Capt. Ursula Skagen

I hold a USCG 100-ton Near Coastal Masters license with Sail and Towing endorsements. Based in Annapolis, I have thirty years of experience in sail and motor yachts. I have cruised, delivered and captained yachts along the entire Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the United States, and throughout the Caribbean Sea, including the Bahamas, the Turks & Caicos, the Spanish Virgin Islands, the Leeward & Windward Islands, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Venezuela, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and Mexico.

I logged 16,000 miles of passages during three years cruising on a Shannon 43 ketch, Integrale (right), and another 8,000 miles cruising aboard my Saga 43, Fortunate Soul. Those practical experiences in often remote regions, along with more formal training, have given me substantial expertise with the operation and repair of all systems aboard a vessel -- few professional delivery captains have personally supervised the repowering and rewiring of a vessel by Spanish-speaking mechanics located twenty miles up the Rio Dulce in Guatemala, an experience that included having the local milk company fabricate new water and fuel tanks.

While voyaging for two years throughout Guatemala, Belize and Honduras, I captained my boat for vacation charters and for fund-raising by a Guatemalan NGO -- we raised enough to provide two years of support for a village school in the remote highlands near the Guatemala/Mexico border.

Since then, I have logged many thousands of miles delivering yachts for clients along Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and throughout the Eastern and Western Caribbean. I have a calm, patient personality. I enjoy the detail-oriented process of planning a yacht delivery almost as much as I enjoy the actual delivery. Crew and vessel safety are my highest priorities. Your vessel will be cared for as if it were my own.

Whether providing instruction during an owner-assisted delivery or during a day cruise from a home dock, I especially enjoy helping everyone, both captain and crew, gain self-confidence and self-sufficiency with boat handling, route planning, navigation and piloting -- boating should be enjoyable, and the more one knows, the more relaxed and fun it becomes.