Mike Patterson is the managing partner of America’s Cup Charters. Mike has been sailing, managing and racing 12 Meter yachts for more than 2 decades. First as captain & manger of Intrepid US 22 and for the past 8 years concurrently managing operations for New Zealand KZ 3 & several other private yachts. Mike’s knowledge, connections, & experience have led him to be well known & respected in Newport RI’s 12 Meter Fleet and the perfect person to take the helm of America’s Cup Charters. Patterson holds a U.S. Merchant Marine 200 Ton Masters License and a 500 ton International Tonnage Certificate.
The years have been active ones for Mike, overseeing numerous restoration projects on Intrepid and other 12 Meters, managing several private racing teams along with an intensive racing schedule for Intrepid including a trip to The America’s Cup Jubilee in Cowes, IOW, England in 2001 when they brought back the winning trophy.
Patterson grew up in Colorado where he began sailing his first boat, a Laser, at the age of eight; a lot of boat for a boy. In 1983 at the age of 13 he won the Rocky Mountain Laser Championships and when he was 15, he spent 1-1/2 year sailing the coast of Mexico with his family aboard their Island 32′. Mike was educated at Maine Maritime Academy where he captained the offshore racing team & sailed various boats including 420’s, Shields and their 38′ IMS yacht Madcap. He graduated in 1996 with a degree in Yacht and Small Vessel Management. The following season he crewed for Ed Baird on his two boat testing program for PACT 2000. A resident of Middletown, RI, when not messing about on 12 Meters, he can be found providing support boat services for his 3 daughters’ Opti & Laser campaigns.
Captain Sood holds a U.S. Merchant Marine 100 Ton Master License and is the owner and captain of the bright hulled 12m Heritage.
Shivani grew up in Southern California where she earned a degree in Marketing from California State University Northridge. She ventured to the East Coast shortly afterwards where she pursued a professional sailing career.
Shivani started her sailing career as crew on Tabor Academy’s 115′ schooner Tabor Boy, a sail training vessel, for deliveries between New England and the US Virgin Islands. She and her husband went on to operate term charter programs on several yachts in the Caribbean and New England.
Today, Shivani has sailed over 10,000 offshore miles and enjoys her winters maintaining two 50+ year old wooden vessels: 12m Heritage and the lobster fishing vessel converted yacht Gansett.
Steve Robinson holds a U.S. Merchant Marine 50 Ton Master License and is the captain of Weatherly US 17. Born in Newport and raised in Colorado, Steve’s passion for sailing started at an early age attending summer camp in Wiscasset, Maine and cruising the coast of Maine with his grandfather. He sailed on the Norwegian training full-rigger Sorlandet, competed in the Marion-Bermuda Race and a variety of other regattas.
Captain Steve is best known professionally for his years teaching history and coaching sailing at the high school level here in Rhode Island. He also was the Program Director at the East Bay Sailing Foundation in nearby Bristol, RI. His three children all grew up racing Opti’s and 420’s and working summers on Narragansett Bay. Indeed, his kid’s connections on the waterfront led Steve to America’s Cup Charters.
Steve graduated from the University of Colorado and holds a master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. When he is not on the water, Steve enjoys cycling, hiking, walking his dogs and he is an avid skier.
America’s Cup Charters partner, Julie Lassy, joined ACC in 2002, working her way up to a managing partner. As Sails Manager, Julie works with our clients to specifically tailor their needs to a unique sailing event. She manages all aspects of our office and coordinates all details of our charters to be sure it’s all smooth sailing.
Julie’s enthusiasm and attention to detail surely produce a successful event. Whether an America’s Cup 12 Meter Regatta, a corporate team building exercise, a family reunion or a private sail for friends – no two charters are exactly alike.
Julie grew up in land locked CT on her family’s farm in Litchfield County. Her love of boating came from cruising & fishing the lakes of northwestern CT with her dad. She loves messing about with boats, she built a Chesapeake Light Craft kayak and participated in a Cat boat building class at the Museum of Yachting when she first moved to RI where she is now a resident of Jamestown and never far from the water.
Drew joined America’s Cup Charters during the summer of 2021 as a Crew member onboard Intrepid and has now taken on the role as Sails Coordinator. Growing up across the Newport Bridge in Jamestown, Rhode Island, he has always admired sailing and is extremely excited to get you on board.
After graduating with a Sport and Leisure Management degree, Drew has been employed in many different areas of athletics, including working with the International Tennis Hall of Fame, New York Jets, and New England Patriots. His employment background and local knowledge of the area makes him extremely approachable with any questions you may have before planning a trip to Newport.
If he is not at the Newport Harbor Hotel dock checking guests onboard, you can find Drew trying to break par at Jamestown Golf Course.
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