Captain: Reinis Ābele

Captain Reinis Ābele

Reinis grew up in Riga, the capital city of Latvia. Straddling the river Daugava on the shore of the Baltic Sea, the mariner tradition in this beautiful, ancient seaport runs deep. Living by the river, he spent most of his time with his parents and two brothers on the water, the third generation in a family of sailors. Although Reinis studied finance at the Stockholm School of Economics, his heart was in yachting. Rather than pursuing a desk job, he applied his skills as a harbormaster and marina developer, which allowed him to attend all of Northern Europe’s major boating events. He was also on the project development of Wild Cat. He knows the yacht inside out and maneuvers her effortlessly.

Guests find Reinis to be a bit of a Renaissance man, an extremely capable captain with a charming countenance and a somewhat astonishing skill set. In addition to his finesse at catching the wind in the sails, he is an accomplished car, motorcycle and motor boat driver. He speaks Latvian, English, Russian, German and conversational Spanish. He also enjoys trivia games, but beware the challenge, anyone that can master all those languages is going to be very tough to beat.

Reinis is kind, generous, lots of fun and wicked smart. He enjoys a bit of basketball or beach volleyball in port, but most of all he loves to sail. Charter guests who crave fast speeds and high-performance will be thrilled by the Wild Cat ride without sacrifice to stability and comfort. In the evening at anchor, Reinis will happily join guests at a card game, or discuss a variety of subjects in a variety of languages. However, if you’re not a good loser, we’d advise passing on board games like Trivial Pursuits.

Reinis has been sailing since 2010, with charter experience since 2013.

Stewardess Zanda Zarina

Zanda cannot be happy if she’s far from water, it’s in her blood. Oceans with wild beaches are most beloved, lakes and rivers are good too. She grew up in Riga, the capital city of Latvia. This sheltered harbor town, upriver from the Baltic Sea, has been home to mariners since antiquity. Whenever there was time to spend, she would spend it seaside, lakeside or riverside, building sand castles and jumping waves with family and friends.

Throughout her childhood, Zanda excelled at a variety of athletics, swimming, painting and dance. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Marketing and a Master’s in Communication and PR. She has also studied photography and kiteboarding, has PADI dive certification and holds a certificate to operate pleasure craft. She speaks fluent English, Russian, Latvian, basic Spanish and a little German.

“I love to be active; hiking, wakeboarding, SUP, mountain climbing, swimming, yoga and fitness, skiing and sailing of course. I’ve been kiteboarding for seven years. I’m not an instructor, but can assist and teach basics if needed. Also, I can be a dive buddy. For guests who are interested, I can plan and guide hiking excursions and trips to explore the island and local traditions. I love photography, it feels like an extension of myself. I use a professional Canon camera. Having professional photos from your charter vacation is a precious souvenir, so I volunteer as photographer for guests who would like photo memories.”

Zanda loves working with people. For the past six years, she’s worked her way around the globe in the hospitality and travel industries and as a professional photographer. She says, “Traveling has taught me to adjust and adapt in any culture or situation. I easily find common ground and get along with anyone, which I consider to be one of the most important skills in hospitality and life in general.”

CHEF PETRA HESS

Petra Hess is as beloved for her five-star cuisine as for her jovial character. Her friends describe her as having an infectious laugh, an outgoing personality and a generous heart. Petra has always been high-energy. As a child, she won trophies for equestrian jumping and admits she still loves to jump off heights, which perhaps accounts for her pleasure at piloting small planes. She graduated culinary school, studied cooking in Milan, Italy, worked with French and Italian chefs, won bartending awards, including a prestigious competition in Berlin. She has managed and owned restaurants in Paderborne and Bielefld, Germany.

Today what Petra loves most of all is Caribbean yachting, and sharing her passion with her charter guests. She says that her cuisine is her art. Preparing delicious meals, pairing them with the perfect wine, and seeing her guests’ enjoyment, is her pinnacle of success. While she can prepare pretty much everything to perfection, her favorite is fresh, delicately seasoned fish and seafood.

Petra has been getting rave reviews as a yacht chef for 24 years. Charter guests on board should prepare to gain a few pounds during their charter, or to increase their daily workout. Either way, repeat clients will advise you never to forgo anything that Petra prepares, or you’ll be missing out!