Aspen Alternative - Crewed Luxury Motor Yacht Charter

Captain: David Gies
Nationality: American
David brings his 15+ years of yachting experience to the helm of M/Y Aspen Alternative. His time on yachts has logged him enough miles to circumnavigate the world 8 times over. David has cruised extensively onboard charter yachts in New England, the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Bahamas and Alaska.
Originally from Spokane, Washington, he now calls the opposite corner of the US home in Lighthouse Point, Florida which he shares with his wife and son.
David´s casual personality and easy-going attitude sets the tone for a happy, team-oriented crew onboard M/Y Aspen Alternative. With a strong belief in the importance of details, safety and fun, it is sure to provide our guests the best charter experience!

First Officer: Cameron Marshall
Nationality: South African
Cameron grew up as the son of a wildlife cameraman from South Africa and a talented interior designer mother from New Zealand. His love for the outdoors and nature was instilled in him from a young age, following his father all over Africa from Kenya to Zambia.
Cameron´s true passion however has always been the ocean; from surfing to diving to kiteboarding, and spending every possible moment in the ocean. He has over 12 years of game fishing experience and would love to help you catch your dream fish!
With a passion for life at sea, the yachting industry was on obvious choice for him. His journey has taken him from a National Geographic owned research vessel to the Super yachts and he has just completed his Chief Mate 3000 ticket.
He now calls the mountains his home away from water and resides in Whistler, British Columbia where he can be found snowboarding, hiking and biking.

Chief Engineer: Antisa Garma
Nationality: Croatian
Antisa was born in historic and picturesque Croatia where he was raised in the least-inhabited island in the world named Krapanj. With a mechanical he attended Technical College in Sibenik and graduated from the department of Marine Engineering as a Technician.
Antisa has spent five years working in the container ship industry before moving to the offshore industry in 1998. His engineering career has taken him all over the globe and exposed him to many different cultures and people.
In 2016, he decided to make the transition to yachts and has not looked back. Managing engines, all electrical items onboard, generators and all supporting mechanics keeps his days busy. In his free time he likes fishing, traveling and has a great passion for classic cars and loves to cook and socialize and hang out with friends.

Chef: Katie Ficke
Nationality: American
Collecting nautical miles and traveling to new destinations around the globe, Katie´s culinary journey has brought her to motor yacht Aspen Alternative. Katie grew up in Pungo, Virginia with her mother, brother and father who served in the US Navy.
Katie strives to provide all her guests with their ideal 5-star holiday while endeavoring to create the perfect menu based on their preferences and dietary requirements. With 10 years in the yachting industry, she has fine tuned her craft and is passionate about broadening her culinary abilities. She specializes in Mediterranean, American, Italian, Asian and Lebanese cuisine and always aims to use the freshest local ingredients wherever the yacht is cruising.
Katie´s favorite activity is yoga, which she practices religiously and believes that we achieve our greatest potential with the right balance of nourishing food and movement. Katie is always happy to have you pop into the Galley for a chat or a special request!

Chief Stewardess: Tiffany Faulkner
Nationality: Canadian
Tiffany hails from the beautiful mountains of Whistler, Canada. Days spent snowboarding, hiking, biking and travelling developed her love of the great outdoors.
Tiffany´s vast hospitality experience extends 6 years prior to yachting, but the wanderlust of travel and desire for adventure led her to take the next step and pursue only the finest side of hospitality. With an unrelenting eye for detail and overflowing creativity, the transition to yachting was seamless.
After 9 years in the yachting industry, numerous successful charters and 12 Atlantic crossings under her belt, the allure of new experiences and friendships led her to M/Y Aspen Alternative.
Tiffany loves nothing more than a fine red wine, a good laugh, great company and an exciting new adventure wherever she can find it!

2nd Stewardess: Tiana Okolichany
Nationality: American
Tiana was born and raised in the beautiful coastal town of Jupiter, Florida. Known for its beautiful beaches and amazing surf, Tiana grew up on the ocean, spending her weekends on her family boat wake surfing and fishing. Salt water and sunsets come natural to Tiana and she feels most alive and at home on the water.
After graduating from Florida State University with a Bachelors degree in Communications, she joined yachting to pursue her dreams of traveling the world and working in hospitality, an industry she has always loved and excelled in. With ber bubbly personality and sense of adventure, it was a great fit and Tiana´s yachting journey has now expanded over 4 years. During her career, she has seen and explored some of the most oeautiful places from the Eastern Mediterranean all the way to the Southern Caribbean.
Tiana continues to chase the sun and travel the globe and is very appreciative of all of the nationalities and people she has met along the way. In her free time, you will find Tiana practicing her yoga on the sundeck as the sun rises. She will be more than happy to lielp you with your poses and to balance your inner chi.

3rd Stewardess: Rhia Garica
Nationality: Filipino
Rhia originates from the town of Camirnes Sur in the beautiful island country the Philippines. She studied Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Northeastern Philippines.
With a desire to be in the hospitality industry, Rhia started her professional career in guest services at the prestigious 5-star Peninsula Manila Hotel. She developed her skills in all areas of guest relations including housekeeping, laundry and silver service. With her high-level of standards and skills, she is a behind-the-scenes powerhouse.
Rhia´s yachting experience spans over an impressive 12 year career.
She has worked on many distinguished mega-yachts such as M/Y Space, M/Y Imagine and M/Y Here Comes the Sun where she quickly earned her way up the ranks to Head of Housekeeping.
It is an absolute pleasure to have Rhia onboard M/Y Aspen and the crew
thoroughly enjoy her happy, positive disposition and quiet sense of humor.
When she´s not being a super-stew Rhia enjoys shopping, going to the movies and playing competitive badminton

Bosun: Calvin Mckie
Nationality: South African
Surfing, fishing, wakeboarding, diving and repeat is Calvin´s algorithm for a happy life and growing up in beautiful Durban, South Africa, he was exposed to some of the most beautiful beaches in Africa. From a young age, it instilled a strong desire for a career that could incorporate his love of the ocean and his aspirations to travel.
With the hope of one day becoming a yacht Captain, Calvin travelled to the South of France in 2018 to begin his yachting career. His 5 years at sea has seen him climb the ranks to Bosun on vessels from 130ft to 250ft. and has taken him all over Europe, Central America and the Caribbean.
When he is not studying to complete his Officer of the Watch license, Calvin keeps busy working out, working on design plans for his first home in South Africa and obviously, water sports.

Deckhand: Ruby Lumayag
Nationality: Filipino
Rudy hails from one of the 7,107 beautiful islands of the Philippines named Cebu. He speaks English and Tagalog fluently and is also conversational in Spanish.
Excited to travel and see the world, Rudy started his career as a deckhand on M/Y White Rabbit and then onto M/Y Vanish that took him all over Europe and the Caribbean. Rudy joined Aspen Alternative in January of 2022 and this year also marks his impressive 8th year in the yachting industry.
Hardworking and always self-driven in everything that he does, Rudy is a great benefit to the team and brings in a wealth of knowledge and skill and is always in a great mood and smiling. His family is a source of inspiration and strength and he has recently welcomed a new baby boy named Rafiel.