OKTO

GRAEME AFFLECK | Rotational Captain | Scottish
Graeme grew up in a small fishing village on the East Coast of Scotland. He was brought up on and around boats and was destined for a career at sea. He now lives on the south coast of England with his wife and two young boys. Graeme has been in the yachting industry for over 12 years and has a wealth of experience cruising worldwide on both private and charter yachts. He takes pride in providing the highest standard of service for the guests onboard, while not compromising safety. Graeme joined MY OKTO at the start of the 2022 Mediterranean season, after running a busy 55m charter yacht for the past two years. His door is always open to discuss cruising plans or pass on his knowledge of local restaurants and great locations to visit. He is a keen sports man who loves team sports and when time permits, he enjoys a round of golf or some time on the padel court. He loves being in and around the water and is a keen diver. He looks forward to welcoming you onboard.


JAMES LOVEJOY | Rotational Captain | English
James came to yachting in 2008 after several years sailing competitively in various regattas around Europe.
Thirteen years later, James joined the OKTO team in early 2020 as Chief Officer where he has continued to grow his knowledge. For the last three years James has been working towards his Masters 3000 certification and in 2023 all his hard work has paid off as he now has his License.
With this in hand James has now taken on the role as Captain. He brings a wealth of cruising experience from the Pacific, Caribbean, Atlantic, and Mediterranean waters. When not afloat he can be found renovating property in Scotland or seeking out new adventures on two wheels. Other hobbies include diving, cycling, aerial videography and raising two beautiful children.


PETE GRUNLOW | Chief Officer | South Africa
Pete was raised in Durban, on the east coast of South Africa. He decided to enter the world of yachting after a short-lived corporate career and has never looked back.
He has worked on yachts for over 10 years, progressing through the deck ranks before obtaining his Chief Mate’s qualification in August 2021.
Pete is a sports fanatic and in his spare time can be found running and hiking the trails around his present hometown, Cape Town. He is considered to be the OKTO Braai (BBQ) master and reigning Padel champion.


SOPHIE MORGAN | 2nd Officer | England
Sophie grew up in London before moving to the south coast of England to a county called Dorset, here she spent time fishing for mackerel and cruising around the coastline in a small tender with her three older brothers. Sophie has several Atlantic crossings under her belt and has covered the Pacific Ocean, Mediterranean, Caribbean Sea and East Coast. Sophie has worked hard throughout her career, studying for her OOW and in 2022 her hard work paid off with her gaining the ticket and being promoted to 2nd Officer.


LUKE MALHERBE | Bosun | South Africa
Luke was born & raised in a small seaside city called East London in South Africa. Ever since he was a young boy, his life has revolved around the ocean. Luke loves all watersports & generally being near the ocean. His main interests are surfing, fishing, diving & wakeboarding. Luke has travelled to some very exotic places on the previous yachts he has worked on, it makes for great conversation! He plans on working his way up the ranks in the yachting industry & building a career out of it.


LEWIS BARKER | Second Officer | England
Lewis got his first break into the yachting industry on board MY OKTO He joins us from Ipswich, a countryside town in Suffolk. Lewis enjoyed growing up with his brother and sister in the countryside always exploring together, trying to keep out of trouble. Lewis has a passion for basketball, going to the prestigious Ipswich basketball academy and playing into his university years. Here he spent 5 years on a degree in strength, conditioning and personal training. He enjoys putting his knowledge into practice and is ready to tailor a programme to your needs.


JEAN MARITZ | Deckhand | South Africa
Jean grew up in Durban South Africa coming from a very sporty family. He is an avid fisherman and loves spending time in and around the water.
Sailing all over the world has been a thrilling experience for him as he has cruised the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas and hopes one day to add the Indian Ocean to the list.
As a deckhand onboard OKTO Jean is looking forward to giving you an experience you will never forget through their wide range of water toys and days filled of adventures.

ALY NIELSEN | Rotational Chief Stewardess | New Zealand
Meet Aly, a passionate adventurer from the beautiful Hibiscus Coast in New Zealand.
With a lifetime of adventure both in and around the water, she developed a strong love of travel and exploring the world. As an experienced yachting professional with 12 years in the industry, Aly’s impeccable service skills are second to none. She adores welcoming guests onboard MY OKTO and providing a seamless, luxurious experience. Thanks to her love for exploring and being on boats, yachting became the perfect opportunity to turn her passion into a thrilling career. Join Aly and her team for an unforgettable voyage.

