Ray was born in Newport, Rhode Island where he began a yachting career on launches. He steadily continued his climb up the yachting ladder by serving as deck crew and mate on various yachts, eventually earning his 1600 Ton Oceans Master license. He has been with the EXCELLENCE program since 1989, playing a major role in the building of EXCELLENCE II, III, IV and V! Yachting has taken him to many parts of the world, with extensive time spent in the Mediterranean, New England, and the Caribbean. The immense knowledge and experience gained through these travels enables Ray to offer an array of possible itineraries as well as a pleasurable cruise. Ray is also a family man, with wife Maria, and their four wonderful children based in Ft Lauderdale, FL.

Robert “Bob” resides in Stuart, Florida and began his career in yachting after attending the Chapman School of Seamanship at the age of 19. He has been diligently accruing sea service on board motor yachts since April 2005. Prior to Excellence V, Bob has been crew on motor yachts ranging from 97’ to 192’ in length and acquired his first Master license back in March 2009 and recently obtained his USCG 1600GRT/3000GT Master License. While the majority of his career has been under the role of 1st Officer/2nd Officer/1st Mate, he’s also had the opportunity to Captain vessels up to 126’ in length. Over the years Bob has been very fortunate to travel extensively due to the career he has chosen both on and off the job. Some of those cruising areas, in no particular order go as follows; Caribbean Sea and Bahamas, Central America, North America from California to Mexico and the Florida Keys as far north as Labrador, Mediterranean Sea from France to Turkey, New Zealand and Malaysia via Vanuatu and Palau. Bob has a deep love and respect for the open sea and it truly resonates with his passion for surfing.

Coming from Media, Pennsylvania, James had to venture out of his comfort zone and head east to pursue his passion for water sports and fishing. This passion led him to find the yachting industry. He is well-traveled, covering Europe, Central America, some bits of Africa and Alaska. James brings the skills and attributes he has obtained through his background in hospitality and time onboard yachts to make your trip a memorable one.

Zach hails from Grand Blanc, Michigan. He has lived on the lake most of his life, wakeboarding, jet skiing and competitively swimming. Before leaving Michigan to pursue a career in yachting, Zach became a certified EMT. With 5 years in the industry and his medical background, he has become an experienced and friendly deck hand who will make sure you have a safe and fun trip.

Daniel was born in Atlanta, Georgia and moved to the Bay Islands of Honduras, to pursue a career as a Scuba instructor. There, he developed a deep passion for the ocean. After working on dive boats for five years he wanted to move on to bigger and better things, and the yachting industry was calling to him. His experience working in water sports and his 8 years in the hospitality industry ensure Daniel is a professional and friendly face for guests on board Excellence V.

Amber is from Panama City Beach Florida. From the age of four, she spent weekends sailing around on her parent’s hobie cat and her love for the water grew from there. After high school she embraced the sports of freediving and surfing which initiated her curiosity and love for travel. While traveling around the world she started scuba diving, wakeboarding, wake surfing, snowboarding, and kiteboarding. Amber joined the yachting industry in 2013 as a stew/deckhand but her love for watersports and the outdoors lead her to transition to a sole exterior role.

Daniel was born in San Sebastian, Spain. After 12 years, he moved to Germany with his family. He started his engineering career by completing a 3.5-year electrical apprenticeship. He continued working as a land based certified electrical engineer, performing programming and installation of industrial plants and automation of luxury properties. It was a job on a yacht in Mallorca that made Dan realize is passion for the sea. He has spent the last 12 years on several yachts and has acquired his Y1 Chief Engineer’s Certificate of Competency. He enjoys all water sports, snowboarding, biking, gym, swimming, technical design, electrics, computers, music, 3D printing, iOS programming.

