FOREVER FORWARD
8/29/2007 11:56:12 AM by Lisa Knapp
Craig Tafoya is perhaps one of the most colorful personalities in the industry — but it’s his colorful adventures that really set him apart.
Photo by Lisa Knapp
“I swore I’d never get behind here again,” says Craig Tafoya as he assumes the helm of Domani for a quick photo. Well, never say never. “I’d get back on a yacht if my wife, Mary, really, really wanted to go back to that lifestyle again. But I don’t know what we’d do with the animals. We’re so attached now.”
Tafoya has a Belgian Shepherd, Tango. He and Mary just lost their two cats, Nick and Soot-face; both lived to ripe old ages. The cats used to stay in their cabin on Limitless, the iconic 316-foot Lürssen that Tafoya ran after supervising its build. He liked his captain’s job so much that he once went 15 years with only three weeks vacation, voluntarily. “I enjoyed what I did,” he says. “It’s important to enjoy what you do and I liked being on the boat.”
The smart, salty cats kept Tafoya and Mary company, but they also earned their keep. Crafty Nick once opened a hatch to rescue crew who’d locked themselves out of their quarters. “The crew enjoyed having the cats onboard, in crew quarters of course,” he says. “The cats gave the crew a sense of home, comfort, something to touch and hug.”
Today, Tango serves as doorman for Penumbra Marine Logistics, which Tafoya opened after drying his webbed feet in 2001. Penumbra provides consulting, supervision of new-build projects, examination of specifications and complete yacht design. “There’s a lot of ways to put something into the industry without driving the boat from A to B,” he says. “It’s fun being more involved.”
Before yachting, Tafoya designed machinery to punch out the body panels for cars for Ford Motor Company in Michigan. He has a patent on an infinitely variable transmission that has no shift points. “I have time to do things like this now,” says Tafoya. “I bought a seaplane in 2000. You make a good living as a yacht captain, but now it’s time to enjoy it.”
Tafoya likes fast cars, too. He previously owned exotic automobiles, including the racecar driven at the Indianapolis 500 by Michel Jourdain in 1996.
With so many exciting adventures behind him, Tafoya still has dreams for the future. As an animal lover, he would consider opening an animal rescue and refuge for wild animals, if the opportunity ever presented itself. “Mary and I would love to open an animal preserve, maybe in the Carolinas,” he says. “The climate is better there. I have always been fascinated by big-game cats. I love them. I like taking care of animals that can’t take care of themselves.”
In the meantime, Tafoya, Mary, and Tango welcomed Astro, a white shepherd who needed a home. “I would have liked to have kept Astro as she got along well with Tango and we brought her to the office with us every day. Astro is a smart puppy. She learned to heel on her first walk around the block, and got spoiled quickly. Since everything is new for a puppy, Astro didn’t know what to think of the stairs in our condo. We waited for the elevator instead.”
Tafoya is ready to take Astro back permanently, if necessary, as there’s always room for another animal in his home and heart. However, he gave Astro to a loving couple, one of whom is blind. Astro is adapting to her new surroundings, and is a helpful guide dog. “If someone is at the door, Astro sounds an alert. She’s adapted well.”