Naples, Florida based yacht broker Jack Graefe was born in Oak Park, Illinois and grew up in Des Plaines, a suburb of Chicago. He grew up boating and fishing on the shorelines of Lake Michigan, and on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin, where he enjoyed racing sailboats. He also raced competitively on Lake Michigan with several Chicago-area yacht clubs.
Jack served in the U.S. Marine Corps and has both owned and operated several medium to larger size manufacturing organizations. He has been a licensed USCG captain with a 100- ton certification, with extensive boating experience in both sail and power for over 40 years.
He has been a personal captain and delivery captain, with numerous powerboat deliveries from the northeast, Midwest, to the Bahamas, Virgin Islands, Mexico and many locations in Florida. Since moving to Florida in 1979, he also has raced sailboats to Mexico, Cuba, Key West, the Bahamas and other locations numerous times.
Jack brings both his boating and extensive management experience, with his years of ownership and operation of many vessels. His experience will be valuable to both purchasers and sellers of new and used vessels.