GALE WINDS Yacht Charter

Captain: Karen Holton

Captain Karen Holtan – Karen is originally from Oregon and while growing up on a small farm watched Jacque Cousteau specials any chance she got. After becoming a SCUBA instructor, she started working full time on the water and worked her way up from deckhand/instructor to Captain. After 4 years on SCUBA vessels Karen then transferred to yachts and has had a chance to work from Canada to the Caribbean to Croatia. When not onboard helping guests, Karen loves to travel, take photos and get in the water anytime she can.

First Mate/Engineer Avery Smith – Avery grew up in Charleston, South Carolina where he was never far from the water. He grew up fishing and hunting all over the Lowcountry. After graduating from Clemson University, he moved to South Florida to pursue his passion for the water professionally. He has spent the last three years working on an array of yachts and fishing boats all over the East Coast and Bahamas. Avery found that yachting combines his love for the outdoors with his interest in traveling the world.

Chief Stewardess Savannah Moltzen – Savannah was born and raised in the heart of Charleston, South Carolina. While growing up near the ocean has given her a step forward in the yachting industry, she also enjoys exploring the world of everything arts, music, and travel. She loves being a part of a community that has a ton of that to offer, and it shows. After her time spent with the university of South Carolina she made her move into the yachting world in 2018. She brings the highest level of care and standards to all guests and her fellow crew, all while maintaining an energetic and well-mannered demeanor. In the future she plans on transferring her skills and success in yachting to becoming a successful AirBnB SuperHost.

Deckhand/Stewardess Lauren Wilke – Lauren grew up in Blue Point, a small town on the south shore of Long Island. She grew up boating, sailing and being at the beach every summer. Volleyball has always been a huge part of her life and she was given the opportunity to advance her athletic and academic career at Stonehill College in Massachusetts. After graduating college with a degree in criminology, she worked at a vineyard on the east end of Long Island serving and learning about wine. She moved to Florida to enter the yachting industry and after only a handful of months she learned both roles of deck maintenance and interior knowledge. Yachting combines her passion for boating, traveling and meeting new people.

Chef Jennifer Egli – After leaving the States to live full time in the Bahamas, Chef found the yachting industry and started working in it almost 10 years now. She started as an all-rounder mate/deck/stew cook. After a while she realized her happiest place was in the galley being creative and feeding everyone! She has lived in the Bahamas for 14 years now and has had the opportunity to travel extensively in this industry. She loves using locally sourced fresh ingredients as much as possible to prepare fresh and flavorful food for both guests and crew. Cooking has been a serious passion since she was little and now she gets to do it while living with her Bahamian husband in the islands she loves.