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Heather Wood – Yacht and Charter Broker

Heather Wood, a native of upstate New York, came to the BVI in 2000 with friends who had a charter yacht based there. Life took a turn when she first met Captain Simon, originally from the UK but who has lived and worked in the BVI since 1989. It was upon returning to Boston where she was a sales manager that she met up with Simon again when he sailed into Boston Harbor. Summer weekends were spent sailing up and down all of New England’s coast line, with as many winter getaways in the BVI as possible. In 2002, Heather moved permanently to Tortola, where she and Simon were married on Sandy Ground Estates with friends and family from the US and England present.

For that summer and a few after that, Heather sailed with Simon from Tortola to Bermuda to New England with the return trip in the Fall. Heather has sailed with Simon on numerous deliveries throughout the Caribbean to as far as Belize. In all, she has accumulated over 7000 nautical miles in just a few short years. Deciding to be land based, Simon retired from the Yacht to concentrate on his day sail and rental business. In a very short time, Simon taught Heather how to identify all the reef fish they encountered and what sites were the best for seeing the various species. Heather worked alongside him as a snorkel guide, spending up to 8 hours a day in the water with guests from allover the world.

In her free time she still works in the family business alongside Simon and his parents. She spends as much time on the water for pleasure and participating in weekend regattas. Heather is actively involved in the Royal BVI Yacht Club, as a member and as a committee volunteer.

Royal BVI Yacht Club

This past year, Heather decided that she was ready for a change. With the Tortola office expanding and the introduction of Yacht Sales to the Regency Yacht Vacations charter brokerage, it was the perfect time to embark on a new challenge. Basic knowledge of chartering along with extensive knowledge of the BVI and New England by sea made for an easy transition.