DIAMOND SEAS private yacht

Having grown up in the small town of Ely, IA, Abby’s love of boating started when she was very young on the lakes and rivers surrounding her hometown. Her first boat was an 18’ Maxim on which she learned to waterski and wakeboard when she was just 9 years old. She also took summer trips with her family to Lake Superior where her love of the water intensified though sailing the Apostle Islands just outside of Bayfield, WI.
Abby graduated from the University of Iowa in the fall of 2013 with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. The following summer, she took a trip to Newport Beach, CA to visit a friend from college. Once she arrived in Newport Beach, she fell in love with the harbor and made up her mind that her career path was in the world of yachting. She moved to Newport Beach in August of 2014 and started working for West Marine in order to network with the community and get a foot in the door of the maritime industry. Her plan paid off, as her position with West Marine led to her first yacht job on board a 60’ Navigator, “Hotel California.” From there, she continued to broaden her horizons by managing the parts department for the Dana Point Shipyard, and working for Charter Yachts of Newport Beach onboard their 120’ event charter yacht, “The Icon.” She spent nearly three years on board the Icon working her way up to crew lead. Her experience onboard the Icon ranged from bartending to engine maintenance to driving the vessel. It was her position onboard the Icon and multiple other charter yachts in Newport Harbor that laid the foundations for a successful career in yachting and that led her to pursue her USCG 100-ton master’s license. She was recruited onto Motor Yacht Desperado, a 130’ Westport as deck/stew in August of 2017 where she spent the end of the summer season in California, and then headed to Fort Lauderdale for the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show later that year. Currently on Motor Yacht Diamond Seas, she is still working towards her license while also happily sharing her love of the water with everyone on board. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, camping, traveling, watersports, spending time with family and friends, cooking, or reading a good book.

David Johnson is an innovative chef and talented musician. An avid builder, sailor, and wooden boat enthusiast, David went on to sail as chef on educational tall ships along the east coast, sailing from the North American great lakes, down to the Caribbean. He seasonally and geographically sourced food, expanding his culinary repertoire via cooking with locals, exchanging recipes, and experimenting with whatever was in season. From French cooking in Montreal to fish fries in the Caribbean, David’s cooking is an intimate, eclectic, and joyous accumulation of tastes, cultures, and communities.

Embracing a variety of local cuisines while simultaneously collaborating with scientists and archeologists aboard, David spent three years in Africa, where he initiated a community development project employing and educating local Xhosa tribe in food production, service, and management. He designed and built a tiki restaurant of local materials, opened a fish market, planted organic gardens with French drains for black water, compost, and solar heated water systems. He currently creates joyous and inspired foods and experiences, working with local makers and growers. When he is not busy in the galley, he enjoys entertaining guests while singing, playing guitar and sharing tales of his worldly adventures at sea.