WATER HEARTS
6/7/2007 9:35:39 AM by Stacy Wynn
Hugh and Carole Shields Westbrook love the water and everything that comes along with it. And when they’re not out on one of their boats or cruising the warm waters of the Caribbean, they’re giving back to the world in any way they can.
Hugh and Carole Shields Westbrook are the epitomy of urbane yacht owners. Recently, their Westbrook Family Foundation contributed a $100,000 gift to the U.S. Coast Guard Foundation Minority Scholarship Fund. The monies will provide educational opportunities to Coasties future Coast Guard service men and women and their dependents who are pursuing college degrees, which they otherwise couldn’t afford, with priority given to African-American students.
If the Westbrook name sounds familiar it’s probably because Hugh, who chaired the non-profit’s recent annual tribute to the brave men and women of the U.S. Coast Guard, is the chairman of Merrill-Stevens, which provides full-service yacht repair and refit, yacht sales, charter arrangement, yacht management and crew placement with locations in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, San Diego, Palma de Mallorca, Spain and Singapore.
“My wife and I are true boating aficionados,” says Hugh. “We love the water, and have enjoyed pleasure boating for most of the 33 years we have resided in South Florida. It’s a great way to truly relax and enjoy all that nature has to offer. Throughout the year, we enjoy pleasure cruising, fishing and relaxing in the warm waters along the coast of Florida in our boats, Carole Lorraine, our first yacht, or Anne Mary, a Marlow yacht. Our favorite destination aboard Anne Mary is Bimini and the surrounding Bahamas, where we enjoy sightseeing. The family also takes pleasure in sailing their sailboat, Katherine Grace, from Florida to Maine during the summer.
“We had two very crazy moments on the water,” says Westbrook. “Once, while my family and I were fishing in Carole Lorraine off the coast of Bimini, my grandchild caught a 5-foot, 100-pound reef shark. He managed to reel it in, and just when he did, the fish flipped itself onto the boat and into the cockpit. Trying to get the shark back in the water was tough, and it had all of us scrambling around the boat — it was hilarious!”
“Another time,” he continues, “while fishing off the coast of Alaska, my 110-pound daughter snagged a 200-pound halibut. The fish gave her a good jerk and just about dragged her into the water with him. Quickly, I latched on to her to keep her in the boat, and she reeled the fish in, but it was definitely a close call.”
Outside of the husband-and-wife team’s efforts on behalf of the Westbrook Family Foundation, Hugh takes great pride in his work in the development of hospice care in America. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Claflin University, a historical Black College, and has served on the Board of Visitors for Duke University Divinity School. Carole, meanwhile, is on the Board of Directors for the People for the American Way Foundation, amongst others.
“As far as upcoming Coast Guard Foundation efforts are concerned,” Westbrook explains, “the organization’s latest endowments generated through fundraising will be used to satisfy equipment, training and education needs not met through government sources. In the future, the Foundation funds will be used to support academic and athletic programs at the Coast Guard Academy. We’ll also continue to fundraise to provide scholarships for the children of enlisted personnel, educational grants to Coasties pursuing college degrees, and building training and education.” As for the Westbrooks personal life — it’s time to get back out on the water.