BLUE PEPPER

Crew Profile

Captain Brendan Ronan

Brendan fell in love with sailing watching the 1983 America’s Cup in Newport (still jokes that he is upset that we lost that one) and fantasized of a life aboard a boat ever since. Growing up in New Hampshire, he spent as much time as possible either in or on the frigid water at his families summers house in Maine, learning and enjoying every moment away from dry land. Then he went off to college in Florida, chasing the warm weather and adventure he always dreamed of. He has always had a love for travel and scoured the travel magazines looking at the exotic lands and places he wanted to see and experience. As they say, life gets in the way sometimes and until a few years ago he would say “my international travel experience was pretty much limited to EPCOT!” Ha Ha. After a career in NYC mixing sound for Television and Film and then reconnecting with with his High School dream girl Karen (she was the super hot athletic girl, he was the dorkish A/V squad type) he decided there was no time like the present to make the most of life and make the move to Florida and then into the yachting world so he could show people the natural beauty and experiences of the Virgin Islands! Brendan loves meeting and entertaining new friends each charter and his Captain's drinks of the day are something to look forward to! He loves making drinks for his guests as it is a great time of the day to relax and enjoy friends and family while watching the sunset! Whether sailing or motoring to the next adventure, you will always find Brendan incredibly happy with a smile on his face. Brendan enjoys every minute of every day, living the life he dreamed of for so long, and truly appreciates even the smallest things that life has to offer. There is no doubt you will enjoy spending time with Brendan as he is so incredibly helpful and fun and makes people around him feel happy and special too.

Chef Karen Rogers

Karen grew up in New Hampshire and moved to Florida for college, following her love of athletics but mainly following her love of the warm weather. Her true passion for traveling blossomed in graduate school when her fellow students (who were from Europe) invited her over, and off she went living the backpack life! Eventually, her new career as a commercial real estate broker finally pulled her back home but it didn’t take her long to figure out that she could work and travel too! Whatever rainbow or fun adventure she was chasing, she always went back to Florida to work a little and spend time with her wonderful family. For years she lived and loved her extensive travels all over the world, meeting new people, and experiencing new cultures and foods, so when the opportunity to work on a yacht came up in a conversation on a plane to Hungary, she was all in! She then found another perfect blend of what she loved in life…travel, food, adventures, and people! So, Karen started her career in yachting in Croatia where she began cooking for guests on their magical vacations. She creates delicious meals, snacks, and treats for her guests that make their spirits and their tummies happy! She has been honing her skills in the Virgin Islands for the past few years where she loves preparing delicious food for her guests and making sure they eat to their heart's content! After all of her travels around this amazing world, it is incredible that she reconnected with her high school friend, Brendan (who was almost literally the boy next door) and they started the next chapter of their lives together! You may never find another person like Karen in this amazing world, the combination of her magnetic smile and infectious laugh, incredible personality and love for people, animals, and nature will put a smile on your face for a long long time, even after you return from your vacation in paradise.