CAPTAIN Christophe Riccio & CHEF Javier Ballesteros Castillo

CAPTAIN : Christophe RICCIO
French, 44 years old
Spoken languages: French, English & Italian fluent

Christophe is an experienced captain who has worked in the yachting industry since 2001 as captain both on private and charter yachts from 44 to 105 feet. Since 2001, he has sailed all across the Mediterranean Sea, from Spain to Greece. His extensive knowledge about the French Riviera, Corsica and Sardinia is top notch. Christophe spent 16 years working between those three last areas, which is a great advantage for those who wish to charter these well-known destinations, to get advices on the on-land restaurants, shops and bars or maybe to discover secluded beaches and creeks along the coastline. Guests on board are also guaranteed to be in good hands as Christophe also acquired many certifications in fire fighting, medical training and in rescue.
As hobbies, Christophe likes to do sports, among those, his favourites are swimming, snowboarding and pedal tennis.


CHEF: Javier BALLESTEROS CASTILLO
Spanish, 46 years old
Spoken Languages: Spanish & English fluent, Basic French & Italian

Javier decided to venture into the Yacht Industry as a chef in 2010 after years of working in restaurants. He notably worked in different five stars hotels and starred restaurants. Javier is particularly oriented towards pastries which was his domain during three years. His favourite cuisine is Mediterranean, from Spanish to Italian, and even fusion cuisine mixing both flavours as his signature dish: Mediterranean seafood risotto with saffron in fusion. For him the yacht industry offers a dynamic environment where creativity, innovation, and attention to detail are valued. He considered that his goal is much more than just preparing delicious meals, it is about caring for and nurturing the guests, both physically and emotionally. Javier wants them to be stunned and surprised by the meals, he puts his heart’ s and soul’s in. When Javier is on his time off, he loves reading cook and marine life books, fishing, scuba diving and snorkelling.

ENGINEER: Allan DAGGAO
Filipino, 45 years old
Spoken languages: English fluent ; French intermediate
Allan started to work in the yachting industry back in 2003 on the prestigious HERA - C, a 26 - meters from 1973. He began as a deckhand and made his way to engineer. Hard working and patient, Allan looks for perfection in his work and a clean environment to ease his job along the way. Allan has just left HERA-C, recently, to join NEW STAR after almost 18 years.
When he is not working, Allan likes to be connected to the nature in activities like fishing and gardening

CHIEF STEWARDESS: Nicole LEON
Ecuadorian- Spanish, 30 years old
Spoken languages: Spanish & English fluent, French intermediate

Nicole started working in the yachting industry in 2014, where she worked for several yachts, such as: M/Y Aria, M/Y Orly in the Caribbean, and M/Y Mamilu in US both for private and charter. Then she did a break from work to focus on her studies and certifications. In 2019, she worked as Second Stewardess on M/Y Siren. In 2021, Nicole worked as Stew/Deck on M/Y Blue Jay, and in 2022, she was Chief Stew/Deck on M/Y Nomad in the Balearic Islands, where she was always focussed on guests’ satisfaction, by anticipating their needs, setting programs not only for adults but also children on board and ashore. With an excellent attention to detail, Nicole is calm and adaptable to the guests’ lifestyle. Also with a team work spirit, she will manage the team so that everything is perfect, in the cabins as in the service. She is passionate about performing arts, dance, cinema and theatre. Nicole loves extreme sports and animals. She enjoys traveling and connecting with new cultures. Her home is the sea, the waves embrace her spirit and feed her being.

STEWARDESS: Mikayla VELDSMAN
South African Stewardess, 22 years old
Spoken languages: English fluent

Mikayla joined the Yachting Industry in 2023 in Cape Town after finishing her degree, with extensive maritime courses. She started working as stewardess & deckhand on M/Y AQUA PRINCESS (18m), M/Y PRINCESS EMMA (25m) and M/Y OCEAN PRINCESS (18m) where she was responsible for guest service, food service, interior detailing, inventories and provisioning.

Mikayla has proven her ability to satisfy guests and adapt to their requests. Hardworking, team player and proactive, Mikayla makes sure that the guests experience a luxurious stay on board by anticipating their needs.

When she is not on board, Mikayla enjoys anything that gets her heart rate up surrounded by nature: running, hiking, cycling, kayaking, wakeboarding, camping.

DECKHAND: David SCHOLTEN
Dutch, 30 years old
Spoken languages: Dutch, English, Indonesian, Malaysian: fluent / Spanish: proficient


After several years in finance and management, David joined the yachting industry recently after getting his certifications as operator of pleasure crafts following his passion to pursue a career and rank up to Officer and eventually Captain. Previously, David was navigating the canals of Amsterdam since 2014 as tour guide and captain of commercial ships from 12 to 20 meters, where he was already used to work with stewardesses.

Extremely motivated, hard-working and reliable person, his global upbringing has cultivated his flexibility and adaptability: David’s background as sailing instructor made his communication with all age groups and cultures flawless.

When he is not on board, David likes practising team sports as Rugby, Volleyball, exploring new countries and new cultures.