Nicholas Cardoza

The Long Way to Yachting

I’m a New Englander at heart.

I was born in Naples, Florida, but grew up in New Bedford and South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, surrounded by the water and the culture of Cape Cod and coastal New England. I grew up sailing with the New Bedford Yacht Club, and the ocean was always a major part of my life.

But interestingly, I didn’t initially set out to make a career in yachting.

My original dream was to become a world-class chef and eventually open restaurants around the country. Growing up in New Bedford, one of my biggest inspirations was Emeril Lagasse, who was from neighboring Fall River. After culinary school in Florence, Italy, I moved to Italy and spent roughly three years cooking, immersing myself in Italian cuisine and culture while studying wine along the way.

Then I moved to Argentina for a couple of years, where I continued developing my culinary skills, particularly around beef and the art of cooking great steaks. I was also studying wine throughout my time in Italy and South America.

But somewhere along the way, I caught the travel bug.

Once I moved to Europe, I realized I didn't really want to go home. I wanted to keep moving, learning, eating, cooking, meeting people, and experiencing different cultures. One opportunity led to another until I eventually found myself working as a private chef for a family in Sardinia.

The family happened to own a yacht in Porto Rotondo, and from time to time they asked me to work aboard it.

That was my first real introduction to the world of yachting.

Eventually, I moved to St. Barths to help open a restaurant for Nikki Beach. The restaurant plans changed after a hurricane devastated the shoreline where it was supposed to open, leaving me with a decision to make.

So I did what, in hindsight, turned out to be one of the most important things I've ever done.

I literally walked down to the superyachts sitting in the marina and started knocking on the hulls.

I introduced myself to the crews, told them I was a chef, and essentially went door-to-door selling myself.

One of the chefs I met eventually looked at me and said, “Man, you've got to move to Saint Martin. That's where all the yachting happens.”

So I did.

That's how I got into the yacht business.

I started as a freelance charter chef, moving from boat to boat and job to job throughout the Caribbean. Eventually, I secured a delivery position as a delivery chef and watch crew aboard a 101-foot Southern Wind sailing yacht, delivering the boat from Saint Martin to Italy.

That became my first transatlantic crossing.

From there, I spent summers moving between boats throughout Europe and winters back in the Caribbean. And somewhere along the way, my career began evolving.

I started wanting to spend less time looking through a galley porthole and more time out on deck.

There's an old saying in yachting: “All cities look the same through a porthole.”

I wanted to see the world.

So I began taking on more delivery work, building nautical miles, expanding my experience on deck, and eventually earning my captain's license. I started pursuing captain positions and continued working my way up in the industry.

Then the financial crisis hit in 2010.

Boats were being repossessed and foreclosed on, jobs disappeared, and finding work aboard yachts became increasingly difficult. That's when an unexpected opportunity changed the direction of my career again.

I joined VanDutch Yachts as a fleet captain.

About a year later, I sold my first boat.

And then everything changed.

I discovered that the combination of my hospitality background, captain's experience, sales ability, and natural love of people was a pretty powerful combination. I quickly became the top yacht salesperson in the company worldwide.

I used my experience as a chef and captain to entertain clients, create memorable experiences aboard the boats, and build relationships rather than simply sell yachts. Over time, that turned into an incredible network throughout South Florida, particularly in Miami.

After VanDutch, I continued working with other yacht companies and eventually joined Merle Wood & Associates, one of the world's leading superyacht brokerage firms. That chapter eventually led me into media and the creation of my YouTube channel, Mr. Yachts.

Eventually, I decided to build something of my own and founded Cardoza Yachts.

Life Beyond the Business

Despite everything I've done in yachting, the truth is pretty simple:

I just really love the water.

I love sailing. I love being aboard boats. I love the people, the freedom, the destinations, and the lifestyle that comes with being on the water.

I'm still very much a New England guy at heart. I love seafood, sailing, horses and equestrian life, and golf—which is somewhat ironic because when the weather is perfect, my first instinct is usually to get on a boat.

I also love to fish.

The funny part is that I've lived in South Florida for about 15 years and somehow haven't gone fishing nearly as much as I should have. It's something I'm looking forward to changing.

For most of those years, Miami was home. I spent more than a decade running boats, selling yachts, building relationships, and traveling back and forth between South Florida and Europe.

Today, I'm based in Palm Beach, and it is increasingly starting to feel like home for the long term.

At this stage of my life, I'm less interested in chasing a particular title and more interested in building a life around the things I've always loved: the ocean, great people, great food, travel, adventure, and being around boats.

And if I can help get more good people out on the water, having fun and making memories along the way, then that's a pretty good life to me.

I look forward to meeting you out there.