TYCHE Privatyacht

Captain, chef
Martin Downs is Tyche’s captain and owner. He is thrilled to share his love of this exceptional yacht and takes pride in giving guests an excellent experience aboard. Since taking ownership in 2023, he has sailed her thousands of miles offshore and in coastal New England waters. He attends to maintaining the yacht in top condition with the same enthusiasm and care that he demonstrates on the water. His reputation for prudent seamanship is well attested, but eclipsed by reviews of his cooking. He’s used to being asked where he trained as a chef. The answer is, at home in rural New Hampshire; although the time he spent living in Rome with his wife and kids amounted to a masterclass, and he is a certified cook in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Capt. Downs is a lifelong sailor—starting out “at nine weeks old, in a wicker basket,” as his father liked to boast—whose early life revolved around racing sailboats on the Great Lakes out of Bayview Yacht Club, in Detroit, MI. He traded fresh for salt water 25 years ago, and fell in love with New England and the Atlantic. His passion for the region’s nautical heritage and marine environment hasn’t abated since.