ABOUT US

About Us

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25

Years of Sailing in St Maarten

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6679

Trips Taken

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89161

Happy Customers

About The Random Wind

Random Wind is a 52-foot luxury catamaran, originally built for chartering with 8 guests and 2 crew for a week or two at a time. 


Our catamaran offers a lot of space, both in shade and sun. After the 2018 refit, Random Wind now has tons of cushioned seating areas, and every guest has a cushioned seat. The Random Wind also features the first and original Tarzan Swing of St Maarten, allowing guests of all ages to swing into the stunning blue waters! 


When the original Random Wind went down in Hurricane Irma of September 2017, we were devastated. In January of 2018, we put an offer on Camille. She was on the hard at St. Maarten Shipyard from the storm and sustained some damage to her keels, rails, and stern. If you go into the photo albums and find the folder called: “Getting the New Boat Ready 2017/2018” – you will see photos of the old Random Wind after the storm as well as the new one through the refit. 


Our new Bluetooth speakers forward and aft and can play almost anything you bring. The rails run the length of the boat port and starboard and are seriously sturdy for real safety. Below are 5 cabins and 5 bathrooms. Of course, one cabin is for Anna, one is for booze and sodas, etc., one is loaded with life jackets and swim vests, one has the boutique and one is for guests. 


Random Wind is an excellent sailing catamaran for all ages and for any sailing adventure in St Maarten with its open space, comfortable seating, and entertaining features.

Our Mission Statement

It is the mission of Random Wind Charters, NV to bring joy to those who board our boat as well as to those we encounter on land. To attain this mission we:


  • Encourage fun and laughter in a stress-free environment
  • Treat all people equally and with respect
  • Enjoy alcohol responsibly so as to enhance the good time we are having
  • Take pleasure in the waters of Sint Maarten – Saint Martin as a green company; appreciating the beauty and leaving no footprint.


"We All Rise Together."

~ Diane Morano

Our Crew

Diane Morano

Owner

Diane spends most of her time in Virginia with her two children, Nathan and Caroline. She worked and lived on board for years and is often there to help.

Anna Holness

1st Mate, Hostess, Company Manager

From the South of England, she has traveled extensively and adores the Caribbean. She enjoys meeting new people and appreciates different cultures. She understands well the importance of customer service and it comes naturally to her. We heard her say “Making people happy is what makes me happy!” She is fully certified, experienced and open to learning new things. She loves that one of her job requirements is learning the back flip on the Tarzan Swing! Ask her if she’s gotten it yet! Anna lives on board and loves life on the sea.

Captain Details Coming Soon!

The Original Random Wind


In 2007 Dean and I bought the original Random Wind, a 47-foot Vagabond made by Bluewater Yachts. It was Dean‘s dream to sail around the world, and we thought we would do this on Random Wind with our two children. The plan was to run the business in St. Maarten for three years while we saved, so we could have plenty of money in the bank to use for sailing around the world – we wanted to be gone for seven years. About two years into the three, Dean and I split – he moved back to the United States and I stayed in St. Maarten with our two children, Nathan and Caroline, at that time they were eight and three years old, respectively. Just after Dean moved back to the United States, the receding US economy started to influence tourism in St. Maarten, and we struggled. Money was getting tight. The kids and I decided we would move onto the boat and try to make it through the hard times. It really was a great life being on the water; taking them to school each day by tender, many trips to the beach, lots of days wakeboarding and waterskiing, and hanging out on the boat with customers and friends. Here is a picture of the Random a Wind anchored off the famous airport as an airplane takes off.

Nathan started sailing in boats called optimists at the St. Maarten Yacht Club and he started doing quite well in races. We thought it was cute that he was winning races against other little children on the island and told him it was a very big world out there and if he wanted to really complete, he had to race in other countries. His first international race, when he was eight years old, was on the island of Anguilla and he came in first place in his age category. It was then we realized he was quite talented. He started racing in other countries as well as St. Maarten and after a few years, we thought he really needed a higher level of coaching so we made the decision after he graduated from fifth grade that he and Caroline would move back to the United States and live with Dean in Yorktown, Virginia – which is surrounded by the waters of the Chesapeake; where there’s lots of sailing. So, in 2013, both of the kids move back to the United States to live with their dad, go to school, and sail and dance. Nathan started sailing at the Fishing Bay Yacht Club in Deltaville, Virginia and both kids went to school public school in the area. Caroline started dancing competitively at the Academy of Dance. To this day, she competes in Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Hip Hop, and Lyrical dance.

