Wes O’Dell: From St. Thomas Charter Captain to Global Sailing Adventures
Discover the journey of Captain Wes O’Dell, a St. Thomas sailor who turned hurricane setbacks into sailing success. From chartering in the Caribbean to captaining global yacht deliveries and starring on Below Deck, his story is one of resilience and adventure.
Hurricanes have a way of marking twists and turns in the lives of people in the Caribbean. This is especially true for those in the boating community, where storm-tossed seas can turn today’s vessel into tomorrow’s wreck. Hurricane Marilyn in 1995 and Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 have indeed defined the life of St. Thomas captain Wes O’Dell. “I try to turn anything bad to good,” says O’Dell, whose positivity and freedom to do something different in a storm’s aftermath has led the 32-year-old St. Thomas sailor from day sail chartering with his family and on his own to captaining a schooner out of Newport, RI, East Coast and transatlantic yacht deliveries, and reality TV star, having starred on Season 9 of reality TV-show, Below Deck.
Born to Sail
“My mom was visiting family in North Carolina in September, for hurricane season, when she went into premature labor. I was born in Miami, but I lived my first four years in St. Thomas,” says O’Dell, who, as we spoke in November, was in Palma, Mallorca, getting ready to deliver a 52-foot Hinkley to St. Barth’s. “My father had two boats, a C&C named Halcyon and Morgan, Wind, and they did day charters out of East End, Red Hook, and Sapphire. I grew up in that community of day sailors with Pat Stoeken, who had Independence, and Steve and June Marsh, on Nightwind, helping to bring me up and teaching me everything.”
Hurricane Marilyn totaled most of the day sail fleet in St. Thomas. The O’dells moved to St. Augustine, Florida, where O’Dell continued schooling. His boating career didn’t start until 2005, after his father remarried, moved back to St. Thomas, and purchased Nightwind, a 50’ Swedish yawl from the Marsh’s for day charters.
“I didn’t start paying attention to sailing until I was a teenager,” he says. “My father is an amazing sailor. But he was the business sailor, whereas I was more in it for the adventure.”
By 2013, O’Dell had his captain’s license and landed his first delivery. His mother worked at IGY’s American Yacht Harbor Marina and met an older couple that needed help taking their 59-foot Hinckley from St. Thomas to New Hampshire. The trip, albeit successful, proved a trial by fire – literally. They started taking on water in the first 24 hours and discovered a check value problem. The challenge was solved, but a day later, the steering failed, and they sailed alone into Bermuda by autopilot for repairs. Then, a small generator fire broke out less than a day after leaving Bermuda. Still, they arrived in port, safe and sound, boat and crew. O’Dell continued to work for the couple for three seasons, then took freelance skipper’s jobs in St. Thomas. His first solo command captain’s gig was driving the 60’ sloop rigged sailboat, New Horizon, on day sails between St. Thomas and St. John.
“I was very confident about my sailing capabilities; it was more about learning everything else that goes into being a captain,” says O’Dell. “Like guests that won’t tell you they can’t swim, jump in the water with their snorkel gear, and almost drown. And diagnosing and fixing a problem with the engine with guests aboard. It’s when you have this stoic smile on the outside, but inside you’re saying to yourself, ‘of shi*, shi*.”
Then, Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 landed a one-two punch on St. Thomas’ boating community.
O’Dell again went to the U.S., this time to Newport, Rhode Island, where through acquaintances in the small world of yachting, he landed at the helm of the Madeleine, a 72’ 2-masted schooner that did scenic day and sunset sails of Newport Harbor and Narragansett Bay.
“I loved it so much,” he says. “It was easier because we didn’t put people in the water. That’s a night and day difference. But it was sailing around skilled sailors, learning so much more than I would have if I stayed in St. Thomas, that I really loved. I’d work alongside varnishers and riggers, who did everything from tall ships to superyachts. It was the big leagues.”
Below Deck
The aftermath of the 2017 hurricanes blew in another opportunity, too. Casting folks from Bravo TV’s reality show, Below Deck, contacted O’Dell via Facebook. They did so each year, every time a new season started. Finally, in 2020, he was hired as a deckhand for Season 9 aboard the St. Maarten-based 164’ motor yacht, renamed Honor for the series, with captain Lee Rosbach at the helm.
“It’s all organic,” O’Dell answers, regarding whether the scenes were scripted. “It doesn’t take much to stir the pot, especially with a bunch of sailors with character differences.There’s enough drama that happens on boats.”
O’Dell learned from his Below Deck experience that he enjoyed sailing more than power, albeit he took every opportunity when the cameras stopped rolling to learn more from the engineers about the inner workings of the vessel. He also learned plate presentation from the chef and the finer points of first-class food service.
After filming, O’Dell returned to St. Thomas to rebuild a 53’ Gallant he bought after the hurricanes. He named her Nightwind II. Designed by E.G. van der Stadt, it was the same make and model as British sailor Naomi James’ Express Crusader, on which James was the first woman to sail solo around the globe via Cape Horn. O’Dell knew it was a tried and tested vessel that was solid, fast, and with good bones. He’s focused on his day sail charter business aboard her for the last three years.
The Next Horizon
O’Dell will still day sail Nightwind II, hopefully with a hired captain and crew to give him the freedom he’s always enjoyed about sailing. Ideally, he’d like to captain private yachts to global ports.
“The hurricanes crushed so many people. But I got the most positivity out of my life after those hurricanes. I think if it weren’t for that freedom I had to explore new things, my life would be different. Like I say, you will figure it out if you want to do something bad enough. You’re going to find the place that you want to be. You have to be open and willing, and you have to want it.”
Carol Bareuther has written for ALL AT SEA since 2004.
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