| Fully Crewed Yacht Charter Vacations from $5,000 to $1,000,000 per week. |
KALIKOBASS II has excellent crew, with two captains and their respective partners who hold the position of stewardess on a 3-months rotation schedule: captain Ross Murray & Stewardess Bridget Edwards, and Captain Matthew “Kippa” Satchwell & Katie French. The Captain & Stewardess are 3 month rotation schedule is as follows (but will be modified so as not interrupt a charter or to accommodate a special request from a repeat charter client: Kippa and Katie are on board March 8 - June 8, 2010
Ross and Bridget are on board June 8 through August 27, 2010
Kippa & Katie – from August 28, September, October, November
Ross & Bridget – December 2010, January & February 2011
Kippa & Katie – March, April, May 2011
Ross & Bridget – June, July & August 2011
Captain Ross Murray, British
Wherever you’d like to cruise, chances are Ross has sailed there. After graduating with a degree in geography from Hull University in 1993, Ross sailed all around the UK, the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean – East and West, the Caribbean, Central America, the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes.
Ross has charter experience on sailing yachts up to 130 feet in length, including several Swans and the classic schooners Aschanti IV and Queen Nefertiti. A keen racing sailor, he has competed in the Sydney to Hobart Race, the Nioulargue (now Les Voiles de St. Tropez), Antigua Race week and all the major Caribbean regattas. From time to time Ross has lived on dry land, working for British Aerospace, a computer software company and on a game ranch in Zimbabwe. From September 2003 to July 2006, he captained a Swan during a three year circumnavigation starting in Newport, RI and finishing in Croatia via the Panama and Suez canals, cruising in the Pacific Islands, New Zealand, Indonesia, Thailand, India and the Red Sea.
Adding to the practical knowledge he has gained sailing tens of thousands of sea miles - including 10 transatlantic crossings, Captain Murray holds a Class IV (3,000 ton) License and MCA Certificate of Competence with Command Endorsement. He is certified in the following modules:
Navigation and Radar, GMDSS (radio), Sea Survival, Fire Fighting, First Aid, Ship Captain's Medical
Ross has a private pilot's license and enjoys skiing, squash, tennis, rugby and wood carving.
Chef: Nicky Lusso, South African
Born in South Africa in 1984, Nicky got her start in the world of hospitality learning silver service at an upmarket private game lodge in Kwazulu-Natal. Inspired by working with professional chefs, she enrolled in the Christina Martin School of Food and Wine in Durban, South Africa, finishing the intensive Professional Chef’s course in November, 2003. She also completed the Preliminary course at the Cape Wine Academy.
Nicky used her imagination to the fullest developing menus as Head Chef and Assistant Manager of a game and conference lodge in Kwazulu-natal, south Africa. In her next career move she learned new techniques as Senior Chef de Partie working with top caliber chefs at high profile catering companies in London where photo shoot quality presentation was a top priority. As a private chef in St. Tropez, she created her own cuisine based on the freshest seasonal produce from local food markets and farms.
Nicky’s first experience as a yacht chef was 18 months aboard a 96 foot Frers design. Following a summer in France, Sardinia, Corsica, Italy and the Balearics, Nicky crossed the Atlantic, transited the Panama Canal and cruised the West Coast of the US. Learning to adapt her menus to whatever locally grown produce is available in port, she has become a very versatile chef.
Nicky is friendly, outgoing and lively with a wonderful sense of humor. Cooking is her passion – trying new ingredients, new dishes, mixing and matching flavors. Nicky believes that fine presentation, hospitality of the highest caliber and good service are the most crucial aspects to a fantastic dining experience. “If these three factors are of the highest quality the heart of the guest is won over even before the first bite.”
Stewardess Bridget Edwards, 27, British
Bridget’s enthusiastic, caring and bubbly character makes her a great addition to Kalikobass II’s crew. She brings a strong background in the Hospitality and Travel industries as well as experience as a stewardess on both sailing and motor yachts over ninety feet in length.
Working as a senior waitress at New Zealand’s four and one half star Heritage Hotel gave Bridget solid training in silver service. She also completed elementary, intermediate and advanced wine courses with a final assignment of designing a first class wine menu. Over the one year term of her employment in New Zealand, she developed skills in wine and food pairing and was often commended for her excellent customer care.
Bridget returned to England to study Hospitality Management at the University of Gloucestershire where she earned an HND (Higher National Diploma). She has completed STCW 95 training and qualified as a Certified PADI Open Water SCUBA Instructor in 2008.
Sports and outdoor activities, including squash, scuba diving, tennis, cycling and walking, are Bridget’s favorite pastimes and she is seldom without a good book. From the age of twelve to eighteen she was a boarding student at Girl’s College, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
Captain Matthew “Kippa” Satchwell, British
Captain Matthew “Kippa” Satchwell has a world of experience handling yachts. He has worked KALIKOBASS II on more than one occasion. He completed crossing from Antibes to St. Martin and two week charter with the owner in the Caribbean, both as relief Captain. During the 2009 St Barth’s he was the crew boss and stayed aboard for the Atlantic crossing from Antigua to Antibes via the Azores. He then filled in as relief Captain for a one-month yard period and was responsible for the refit in its entirety.
Along with many other yachts he has sailed upon, he gained much of his experience aboard S/Y Sumurun – 94ft Fife. Sumurun is one of the finest classics, but to keep her so takes a lot of love, care and hard work, for eighteen months of his life that is what he gave her. He learned the fine arts of varnishing and attention to detail. She taught him that pride in one’s work is a massive advantage that can be beaten by few other personal attributes.
Stewardess Katie French, British
Katie French, Stewardess says “During my time aboard yachts I have learnt to be a hard working and determined individual, always looking to better my performance with a keen and sharp eye for detail. Cooking is my true passion in life and it brings me great pleasure to share my talent with others. Through my own experience I have learnt to interact well with a broad spectrum of people and have found a way to provide an excellent standard of service to all of them.”
First Mate Gareth Allen
Gareth holds a RYA/MCA Yacht Master Ocean commercially encoreced & STCW95 as well as a certificate in Yacht Surveying. He has been working in the yachting industry in the UK, Mediterranean, Northern Europe, New Zealand and Australia since 2004 including the past 2 years in a management position at Oyster Marine. He has skippered a corporate training vessel in the UK training novice sailors for racing competitions and regattas. Gareth also crewed on a 42' yacht for the ARC race in 2007. Following school he worked as watersports instructor at a luxury resort in the British Virgin Islands. An avid water sports enthusiast Gareth enjoys sharing this passion with guests on board KALIKOBASS II. A ever patient instructor, his enthusiastic and professional style are in keeping with the quality of service for which KALIKOBASS II is well known.