Cape Yachts

1 Bowen's Landing
Newport RI 02840 USA
Phone: 1-401-847-0915
Email: info@capeyachts.com
Website: https://www.capeyachts.com

Dave and Jane Nolan, own Cape Yachts with two locations in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and Newport, Rhode Island as well as South Wharf Yacht Yard & Marina in Dartmouth, MA. Prior to being in the boating business, Dave was a CPA with Price Waterhouse. Thirty-five years ago in 1986, Dave fell in love with sailing and the waters of Nantucket. Wanting to run his own business, he decided to leave public accounting to found Cape Water Sports on Cape Cod. Soon after it became the largest Sunfish, Hobie Cat and Windsurfing shop in the Northeast. Three years later, Dave added Beneteau, Catalina, O’Day, Cal and Pearson to his stable of brands and changed the name of the business to Cape Yachts.

Growth, spurred on by the kind of expertise and service unique to Cape Yachts, continued through the 1990s making Cape Yachts the largest Beneteau dealership in North America with locations in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. During that time, Cape Yachts also began winning the coveted Beneteau President’s Award for superior sales and service – something we have been doing for 18 consecutive years.

In 2006, Dave purchased the historic South Wharf Yard in Padanaram Village of South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, saving the yard from being shut down due to decades of environmental impact. This location, steeped in yachting history, was a key American shipyard during an important era in the marine industry. Founded by an Act of the Boston Congress in 1832, South Wharf has been the site of whale ship building by Mathew, Mashow & Co. as well as Ray Hunt’s drafting office where Ray designed the Concordia Yawl and worked on his famous Deep V hull, that revolutionized the marine industry. The village of Padanaram is also where Herman Melville did a good bit of research for his classic ‘Moby Dick.’

South Wharf Yacht Yard & Marina has since been upgraded and overhauled by Dave and now also serves as headquarters for Cape Yachts. The yard’s marina boasts 90 protected slips and 4 wharfs that can accommodate vessels up to 130 feet.

Brian Fisher

Yacht Sales Consultant

1 Bowen's Landing
Newport RI 02840 USA
Office: 1-401-847-0915
Cell: 401-855-0721
Email: bfisher@capeyachts.com

Brian grew up sailing on the brackish waters of Barnegat Bay, NJ. Having started sailing at the age of 7, he raced Lasers and E-Scows before moving on to larger boats. After graduating from the Chapman School of Seamanship, he attained his USCG 100T Captain’s license. For the next many years, he captained smaller yachts on Lake Michigan, South Florida, New England, and the Caribbean. The highlight of those cruising years was a Pacific crossing from Tahiti to New Zealand onboard a 72’ ketch. Shortly thereafter, Brian worked for Offshore Sailing School, teaching bareboat cruising classes in the BVI and Windward Islands. In the spring, he would head the racing program out of Captiva Island followed by a summer of cruising classes based out of Newport, RI.

Soon the racing bug came back and Brian started a 10-year career of professional sailboat racing onboard Maxi yachts, Swan 45s, Farr 40s, and many other racing yachts. Brian competed in 4 Newport-Bermuda races including a first to finish, as well as 4 other World Championship regattas. Brian also returned to his roots and raced the Laser competitively, including a 7th place at the Master’s Worlds Championship regatta on San Francisco Bay.

Alongside the racing schedule, Brian managed the rigging operations of Rig Pro/Southern Spars in Portsmouth, RI. This would turn into a 24-year career which included a lot of splicing, but mostly working with customers on the best rigging solutions for their racing and cruising yachts.

Brian has also sailed much of New England with his wife and two children on their J-42, as well as bareboat charters in the Bahamas and Caribbean. Given his diverse experience in yachting, there is nothing Brian enjoys more than discussing sailing plans with friends. The choice of boat, cruising grounds, and preparations are all topics not to be rushed.