Meet The Crew

Fairport was founded by Graeme Lord, who wanted to provide a fresh concept in yacht shore support, specializing in offering experienced, knowledgeable, and personable service to yacht owners, captains, and industry professionals.

Our team has the knowledge that comes from hands-on experience. Fairport is built on the philosophy that going the extra mile for our clients is part of each ordinary day.

The name Fairport hails from distinct seas and an era gone by. Graeme Lord’s great-grandfather was in command of the mighty sailing vessel that traveled the seven seas delivering goods from port to port.

His grandmother and her sister were raised aboard the vessel and have told tales of rounding Cape Horn only to encounter weather that required them to cut the masts down.

In his great grandmother’s words:
“The seas were running mountains high and it looked as if we might be enveloped at any minute.”

Fairport is rich in history. Now, it is Graeme’s turn to take command of Fairport.

Company Operations

Graeme Lord

Graeme Lord

In October 2011 Graeme Lord opened the doors to Fairport Yacht Support. Graeme was born and educated in Zimbabwe where he completed a four-year apprenticeship in Diesel and Petrol Mechanics with Ford UK, and was eventually transferred to Ford South Africa. After serving with the National Sea Rescue Institution of South Africa on the Cape…

CEO

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Whitney Diedericks

Whitney Diedericks

Whitney was born in Boston, Massachusetts and went to school at the University of New Hampshire graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Business Administration. After graduation, she moved to San Francisco where she began a career in Advertising Sales and exploring the west coast for 5 years. Whitney’s first…

Head of Client Relations

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Maria Pierce Schoenheit

Maria Pierce Schoenheit

Growing up in South Florida, Maria has always loved the ocean and always wanted to travel.  At 24, she jumped at the opportunity to join a trans-Atlantic sailboat delivery that departed from Barcelona.  Along the way, she was able to explore Gibraltar, Madeira, and Bermuda. With her new found love for sailing she did not…

Office Manager, Executive Assistant

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Nate Cook

Nate Cook

Originally from the Twin Cities of Minnesota, the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Nate grew up working and playing on the water. After graduating from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida with a Business Management degree, he decided to begin his career on super yachts. This combined his passion for traveling, working on the water, and…

Operations Manager

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Yacht Compliance & Technical

Angus MacKenzie

Angus MacKenzie

Angus was raised in the coastal town of Knysna, South Africa. It was here that he initially procured his love for the sea, spending many hours sailing at the local yacht club and scuba diving. Joining the National Sea Rescue Institute at an early age led Angus to attain the esteemed position of Rescue Coxswain.…

Technical Manager / Director of Palm Beach

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Aksel Huus

Aksel Huus

Capt. Aksel Huus has to date over 20 years of unparalleled experience in the field of maritime management. As an independent maritime management consultant, auditor, advisor and maritime inspector he has set his company “SafeShips Consulting” (SSC) in a strategic direction towards new standards of excellence; instrumental in meeting the highly demanding needs and requirements…

DPA, CSO, Safety & Security Manager

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Richard Young

Richard Young

Richard who is originally from the southeast of England, trained as a mechanical and electrical marine engineer serving with the Royal Navy and later sailing on commercial passenger RORO ships on cross Channel and North Sea sailing routes. Having sailed competitively as a youth, Richard was drawn into yachting by a chance encounter. Sailing as…

DPA, CSO, Director of Yacht Compliance

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Darren Sewell

Darren Sewell

Since joining Fairport back in 2019, Darren was able to continue and share his passion within the maritime industry. His journey began back in 2013 on the shores of South Jersey, where he worked for Caterpillar as a Service/Sales Advisor for the Northeast region. Three years later, he brought his knowledge and marine concierge attributes…

Yacht Compliance Manager

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Christopher Capandonis

Christopher Capandonis

Chris is a South Florida native, he grew up around the water and began his career in the marine industry working as a dockhand on the local docks while completing his degree at FAU. With a diverse professional background working in hospitality, financial services, marine, and customer service, he was previously employed with companies such…

Yacht Compliance Coordinator

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Yacht Accounts & Crew Payroll

Romy Barden

Romy Barden

Romy was born in Jacksonville, Florida and raised in Mentor, Ohio. After graduating Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, she worked for over 9 years as a Cash Manager for a mutual fund firm and an explosives company. While she always enjoyed traveling, she pursued it in earnest after seeing…

Director of Yacht Accounts

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Sandrine Metayer

Sandrine Metayer

Sandrine was born and raised in France. While growing up, she spent much time on the waters cruising on the family’s sailboat in the Mediterranean waters from France through Corsica. After schooling, she moved to Mykonos, Greece where she opened and ran a restaurant for a few years. She decided to come to the United…

Yacht Accounts Manager

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Amanda Furia

Amanda Furia

Though Amanda was born in New Jersey, she moved to South Florida as a young child and therefore considers herself a true Florida native. Amanda studied Accounting at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, FL, but quickly returned to the yachting hub of the world, Fort Lauderdale, upon graduation. This accounting background has allowed Amanda to…

Senior Yacht Accounts Manager

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Chad Brown

Chad Brown

Chad was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. There he attended UNC Charlotte where he earned a degree in finance with a concentration in accounting. In 2014 he decided to relocate to sunny Fort Lauderdale to enjoy the year-round beautiful weather and beaches. Chad was introduced to the marine industry through Liquid Yacht Wear.…

Yacht Accounts Manager

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Lisa Malloy

Lisa Malloy

After growing up in northern New Jersey, Lisa spent 4 years getting her degree at the University of Florida (Go Gators!). She then moved on to spend 3 years at the Boston University School of Law where she earned her law degree. Lisa’s professional experience includes 5 years as a corporate transactional attorney followed by…

Yacht Accounts Manager

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Andreina Nieves

Andreina Nieves

Nina was born in Venezuela and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. When she finished High School, her father was hired overseas. Wanting to travel the world before focusing on her studies, she took a gap year that saw her living in Kuwait and traveling across the Middle East. In 2011 she moved to Miami to…

Yacht Accounts Manager

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Carolyn Dobbs

Carolyn Dobbs

Carolyn was born in Independence, Missouri and went to the University of Missouri -Columbia. Carolyn earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy with a Minor in Classics, Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design (FIDER accredited Interior Designer), and a Master of Arts in Environment and Behavior- Design for Confined Spaces, focusing on Yacht Interiors. After…

Yacht Payables Assistant

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Crew Compliance & Administration

Cleo Thompson

Cleo Thompson

Cleo spent her childhood in the beautiful shore side community of the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. It was there that Cleo’s love of the water was born. She entered the tourism industry when she started working as a tour guide on New Zealand’s only Active Marine Volcano, White Island. Access to White Island was…

Crew Compliance Manager

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Amanda Thompson

Amanda Thompson

Born and raised in beautiful coastal New Zealand, Amanda realized her love of travelling at a young age; by the time she was 18, she had spent a year living in Brazil. She returned to New Zealand to graduate from Victoria University with a bachelor’s degree and lived and worked for several years in New…

Crew Compliance Administrator

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Sarah Sellen

Sarah Sellen

Sarah Sellen’s background includes nearly 10 years of crew aboard super yachts traveling the world and moving up the ranks to Chief Stewardess. Hailing from the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Sarah’s love for all things nautical came from spending summers sailing the San Juan Islands with her family. At a young age she enjoyed a unique…

Crew Compliance Administrator

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