Jo Charnock is a yacht broker, boater, and professional writer.
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Background Story
I grew up in Cornwall in the UK, but later studied art in Edinburgh, Scotland which is about as far away as you can get within the UK. However, the travel bug came early and I went backpacking to South Africa in 1994 and never looked back.
The sailing bug came later when I met my future husband in 2003. He was living on his boat in Cape Town at this time and what girl can refuse a first date of dinner on a yacht? The rest as they say is history. He taught me to sail which I took to like a duck to water, and I opened my own yacht brokerage in Cape Town.
Soon afterwards we became a yacht delivery team, with just the two of us involved in delivering yachts from 36’ – 48’ all over the world. I have sailed across the Atlantic, and the Indian Ocean many times, and I’ve been lucky enough to go through the Panama Canal twice after picking up two different yachts in the Caribbean to sail to Australia.
In 2018 I began writing freelance professionally which also helped to subsidise my travels. And in 2019 we bought our own yacht, a Catalina 36, in California and took a leisurely cruise across the Pacific to Australia.
Adventures & Experience
Professional Writer
Jo has been a professional freelance writer and editor since 2018. She has written about a variety topics such as boating and cycling. After a cycling trip from Cairo to Cape Town she was inspired to write her first book ‘A Hitch-Biker’s Guide Through Africa (Barnes & Noble).
World Traveler
Whether it’s cycling from Cairo to Cape Town or hiking a Camino in Europe, one thing’s for sure, she likes to travel lightly and be self-sufficient. Currently, she is involved with building an eco villa on the beautiful, tropical island of Zanzibar.
Yachting Experience
Jo was the owner/broker of a successful yacht brokerage in Cape Town (Sail Away Yachts) before she started delivering yachts with her husband in 2007. Together they run the yacht delivery company Indigo Yacht Management, which specializes in long-distance yacht deliveries.