Hank Halsted

My Present
Hi, I'm Northrop & Johnson Senior Yacht Broker Hank Halsted. I'm based in the Newport, Rhode Island office, which I opened with Bruce Leffers in 1997. I am pleased to share his wealth of experience regarding yachts, the offshore environment and the intricacies of the marine industry with my clients, the vast majority of whom have become close friends.

My Past
I've been a sailor virtually all my life. In fact, the day I was born, my mother had to be rowed ashore from the family cruising boat and taken to the hospital. After years as a professional captain of yachts of all descriptions on both sides of the Atlantic, I became the Service Manager for Hinckley Yachts in Southwest Harbor, Maine. I then managed Hinckley Yacht Brokerage and moved to Newport, Rhode Island, in 1995 as a partner in Hinckley Newport and Hinckley Marine Insurance. In 1997, Bruce and I purchased Northrop & Johnson Newport, which we managed until the transfer to MarineMax in 2020.

Through the 1980s and 1990s, I published more than 100 articles on boat handling and seamanship in a monthly column in Motorboating and Sailing Magazine. I also am published in Yachting, Cruising World and Passage Maker. I served for 20 years as an offshore safety inspector for the Marion Bermuda Race and Newport Bermuda Race, and presently am Co-Chairman of the Qualifications Committee for the Newport Bermuda Race.

I was the Managing Partner of the Newport and St. Barths Bucket Regattas from 2002 until 2014, building the St. Barths fleet from five superyachts to 45 superyachts by 2012. I have served as racing helmsman on many of the world's most notable yachts, including the 131-foot Ketch VICTORIA OF STRATHEARN, 152-foot Perini Navi ANDROMEDA La Dea, 148-foot Perini Navi HELIOS, the Swan 112-foot HIGHLAND BREEZE and many others.

My Future
I look forward to continuing to be part of the successful team at N&J.

Outside the Office
I split my time between his home in Exeter, RI, and aboard my global cruising yacht, the J-160, PIPE DREAM.

Fun facts

• I've enjoyed a good measure of success as an offshore sailor, winning the Bermuda One-Two, a single-handed race from Newport to Bermuda and a double-handed return twice, in 1989 and 1991.
• I participated as captain or navigator in more than 20 Newport-to-Bermuda races (10 double-handed), 10 Marblehead-Halifax races, winning the 1998 IMS division as navigator, two Trans-Atlantic Races and many others.
• A member of the Storm Trysail Club, Cruising Club of America and the New York Yacht Club, I am deeply involved in the professional development of yachting.
• I served as President of the Yacht Architects and Brokers Association and on the Board of Directors through the 1990s. I also was a founding board member of the International Yacht Council.