Monique Richter
Combining a love of boating and art led to an exciting career arc for Monique Richter
“Whenever I think about That Feeling that boating gives to me, it’s an image of the wind blowing in my hair, my mind at ease and I relax."
Monique Richter enjoyed her first taste of boating aged 10 - and has been hooked ever since.
Growing up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, she jumped in her 13ft Boston Whaler and fell in love with boating.
The youngster enjoyed childhood trips to the Bahamas and learned the ropes from her dad.
Monique explains: “Once you know how to operate a boat there’s no other freedom like it, besides riding horses.
“Whenever I think about That Feeling that boating gives to me, it’s an image of the wind blowing in my hair, my mind at ease and I relax”.
“Boating with my family gave me so many amazing memories.”
Aged 16, Monique became a professional wakeboarder and competed around the world for seven years.
But a broken toe led her to switch careers and join a Bahamas-based yacht crew where she progressed to captain.
It was there where she spotted a boat painted like real teak, and seized an opportunity to combine her two passions - art and water.
Mixing modern, faux teak paint with traditional gold and platinum lettering, Monique created amazing exteriors for multimillion-dollar sportfishing boats.
Painting around 20 yachts a month, the Floridian propelled herself to worldwide stardom and boasts A-list celebrities among her clients.
Monique has also built a legion of more than 44,000 followers on Instagram with her fascinating videos.
She added: “I use Awlcraft 2000 to create the faux teak and I hope that sharing my experiences on social media helps motivate others to follow their passion.”
Monique now lives on a horse ranch in Jupiter, Florida, but remains close to the coast.
She is planning to get back on board and travel to Australia and visit the Great Barrier Reef.
Find out more about Monique:
Songs for Sailing
Our influencers have come together to curate this playlist for you to enjoy when you are out on the water.
