The Villages - June 2019 - 38

Before They Were Villagers
BarBara Twiford

reTired denTal HygienisT
finds seaworTHy second career
by RICA LEWIS

After 25 years as a dental hygienist in Washington, D.C.,
Barbara Twiford set sail for a new career: yacht brokering.
"My hands got really bad," she said. The repetitive use
of hand tools for patient cleanings took a toll on Twiford's
joints.
"I was in a lot of pain and I even had to work while
wearing a cast at one point," she said. "Finally, I had to have
my thumb joint removed."
Aside from her complications, Twiford had enjoyed her
job and the interaction with patients.
"I met interesting people - cleaned Nixon's teeth and
met the president of The Washington Post," she said.
But by 1978, her career was over and her husband had
passed away.
"I wasn't sure what else I could do," she said.
When her friend Terry, a yacht broker, needed help with
filing and other office work in Annapolis, Maryland, Twiford
transitioned to an entirely new field. But she had no idea
where the work was about to lead.
"One day a couple came in and wanted
to see a certain boat," she said. "Terry was
busy so he casually told them, 'Barbara
will be happy to show you.' I thought, uhoh. I had small boats, little runabouts, but
nothing like the one I was showing them.
I didn't know what I was doing and didn't
know a thing about engines, because a
sailboat engine is just a little gas engine,
nothing like the diesels you'd have in a big
yacht."
But after the showing, Twiford
returned to the office with a sale.
"That was very unusual - to sell a
boat on the spot like that," she said. "It
was sheer luck."
Her quick sale prompted Terry to teach
her the business, and the two became
partners in the industry.

38

JUNE 2019

"When the company got bigger and we added brokers,
Terry and I went to a larger firm that advertised nationally,"
she said. "I would show large powerboats, but I still never
knew about the engines."
Yacht brokering was a commission-based career, but hard
work had incredible perks - sea trials, for example.
"It was the highlight of my career," Twiford said.
Cruising the Chesapeake Bay or meeting her customers
on islands was all part of the job. Serious buyers wanted to
test-drive their boats to observe the quality, tinker with the
components and get a feel for their speed and maneuverability.
While Twiford was selling a dream, she was making friends
and having a blast in the process.
"Again, I was meeting interesting people. One day, I showed
Morgan Freeman some boats," she said.
After two decades of brokering and many offshore
adventures, Twiford retired for a second time to The Villages.
"I always wanted to live in Florida - the warmth, the sun, the
golf," the Village of Caroline resident said. Now a member of
the Convertible Club, she's traded the helm for a wheel.
The Villages - June 2019

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