Team

Charter yacht Captain from November 2006 to December 2011 for The Moorings, Inc. based in Tortola, BVI. Employed as full-time Captain aboard the 62’ sailing catamaran “Sea Leopard” based in Road Town, Tortola, BVI. Nearly a lifetime of sailing experience- From small racing sailboats to 65’ catamarans. Captain Whitney sails competitively on Moore 24 racing boats in northern California. Over 35,000NM ocean and near coastal waters including passages from Virginia to Florida, through the Caribbean to South America, Mexico, Croatia, Dalmatian coast of Europe, West coast of the US, and over 25 years sailing upon the waters of Lake Tahoe and San Francisco Bay in California. He is also very familiar with Captaining large power and sailing yachts, having run vessels up to 120’. USCG Master 100T (third issuance), assistance towing, and aux. sailing. TWIC Card STCW-95 Certificate PADI dive license.

Culinary trained with Darcy Whitney experienced 22 years crewed yacht chef on both monohulls and catamarans.  Previously Blair was performing as a mermaid at the Las Vegas aquarium and leading yoga excursions while traveling the country. She is an internationally published children’s book illustrator and collage artist with ocean-themed works displayed in the states, Paris and Hong Kong. Blair grew up on the water, white water rafting the West Virginia rivers, snorkeling in the Caribbean, cliff jumping off waterfalls in Brazil, sailing through the bays of Lake Tahoe, cruising the shores of the Mediterranean, canoeing the desolate rivers in Maine, helmet diving in Bermuda and even swimming with sharks in Mexico. Blair helped her father build his first sailboat in their garage and have never lived far from a coastline. 200 hour + Yoga teaching certification with 15 years + experience instructing yoga during travel excursions. STCW and PADI certified

Ian is a lifelong sailor and traveler. Moving to Ireland at a young age Ian was introduced to sailing and racing and moving to San Francisco allowed him to hone his sailing in a very demanding environment. Being on boats has made him very at home on the water and between his Irish upbringing and service industry background in bartending make him a very welcoming and accommodating presence on any sail. Ian has sailed Ireland, San Francisco, France, Spain, Portugal, and in the Caribbean. Ian’s professional conduct as well as his enthusiastic love of the ocean and nature brings a wonderful joyful perspective to the charters.

Lindsey hails from New England and a long line of chefs. Following in her fathers footprints, she found herself in the restaurant industry at a very young age. Always mesmerized with the tasty creations flowing out of the New England kitchens she worked in, she decided to peruse her passion for the culinary arts. She immersed herself in culinary courses and the bustling food scene. In an effort to keep her passion for travel stoked as well, she set off in the yachting industry roughly eight years ago. From the Eastern Seaboard of the US, France to Spain, Italy to Turkey, Croatia and many other stops in between, she has honed her skills in several different styles of cuisine. On crossing the Atlantic she let her creative side flow with inspirations from the Caribbean and South America. She takes much pride in tantalizing your taste-buds, but also in constructing creative cocktails, and cultivating a vacation for the memory books! Commercially Endorsed STCW

