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.Howard is an avid sailor and boating enthusiast and a former Commodore of the Larchmont Yacht Club. "Giving something back to the sport of sailing" through race management at Larchmont regattas and Storm Trysail's Block Island Race Week, plus marine photography, keeps him on the water in his Fortier 26 named 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 Support Staff
McMichael brokers go through in-house training that continues throughout their career. All eligible 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 AmericaOur receptionist and listing secretary, Linda Brekne, who has been with McMichael for over 38 years is assisted by Mary Ann Gorski who maintains the web based listing services - YachtWorld, Marine Source, Yacht Council etc.
Our sales coordinator, Tish Fontanella, has been handling the details for over 25 years. Tish oversees the paperwork for all brokerage and new boat transactions, orders all new boats and options, and insures the accuracy of our records for future reference. She handles requests for copies of bills of sale from our files dating back to the 1970s. Very few brokerage companies maintain detailed accurate records dating back this far.
Joan McMichael Kelly - Licensed Florida Yacht Broker
Joan is vice-president of McMichael and manages the power boat division. In 1983 she became active in the family business and put to use her years of boating knowledge. Under Joan's management, the power boat division has grown tremendously, 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 J/30 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. Art lives in Harrison, NY, with his wife Carolyn. As time permits, they 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
Tim's love of sailing started in 1959 when he and his dad built his first sailboat in Atlanta, GA. After rebuilding a Blue Jay the same year, they sold both boats and bought their first Thistle. Tim won his first regatta in 1960 in Atlanta and he and his Dad continued racing Thistles across the country. His father and uncles were sailing instructors at Larchmont Yacht Club, and his Uncle Rush was captain of the Yale Sailing Team and later won a Gold Medal in the Olympic six meter class. Tim's interest in racing grew stronger and in 1970 he was asked to be genoa and spinnaker trimmer of ‘LA FORZA DEL DESTINO’, a Gary Mull 55 footer. Tim has been watch captain on a NY36, 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. Tim actively races his J/109, ‘JIA’, from 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 is the sale and outfitting of 6 new J122s for spring 2008 and the start of the first active one design J122 fleet here 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 JBoat salesmen worldwide, and most recently adding "Top Alerion Express salesmen 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 is eager to bring 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 ‘98 aboard “Magic Hat”. Todd and his wife, Joy, live in Huntington, CT. They 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 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 four 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 addition to the McMichael team.Michael’s last position was as an instructor for Offshore Sailing School, where he instructed Bareboat Charter courses on Long Island Sound and New York Harbor. He was also captain of 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
Art Robertson
bought an older Columbia 36 from Howard over 25 years ago. His love of boats led him to join the McMichael team in 1987. Over the past 20 plus years Art has become an expert in all aspects of boat repair and maintenance. In January of 2008 he was promoted from assistant manager at McMichael Yard 1 to manager of McMichael Rushmore across the harbor.Patti Hornidge
Grew up crewing for her father Hank in frostbites sailing from the docks at McMichael Rushmore. In 2004 Patti became office manager responsible for scheduling, billing, and customer satisfaction.
David Walker
spent 10 years as a mechanic in the Jamaican Defence Force back in 1972. He continued his career as a certified MerCruiser and OMC mechanic. He joined McMichael Rushmore in 1998 and became a Volvo "All Systems" certified mechanic in 2000. His overall knowledge and customer friendly attitude make him an excellent foreman. His son David Junior joined McMichael in 2007 after several years working as a Chrysler certified mechanic in Rye. He is now a valued part of David's crew.
The McMichael Yacht Yard #1 Staff
Helmut Bittlingmayer
In 1980 Helmut joined his older brother Richard at McMichael Yacht Yard. His technical and analytical background is perfectly suited for managing a workforce that repair and service offshore racing and cruising sailboats. Commissioning new JBoats, Alerion Express, True North and MJM sold by the McMichael brokers is only part of the job. The other 300 customers own various types of boats 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
Joined the McMichael team in 2005 after learning the ropes on yachts large and small. At McMichael Grant corresponds with the owners: setting launch dates, writing estimates, and offering advice. He acts as the 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 experiences include managing five 12 Meter America’s Cup race boats in St Maarten, manager of Bobby’s Marina in St Maarten, operating International America’s Cup Challenge in Nassau and the purchase of NZL 10 and 12 plus the tender Ranger, teaching sailing, and delivering larger sailboats.Karen Mancusi
Karen is the cheerful voice on the phone when you call the yard. She works closely with Grant preparing the invoices. Karen's husband is Jim the Harbor Master for the Village of Mamaroneck, but she admits she has no control if you want a mooring in the inner harbor.
McMichael Yacht Brokers LTD.
|
447 E. Boston Post Rd. Mamaroneck, NY 10543, USA |
Toll-free 866-373-0115 Tel (914) 381-5900 Fax (914) 381-5060 Email Us info@mcmyacht.com |
