APOGEE CREW PROFILE
Total crew complement: 17 | Certified divers only
Languages spoken aboard include English, Danish, Croatian, Filipino, Dutch, Spanish and Afrkiaans.
Captain | John R. Fleckenstein | American
PREVIOUS YACHTS: Little Sis, Iroquois, My Iris, Lohengrin
WORK EXPERIENCE: John’s fascination with living and working at sea began on the shores of New England. At the age of 17 he enlisted in the US Navy and completed four years on the aircraft carrier, USS AMERICA, working on the flight deck. While in the Navy, John set his sights on moving to Mallorca when his enlistment was up. He followed his dream and became the owner of a bar/restaurant and spent his free time in sailing regattas. After five years of living ashore, John signed on as crew for an Atlantic crossing on a 90 foot motorsailer. From this experience he decided upon his future career: luxury yachting. John has over 25 highly successful years of full time yachting experience--with many more years ahead.
JOB DESCRIPTION: John, as Master of the Apogee, is responsible for all aspects of vessel management. His myriad duties including oversight of all safety and compliance issues with respect to flag and port state regulations. John is the consummate host to each and every guest cruising aboard the Apogee.
JOB RELATED LICENSES & CERTIFICATES: USCG Master, 3000 ITC-All Oceans, UK Certificate of Equivalency, Master 3000 GRT (ITC), Cayman Islands Master & GMDSS 3000 GRT (ITC), etc.
HOBBIES: Golfing, sailing
WORK EXPERIENCE: John’s fascination with living and working at sea began on the shores of New England. At the age of 17 he enlisted in the US Navy and completed four years on the aircraft carrier, USS AMERICA, working on the flight deck. While in the Navy, John set his sights on moving to Mallorca when his enlistment was up. He followed his dream and became the owner of a bar/restaurant and spent his free time in sailing regattas. After five years of living ashore, John signed on as crew for an Atlantic crossing on a 90 foot motorsailer. From this experience he decided upon his future career: luxury yachting. John has over 25 highly successful years of full time yachting experience--with many more years ahead.
JOB DESCRIPTION: John, as Master of the Apogee, is responsible for all aspects of vessel management. His myriad duties including oversight of all safety and compliance issues with respect to flag and port state regulations. John is the consummate host to each and every guest cruising aboard the Apogee.
JOB RELATED LICENSES & CERTIFICATES: USCG Master, 3000 ITC-All Oceans, UK Certificate of Equivalency, Master 3000 GRT (ITC), Cayman Islands Master & GMDSS 3000 GRT (ITC), etc.
HOBBIES: Golfing, sailing
Chief Officer | Scott Slagel | American
PREVIOUS YACHTS: Cracker Bay, Four Wishes, Chevy Toy
WORK EXPERIENCE: Scott has always had a love for the water from growing up along the shore of Lake Michigan in the town of Grand Haven. Before Scott pursued his career in yachting he earned his Bachelors degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin. He has over 8 years of traveling diverse bodies of water while managing to up-grade his captain's license and knowledge along the way.
JOB DESCRIPTION: Scott is responsible for the safety and security of Apogee guests and crew.
RELATED LICENSES & CERTIFICATONS: USCG Master, 3000 ITC-All Oceans, Master GRT
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology/University of Wisconsin (Madison)
HOBBIES: Skiing, wakeboarding, diving
WORK EXPERIENCE: Scott has always had a love for the water from growing up along the shore of Lake Michigan in the town of Grand Haven. Before Scott pursued his career in yachting he earned his Bachelors degree in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin. He has over 8 years of traveling diverse bodies of water while managing to up-grade his captain's license and knowledge along the way.
JOB DESCRIPTION: Scott is responsible for the safety and security of Apogee guests and crew.
RELATED LICENSES & CERTIFICATONS: USCG Master, 3000 ITC-All Oceans, Master GRT
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology/University of Wisconsin (Madison)
HOBBIES: Skiing, wakeboarding, diving
Head Chef | Jenny Johansson | Swedish
WORK EXPERIENCE: Jenny was born and raised in the south of Sweden. She worked for five years in restaurants before she decided to join the world of yachting on Apogee. With over 10 years of chefing experience, Jenny is sure to make every cruise on Apogee a taste sensation.
JOB DESCRIPTION: Jenny is expert at preparing exceptional meals. She enjoys the challenge of meeting the demands of guests with varied preferences. Her favorite cuisines are Asian and Mediterranean. Dining under the stars in the shelter of the beach pavilions is a favorite showcase for her eye-pleasing creations.
