NELA

Name: Keri Johnson
Nationality: New Zealand
Position: Chief steward/ess
Position details: Stewardess
Languages: Not specified
Description: Our Chief Stewardess Keri has been onboard since March 2025, bringing the boat out of refit. Growing up in New Zealand, both by the mountain and ocean she loves to be in nature, hiking and swimming. Keri holds two Bachelor degrees in Architecture and Interior Design, with a commercial background in Melbourne, she offers a dynamic skill set onboard. With 8 years in the yacht industry, Keri is drawn the logistical and project management side of her role, while creating memorable experiences for guests. Working on both motor and sailing yachts yachts from 30-80m, a great achievement was sailing over 9000nm across the Pacific passage from NZ to Antigua - a wild month at sea! Travelling to over 35 countries has instilled an appreciation for culture, history, curiosity, hospitality and resilience. She looks forward to meeting you onboard this summer!

Name: Polly Staddon
Nationality: British
Position: Deckhand
Position details: Deckhand
Languages: Not specified
Description: Polly recently joined Nela and comes with a great bounce of British energy. Residing in England, she grew up enjoying running and horse riding. An enthusiastic and compassionate person, who is very committed to working her way through the ranks in the maritime industry. Polly is excited to meet all of the guests who will experience Nela this year.

Name: Zane Eades
Nationality: South African
Position: Bosun
Position details: Bosun
Languages: Not specified
Description: Zane has joined Nela in April 2026, and originates form sunny South Africa. He brings a hands-on, positive approach and a strong background across both deck and engineering. Zane takes pride in keeping things running smoothly and the yacht looking her absolute best. He is always around with a smile and happy to help make your time onboard relaxed, seamless and memorable.

Name: Olivier Moreau
Nationality: French
Position: Chef
Position details:
Languages: Not specified
Description: Born in Dijon, the capital of French gastronomy, Olivier discovered his passion for cooking at the age of 12. With thirty years of culinary experience, he offers his expertise as a private chef for prestigious receptions and family lunches. After specialising in culinary studies, Olivier began his career in gourmet restaurants before transitioning to yachting and villas. His cuisine is inspired by his travels and the various culinary traditions he has encountered over the years.

Name: Marc Van Loon
Nationality: Dutch
Position: Captain
Position details: Captain
Languages: Not specified
Description: Captain Marc has more than 25 years of experience. He was working on various vessels and sailing in South America, Caribbean, East Coast USA, West Coast Africa and Europe.
Honest, organized and friendly, Marc has a strong sense of responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of his ship, crew and guests onboard.
Previous yachts: Clicia and Natori
Marc has been a seafarer since he left college at 20 years old . He is coming from a family with a long history in shipping and his father introduced him to yachting at a very young age. He therefore naturally pursued a maritime career and began by training as a navigating officer in the Merchant Navy.
At 30 years old Marc obtained his class one Master Unlimited license, and during his time on commercial vessels of up to 150 meters and dredgers he sailed around South America, Caribbean and Asia, and at times completing two Atlantic crossings of a month between Panama and Europe. After 7 years in the merchant navy Marc’s wife thought that was enough and they decided to work on yachts together. Until now Marc has worked on yachts ranging in size from 37-60m, and also completed a new build in the Netherlands.

Name: Pavel Tsyganenko
Nationality: Ukrainian
Position: First Officer
Position details:
Languages: Not specified
Description: Pavel joined M/Y Nela two years ago, previously known as Soy Amor. Carrying through this changeover gives Pavel deep knowledge of the vessel. He loves meeting new guests and daily interaction. Pavel enjoys his role leading the deck team, exploring new destinations and spending time with his family during the winter in Viareggio, Italy.

Name: Maisy Bennet
Nationality: British
Position: Stewardess
Position details: Second Stewardess
Languages: Not specified
Description: Maisy is a fitness enthusiast and ocean lover born and raised on the UK coastline. With an infectious energy, thriving in fast paced environments, and embracing the outdoors. She believes adventure and movement go hand in hand. Growing up near the ocean, has resulted in her love for working onboard yachts. Her bubbly attitude will ensure your experience is a memorable one. As a qualified fitness instructor, she’ll be happy to guide you through a pilates class or mat workout too!
Previous yachts: Skat , Aquijo

Name: Antonia Marin
Nationality: Canadian
Position: Stewardess
Position details: Second Stewardess
Languages: Not specified
Description: Meet Antonia, born and raised in Montreal with Romanian roots, bringing a blend of North American and Eastern European culture to her work. With a background in hospitality, she connects easily with people from all walks of life. Easygoing and detail-oriented, she creates a relaxed atmosphere onboard. Recently based in Greece and now calling Istanbul her home, she has developed a strong appreciation for different cultures.
Antonia loves to travel, drawn to European architecture and the quiet beauty of art, museums, and galleries. She’s looking forward to the season ahead welcoming new guests, offering great cocktails, and embracing life on the water.

Name: Yevgen Pereniue
Nationality: Ukrinian
Position: Engineer
Position details:
Languages: Not specified
Description: Yevgen was born in Germany and raised in Odessa. He has fulfilled his dream of becoming an engineer after graduating from Odessa National Maritime University. With a passion for yachts he has been working in the industry for 14 years, with the last 3 years on M/Y Nela. When he’s not at sea Yevgen is spending time with his wife and two children.