Captain Doug Smith

CAPTAIN Doug Smith|American

Born and raised on Lake Erie, Douglas grew up on the water. He moved to Fort Lauderdale, FL after finishing college and started his yachting career at 23 years young. He has worked on both charter and private yachts. One of Doug’s famous charterers was the late Jackie Onasis. Douglas spent a lot of time in Italy as a rotation captain on a 65-meter yacht and has been involved with building at Feadship, Codecasa and CRN. He has logged a lot of sea time in the USA, Bahamas and Caribbean. Douglas has been Captain on SOVEREIGN for over four years and holds a 3,000-ton USCG Master license. He looks forward to using his vast knowledge to create a safe and memorable vacation for all onboard motor yacht SOVEREIGN.



MATE Willem Stapel|Dutch

Willem, from the Netherlands, grew up on the Northern Coast of Portugal. Living by the ocean fueled his passion for sailing and surfing on the Atlantic Cost. After completing his education he traveled around the world to find himself, taking his sailing skills to superyachts in the Mediterranean. While working on super yachts in the Med, he got his Yacht Master Offshore Certificate and followed that up by working on an expedition yacht that sailed to the remote corners of the world. To further his professional yachting experience, he is currently enjoying working on charming classic motor yachts. Willem speaks fluent English, Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish. Willem is a positive and outgoing person that will always go above and beyond to make sure everyone is having a good time.



ENGINEER Jeffrey Procejus|American

Jeffrey worked in a machine shop for four years after high school and became a Machinist 2nd class before getting involved in the yachting industry. For the past 40 years, Jeffrey has worked on many different charter and private yachts, both on deck and in the engine room. Jeffrey’s career has taken him near and far, working on yachts in the Bahamas, the Caribbean, New York, New England, the Great Lakes and the Mediterranean.