'Individually we are one drop, together we are an ocean...'
Our first ambassador program is kicking off this month so we thought we would share with everyone who our current ambassadors where, their yachting experience and reason why they want to be part of our company mission.
Keep your eyes peeled for our future ambassador projects and make sure you give them all a follow!
Mellisa
My name is Mellisa Altenburger, I’m originally from South Africa and have been on board my first ever yacht since 2013. Soon after joining the yacht I qualified as a Freediving and scuba diving instructor. This lead me onto getting my certification as a shark conservation and coral nursery restoration diver, I have been volunteering in the Bahamas helping with the restoration of their reefs since 2016. I am extremely passionate about raising awareness amongst fellow yacht crew by organising regular beach/ ocean cleanups on the weekends in the Bahamas. I have also been volunteering alongside a Instagram group called Gone Coastal Crew cleaning the beaches in Fort Lauderdale Since 2019. I’m super excited to be apart of this program because we can never stop learning from each other. Together we can make the world a better place.
Wesley
Born and raised in South Africa I went on to successfully complete a Bachelors in Economics and Environmental Science Honours. After which I went into Super Yachting where I have worked my way up to Chief Officer. The yachting industry has allowed me to travel to places I didn't know existed and to have experiences I never had previously imagined. While working my way up the chain of command I still felt a certain fulfillment factor missing. This begged the question "what good can I do to make a change?", and what better way than combining my background in Environmental Science, my passion for diving and my current role onboard to begin to address the sustainability issue we all face.
ZOE
Ciao! My name is Zoe, I grew up on the shores of Mozambique, but was born in Italy. I was introduced to plastic waste from a very young age, growing up in a country where recycling didn’t exist, and still doesn’t. My parents built a small eco-conscious lodge, which I quickly became a part of. Once I moved into the yachting industry, I realized what a global issue plastic is, and how much harm it is causing our oceans. Since then, I vowed I would do my part to help reduce my own pollution, as well as the pollution in the environment I work in. Now, I am lucky enough to find myself working on an environmentally conscious yacht, putting together a program focused on marine conservation. A part of this conservation includes collecting micro-plastic samples, where ever the boat may travel, and sending them off for testing. Being a seastainable ambassador, gives me a chance to do my part to give back to Mother Nature, and bring awareness to the climate crisis we are currently facing.
Frida
Frida from Sweden here! I grew up with amazing nature around me and my passion for the ocean goes way back. The more time that passes, the more I learn about Mother Earth and what we’re doing and what we could be doing instead.I just recently jumped onboard the yachting industry and when writing this I’m on my way to my first job! It’s a temp job on a small boat and I am really excited! I’m hoping to bring awareness to the boats I’ll be working on and cherish on all the steps, big and small, towards a more sustainable industry. My favorite things to do in the sea is diving and freediving. I also just started sailing which is so much fun! If I would be a sea animal I would probably be a dolphin, wild and free!
Sara
I have been in the yachting industry for over a decade and as much as I love the lifestyle and opportunities that yachting gives, I constantly feel guilty about the impact the industry has on the environment. I look forward to being involved in helping to create change within the industry and. create more awareness about the issues we face and the solutions availab
I am currently working as both a Chief Stewardess on a new yacht and as a crew recruiter for 19 Yacht Crew.
Wayne
I am a long standing renewable energies advocate. Having being in the industry for 20 years focusing on island, or off grid, energy systems. I’m a long standing agent for leading power manufacturers and I place their equipment in line with my own design resource analysis models. This attempts to balance where possible the available natural resources to any given load or demand. My work on land and water over the years stives to perform the task using sustainable energy alone. As the technology advances, and more importantly people realise that they don’t necessarily need to leave that light on, the reliance of fossil fuel generators dwindles. I built a company on this ethos, now beginning a new chapter specifically challenged with removing fossil fuel from the marine environment whilst raising awareness for ocean conservation, specifically the devastating impact of ocean plastic. This is the North Devon Marine project - in the making. I’m a marine engineer, I hold affiliation with some of the most inspiring technology producers in the world and I’ve converted my first sailboat, a Sadler 25 to electric. I hope to direct my experience and ethos now locally, and through offering experiences on my Contessa 34 to inspire others slowly updating to avoid fossil fuels and with the right support on going to remove the reliance entirely; to show it can be done, and where we may be headed.
David
I was born in South Africa, and at ten moved to the US with my family. After finishing university and giving the business world a try, a good friend of mine helped me find yachting and gave me the advice to get started. I joined the industry at the beginning of September 2019 and have loved every second of it. And it always amazes to me to see the lengths crews go to be as green as possible. And that has motivated me to do everything I can to promote awareness so we can all work together and clean up our beautiful planet and our oceans.
