Chief Officer Nick was born and raised in the Suburbs of Melbourne, Australia and grew up in a family of seasoned sailors, enjoying sailing and all water related activities from a very young age.
With an insight of what professional super yacht sailing was all about and what it had to offer, it was no surprise that Nick decided to chase the thrill and venture into the world of yachting. Since starting his professional sailing career in 2005, Nick has completed over 150,000 nautical miles, cruising extensively in and around the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and East Coast USA. Prior to joining the KOKOMO team in 2013, Nick spent 6 years working as First Mate onboard charter yacht S/Y ANTARA on both sides of the Atlantic.
Nick has been part of the KOKOMO family for nearly 10 years, and is a key asset to the program and smooth functioning of the vessel. His calm personality and natural leadership skills aid Adam in the efficient and disciplined running of KOKOMO. Nick’s experience onboard alongside Adam, will ensure you have a safe and unforgettable sailing experience.
When Nick isn’t onboard KOKOMO, or chasing his 2 young boys around the garden, he is a passionate cyclist, golfer and tennis player. In a past life, Nick was a qualified Tennis Professional in Australia, so if you fancy a game, Nick is your man.
Nick Ackroyd
Chief Officer
Melissa was born in Stockholm, Sweden with a Finnish upbringing, and spent most of her childhood working on her grandmother’s farm in northern Finland.
Melissa has always been a keen sportswoman and has tried everything from playing handball to cliff diving. Her passion for the ocean led her to undertaking studies in Marine Biology in Stockholm, where she had the opportunity to sail for two months from the Canary Islands to Morocco, up to the English coast and all the way back to Stockholm. The University provided her with the necessary certificates to start working onboard yachts as a deckhand straight after graduation.
After a few seasons working on local traffic boats in Stockholm, Melissa moved to France to find work, where she ended up combining daywork on yachts, with landscaping and tree surgery on the French Riviera. In 2022 Melissa landed on her first opportunity in yachting and joined S/Y ATHOS for the last month of the refit and crossed over to the Bahamas and Caribbean.
After spending a winter season on ATHOS, Melissa joined KOKOMO and became a firm part of the deck team, always putting a smile on everyone’s face with her high energy and lively personality.
Melissa Kaikkonen
Deckhand
Born in Durban, South Africa, Mike grew up entrenched in competitive water sports. Always keen to challenge himself, he quickly jumped the ranks in his local racing circuits, even making a bid for the Olympics in 49ers. Joining the yachting industry was the next step in his seafaring career, keen to tackle some of the largest and most complex sailing yachts in the world. Mike has spent over six years working aboard both sailing and motor vessels with a focus on charter clients.
Mike is a jack of all trades, with the engineering skills and sailing background to ensure that no problem is too tough. He’s excellent at thinking on his feet and his water sports and lifesaving skills make him the ideal companion for enjoying the variety of toys on board.
In his free time, Mike is still a keen sailor, spending as much time on the water as possible alongside mountain biking and paragliding off the water.
Mike Dickinson
Bosun
KOKOMO’s Head Chef boasts a lifelong dedication to hospitality, starting from his early teens and honing his culinary skills professionally for well over a decade. Elai’s journey in the culinary world began with a deep-rooted passion for food and a commitment to excellence. With extensive experience in top-tier restaurants, bespoke catering, and freelance consultancy, Elai has amassed a diverse repertoire of cuisines, collaborating with numerous Michelin-starred chefs.
In KOKOMO's galley, Elai brings a dynamic, energetic, and authentic approach to cuisine. His culinary philosophy is rooted in using the freshest ingredients and innovative techniques to create dishes that are both visually stunning and delectable. His dedication to continuous learning and experimentation ensures that the dining experience aboard KOKOMO is always fresh and exciting.
Elai Mann
Head Chef
Amy joins the KOKOMO family from Melbourne, Australia, bringing with her a wealth of hospitality and management experience. Her yachting journey began at the Super Yacht Cup Regatta in Palma, sparking a passion that led her to a 52m Sailing Yacht cruising the Mediterranean before joining the team here.
With a commitment for the long haul, Amy is eager to welcome charter guests with her infectious smile and bubbly personality. Her background in high-pressure environments has resulted in world-class achievements and recognition, achieving global #1 sales on Uber Eats.
Amy ensures guests receive top-tier service, treating each one exactly as she would want to be treated during a trip of a lifetime—professionally, with fun, and leaving them overall blown away, wishing they didn't have to leave.