LANGUAGES: English
HOBBIES: Music, traveling, food, interior design, cars, rollerblading
JOB DESCRIPTION: Jenny is expert at preparing exceptional meals. She enjoys the challenge of meeting the demands of guests with varied preferences. Her favorite cuisines are Asian and Mediterranean. Dining under the stars in the shelter of the beach pavilions is a favorite showcase for her eye-pleasing creations.
LANGUAGES: English
HOBBIES: Music, traveling, food, interior design, cars, rollerblading
Second Chef | Paul Van Veen | Dutch
WORK EXPERIENCE: Paul comes from a town an hour north of Amsterdam, Netherlands. Born into a family with a passion for hospitality, Paul became aware of his love for cooking at a very young age. Following in his father’s footsteps, he enrolled in culinary school as soon as he was eligible. After 14 years of working as a chef in Holland, and feeling the need for a warmer climate, Paul worked full time as a dive instructor in Mexico and Curacao and in the Caribbean for 7 years . He moved to St Maarten where he was introduced to the yachting industry. Working as a yacht chef enables Paul to combine his love for cooking and the ocean. In addition to an array of specialities, Paul is a talented cake maker and prides himself on his beautiful plating.
LANGUAGES: English
HOBBIES: Diving, underwater photography
LANGUAGES: English
HOBBIES: Diving, underwater photography
Chief Stewardess | Coral Byram | Canadian
PREVIOUS YACHTS: Victoria Del Mar
WORK EXPERIENCE: Coral was born in Ontario, Canada and was raised in Victoria, BC. She began travelling at a young age and pursued a career as a flight attendant after graduation to feed her hunger for travel. Having grown up near the beach, Coral has a true passion for the water. Her warm personality makes meeting new people while working at sea a genuine fulfillment to her lifelong traveling dream.
JOB DESCRIPTION: Coral has a vast knowledge of wines, international cuisine, creative decor and fine dining service skills.
EDUCATION: Counseling, Event Planning
HOBBIES: Running, basketball, beach volleyball, hiking, music
WORK EXPERIENCE: Coral was born in Ontario, Canada and was raised in Victoria, BC. She began travelling at a young age and pursued a career as a flight attendant after graduation to feed her hunger for travel. Having grown up near the beach, Coral has a true passion for the water. Her warm personality makes meeting new people while working at sea a genuine fulfillment to her lifelong traveling dream.
JOB DESCRIPTION: Coral has a vast knowledge of wines, international cuisine, creative decor and fine dining service skills.
EDUCATION: Counseling, Event Planning
HOBBIES: Running, basketball, beach volleyball, hiking, music
Second Stewardess | Tasha Mcarthy |
Steward/Butler | Nenad "Neno" Boranic | Croatian
WORK EXPERIENCE: Neno is from Zagreb, Croatia. Upon finishing college, he decided to explore the world. Neno's first hospitality job at sea was working for Carnival Cruise lines where he was employed for over seven years as head waiter. Neno hopes to exceed expectations of all the guests aboard and would like to make your holiday as relaxing and enjoyable as possible.
JOB DESCRIPTION: Neno's expert bartending skills go hand-in-hand with his five star service.
EDUCATION: Hotel and Tourism
LANGUAGES: English
HOBBIES: Soccer, video games
Steward | Willy Ramos | Filipino
PREVIOUS YACHTS: Pegasus, Iroquois, Kisses, Michaela Rose
WORK EXPERIENCE: Willy has over thirteen years of experience as a steward in the yachting industry and has worked on some of the most prestigious yachts with clientele from sheiks to heads of state. Willy is the proud father of three children. He is all about professionalism and has an unsurpassed eye for detail.
Willy is an integral member of Apogee's first class interior team.
LANGUAGES: English
HOBBIES: Fishing
Housekeeping Stewardess | Maricris "Cris" Nolos | Filipino
WORK EXPERIENCE: Maricris is from Southern Tagalog, Philippines, and has been working on Apogee for over four years. She is an integral part of the crew and maintains the higest level of service.
JOB DESCRIPTION: Maricris brings a high standard to the housekeeping department. She has a keen eye for the smallest of details making every aspect and will make sure your stay aboard is a truly wonderful experience.
EDUCATION: BSC-Computer Management at UPHR / Manila
LANGUAGES: English
HOBBIES: Watching latest release movies, shopping
Housekeeping Stewardess | Ailyn Panganiban | Filipino
WORK EXPERIENCE: Ailyn was born in San Juan, Philipines. After graduating from San Sebastian Colleges Recoletos, Manila, she worked as a bartender in Five Star Hotels. From there, her love for people & travel drove her to pursue her career on cruise ships with P & O Australia & Holland America. In 2008, after a wonderful 6 years on cruise ships Ailyn changed her path to working on Luxury Yachts.
