DENNIS WHELLER, CAPTAIN:
A lifelong yachtsman, Captain Dennis Wheeler consistently offers his guests a truly unique and memorable, 5-star experience. Born in New Jersey and raised in St Croix and Texas, Captain Dennis has lived a fascinating life. An engineer by training, and a successful global technology entrepreneur, he sold the rights to an electric powertrain technology he developed, and moved back to the Caribbean to focus on his love of the sea.

He has successfully refit and restored several vessels and has cruised extensively throughout the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

Guests benefit from his excellent helmsmanship, incredible customer service, and deep knowledge of the Virgin Islands. He is eager to share stories from his fascinating career and world travels.

Dennis and his wife Tania have a 3-year-old son and live in St. Thomas.


ALYSE AREHART, CHEF:
Alyse is a born and raised Floridian, growing up in a small town before spending ten formative years in Miami. She has always enjoyed traveling and exploring, and she realized her passion for the natural world by earning a degree in Environmental Studies at the University of Miami. Alyse has varied professional experiences in bartending, laboratory science, environmental non-profits, and ecotourism, but she eventually discovered that her superior service skills and outdoorsy spirit were a perfect fit for the yachting industry. Since 2015, she has cruised the U.S. eastern seaboard, the Bahamas, and throughout the Caribbean. She has been in the U.S. Virgin Islands since 2017.

Alyse cares about responsible food sourcing, inspired preparation, and serving colorful, nourishing food that gives her guests the energy to seize the day. She has attended a “Farm Culinary” course in Washington state, obtained a culinary certificate at Ashburton Cookery School in the English countryside, cooked locally in a fine dining establishment and for World Central Kitchen’s covid-19 relief efforts. Her culinary style is influenced by the flavors of the Caribbean, many of which are shared in Florida cooking. She loves incorporating these regional ingredients into her menus to create playful yet crowd-pleasing dishes.

What Alyse loves most about the V.I. is the lovely people, shoreline panoramas, and fresh tropical fruits. She is also grateful for the reefs and waters that her industry relies on, and does what she can to encourage their preservation. On charter, when she’s not in the galley, you’ll find her leading snorkeling and hiking excursions, yoga sessions, or playing the ukulele. She is an easy-going spirit who enjoys making people feel right at home while showing them the vacation of their dreams.