MEET THE CREW:
Captain: Nick Nelson
Chef/First Mate: Maddy Brown

Nick has been closely connected to water his entire life, growing up on a small island on Lake Superior. He started driving boats at age 11 and has been in love with cruising waves ever since. He went on to get his captain’s license and began guiding tours in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on power boat and kayak trips, eventually moving on to sailing charters.
In the off-season Nick would often escape on his sailboat seeking warmer waters; completing the Great Loop and twice sailing to Cuba and the Bahamas and eventually running term charter in the Virgin Islands.
Living and working on the water provides the trifecta of endless novelty, challenges and rewards. For Nick there’s no better way to keep life simple yet interesting at every turn, to slow life down and fill it up. Captaining has allowed Nick to meet and share life with people all over the world and he looks forward to continuing to bring his excitement for life to every charter in the Virgin Islands.

Madeline (Maddy) brings an adventurous spirit to everything she does. She’s studied abroad, worked and lived in Mexico, Puerto Rico, France & Cuba. While living in Puerto Rico she had the opportunity to sail around the USVI’s and BVI’s. She fell in love immediately with all of the wonders that the Caribbean has to offer.

She has an affinity for Caribbean culture and history and has a passion for cooking and hosting culinary experiences. Besides sailing, Madeline earned her Master of Fine Art in Photography while collaborating with artists in San Francisco and Cuba. She is eager to continue to explore the Caribbean, run term charters and share in all it has to offer.

Nick and Madeline have traveled widely together, traversing the U.S. on road trips, sailing to Cuba and living in Havana several winters collaborating on artistic endeavors and running term charters. They both have worked widely in the hospitality industry and love to host friends new and old. As a team they couldn’t be more excited to make Mali Havanna their new “home away from home” for all to explore the countless wonders of a Virgin Islands odyssey.