Rotational Chief Engineer, Tim Nichol, hails from Manchester, England, and began his maritime career in the commercial shipping realm with a three-year engineering apprenticeship in the United Kingdom. After completing his training, Tim proceeded to the Merchant Navy, working around the world for 10 years on gas carriers, bulk carriers, and container ships, while enjoying the travel and exploration that came with the job. His transition to yachting came in 2005 and, during an extended yard period in South Florida, Tim met his wife to be and subsequently married, had two children, and made his home in Hollywood, Florida. Over the following 15 years, Tim has been employed aboard several high-end yachts, primarily Feadships, and is now happy to be onboard Motor Yacht W.
Tim Nichol
Chief engineer
Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. At a young age Jon learned to sail on Lake Michigan, growing to love all water activities and environments. In high school, he was an all conference scholar athlete in football before attending Michigan State University. He received a BA degree while working full time through university. After graduation he continued working in global corporate environment increasing his professional skillset. During his time in the yachting industry he has joined M/Y Enterprise V (168’ Feadship), Princess Marla (162’ Feadship), Emerald K (132’ Feadship) Altitude (191’ Bennetti), My Seanna (186’ Delta) and other Trinity’s such as Themis, Lady Linda, and Claire. He has traveled several times trans Atlantic, trans pacific and spent 2 years in New Zealand, Tahiti, and Fiji (diving), and has also experienced the Americas Cup races. Jon loves working on boats for the travel and culture, as well as using his corporate training skills to lead and teach younger yacht crew. When not yachting he enjoys amateur genealogy, college sports, volleyball, reading, and working on his lake house in Michigan. His biggest joys in home ownership are the pride he takes in yard working and landscaping his property.
Jon DeYoung
First Officer
Elyse was born and raised in New Jersey. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Global Business Studies, but felt no fulfilment working a 9 to 5 desk job. In search of adventure, she quit her job, sold her car, moved out of her apartment, and set off on a backpacking trip around Europe. Four months later, as visas and money were running out, a friend approached her about becoming a yacht stewardess. The chance to earn an income and continue to travel seemed like the perfect fit for her. Seven years later she is now a Chief Stewardess and has had the opportunity to visit almost 70 countries and all seven continents. In her spare time Elyse enjoys traveling to new destinations, exercise, diving, hiking, and she is even a licensed skydiver. Throughout her yachting career, Elyse has had experience dealing with a wide variety of guests of different nationalities and lifestyles. From Princes to business owners to Superbowl legends, Elyse and her team are sure to deliver a unique, unforgettable experience on board Motor Yacht W.
Elyse Sigountos
Chief steward/ess
Captain Marc Wellnitz was born in Canada to German parents and grew up in the Caribbean. With a father in the commercial shipping industry, Captain Marc has literally been a part of the maritime industry since the day he was born. He grew up in the Caribbean and also spent some time living in Europe. From this international upbringing, Marc obtained fluency in Spanish and German in addition to English. While growing up in the Caribbean, Marc learned to sail. His love of the water and boating led him to accept his first position aboard a yacht in 1990 as delivery crew. Immediately smitten with the pleasure yacht industry, he spent the next ten years working his way up the chain of command, first as a deck hand, then as an engineer and a first officer before taking his first command as captain in 2000. His passion for water activities is far reaching, including sailing, scuba diving, skim boarding, water skiing, wakeboarding, and paddle boarding. He also has experience in free diviner. In his 30-year career in yachting he has obtained experience sailing extensively throughout the Caribbean, Bahamas, Mexico, the East and West coast of the US, Northeastern Canada and the Mediterranean. Marc enjoys an excellent reputation as a captain and has an established distinction as a well sought-after charter captain. Marc is hard working and loyal to his employers. He is an honest family man and a consummate professional.
Marc Wellnitz
Captain
Wil hails from the coastal town of Wilmington, North Carolina and brings over 30 years of maritime experience to the program. Having worked as Chief Engineer on several Yachts and commercial vessels. I hold a Commercial Chief engineering ticket with unlimited horsepower. His passion for engineering began at a young age; having pursued a degree in Engineering at N.C. State University. He stumbled across professional yachting on a sailing trip to Fort Lauderdale, and within a year was hooked on the yachting lifestyle.
Wil Dail
Chief engineer
Henry was born on Hilton Head Island, a small island on the bottom tip of South Carolina. Growing up he worked in the family restaurant and helped out in his father’s landscaping business. He was an active kid, skateboarding, surfing, and boating was a part of daily life on Hilton Head. He eventually started working as an electrician’s apprentice throughout high school where he got experience wiring and repairing hotels and residential homes. He then took that knowledge and decided to pursue a career in the automotive field. He attended and then graduated from Nashville Auto Diesel College with a degree in automotive high performance.
