AVALON

AMENITIES

DECK & SYSTEMS

DIVING

AVALON Crew Profile

Captain: Karl G. Joyner II (Texan)

Hailing from the great state of Texas Karl was instilled with a sense of pride at an early age. That pride is evident in his operation of Avalon as he strives to provide the best experience possible for every guest onboard Avalon. A move to Fort Lauderdale in his late teens exposed Karl to the world of yachting and large sailing yachts in particular. His fascination with these beautiful craft lead him to literally “come up through the hawse pipe” working as rigger, engineer, and finally captain on some of the most well-known sailing yachts in the industry. He has completed 5 transatlantic crossings, and 1 transpacific crossing. His sailing experience ranges from 420s, to maxi yacht racing, to large luxury yacht racing in Transatlantic Challenge Races, Super Yacht Cups, and Bucket Regattas. His 28 years in yachting and over 80,000 miles at sea have taken him from the East Coast of the US, to the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and too many other Pacific Islands to list here. Karl holds and MCA 200 ton unlimited license and USCG 100ton Master, captaining both sailing and motor yachts in his career. Sailing has always been his first love so when the position on Avalon was offered he jumped at it and has been onboard for the last 17months. Karl looks forward to showing his charter guests the beauty of the sea and some great sailing. When he gets a day off he enjoys off road adventures in his 20 year old Land Cruiser that he has modified for overland trekking. He also enjoys shooting sports and is a certified scuba diver.

 

Mate: Greg Wessel (American)

Maintaining the relaxing atmosphere on deck of Avalon and ensuring all his guests fully enjoy themselves is the first mate Greg Wessel. Growing up in Sarasota Florida, Greg learned the rhythm of the ocean at an early age, devoting his time to surfing, fishing and diving.  While attending school in South Florida, he began working with a team of highly trained commercial divers that specialized in spear fishing, collecting tropical fish and lobster.  After earning his degree in anthropology from FAU, the decision to remain working on the water was undeniable and yachting was a natural step. Greg has been sailing on large yachts now for three years, but his maritime experience goes well beyond that, making your stay on Avalon a memory you will never forget. Greg is a water sports enthusiast and can be found in or on the water whether at work or on the rare day off.



 

Engineer: Louisa Conklin (American)

If you're looking for the start button on Avalon, look no further- engineer Louisa is here to take care of that. Louisa grew up sailing in her home state of NJ. Prior to working on yachts she was a New Yorker and a sailing instructor at Manhattan Sailing School. She is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where she also taught sailing during the spring and summer. While her number one passion is caring for machinery and vessel systems, Louisa has worked as a deckhand, cook, mate and stew on sail and motor yachts- so don't be surprised to see her making beds, mixing drinks or coiling lines nicely. Outside of boating, Louisa plays the mandolin and sings a little- but only when no one can hear.

 

Chef: Anne R. Parry (American)

Anne grew up on boats in New England, and loves sailing and cooking on one! A Philadelphia native, she has lived in Boston, Colorado, Hawai'i, France, The Marshall Islands and Russia as a horse trainer, investment analyst, environmental project manager and teacher. She speaks French, Russian & Hawaiian Pidgin, and loves traveling, surfing, triathlons and yoga. Anne attended the Escoffier culinary school in Boulder, Colorado, recently voted America's #1 "Foodiest Town" by Bon Appétite, where she fell in love with the organic farms and ranches of the Rocky Mountains. She looks forward to spoiling charter guests aboard S/Y Avalon with the freshest organics available from local farmers markets, and her favorite homemade desserts. 

 

Stewardess: Ruth Joyner (Australian/American)

Born in Dalby, Queensland, Australia to ex-pat American parents, Ruth benefits from dual citizenship, and a combined Aussie/American perspective. Ruth’s family moved to Tasmania when she was a small child, it was there that she developed a love a sailing in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel near Hobart. Her love of sailing and a passion to explore lead to the eventual purchase of a 35’ sailboat, in which she travelled the east coast of Australia and to New Caledonia and Vanuatu. With a combined 14 years of resort and hospitality experience it was a natural progression to join Avalon as stewardess for the first time in 1998 for a Pacific crossing from Panama to New Zealand via the Galapagos and Tahiti. It was in New Zealand that she met her future husband, Captain Karl and they have worked together on large sailing yachts for several years. In addition to her Pacific crossing Ruth has completed 2 trans-Atlantic crossing and experienced New England, The Mediterranean, and Caribbean as professional yacht crew. She has sailed over 65,000 miles at sea since those early days in Tasmania. In a warm and inviting atmosphere, Ruth looks forward to providing her guests excellent service with her keen eye for detail. In her down time Ruth enjoys horseback riding, beachcombing, and gardening.

 

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