05/19/2026
What’s the story behind the name boards of the Genesis of Narwhal Yacht Charters? A lot.
My parents lived on a sailboat for the first six years of their marriage. They named their sailboat the “Genesis”, which means the beginning, because it represented the beginning of their journey with one another. In 1973, my dad handmade these name boards, which are now prominently displayed on my sailboat.
I was lucky to have an influential father who was both a passionate sailor and entrepreneur. Unfortunately, he passed in 2000 and we had to sell the family boat. Miraculously, my older brother somehow had the wherewithal to remove the name boards days before the boat was shipped.
For 12 years, the Genesis name boards sat in storage in my mom’s attic. In 2012, I quit my corporate job, bought a Tayana 37, started my charter company, and moved onto my sailboat. I retrieved the Genesis name boards and with my family’s blessing, named my sailboat the Genesis. Fittingly, my younger sister was the first to sail with me after I bolted the name boards to my sailboat.
The Genesis represents many beginnings for me. It was both my new home (I lived on her for five years) and my new career / business. She brings me joy on a daily basis and keeps me connected to my father. Even more beautiful, my wife and I had our first date aboard the Genesis, I proposed aboard the Genesis, and we even married aboard the Genesis.
I meticulously maintain these name boards, like my father before me, and now the Genesis creates lifelong memories for everyone who sails aboard her. So when you see me smiling as I welcome you aboard in front of the Genesis name boards, remember that this “beginning” originated over five decades ago and you are about to embark on something truly special.
