Captain Name: Bill Hudek
Captain Nationality: American
Number of Crew: 7
Captain – Bill Hudek
Bill was born and raised in Pocahontas, Iowa. He graduated from Buena Vista University with a degree in Corporate Communication in 1988 and soon moved to Florida after graduation. He worked in Hotels in Naples, FL for a few years before joining the yachting industry. Going on 24 years, Bill has never looked back!
Bill has worked on boats large and small and holds a USCG 1600-ton Master Oceans license and a Dive Master Certification, he has worked on both Private and Charter boats. Bill enjoys keeping physically fit and enjoys bike riding, paddle boarding and swimming.
He met his lovely wife Louise in St Maarten on a long layover and the two have been married for twelve years and have a beautiful Shar-Pei dog named Lotus. Louise is a Master of Oriental Medicine. They reside in North Palm Beach, Florida.
He also hosts Karaoke night on board and has been known to do a Sinatra song when asked.
Kris Signs – Engineer
Kris was born in Sonoma County California and attended El Molino high school in Forrestville California. He started working on cars at a young age with the help of his grandfather and pursued a mechanical career.
He started working off on small engines at a rental yard and moved up to heavy construction equipment before eventually moving to Florida and becoming a yacht engineer.
For the last seven years he has worked his way up in the Engineering ranks on big Super Yachts and has kept his vessels running smoothly in the US, Bahamas, Caribbean, South Pacific, Baltic and Mediterranean.
Kris will assure that the yacht is always in good, safe, working order.
Richelle Saylo – Chief Stewardess
Richelle was born and raised in the Philippines. She graduated from JBLFMU Maritime University with a degree of Hospitality Management. She has been in yachting industry for over ten years and enjoyed travelling throughout the Mediterranean, Baltic, Adriatic, Caribbean and the Bahamas. She has a passion for food and travel and she has been lucky enough to explore many different countries, enjoying international cuisines from places she visited.
She enjoys scuba diving, snorkeling, camping, hiking, painting and sketching.
Richelle loves travelling, fashion, photography and arts and being in the yachting industry, she feels it is a great industry to be part of to do all the things she loves.
Previous yachts include M/Y ATTESSA IV and III, AQUARIUS, ELYSIUM, SCAPE and MARIA. Richelle maintains a passion to exceed your expectations and deliver exceptional service.
Mikaela Brazil – Second Stewardess
Mikaela was born and raised in Brazil and started travelling to the United States, Canada and South America when she was a teenager.
She has always dreamed of travelling around the world to meet new people and to immerse herself into new cultures. She is fluent in Portuguese and English and intermediate in Spanish and French. With her love to make people happy she bartended in various restaurants around Sao Paulo enjoying creating new cocktails for people to enjoy. She spent six months in Canada volunteering at AllanCroft School for people with disabilities.
Her love for meeting new people and travelling led her to the yachting industry a year ago. With her bubbly personality she strives to ensure guests are enjoying themselves at all times. Customer service is what she is most passionate about and one day dreams of opening her own hostel in Brazil.
Tyler Sumner – Mate
Tyler was born in Birmingham, Alabama but spent five of his formative years living with his family in Colombia, where he became fluent in Spanish. He attended the University of Alabama and worked several years in hospitality management before beginning his yachting career in 2012.
Tyler has worked onboard several other motor yachts before joining Nicole Evelyn. Aboard one of these he began a Pacific Ocean crossing in January 2014, departing Florida with stops throughout the Caribbean. From there Tyler went on to work aboard several motor yachts in the South Pacific and Australia.
Tyler is a PADI certified Divemaster, licensed Pilot, and enjoys exercising, Bikram yoga, and reading in his free time. He looks forward to making your stay onboard Nicole Evelyn comfortable, exciting, and memorable!
Emma Whitney – Deckhand
Emma was born and raised from the East Coast of Australia. Having graduated from Southern Cross University with a double bachelor’s degree in Sports Tourism Management, Majoring in Business and Marketing she went on to lead a successful 10 year career in International Sales Marketing promoting Australian destinations to the world. Through her corporate career she has travelled to Europe, America, Canada, the Middle East and China, giving her a great understanding of cultural differences and guests needs when it comes to having an exceptional holiday experience.
She began her yachting career in the beginning of 2019 having previously worked with Superyachts in the Whitsundays located on the Great Barrier Reef. With an innate love for the ocean, travelling, sports, yoga, snorkeling, diving, fashion and photography.
Emma always strives to ensure guests will have an incredible yachting experience and a new or continued love for the ocean and the environment.
Shawn Semmler – Chef
Shawn Semmler all her life has been an artist. Originally from outside of Chicago she went to Savannah, Georgia to get her bachelors art degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design.
It was during this time she formed her appreciation for gourmet cuisine by working in high-end published restaurants while in college. After six years owning a faux finishing mural business she stumbled upon the yachting industry in 2002 by way of painting.
Cuisine found her again as her new artistic medium and would not let go. Exploring the new and different culinary treats each country offers is a passion of hers.
After sixteen years of cooking on yachts and estates, fulfilling new and varied appetites, she still loves it!