LEXINGTON

Captain – Bill Wassmer

Captain Bill learned to sail in Long Island Sound and raced in regattas up and down the sound (Manhasset Bay, Larchmont, Stamford, Cold Spring Harbor etc) from 9 years old until the end of high school. Throughout his college years, he raced on larger sailboats and even skippered four 12-meter America’s Cup yachts – Intrepid, Columbia, Heritage and American Eagle. At one point he was crewing for Ted Turner on American Eagle. Also during college Captain Bill was the head sailing instructor of the Sagamore Yacht Club Junior Sailing Program in Oyster Bay, New York, with a summer sailing program of up to 85 kids and 20 plus one design sailboats. During these summers, he also competed in Block Island Race, the New York Yacht Club races and the Newport/Bermuda race.
In 1996, Captain Bill re-entered yachting on a 50-foot Gulfstar Viking motor yacht which he took from Portland, Oregon to Seattle, WA, then cruised Puget Sound and the lower British Columbia Pacific Coast. In 2006 the owner ordered a new 66-foot Grand Alaskan motor yacht which Captain Bill captained for 38,000 miles from Canada down the entire west coast of the USA, Mexico and Central America and then through the Panama Canal and north to the Cayman Islands around Cuba and returning to the USA at Key West and them north all the way to Maine.
Captain Bill has taken M/Y LEXINGTON from Key West To Maine and back, up and down the USA East coast 8 times as well as numerous side trips to the Bahamas. Captain Bill is also a licensed private pilot and can fly seaplanes as well as being a PADI Certified Open Water Diver.

Chef – Ranada Riley

Chef Ranada started cooking with her family in their farmhouse kitchen in Hillsboro, Ohio. She learned from a long line of home cooks who put their heart and soul into their Southern based cooking. Her fondest memories included rolling egg rolls and tending a garden to canning corn and green beans with her mother when she was a small child, and most moms were making Hamburger Helper. Ranada learned to make a great roux and gumbo from her Irish father and the best breakfast and biscuits and gravy from her Eastern Kentucky grandmother.
Ranada has traveled the nation and most recently internationally to cook beside some of the greatest chefs in the business. She has catered and cooked for multiple Grammy Music award winners, executives, sports teams and even a US President.
As an independent restauranteur settled in Lexington KY, all three of Ranada’s restaurants won multiple local and state awards from Taste of the Bluegrass Best Fine Dining to a three-time award winner for best new restaurant in Lexington, Kentucky. When Ranada stepped away from being a restaurant owner post-Covid, she boarded M/Y LEXINGTON and immediately out of the gate as a freshman yacht chef – brought a in a First-Place win with Best Cocktail at the Newport Charter Show in 2022.
She loves listening to and playing music on her guitar, art, history, writing, and producing some creative meals sure to wow our guests on board. With the most stunning galley view, she loves early morning coffee with the crew and captain, but Ranada really enjoys connecting with our guests in the galley area to provide the best possible meals with attention to every stunning detail. She will even offer to teach our guests a thing or two so don’t hesitate to spend some time with her in the galley aboard M/Y LEXINGTON.

Mate – Sehan Du Toit

Originally from South Africa Sehan grew up playing rugby the national sport of South Africa and was a member of the first team in Paarl South Africa in high school. He also received a scholarship to play at the University of Stellenbosch and was drafted to play professional rugby for the Pretoria Bulls.
After playing professional rugby, Sehan developed and opened two retail locations selling supplements and vitamins similar to GNC stores here in the USA. After selling both retail locations, Sehan went to work at the Cape Royal Yacht Club in waterfront Cape Town doing sailboat rigging and studied for and passed his Royal Yachting Association 200-ton license.
In 2022 Sehan was working on several large yachts in the Mediterranean and has been on deck cruising in the South of France then Italy and Croatia and Montenegro with crossings of the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Sehan joined the crew of the M/Y LEXINGTON in fall 2022 and has been on board for several crossings of the Gulfstream and extensive cruising around the Bahamas in Winter/Spring 2022/2023. Sehan looks forward to welcoming you on board and is excited to show you around M/Y LEXINGTON.

Deck/Stew – Dre’ Engelbrecht

Dré was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. He played professional rugby for the Cell C Sharks after school and an unfortunate career ending injury propelled him to pursue his second passion, boating.
After receiving his qualifications, he booked a flight to Fort Lauderdale, FL. He completed daywork for 3 weeks on a 90 foot yacht before finding his permanent home on M/Y LEXINGTON.
Dré has been on board for several crossings of the Gulfstream and extensive cruising around the Bahamas in winter/spring 2022/2023. Dré cannot wait to show you and your party the picturesque harbours of New England. Including the lighthouses, bays and historic points.