Justin Ferguson — Captain (Australian)
Justin grew up in the seaside town of Newcastle, Australia. He spent
most of his free time in the ocean surfing and hanging out with
friends.
After a decade spent as a tradesman and painter, he decided to pursue
a career at sea. Justin joined the yachting industry in early 2013
and worked on several busy charter boats throughout the Caribbean,
Bahamas and the Mediterranean. He quickly fell in love with the
industry, the Chief Stewardess, Gina ;) and working with people from
all over the globe. Justin has been a part of M/Y Bella’s team since
2017 and has swiftly worked his way up the ranks and achieved a
Masters 3000 certificate. When he is not working, he enjoys playing
guitar, surfing, golf and keeping in shape.
Rob Fisher — Engineer (New Zealander )
Rob grew up in NZ sailing boats on the harbor and has been “fixing things” on large yachts for 25 years.
Over the years, Rob has sailed most of the planet on sail and motor yachts from 30m to 70m as Chief Engineer. He enjoys the hands on and personal approach of a yacht the size of Bella, combined with her Feadship pedigree.
In his spare time Rob likes to get outdoors for a good hike, mountain bike, offshore sailing, or maintenance on his farm based in northern New Zealand.
Bastien Allonsius — Engineer (rotates with Sam) (French )
Bastien grew up in the picturesque South of France, where he was
immersed in the yachting industry from a young age. His passion for
the marine world began at just 16 years old, and over the years, he
honed his expertise across various sectors of the marine industry.
At the age of 22, Bastien embarked on his professional journey
in yachting, starting out as a 2nd Engineer. His commitment and
skillset soon propelled him to the role of Chief Engineer, where
he worked aboard yachts ranging from 30 meters to 60 meters in
length. His career took him on extraordinary journeys, traveling the
globe and working in some of the most exclusive marine environments.
Five years ago, Bastien relocated to New Zealand, he is a proud
father of two young children, he finds joy in spending quality time
with them, particularly in outdoor activities that allow him to explore
the beautiful New Zealand landscape.
Hilary Szydlowski — Chief steward/ess (American )
Hilary was born and raised in Lake Orion, Michigan. Growing up in a state surrounded by the Great Lakes, she spent a lot of time doing water sports and being on the lake.
Hilary holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in E-Business Marketing at Western Michigan University. While studying, she interned at a local Architecture and Engineering firm and worked as a server at a popular restaurant on campus. She loved the fast-paced environment and the interaction with the customers so, when her cousin introduced her to the yachting industry, it seemed like the perfect opportunity. Hilary landed her first job in early 2018 and has been fortunate to travel USA, Europe, and her favorite place so far, Greece!
Hilary enjoys exploring new places, reading, and trying new fitness classes. She looks forward to welcoming you on board and ensuring you have a memorable time.
Harry Hembrough — Bosun (British)
Growing up on South coast of the United Kingdom, Harry has spent
most of his life on the water and is excited to begin his career in the
yachting industry.
His curiosity in working on yachts started with a keen interest in
sailing. Harry loves to keep active, travel and explore all parts of the
world when given the opportunity. He also enjoys drone flying and
creating unique videos.
While traveling to new destinations, Harry enjoys surfing, hiking, and
finding new restaurants to get a taste of the local cuisine.
Devon Manwaring — Chief steward/ess (Canadian )
Devon was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada. She spent a lot of her youth on the soccer field, ball diamond and in the skating rink. After high school she began working in hospitality in restaurants and hotels. In her mid-twenties Devon undertook careers in both health insurance, where she worked for an independent firm for 3 years, as well as positions in Sales and Marketing. After 3 years in Marketing she decided to take a friend's overzealous advice and join yachting; 5 years later she hasn’t looked back. She thoroughly enjoys getting to meet new people and never knowing what the next couple months have in store. In her free time, she loves spending her time cycling and snowboarding.
Tim Fardell — Chef (British)
From an early age, cooking has always been an integral part of Tim’s life. He is passionate about giving people an exceptional culinary experience onboard. Tim has worked across a variety of roles including head chef of a 4-Star hotel in Austria, running a Michelin awarded seafood restaurant in Cornwall, UK and then progressing onto superyachts.
Tim has worked as a Chef on superyachts for ten years now, enjoying the opportunity to travel while expanding his repertoire continuously over the course of that time. Starting his career onboard in the Mediterranean, Tim has since worked in the Caribbean, Northern Europe and the USA.
Tim loves getting to know what is going to make guests’ time onboard truly memorable, whether that is a themed evening, a tasting menu or catering to various dietary requirements. He aims to communicate with charter guests ahead of time to really focus on what will make their trip special. Tim looks forward to welcoming you onboard along with the rest of the crew!
