From Early Day Hustles To Reaching $40M/Year As A Yacht Sales Company

I am Estelle Cockcroft. My husband, Stephen, and I co-founded Catamaran Guru to help sailing enthusiasts live the life they dream of, whether that is living aboard a boat or owning a catamaran to cruise on holidays. Catamaran Guru offers advice, yacht sales services, and a way to connect with others in the sailing community.

But, when we started out in 1992 after having built a boat in a friend’s backyard with plans to set sail from South Africa to the US, our dreams were wild and big as we set off on our sabbatical, but Catamaran Guru was not formed in our minds yet. I should mention that it was my naivete that put me in the middle of the ocean because I knew nothing about sailing but trusted Stephen, an accomplished sailor. If only I had known, our fate may never have led to where we are today.

Our business was borne out of us following our dreams and connecting with like-minded people around the world as we sailed 30,000+ NM to the US, passing through pirate-infested locales like the Red Sea, partying with a real-life sultan, experiencing the aftermath of civil war firsthand, and getting an insider’s view of Cuban life. We even had a monkey who lived aboard with us for a while. You can read more about the Sorry, you need to login and/or become a member to view the rest of this content.