As he looks forward to his 25th wedding anniversary, superyacht owner Travis Fox tells Grace Trofa how boating has influenced his family...
I was in my early 40s when I bought my first boat. We lived in Virginia. Year after year the winters would hit and we would ask each other, “Why are we living here?” We telecommute our businesses; we could live anywhere. We wanted to stay in the US but be somewhat disconnected. Sanibel, Florida, was a real easy choice. We had a yacht in mind when we chose a house on a deep-water canal with a large dock. Our first boat was an Azimut Magellano.
We are a very adventurous family, travelling all the time, but four people and five dogs on a 15 metre boat for five-month trips got a little worn out. We needed the ability to be together but also have our own privacy.
Both our boats are Cor D Rover designs; we love his work. We talked to 18 different manufacturers but when I walked into the Horizon booth at the 2016 Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, I pointed to the model of the FD line and said, “This is my next boat.” Working with Cor [on Skyline, a Horizon FD 87] was a real treat and we have become great friends.
The bow seating is our favourite place on board; we sit and play dominos until 2am and gather there at sunsets. My personal favourite spot is the “man penthouse” [the sky lounge]: 500 square feet of walnut and leather. It was designed with business meetings in mind and when I invite clients on board we get full attendance every time.
The Exumas has to be our favourite spot. We stayed for two weeks at Hawksbill Cay; it was like camping on the water and we never saw another human. We have made the best friends ever during our trips – the farther we roamed from civilisation, the nicer the people.
This summer we will be heading up the East Coast, stopping in major cities, as we are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary and my wife has never been to New York.
Our daughters, Kilyn and Taylor, were preteens when we started boating, lacking the confidence that comes with real-world experience and overcoming challenges. Boating has driven a huge change in them. My eldest, who’s 17, took the wheel, hailed people on the radio and drove the boat through the crowded harbour in Taiwan. She docks the boat, runs the deck and now I take orders from her.