CHARTER YACHT FIREFLY 46

Captain Name: Colleen Korona

Captain Nationality: USA

Number of Crew: 2

CAPTAIN: Colleen Korona
Colleen was born and raised in Florida, where she grew up playing on the water. She bought her first sailboat when she was 24 years old, decided to live on it and then sailed it to the Bahamas. Colleen stepped out of the boating world for a while and managed a mental health office with 10 doctors for several years before moving on to working at a nuclear brain-imaging facility. Then the recession came, and she was unemployed. It didn’t take much prodding to head back out on the ocean and do some more sailing. She literally sold almost everything, packed the rest up and spent the next year sailing the East coast and exploring the cruising grounds from Florida to Rhode Island. There happened to be a group of boats heading to the Caribbean in Virginia and she thought, “What the heck! Let’s check it out and head to the Caribbean!” 14 days later they arrived in Tortola, BVI. She spent another year playing, exploring and sailing down to Trinidad, and then the money ran out. Colleen started to pick up jobs on charter boats here and there to have some money in her pocket. Over the next few years, Colleen worked as a first mate on a tall ship and sailing day-charter boats, as well as a stewardess and deckhand on a trimaran and crew on mega yachts in New England. But nothing beats working in the Caribbean! Colleen then got her captain’s license, and now feels very fortunate to have a great office at sea where she can share the beautiful place with guests.

CHEF/FIRST MATE: Matt Proto
Matt has been in the customer-service industry for the past 25 years. His career as a professional chef has lead him to the Caribbean where he now uses his culinary skills to create the perfect onboard dining experience for guests. He draws from a wide range of experience to deliver a broad spectrum of flavors and genres, keeping each new day full of fresh ideas. Matt grew up in Florida and has spent most of his life either in or on the water, and he’s been an avid scuba diver since 2006. In 2012, he got rid of everything except for one suitcase full of clothes and started doing seasonal work as a traveling chef. After living in Hawaii, Alaska and Cozumel, he found himself in St. Thomas working in a food truck on the beach when a friend approached him with a job offer as a chef on a charter boat. This is where he met Colleen and discovered the perfect gig. Since then, Matt has combined his love of food with his love of the ocean to create the perfect charter for more than just a vacation experience—but a passion for life and nature, and the desire to share those things with like-minded individuals. Matt is a PADI Dive Instructor and will be happy to show you the beautiful underwater world of the Virgin Islands.

WE LOVE KIDS! Onboard Firefly, we try to create a fun and safe environment for families to enjoy. We offer a wide variety of activities geared towards keeping a younger audience entertained, even when the weather is not ideal. In the galley, kids have an opportunity to get some hands on culinary training, making cookies, fresh pasta, ice cream, or anything else that might spark their interest. In the salon, we have have an extensive collection of games for all ages, and are always up for challenge. We have thousands of movies to choose from that can be viewed on the outdoor theater, and of course can be enjoyed with the flavor popcorn of your choosing. In the water, we have plenty of toys, including tubes and skis that can be pulled behind the dinghy, as well as scuba and snorkel gear for all ages. If celebrations are your thing, come on down! We love doing birthday parties, holidays, anniversaries, or any other reason you can think of to throw a party! So if you’re thinking of bringing the family on vacation, let Firefly help make it a memorable one!