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Nicholson Yacht Charters, Inc. 78 Bolton Street Cambridge, MA 02140 Phone: (617) 661-0555 Fax:(617) 661-0554 24 Mill Brook Lane Blue Hill, Maine 04614 Phone: (207) 374-2288 Fax:(207) 374-2287 E-mail: nikyacht@comcast.net |
 We Were the First. We're Still the Best. 
In 1949, Harry S Truman was beginning his second term in the White House,
"South Pacific" was a success on Broadway, and in the Caribbean Sea, the 70' schooner MOLLIHAWK sailed quietly into English
Harbor on the island of Antigua. Commander Vernon Nicholson, O.B.E., Royal Navy, and his family found the old naval dockyard deserted. Cobwebs shifted in the ocean breezes, and the stillness of days gone by was broken only by the sound of shutters banging at the windows of the aged, roofless buildings. In those days, only a single plane made weekly stops in Antigua, and it wasn't long before members of the newly established Mill Reef Club were asking to charter the MOLLIHAWK for trips to neighboring islands. Word spread about the hospitality of the Nicholsons and the pleasures of cruising on the MOLLIHAWK. And so, in the blue waters of the Caribbean, Nicholson Yacht Charters was born. By 1954, it became apparent that the Nicholson family needed more than just their own boat to accommodate all their charter clients. They had a difficult task in front of them -- to convince owners to sail their yachts to the middle of nowhere, to the boondocks of the Caribbean. This was 1954 and the Nicholsons were riding the crest of a wave. They succeeded, and soon had a fleet of private yachts under charter out of Antigua. 
Julie Nicholson (at right) has sailed around the world aboard Irving
Johnson's brigantine, YANKEE. She was educated at St. Margaret's and
Emma Willard Schools, and Smith College, and served as Editorial Assistant at the
Boston Herald American before helping launch Nicholson Yacht Charters.Sylvia Weston (center) is a legend in the charter business, and has been with Nicholson since 1963. She was raised and educated in Antigua, is active in church work, and has been Senior Warden of St. James Episcopal Church in Cambridge. Shelby Nicholson (at left) has worked in the family business since 1979, starting as a chef on Caribbean and Mediterranean yachts in the fleet. She was born and raised in Antigua, is a music lover, and she attended Rumsey Hall and Choate Rosemary Hall Schools. As the small yacht charter operation grew from simple island cruises, to a full fleet of fabulous charter yachts, the Nicholson family brought life to numerous local businesses. Desmond started Carib Marine, a ships' chandlery, Rodney began Nicholson Travel, and Julie acquired The Admiral's Inn, a small hotel, and the Falmouth Beach Apartments. Under family management, the annual showing of yachts to travel brokers grew into the Nicholson Yacht Show, now world-famous and drawing hundreds of luxurious yachts to the Caribbean each year. Nicholson Yacht Charters was appointed by the French government to greet official French visitors to the islands, and the American Express Company appointed Nicholson as its official agent on Antigua. In 1973, Nicholson Yacht Charters moved its home offices to the United States, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Today, Nicholson Yacht Charters is a computerized and efficient organization, but it is still a family business that takes pride in offering the most satisfying yachting experience possible. They are one of the very few firms with offices in both the Caribbean and in the States (Antigua, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Newport, Rhode Island.) No other charter company knows the craft and the cruising grounds as well as Nicholson. They will select from only the most qualified and congenial crews, to help you choose the yacht that is exactly right for you and your group. Their experienced staff will help you plan every detail of your charter vacation. And the fun begins the minute you call us...
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