COPPER PENNY

Two Crews!

Jim & Amanda - October through February
Dan and Alli - March through July
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Jim & Amanda Grant - Your aboard COPPER PENNY

Jim and Amanda are ready to welcome you aboard the catamaran COPPER PENNY. They are an outgoing couple who love to entertain, and look forward to leading their guests on new and exciting adventures

Jim and Amanda's love for adventure drew them together, and they were married in 2000. When they met both were weekend whitewater raft guides and kayakers. Soon they discovered sailing and bought a boat. After 7 years of sailing on the Chesapeake Bay, they decided to leave corporate America for the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. They sailed for two years aboard their own boat exploring the Caribbean.

Jim, your captain, grew up sailing on Lake Ontario. His family has always owned boats and Jim began his sailing instruction while attending summer camp. As a young adult Jim moved to Virginia, were he became bareboat certified and began chartering. In his corporate life Jim was a stockbroker. He was televised on Charlottesville, Virginia's NBC 29 nightly news for seven years sharing his market commentary with viewers. While working as a stockbroker, Jim found time to become a delivery captain for a Lagoon catamaran dealership, and began transiting the East Coast of North America. There he found his love for the open ocean. He obtained his United States Coast Guard Masters License, and later obtained a MCA 200-ton Offshore Certificate. Jim is also a certified PADI Dive Master, and looks forward to taking you diving. In addition Jim enjoys windsurfing, kite surfing, and skiing.

Amanda, your chef, is from Virginia. She grew up as a competitive swimmer and spent time backpacking in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Later, she discovered triathlons, and spent many hours training and competing. Jim introduced her to sailing, and life was never the same. She began sailing the Chesapeake every weekend, and accompanying Jim on some of his deliveries. Amanda's career as an engineer was demanding and gratifying, but soon she began dreaming of warm waters. During her years sailing the Caribbean, she developed a love for cooking and exploring local cuisine. To prepare for life as a charter chef, Amanda attended a mega-yacht cooking school in Fort Lauderdale, where she honed her skills. She looks forward to serving you beautifully presented delicious meals. In addition, Amanda is a certified PADI Dive Master, and a kayak instructor. Amanda's other interests include windsurfing, kite surfing, and skiing.

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Taking the helm of COPPER PENNY in March, 2023:

Meet the Crew of Copper Penny
Captain Ben Raley and First Mate Rachel Haskovec are an
energetic, professional yachting and charter host team. Together they
have a deep passion for all of the adventures that the Virgin Islands have
to offer and enjoy sharing them with others. As a couple they offer a
charming graciousness that helps people to feel comfortable and fully
relaxed. They work closely with every charterer to match their guest’s
level of interest with the right level of activity, dining, and relaxation.
This year will be their eighth season chartering together in the BVI.

Captain Ben Raley
Ben was born & raised on the Gulf of Maine, and has harbored a love of the sea his entire life. Building his first rowboat with his father at the age of six, Ben knew that the ocean was where he belonged. At eight, he started sailing aboard a Rhodes 19’ and by the age of 18, he made his way from Portsmouth, NH to Hawaii via the Caribbean islands and Panama Canal aboard various sailboats. Eventually settling in Washington State’s Puget Sound, Ben taught sailing in a community sailing program during the summer months and apprenticed under a local shipwright in the winters. Finally, aboard his own 32’ sailboat, he was able to fulfill a dream of sailing back to New Hampshire. Adventures along the way to fund his dream included, working as a deckhand aboard ocean going tugboats hauling freight through Southeast Alaska, commercial fishing for giant bluefin tuna, delivering sailboats along the west coast of Central America, and working as mate aboard a luxury charter yacht based in Petersburg, Alaska where he learned the finer points of running top quality charters. Tropical seas calling him, Ben focused his efforts on the Virgin Islands and has successfully Captained three charter catamarans based in the BVI. Ben is excited to be aboard Copper Penny, sailing the crystal-clear waters and trade winds of the US & British Virgin Islands.

First Mate/Chef Rachel Haskovec
Rachel was born with an adventurous spirit, and grew up hiking, camping, fishing, and eagerly exploring her love for the outdoors near her childhood home in Boulder, CO. With a degree in Business Marketing, she worked in sales for DEWALT power tools in Boston, quickly developing a passion for the ocean, enjoying swimming, SCUBA diving, sea kayaking and catching and cooking the freshest seafood. Her fascination with sailboats also started in New England, where she called on and worked with the manufacturing facilities of Hinckley Yachts in Maine and observed the construction process from start to finish of some of the finest yachts in the world. Rachel has also pursued her passion for food and entertaining, working with the Culinary Institute of Montana where winters included skiing and working in fine dining establishments while the summer months involved rock climbing, rafting, and racing sailboats on the largest natural freshwater lake in the western US. Missing the salty air & vastness of the ‘big blue’, Rachel left the US to live and work aboard a sailboat and deliver her from Florida to Bocas del Toro, Panama. Eventually spending extensive time in Central America, Rachel founded Nicaragua Energetic Flow Yoga, working as a full-time traveling yoga instructor at 6 resorts in the southwest corner of Nicaragua. She also managed and cooked at a B&B guesthouse in the jungle outside San Juan del Sur. As an athlete and yogi, Rachel is adamant about using the freshest quality local ingredients to create healthy and delicious meals that feed the body and the soul.

Together, Ben and Rachel look forward to sharing their passions with guests. Ben is an avid angler, with a particular interest in fly fishing, and has spent many hours discovering techniques and places in the Virgin Islands that can be productive for catching Tarpon, Bonefish, and several other species of hard fighting saltwater fish. As a surfer and kiteboarder Ben knows where the conditions will be best on any given day. Rachel is a passionate Yoga practitioner and Licensed Yoga Instructor. Over the years in the VI Rachel has found some unique and beautiful outdoor “studios” where she loves to bring interested guests for a yoga class. Her teaching style reflects her belief that yoga should be accessible to everyone, whether they have been practicing for years or have never been to a yoga class. These activities can be incorporated into your charter aboard Copper Penny and can add another layer of excitement or relaxation to your experience.