BELLA CONTESSA Yacht Charter Motor Boat

Crew Profile

Captain - Bill Kurtz

Bill was born in Illinois between the cornfield and the beanfield. His parents moved to south Florida when he was 10 years old. He hit the ocean running. Fishing, surfing, at first. Then sailing, windsurfing, waterskiing, scuba diving were daily activities while growing up.
He was first offered a mates job on a 56' Hatteras and obtained his Captain license. He was the build Captain on the 116' Margaux, which was a very popular charter yacht. He chartered Margaux for several years throughout the Bahamas, and Caribbean in the winter, and New England in the summer. When his family started to grow (wife plus three children) he left the Charter side of yachting for private motor yachts: 118' Alcor, 112' Ubiquitous, 96' Ches Soirée, 112' Attitude. He loves the Bahamas and all it has to offer, but most of all enjoy's showing guest's all the treasures and his secret favorite spots. Captain Bill welcomes you and your guests to a fun, active vacation aboard 112' Bella Contessa.


Chef - Olga Lupu

Education/Certifications: Ships Cook Certificate (France), Food & Hygiene Level 2, Culinary Art Training, Molecular Cuisine Training, Thai & Japanese Cuisine Master
Class, Nordic Cuisine Master Class, Catalan & Valencian Cuisine Master
Class, Sicilian Cuisine Master Class
Languages Spoken: English, Russian, Basic Spanish

Chef Olga Lupu hails from Ukraine, but is currently based in Nassau, Bahamas. Her background in the industry includes nine years on cruise ships, private yachts and charter yachts traveling through the Mediterranean, Florida and the Bahamas. Now, she is pleased to welcome you to her table aboard M/Y BELLA CONTESSA during your next charter.

Each day is an adventure in food for Chef Olga, and dining options are limitless with her in the kitchen -- from buffets and casual meals to classic platings and multi-course tasting menus. She offers diverse menu options and styles of plating catered specifically to the food preferences and dietary requirements of guests. Her specialties include Mediterranean, Italian, French, Spanish, Nordic, Asian, Greek, Middle Eastern, Russian, some South American and Molecular cuisines, and she can accommodate all diets, including gluten-free, lactose-free, vegetarian and vegan.

In her leisure time, Olga enjoys open-air cooking, sailing, jogging, yoga, and Latin dance.


Stew - Cassidy Stone
Education/Certifications: STCW 2010, Food Safety Certificate, Rescue Diving
Languages Spoken: English

Cassidy Stone was born and raised in Canada, and worked in the hospitality industry for 16 years in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia before embarking on a career in yachting. Since 2016, she’s worked on both motor yachts and sailing yachts on both coasts of the United States, plus the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the Bahamas, the South Pacific, and even an Atlantic crossing. With a background in fine dining restaurants, vineyards and high-end resorts, she brings a wealth of skills and experience to her role as Chief Stewardess aboard M/Y BELLA CONTESSA. Recently, Cassidy took a five month sabbatical from yachting while completing Scuba diving courses in Honduras.


Mate - John Thompson
Languages Spoken: English

John was born in Nassau, Bahamas, his family lives in Deep Creek, Eleuthera, a small coastal settlement, which farming and fishing are the mainstays of the area. John has 9 brothers and 2 sisters Growing up around the sea, fishing and diving was always and still is, his main interests. By the time he was 16, he was working as a mate on a fishing boat. After winning a few local tournaments, he had proved himself as a mate. Through his 20's John fished all over the Bahamas and got his Bahamian Captain's License at 25 years old. He started running sport fishing boats for various yachts between 40' to 100'. John is interested in all sports, but basketball and the Miami Heat will always be his favorite. John's passion is fishing and loves to teach people about the fish, diving and boating. His best qualities are honesty, patience, knowledge of the ocean and his outlook on life. His motto is "One day at a time". John truly considers the Bahamas as the best place on earth and brings a wealth of knowledge to Bella Contessa.