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| CREW PROFILES |  | | Captain: Franz Gradler | Nationality: German | | Number of Crew: 2 | | Crew Profiles:
Cordial hosts and experienced sailors Franz & Diane Gradler invite you aboard HANALEI BAY to enjoy cruising to beautiful sunny Caribbean islands during your sailing vacation. Draw upon their extensive travel knowledge of the Virgins, Leeward and Windward Islands to custom-tailor your very own unique cruise.
Franz is a professional chef trained in Europe and intrinsically a mariner. He is a sailor and HANALEI BAY is their 4th boat. Besides being an accomplished racer in Vancouver, he could not resist becoming a CYA Sailing Instructor to teach and certify adults and children. He served as Rear Commodore of their Yacht Club for two years. “The Lure of the Sea” and Franz was soon crewing offshore. Which led to chartering our former ‘Hanalei’ in the 80’s in the Pacific Northwest followed by a chronic case of ‘foot-itis” of which there is only one cure. In 1988, they embarked upon a major 2-year project from the conception to the launching party of 72’ HANALEI BAY, a dream come true. Franz worked with Naval Architect, John Simpson, who designed a swift yacht for them, all specs to Canadian Steamship Standards, then the shipbuilder proceeded with construction of the aluminum hull in Vancouver before Franz and the craftsmen dug in with the finishing. It was a remarkable and exciting time.
Blue water sailing to Mexico, Hawaii, Venezuela and into the Caribbean, Franz has now skippered HANALEI BAY over 80,000 miles offshore which does not include local Caribbean chartering. They celebrated their silver wedding anniversary in 2001 by crossing the Atlantic to the Western Mediterranean, cruising to the Eastern Med, and returning to St. Thomas.
Franz has had the pleasure of welcoming aboard interesting couples, honeymooners, retirees, VIP's, and families with children of all ages. With equal versatility, he has skippered HANALEI BAY on Eco Expeditions, corporate charters, TV movies and media shoots.
Hailing from near Munich in Bavaria, Franz set out for Salzburg as a Chef by profession. For years, he cooked and traveled the Continent, England, and Canada. He climbed and skied down the Alps, played tennis and soccer in Cornwall, learned to ballroom dance in London, became a theatre enthusiast in Montreal and toured most of the USA. He likes kayaking, snorkeling, fishing, playing beach volleyball, reading, and good music. He refers to his wife as “Schatzie”. You will be sharing time with a good-hearted gentleman possessing a cosmopolitan, optimistic outlook on life. He has many sea stories to share with you.
Diane, as a native Canadian, met and married Franz in Montreal. She was an advertising account supervisor there, before they moved to Vancouver in 1978. She joined HANALEI BAY as First Mate after retiring in 1999 from a hectic career in the field of property management as a manager and custom mainframe computer specialist. She has been a sailor for over 30 years and has won the 'Yachtswoman' of the Year Award at their Yacht Club in Vancouver. Besides Mexico, she has sailed the Caribbean and the Mediterranean extensively with Franz and is familiar with the great places you may wish to enjoy visiting. Fun loving, with an outgoing personality, Diane will be your hostess during your stay aboard your HANALEI BAY cruise.
We are so fortunate to do what we like best. Our lifestyle includes adventure, travel, and best of all, sharing time with our guests. That is simply irreplaceable. Welcome Aboard!
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