Brokers and Staff
Howard McMichael - President
Howard grew up in the boat business. He apprenticed under Herb Ericson, a master ship's carpenter from City Island and foreman of McMichael Yacht Yard in the early 1950's.He is a former Commodore of Larchmont Yacht Club and an avid sailor and boating enthusiast. "Giving something back to the sport of sailing" through race management and marine photography keeps him on the water in his Fortier 26 PUFF.
You will often find Howard aboard his daughter and son-in-law's J44, HONAHLEE, cruising with several of his 7 grandchildren. Howard has been a member of the Coastal Zone Commission for the Town of Mamaroneck since the late 1980s and is working with many others to clean up our Sound.
Howard's email address is howardm@mcmyacht.com
The McMichael Brokers
McMichael brokers go through in-house training that continues throughout their career. All our brokers are required to be Certified Professional Yacht Brokers (CPYB), having passed an all inclusive test of their knowledge administered by the Yacht Brokers Association of America.
Joan McMichael Kelly - Licensed Florida Yacht Broker
Joan is Vice President of McMichael and manages the power boat division. She became active in the family business in 1983 and put her years of boating knowledge to use. The power boat division has grown tremendously under Joan's management, making McMichael a leading power boat brokerage company in the northeast. Joan is known and respected by her clients and the brokers she works with throughout the country. Joan exemplifies the McMichael long-standing philosophy of integrity, service and professionalism when dealing with clients and the details that are part of buying and selling a boat. She is a member of the Yacht Brokers Association of America (YBAA).Joan's email address is joank@mcmyacht.com
Tom Bobbin - CPYB - Certified Professional Yacht Broker
Tom has a long sailing history. He started sailing when he was 12 years old in his father’s charter business based in Tortola. His love of boats continued to grow with his cruising and racing experiences on Long Island Sound. Racing soon became a passion. His background, from sailboards to Swans, gives him a depth of knowledge necessary for success as a yacht broker. His goal is finding the right boat for each customer. Working with people and boats is what he enjoys and does best. Tom knows that the customer is number one and this is the credo he brings from his past career in the mail order/e-commerce industry. Tom spends most of his free time racing on J Boats in PHRF and One Design Fleets in and around Long Island Sound and occasionally on his J30, SPECIAL SAUCE, out of Black Rock Harbor.Tom's email address is
tomb@mcmyacht.com
Art Cancro - CPYB - Certified Professional Yacht Broker
A third generation power boat owner, Art has a wealth of experience in the operation and maintenance of boats of all types and sizes. A seasoned cruiser, he is always eager to share knowledge gained from years of trips on Long Island Sound and points east. This background has proven to be extremely helpful in assisting his clients in their search for the right boat.Art owned and managed a computer sales and service business for many years before deciding to put his marketing skills and passion for boats together at McMichael. As time permits, Art and his wife Carolyn can be found cruising on their Hatteras 40 DC or at the Harlem Yacht Club on City Island, where Art sits on the Board of Directors.
Art's email address is
artc@mcmyacht.com
Tim Mariner - CPYB - Certified Professional Yacht Broker
From his first regatta win in 1960 racing Thistles at Lake Lanier to racing a Gary Mull 55 footer, LA FORZA DEL DESTINO, Tim has enjoyed sailing and owning a number of different one design and one-off racing boats for almost 50 years. Tim has been watch captain on a NY 36, a Sequin 40 and a Luffe 44 and has logged thousands of miles sailing in a number of offshore races, including numerous Stamford/Vineyard, Block Island, Stratford Shoal, Annapolis/Newport, Marblehead/Halifax , Newport/Bermuda and Sjaelland Rundt (Copenhagen, Denmark) races.He shares his broad experience in many types of sailboats and their characteristics with his clients, enabling them to narrow their focus and find the "right" boat.
Tim's latest boat, an MJM 29z power boat, is berthed at Riverside Yacht Club, where he has been a member since the late 1980s.
Tim's email address is
timm@mcmyacht.com
Rusty Stewart - CPYB - Certified Professional Yacht Broker
Rusty's sailing goes back more than 40 years. His racing resume includes Newport-Bermuda races, Block Island Race Weeks and many local one design campaigns. His latest project was the sale and outfitting of 6 new J122s for Spring 2008 and the start of the first active one design J122 fleet on LIS.Whether selling an Alerion 28 or a custom J122, Rusty’s focus is always on the customer! He is the proud recipient of J Boats "Award of Excellence" and "Broker of the Year" for being one of the top 3 J Boat salesmen worldwide, and most recently adding "Top Alerion Express Salesman Nationwide".
Rusty's email address is rustys@mcmyacht.com
Todd Williams - CPYB - Certified Professional Yacht Broker
Todd started sailing on his family’s cruising boat before his memory serves. His love of racing was cultivated though sailing Blue Jays and Lasers in Pequot Yacht Club's JYRA program. After a few years in Vermont attaining his BS in Business, Todd was drawn back to LIS, where he has actively raced in several PHRF and One Design Fleets.Todd brings his people skills gained as a financial recruiter together with his love of sailing and the Sound. He enjoys using his extensive knowledge of sailboats to find his clients the boat that best suits their needs. Todd is dedicated to providing the best possible service to all his customers.
