Captain Kate Resigns from Position at Four Seasons Yachts
Captain Kate McCue is leaving Four Seasons Yachts to begin a new chapter in her career, according to a recent video update.
McCue said that her life has taken an unexpected turn, with her father undergoing major back surgery and the sudden loss of her mother.
“That was when I realized that I spent the majority of the last year away from home because I was working,” she explained.
“After 30 years at sea, delivering two new vessels, launching a new brand with a prototype vessel and sailing as captain for the last 11 years, I don’t think I have to prove anything to anyone,” McCue continued.
“I’ve made my parents proud, and I’ve made myself proud, so I made the decision to resign,” she added.
Captain Kate said this next chapter would prioritize family time while also giving her more freedom to pursue other things she loves.
McCue noted that she wants to take her father cruising and plans to board different types of vessels.
“I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who was on this journey and all the opportunities I’ve had,” she continued, noting that her captain’s license remains active.
“Sailing again is absolutely not off the table, but for now, many new adventures lie ahead, and this time, they’ll be surprises to me too.”
Before joining Four Seasons in 2025, Captain Kate spent 22 years serving onboard Royal Caribbean Group ships.
In 2015, she became the first American female to take the helm of a cruise ship, as captain of the Celebrity Summit.
More recently, McCue took part in the construction and launch of the Four Seasons I, which was built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Ancona, Italy.
The 180-passenger luxury vessel entered service earlier this year, beginning a maiden season in the Mediterranean.
Storylines Secures $500M Guarantee; Second Shipyard, Refunds in Focus
Storylines is nearing the completion of a restructuring and recapitalization process that has secured the company access to a $500 million cash-backed bank guarantee, according to CEO and Co-Founder Alister Punton who also addressed pending resident refunds in a video update and confirmed the company is working with a secondary shipyard as a future-proofing and geopolitical backup for its purpose-built vessel, the Narrative.
Launched in 2018, the company aims to offer a residence cruise ship concept onboard the Narrative, previously having switched from a business plan that called for the acquisition of a secondhand ship.
In the company’s recent update, Punton said that, in addition to restructuring itself, Storylines is “fully focused on bringing funding together.”
He said that the company is working on recapitalizing as part of a go-shop notice that it has put out, as that the process took longer than anticipated.
“It took a whole lot more work than I anticipated, not only for myself but very much for the legal counsel who has been working around the clock to expedite that and get that done,” Punton said.
With work now in the final stages, the process is expected to be completed soon, he continued, noting that Storylines will then be able to move on to step two of its recapitalization plan.
“This consists of closing on the balance of the funding, which this new partner will be able to achieve for us.”
At their request, the investors will not be revealed until “all goes through,” Punton said, adding that the partnership has already given the company instant access to “some incredible networks and hospitality brands.”
He added that Storylines now has access to a $500 million cash-backed bank guarantee, noting that the company is working to secure a facility to monetize this guarantee.
“We have a couple of options looming over that for the moment, and we’ll keep you posted as that progresses,” Punton continued.
He also mentioned that the entire project is wrapped in insurance with one of the largest insurance groups in the world.
“That, combined with the refund guarantees provided by the shipyard, means we have all of the pieces of the puzzle together now,” Punton added.
“Thank you to those who have been very patient in all of this. That hasn’t gone unnoticed,” he added.
Punton also addressed client refunds, saying that he has limited time to answer repeated emails about the subject.
“For those waiting on refunds outside of the trust account, I just ask that you hold on a little bit longer,” he said, underlining that he was referring primarily to $10,000 refundable deposits.
These amounts will be released once the company goes through its restructuring process, which will either free up or bring more capital to it, he explained.
Passengers who are short on refunds from the mentioned trust account will be contacted by Storylines to start a process that will see the balances returned as well, Punton continued.
He also noted that, earlier this year, Storylines decided to remove all but the core operations and construction teams.
“They were being stood down, so we made the decision to preserve capital and also in preparation for this restructuring process,” he explained, adding that the company’s communications have been more sporadic as a result.
The company has also been working with the shipyard, having completed the hull design of the Narrative through tank testing in Holland.
“By all accounts it was a success; there were a few minor changes that we made, but nothing out of the ordinary that you wouldn’t normally expect,” Punton said.
Storylines is also working with a secondary yard as a future-proofing scenario and geopolitical backup, he added.
After undergoing significant expansion in the past ten years, the luxury market saw newbuild after newbuild enter service over the last decade, led by aggressive growth from Viking, Ponant and others.
Ritz-Carlton, Swan Hellenic, Emerald and Explora are among the brands with the youngest fleets in 2025.
They also represent the newest brands, having all launched service with new vessels after 2020.
Brands such as Ponant, Silversea, Regent, Viking and Hapag-Lloyd have average fleet ages falling between ten and 15 years.
Among the brands owned by major public cruise corporations, Seabourn has the youngest fleet, with ships that are nine years old on average in 2025.
Silversea comes in second with an 11-year average fleet age, followed by Hapag-Lloyd with a 13-year average and Regent Seven Seas with a 14-year average.
Brands including SeaDream, Crystal, Paul Gauguin and Windstar have some of the oldest fleets in the market.
While extensively refurbished over the years, SeaDream’s yachts are among the oldest ships in the market, with a median age of 40 years in 2025.
Fresh from a major drydock in Singapore, Paul Gauguin’s sole ship, the Paul Gauguin, is another industry veteran with a nearly 30-year sailing career.
Amidst a rejuvenation project that includes the debut of two newer ships through 2026, as well as major refurbishment projects, the Windstar fleet had an average age of 28 years in 2025.
With a series of newbuilds scheduled to arrive starting in 2028, Crystal’s fleet currently has an average age of 26 years.
The Cruise Industry News’ report also shows that, with eight newbuilds scheduled to enter service for luxury brands, the market’s fleet median age is set to grow by nearly six months next year.
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