Our Team

Aaron grew up in West Auckland, New Zealand. After finishing school, he spent 4 years in the adventure sports capital of the world, Queenstown, New Zealand. Aaron then spent some time traveling through Southeast Asia before moving to the UK and then onto Perth, Australia. He returned home to complete a certificate in Marine Engineering that led him to Fort Lauderdale in 2010, to begin his career in the yachting industry.

While in St. Maarten, Aaron was lucky enough to meet the love of his life Lea. They had the pleasure of working together for 5 ½ years on board a 173’ motor yacht that cruised the Caribbean, East Coast of the US and the eastern and western Mediterranean. In 2019, they decided to settle down in Fort Lauderdale and start a family. Aaron and Lea welcomed their little girl Riley into the world in January of 2022.

Aaron Holds his MCA Master 3000GT license and is keen to utilize his 11 years working on board various sized yachts, ranging from 63 feet to 200 feet, and his experience on board full ISM vessels to assist in any shore side yacht management needs the Superyacht Management fleet may have.

Aaron’s interests include playing ice hockey, cooking, snowboarding, traveling, nature and wildlife.

Captain Adam Alfano started in the marine industry at the young age of 13 when he started as a mate on his family’s charter boats in Montauk N.Y. He received his first captains license at age 17 and after college he decided to start running the family’s charter boats to the Northeast canyons in the summers and spent the winters running the kids snowboard school in Killington, Vt. After 5 seasons he decided to pursue his passion of fishing full time and moved to Islamorada, FL in 2000.

While fishing as a charter captain in the Keys, he also spent summer seasons as a commercial Bluefin tuna fisherman operating from Maine to the Carolina’s before going into the private sector at the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo in 2005. Since then it’s been full throttle and he has fished successfully in countless tournament’s with his crew around the globe and has also helped to manage many yacht programs for some incredible owners. Looking for some more land based time with the family he has joined Superyacht Sales and Charter and currently resides in Ft. Lauderdale with his wife Katie and young daughter Aiden.

Bruce has joined Superyacht Sales and Charter after 32 years as a yacht broker in Ft. Lauderdale. Originally from Connecticut, he began a scientific career by obtaining a PhD, which led to a faculty position in Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School and Vision Research at the Woods Hole Marine Biology Laboratory.

Being a lifetime boater, scuba diver, underwater photographer and a licensed captain, he logged over 100,000 sea miles with some time spent in nearly every ocean of the world. Over the years he developed a vast knowledge and experience with sport fishermen, trawlers, motor yachts, and sailboats, including large power and sailing catamarans.

This wealth of information, combined with his enthusiasm for the yacht business, made him a natural to join the team at Superyacht Sales and Charter.   Bruce is truly dedicated to his customers, constantly creating new initiatives to best serve his clients in their search of a proper yacht to pursue their dreams.

His wife Ingrid also shares his love of the sea, having circumnavigated in her own sailboat and is a Yacht Accounts Manager.

Bruce is looking forward to providing his clients with the full spectrum of services offered by Superyacht Sales and Charter.

A yacht charter broker since 1981, Carolyn started her career in NYC with Sparkman & Stephens eventually moving on to working for yacht builders Alden Yachts and Nautor’s Swan before founding Cox Marine. Carolyn is one of the founders of the American Yacht Charter Association whose mission is focused on educating charter professionals ensuring charter clients experience a pleasant, safe, and legal yacht holiday.

As a lifelong racing sailor, Carolyn is uniquely qualified to offer racing and performance sailing yacht charters. Over the years she has participated in numerous Regattas in the US, Caribbean and Europe including 22 Heineken Regattas, the St. Barths Bucket, Antigua Race Week, and Rolex Regatta to name just a few. In addition to, Carolyn travels extensively visiting yachts, crews, and destinations so she can provide you with highly informed recommendations.

For Carolyn, your charter is not just a contract. She takes it personally and invests in making sure every detail is attended to in advance to help assure that your charter will be the experience of a lifetime. With decades of firsthand knowledge and experience to match your plans and wishes you can rest assured she will provide you with best possible charter options for your unique needs.

Jackie was born in Bogotá, Colombia. While in Colombia she graduated with a technical diploma to be an Accounting Assistant Secretary, completed credits in industrial engineering and industrial mechanics, and worked in accounts receivable for 12 years. She then moved to Florida with her son and began working in the medical industry as team member of the medical needle assembly operations in hospitals. In 2019 she joined the Superyacht Management Team as a Yacht Administrator Assistant & works in accounts payable.

She just became a US Citizen in August 2023 and currently lives in Maryland with her family.”

As Charter Management Director, Jeff Shaffer brings a wealth of knowledge and 25+ years of industry experience to the table. Originally from the Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland, Jeff’s reputation and hard work ethic has allowed him to develop strong relationships with yacht owners, captains and crew. His skill at marketing yachts for charter is unmatched throughout the industry. Jeff looks forward to nourishing past relationships and creating many new ones. He enjoys every opportunity to spend as much time as possible on the water when he is not working.

Kathryn grew up in central Maine, with a family passionate about boating. She spent long summer vacations sailing down the East coast of the United States. She is now a 200T Captain with experience on both sailing and motor yachts.

Kathryn attended Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR where she excelled in both academics, earning a bachelor’s in psychology; and athletics, competing in swimming, soccer, and track and field. She was an all-American Athlete, graduated Cum Laude, and was inducted into the national academic honor society, Phi Beta Kappa, and Lewis and Clark Athletic Hall of Fame.

Kathryn moved to St. Thomas, USVI in 2012 to spend time on her family’s sailing catamaran, where she instantly fell in love with the sunshine and saltwater.

