Treasure Island captain enjoys sharing the 'magic’ of sailing

TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. - Captain Richie Mahoney learned to sail at the age of four on the mountain lakes of Tennessee. 

"It tickles all the senses," he shared. "You feel the wind. You hear the wind. You feel the water. You feel the boat underneath you. It’s an absolutely magical experience for the first time being out there." 

Captain Richie developed a passion for introducing others to the world of sailing when he took several of his classmates from the University of Tennessee out on Biscayne Bay in a 47-foot sailboat during the 1998 Orange Bowl. 

"I want to be able to bring that experience to as many folks as possible," Captain Richie explained. 

Today, he is a full-time sailing charter captain with Suncoast Sailing in Treasure Island.

"It is absolutely fantastic being able to do this as a full-time job and a career path and every single day we have that reward of taking people out," he commented. "The folks that we take out are coming out to have fun. They want to have fun."  

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Captain Richie says that while Suncoast Sailing offers daytime charters, the most popular trip is its sunset cruise. 

"Sailing has always been so much fun and brought so much enjoyment to me personally," Captain Richie state. "It’s like any skill and you want to continue to get better and better than where you are at and the allure of being out on the water…and being able to bring other folks out is probably the most rewarding part of it all."  

LINK: Learn more about Suncoast Sailing at sailsuncoast.com. 

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