Paul was born in New Jersey but grew up in South Florida. He was exposed to the yachting industry at an early age as he would often go visit his father who worked as a head chef aboard a 151’ Feadship. Growing up in the Fort Lauderdale area, Paul spent weekends, holidays and summer vacations during high school and college in the yachting industry. His yacht travels have taken him throughout New England, Nova Scotia, the Bahamas and Mediterranean. In 2016, he graduated from Purdue University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology. Paul is excited to be pursuing his career by combining his passion for the sea, yachting and traveling. In his downtime he enjoys staying active whether it’s running, skiing, diving, gym or fishing.

Raised in the North East of England, Stephen had always had an interest in culinary arts and enrolled at a local technical college to start his journey. After working for the McCoy Brothers and Raymond Blanc over the course of 5 years, he then decided to head for Australia. He spent almost 4 years in Melbourne working alongside Donovan Cooke, Paul Wilson and others. Stephen returned to the UK in the Fall of 2003 and inadvertently found himself in yachting. He has spent the last 14 years working as head chef on different vessels. Over time he has gained a tremendous amount of experience from working with different chef’s, crew and guests. Stephen’s culinary background and determination to make people happy with food ensures a delectable experience.

Mack grew up in Baltimore City Maryland, near the Chesapeake Bay, where he developed a love for the open water and Seafood. After graduating high school, he attended the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, California. During his time in San Francisco he worked at both AQUA and Jardinière, 2 Michelin star restaurants. He continued his culinary career at L’Atelier De Joel Robuchon in Las Vegas and then onto Gordon Ramsay’s Maze in Manhattan. Mack joined the yachting world in 2015 when he was hired as 3rd chef on a Microsoft co-founder’s world traveling yacht, Octopus. Mack’s diverse culinary background ensures a mouthwatering experience while onboard.

Gwen grew up in a tranquil small town in Northern Michigan, living on the Great Lake’s all her life. After graduating from Michigan State University with a Bachelors in Marketing, she moved to San Francisco for a career in Transportation Insurance. Although after a few years she realized she missed traveling and seeing the world terribly. She left her job and went on to backpack around New Zealand, Australia, Asia, Europe, South America and parts of Central America. Through her travels and love of the water, Gwen found yachting. It was the perfect fit for her as she was able to pair her passion for traveling with her 13 years of hospitality experience. This background ensures that Gwen will anticipate your needs with a warm and professional demeanor to make your experience aboard M/Y Excellence V a memorable one.

Having completed her secondary education, Georgia decided to take a gap year and has been continuing her adventure ever since. Georgia’s first tastes of the hospitality industry was with a weekend job at the age of 14. Thirteen years later, she remains passionate about her chosen career path. Since 2013 Georgia has been working on a number of vessels ranging from small sailing yachts to 50M world cruising motor yachts. Her lovely smile and warm personality make Georgia a fantastic addition to the Excellence V team.

Toni grew up in a small coastal town in South Africa, where she spent as much time as possible on the water. After completing her bachelor’s degree in Motion Picture Medium, she decided to take on the world in search of a new exciting experience, yachting. With several years of experience under her belt, her smile and contagious personality allow for guests to relax and enjoy themselves as they know they are in great hands while on board Excellence V.

Julie is a born and raised islander from the arctic circle of Norway, with a population of only 500. She knew from an early age that she wanted to explore, and the minute she finished high school she jumped on a plane to New York. While there Julie studied in both event management and international development. Through her travels for school she found yachting and hasn’t looked back since. Julie is one of the newest members to Excellence V, coming from M/Y Eclipse. With 6 years of hospitality and fine dining along with her bubbly personality and willingness to be of help makes Julie a fantastic member of the Excellence V team.

Madison grew up in Perth, the most isolated city on the West Coast of Australia. After completing her Bachelor Degree in Physiotherapy, she took a gap year in Chicago and worked at a fine dining restaurant. It was in this year she discovered her love for traveling and followed in her cousin’s footsteps by joining the yachting industry. Madison comes to Excellence V having cruised from Florida across the Caribbean, Central America and on to the western Mediterranean, having enjoyed events like the Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix to name a few. Her “down under” charm and bright smile make Madison a wonderful addition to Excellence V.