Naturally, she pursued a career working as a mate on luxury charter yachts. She spent several years helping clients experience all the US and British Virgin Islands have to offer, earned her captain’s license, and then continued her career onboard larger yachts in the Bahamas and Mediterranean.

She has a true love for the ocean, is a PADI Rescue diver and watersports aficionado, and enjoys traveling to remote places, such as the Galapagos, Philippines, and Indonesia to snorkel and scuba. While land-based in Ft. Lauderdale, she enjoys playing soccer, tennis, cooking, and reading.

Lady was born in Colombia. In high school, she developed an interest in accounting. She graduated with a Technical diploma with a focus in business and systems. She then moved to the United States with her sister and father. A few years later, Lady started working in the Yachting Industry as a Yacht Administrative Assistant. She has learned basic safety standards to full crew and financial administration for yachts. Now she has more than 10 years of experience in the industry.

A few of her hobbies include salsa dancing, cooking, watching movies, and spending time with her family.

Lea grew up in Baltimore County, Maryland. After leaving high school, she became a hairstylist and continued to work at a high-end salon whilst studying Environmental Science at night school. In 2010 Lea decided to continue her studies abroad in Brisbane, Australia, where she found a love for diving whilst on a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. In 2012 she became a certified Dive Master on a boat in Ocean City, MD.

After finishing her studies and graduating with a degree in Environmental Science, she headed to St Maarten where she worked as a Dive Instructor on a local dive boat. She met her husband while in St. Maarten and he convinced her to start a career in Yachting. Lea and her husband worked on a 173’ yacht together for 5 ½ years, completing many charters and owners’ trips in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Bahamas and NE Coast of the United States.

Lea currently holds her Chief Mate 3000 license and uses her past experience on yachts to help make her a great asset to the Superyacht Sales and Charter team. Lea and her husband are now settled in Fort Lauderdale with their adopted animals but will continue to travel at every given opportunity.

A native of South Africa, Linda’s journey is one of versatility and expertise. After graduating from the University of Pretoria with a BA(Ed) degree, Linda initially embarked on a career in education, spending two years as a teacher before pivoting towards accounting.

With 22 years of experience in the accounting realm, Linda has traversed various industries. From managing the accounting of an 864-acre tobacco farm with a workforce of 500 individuals to navigating the dynamic environment of a motor dealership to serving as a Senior Administrator at the Auditor General of South Africa for over 11 years.

She has 6 years of experience in Yacht Management. Based in South Africa and working remotely for the company, her presence in this time zone provides invaluable benefits to the Superyacht Management team, ensuring seamless operations and enhanced client satisfaction.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Linda finds solace in the simplicity of gardening, the thrill of road trips, and the awe-inspiring beauty of the Kruger National Park. Eager to bring her wealth of experience and unwavering dedication to your accounting needs, Linda stands ready to collaborate and contribute to your success.

Bringing over 12 years of experience to the table, Lonny is a valued member of the Superyacht Sales and Charter Yacht Management Team.

Prior to joining the Superyacht team, he worked in the industry alongside fellow SYSAC team members Lady, Rachel, and Rick. Lonny is always willing to lend a helping hand. He is the early riser of the team and you can usually find him in the office around 7am.

Lonny is a self-proclaimed “home body” and enjoys going to visit his family in Louisiana when he can.

Born in East Africa to British parents Neil was raised and educated in South Africa. After 2 years of military conscription he completed his tertiary education culminating as a Deloitte trained accountant. The next 10 years were spent working for Morgan Stanley in Europe and ABN Amro in the Cayman Islands.

Departing from merchant banking Neil returned to a diving and sailing passion that saw him progress through the size range as Captain on sail and power yachts covering a command spectrum up to a 200-foot Motor Yacht. With the introduction of ever-increasing regulation over the years, Neil stayed at the leading edge throughout his yachting career starting with being the Captain of the first yacht to meet the Large Yacht Code requirements and compliance with the International Safety Management and related Codes.

Since ‘moving ashore’ 14 years ago, Neil has run a boutique and successful Sales, Charter and Yacht Management business in Fort Lauderdale. Married with two children, Neil has his hands full at home with raising young daughters! Amongst his many interest, Neil has a particular passion for yachting, international current affairs, contact sports, snow skiing, and travel.

Rachel was born in Houston, TX and later moved to Fort Lauderdale, FL where she completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology. During her time in Fort Lauderdale, she sailed in Florida and the Bahamas and fell in love with boating. This led her to yachting where she worked for 8 years on Private and Charter vessels ranging from 150’ to 240’.

Rachel’s attention to detail and love of accounts led her to join a Yacht Management company where she gained valuable knowledge and experience with the shore-based aspects of yachting. With almost 20 years in the industry now, Rachel has a well-rounded perspective to help find solutions for clients. Rachel provides Financial and Crew Administration at Superyacht Management and lives in Fort Lauderdale with her husband and 2 boys.

Sam was born in Miami, but grew up mostly in Ocala, Fl. She studied at Florida State University and has a Bachelor’s Degree in International Affairs & Geography. After completing her studies, she began working at a boat dealership as an Administrative Assistant near where she grew up. After a couple of years, she decided that she wanted to relocate back to South Florida. She relocated in April 2023 and began her journey at SYSAC as Office Manager. She loves art, music, history, & reality TV. Outside of the workplace you can find her on the water or reading a good book.

Yvette is a valued member of the Superyacht team. She brings over 35 years of experience in the industry to our team. Before working in Yacht Management, she worked onboard yachts as a First Officer, Chief Stewardess, & Purser, all adding up to 31 years. She now lives in Wilton Manors with her husband & cat and has been working in Yacht Management for over 4 years.