SERENITY 122

Brook Bennett, Captain

Brook Bennett has been in the yachting industry since 1995. He has worn many hats over the years but prefers wearing the Captain’s hat. Growing up in North Carolina he spent most of his childhood being around the water where he found his passion for fishing. Whether it’s fly fishing in the Rockies, salmon fishing in Alaska or trolling for marlin, he loves it all. One of his favorite hobbies that goes along with fishing is tying flies. Other interests include snow skiing, golf, car restoration, beach combing, and basically anything around the water.

First Mate- Dean Bethel
Dean, a seventh generation Bahamian, was born and raised in Freeport, Bahamas. He grew up on the water spearfishing and sailing. He attended boarding school in Virginia and later the Maritime Academy in Galveston, TX, graduating with a degree in Marine Transportation. After college Dean found his way into Yachting landing his first position as a Deckhand. He has worked on a variety of yachts all the way up to 312ft and has cruised the Mediterranean, Central America, the Bahamas, and New England. His shining moments in yachting are when Tom Brady called him “Babe” and David Beckham fist bumped him. He has a passion for French bulldogs, diving for conch and lobsters, and baby Yoda.

Chief Engineer- Matt Quidato
Matt originally hails from Nueva Ecija, Philippines, growing up on a rice farm where he was instilled with a passion for the great outdoors. He soon immigrated to Fort Lauderdale, FL which exposed him to a whole new lifestyle of being on the water brought on organically by living in the “Venice of America.” Matt started out in his teens rebuilding jet skis and small craft engines with his brother in his free time, while working at his family’s real estate company. He later decided that a career in yachting was a more satisfying endeavor and has spent the last few years working through the ranks and gaining more knowledge along the way. Matt enjoys reading and revels in custom tuning and occasional DIY on his car.

Jeanine Bennett, Chief Stewardess
Jeanine has been in Yachting since 2015 when she decided to leave a corporate office job for something a little more adventurous. Having grown up on the beach in Central Florida, she knew she had to go back to her roots with her love of travel, hospitality, and the ocean. Since then, she has cruised both the East and West Coast, US, including the PNW and Alaska, the Bahamas/Caribbean, and has recently added Central America and transiting the Panama Canal to the list. She has worked on vessels ranging in size from 90’-150’. In her free time, Jeanine enjoys traveling, crafting, birdwatching, snorkeling, hiking, skiing, the beach and just being outdoors.


Karina Malaeva, 2nd Stewardess
Karina grew up in Novosibirsk, Russia, but has lived and worked in the US since 2018. She has been in yachting since 2016, mostly cruising Southeast Asia including China, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines. She has also worked in the Bahamas and Alaska/the PNW, and Central America. Karina loves everything about theatre, acting, dancing, and movies. She loves crime documentaries and investigations, exploring new places, and is also a fan of all things Harry Potter.


Cameron Duffy, Chef
Cameron grew up in Coral Springs, FL and has been passionate about cooking for as long as he can remember. He started working in restaurants at 15 and went on to graduate from culinary school at Nicholls State in Louisiana. Not only does Cameron make a mean gumbo, he is also an accomplished pizza chef. Cameron also was the Lead Grillmaster for the Masters at Augusta National where he prepared food for Green Jackets, Caddies, and other patrons. Cameron joined yachting in 2022 and has worked on yachts ranging in size from 27M to 92M cruising the Bahamas and East Coast, US. In his spare time, Cameron enjoys going mudding with his Jeep and can be found cliff jumping in the Chattahoochee.