At the Helm of Narwhal: Eric Puleio on Sailing, Grit, and Legacy
Before Eric Puleio could even walk, he was already at sea. His parents lived aboard a sailboat called the Genesis for the first six years of their marriage, and even after moving to land to raise their three children, the water remained at the center of their lives. They named the boat Genesis—the beginning—for what it represented: the start of their journey together and the start of their family.
Summers meant climbing aboard that thirty-foot boat and tracing slow routes along Long Island Sound to Mystic, Greenport, Block Island, Mattituck. Sailing was the family’s language, and the Genesis became the beginning of Eric’s own story.
More than four decades later, Eric is still at the helm of a boat named Genesis. This one he restored by hand and built into the heart of his company, Narwhal Yacht Charters. Instead of drifting toward sleepy coastal towns, his passengers now sail beneath the Brooklyn Bridge and past the Statue of Liberty, watching the city skyline soften into sunset and sparkle after nightfall.
The boat has set the stage for 151 engagements, eight weddings (including his own), as well as birthdays, anniversaries, and numerous professional photo shoots. What began as a family tradition has become his vocation: helping people see the city from the water, slow their pace, and create memories they’ll carry home with them.
For anyone who has sailed with him, it isn’t just the views that make a charter memorable— it’s the way Eric runs the boat. He tailors each trip to his guests, treating every voyage as both captain and host. The quiet confidence he first learned on the Genesis blends with the precision of a seasoned entrepreneur, a mix of family heritage, professional skill (he’s a Master Captain certified by the United States Coast Guard), and a genuine love for sharing the water and the city. Together, these qualities have made Narwhal Yacht Charters one of New York’s most celebrated sailing experiences.
The First Genesis
Eric grew up in Locust Valley, a tiny hamlet in Oyster Bay, but most of his childhood summers were spent on the water, tracing familiar routes along Long Island Sound.
“When sailing, you move at about four and a half miles an hour,” Eric said. “It was like going at a slow jog to wherever you were going. We’d go from town to town, and each place had its own traditions. We’d walk into town for ice cream, go swimming. It was nice because you were kind of off the grid. You’re having this vacation, but it’s also an adventure.”
There was no GPS then, just headings and landmarks. The thirty-foot boat could feel small for a family of five, but the close quarters worked.
“It probably was too small, but you get used to it. It forced us to work as a team, to respect each other’s space,” he said. “Back then, it felt like a much simpler time. We had a radio, no tv. We had cards and we would play war or solitaire. We would read books. Go clamming for dinner.”
By the time he was six or seven, his father was handing him the helm. At ten, Eric earned his first boating license.
“He gave us a lot of autonomy, and I think that instilled a lot of confidence in us,” he said. “There were a lot of good times. Those summers were a big catalyst for what I’m doing now.”
A Detour
When Eric was 18 and about to leave for college, his father passed away. With his older brother already away and Eric preparing to leave home, the family sold their beloved boat.
“Luckily, my brother had the wherewithal to take the Genesis placards from the boat that my dad had made decades prior,” Eric said.
Armed with a business degree, he began his career in finance as a credit analyst. Later, at Columbia Business School, he met classmates from around the world who were chasing mission-driven dreams, and it forced him to reflect.
He pivoted his MBA toward entrepreneurship, weighing what he truly enjoyed—sailing, hosting people, and the idea of building something of his own. A longtime rugby player, he considered opening a rugby bar in the city, but knew the risks were higher and the learning curve steeper.
He stayed in finance one more year, saving money and searching for the right boat to launch his own charter business.
“People were telling me this was a horrible idea, that you couldn’t even do this in the Caribbean, that the market’s too saturated,” he said. “And I was like, you might be right. If I fail, I’ll sell the boat and go back into finance. But at least I would have tried.”
Genesis II
In 2012, Eric found his boat.
She’s a Tayana 37—a classic yacht with a full keel, unusually stable for her size, sturdy enough to cross oceans, and comfortable enough to live aboard. She needed work, but over the years, Eric has painstakingly and lovingly brought her back to life. His brother suggested he hang their father’s placards, which he did, and he proudly renamed the boat Genesis.
“In the course of six days, I ended my apartment lease, got a ride to Philadelphia, bought the boat, sailed it to New York Harbor, quit my job, and moved on board,” he said. “I had to get rid of two-thirds of my possessions. On the sixth day, I did my first charter.”
Growing Narwal
The first year in business nearly sank him—literally. During Superstorm Sandy, Eric came close to losing the boat.
“If the tide had come up another eight inches, the docks would have floated over the pylons, and everything would have smashed into each other and been destroyed,” he said. “If that had happened, I probably would have folded.”
The second year brought a small profit, enough to reinvest in Genesis. For the first five years, nearly every dollar was reinvested in her: first for safety, then for performance, and finally for appearance. The boat’s teak—the very feature that drew him to her—alone took six months to restore. Even now, he spends one to two months each year on maintenance.
“The boat has always had character,” he said. “I’m glad I chose this boat. It’s a critical part of the experience and my inspiration, even though people have no idea how much goes into it.”
From the beginning, his business grew primarily through word of mouth. To this day, 30–40% of his guests are repeat customers. Many first came out as groups of friends or on dates, some got engaged, and year after year they return, now with spouses, children, families of their own. Over the years, he has watched their lives change, just as his own has. The Genesis has continued to be a setting for new beginnings, not only for his guests but for Eric himself.
In 2015, he took Cristina, the woman who would become his wife, on their first date aboard Genesis. Exactly a year later, he proposed under the Brooklyn Bridge, unfurling the jib with the words, Marry me, Cristina! Two years after that, they returned to the same spot to be married on the boat, surrounded by family.
After years of living aboard, Eric moved back to land with Cristina, and in 2021, they welcomed their daughter, Maya. Before she was born, the couple went sailing so Maya could one day say that she, too, has been sailing since she was in her mother’s womb. Her first official sail came when she was just a month old.
A Legacy in Motion
Eric now sails more than a thousand people each year and has earned the #1 ranking for sailboat charters on Yelp, Google, and TripAdvisor. He even inspired his brother, also a passionate sailor, to open his own part-time charter business out of Oyster Bay.
Over the years, Eric has been asked if he’ll expand his fleet, add more captains, and turn Narwhal into something bigger. The idea is tempting, but he knows it would also take him away from the helm and the very heart of his business.
Now, as a husband, father, and entrepreneur, he’s thought long and hard about what matters most. Today, it’s his wife, his daughter, and creating an unforgettable experience for every guest who steps aboard. As the nautical miles add up and the business ebbs and flows, he keeps his “why” steady at the center.
For now, he’s content to keep Narwhal as it is: a company built on connection and memory. What he looks forward to most is sharing the water with his four-year-old daughter and watching her grow up on the harbor the way he once did.
“I always take five days off at the end of August and bring my wife and daughter on the same trips my dad used to take us on,” he said.
When his daughter turns ten, he dreams of taking a year off to cross the Atlantic with her and his wife, charting new routes but carrying the same spirit that began with the original Genesis.
While some days are a grind, and weeks are lost to maintenance, the passion remains as strong as when he first took the helm at six years old.
“I still love this. Some days I think about it and can’t believe I get paid to do this. I get to sail my boat and take people out who are having the time of their lives,” he said. “I’m lucky. Very lucky.”
Learn more about Eric and Narwhal Yacht Charters.
