Jul 7, 2026 | Marine, Tours
Graham, tell us about Satori Sailing and the services you provide. Satori Sailing offers adult (12+) Sailing and Powerboat Lessons, Certification & Charters in Marblehead and the surrounding area. Our mission is to share the joy of sailing with others. We teach from beginner through to advanced sailing skills to the highest standards, offering bareboat certification, mile-building charters, and relaxed private sailing adventures on Salem Sound for those who just want to sit back and enjoy.
What inspired you to buy Satori Sailing from Captain James Ashton? I turned my lifetime hobby into a retirement job, mainly to stay active, but also because I love teaching – it’s a fantastically rewarding experience.
What are you most excited about with Satori Sailing this year? Hopefully we will build on our excellent reputation established by James, by adding more specialist courses, such as Diesel Engine and Marine Electronics, as well as longer Cruising and Caribbean Flotilla opportunities.
What do you love most about Marblehead? Marblehead is the perfect place to run a Sailing and Boating School – it’s full of sailors, boats and people that want to learn more. It’s boating to its core!
What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? Having been in the Boston area for 20 years, most people don’t know that I was born in Boston England, where the original Pilgrim Fathers came from and that is where I learned to sail. Also, we lived in Newbury England before we moved and now we live in Newburyport MA, so living here is like being in England, all the names are the same!
For More Information:
Satori Sailing LLC.
MGraham Sharp, Owner and Chief Instructor
SailSatori.com
Jan 3, 2025 | Businesses, Marine
Tell us about Smith Marine, Inc. and why you started it. Smith Marine, Inc., is a full-service marine contracting company with our office headquartered in Marblehead. We specialize in heavy civil and marine contracting, as well as towing services throughout New England and the East Coast. Our pier terminal is based in Everett, MA where our tugs and crane barges call home port. Over the years, we have built many piers in Marblehead and the Northshore, while servicing many of our own yacht clubs with marina maintenance, piling driving, pier construction and rehabilitation. My husband, Andy, and I had our first barge built in 2003 when we started the business in an effort to fulfill MassDOT’s need for a Boston based bridge inspection company. Andy was in the Merchant Marines and out to sea for 50% of the year. As we began to start a family, we collectively decided that shoreside living while working on the water was a better choice for us with young boys. I developed and managed the office side of the business while Andy managed the field operations. Matt Plauche’, my business partner, joined us in 2005 and we continued to expand our services to meet the needs of our federal, state, commercial and private entities. As a certified Woman-Owned Business (WBE) and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I help clients meet diversity and minority participation goals while delivering high-quality work on every project.
What is the best piece of business advice you’ve ever received? The best piece of business advice I’ve received is to stay true to your core values, build strong relationships with your clients and employees, and remain flexible. In the fast-changing marine industry, adaptability is essential—whether adjusting schedules, accommodating clients, assembling the right team, or managing emergencies. Flexibility, anchored in what truly matters and building relationships has helped guide me through challenges of running a marine construction business.
What is your favorite spot in Marblehead, and why? It may seem a little crazy as there are so many beautiful spots to choose from, but my favorite place in Marblehead is the little red Boosters Snack Shed at Piper Field. Boosters means a lot to me, and I’ve spent almost 8 years devoted to this organization, and our little red snack shed, in particular. The snack shed is a place where I can clear my mind from work and life’s demands, surround myself with smiling faces who just want to talk about candy, be present at every one of my boys’ sports games over the years, and volunteer with an organization that I deeply appreciate. Here’s my little plug… Please visit www.marbleheadboosters.org to learn more about all the amazing things we do as an organization to bridge the gap between the athletic department and ALL teams at MHS. Marblehead All Sports Boosters is a proud member of Discover Marblehead as well. #mhdproud
What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? My maiden name, “Cockayne,” is pronounced Cocaine and I graduated from a small private school in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands where I learned to drive on the left side of the road. This could be the reason my husband has never let me behind the wheel when we’re driving together.
Smith Marine, Inc.
