http://www.boatinternational.com | January 2018
PHOTOGRAPHY: INSTAGRAM.COM/MYMARCATO
OWNERS’ CLUB
“We’re in the early stages of planning South
America, the Galápagos and then Patagonia,”
reveals Jack. “We haven’t figured out yet whether
we’ll do the Horn and come up the east side or
retrace our steps. We’re looking forward to that.”
The skipper isn’t worried about any wild
weather – anythingMarcatohas so far
encountered has been dealt with comfortably, as
you’d hope for a boat that looks like this. “We’ve
had Jack and Mary out in eight foot seas coming
back from Cuba and they were eating on board,”
says the captain. “As crew, we came back across
the Gulf Stream in 10 to 12 foot seas, which isn’t
fun in anything, but we did it, no problem. She’s
an incredible mover at sea.” It’s all done at a
stately 12 knots but, like Jack says, “if you want to
go fast, get an airplane”.
One of the things that makesMarcatosuch an
evidently happy ship is the connection between
owner and crew. Jack even joined them on a
passage to the Bahamas, donning crew gear and
taking orders from the captain. “He said to me,
‘Jason, I kind of want to stick around’. So he spent
10 days with us. He ate in the crew mess, he wore
a T-shirt and shorts. I’ve got an old 76 Ford with
no air conditioning that he drove around. And
he’d get up every morning and go, ‘Jason, what
am I doing today?’ So I’d get him to pull an
ice-maker out, or something else. And he did it.”
You get the sense from Jack that he’s loving
every second of life on board, but what about
Mary? It’s true thatMarcatois a superyacht that
will always divide opinion. Captain Halvorsen
tells a story from Bermuda when the captain of
87 metreMusashiwandered down the dock just
to say “cool boat”. Then there was a time in
Nassau shortly after the refit when he overheard
a woman in the marina saying “who owns this
weird thing?” If Mary had heard that, she would
have proudly answered “me”. She’s a convert. But
does she really never think aboutCharisma, that
lost Feadship? “Not even for a second.”B
Marcato cruising into New York
Happy crew, happy ship
Salty sea dog
Happy Fourth of July! At the America’s Cup
Anchored in Alaska
Golden Gate bridge
Just some of our toys
Marcato was in
Bermuda for the
America’s Cup, before
crossing over to Newport
and later cruised under
the Brooklyn Bridge
into New York
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