AVALON Yacht Charter Motor Boat

Crew Profile

Captain – Jesse Clinton, USA
Jesse is originally from Savannah, Georgia. He fell in love with boating at a young age and spent his childhood sailing the east coast with his family. He learned how to sail at an early age affording him a keen understanding of the ocean. By the age of 10, he knew his lifelong dream was to be a captain. When he was a teenager, he sailed the tall ship circuit and eventually taught sailing to young adults. At age 18, he earned his captain’s license with plans of making yachting his career. Jesse has spent the past several years crewing aboard sailing yachts & busy charter motor yachts. His calm demeanour and being a natural on the ocean makes him the perfect crew member. He enjoys all water sports, especially wakeboarding, surfing, and paddle boarding. He is also very creative and likes a good challenge.

First Officer / 2nd Captain – Kyle Holmes, USA
Kyle grew up in Sacramento, California. Kyle has been around the water for his entire life, as a young adult he taught sailing, water skiing and worked on commercial fishing boats. His family has a house and sport fishing company in Mexico so feel free to test his fishing expertise. He realized he wanted to have his career as a captain and completed 4 years at the California Maritime Academy. From there he went straight into yachting and has never looked back. He has been in yachting for 11 years and a captain for 6 years. He is passionate about his job and loves to help his guests enjoy the ocean and yachting experience as much as he does.

Chef - Wayne Dominico Gallo, South African/British
Wayne is South African by birth with ancestral roots in the UK and Italy. He grew up in Durban, Kwa Zulu Natal on the east coast of South Africa, where he first began his culinary journey in the restaurant business. He then moved to the UK in 1991, and continued on his culinary adventure. Having spent a lot of time traveling around the world, food has always been at the top of his to do list. Yachting was a great combination for him after having worked and managed many restaurants in South Africa, UK and the Caribbean. Wayne joined the high seas working on yachts in 2010 and has never looked back. Creativity is a specialty of his, and he is happy to conjure up anything your palate desires, and cater to specific dietary requirements. With his mixed culture background you will find a fusion cuisine combining local ingredients with exotic flavors. From hors d’oeuvres to a formal dinner to a midnight snack, his culinary delights will tantalize even the most discerning taste buds. In his free time he enjoys watersports and finding new surf hot spots.

Chief Stewardess – Michelle Riherd, USA
Michelle Riherd sails as Chief Stewardess aboard M/Y Avalon. After growing up in Michigan, Michelle traveled to Key West during a Spring Break in college, and her life changed forever. It was in Key West that she was first introduced to yachting, and she has been happily working on yachts for eighteen years. Michelle loves the constant change of scenery, meeting new people and hearing the interesting life stories of all of the colorful characters she has met through traveling. Always up for the next big adventure, her yachting career has taken her from British Columbia to the Bahamas, and she counts St. Maarten and Dominica among her favorite destinations. She has homes in both Fort Lauderdale and Sweden and, when she is not at sea, she enjoys playing squash, mountain biking, home projects, or simply surrounding herself with her favorite people. Michelle is excited to start yet another adventure aboard M/Y Avalon. Her friendly personality, finely-tuned service skills and attention to detail will delight Avalon guests and make their charter experience truly unforgettable.
Qualifications: PADI Diver, Silver Service

2nd Stewardess- Alexis Carpenter, USA
Alexis hails from Cleveland, OH. She grew up traveling the country playing soccer for a national league and then continued at Miami University of Ohio where she majored in Business. During her college years, her parents moved to Shanghai, China. One visit to see them across the world immediately instilled a desire to travel. Upon graduation, Alexis took the typical 9-5 job. But that left her adventurous spirit wanting more. She decided to take the leap to move to Fort Lauderdale and has never looked back.

Stewardess – Ashley Combs, USA
Ashley Combs was raised in Minnesota, and grew up with her father in the yachting industry allowing her to frequently travel the world throughout the years. She developed a dream of her own to join the industry after studying at Purdue University. She loves boating, surfing, traveling, and the warmth, things Minnesota couldn’t offer to her. After moving to Fort Lauderdale in March 2020, she is finally pursuing her passion and loving it!

Bosun – Trevor Morton, USA
Trevor was born and raised on the coast of South Carolina with good old fashion southern hospitality. From a very young age his father introduced him to the ocean through surfing, which is one of his biggest passions. His love for the ocean grew through the years till he found a great career in Yachting. Trevor has been in the industry for 13 years now and loves many aspects of what he does. He loves creating an unforgettable experience for the guests aboard Avalon.

Deckhand – Kyle Schimmel, South Africa
Being brought up in a coastal town from Durban S.A, Kyle has had the privilege to have a passion for the ocean. Having over 2000 dives and working in the ocean industry for over 10 years in S.A & the Bahamas, he has a great understanding of what clients expect and does doing so with a smile. He will be working towards his Yatch Masters and loves spending time with his family on his down time.

Chief Engineer –Anthony Waugh, Australia
Anthony was born in Australia and set sail for international travel at an early age. A machinist by trade, Anthony joined yachting and progressed his career through many high profile yachts. After having a family, Anthony entered the offshore oil and gas industry working on major projects in Australia’s northwest shelf. Family ties eventually brought him back to the USA, rejoining yachting as a seasoned well-rehearsed marine engineer. Anthony spends his leisure time with his two daughters and loves to spend as much time at the beach or in the ocean.