He has been an active member of the J105 class since 1998 aboard “Magic Hat”. Todd and his wife, Joy, cruise and race their Olson 34, JOYRIDE, out of Black Rock Harbor. During the winter ski season you will probably spot them on the slopes at Okemo where they have a ski house.
Todd's email address is toddw@mcmyacht.com
Michael Beers - Broker
Michael is a licensed captain and was a professional sailing instructor for 4 years in New York and San Francisco. Michael’s depth of experience in the racing and teaching environment, along with his integrity and commitment to customer service, make him a great part of the McMichael team.He has instructed bareboat charter courses on Long Island Sound and New York Harbor and captained the 80’ schooner Adirondack II in Newport, RI. While living in San Francisco, Michael was active in the Melges 24 and PHRF racing fleets.
Michael's email address is michaelb@mcmyacht.com
The McMichael Rushmore Staff
Guus Sijmons
Guus joined McMichael in 2008 and was appointed manager in the Summer of 2009. Born and raised in Amsterdam, he sailed a small "pirate" dinghy as a 9 year old and graduated to a wooden 470. As a teen he attended a maritime secondary school and earned a certificate. While working for Shell Oil Tankers as an assistant engineer, he continued studying maritime engineering, expanding his certification to operate fully as ship engineer worldwide. During shore leaves, he captained traditional sailing clippers on the North Sea and inland waters. Guus returned to The Netherlands and began his 20 years as ship engineer for the Royal Dutch Navy working on a wide range of boats: from row boats to submarines, frigates to the Queen's personal yacht. In 2003 Guus started his career in the U.S. working as head mechanic/shipwright for Brewer Yacht Haven and marine manager at Indian Harbor YC in CT. He now makes his home in CT with his wife, Jennifer, and 2 demanding cats. You can still find him on his sailboat HOI! (Dutch for Hi) or restoring a 24' Tripp power boat.Patti Hornidge
Patti grew up crewing for her father Hank in frostbite sailing from the docks at McMichael Rushmore and at Larchmont YC. In 2004 Patti became office manager and is responsible for customer satisfaction, scheduling, billing and ordering parts.
The McMichael Yacht Yard #1 Staff
Helmut Bittlingmayer
Helmut joined his older brother Richard at McMichael Yacht Yard in 1980. His technical and analytical background is perfectly suited for managing a workforce that repairs and services offshore racing and cruising sailboats. Commissioning new JBoats, Alerion Express, Summit, Santa Cruz, True North and MJMs sold by McMichael brokers is only part of the job. The other 300 customers own various types of boats, some dating back to the 1980s when McMichael was C&C Yachts' and Pearson Yachts' largest dealer. His broad knowledge of past models is essential to their proper maintenance and repair. The yard department heads in charge of sailboat rigging, mechanical (Yanmar and Volvo service, parts, repowering and warranty), fiberglass structural repair, painting (Awlgrip and gelcoat), and electronics installation and repair report to Helmut. A hands-on manager, Helmut is usually found working with the crew on one of the many projects. At the end of the day, “customer satisfaction” is his goal.Grant Vogt
Grant joined the McMichael team in 2005 after 30 years of experience racing, delivering and managing yachts large and small. At McMichael Grant corresponds with the owners, setting launch dates, writing estimates and offering advice. He acts as gatekeeper (freeing Helmut and the department heads), using his extensive knowledge of boats to advise our customers on what will work well and what will work even better. His past experience includes managing five 12 Meter Americas Cup race boats in St Maarten and manager of Bobby’s Marina in St Maarten. Grant proposed the business plan and started the IAC Challenge LTD in Nassau, Bahamas in 1999. The company purchased the International America’s Cup Class yachts NZL10 and 12 and the tender Ranger. Grant served as President and Director of Operations of the race charter business until the sale of the company in 2002.Karen Mancusi
Karen is the cheerful voice on the phone when you call the yard. She works closely with Grant to prepare invoices and assists in providing customer service. She has been with McMichael for 8 years, having previously worked at Derecktor Shipyard.Mary Lou Forlano
Mary Lou joined the McMichael team in 2001 as Purchasing Agent. She grew up sailing on Long Island Sound aboard her Aunt's wooden sailboat and now enjoys sailing with her husband on their 30' sloop.
The McMichael Support Staff
Linda Brekne
Our receptionist and listing secretary, Linda came to McMichael 40 years ago while still in high school. Her husband Martin (whose father Toby was boat captain at Larchmont YC for 35 years) is a marine contractor.Tish Fontanella
Our Sales Coordinator, Tish has been handling contracts and boat orders for over 29 years. She oversees the paperwork for all brokerage, new boat and trade transactions and insures the accuracy of our records for future reference. She handles requests for archived documents from our files dating back to the 1970s. Very few brokerage companies maintain detailed accurate records dating back that far.Mary Ann Gorski
Ad coordinator, assistant receptionist and listing secretary, Mary Ann also maintains the web-based listing services.
McMichael Yacht Brokers LTD.
|
447 E. Boston Post Rd. Mamaroneck, NY 10543, USA |
Toll-free (877) 606-0401 Tel (914) 381-5900 Fax (914) 381-5060 Email Us info@mcmyacht.com |
