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GRAEME AFFLECK | Rotational Captain | Scottish
Graeme grew up in a small fishing village on the East Coast of Scotland. He was brought up on and around boats and was destined for a career at sea. He now lives on the south coast of England with his wife and two young boys. Graeme has been in the yachting industry for over 12 years and has a wealth of experience cruising worldwide on both private and charter yachts. He takes pride in providing the highest standard of service for the guests onboard, while not compromising safety.
Graeme joined MY OKTO at the start of the 2022 Mediterranean season, after running a busy 55m charter yacht for the past two years. His door is always open to discuss cruising plans or pass on his knowledge of local restaurants and great locations to visit. He is a keen sports man who loves team sports and when time permits, he enjoys a round of golf or some time on the padel court. He loves being in and around the water and is a keen diver. He looks forward to welcoming you onboard.
STUART HONEYWILL | Rotational Captain | English
Stuart was raised on the south coast of England, growing up, his father ran a sailing and windsurfing school in the summer on Studland beach and Poole harbour so he has been around the water for as long as he can remember, Stuart now lives on the South West coast of England with his wife.Having started his yachting career in 2008, Stuart has cruised worldwide on both private and charter programs and has sighted Alaska, Costa Rica & Norway as some of his favourite destinations as well as having a wealth of knowledge on the Mediterranean and Caribbean. After completing his Masters license in 2019, Stuart has gone on to Captain both very busy Private and charter programs.Stuart loves the teamwork aspect of yachting and that shows on MY OKTO he enjoys working closely and developing crew, the planning and execution of charter and building a close relationship with his owners.When not afloat, he enjoys surfing, hiking, watching Manchester United games, live music and working on his property investment business in the UK, he has an overall passion for the marine industry and is currently studying towards a Diploma in Naval Architecture.
PETE GRUNOW | Rotational Chief Officer | South
Pete was raised in Durban, on the east coast of South Africa. He decided to enter the world of yachting after a short-lived corporate career and has never looked back.He has worked on yachts for over 10 years, progressing through the deck ranks before obtaining his Chief Mate’s qualification in August 2021.
Pete is a sports fanatic and in his spare time can be found running and hiking the trails around his present hometown, Cape Town. He is considered to be the OKTO Braai (BBQ) master and reigning Padel champion.
SAM TALLOT | Rotational Chief Officer | New Zealand
Sam is from Christchurch, New Zealand where he grew up with the plentiful activities that New Zealand has to offer. Playing rugby and snowboarding on weekends in the winter, to fishing and diving in the summertime. Sam’s sense of adventure lead him on a gap year after school to find a job working on a superyacht.. several years later he finds himself still on his gap year but has now made a career out of it. In his free time he can be found on the water or under it. A highlight of his career was visiting Antarctica on a superyacht and swimming with icebergs.
SOPHIE MORGAN | 2nd Officer | England
Sophie grew up in London before moving to the south coast of England to a county called Dorset, here she spent time fishing for mackerel and cruising around the coastline in a small tender with her three older brothers. Sophie has several Atlantic crossings under her belt and has covered the Pacific Ocean, Mediterranean, Caribbean Sea and East Coast. Sophie has worked hard throughout her career, studying for her OOW and in 2022 her hard work paid off with her gaining the ticket and being promoted to 2nd Officer.
TEHAN SMIT | Lead Deckhand | South Africa
Tehan comes from a beautiful coastal stretch in South Africa known as the Garden route. He has a natural love for the ocean and spends most of his time on the water. Tehan enjoys interacting with guests on OKTO and showing his passion for the watersports toys and activites on board. His great personal skills and sense of humour are what Tehan prides himself on. He embraces each day and strives to provide the best on deck experience as he climbs the ladder and works towards gaining his officer tickets.
GEORGE ATKINSON | Deckhand | England
George comes from a quiet village outside of London and already has his foot in the yachting industry with a few years of experience under his belt.One of George’s favourite things about being onboard MY OKTO is teaching water sports and seeing the pure enjoyment on guest’s faces when they get it right. George enjoys nothing more than a sunrise paddle board, he describes himself as adventurous and enjoys exploring new places.
JEAN MARITZ | Deckhand | South Africa
Jean grew up in Durban South Africa coming from a very sporty family. He is an avid fisherman and loves spending time in and around the water. Sailing all over the world has been a thrilling experience for him as he has cruised the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas and hopes one day to add the Indian Ocean to the list. As a deckhand onboard OKTO Jean is looking forward to giving you an experience you will never forget through their wide range of water toys and days filled of adventures.
ALY NIELSEN | Rotational Chief Stewardess | New Zealand
Meet Aly, a passionate adventurer from the beautiful Hibiscus Coast in New Zealand. With a lifetime of adventure both in and around the water, she developed a strong love of travel and exploring the world. As an experienced yachting professional with 12 years in the industry, Aly’s impeccable service skills are second to none. She adores welcoming guests onboard MY OKTO and providing a seamless, luxurious experience. Thanks to her love for exploring and being on boats, yachting became the perfect opportunity to turn her passion into a thrilling career. Join Aly and her team for an unforgettable voyage.
ALICE JOHNSON | Rotational Chief Stewardess | Australia
Meet Alice, born and raised on the coast of Melbourne, Australia. Alice comes from a background of being on the water with a family of sailors. Through this it was how Alice discovered the yachting industry and landed her first position in yachting cruising South East Asia and the Pacific for her first three years. Alice thrives on leading the Interior team and is excited to bring her wealth of knowledge to MY OKTO, guiding her department to deliver seam- less, luxury service in true OKTO style. In her free time, you can find Alice staying active and outdoors, travelling to off the beaten track countries, often to get below the sea level scuba diving.