JOB DESCRIPTION: Ailyn's efficiency maintains Apogee's laundry to the highest of standards.
LANGUAGES: English
EDUCATION: Bachelor of Science & Tourism
HOBBIES: Business research, keeping in touch with friends and family abroad
.
Chief Engineer | Bjarne Hansen | Danish
WORK EXPERIENCE: Bjarne has over twelve years of work experience working on commercial vessels.
JOB DESCRIPTION: Bjarne manages Apogee's overall maintenance of engineering operations and
safety of the vessel.
JOB RELATED LICENSES & CERTIFICATES: Y1 Commercial Engineering
LANGUAGES: English
HOBBIES: If he is not working onboard then you will find Bjarne on the golf course or relaxing at his home in Brazil with his wife.
Second Engineer | Marko Lovric | Croatian
WORK EXPERIENCE: Marko is from Dubrovnik, Croatia. He began his career at sea on cargo ships, and after more than ten years moved to cruise ships. Marko's next step was the yachting industry, where he has worked for over three years.
JOB DESCRIPTION: Marko assists the chief engineer to ensure that Apogee's systems are operating at peak performance at all times.
JOB RELATED LICENSES & CERTIFICATES: Y2 Commercial Engineering
LANGUAGES: English
HOBBIES: Soccer, fishing
Mate | John Cashman | American
PREVIOUS YACHTS: Leight Star, My Chelle
WORK EXPERIENCE: John was born and raised in San Diego, California. His passion for the ocean and over twenty years in the yachting industry makes him a very strong asset to the Apogee team.
JOB DESCRIPTION: John's professional attitude and years of experience ensures the efficiency of Apogee's deck department, and navigational charts and publications.
JOB RELATED LICENSES & CERTIFICATES: 100 ton, Radar Observer, AB, Proficiency in Survival Craft, Medical Care Provider, Advanced Fire Fighting
LANGUAGES: Spanish
HOBBIES: Surfing, sailing, fishing, diving
Third Engineer | Deckhand | Deane Grey | New Zealander
WORK EXPERIENCE: Deane was born and raised in Nelson, New Zealand. He thoroughly enjoyed his four years as an apprenticing carpenter and is able to use his carpentry skills aboard Apogee. Deane finds comfort working on yachts having grown up with the ocean around him.
JOB DESCRIPTION: Deanne's skill with watersports will ensure both safe and exciting activities.
HOBBIES: Surfing, wakeboarding and travelling the world
Deckhand | Bert Jno-Lewis | Dominican
WORK EXPERIENCE: Bert is from Dominica and moved to St. Maarten at an early age. It was there that Bert realized his love for boats, as he grew up sailing and working on sailboats. Bert sought a yachting career and began working on motor yachts to pursue his goal of working as an engineer. He has been with Apogee for over 3 years. Bert is a cerftified RYA Personal Watercraft Instructor.EDUCATION: Business /University of St Maarten
HOBBIES: Surfing, skateboarding, motorbikes, and reading
Deckhand | Johnathan Lowings | South African
PREVIOUS YACHTS: Helios, Kanaloa
WORK EXPERIENCE: Johnny was born in Capetown, South Africa. After graduating with his marketing diploma, Johnny decided to venture out in answer to his travel bug. In 2006 he joined his first luxury yacht. With over 5 years in the industry his passion for the water and friendly personality will ensure a wonderful experience aboard Apogee.
JOB DESCRIPTION: Johnny plays an important part in maintaining Apogee's appearance as well as ensuring the guests have a safe time while enjoying with the water toys.
LANGUAGES: Afrikaans
JOB RELATED LICENSES & CERTIFICATIONS: Commerical Dive Ticket / Class 3
HOBBIES: Diving, kite boarding and outdoor sports, music
Deckhand | Ross Byron| English
WORK EXPERIENCE: Ross was born in Liverpool, England. He is a graduate from Edinburgh University with his Civil Engineering Degree. Ross has explored the Mediteranean and Caribbean crewing and meeting guests from all over the world and truly enjoys his career. His very pleasant demeanour puts everyone at ease and makes everyone happy to work with onboard.
JOB DESCRIPTION: Ross takes great pride in taking care of the exterior of the vessel maintaining Apogee's beauty and class.
HOBBIES: Diving, jetskiing, outdoor adventures, traveling
