The desk

The Desk

Four writers, four evenings. Monograms only — no stock portraits of people who do not sit for photographs here.

Colin Hartley

Contributing editor

Unhurried and slightly formal, an old hand at boats. Colin writes the evening as it unfolds — decks, dinner pace, and how a first passenger is settled — without dressing the night up.

His review of Skyline Cruises

Malcolm Reyes

Senior reviewer

Measured and sceptical. Malcolm names the trade-off in a sailing: what the boat gives, what it asks, and where guest praise runs ahead of what one evening can prove.

His review of Classic Harbor Line

Damien Roux

Staff writer

Practical and dry. Damien watches boarding, queues, and whether anyone explained the next step — the small mechanics that decide if a charter evening feels calm or confused.

His review of Great Lakes Schooner Company

Simone Aubert

Dining-afloat columnist

Attentive to service and timing — what arrives when, whether the room stays with the guide, and how the first half hour on the water uses the light.

Her review of Chicago Line Cruises