Aquamarine Yacht Delivery Service

“I have had the pleasure of sailing with Rupert as the captain of my Beneteau Oceanis 60, Caduceus , on numerous occasions over the past three years. With over 20 years of experience in the Royal Navy, Rupert brings a remarkable level of professionalism, discipline, and maritime expertise to his role. His extensive knowledge of weather forecasting is particularly valuable, both in the planning stages and throughout the voyage, as conditions evolve. Above all, Rupert prioritizes safety at every step, ensuring a secure and enjoyable experience on the water. I highly recommend Rupert for any sailing endeavor—his skill, experience, and dedication make him an exceptional asset on any voyage.”

"St. Barts Yacht Deliveries has had the pleasure of working with Rupert Forester-Bennett for the past six years.
In those six years he has proven himself to be a professional, highly-skilled and dedicated delivery Skipper.
Rupert is meticulously organized and his knowledge and experience are exceptional. He is able to quickly identify and make critical repairs underway, whether mechanical, electrical or technical.
His background as a Navy Officer gives Rupert the capacity to treat each delivery and survey as a project manager - assembling and briefing his team, gathering all pertinent information in advance, preparing for each contingency, executing the delivery with precision and reporting all relevant findings clearly and in detail.
Not only does Rupert have excellent sailing ability, he also has thorough knowledge of mechanical systems, comprehensive weather knowledge and strong navigational skills.
We highly recommend Rupert and our clients do as well."

"I am writing to enthusiastically recommend Rupert Forester-Bennett, who served as the captain of our newly purchased 2018 Bali 43-foot catamaran for our first voyage in the boat from the US Virgin Islands (USVI) to Annapolis in June 2023...Rupert's expertise and professionalism were apparent from our first contact with him....As a retired career Royal Navy Officer, his knowledge of sailing and his capability to manage a vessel of our catamaran’s size was exceptional. Rupert demonstrated exemplary skill in navigation, weather forecasting, and vessel management. He took the time to educate us on various aspects of sailing, ensuring that we felt more comfortable and competent by the journey’s end."
 

"I have just left the company of Capt. Forester- Bennett on a 4-day passage from Charleston, SC to Marsh Harbour Bahamas. He is very professional, well planned, and pays attention to the crews needs and safety. I really enjoyed that as it was my first overnight passage in the ocean. He comes to the job with all the necessary equipment to make a safe passage. He also made a list of items on the boat that needed attention as we are continuing in the Bahamas. His experience and knowledge of the sea really made me feel very comfortable as we made the passage."

I have known Rupert for over 10 years as a colleague, friend and latterly, in 2002/3 and 2006/7, when he worked for me at the Royal Navy Hydrographic School and the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office respectively.

From within the Royal Navy (RN) and in particular the hydrographic community, Rupert is held in very high esteem and his reputation as a “can do” individual with excellent drive and an enviable capacity for leadership, team building and motivation is well deserved. He is a professional individual with a distinct passion and aptitude for all aspects of hydrographic surveying and his specialist credentials are manifold, having served as a Commanding Officer and Charge Surveyor in Royal Navy Hydrographic Surveying Vessels. Seagoing as a profession, coupled with the exacting nature of hydrographic surveying conspire to produce unique challenges that can only be overcome with close attention to people, teamwork, communication, direction and above all patience and attention to detail.

Approaching all he does with a strong sense of purpose, he carries people with him through his infectious enthusiasm and the will to become completely engaged in whatever he is doing. He combines excellent common sense and thoughtful application to achieve reliable and successful results. He is a fluent communicator who uses his personable character and good humour to great effect in giving his oral briefs. Indeed his confident, highly developed, yet relaxed manner was a hallmark of his delivery at the Hydrographic School. Among Rupert’s many qualities is the rare ability to relate to people from all walks of life, his natural presence, charisma and down to earth sense of humour ensures all around him are at their ease. Furthermore, sympathetic subordinate development is a cornerstone of his selfless approach, often working long hours to support individuals in order to encourage a favourable outcome.

A real gentleman, with a very pleasant, uncomplicated personality, Rupert Forester-Bennett continually demonstrated a strong desire to get the job done, thus making a powerful contribution to any task he undertook. His ability to extract the best from those around him is almost without peer and when this is coupled with his honest, reliable and trustworthy character, the result is a fine individual. I cannot recommend him highly enough.

“During the past week I have had the pleasure of working with Capt. Rupert on a delivery of a 57’ sailboat. He is the consummate professional and extremely knowledgeable of handling larger sailing vessels in both inshore and offshore. From start to finish he had excellent communication with the owner and the attention to details needed for a successful delivery. 

I would highly recommend Aquamarine and Capt. Rupert for any sailboat delivery needs offshore or inshore.”