W. BRUCE SANDERS - OWNER

Bruce Sanders lives in Irvington, just up the road from Rappahannock Yachts, the boatyard he built on Carters Creek starting in 1972. Descended from a family that can trace its roots here all the way back to the Colonial era, Bruce grew up on the water. It was perhaps inevitable that he would come back to stay and raise a family after graduating from the University of Virginia. He built the yacht yard from scratch, focusing in the early ‘70s on sailboat sales. Then, in 1979, he acquired the area’s first open beam travel lift and added hauling and repair to his repertoire of services. The business grew, supporting 20 fulltime employees at its peak. In 1991, with a recession reining in people’s enthusiasm for luxury purchases, Bruce disbanded the sales wing of the business and concentrated on building the finest full-service yacht yard in the area. With a new climate-controlled paint shed (the first in the region), expanded storage facilities, and proprietary software that facilitates estimating and scheduling, he built a customer base that today consists of over 80% repeat business. Hiring and training the finest craftsmen he can find, Bruce sees himself managing a business but also preserving a Chesapeake Bay tradition—the tradition of fine boat craftsmanship. Bruce is proud of what he has accomplished, but he is even more proud of his three grown children, Charlotte, Ansel and Anne.