Capt. Ken Bracewell
Motoryacht Curt-C

Date interviewed: June 2008

How did you realize you wanted to become a captain?
My father is in the dinner boat-sightseeing business in Ontario, Canada. I grew up working with him, literally every summer since I was 7. I can remember being 8 years old, standing on a stool with the crew around me, driving the 115-foot boat with 200 passengers onboard. One summer, when I was 18, I got to run the boat while Dad was on hiatus. It was great.
     I went to college for physics and wanted to be a naval architect, but I dropped out and became the captain onboard a 43-foot Viking motoryacht in Florida in Michigan instead. By the time I was 23, I was helping to oversee the build and then run an 80-foot Mangusta motoryacht that did 47 knots. I brought that boat to Florida in 1996, and that’s when I discovered the yachting industry. 
 
What training did you undergo to become a captain?
I was 24 when I went to Florida, and I started to get my licenses back then. I worked my way up progressively, and now I hold a 1,600-ton ocean license.

What yachts did you work on before Curt-C?
My first charter yacht was a 94-foot Broward motoryacht called Viaggio. I’ve been on and off other boats since then, and in 2005 I joined the 145-foot motoryacht Curt-C.

What do you think makes Curt-C unique or special?
The crew. Don’t get me wrong—it’s a nice boat, and we’re laid out particularly well for families with lots of toys. But without a good crew, none of that means anything.
     We have seven crew onboard, and most of us have been here, working together, for about three years.

How do you determine what itinerary you will set for a given charter?
I find that through e-mail, I can get a sense of whether the client wants to talk to me or not. Some clients want to talk, and some don’t.
     Either way, I look at itineraries as guidelines. Once we get people on the boat and see what they like, we can change things.

What are some of your favorite cruising destinations, and why?
I think the Bahamas are a fabulous place to charter in the winter. I’m an Exumas guy, but Harbour Island is great, too.
     And I love New England. Maine is just gorgeous. If you came there with us three years in a row, we’d give you three different trips.

What features onboard Curt-C do you particularly enjoy sharing with guests?
We have great toys. We have a 28-foot tender, a 17-foot landing craft with a drop-down platform, two sailing dinghies, two kayaks, two Wave Runners, two remote-controlled sailboats, two bicycles, water skis, tubes, and all the rest.
     Plus, we have WiFi throughout the boat.

Describe a typical guest’s day onboard Curt-C.
I don’t think there’s such a thing as a typical day on charter. We have one client coming back this August for his seventh charter, and for him, yes, we have typical days, because we know what he likes. But in general, we try to be flexible.

What kind of charter guests are your favorites?
I like them all. I really do. I like people who are here to have fun.

What else should CharterWave readers know about you and Curt-C?
The fact that our crew has been together for so long could be easily overlooked, but for me, it’s important. It’s my proudest achievement. These guys are my family. The mate and the deckhand are standing up in my wedding.

Curt-C is part of the Bartram & Brakenhoff fleet. She takes 12 guests at a lowest weekly base rate of $95,000. Contact any reputable charter broker to learn more.