Crew Profiles

Freedom
Crew Profiles

Captain: Brendan Emmons

Born in Northern New Jersey in a small town called Allendale, raised going down the Jersey shore every weekend to enjoy boating. After graduating high school early, he started his own business at the young age of sixteen. After doing this and working for his family business for many years, he decided the ocean was his calling after several trips to Fort Lauderdale. He started out as a delivery mate at the age of eighteen on a trip from Florida to Boston, MA and quickly moved up to the captain position before the trip had even ended. Captaining for 12 years now, he has gained a lot of wisdom and insight into the yachting world. He has run boats in five countries, along with experience from Maine to Key West. Brendan and his wife have been a team since 2017, where they have learned and grown together. Brendan holds his Master 200/500-ton license and looks forward to creating a safe and memorable experience for his charter guests aboard motor yacht Freedom!

Chief Stewardess: Julie Emmons

Born and raised in the small town of Ramsey, New Jersey, Julie grew up enjoying time at the beach and doing water sports. She graduated from SUNY Cortland where she completed her bachelor’s degree in childhood education. After teaching and coaching gymnastics for several years, she met Brendan and decided it was time to join him in the yachting industry. She has completed her STCW training, as well as bartending courses. Julie enjoys reading, hiking, swimming, and water sports in her free time. She is excited to give guests aboard Freedom the experience of a lifetime, by creating a warm and welcoming environment. With Julie’s friendly personality and amazing organizational skills, Freedom’s guests are sure to be enjoying their experience!

Mate: Rebecca DeNisco

Rebecca was born and raised in coastal Massachusetts and has always had a bold sense of adventure. She spent her high school and college summers working as a deckhand for Boston Harbor Cruises and quickly realized her love for boating and the ocean. She went on to receive a business degree at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst and began her career in finance, still spending her nights and weekends out on the water. In 2021, Rebecca left Massachusetts for Florida, looking to experience life beyond the cubicle and turn her boating hobby into a new career. Rebecca has since gotten her 100-ton license, become an advanced PADI SCUBA diver, has cruised to beautiful destinations, and made memories that will last a lifetime! In her free time, Rebecca enjoys a long hike or an even longer road trip. She is excited to be on board M/Y Freedom and share her love of life and yachting with her charter guests!

Deck/Stew: Molly Priebe

Molly grew up in a small town in northern Michigan, with both Lake Huron and the AuSable River just minutes away. She has always loved spending time in the water and the sun and spent much of her time in the summers on kayaks, tubes, and boats. Molly managed a local coffee shop while going to college to get her degree in Technical & Professional Communication as well as Creative Writing from Ferris State University. Once graduated, she decided against a desk job and moved to Fort Lauderdale to get a taste of the world beyond Michigan. Since beginning her career in yachting, she has made lifelong friends, seen the best sunrises and sunsets on the water, and learned more things than she ever could have imagined. She is excited to be a part of the M/Y Freedom team and share her experiences with charter guests!

Deck/Stew: Lucy Stromberg

Lucy was born and raised in the Cayman Islands, where she developed a love for the water. An avid scuba diver from a young age, she holds Advanced Open Water and Nitrox certifications. Lucy completed her early education in England and Florida before graduating from Auburn University with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a minor in art. She spent her summers volunteering at surf camps and working on charters, deepening her passion for the maritime world. After college, pursuing a career on the water felt like a natural choice, leading her to join the crew of M/Y Freedom. In her spare time, Lucy enjoys painting, running, and embarking on new adventures. She is thrilled to be here and cannot wait to contribute to exceptional experiences onboard!

Rotational Chefs

Chef Ruthie Kallai

Born and raised in Oregon, Chef Ruthie enjoys cooking both professionally and for pleasure. She has had a knack for cooking from a young age and has excelled at it ever since. With a background in psychology and art, she can intuitively adapt her menu to please all guests with beautiful and delicious food. As a private chef, she specializes in healthy cuisine. She is talented at cooking vegan and plant-based food. She enjoys cooking fresh seafood aboard Motor Yacht Freedom while cruising around New England. Lobster rolls are a crowd pleaser with fresh lobster, as well as the classic surf and turf dish. She can serve her dishes via family style or plated, whichever is preferred. She loves to give the guests the best experience possible with both her presentation and the taste of her food!

Chef Stephanie Sykora

Being a native of Charleston, SC, her passion for culinary and hospitality comes naturally. Stephanie, “Chef Steph,” was our Chef for MY Freedom last summer for the 2022 New England season. One of the highlights during her time onboard was her receiving 2nd place in the Newport Charter Yacht Show Chef Competition representing MY Freedom.
From a young age she developed her enthusiasm for being on the water. Stephanie was homeschooled on her family’s 51’ Jeanneau for three years during middle school. She and her family sailed through the Caribbean islands which instilled her dream of working on yachts. During this time, she was immersed in different cultures and cuisines, and enjoyed helping her mom cook in the galley. Once back in Charleston, Stephanie joined the Culinary Arts program at Wando High School where she learned her core culinary skills and competed in competitions. She received her ProStart certification after 2 years of training.
Through high school and college, she taught sailing for 8 years as well as working in various restaurants around Charleston. For her study abroad, she circumnavigated the globe on Semester at Sea which exposed her to twelve different countries. Stephanie graduated from College of Charleston in the traditional four years with three majors: Business Administration, Hospitality & Tourism, & Studio Art. Her creativity shines through the presentation of her dishes.

Chef Grace Abel

Being health conscious and active drives this native Californian. Cooking from a young age, she truly has a passion for food and will light up the evening with fresh ingredients making delicious meals. Grace worked in fine dining restaurants in California’s wine country before joining yachting in South Florida & the Caribbean in 2011. During her time living abroad, she attended The New Zealand School of Food & Wine for culinary school in Auckland and worked for farm-to-table style restaurants that focused on fresh local ingredients. With a focus on custom meal plans for any diet including gluten free, Paleo, vegetarian and diabetic; Grace will keep your health choices first without compromising taste. From Mediterranean, Mexican and Asian cuisine, to grilling outdoors on the barbeque; you will not want to leave after this dining experience.

Relief Crew

Mate: Molly Gates

Molly was born and raised in Chicago but has a love for travel and meeting people from all over. Growing up on Lake Michigan, she spent her summers swimming, tubing, waterskiing, and more. She joined the sailing team in high school, and seven years later, she hasn’t gotten off boats since. In between studying at the University of Dayton, Molly spent her summers in Chicago running a boat washing business throughout all the Chicago Harbors, crewing for various private and charter boats, and even ran a charter company in Summer of 2021. Now, she has completed her STCW course and is ready to use her knowledge of boating and her love of travel into the yachting industry. Molly’s favorite thing about her career is connecting with guests, so she can’t wait to help make an unforgettable experience for every guest that comes on board Freedom!

Deck/Stew: Claire Steffe

Being from Montana, Claire loves everything about the outdoors. She has grown up fly fishing, hiking, camping, and even slacklining. She has tried everything from being a ski instructor to a jet ski tour guide. Claire is quick to make guests feel comfortable and at home minutes after arriving on board. Now, she is ready to take her love of water, the outdoors, and people to give guests an incredible experience on board motor yacht Freedom!