Harry Hembrough — Bosun (British)
Growing up on South coast of the United Kingdom, Harry has spent most of his life on the water and is excited to pursue his career in yachting. He started as a deckhand on board Bella and has been promoted to Bosun.
His curiosity in working on yachts started with a keen interest in sailing. Harry loves to keep active, travel and explore all parts of the world when given the opportunity. He also enjoys drone flying and creating unique videos.
While traveling to new destinations, Harry enjoys surfing, hiking, and finding new restaurants to get a taste of the local cuisine.
Steven Wild — Mate (South African)
Steve grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. He started sailing at a young age and immediately fell in love with all things involving the ocean. He is a keen diver, surfer and
played provincial and country cricket while growing up. Steve studied carpentry before pursuing a career at sea. He has worked on some world cruising yachts with fascinating
itineraries all over the South Pacific. Ultimately Steve would like to start his own property business and re-locate to Greece with his beautiful fiancé Tish.
Carly Brzostek — Third Stewardess (American )
Carly grew up in Baltimore, MD and is an adventurous individual who thrives on trying new things, getting outdoors, and meeting new people.
Before jumping into the world of yachting, Carly built a career in NYC, working as a full-time assistant in television, Broadway, and film production. She has multiple creative passions, including screenplay writing, painting, and reading. Her favorite media genres are horror and coming-of-age, and she hopes to one day direct a movie she’s written. Being new to the yachting industry, she’s excited to see what adventures she’ll embark on, and what fresh inspirations she will gain.
Kay-Leigh Tarantino — Second Stewardess (South African / American )
Kay-Leigh grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa.
After school she took a gap year and went on to teach English in Thailand.
Once she returned, she completed her BCom Degree in Marketing, but still had the urge to travel. Following in her sister’s footsteps she decided to join the yachting industry.
She enjoys diving, exploring new places and meeting new people from all around the world.
Rogan Swarts — Deckhand (South African )
Introducing a Durban native whose vibrant spirit is fueled by the city's sunny energy!
With Durban’s coastal landscape on offer, he often found himself to be outdoors & active. You can usually find him surfing at the beach, running along the promenade or at the dam skiing with friends. Since a very young age, Rogan has been into boating and water sports and one day he realized that he needed to pursue this passion professionally and dove straight into the wonderful and adventurous industry we see today.
Beyond the shorelines, Rogan is deeply passionate about maintaining a fit and active lifestyle. His zest for adventure extends to globetrotting, as he eagerly explores diverse corners of the world.
Ryan Hanger — Mate ( on rotation) (.Australian)
Ryan grew up in a small coastal town on the mid north coast
of NSW Australia, He was immersed in nature and the ocean
with all its activities from a very young age. Taking his passion
for surfing, fishing, boating and spearfishing with him on his
life journey.
Ryan fell into yachting in 2004 and has been fortunate enough
to circumnavigate the globe and has reached and explored
some of the most untouched places on the planet.
In the last few years Ryan been building on a beautiful coastal
acreage on north coast of NSW with his wife Lauren and two
young daughters, with plans to open a spa and guest retreat.
When not in the water chasing waves or fish, Ryan enjoys working and
harvesting his gardens and cooking up good meals for friends and family.
Cedric Brocard — Chef (French Polynesian )
Cedrik grew up in French Polynesia on an island called Moorea.
He had the opportunity to work in some of the best restaurants in Paris and around the world. He worked with some of the top Chefs; building a solid foundation of skills and creativity that has fueled a very successful career as a professional Chef and Pastry Chef.
Cedrik worked on his first yacht in Tahiti in 2002. He went back ashore and returned to yachting in 2014. He has gained worldwide experience on some of the world's most illustrious yachts. He speaks English, French & Tahitian.
In his free time, he enjoys gardening, fishing & hiking
Trent Jones — Captain (New Zealander)
Growing up in New Zealand, Trent was lucky to spend a lot of time
near the ocean. Trent developed a keen interest in all things aqua
and went on to study Marine Biology after school. At the same time,
Trent became a PADI dive instructor and spent some time teaching
in Fiji before going on to becoming a guide on two liveaboard dive
boats in French Polynesia.
In 2004, Trent made the decision to take a break from blowing
bubbles and pursue a slightly different career at sea aboard a
superyacht. Since becoming a Captain, Trent has been fortunate
enough to visit some niche locations all over the world, finding that
some of the most amazing places are accessible only by yacht.
Having worked onboard Bella in 2018 and 2019, he is not a new face
for us and has decided to join the team again.
In his spare time, Trent likes to surf, foil, free dive and dodge trees on
a downhill mountain bike.
