TMC Worldwide - North America

While the Multihull Company was formed in 1999 by Phillip Berman, his love of sailing goes back much further than that.  This love goes back over 40 years, in fact, when he  was introduced to Hobie Cat sailing by the veteran film maker, R. Paul Allen, who produced and distributed the surfing classic, The Endless Summer.

From there Phil took to racing Hobie Cats and wrote a book about high performance sailing while still a senior in high school. He went on to write eights books about sailing and one book about the then-new sport of wind surfing that taught people how to sail with a single board beneath their feet.  Today, more than a few of the Multihull Company’s customers recall that their first experience of sailing, wind or otherwise, came through reading his how to books, most of which are still in publication.  Phil’s sailing career continued through graduate school.  He has represented the U.S. in numerous international sailing races and was the Hobie Cat World Championin 1979 and 1980.  In addition to racing small catamarans Phil has raced and cruised much larger multihulls all over the world, including his own 41-foot offshore racing catamaran, Spectris, and, more recently, his custom Farrier 44 catamaran, Wake Up.

Over the years, Phil went on to own and live aboard a wide range of yachts - a Pearson Alberg 35, a 29-foot Warrior Cat, a custom Craig Ashby/Morrelli 41- foot catamaran (which he raced on the Great Lakes), a Farrier 44-foot catamaran, and, more recently, a Fountaine Pajot Belize 43.  Suffice it to say that Phil loves multihull sailing and there are few sailors in the world with his breadth of experience on catamarans.

After graduate school, Phil pursued a career as a writer and producer, authoring several books on philosophy and religion and co-authoring a New York Times Bestseller with Jane Goodall.  He co-produced a PBS special on the same topic.  But he yearned for his first love and in 1999 Phil founded The Multihull Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  But from the start, The Multihull Company was never meant to be just an ordinary brokerage company.  Rather, Phil’s idea from the start was to match the right boat with the right sailor and to be an advocate for that perfect match of skill sets and ambitions.  And he felt he had the right combination of sailing experience, boat-building knowledge, and listening skills to create a sailing company run by sailors for sailors.

He opened his first satellite office in Ft. Lauderdale in 2003 and began training brokers to assist the company's rapidly expanding roster of clients.  Since then, the company has grown dramatically, opening new offices and forming partnerships and alliances around the world not only to list and sell boats but to provide a network of support services for his firm’s many live aboard world voyaging clients.  He wanted his customers to know they always had a friend in the sailing world no matter how far they ranged.

In North America, The Multihull Company now serves customers in the following locations:

Philadelphia remains Phil's home, so the base of our corporate operation is in the small old mill town of Manayunk, known to Philadelphians as the home of the only U.S. professional bike race course because of its steep, cobblestone streets.  Here, the Multihull Company’s technical staff and highly regarded closing team work to ensure that no matter where in the world a deal is made for a yacht, the expertise and understanding of international law is readily available for clients.

The Multihull Company’s  Ft. Lauderdale office is managed by Alexis de Boucaud, who was born to French parents but grew up mostly in the United States, where he was educated in business at Amherst College.  His fluency in languages and experience in international yacht sales have made him a wonderful addition to The Multihull Company team.   

Alexis is joined in Florida by Darrell MacDaniel, who draws from his own experience as a live aboard sailor and from his years working as a yacht broker selling both power and motor yachts in Florida to assist clients.  Darrell is The Multihull Company’s resident expert in power catamarans.   (Someone has to understand 500 horse power engines!)  In Florida, we have a spacious condominium that is sometimes used by visiting clients and foreign guests waiting for the closing of their catamaran.

In Seattle, we are truly blessed to have Matt Dunning managing our Multihull Northwest office on Bainbridge Island.  Matt is just a gem of a man, passionate as can be about sailing, and in particular multihull sailing.  Matt is a can't-miss Paul Bunyan who stands 6 feet 6 inches tall. He played offensive tackle for Dartmouth's football team, so he's a man of both physical and intellectual strength. But more than anything, he is a true gentleman with vast experience in what he does and a deep love for sailing and the Pacific Northwest.

 
In Tiverton, Rhode Island, The Multihull Company is graced with the only true artist of the group, Derek Escher, who is not only a skilled wind surfer (he held the U.S. National Title as a youth), and offshore catamaran sailor, but a very talented singer, song-writer and guitarist. For many years, he owned and operated his own multihull buyer brokerage, Derek Escher Multihulls, but decided he was better suited to yacht brokering than managing all the gritty details of running his own company.  He joined The Multihull Company in 2008 and has been a wonderful asset to the team ever since. He is warm, cares passionately about his customers, and will really go the distance to aid his many friends and clients.

In Charleston, North Carolina, The Multihull Company has partnered with Will Miller to assist our clients in any sail training they may require.  Will is a young sailor who owns and operates the successful Charleston Sailing School at Charleston City Marina.  From this location, he brokers the sale of multihulls for The Multihull Company when the need arises and teaches many of our clients the finer points of catamaran handling and voyaging.

In Baddeck, Nova Scotia, The Multihull Company’s man on the spot is Tyler Germani. Tyler grew up on the docks of the Canadian Maritimes, where his father founded and operates Baddeck Marine and Shipyards from two locations near Cape Bretton. We stumbled into Tyler when he crewed for Alexis de Boucaud on the delivery of a Lagoon 570. Tyler impressed us all with his great sailing skills and small- town charm.  He is very much a Cape Brettoner - a friendly, intelligent man who is imbued with a passion for the outdoors. He lives in a mariner's paradise called Cape Bretton and if you ever get a chance to meet him he would love to share all of its beauty with you.