Shelby Nicholson, a.k.a. Shelby Mackay Nicholson, who spent nearly five decades working for her family’s renowned charter business in Antigua, died on July 12. She was 67 years old.
Born in Antigua on January 17, 1959, Nicholson was one of three daughters for Rodney Arthur Nicholson and Julie P. Nicholson, who passed away in 2019. Her parents established Nicholson Yacht Charters, initially managing its own fleet and booking charters for guests staying at the island’s Mill Reef Club. Eventually, Nicholson Yacht Charters opened offices in Maine and Massachusetts. It remains the oldest yacht-charter business in the world. Additionally, her parents established the annual Nicholson Charter Yacht Show when she was just two years old. (Today, that show continues as the Antigua Charter Yacht Show.)
Although Antigua was home for her early years, Shelby Nicholson attended boarding schools in Connecticut in the 1970s. One of them was Choate Rosemary Hall, where she graduated from in 1978. That fall, Nicholson joined the family business, although she did continue her education later on with Harvard Extension School in Massachusetts, completing her coursework in 1999.
Once Nicholson joined Nicholson Yacht Charters, she remained committed to yachting. She spent time cooking aboard charter yachts in the Caribbean, Virgin Islands, and Mediterranean. Additionally, she became a charter broker, working with charter guests and captains and crew, plus handled sales and marketing until her recent death. Altogether, she spent 48 years in the family business.
Throughout her career, Nicholson cruised waters around the world. Having grown up in Antigua, she naturally knew the Caribbean thoroughly. She had an affinity for West Indies culture, too. Besides the Caribbean, she traveled aboard yachts through the Panama Canal, in Mediterranean destinations like Turkey, and in Tahiti and other parts of the South Pacific. In fact, the Med and South Pacific were two of her favorite regions.
As avid as Nicholson was about yachting, she was equally passionate about music and windsurfing. She was an ardent animal lover as well. She raised awareness about stray cats and dogs in Antigua, plus cruelty-enforcement issues.
Nicholson is survived by her sisters, Dana Pyle Nicholson and Elizabeth Barling Nicholson.
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