Francis McLawrence
Neil
Lady Marigot is managed by a fully Saint Lucian crew with years of sailing, hospitality, & operations expertise. Combined, the crew has over 15 years of experience on board Lady Marigot, and they have traveled to all seven continents, over 100 countries, as well as multiple trans-Atlantic crossings.
With their mastery of Lady Marigot and unrivaled knowledge of St. Vincent & the Grenadines, and the Southern Caribbean at large, our crew will provide an unparalleled, unforgettable, and truly authentic charter experience!
Captain: Francis McLawrence
With over 46 years of captaining experience, Francis found his love for the sea at a young age - at just six months old, he crossed from St. Lucia to Barbados with his father. Never looking back, Francis spent every school vacation thereafter at sea. He has captained a wide-range of ships, from catamarans, power-yachts, to even tug-boats. Captain Francis has done it all - yacht charters, sport & commercial fishing, shipping, & pleasure sails. He has obtained an array of boating qualifications, including but not limited to Boat Master License, Celestial Navigation Certification, and Basic Electronics.
First trained to sail using a sextant and star charts, Francis is one of the few mariners who upholds the tradition of celestial navigation. He has traversed the entire Caribbean this way (no GPS!), as well as having crossed the Atlantic by catamaran.
Well read, Francis brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise onboard. He is well versed in Caribbean history, local flora and fauna (by land and by sea), and the evolution and traditions of sailing. Young at heart, Francis is always excited to learn and brings both energy and experience to every charter – as well as more than a few great stories!
In his free time, Captain Francis designs and builds custom ships made of recycled plastic, old dinghies, & plywood. He plays bass guitar and enjoys reading about science fiction, history, and anything by Graham Hancock.
First Mate: Lee Freeman
Lee has been working with Lady Marigot since 2018, when he joined as a deckhand. While sailing is one of his many strengths, Lee specializes in mechanical maintenance of all sorts. With a willingness to listen and learn, coupled with an acute ability to educate himself from any source (Youtube included!) Lee continues to excel. Affable and endearing, polite and well-mannered, his youthful cheer and unyielding work-ethic makes for an invaluable addition to any crew or charter.
With the ocean as Lee's principal passion, perhaps his greatest talent is free-diving and spear-fishing. Countless times he has returned to the boat with barracuda, fish, spiny lobster, and the like. Most daring of all, Lee usually spear-fishes at night, hundreds of yards off the coast of Saint Lucia in what is known as the St. Vincent channel.
When he isn't onboard, Lee fixes cars in his free time and enjoys motorcycles, dirt-biking, and off roading.
Chef: Neil Matty
Neil Matty, also known as "Chef Trap", has been working with Lady Marigot for over a year and cooking for 21. He began his culinary journey at the age of 15 and was inspired by his father, an executive chef on a cruise line. Chef Trap's culinary repertoire is diverse, spanning Italian, French, Caribbean, African, Mongolian, Portuguese, Argentinian, Cuban, and Asian cuisines, with a particular interest in gastronomy. He spent 11 years honing his skills on cruise lines, with seven of those dedicated to exploring the diverse culinary landscapes of Africa.
Chef Trap has traveled to well over a hundred countries... and has the pins to prove it! He spent 15 days in the frigid tundra of Antarctica, and his favorite destinations are Portugal, Zimbabwe, Honduras, and Montenegro.
Chef Trap loves watching anime. He was an international DJ while working on cruise lines and enjoys watching cricket and listening to soca music.
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