About Us

John Procter learned to sail as a child at Community Boating on the Charles River in Boston and, as a teenager, enjoyed summer cruises run by a local school teacher along the New England coast on a 30’ wooden cutter. These experiences left an indelible impression, creating a lifelong passion for sailing and spending time on the water. After graduating from Hobart College in 1968, John served three years in the U. S. Army, spending a year in Vietnam. The product of a family of musicians and composers, he went on to teach instrumental music in the Boston Public Schools for the next ten years, followed by stints as the administrator for Project STEP (a string education program for historically underrepresented youth) and, after earning his MBA, as a benefits analyst for Data General. John became a yacht broker in 1984 and has never looked back! He has been active in the Yacht Brokers Association of America (YBAA), serving on its Board of Directors for six years and as its President for two years. John joined Lawson Yachts in 1985 and became the owner in 2013 upon Sam Lawson’s retirement. When not yacht brokering, John plays euphonium in the Metropolitan Wind Symphony and the New England Brass Band, and enjoys sailing and skiing with his wife and son.