CREW BIO: Magnus and Lindsey will be joining the Mahasattva as the rotational crew from July 2020 to January 2021. Together they have developed a dynamic program to meet the needs of guests on every spectrum from relaxing and pampering to sporty and adventurous. After having met in the Caribbean six years ago on the southern island of Tobago, they fell in love with not only each other but with the paradise that is the Caribbean! They bring passion, fun, and a wealth of knowledge together to create unforgettable memories for all their guests. Two years ago after embarking on another Atlantic crossing, they decided it was time to tie the knot and eloped on the island of Tenerife! Captain Magnus hails from the frigid fjords of Norway with several captains in his bloodline. He spent his entire childhood regatta racing, teaching sailing, and working for the King in the Norwegian Navy before he felt himself being drawn too far more tropical latitudes. Now, thawed out, and after several years of cruising on his private sailboat, multiple ocean crossings, and chartering the most stunning waters and island groups in the world, he can guarantee a fantastic experience with well thought out itineraries and adventures. Chef Lindsey Chirichiello hails from New England and a long line of chefs. Following in her father's footprints, she found herself in the restaurant industry at a very young age. Always mesmerized with the tasty creations flowing out of the New England kitchens she worked in, she decided to peruse her passion for the culinary arts. She immersed herself in culinary courses and the bustling food scene. In an effort to keep her passion for travel stoked as well, she set off in the yachting industry roughly eight years ago. From the Eastern Seaboard of the US, France to Spain, Italy to Turkey, Croatia, and many other stops in between, she has honed her skills in several different styles of cuisine. On crossing the Atlantic she let her creative side flow with inspirations from the Caribbean and South America. She takes much pride in tantalizing your taste-buds, but also in constructing creative cocktails, and cultivating a vacation for the memory books! REVIEWS: Henry and Blair Our trip, in one word, was Amazing! We felt it was the trip of a lifetime. The five days we spent with Magnus and Lindsey will be unforgettable. The boat was beautiful, clean, and appointed with every preference noted prior to us arriving. Every site we visited was postcard-worthy. However, the true standout of the trip was certainly the crew, Magnus and Lindsey. They planned and executed an itinerary that got better and better each day and made it look effortless. Every single meal Lindsey prepared was thoughtful, healthy, and delicious. Restaurant quality doesn't even begin to do justice to her abilities in the kitchen. Magnus took us to every site we wanted and even surprised us by not only squeezing in Anegada but also arranged scooters for us to tour the island and arranged a lobster dinner for us. We met as strangers but left as friends. We could not have asked for anything more and the trip exceeded our expectations in every way. We have recommended this trip to many of our friends and already have begun plans for a return trip. Many many thanks, Henry Nance Charter Magnus and Lindsey, Words cannot begin to describe this vacation! Having never been on the charter before we had no idea what to expect. All I know is that whatever I thought this trip would involve was undoubtedly exceeded. From the unbelievable meals to the music to sailing education, this trip was amazing! More than anything, we enjoyed you two! You made this trip for us. We hope to stay in touch and we WILL see you again! Lawrence and Jess Magnus and Lindsey, We are about to eat our last breakfast in paradise. I'm not sure how to adequately describe our time here. We could list the islands we visited or our excursions. We could go into great detail about our experiences or meals. Anyone of these would have provided for a nice trip. Put all of these together and it quickly becomes a great trip! But all of these things, as awesome as they were, were only a piece of the overall experience, the two of you made this trip something indescribable! You immediately put us all at ease and let us into your world with your expertise and love for the sea. We will miss you guys and our new friendship more than any of our experiences. Our paths will cross again whether in Charlotte or on the high seas. See you soon! Jay and Katy Today is our 10 year wedding anniversary. We are so happy to be waking up on this yacht with our old friends and you two, our new friends. We have talked a lot over the last few days about experiences on this trip, and while it sounds cliché, it truly is difficult to put it into words. The truth is we are fairly easy people to please, and the geography and natural beauty of the USVIs and BVIs are so overwhelming that you really could have done so much less and our trip would have still been fantastic. But I don’t think you even know how to do “less”. Our experience on this trip has all been completely positive and we have no complaints. If I had to describe our time here with you guys in one word it would be “special”. Magnus and Lindsey, you are both special people, and your love for each other and the sailing life are obvious in everything you do and it spreads through to your guests. Every minute of every day has been spectacular and we can never thank you enough. We wish you all the best in the future and truly hope our paths cross again. Thank you so so so very much! Marcus and Stephanie On April 1st, my wife and I and two other couples nervously climbed aboard the yacht in Saint Thomas. This day was the culmination of weeks of planning and worrying and in the days leading up to the trip, our excitement grew. We had all been aboard boats before, but we had never chartered a yacht cruise like this. At that moment we had no idea how special of a trip this would be and how much we would all be searching for words to describe it. This was truly the trip of a lifetime. Our broker quickly determined that this yacht would be the perfect vessel for our trip and more than that, that Co-Captains Magnus and Lindsey would be the perfect tour guides. He could not have been more right. It has been a couple of weeks since we returned