GENESIS (50)

Captain: Brad Marquart

<B>Brad Marquart</B> grew up in a small Mississippi river town in Missouri. After completing a degree in Biology at a liberal arts college it was time for some adventure, and he left the Midwest for a new life on the ocean. He joined a commercial fisheries management consultancy in Alaska, working on fishing vessels to provide precise and timely data regarding fishery health directly to NOAA. After working aboard 12 large fishing and fish processing vessels operating out of Dutch Harbor and Juneau, he traded the Bering Sea for the Rocky Mountains and moved to Denver, Colorado. There he started as a bioenergy researcher developing alternatives to mining coal, before switching gears and becoming an environmental scientist liaising between the oil and gas industry and state regulatory bodies. However, his previous life on the ocean had left a mark.

Upon meeting Kristi, the new team set out to reconnect with previous careers on the water. Denver provides perhaps the most landlocked American Sailing School in the USA, and Kristi and Brad took every class they had time for. They left Denver for the east coast where they assisted with a sailboat delivery, and then took to new careers aboard a 74 foot charter ketch here in the Virgin Islands. Now starting his third year in the term charter industry, Brad has obtained his USCG Captain’s license, nitrox scuba certification and enjoys sharing chef’s and guide duties with his wife aboard Genesis. An innate naturalist, he loves identifying fish and watching their behavior. He loves life most when guiding snorkel and hiking excursions in the beautiful Virgin Islands and when winding down with our always-interesting guests after a memorable day.

<B>Kristi Marquart </B> has a diverse background within the charter boat and restaurant industries. Her culinary orientation developed at an early age in her family’s restaurant and brewery in Kansas, where throughout high school and college she worked in both the kitchen and front-of-house. Following her interest in hospitality after college, she went on to open three successful restaurants across the country. Over the course of her restaurant career she managed talented teams of chefs and front-of-house staff, led courses in mixology, wine, and food safety, and became a certified Cicerone.

Kristi has always loved to cook for small groups of friends but it was her experiences in the restaurant industry that ultimately groomed her for her role as the chef aboard Genesis. Her cuisine style utilizes fresh ingredients that bring both color and flavor to the plate. She obtains high quality cuts of meat, locally sourced eggs, produce and seafood (when available). Her menus are made with her guests preferences in mind, and she loves the creative freedom of serving beautiful meals that become a conversation piece over the table.

Kristi also holds a USCG Captain’s license, a bachelors degree in environmental science, a nitrox diver certification, and ten years of experience handling various boats along the coasts of California, Georgia, South Carolina, and throughout the entire Eastern Caribbean. This is her sixth season operating charter boats out of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Kristi & Brad are honored to call Genesis home and will ensure your vacation is the kind you smile about for years to come.