Tell me a bit about yourself?

I’m from Sydney, Australia. I started sailing because my father was a merchant captain and Sydney Harbour pilot as well as an enthusiastic Ocean yachtsman. Our family had its own yacht, a Duncanson 35 built in South Australia. I started racing my own boats at age 6 in Middle Harbour, Sydney. Working on boats started after school, mostly on ferry’s but also on race yachts doing deliveries and that sort of thing.  I moved overseas back in 2007, which was the first time I actually came to Palma too, in October 2007. I really based myself out of Palma when being in the Med. I mean I love going to all over the Mediterranean, but I couldn’t see myself living anywhere in Europe other than here.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

Seeing people having a good time in the water and living the experience. Not just your normal fine dining, your gourmet food, the hotel service that’s obviously amazing on these yachts, but also teaching people new skills. We bought an electric foil board and I love teaching people how to use that and how to kitesurf on charter as well, sailing, just basically teaching people who have absolutely no idea about boats and showing them everything we have to offer. We teach what being on the water is all about and I think that’s the most rewarding part of being in this industry. I think a lot of people think “Oh yachting it’s just champagne and caviar”, but in my opinion, its really people’s experience trying out water sports, swimming, and enjoying beautiful places. So, I think that’s what I find most rewarding.

Describe each of the Balearics Islands with one word:

Mallorca – Mountains

Menorca – Clear-waters

Ibiza – Fancy

Formentera – Chilled

What are your hobbies here in the islands?

I like to ride Enduro motocross, swim in the sea, and also kitesurfing.

What’s your most memorable experience in the Balearics?

We had a great sail to Cabrera last year, that was really memorable. The wind was horrendous though, it was 30 or 40 knots the whole time, but we had a great sail down there on my mate’s 60ft sailboat and spent a couple of days and nights exploring the island.

Which is your favourite beach in the Balearics?

I’m not a huge beach person, I prefer the rocks. So, if I have to choose, Illetes in Mallorca which has both!

What is your opinion about the future of the yachting industry in the Balearics?

I think there is a lot of potential, we have one of the biggest refit facilities in the Mediterranean, especially for big sailboats. Also, the fact that it’s such a beautiful place to cruise, there are so many great little spots, as long as the weather is right. Everything is nearby so you don’t have to sail too many miles to get from one place to another. As I said before, I couldn’t imagine living in anywhere else in Europe, this is it really. I was thinking, during Covid it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if you just had all your charters here during the summer, because there’s just that much potential, with so much to see. You’ve got the west coast of Mallorca, which is more or less like the Amalfi coast, you’ve got the beautiful beaches all along the north and south coast and then on the east, there are so many incredible coves, rocks and caves. Menorca is almost like a little miniature version of Mallorca. If you want to go out and party you’ve got Ibiza and then Formentera is almost like a little bohemian village, so you’ve got a bit of everything really.

What’s your proudest moment being a captain?

One of the things I look back to and it’s pretty cool was we won a Millennium cup back in 2015 in New Zealand. There was a lot of good sailors there and that was pretty cool. We had the best handy cap that you can imagine, but we won, so that was a great moment.

If you had to recommend the islands to another captain, what would you say?

I’d certainly recommend the food, the produce, the fact that you have all the refit facilities here. Any issues with the boat you can get it sorted almost straight away because of all the contractors we have here. The cruising ground is incredible, you can always find a sheltered anchorage. The people are obviously great too, they are unique, but a great bunch of people. I’ve met a lot of friends who are locals here. The beauty in the landscape and the clarity of the water particularly in the shoulder seasons is like second to none. I was talking to a friend the other day and we agreed that the clarity of the water in the Balearics is close to being the best in the world, both of us have a lot of experience in that matter!  The location of this island in the Med is another contributing factor to its appeal and a great international Airport here you can fly from anywhere in Europe in just a couple of hours.