My plan was to sell the business and move back to Virginia to be with the kids and after a while, I realized how much I truly love this business and this line of work and decided to hire a manager and full-time crew so I can move to the US and be with my kids and still keep this business. It was going well for four years until hurricane Irma hit St. Maarten on September 6, 2017. I was in Virginia at the time. That is truly one of the saddest memories I can recall. For three days I didn’t hear from any of my friends. I started to raise money to help people on the island – it was all I could do from afar feeling so helpless. On the third day, my best friend Jackie called and said she was OK and little by little I heard from all my friends – although many were homeless and out of work – they were alive.

After six days I heard from the captain of Random Wind. Because it was so long, I had assumed the worst and was so relieved to speak with him and know that he was OK. The Random Wind at this point still had not been located. After 10 days she was found sunk near the dock of the restaurant from which we picked up our customers; in the Lagoon off the dock at Skipjack’s Restaurant underneath three other vessels. The salvage company tried to raise her many times but she would not budge; eventually, she was broken up and hauled off to a watery grave. After several weeks we had raised over $45,000 and sent numerous boxes of food, tarps, medical supplies to the hospital, clothes…. whatever we could send to help people in need. It was all I could do.


Because the airport was ruined – I couldn’t fly into St. Maarten and the frustration started to build. I spoke with a colleague who was also trying to get there, and we ended up flying to Martinique and getting on a boat of a friend to sail up.

The boat was the Belline II. Hurricane Maria had recently passed and devastated the island of Dominica. We decided to take donations in Martinique and deliver them to Dominica. Our captain, a 26-year-old woman, told us we needed to sail through the night so when we got to the water surrounding Dominica we could watch for debris in the sea and how smart that was! As the sun rose, we started dodging trees, all kinds of other debris, Dead animals, etc. It was truly crazy, when we got to Dominica there were military vessels from several countries including the United States there to help. We offloaded hundreds of gallons of water and milk and lots of supplies for the people there; it was truly wonderful. As we said goodbye we headed out to sea, the biggest school of dolphins I’ve ever seen greeted us with jumps and splashes as if to thank us for the Goodwill we had just imparted.

To celebrate, we opened a bottle of red wine. As we sat in the cockpit, I noticed my friends put their glasses down on the table, they were real stemware wine glasses. I hesitated and put my glass down as well and watched carefully expecting it to tip over as we were in the open sea. It did not tip over. I do believe it was at this moment I decided that my next boat would be a catamaran.


When got to St. Maarten, the devastation was something for which I was unprepared. People without toilets, showers, homes… it was awful. 


In this picture, I sit and mourn the loss of our home, our livelihood, and for many years, a source of joy and safe harbor through many previous storms.


After a few more weeks, I received my payout and set aside some money on which to live, and started looking for another boat. I drove to Maryland to look at boats. I drove to North Carolina to look at boats, I looked at countless marinas near me. I spent days and days looking at boats online from all over the world to find the right boat. I found a catamaran called Camille who was in a marina on the hard in St. Maarten from the hurricane. She had been knocked off her keels during the storm and sustained considerable damage on the port stern. Camille had been a term charter boat with Trade Winds. I spoke with the broker and the owners and we made a deal. Camille is the identical sister ship to the Billene II. Then the money was transferred, we started the repairs… 

Long story short, we started sailing again in April 2018. Once she was in the water we went back to the sunken Random Wind and performed the ceremony by which the gods of the sea and the ledger of the deep would no longer recognize her as Random Wind. Per tradition, we gave good champagne to the sea and had some ourselves to the unnamed vessel. We performed the same ceremony on Camille and then another by which we renamed her Random Wind.

Now Random Wind is a 52 foot luxury catamaran with custom cushions, a Tarzan swing and a barbecue on the stern. We feel so blessed and have had such good times with customers who fondly remember the original Random Wind and new guests who come aboard on a regular basis. Just like in the original Random Wind, we keep a small boutique on board with island type souvenirs and gifts. The profits from which are donated to those who still suffer on St. Maarten. We live by and truly believe: We all Rise Together.



CHECK OUT OUR 5-STAR ADVENTURES

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Paradise Day Charter

Available at $129 per person

  • Random Wind Charter in St Maarten

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Private Day Charter

Starting at $3300 for 8 People

  • Family on Sunset Charter in St Maarten from Random Wind Charters

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Sunset Charter

NOT AVAILABLE

Starts at $500 up to 8 people

  • Woman swinging off of Random Wind Yacht

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    Write your caption here
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Paradise Day Charter

Available at $129 per person

  • Random Wind Charter in St Maarten

    Slide title

    Write your caption here
    Button

Private Day Charter

Starting at $3300 for 8 People

  • Family on Sunset Charter in St Maarten from Random Wind Charters

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Sunset Charter

NOT AVAILABLE

Starts at $500 up to 8 people

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