Owners: Robin Smith (CEO), Andy Smith (President), and Matt Plauche’ (Vice President)
[email protected], [email protected] 781-631-4800 x2
www.smithmarineinc.com
Jul 10, 2024 | Activities, Businesses, Community, Marine
What inspires you about running Satori Sailing Marblehead? I’m inspired by the clients we serve. From Marblehead residents and beyond, I’ve met so many fascinating people over the past five years of being in business. It’s a privilege to offer a service that brings people such joy.
What are some of the new classes and offerings you have available this year? For the sailing school, we’re offering more advanced sail training to support clients at all stages of their sailing education. New classes include docking, sail trim and bareboat vacation charter training. Also, our women’s weeknight practice sails are a huge hit. On the charter side, we’re very excited about a new partnership with Sail Beyond Cancer (sailbeyondcancer.org). We’re assisting this wonderful organization to fulfill their mission of offering patients and their family’s opportunities to spend time together while enjoying the beauty of sailing.
What is something new you’ve learned as a business owner this past year? Just when you think you’ve got things a bit figured out, some new challenge arises but it’s best to just stay flexible. This is why I love the quote, “You can’t change the wind, but you can adjust your sails”
What is something you’ve always wanted to do or be a part of (and why) in Marblehead, but haven’t yet? I would love to see Parker’s Boatyard revitalized to provide greater public access to the main harbor during the summer months. There are many of us in town, with a range of experience, who would be excited to volunteer our time. I am hopeful that this will come to fruition eventually.
Satori Sailing Marblehead
Owner: Captain James Ashton
SailSatori.com
Feb 27, 2024 | Marine
Peg, tell us about Houghton Marine Service and why you and Joe started it. Houghton Marine Service is a mooring service company maintaining moorings for customers in Marblehead, Salem, Nahant, and Swampscott Harbors. We serve boaters with new installation of moorings and yearly maintenance of their moorings. We have a custom built mooring hauler with industry leading equipment that allows us to offer the best service for all types of moorings. Joe and I started our business 45 years ago in Winthrop Harbor, where we both grew up. In 1978 we bought a boat in Winthrop and saw the need for a mooring service in Winthrop Harbor. Given Joe’s love for boating and his background as a Deputy Harbormaster, it seemed natural for Joe to jump in and start a business to serve this need. The business began in 1979 and grew from 30 customers the first year, to over 700 as Joe expanded his service to Boston and South Boston Harbors. We built a reputation of honesty and responsiveness which our customers appreciated. In 2021 we sold off our customer base in Winthrop and moved our business and our equipment up to Marblehead, to the town we have lived in and loved since 1983. We continue to offer the same customer focused service with honesty and integrity wherever we serve our customers.
What is the best piece of business advice you’ve ever received? Customer service must be your priority when you are in the service industry. Boating can be expensive, but we try to work with the customer to help make it as reasonable as possible. It’s important to build good relationships whether it is with a client or the harbormasters in all the harbors we work in, as well as other mooring companies. We work well with everyone with one goal and that is to make our customers happy within the bylaws of the town.
What is your favorite spot in Marblehead, and why? There are so many wonderful places in Marblehead, but given that we love to be on the water, there is no better place than enjoying our 32′ Legacy, the North Star, on our mooring in Marblehead Harbor. The only other best place is on the deck of the Boston Yacht Club at sunset.
What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? My first meeting with Joe was a bit unconventional. When I was a teenager, a friend and I were heading back to Winthrop Harbor from a sailing regatta in Boston. The Thistle sailboat we were sailing capsized as we passed by the end of the Logan Airport runway because a plane was coming in, throwing its wind as it landed. At the time, Joe was working as a Deputy Harbormaster. He and the Harbormaster saw the boat capsize and came to the rescue. So, my first meeting with Joe was when he hauled me out of the water and into the boat. After that, Joe and I started dating in High School and got married in 1978. Also, we both have careers outside of Houghton Marine. Joe had a 32-year career as a Firefighter/ EMT on the Marine Unit at Mass Port Fire and Peg had a 43-year career in Radiology, retiring as a Radiology Administrator. We now focus our time in building our business in Marblehead and surrounding harbors. Boating is certainly in our blood; it brought us together and keeps us together.
Houghton Marine Service
Peggy & Joseph Houghton
(781) 631-9338
www.houghtonmarine.com
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