from our trip and I've been agonizing on how exactly to put into words just how special Magnus and Lindsey made this trip for our crew. From the minute we stepped aboard, every need was not just met, but anticipated. They never made us feel like we were asking too much, or that any request was out of line. Instead, they made us feel so welcome and in fact encouraged our requests. We knew that our hosts would attempt some gourmet food, but we were completely unprepared for what awaited us. Each day we were completely blown away by Lindsey's cooking, three grand meals per day, snacks, sunset hors d’oeuvres, PLUS she managed to make beautiful homemade desserts each evening. All the meals were well-thought-out, tailored to our specific needs, and healthy and hearty. You expend a lot of energy in the Caribbean sun, and she made sure there was always a great protein and healthy carbs. Seared Ahi Tuna, Chicken, Salmon, pasta, quinoa, brown rice, etc. Always a bounty of fresh fruits and sides, and all of this, always served at a proper table setting on the rear exterior dining area, outside of the wind but very much in the cool ocean breeze. Words really cannot describe how incredibly blown away we were by the food. Not to mention desserts! The first evening Lindsey somehow managed to prepare homemade chocolate espresso truffles, a chocolate mousse, and chocolate ganache, garnished with fresh raspberries. The next morning we woke to a "pre-breakfast" of fresh fruit, granola, yogurts, juices, and wonderful French press coffee. An hour later we were served our main breakfast of Eggs Benedict with crabmeat, wilted spinach, and fresh sliced tomato. This was without a doubt the best eggs Benedict we had ever tasted, and it was the. first. breakfast. We knew the week was going to be special and we were right! I guess I can sum up the food by saying this- from the first meal, no one in our party ever asked what the next meal would be, what was for dinner, etc.. no one cared. We all know that when we were served our meal we would all be ecstatic. On the last night on the boat, which was the evening before my wife and my 10 year Anniversary, Lindsey managed to surprise us with an actual three-tier cake- some combo of lemon, raspberry, buttercream frosting, and toasted shaved coconut. It was AMAZING. This was pretty much par for the course for the entire week. Before we even knew we wanted to go snorkeling, Magnus had set out and readied the snorkel gear. By the time your glass was half empty, Magnus was there to refill it. By the time we were done eating a delicious meal, our beds had been made and our cabins were tidied. Magnus handled most of the ship captain's duties with ease. We witnessed him navigate harbors and snorkeling spots easier than most people can handle a small car. We even witnessed him help other boats with inexperienced captains once or twice- it was all quite impressive and really did a lot to put us all at ease. If you don't spend that much time on a boat, this can be one of the more nerve-racking expectations of a trip like this... basically, will we be safe? But in Magnus and Lindsey's hands, the answer to that is absolute. We always felt 100% completely under control, safe, and at ease. This really added to our overall enjoyment of the trip and helped us all really take in the wondrous beauty that was all around us. The toughest thing to put into words is how special this trip was made due to the efforts and overall good and easy nature of our hosts Magnus and Lindsey. It is daunting to think about spending a week in close quarters with two strangers. This, to me, is a make-or-break detail when endeavoring on a trip like this. Thanks to Kevin Jonas and Mainsail carefully listening to us and asking all of the right questions, in the beginning, we were paired with the PERFECT duo for us. Magnus and Lindsey are two special people- both adventurous, but not careless, still young but mature beyond their years. Their knowledge of our surroundings and the USVI's and BVI's is only matched by their love of the sea and of each other. They knew how to make the perfect amount of suggesting what we should do and where to go, while still reminding us that the trip was ours, and we could choose our own adventures. We got them to laugh and joke with us, but they were always mindful to step back and let us enjoy each other's company. They seemed to anticipate every need and want long before the thought crossed our minds. They were quick with a good sailing story and each of them has a great sense of humor. All in all, I just know that they were probably aware that they could have done MUCH less, given MUCH less effort, and we still would have been satisfied, but up until the very last minute when we said our bittersweet goodbyes, they ALWAYS went the extra mile. Our party has talked a lot about this trip in a couple of weeks we've been back to reality, and Magnus and Lindsey just keep coming up. They did SO much to make this the most special vacation that any of us have ever experienced, and it is not even close. We are all utterly blown away. I cannot wait to go back and I hope that we get to experience this same boat and this same crew again, and I'll rest easy knowing I have a go-to broker for my next trip. If you are on the fence about booking this kind of trip, rest assured you will be glad you did. If you stay in a hotel, you hope that the balcony may have a partial sunset view, or maybe you can catch a glimpse of sunrise. Well on a yacht, you see every sunrise, every sunset. Each night spent on the water you are drenched in a sea of stars. When you don't have to plan and navigate your way to a beach, but instead can wake up and jump in the water, your days tend to stretch out before you and a week's trip feels like two. There were several times when our party would reflect over dessert about a snorkeling spot or hidden beach we had seen days before, only to realize we had been there that very morning... this actually happened several times. Days ran together. As far as natural beauty, it is almost impossible to pick out a highlight when every day was filled with nothing but highlights. If there is a heaven on Earth, it is the Virgin Islands. Thanks to Kevin with Mainsail Charters, the owner of the gorgeous sailing vessel, and to Magnus & Lindsey for the trip of a lifetime.