After several years in the automotive field, Henry realized he didn’t want to be stuck behind a toolbox and engine bay. His Mother and Uncle then convinced him to quit his job and move down to Florida and give yachting a shot. In early 2022, he was given the opportunity to do a 10-day trip in the Bahamas aboard Motor Yacht W. Towards the end of the trip Captain Marc offered to make the position permanent. Henry feels very lucky and fortunate for this yacht to be his first permanent vessel in the yachting industry and is looking forward to a bright future on Motor Yacht W.
Henry Weaver
Second Engineer
Keanan was born and raised in a small mountain town in Colorado. Throughout high school, he spent his summers working at a small marina on Lake Granby, the headwater of the Colorado River. One summer, an old dockhand from the marina returned for a visit and shared his experiences as a yacht captain, sparking Keanan's interest in the yachting lifestyle. At the end of that summer, Keanan packed his bags and bought a ticket to Florida to pursue a more professional path in boating. Since 2017, he has worked on a variety of yachts, ranging from 92-foot fast cruising vessels to larger yachts with live-aboard owners. He has cruised up and down the East Coast multiple times and explored parts of Europe and the Caribbean. Bringing a strong work ethic and a commitment to providing the best possible experience for guests, Keanan is excited to join the team at W.
Keanan Eisenbart
Bosun
Chef Christian was born in Poughkeepsie, NY, where he resided until he moved to Florida in 1992. Making his way through various restaurants he was fortunate enough to secure an apprenticeship under James Beard Award Winner, Chef Mark Militello, in North Miami, FL, who was one of the famous “Mango Gang” of chefs that put south Florida cuisine on the culinary map. During his four year tenure, he worked on every station in the restaurant and eventually became the Sous Chef. From there, he went on to become the Chef de Cuisine at the Vanderbilt Mansion on Fisher Island and eventually opened an up and coming restaurant and nightclub named Gryphon. While there, he received several accolades from both the Miami Herald and The New Times newspapers, and was featured on Deco Drive on WSVN 7 Fox television. Unfortunately, the restaurant eventually closed for good but luckily one of the partners was a yacht captain who convinced Christian to take his talents into the yachting industry. This was back in 2003 and he has been working on yachts ever since. He has worked on several boats ranging in size from 34 meters up to 58 meters, all as a solo chef. He has cruised as far south as Grenada and as far north as Newfoundland and all points in between. Experiencing these various locations first hand has broadened his horizons and he has become a better chef because of it. Christian really enjoys working with local ingredients and turning them into delectable dishes. His hobbies include playing guitar and flying RC drones, airplanes, and helicopters. His best life experience was when he went skydiving in honor of his 50th birthday. His best experience on a yacht was cooking alongside chefs Guy Fieri and Emeril Lagasse during a charter.
Maddy was born in Zimbabwe. Her and her family moved to the south of France when she was 6 years old and she still considers that to be home. She graduated high school with a baccalaureate in French and English literature.
Instead of going straight off to college she decided to take a gap year and that’s when she discovered yachting. It was easy for her to jump right in considering one of the biggest hubs for yachting is down the road from where she lives.
She fell in love with the fast-paced lifestyle and traveling to the world’s most beautiful places. Over the last 6 years Maddy has been lucky enough to work on a variety of yachts, from small day charter boats to larger charter and private yachts. She grew up quickly in the industry and learnt the importance of professionalism and having a strong work ethic. The job can be demanding at times however Maddy acknowledges how lucky she is to see and do all off these wonderful things. Not to mention meeting so many interesting people.
One of her favorite experiences in yachting was befriending a charter guest who then flew her out to Vancouver from a month where she was paid to tutor his two young children and teach them French. In her free time Maddy enjoys reading and practicing yoga, loves tennis and is an avid skier, having spent every winter going on ski trips in the Alps.
With a keen eye for detail and friendly personality, Maddy will ensure to make your trip as enjoyable and memorable as possible.
Marlene was born in St. Augustine, Florida, but spent her childhood between Florida and Switzerland. As a dual citizen, she cherished her summers in Switzerland, exploring various parts of Europe with her family. Back in Florida, she embraced a love for the water, from sailing with her father to working as a deckhand at her local marina and going on deep-sea fishing charters. After high school, Marlene attended Valdosta State University in Georgia, where she earned a degree in International Business and Marketing. Realizing corporate life wasn’t for her, she dove into the yachting world, starting as a third stewardess. She spent six months navigating the waters of Central America, where she discovered a passion for scuba diving. Marlene loves meeting new people and adapting to different environments, and she is dedicated to ensuring that every guest aboard W has an unforgettable experience.
Marlene Frauenfelder
3rd Stewardess
Price: 0 - 0 / Per Week
Length: 189' Ft
Guests: 10
Speed: 20 Knots
Cabins: 5
Build year: 2013
Crew: 12
