Spending my childhood and teenage years living between the Florida Keys and the coast of Maine there was no getting around the draw of the ocean. From a young age I could be found roaming the docks of Key West, FL picking up work scrubbing decks, sanding, painting and eventually crewing and captaining aboard the may traditional boats that winter there. During my high school years I was able to combine my love of being on the water with high school credits by creating a number of independent studies that revolved around maritime heritage and tradition. When I was 18 I purchased my first boat, a 32' cutter in Key West. I lived aboard and fixed her up before making the offshore passage to Blue Hill, ME. Shortly after my 20th birthday I received my USCG 100-ton Masters Credential and went on to run numerous vessels ranging from traditionally rigged schooners between the Bahamas and the coast of Maine, to fishing boats, dive vessels and small sailing charter boats in the Florida Keys, to piloting hovercrafts and jet drive catamarans in Alaska. Today, 11 years later I find myself sailing aboard the historic schooner When And If, sharing her history while showing off her elegance and speed to each guest who steps aboard. I look forward to racing her as a serious contender in the many Classic regattas New England has to offer in the Summer season. Sailing has become a tradition in my family - starting with my older brother who now owns When And If - and quickly spreading through all of us; it is hard to imagine a life that does not revolve around the wind and tide.
Stew/Deck/Cook: Zoe Moncheur
My love for sailing started when I was 7 years old and I crewed for my father at our local yacht club in Wellington, New Zealand where I was raised. I spent every weekend on the water and competed in national regattas throughout the country. Sailing is an integral part of my life and I feel extremely fortunate to be able to work and live on the extraordinary When and If.
While my formal education is in Law, having graduated with a Law degree from Victory University of Wellington Law School in 2016, my true love is in the culinary arts. My father is a wonderful chef, he grew up working at a resort in New York where he learned to cook and has since then taught me everything he knows. I worked my way through university waitressing at a fine-dining restaurant The Cobar, it was here I learned the importance of dish presentation.
In 2018 I was able to combine my passion for sailing and my love for cooking, as well as the skills I learnt from my father and my time at The Cobar when I was hired as the live aboard cook on the When and If. Living and working aboard this vessel has been a great experience, allowing me to introduce a creative element into my dishes with a focus on local flavours from wherever we sail. I look forward to more adventures and exciting dishes with our charter guests.
