Smooth sailing

Yacht captain has navigated his way to the good life

BY ELLEN GILLETTE

Oscar Breeding does bear some resemblance to Captain Merrill Stubing of television’s The Love Boat — just less formal. Though the two share a profession, “I don’t wear a uniform,” Breeding points out. The yacht captain has been a resident of Port St. Lucie, with wife Debbie, for just a year — but he has had his captain’s license for 45.

Breeding is the youngest of four brothers from Slidell, Louisiana, on the banks of Lake Pontchartrain. His father was in real estate, a former Merchant Marine. His mother, a homemaker, was active in garden and country clubs. 

“I was fortunate enough to have a small boat,” Breeding said. Exploring the bayous for many happy hours, it was easy to imagine the days of French settlers.

Breeding enjoyed history and geography in school, but he was drawn to the water. In high school, he worked at a boat dealership, cleaning and preparing boats for delivery. Planning on a business degree, he attended college for a year before he needed a break.