DANTE

Crew Profile

Captain Kelsey Dyer

Born and raised in New Jersey, Kelsey spent her childhood sailing all over the east coast of the US. After graduating college, she moved to The Bahamas for a marketing stint. It wasn’t long before she realized she wanted to turn her love of sailing into a career, and set off to South Africa to complete her Yachtmaster. Since then, Kelsey has been cruising her way around the world. Her yachting experience ranges from fun flotilla charters in the Mediterranean to enduring transatlantic crossings. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing, sunny vacation or an exciting ocean adventure, she is happy to welcome you aboard!

Chef/Mate Cassie Pepin

Originally from Florida, Cassie grew up on the water. Spending the weekends at the beach, grilling out with friends and family fostered her love for entertaining. Growing up as the oldest of 6, she is overqualified at managing multiple personalities and wrangling a group.

She was the go-to girl for family birthday cakes and over the years has been more than happy to use her family for countless hours of recipe testing. After college, Cassie began working in DC as an events planner, and while her family's love for entertaining helped her excel in this position, she still yearned for something more.

Deciding to take a year off to backpack through Europe, Cassie ended up on a sailboat trip with friends in Croatia and that was it. She knew she had to find a way to stay, and when the staff on board asked if she knew how to cook, she said yes - and never looked back!

During the pandemic when the tourism industry slowed, she took that as an opportunity to advance her career. Cassie took a year off from working on boats to attend culinary school in New York City, landing a job as a line cook at a well known southeast asian restaurant in Chinatown while attending school. Learning from some of the best chefs in the industry and fine tuning her own skills on the line, she gained priceless experience during her year on land.

Sailing & cooking throughout the Mediterranean, French Polynesia, and most recently BVI- Cassie has developed a love for traveling on the water and brings her experiences from around the globe to the guests. The best way to experience a place is through the food, and having traveled to over 40 countries- taking in the cuisine through restaurants, street markets & cooking classes- Cassie brings these experiences right back to her kitchen and your plate. This, alongside her professional restaurant training, is sure to make the food on each charter a highlight of the trip.

She loves to entertain & wether at home with friends or on board with guests, Cassie makes it her mission to make the guests time unforgettable.