The Team
Inspecting charter yachts at the Tortola Boat Show
Ann E. McHorney
Founder and Director, Ann E. McHorney, has 25 years in the Charter Industry, with experience as a Charter Sales Specialist for a prestigious Ft. Lauderdale firm, as a crew member on both sail and motor yachts ranging from 40 to 170 feet, and as a former owner of a charter yacht. Acting as a Charter Specialist for Select Yachts, Ann E delights in her efforts of matching charter clients with the right yachts and crews. “It’s sort of like being the Ultimate Match Maker – that’s how I like to think of myself! I’m so pleased when people come to me at the end of their holiday exclaiming that this was the best vacation of their lives. What a great thing to be able to do for people!” Years of working as charter crew have provided Ann E. with lots of cruising time in fabulous destinations.
Testing the Caribbean waters for you on St Martin
She has traveled the East Coast of the US from Maine to the Dry Tortugas, the Great Lakes, the Bahamas, and the entire Caribbean from the Dominican Republic to Venezuela and the ABC’s. Mediterranean travels include Spain and the Balearics, the French and Italian Rivieras, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Greece, and Croatia. With first hand knowledge of the delights and attractions to be found along the way, Ann E. is the perfect person to assist in planning a dream yachting vacation. Having a degree in Restaurant Management, studies at Cordon Bleu in Paris, and a Graduate Gemologist diploma, Ann E can advise on great shopping and dining too! Ann E has chosen St. Maarten as her home and the site for Select Yachts, as she sees it as the up and coming location for the Charter Yacht Industry. “The number and quality of the yachts that arrive here for the season just gets better and better. St Maarten has a new modern airport with direct flights from the US, Canada, South America, France, The Netherlands, and other European countries, it’s an easy place to fly into, plus there is great provisioning for that gourmet food served on charter. The surrounding islands have an intriguing international flair and varied histories, to say nothing of the gorgeous swimming and diving, and the open stretches of beach.
Tswana - always ready to charter your next Caribbean vacation
Tswana Burleson
Tswana was born in the Netherlands, and then moved to the Caribbean, where she was raised on the beautiful island of Aruba. Tswana’s warm personality definitely describes what her Dutch Antillean culture represents. In her teenage years Tswana moved from Aruba to St. Maarten, and fell in love with the diverse culture the Dutch and French nations share together on the island, which is why so many international visitors come to St Maarten each year.
This energetic and aspiring young lady worked as a sales assistant in the time share industry, a customer service supervisor, and an administration clerk for a high profile trust company on St Maarten. For relaxation she enjoys frequenting the beautiful tropical beaches the island has to offer, or participating in the various events the boating world has in St Maarten, such as the St Maarten MYBA Boat Show and the Heineken Regatta. Tswana also enjoys discovering other islands in the Caribbean, and working in Charter Sales at Select Yachts gives her lots of opportunity to indulge in her passion for travel.
On a familiarization trip on Mega Yacht Lady Joy
Tswana joined our team at Select Yachts in 2007 as our office Manager and bookkeeper and with her knowledge of the Dutch Antillean laws and experience as a customer service supervisor you will feel comfortable to trust and expect the best, having a dedicated group with diverse backgrounds, communication skills, and a passion for the Yachting Trade Industry and allowing us to make your vacation dreams become unforgettable memories!
Tswana invites you to explore the many different islands of the Caribbean and places beyond, experience each unique culture by choosing Select Yachts and located on Sint Maarten.
Marilyn will assist with your yacht charter marketing
Marilyn Eckel
Marilyn Eckel was born on a small island in the mouth of the famous River Thames in England, so her passion for the sea was formed at an early age. By her teenage years she was racing dinghies at weekend, and by the age of 23 she bought a 27 foot yacht so she could indulge in weekend sailing along the Kent coastline. Her role model was Clare Francis who sailed single handed around the world in the 1970’s, and after reading her autobiography Marilyn set herself a goal to do some serious sailing at some time in her life. Every vacation was a sailing vacation and was either bareboat sailing or flotilla sailing in France, Greece or other Mediterranean locations.
For many years Marilyn worked as a Lawyer in Private Practice in England dealing with real estate, personal injury, crime, probate, tax and trust laws, divorce, bankruptcies and civil litigation. In 2001 she was appointed as a Law Lecturer travelling around the major cities of England delivering Continual Professional Development training where lawyers are required to undertake several hours of legal training each year in order to maintain a license to practice law.
Day sailing on S/Y Irishman in the Caribbean
Marilyn took a year’s sabbatical in the 8O’s to sail around the world, but after crossing the Atlantic on an 82’ expedition ketch she met her husband in Trinidad and Tobago, and never got to finish that world trip. They returned to live in England, although for the last twenty years she yearned to come back to the Caribbean.
Marilyn retired as a lawyer in 2006 and seeking that lifestyle change moved to St Maarten in the Caribbean. Marilyn loves the island way of life and since joining Select Yachts in 2008 as Charter Marketing Manager she has been able to connect with her passion for the sailing world and marine industry, as well as utilizing aspects of her legal skills in this role. Marilyn attends the Caribbean Boat Shows and enjoys the challenge of the Marketing Manager role. She also manages Crew Placement within the office and gets great satisfaction from placing crew with those captains and owners seeking that perfect crew member.
