Captain / Owner: Dr. Ulrich L. Rohde

Growing up as a young boy in Munich Germany, I had a keen mind for the sciences.    I inherited a hands on approach to science from my father who started me in sailing.  In 1956 at the age of sixteen, my father had a membership to the Royal Bavarian Yacht Club on Lake Starnberg.  The small dinghy‘s I sailed were given out on a first come, first serve basis. I was committed to sailing so that meant getting up at 5 a.m. and biking one hour to the club, something you could not do conveniently today because of the amount of car traffic.

This went on for a few years during which my father owned a Scherenkreuzer without an engine and many a day we had to wait for the wind to fill in and take them back to the dock.  Because of this lack of wind we moved the vessel to Lake Constance bordering on Germany, Switzerland and Austria. This may have been a better sailing area but it was horrible to travel to with a two hour car ride over very rough roads.  So, the move was made again to the Mediterranean with lots of wind and the salt water.

My Father and the rest of us now transitioned to power boats with the purchase of the hull of a WW2 based trawler type boat, starting with the hull and customizing it for private use.  This vessel was a real project as it was wood and taught me to overcome sea sickness as it was always rolling and pitching.  We were both amateur hams and so the focus was on installing all sorts of radio equipment and developing new technologies onboard.  We would listen to the war ships far offshore and the local traffic.  It is funny to see the differences in navigation between now and then. Today we have all these GPS‘s  to tell us where to go and at that time our navigation was by radio direction finder and a compass and many charts.  After some years, we transitioned to a more modern boat and then I became busy with studies and took a hiatus from boating. 1977 was the year I renewed my love affair with boating, it was the year I chartered a 50 foot sailboat  on the tropical Caribbean island of Grenada.  We spent four weeks reveling in the big seas, trade winds and  the warmth of the people there.  I came back from this voyage determined to make this a regular part of my life. In 1999 I found an ad for chartering a sailboat. This was a 44 foot Beneteau which I sailed on and off for the next two years.  I became passionate about having a tip top boat with all the toys.  In the summer of 2001 I took delivery of the Dragon Fly, a 47 foot Beneteau.  At this time I became acquainted with Frank Brown someone with as much passion about sailing as I have.  We have cruised down the east coast of the US from Maryland to Florida and down through the Caribbean.  We have raced in regattas in most of the areas we traveled to acquiring trophies from Abaco Race Week, Hospice Regatta, Marco Island Fall Regatta, The Rolex Regatta in Antigua and a host of local events. In 2007, I bought a custom Swan 53, again with all the toys.  Although we have not traveled far as of yet, we placed second in the Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race one of the top 10 Offshore races. I have always been a proponent of education and with the learning I have received a Certificate of Achievement from the American Sailing Association Basic Keel Boat, German and Austrian sailing and power boating license, the US Coast Guard Captain‘s License, Masters License and the Sailing endorsement.

Captain: Frank Brown

Since the maiden voyage of the Dragon Fly, Captain Frank Brown’s expertise has kept this luxurious boat in top condition. From keeping the Dragon Fly always looking like new to equipment and engine maintenance. He brings his enthusiasm and knowledge to the boat and to your service.

The captain has been sailing for 30 years. He has cruised the Bahamas, Virgin Islands, Keys, East and West coast of Florida. He chartered extensively thru the Bahamas and the Caribbean, with voyages to as far away as Venezuela.

Raced the Rolex, Heineken and Antigua for the last four years as well as the Tampa NOODs, Key West, SORC, and Annapolis Race Week.

An avid free diver and fisherman let him be your guide to the wonders of the ocean.