LOUISE O'NEILL | Rotational Chief Stewardess | England
Meet Louise, born and bred in London. Louise comes from a large family who enjoyed hitting the slopes in the winter seasons. Surprisingly it was on one if these trips, in 2011, when Louise discovered the yachting industry when she landed her first position and hasn’t looked back. Louise thrives on leading the Interior team and is excited to bring her wealth of knowledge to OKTO, guiding her department to deliver seamless, luxury service in true OKTO style. In her free time, you can find Louise enjoying a good book, getting creative with drawing or keeping fit on the tennis court and more recently challenging the crew on the Padel court.


KATE ROBINSON | 2nd Stewardess | New Zealand
Kate grew up in a small beachy town in the north island of New Zealand called Mt Maunganui. This is a hot post for summer vacations and a must see when travelling to NZ.
Kate spent her youth sailing and scuba-diving with her brothers. As she grew up Kates parents enjoyed sharing a fine wine paired with a geography lesson. This ignited her passion to learn more in-depth about the wine industry and her desire to travel to these regions began.
Kate naturally was drawn yachts to combine her passions of the ocean, travel and now growing knowledge of wines. Kate has completed her WSET 2 wine course and enjoys bringing her expertise into her work day onboard OKTO.

TANNAH METZLER | Stewardess | South Africa
Growing up in sunny South Africa, Tannah enjoys anything from a good book, to hiking, to exploring beautiful places. She has a special love for the ocean and outdoors. Tannah completed her degree in Clothing Consumer Science and worked in the fashion industry prior to joining MY OKTO. Tannah is passionate about High End fashion and in her free time enjoys sewing and growing her knowledge in sustainable fashion.


BELLA THOMPSON | Stewardess | South Africa
Meet Bella, she is joining the OKTO Interior team in the 2nd year of her career. Bella’s hometown is Durban, South Africa. She comes from a Big Greek family where they spent their summers in beautiful St Francis. Bella is the proud Aunty of two mischievous nephews and a beautiful niece, she describes her family as loud, loving and outgoing. Naturally she fits right into the fun-loving crew/family we have onboard. In her spare time she loves hiking, yoga, reading and photography which she hoping to incorporate this into her working day.

EMMA WEST | Stewardess | South Africa
Emma is joining MY OKTO in 2023, securing her first full time stewardess position. Emma grew up in Central Drakensberg and considers herself very privileged to call Champagne Sports Resort, a resort her parents managed, home for 25 years. Emma likes to keep fit and prides herself by having 2 half marathons under her belt. She also enjoys swimming, reading, and dancing. Emma is excited to start her yachting career and hope to one day become a Purser.


WILLIAM PITT-BROOKE | Head Chef | England
William joins MY OKTO having perfected his trade over the past 12 years. Will has worked in 1, 2 and 3 Michelin star restaurants, with his proudest position being Head Chef at a 1 Michelin star restaurant in Birmingham. He loves all types of cuisine and is continuously discovering and experimenting with new ones! His favorite type of food is street food. In his spare time William enjoys playing football, skiing, hiking and challenging crew members on the Padel court.


OWEN NYAKUDYA | Sous Chef | Zimbabwe
Filip was born in Poland and lived there for several years before moving with his family to the UK. This taught him to be bilingual as well as have an understanding for different cultures. That in-turn brought about a spark of interest towards being open minded as well as an appetite for travel. His first encounter with yachting came about at the age of 19, since then he has sailed in Asia, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the Caribbean. Fillips previous vessel, Teleost, took him across to the Caribbean where he had the opportunity to learn to dive and see some of the most amazing sites. Before this he gained his qualifications with cruise ships (Royal Caribbean) as Engineer Officer of the Watch Unlimited (Merchant Navy Qualification). Fillips interests tie into literature, nutrition, and fitness. In the winter he enjoys clipping into a snowboard and cruising down white slopes.

DYLAN HARBIN | Rotational Chief Engineer | English
Dylan was born in Geneva, Switzerland but grew up in England where he developed a keen interest in all things mechanical and electrical.
Prior to joining the industry Dylan completed a degree in mechanical engineering. He is now in his thirteenth year as a yacht engineer seven of those years spent onboard MY OKTO.
Outside of work Dylan is very keen on rugby, diving, skiing, traveling photography and horology. He too enjoys hitting the paddle court and is always on the search for the best restaurants in town.


BEN CUDD | Rotational Chief Engineer | English
Ben joined OKTO as 2nd Engineer in 2023. With 11 years of experience under his belt he was the natural choice for the promotion to Chief Engineer when it became available.
He has passion for everything related to marine engineering and is dedicated to ensuring that the yacht’s mechanical systems are functioning at their best.

Outside of work, Ben enjoys mountain biking, cars, and spending time with his family, especially his growing young son who at the age of 2 keeps him on his toes. Ben is an adventurous person who enjoys seeking out new locations and pushing himself to the limit!