursing school and a career stint in upstate New York, she taught nursing and health care management in Chicago for over 20 years before retiring to Punta Gorda FL.
Earning her US Coast Guard 50 ton master license and Florida yacht broker license almost a decade ago, she enjoys helping people sell, buy, and move their boats. She teaches boat handling, including helping women learn to operate their boat. She’s handled a wide variety of boats, delivered boats locally and to farther ports, and enjoys working closely with sellers and buyers to accomplish their goal.
Captain Calvin Cornish and Capt. Wendy, his wife, love boating. They turned their avocation into their vocation when they moved to FL a decade ago. Calvin grew up on Chesapeake Bay and started working on the water early, building wooden skiffs and row boats. Later, before graduating from college, he managed a rental fleet of fishing and crabbing boats, and spent as much time as possible boating and fishing in Chesapeake Bay’s many creeks and bays.
After a 25 year career at financial planning in retail industry in Baltimore, New York, Chicago and Columbus OH, he and Wendy moved to Punta Gorda and began enjoying boating again. Calvin earned his US Coast Guard 100 ton master license and Florida yacht broker license and has helped people buy, sell and move their boats for almost a decade. His experiences selling and delivering a wide variety of power and sailing vessels around Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Carribean and Atlantic coast – Maine to Florida - help buyers find the right boat for their interests. In their spare time, Capt. Calvin and Capt. Wendy cruise their Island Gypsy Europa 32 trawler.
Kevin Welsh was born into the boating lifestyle on the Great South Bay of Long Island aboard his parents Chris Craft, Tomanne. At age 12 his family relocated from NY to Florida. Kevin has spent countless hours boating on the Indian River Lagoon. Four of those years were as a commercial clammer during the "gold rush" days of the mid 80's. Kevin began surfing at age 12 and during high school became actively involved in documenting some of the worlds top surfers via his camera lens. This led to a job at SURFER Magazine, the world's largest surfing publication, where he's been a Senior Staff Photographer for the past 20 years. Kevin has recently been nominated to the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame. His sales experience includes being the East Coast Advertising Executive for SURFER and retail distributor of his SurfNRG Video Series. His close relationship to the ocean has brought him to many shores beyond the East Coast including Hawaii, Indonesia, Central America, and the Caribbean. From exploring the island chain of the Mentawaiis in Indonesia onboard a 62' power cat to retracing the path of earlier surf adventurers in the Caribbean onboard a 44' sailing catamaran boating has been Kevin's passion since birth. Sailing the Abacos on his own catamaran with his wife Cindy and two close sailing partners was a dream come true. Kevin's experience with boating (both sail and power) will be helpful in finding you the right boat to live out your own dreams or selling yours to those that are anxiously awaiting to create their own.
Erin is part of the EYS support staff. She handles Web sites, advertising, phones and boat closings. Erin has been part of the EYS staff since 2006.
Anna is the other half of the EYS support staff. She handles web sites, closings and the phones. Anna has been with EYS since 2008. In her time off Anna enjoys all outdoor activities, going to the beach, playing volleyball, camping, hiking, fishing, and doing activities with my kids, grandkids and family.