Captain · Private Motor Yachts · MCA Master 200GT

One set of owners kept me for five years and two yachts.

When they ordered a new 34m Benetti, they asked me to take delivery and run it. That is the short version of my 25+ years in yachting: owners keep me. I have commanded private, royal-family and charter yachts from the Bahamas and Maine to the Med, Red Sea and South Pacific.

Get in touch See my recent yachts
Captain Rob Martimbeault
Canadian · USA B1/B2English · Français
25+years in yachting
5 yrswith the same owners
6 of 6crew kept on Samara
Cleanincident history

For the owner

What I bring an owner

My job is to make time aboard calm, safe and easy for the people who own the yacht.

Seasons planned around the boss's family

Summers on the US East Coast, in Maine and the Chesapeake. Winters in the Bahamas and Caribbean. The yacht shipped across the Atlantic when the Med calls.

Diving and water time done safely

I am a PADI instructor (MSDT), was Dive Safety Officer on Living Oceans Foundation expeditions, and captained a 37m dive yacht hosting 18 guests a week.

A settled crew

I hire and develop my own team. I kept all 6 of the crew I hired for my whole time on board Samara.

No surprises in the yard

I brought a 30m Benetti through a major refit inside a 5-week deadline, and a 34m new build through its full 2-year warranty.

Discretion

I have been trusted on royal-family programs and held Canadian Coast Guard security clearance. I never name owners.

Recent yachts

Where I have been captain

Open any yacht to see what I did on board and why I moved on.

M/Y Samara

34m Benetti Oasis · 269GT · Captain · 2023 – Apr 2026
2023 – Apr 2026

The owners' new build. I accepted her from the yard, looked after the 2-year warranty, and set up a two-season life for her: East Coast and Bahamas, then the Caribbean.

  • Took delivery through final build acceptance and ran the full 2-year warranty.
  • Moved her by ship to the US and the Med, then set up a dual-season program.
  • Six crew. I kept all six for my whole time on board.
Why I moved on: the boss sold the boat

M/Y BW

30m Benetti Tradition · 196GT · Captain · 2021 – 2023
2021 – 2023

Same owners. I refitted her on a 5-week deadline, took her through her 10-year surveys, and cruised the Chesapeake, Maine and the Bahamas.

  • Major refit delivered inside a 5-week deadline.
  • 10-year class and flag surveys, hull and mechanical.
  • Engine exhaust rebuild and thru-hull replacement.
Why I moved on: the owners moved me to their new build

Canadian Coast Guard

Assistant Search and Rescue Coordinator · 2020 – 2021
2020 – 2021

I coordinated emergency response on the Saint Lawrence Seaway alongside the Coast Guard, Air Force and local authorities, under security clearance.

M/Y Iridescence

22m Marquis · 89GT · Captain and Engineer · 2018 – 2020
2018 – 2020

I held sole command: Bahamas winters, Fort Lauderdale maintenance, everything from navigation to the engine room.

Earlier years

Chief Officer, Captain, Engineer · 30–58m yachts · 1999 – 2018
1999 – 2018
  • M/Y Fadlallah, 38m · Chief Officer and Relief Captain on a royal-family yacht through a 2-year refit in Turkey (2016–2018)
  • M/V Caribbean Explorer II, 37m · Captain of a dive charter yacht, 18 guests a week (2015–2016)
  • M/Y Golden Osprey, 30m Knight & Carver · Captain and Engineer, Atlantic and South Pacific crossings (2011–2014)
  • Golden Fleet, 30–58m · First Mate and Relief Captain in the Med, Red Sea and Indian Ocean (2003–2011)
  • M/Y Ultima III and M/Y Moonmaiden II · I started on deck and in the engine room (1999–2002)

Cruising grounds

Waters I know

Maine44°15′N 068°55′W
Chesapeake Bay38°59′N 076°29′W
Bahamas25°03′N 077°21′W
Caribbean18°20′N 064°55′W
Mediterranean43°35′N 007°08′E
Red Sea27°15′N 033°50′E
Indian Ocean04°10′N 073°30′E
South Pacific17°32′S 149°34′W

Credentials

Tickets and training