Mawali's Crew
Captain Jon Brown and Chef Nicki Donaldson
Jon's love of sailing started with his first
sailboat at nine years old, exploring the banks of Long Island,
New York. His
family's move to Maine when he was twelve only furthered his
interest in the water, and upon high school graduation he joined
Maine Maritime Academy where he got his degree in Yacht Management.
After two summers of working at Hinkley Yachts, and two years
at Portland Yachts of maine, he bought a yacht and in 1990
set sail for warmer climates. Arriving at Key West in Florida
he quickly found work crewing on a 60' ex-transatlantic racing
catamaran, the "Fury". Eight months of crewing in
the daytime and studying at night found him getting his USCG
Captain's license, and at the age of 22 he became the skipper
of the "Fury". During his third year in Key West
he met his future wife, Nicki, and shortly after,they set sail
for the Caribbean. Upon reaching St. Martin, they found work
running the yacht "johanna", a Swan 57', on which
they spent five years taking guests on two week holidays up
and down the island chain. From Venezuela to Cuba they sailed
in an out of anchorages that soon became like their back garden.
In 2000 they decided to take a break from life afloat and settled
in Grenada where together they opened a yacht rigging business.
Although jon gained an excellent reputation as a competent
and conscientious rigger, he missed the life of sailing and
therefore closed the business after three years, and happily
accepted the offer of skippering "Mawali". Jon is
clearly a keen sailor, and also enjoys diving and all watersports.
Growing up in Maine with his father in the lobster business,
Jon is a skilled fisherman and can prepare mouth-watering sashimi
and bakes the most delicious lobster you'll ever have the pleasure
to eat!
Nicki was born in the UK but moved to North
Carolina, USA when she was 15. After graduating University
with a BA in English
she moved to Spain for two years before returning to England
after a nine-year absense. Within the year she grabbed her
backpack and took a flight to the warmer climate of Key West,
Florida. Here she was the first introduced to the life of sailing
at the age of 24, where she met Jon. Sailing aboard the "fury" for
18 months was enough to realise she wanted more of this life-style,
and when Jon proposed sailing to the Caribbean aboard his yacht,
she leapt at the chance. Upon the offer of work as chef on
the yacht "johanna" Nicki happily spent the next
five years sailing the Eastern Caribbean, introducing the guests
to the flavours of the islands. With Captain Jon hauling in
spoils of the ocean, Nicki will prepare delights from the gallery
to tempt your taste-buds! Sunset traditionally brings a variety
of 'sun-downers' as you relax in the cockpit. With a gregarious
personality and a genuine enjoyment of meeting new people,
she loves life afloat and sharing the experience of the Caribbean.
