Crew Profiles:
NEW CREW for the 2023/24 season
Mark Russell
Shawna Taylor
Damon Martin


Born in Japan, growing up in England with American parents, Mark has always been a voyager. Having started sailing at a young age, he completed his RYA day skipper course at the ripe age of 13 years old on a 32’ sloop sailing the French and English coasts. His passion for all things nautical led him to a degree in Marine Biology and Coastal Ecology at the University of Plymouth where he completed his Yacht Master course and worked locally as a dive guide and RIB pilot. Soon wishing to explore further afield, Mark embarked on a career as a professional dive guide and instructor working all over the world and clocking up thousands of dives culminating in a 4.5hr dive to 260’ on a rebreather to explore a war wreck in Vanuatu. This was while working on his first luxury motor yacht. He then stayed in this sector on and off for the next 17 years earning MCA Master 3000 and Y4 engineer licenses. One notable break from luxury yachts was his time spent with the race vessel ‘Earthrace’. The team circumnavigated the globe in 60 days in a 78’ motor yacht with 4 crew and still hold the World Record to this day! Mark loves exploring the Virgin Islands and all the fun, culture and nature it has to offer.

Our chef Shawna grew up in Oklahoma on a cattle ranch and began cooking at a very young age, taught by all the women in her life. She has a passion for creating delicious meals influenced by her Southern and South Korean background.

Growing up in a land locked state she never imagined herself working on the sea but with her adventurous soul she took on a new challenge and joined the yachting industry, from where she became a second stew and quickly worked up to being a chief stew and then a chef. Her true love and passion is cooking. She has this "overwhelming joy" when cooking meals and seeing the smiles that her guests faces when enjoying her food This has inspired her to be the best chef she can be in the yachting industry.
She too has fallen in love with life onboard and is magnetically attracted to the ocean and the sea.

Damon, born and raised in the French Alps, grew up spending as much time as possible in the outdoors, skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, surfing, wake boarding and interestingly enough, sailing. From a young age he and his family would regularly go sailing in Greece, Turkey and the Caribbean. In his fourteenth year, the family bought a boat of their own and sailed her from Turkey, all the way to Jamaica over the course of a year. During his year of cruising, Damon bought himself a sailing dinghy and taught himself to sail. He also found a passion for fishing and caught many fish on long crossings, which never went to waste. It was a trip of a lifetime which left a lasting love and respect for the ocean.

Since then, Damon has become semi professional skier, competing in competitions throughout France. He did some sailing and scuba diving qualifications, worked on many construction projects in the alps, and has been working for the past few years in the high end hospitality industry, doing everything from waitering to mixology and even the occasional shift in the kitchen.

Damon has decided to focus his skills and qualifications on a career here in the US and British Virgin Islands and is looking forward to the new challenges this will bring.

This great trio look forward to welcoming you onboard Ripple this season and creating the best vacation memories for you, your friends and families.