CASEY ROBERTSON | 2nd Stewardess | South Africa
Casey lives in a small coastal town called Zinkwazi in South Africa, where she enjoys the laid-back beach lifestyle and weather. With a love for outdoors and adventure she spends her free time swimming in the ocean, hiking, trying new activities and enjoying beach days with her friends.Casey began her yachting career as a deckhand but quickly discovered that her true passion lies with being a stewardess, she has a creative flare and loves to think outside the box. With a strong desire to grow, Casey aims to gain as much experience as possible on her journey to becoming a chief stewardess.
TATE LONG-LINES | Stewardess | South Africa
Meet Tate, she is a city girl who then moved to the beautiful Cape Town, South Africa. She studied at a culinary school in the wineries of Stellenbosch and became a qualified pastry chef. Soon after Tate realised yachting was her next step and she dived into it with an open mind and soon fell in love with it. Her creative side from cheffing has allowed her to take on being a stewardess with all the detailed orientated and creative aspects that come with the job. Tate would like to progress in the industry and soon take on some courses to better her skills and knowledge in interior.
MONIQUE BEKKER | Stewardess | South Africa
Meet Monique, she is a dedicated individual wanting to grow in her yachting career, she found her passion for service and guest interactions quickly whilst cruising the Middle East and Mediterranean. Monique has a creative flare with a degree in nail design which she hopes to eventually incorporate into yachting, she also has a love for animals and volunteers at her local animal shelter. With her many interests and passions Monique is determined to keep growing and succeed in anything she puts her mind to.
EMILY THOMPSON | Stewardess | South Africa
Emily grew up on the South African coast where her passion for music, art and adventure was first inspired. Whilst studying her psychology degree she boomed at the same time working in fine dining restaurants, which then sparked her desire to bring her creativity, warmth and passion for service into the superyacht industry. Emily is known for her enthusiasm, intuition and dedication to making people happy, which lies at the heart of everything she does. She is fully invested in working hard to building her career as a stewardess and making your experience on OKTO as amazing as possible.
WILLIAM PITT-BROOKE | Head Chef | England
William joins MY OKTO having perfected his trade over the past 12 years. Will has worked in 1, 2 and 3 Michelin star restaurants, with his proudest position being Head Chef at a 1 Michelin star restaurant in Birmingham. He loves all types of cuisine and is continuously discovering and experimenting with new ones! His favorite type of food is street food. In his spare time William enjoys playing football, skiing, hiking and challenging crew members on the Padel court. with calisthenics.
OWEN NYAKUDYA | Sous Chef | Zimbabwen
Owen started his culinary journey in some of Africa’s most celebrated restaurants, including The Test Kitchen and La Colombe – world class establishments where he honed his craft. With cutting edgetechniques, Owen has mastered everything from initiative modern cuisine to the art of pastry and chocolate under the mentorship of the legendary Amaury Guichon. Driven by passion for clean, healthy food with punchy flavours, Owen’s approach to cooking is all about flawless execution and turning every dish into a masterpiece onboard OKTO.Owen stays active when he’s not creating culinary wonders onboard by diving into digital content creation, ripping through dunes on sandboards, or pushing his limits.
DYLAN HARBIN | Rotational Chief Engineer | English
Dylan was born in Geneva, Switzerland but grew up in England where he developed a keen interest in all things mechanical and electrical. Prior to joining the industry Dylan completed a degree in mechanical engineering. He is now in his thirteenth year as a yacht engineer seven of those years spent onboard MY OKTO. Outside of work Dylan is very keen on rugby, diving, skiing, traveling photography and horology. He too enjoys hitting the paddle court and is always on the search for the best restaurants in town.
BEN CUDD | Rotational Chief Engineer | English
Ben joined OKTO as 2nd Engineer in 2023. With 11 years of experience under his belt he was the natural choice for the promotion to Chief Engineer when it became available. He has passion for everything related to marine engineering and is dedicated to ensuring that the yacht’s mechanical systems are functioning at their best. Outside of work, Ben enjoys mountain biking, cars, and spending time with his family, especially his growing young son who at the age of 2 keeps him on his toes. Ben is an adventurous person who enjoys seeking out new locations and pushing himself to the limit!
VASI MIC | Rotational 2nd Engineer | Romania
Vasi has spent the last 5 years in the large yacht sector and prior to his yachting career he lived in Australia for 12 years, working in the mobile telecommunications industry. Since joining yachting he has specialized in working with various high-tech technical systems. Engineering runs in the family with his sister also working in the superyacht sector as a Chief Engineer. In his free time, Vasi enjoys cycling, diving,snowboarding, and travelling.
JAKE NAPOLI | Rotational 2nd Engineer | Scottish
Jake has never been far from the sea, growing up in the coastal town of Portree in the Isle of Skye, he enjoyed exploring the rugged coastline and Jurassic landscape with his 3 sisters. Jake has tried a few different career paths such as training for 4 years and becoming a qualified Plumber, working for an Oil and Gas company, dipping his toe into Construction, on to Commercial Shipping and landing in the Yachting industry where he feels most fitted in the Engineering department. Jake is continuing to up his skills and is currently working towards his Chief Engineers License.
DAN STANTON | 3rd Engineer | English
Dan is the newest member of the engineering team. A seasoned aircraft engineer from the Royal Navy with a year in the yachting industry under his belt, he is eager to put his technical skills and Navy-honed work ethic into practice. His background emphasizes attention to detail, high standards, and effective teamwork. Professionally groomed through Navy experiences, he is ready to elevate the vessel’s engineering performance. His self-confessed career highlight to date? Raising the flag at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Beyond the engine room, he enjoys photography, cars, watches, and the occasional round of golf.
