CaptainRayGoad.com

I owned a Chris Craft Constellation cabin cruiser (“FATCAT”) while still in Law School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I was moored along the ICW in Morehead City and acquired an early respect for the sea on the challenging waters of Pamlico Sound and Cape Hatteras.

I moved to Seattle after graduation because I wanted to live in a serious coastal boating environment.  I sailed my Catalina 36 (“WINDSTAR”), and an Islander 40 (“TALUS”) year round in Puget Sound, with annual extended summer cruises in the San Juan and Canadian Gulf Islands to Desolation Sound at the terminus of the Inside Passage 300 miles North of Seattle.

I managed a total refit of TALUS for an off shore roundtrip passage from Seattle to Marina del Rey California. I have bareboat-chartered in Bar Harbor Maine, Hawaii, and the Caribbean.  My navigation skills at sea have been enhanced by my experience as a private pilot, having logged several thousand hours, including multiple flights as solo pilot to Nassau, Freeport, Eleuthera and other Bahamas Out Islands.

I was a member of the Seattle Yacht Club for many years and was solely responsible for the acquisition, redevelopment and management of the Cortez Bay Outstation for the Club on Cortez Island in Desolation Sound, British Columbia.  Latitude 50°3’38.02″N, Longitude 124° 55’41.33″W

Most recently I have become very familiar with the waters of South Florida while being employed as a Captain for Fort Lauderdale’s famed Water Taxi fleet.

I grew up in North Carolina in a family of great cooks and restaurant owners who put me to work in their kitchens and dining rooms at a very early age.  During the course of my corporate career in the hospitality industry, I traveled extensively as part of my responsibility for the acquisition and redevelopment of legendary landmark hotels and resorts. My extensive cruising experience has allowed me to become quite proficient in planning, provisioning and simple on-board preparations with gourmet results. I also have a fair knowledge of fine wines, and a knack for finding affordable and drinkable quaffers.

For more than fourteen years I was in-house Legal Counsel for Westin Hotel Company. My tenure at Westin coincided with the company’s rise as a multi-billion dollar global leader in the hotel and resort industry, and culminated with my serving as Vice President, General Counsel and Assistant Secretary of Westin Hotel Company. A highlight of my career was my role in acquiring the legendary Mauna Kea Beach Hotel on the Big Island of Hawaii from its developer Lawrence Rockefeller.  For ten years I was very involved in the redevelopment of that land into what is known today as the Mauna Kea Beach Resort.  My experience in the luxury hotel & resort segment of the Hospitality and Travel industries provides me with a unique understanding of the service expectations of my clients.

As the Principal and Managing Director Westin’s former design and procurement subsidiary, I was responsible for project design and other development services to the international hospitality industry with offices located in Seattle, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Kuwait.

I received my undergraduate degree while attending Brigham Young University, and Wake Forest University; and my law degree from The University of North Carolina School of Law.