Captain: David Sloate

Captain David Sloate
Born and raised in southern California, David has been around the water all his life. He started his boating career when he was 15 years old going fishing anytime he could. He received his first Coast Guard license at the age of 22 and has been running boats ever since. David has been many places, but his favorite has been southeast Alaska where the beauty of the landscape and the fishing is plentiful. David’s daughter is also in the industry as a chief stewardess.

Chief Officer Tomislav Tuta
Chief Officer Tom was born in Zadar, which is coastal town of Croatia located in the middle of the Adriatic Sea. After maritime College he completed his OOW unlimited certificate and started his yachting career. His love of sea and adventure, combined with maritime education made him a successful seaman from early ages. Throughout his career he visited most of the Mediterranean countries such as Italy, France, Spain, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, Monaco, etc. With a positive outlook and a good sense of humor Tom is always reliable and professional. He readily contributes to all aspects of yachting life and rise to any challenge.

Engineer Stephan Bester (rotational)
Stephan grew up in Pretoria, South Africa and started his professional career in law enforcement, specializing in SWAT and later VIP Protection. Several careers later he gained experience in purchasing & logistics, international sales, running his own ice manufacturing & distribution company, commercial building maintenance and communication infrastructure development. Time spent as a child on coastal vacations awakened the yearning to seek employment on the big blue. Since 2011 Stephan successfully completed multiple Mediterranean and Caribbean seasons and Atlantic crossings while securing his Engineering license. Working with his hands, facing daily challenges, and taking on multiple sized projects makes him tick and he always seek to improve systems, processes, and procedures. Stephan is a vivid semi-professional nature photographer and loves flying his drone while maintaining his commercial SCUBA diving license and will soon complete his helicopter pilot license.

Engineer Fanie Oosthuizen (rotational)
Fanie was born in Zimbabwe but grew up in the small town of Nelspruit that borders the Kruger National Park in South Africa. He was working as an equipment analyst in a paper mill when, in 2000, an engineer friend introduced him to the yachting industry. Fanie has worked as an engineer on a number of yachts and has extensively sailed the Mediterranean, Bahamas & Caribbean, Indian Ocean, and Asia. He currently holds the Y3 engineering qualification and plans to progress up the ranks to obtain his Y2 certificate. When Fanie is not sweating it out in the engine room, he is an avid fresh and saltwater fisherman, diver, and golfer.

Chief Stewardess Tamaryn Smith
Tamaryn was born in Durban, South Africa and moved to a small town in Zimbabwe at a young age where she grew up on a game farm spending most of her time taking care of many animals and enjoying outdoor activities. Excited for a change and passion for the ocean and traveling, she joined the Yachting industry in 2013 where it led to her seasons in the Bahamas, Carribean and Mediterranean. She is very excited to join this great team and welcome you onboard M/Y Lady Elaine and provide you an unforgettable experience.

Stewardess Rachel Ryan
Rachel Ryan grew up in Wellington, New Zealand. Her older sister introduced her to the yachting industry as they are both alike and enjoy traveling to explore new places. Rachel was excited to go and explore the world and was hired by one her most favorite companies. She worked onboard Disney cruise line as a ‘fairy godmother’ creating magical moments for young children in the “Bibiddi Bobbidi Boutique". Rachel has many years working as a stewardess onboard yachts. She has worked on both private and charter yachts in many different locations around the world. She has seen parts of the Mediterranean the beautiful beaches in the Caribbean and the Bahamas. One of Rachel’s favorite spots to explore was the Fjords in Norway as it was off the beaten track, peaceful and breathtakingly still.

Stewardess Candice Preston
Candice was born and grew up in the Coastal South African city of Durban. After graduating high school, she decided to pursue her career as a stewardess onboard a yacht, and thus earned her stew qualification in September of 2021, making her way to Fort Lauderdale. A lover of the great outdoors, Candice is often going camping, and in her free time she also enjoys Equestrian show jumping, waterskiing, golfing and is also a talented artist. Candice has a good sense of humor and always enjoys a good joke. She is always ready and willing to help with any request.


Bosun Calvert Aldersley
Cal was born in Annapolis, MD where he grew up fishing, crabbing, and wake boarding on the Chesapeake Bay. At age 13 Cal was a dock hand at a large Marina in Annapolis. At age 16 he founded Annapolis Marine Detailing, hiring several employees. Cal has been a First Mate since he was 17 years old, and after graduating from Salisbury University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management, he moved to Florida to pursue a full-time career in the yachting industry. Cal enjoys surfing, scuba diving, spear fishing, and cooking what he catches. Cal’s passion for yachting goes much deeper than his love of boats. He enjoys the friendships with his crew, meeting new guests and seeing their smiles after introducing them to something new, and the respect of the amazing environment he is fortunate to live and work in. Cal strives to make all guests happy, and their experience unforgettable.

Deckhand Daniel Cohen
Daniel Cohen was born and raised in Los Angeles, California where his
family has enjoyed boating to Catalina Island. He began driving tenders at the age of 5 and by age 13 was docking 50’ boats. He graduated the University of Maryland with a degree in Public Health Science and a focus in Pre-medicine. After college he decided to take break from school and pursue his passion for yachts and began his yachting career. He plans to eventually go back to school and become an orthopedic surgeon. When not at work you will find him back home in California visiting family, and friends, playing with his dog, surfing, skiing, hiking, scuba diving, fishing, mountain biking, golfing, or watching movies.

Chef Phil Browning
Chef Phil began his career in Shropshire, England. At the age of 12, he worked as a part-time dishwasher after school. By the time he was 15, he was hired as a Sous Chef of a two Rosette restaurant. After training in England, Phil became a citizen of the world to explore different cultures and broaden his culinary knowledge and skills. After finally settling in Copenhagen Denmark, he was retained at the famous Café Victor, where he cooked for Royalty and celebrities daily. For two years, he worked as the Head Chef of a renowned Danish restaurant. Eventually, while working in Denmark, he discovered the world of yachting and was on his way to his first yacht in Malta. Yachting has taken him all over the world. He has an immense passion for baking and desserts. He thrives to make every dining experience one to remember.