TEAM

Richard Bridge
Director

Richard joined the British Merchant Navy after leaving school at 17, working on a variety of cargo ships as a cadet and junior officer before taking a position as navigator on a sail training ship. Progressing to passenger ships in 1991 he attained his Class 1 Master Mariner’s certificate in 1993 before sailing as Senior First Officer on Cunard’s QE2. Combining his experience of sailing and passenger ships he joined Windstar Cruises in 1997 and gained his first command at the age of 35 on the company’s MSY Wind Song.

Five years later, as super yachts increased in size, and required unlimited tonnage certification, Richard secured his first position on a superyacht taking command of the 126m MY Octopus for the final stages of the build. He went on to command some of the largest superyachts launched over the past 15 years (115m Pelorus, 162m Eclipse, 96m Vava II, 138m Rising Sun). He worked with helicopters, private jets and submersibles, as well as organising and overseeing operations at major events with VIP guests together with managing and motivating from 14 to 115 multi-national crew members.

During his time on superyachts he has explored the Indian Ocean, Indonesia, Australasia, South Pacific, Alaska, Patagonia and Antarctica as well as the more usual yachting destinations in the Mediterranean and Caribbean.

In 2004 he coordinated and executed a project to find and film the wreck of a WW2 aircraft carrier at a depth of 1000m in the Mediterranean Sea, culminating in a 2-part BBC documentary. When not working, Richard is snowboarding, competing in running and long distance cycling events and sailing his Oyster 435 whenever time permits.

Douglas Black
Technical Director

A Chartered Engineer with a Combined Class 1 Certificate of Competency and nearly 40 years of experience in the marine industry both at sea, rising to the rank of Chief Engineer, and ashore in the ship and yacht building sector as a consultant. At sea, Doug served on many types of vessel including tankers, cruise ships and large private Yachts.

Doug transitioned ashore in 2006 to follow a career in ship building, joining Carnival Corporate Shipbuilding (CCS) as Senior Marine Engineer. He was involved in the design approval and build of cruise ships for the brands of the Carnival Group, including the new generation of cruise ships in 2010. Of note was his involvement in the build of two ships for Yachts of Seabourn where he worked on the project from initial specification writing to owner delivery.

In 2010 Doug joined the build team for the 140m Mega Yacht project 6218 (Ocean Victory) at Fincantieri Muggiano Yard in Italy. He oversaw, on behalf of the owner, all aspects of the technical build, testing and commissioning of the vessel. He also represented the owner as technical representative during handover protocols. In 2014 he sailed with Ocean Victory as the Chief Engineer.

In August 2016 Doug formed his own company, Black and MacCallum Marine Technical Consultants Ltd. (BMMTC Ltd.). At BMMTC Ltd, he is involved in refit planning for cruise ships and large yachts, insurance surveys for all vessel types (H&M and P&I), pre-purchase surveys for yacht and cruise vessels, environmental compliance equipment retrofits, new build technical management and environmental compliance auditing.

When not working, Doug can be found cycling, skiing, and walking his Springer Spaniel, Monty.

•••

Member of IMarEST
Registered as Chartered Engineer, (CEng CMarEng),
with the Engineering Council
Registered as Eur Ing with FEANI

Allyson Donahue
Managing Director

After completing her degree in Political Science and French in Canada, Allyson began work in the hospitality sector of luxury superyachts. Beginning as a stewardess, Allyson quickly ascended to Chief Stewardess and was subsequently head-hunted to join an iconic new build at Feadship NL – 86m Motor Yacht Ecstasea.

After proving herself as Interior Manager aboard Ecstasea, she moved into the Purser role where she spent 6 years. After Ecstasea, she was invited to join 115m Motor Yacht Pelorus where she was Purser for 7 years, and also worked very closely with the royal owners as their Guest Liaison Officer, executing every owner trip.

Allyson’s final employ on superyachts, was 3.5 years on the exceptional 96m Motor Yacht Vava II. Vava II is known within the yachting world as one of the most adventurous private yachts afloat. Initially employed as Interior Manager & Purser, Allyson managed a team of 14 while executing all Purser responsibilities in remote locations around the globe.

In addition to her role at Bridge Yachting, she has launched her own recruitment & consulting firm, Allyson Yachting.

Allyson is currently studying for her Yacht Brokerage Diploma from the Maritime Training Academy out of the United Kingdom.

When not working, Allyson can be found in the coast mountains of BC, or the alps of Europe.

 Malcolm Jacotine
Operations Director

Malcolm is a Master Mariner, with an engineering, computing and business background and has been involved in the superyacht industry since 1989 when he took command of a Swan 57 sailing yacht owned by Computacenter PLC – he had founded and managed their multi-million Pound, Computer Aided Design (CAD) division.

In 2010, after nine years running the Feadship LADY MARINA, Malcolm returned to college for ten months in Australia to complete his Master Unlimited.  This was something he felt was unfinished business from his merchant navy days and also because he recognised a growing need for captains with both superyacht experience and commercial qualifications.

This proved an invaluable combination for the new breed of superyachts above 3000gt and has been fortunate to sail on many of them including EQUANIMITY, SERENE, KATARA, ULYSSES, AVIVA (98m) and ECLIPSE.

His responsibilities have included not only management, operational, crew, finance and technical areas, but also helicopter operations, new-build and refit, contract negotiation, project management, vessel purchase and registration, Flag and Class.   He has also provided conceptual design input on a number of projects.

Malcolm is often invited to speak at industry events, is an occasional author, and a leading advocate for sustainable yachting.  In addition to his role with Bridge Yachting, he has established a yacht consulting business ‘Three Sixty Marine’ in Monaco.

In his spare time Malcolm can be found cycling around the hills of Monaco and competing in amateur races.

Malcolm is an Associate Fellow of the Nautical Institute and member of the Yacht Club de Monaco.

Martin krappinger
deck consultant

Martin has a military background, is a trained shipwright and carpenter who worked for companies specializing in high-end furniture as well as cruise ships and yachts, and has been involved in the superyacht industry since 2004

Starting as a deckhand on a 45m motor yacht, Martin gained experience and progressed to larger yachts and, in 2009, joined Eclipse as bosun where he remained for nearly 7 years. He was responsible for the deck set up during the final stages of the build and, following launch, the operational management of the deck team of 27, including purchase and inventory control, crew scheduling, training, procedures, and safety. During this time, he was also involved in 7 refits, one of which was a major repaint of the superstructure lasting 7 months.

Capitalizing on his large yacht experience, he joined Sailing Yacht A during the final stages of fitout, working closely with the owner's team to set up the exterior ready for operation.

In 2017 Martin decided to take his knowledge and experience shoreside and joined Thraki Yacht Painting as Business Development Manager. During this time he was responsible for not only developing business, and building relationships with key industry stakeholders, owners, and their teams, but also for project management, consultancy, and paint inspections.

Martin's in-depth understanding of large yacht deck operations and management, knowledge, and insight of refit, project management, paint technology, and yacht finishing, brings an unrivaled depth of knowledge to the Bridge Yachting Team. 

When not reviewing a paint specification or inspecting a finish, Martin, once a highly ranked Austrian skier, can still be found carving up the slopes of the nearest mountain with the very best of them.