CLAUDIA IV

Captain Rich Malone and Chef Sam Howie Malone

Rich and Sam have been a professional team on charter and private yachts throughout the waters of the Caribbean, New England, Mediterranean, New Zealand, and the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North and Central America. They have sailed to the Galapagos, crossed the Atlantic and sailed from Alaska to New England via the Panama Canal.

Rich holds a commercially endorsed RYA Yachtmaster Offshore license. He has accumulated more than 65,000 sea miles, nearly half of those single-handed, including a 3,000-mile, 28-day, non-stop passage from Japan to Alaska, taking in the Aleutian Islands and the Bering Sea.

Born and raised in England, Rich is a PADI diver, dedicated surfer and a British Surfing Association qualified instructor who traveled far and wide in search of the perfect wave. On one of his quests he turned to sailing as a way to reach remote, uncrowded beaches. With no experience under sail, he bought a yacht during a surfing expedition through Australia, taught himself to sail in less than a year and headed out into the Pacific with his surfboards strapped on deck. A wealth of adventures became the material for many feature articles in major sailing magazines on both sides of the Atlantic. Rich is now working on the final draft of a book about his adventures.

A request by friends to legally marry them on board his boat added a new dimension to Rich’s life when he became an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church. So, if you’re considering a combination wedding and honeymoon, look no further than Rich and CLAUDIA IV.

Sam was a complete novice to sailing when she met Rich on the Pacific Coast of Mexico. In short order he enticed her away from Britain and corporate life to join him on his yacht. Baptism by fire quickly ensued. After only a few weeks of coast hopping southward, off they sailed on a 1,300-mile, non-stop passage to the Galapagos Islands.

Prior to embarking on her life afloat, Scots-born Sam put her B.A. in Commerce to use as a marketing manager, initially in the computer industry. After joining a tropical plantscaping company, she became known as “Samta” when she headed up a department specializing in the design and installation of Christmas displays for shopping malls and hotels, winning two international awards for her work. She applies that same enthusiasm, artistic flair, imagination and organization skills to looking after her guests on board CLAUDIA IV.

With more than 40,000 sea miles and visits to hundreds of ports of call in over 25 countries under her belt, Sam has crafted a diverse and creative cooking repertoire featuring dishes redolent of the flavors of the world. Wherever she sails, Sam seeks out local fellow foodies and complements her natural talents in the galley with classes in epicurean institutes from New England to New Zealand.

Sam also has a voracious appetite for games and used to be a Question Mistress in a pub Quiz League. For her, every day presents the opportunity to design fresh new recipes for her guests - and to try and surpass her formidable best-ever Scrabble score.

Together, as they have done for countless guests – including heads of state, Sam and Rich will ensure that your time aboard CLAUDIA IV gives you memories you’ll treasure forever.