"Competent mariners take their roles and responsibilities seriously, knowing it requires lifelong commitment and humility to be respectful students of the sea. My family and I wanted serious, ongoing instruction from an accomplished maritime professional. In Kenne Melonas, Navy SWCC (Ret), we found the ideal combination of a Captain and Boat Chief with 20 years of 'failure is not an option' experience - piloting complex missions around the globe, in unforgiving conditions, on a wide variety of vessels, power and sail - and a dedicated instructor, at once, thorough and personable, focused on our goals and experience through an evolving training plan. We meet twice each month, days and nights, covering what’s required to get safely on and off the water. Kenne knows how, when, and why to raise the bar. We see this as a long-term partnership: a process of earning his respect as competent mariners, prepared to make good decisions in varying conditions; and along the way, having a lot of fun with our family and friends. We are grateful to Kenne and his family for their service and the opportunity to train with Elite Maritime Services.”

"Captain Kenne is a true professional. My company went on an exhaustive search for an expert Captain that could drive a specific profile with various types of vessels for a large research and development project. After speaking with Kenne, we knew right away that he would deliver superior service to any other captain that we spoke with. Kenne and his team have driven 4 different types of vessels for our project and he has provided over 20 hours of expert piloting for us. Kenne always thoroughly coordinates routes, safety, and objectives with us before all of his evolutions. He is responsive and expertly executes when we need to change objectives in the middle of a test run. Furthermore, Kenne meticulously works to meet our objectives; he has repeatedly procured special types of vessels for us to test with according to our project needs. Kenne has unmatched passion and experience as a 20+ year Navy SWCC Chief and I highly recommend Kenne for any charter experience or project work you may need!”

"My company has used Elite Maritime Services for several high profile events, and I am continually impressed with their level of professionalism.  Captain Kenne always goes above and beyond - given the nature of our events, we often have to toss the plan and improvise on the spot, and he and his team always handle this flawlessly.  On top of this, they are punctual, polite and just all-around great to work with.  I would highly recommend their services to anyone - from a casual weekend outing, to a corporate event, they are sure to do a fantastic job.”