BLACK SWAN

AMENITIES

DECK & SYSTEMS

DIVING

BLACK SWAN Crew Profile

CAPTAIN: Warren East

British

Warren's sailing experience stems back to his 7th birthday when he remembers his first experiences on his father's Laser on a lake in England. The hook was in deep from that moment and he continued to pursue sailing as his family moved around the world. But the flame of passion for sailing was really ignited during his 4 year stay in Bournemouth on the south coast of England, where he studied for a degree in consumer product design and engineering.

During this period he became heavily involved in local J and JK24 championships and local regatta racing all along the south coast. Initially driven out into the cold and wet by his desire for sport photography, his ranking went from Winch Grinder to Tactician and then onto helmsman and as the years went by the races got farther afield and the boats got bigger.

Warren’s final year at University was devoted to yachts, as he began experimenting with power and sailboat hull forms, after spending 6 months working directly with a Naval Architect. He then progressed to specialize in yacht interior design. Warren spent one year at Kassel University in Germany under Professor Horst Sommerlat, who taught him the finer points of next generation ergonomics which he applied to many of his designs in order to achieve superb results for living space and practicality aboard yachts.

On the completion of his degree he began searching for the perfect career which would allow him to feed his desire for sailing, yet allow his creative side to blossom at the same time. After spending some time as a pro photographer, racing and completing many yacht deliveries all over Europe he decided to go to the renowned UK Sailing Academy and learn everything there was to know about yachts and the marine industry in general. This was a 7 month intensive course where at the end he decided to pack a bag and embark on a great adventure.

10 years later his adventure has brought him to Wonderful. With over 60,000 miles offshore and over 100 charters and the MCA 3000 ton commercial officer of the watch license completed, he found himself in an enviable situation of being able to combine virtually everything he has ever learned about design and yachts into the design of Wonderful.

Warren then spent 2 years living in France working on the refit of Wonderful, and it was his job to ensure that every single detail, with no exception, was taken care of in the correct manner. All of his yachting experiences and his design knowledge had been applied to the project and along with the owner’s ideas and desires the yacht is quite simply, "Wonderful".

Warren’s passion for photography never disappeared. He promises to capture those special moments of your vacation like a true professional and will also give you a CD to take home as a pictorial record of those memories, showing the day by day events of your charter vacation.

He will guide you around the Caribbean’s most spectacular dive sites by Kayaks or tender to share each islands little secrets that he’s discovered over the past 8 years. He will make sure that everything from the wine you drink with dinner, to the speed you like to water ski at, is perfect.

For the safety conscious, Warren would like to add that as he was responsible for implementing the stringent safety regulations required by the Marine Coastguard agency (MCA) and that at no point has a compromise been made. He is confident that you will spend a vacation aboard one of the safest yachts in the Caribbean Fleet under 24m long.

 

CHEF: Elizabeth Lee

American

After graduating with a Culinary Arts degree in 2001, Elizabeth began cooking professionally in British Columbia, Canada. In 2003, given an opportunity of a lifetime, she moved to the Caribbean to work on charter yachts. She has been sailing throughout the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea ever since, specializing in Continental, Italian, and Pacific Rim Cuisine. She joined Wonderful in March 2006 and has had rave reviews about her eclectic gourmet meals. An amazing young woman, she has plans of writing her own cookbook as soon as their busy charter schedule allows! You can already find Elizabeth’s published recipes in Fall Flavors Cookbook – Formac Publishing and Caribbean Ship to Shore Cookbook– Ship to Shore Inc. Publishing.

Elizabeth won the Chef of the Year Award at Concours De Chefs at the 3rd Annual St. Maarten Charter Yacht Exhibition in 2006. Elizabeth, chef on the 73ft catamaran Wonderful, won division three for sailboats under 75ft but judges were so impressed with her presentations, they unanimously voted her for Chef of the Year, the first time an overall winner category was added. Her winning dish was Curry Poached Caribbean Lobster Tails tiered on Coconut Infused Rice Cakes with sautéed vegetables and infused greens accented with plantain chips and a tamarind glaze. This Rolls-Royce of culinary competitions for megayachts demands that chefs be at the very top of their game to impress a distinguished panel of judges. Elizabeth was also voted a winner at the Concourse de Chef competition at the Antigua Boat Show December 2009.

 

 

BLACK SWAN Specifications

BLACK SWAN Menu

BLACK SWAN Testimonials

"Hi Warren, Getting back to our world was certainly difficult, if not hellacious and depressing.  We all much preferred our life while on Black Swan in the safely and care of your hands.  Stories continue to be told and entertain us all. 

Everything from beginning to end was absolutely spectacular and an incredible experience.  Elizabeth has always been a talented chef but her continued passion and quest for ongoing education and knowledge certainly has elevated her cuisine to an unanticipated level I was thrilled to share with my friends.  Her hard work and discipline were clearly displayed on the plate and appreciated by our palates. The only drawl back - not being able to spend more time with her delightful and fun spirit. Thank you to all of the crew for creating such a memorable and unique experience for not just each and every one of us, but also for us as a group of friends." MARCH 2013



"Hi Warren, Well, we certainly echo Jen's comments. In fact, we have told our family and friends it was the BEST vacation ever! (and that's saying something considering how old we are!) Not only were the food, service and accommodations simply amazing, having you all for crew was really special. We felt, first and foremost, safe in your hands and Elizabeth's culinary expertise was like eating at Le Cirque every single day, for every single meal, and Idrina's smile, hospitality and relentless service was like none other. We loved being on Black Swan (a magnificent vessel), but it was all of you who truly made the experience. So many laughs, so many lifetime memories, so many beautiful sights that I can still see when I close my eyes." MARCH 2013



"Just landed in Miami and I didn't bother to look at my emails the entire trip -that's saying something about true relaxation. 

Everyone and everything was fantastic!  Loved the boat and the new additions to the crew.  It really was amazing all around!"

FEBRUARY 2013