For some people, a passion for sailing starts early, often inspired by trips out on the water on a family yacht or through dinghy racing and other water sports. For others, the call of the sea comes later in life – and so it was for interior designer, businesswoman and philanthropist Wendy Schmidt.

As President of the Schmidt Family Foundation – which she co-founded in 2005 with her husband, ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt – and as a passionate advocate for ocean conservation, science and restoration through her 11th Hour Racing and Schmidt Ocean Institute initiatives, Schmidt discovered the joys of superyachts and the importance of the ocean after her own children had flown the nest.

“I grew up in New Jersey, nowhere near the ocean,” Schmidt remembers. “I got to visit it with my family, where we would jump in the waves, getting sunburned and sandy before driving home in the station wagon! But I didn’t really know the ocean. I didn’t know it had anything to do with me.”