Off-duty, Amy is a social butterfly who enjoys indulging in diverse cuisines and creating memorable experiences. She is passionate about entertaining friends and family. Having ventured through Central America, Asia, South Africa, and beyond, Amy brings a diverse perspective to the KOKOMO crew, excited about the new adventures ahead.
Amy Plunkett
Stewardess
Born in Fowey, Cornwall, a small river town in the southwest of the UK, Iain enjoyed an idyllic childhood on and around the river, engaging in dinghy sailing, Troy sailing, motor boating, and general adventuring. His early experiences set the stage for a life spent on and around the sea.
At 18, feeling somewhat disillusioned with traditional education, Iain decided to pursue his Yachtmaster qualification. The 12-week course, based in Plymouth, involved sailing all around the south coast of England, an experience he thoroughly enjoyed.
Since then, Iain has accumulated nearly 30 years of sailing experience. He has worked with some of the largest sailing yachts in the industry, including MIRABELLA V, AGLAIA, AQUIJO and NGONI. His extensive cruising experience includes rounding South Africa and South America, sailing along the coast of Norway, crossing the Pacific, and completing countless Atlantic crossings.
Off the water, Iain is a dedicated family man with two teenage children. His hobbies include golf, hiking, and running.
Iain Bradshaw
Captain
Samantha was born in Yorkshire, in the north of England, before starting her international career by moving to Mallorca 10 years ago. There she became a nanny for the captain of a sailing yacht where she developed an interest in the industry and excellent hospitality skills over four years.
Sam started in the industry on 63m schooner ATHOS and was a vital part of the team during her refit in 2021. Sam joined KOKOMO earlier this year bringing her wealth of experience working aboard sailing yachts. She prides herself in making guests feel welcome and at home, always with a big friendly smile. She’s especially great with children and has the attention to detail required to tailor every charter to guests’ specific needs.
Both on and off the water Sam loves being active; skiing now being her sport of choice after a charter in Alaska. Back home she loves live music and making special memories with family and friends
Samantha Egan
Chief Stewardess
Originally from New Zealand, Felicity developed the ambition to travel the world from a young age. After exploring all of New Zealand’s surrounding islands by boat, she has been eager to expand her adventures to the rest of the world.
Felicity’s first position in the industry was on KOKOMO and she’s taken great initiative and never hesitated to put in extra time and effort whenever needed. She’s proven herself to be a key team member on board and will go above and beyond to ensure guests feel welcome and enjoy their time on board KOKOMO.
Felicity embraces challenges wholeheartedly and has successfully completed both half and full Ironman competitions. In addition, she boasts experience in sailing, having crewed on a 30ft Young 88 in both racing and cruising contexts. Her further hobbies include fishing, hiking, camping, skiing and photography.
Felicity Billingham
Stewardess
Australian native, Mark, started sailing as a youngster in New South Wales where he grew up. This quickly became his number one passion, and it became hard for Mark to stay away from the coast. Nonetheless, being a man of all trades, Mark attended an Architectural Drafting program followed by working as a plasterer, sound engineer and eventually working in a lightbulb factory. It was this diverse work experience that moulded Mark into becoming the great engineer that he is today.
At the age of 27, Mark left his hometown and decided to go travelling. It was on this adventure, whilst backpacking through Europe, that he discovered the yachting industry. Here he found the perfect balance between sea life and his love for general engineering which is what led him to the beginning of his yachting career.
15 years later, Mark is a greatly accomplished MCA Y3 Chief Engineer in the big boat world. With almost 10 years of experience on classic sailing yachts and more than seven years onboard KOKOMO, Mark’s wide range of knowledge, calm personality and witty sense of humour make him an important asset to the KOKOMO team.
When not on the high seas cracking jokes with his boat family, Mark enjoys spending his downtime with his two young children in Mallorca. He is also a very keen cyclist and loves to play golf.
Mark O'Brien
Chief engineer
Andrew, or ‘Bear’ as he is more commonly known, was born in and grew up in Sydney. His father was a professional yachtsman, and the family business was building, importing and selling boats. Inevitably, he started sailing at a very young age and the love of sailing was never lost. Thousands of miles racing and cruising all along the Eastern Seaboard of Australia, including the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.
Before Bear’s yachting career, he spent 10 years in fine dining hospitality and then fine wine cellaring and sales. He has a passion for engineering and has spent many years restoring cars in Australia. In the early 2000’s he decided to move to Europe and consolidate his skillset into a new career with superyachts. Travelling the world and working as an engineer aboard some of the most iconic yachts for nearly 25 years his expertise is hard to match.
Bear is based in Palma de Mallorca and balances his family life and work with his love of sports.
Andrew 'Bear' Smith
Rotational Chief Engineer