About Yacht Crew Services

Marcy Williams :: Crew Services Manager

T. +1 954 462 1234 :: M.+1 954 330 4611

Marcy Williams grew up in Montreal, Canada and moved to Florida in 1978. She started her career in yachting as a stewardess on M/Y Princess Del Mar, a 105′ Broward, where she remained for the next 3 years. In 1992 Marcy joined Bob Saxon Associates, where she was able to spend the next 5 years learning about the different aspects of the yacht service industry.

Although Marcy ventured into real estate where she built a strong following of clients, she still participated in the local boat shows and attended the educational seminars in order to stay close to the business she loves. Marcy joined Merrill-Stevens Crew placement where she continued her talent for reaching out and communicating with Captains and crew . Marcy joined the Northrop and Johnson Crew Placement team in April 2008 with much excitement to continue her passion of placing crew with their dream yacht.

Sarah Bester :: Crew Services Associate

T. +1 954-462-1234 :: M.+1 619 446 7914

Northrop & Johnson Crew Services Associate Sarah Bester was born in Arizona, but her family relocated to Florida during her childhood. A fitness enthusiast from an early age, Sarah got her first personal training certification while still in high school. She went on to study marketing and digital media at university before reverting to sports medicine and nutrition. Sarah worked for a number of years in the fitness industry as a trainer and yoga instructor before transitioning into the non-profit sector, working for two years as the marketing director for a social service agency in South Florida.

Eventually, the yachting industry landed on Sarah’s radar and in 2007 Sarah joined her first yacht, a 167-foot expedition motor yacht, as a stewardess/personal trainer. She spent the next 10 years at sea cruising extensively. In 2011 she met her future husband on board 142-foot Palmer Johnson LADY J. Together they carried on working as a team on several other motor yachts until Sarah retired from yachts in 2017, moving ashore to begin working in crew placement.

Sarah enjoys sharing her passion for mentoring crew and building meaningful relationships within the industry. Throughout her career she has developed strong bonds with captains and yacht owners, utilizing her skills and experience that she garnered as a crewmember to help place the right crew aboard the right yachts.

In her role with the N&J Crew Services team, Sarah’s genuine enthusiasm and dedication make her an outstanding addition to the dynamic crew services division.

Christine Hodgson :: Crew Services Associate

T. +1 954-462-1234 :: M.+1 954 661 7770

Northrop & Johnson Crew Services Associate Christine Hodgson moved to sunny South Florida shortly after graduating from school in Michigan. Her love of travel, the ocean and meeting new people helped her navigate into the yachting industry.

Starting out first as a stewardess, Christine soon realized that her true passion was cooking, which led her to attend culinary school. Upon graduation, she returned to the yachting industry and for the next 18 years, she worked as a chef for several well-known celebrities and owners all over the world on both charter and private yachts. Christine left the industry for a brief few years, but soon realized how much she missed the excitement of yachting. Soon after she started her career as a crew placement coordinator. Christine’s extensive experience as a crewmember is an immeasurable asset to her in her role, allowing her the ability to understand the crewmembers’ points of view; it also assured her the confidence to aptly communicate with demanding owners and employers. More than a decade later, Christine still feels that the best part of her job is seeing the happiness on a crewmember’s face when he or she is offered that perfect, everything-they’ve-dreamed-of position.

When not looking for the perfect crewmember for a job or job for a crewmember, Christine enjoys spending time with her husband Tony and their chocolate lab Maggie and traveling, fine dining and learning about wines.

Lina Palm :: Crew Services Associate

T. +34 695 34 4181

Lina Palm joins Northrop & Johnson’s Crew Services team as Crew Services Associate. She will be based out of Marina Port Vell, Barcelona, Spain.

Lina Palm began her career in yachting in 2007 as a junior stewardess on a high-profile charter yacht. This is where her love for the yachting industry blossomed. She spent the next seven years working aboard yachts of various sizes as a stewardess, eventually working her way up to chief stewardess. Lina has traveled all over the world aboard both private and charter yachts. She has participated in boat shows, shipyard periods and everything else one would experience as a crewmember working aboard luxury yachts.

When life on land called, Lina transitioned her career to crew placement. She joined Elite Crew International where she worked for six years in the company’s Barcelona office.

As a former crewmember Lina’s experience provides a solid base for her current role in crew placement. She truly enjoys providing guidance and sharing her own experiences when assisting crew in their searches for new positions. Lina is very outgoing, with a kind and open personality. She takes great pleasure in every opportunity to interact with crew, captains and owners. Lina’s passion for yachting has spanned her entire career and transitioned from working aboard yachts to helping others find their perfect placement aboard yachts.

Lina is based in Barcelona, where she moved in 2014 just as the new and improved Marina Port Vell opened its doors. She has a keen sense of the local yachting scene and her finger on the pulse of the industry throughout the Mediterranean and beyond.

When not walking the docks in Marina Port Vell, Lina loves cooking, reading books and taking her little boy and puppy to the park.

Lore Castillo :: Crew Services Associate

T. +1 954-462-1234 :: M.+1 786-501-6229

Northrop & Johnson Crew Services Associate Lore Castillo originally hails from Santiago, Chile. She is a psychologist with a master’s degree in human resources. Before finding the yachting industry, Lore worked as an analyst for the English consultancy company Page Group, in both the sales & marketing and IT & eCommerce divisions. In June 2017, after a year working abroad in Sydney, Australia, she moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to join the luxury charter yacht SEA DREAMS, where she immediately fell in love with yachting. Later, she also worked as a stewardess and translator aboard NEXT CHAPTER, for their Central and South American season.

While in yachting Lore spent her time traveling and busy chartering in Florida, Bahamas, Jamaica, Panama, Galápagos, Costa Rica and Mexico.

Lore’s yachting experience combined with her background in psychology and headhunter skills ensures she is an asset to Northrop & Johnson’s Crew Services team. She understands the needs of yacht owners and captains, and she can quickly assess the skills of crewmembers to identify assertively, which are best suited for each yacht. Lore is proactive, responsible, spontaneous and communicative. She enjoys working in a team environment in which communication, collaboration and cooperation flow.

Lore is bilingual, speaking both, Spanish and English fluently. After being a foreign exchange student in upstate New York during her High School years, she has benefitted from opportunities living abroad in the US and Australia and interacting with people from different parts of the world, thus enriching herself through the cultural exchange.