Michael grew up in South Wales, UK, where his passion for the sea began with dinghy sailing at a young age. With over 13 years in the yachting industry, he has steadily progressed through the ranks to his current role as Chief Officer of ZEN. Throughout his career, Michael has cruised extensively across the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, Caribbean and both the East and West Coasts of the United States. He has worked on several prestigious yachts, including Pelorus, Maltese Falcon and Romea, before joining Zen.
Dedicated to ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for all guests, Michael oversees the deck team and is responsible for watersports and onboard activities. Whether you’re seeking adventure or relaxation, he is on hand to make your time on Zen unforgettable.
Michael -
Chief Officer (rotational)
Emily was born in Newcastle in the UK – a town famous for its harbour – but shortly moved to the countryside of Kent. She studied Childcare and Health and Social Care at college; caring for others has always been one of her great passions. After spending most of her working career in hospitality she discovered yachting, following in the steps of her older sister! Emily loves having the opportunity to travel with incredible crew from all over the world while exploring new places and cultures. In her free time she also loves to get in touch with her creative side and has recently shown an interest in interior design.
Emily -
Head Housekeeper
Julia was born in Bangkok but moved to a small town in Udon Thani, Thailand. From a young age she met clients coming to see her mother for therapeutic massage and, with her mother’s guidance, Julia studied Thai massage and began her career as a massage therapist in 2015. She went on to work on cruise ships for six contracts with several cruise lines before joining yachting in 2023. With the fantastic opportunities working on cruise ships, Julia is trained in a wide variety of massage and treatments, and in the future she plans to expand her training in beauty and nutrition. Along with travelling and exploring new places, Julia loves art, and in her free time she loves to find galleries.
Julia -
Spa Stewardess
Callum was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales. A small seaside community within the UK’s only coastal national park. Growing up by the sea, he took up surfing from a young age and later worked as a beach lifeguard for the RNLI. He attended Cardiff University, graduating with a First-class degree in Environmental Geoscience, from which he went on to work as an engineering geologist across the UK for three years.
Callum found out about the yachting industry through one of his childhood friends and has been on board ZEN since May 2021. In his spare time Callum loves to keep active, whether that’s surfing, swimming, running or football…he’ll have a crack at anything.
Callum -
Bosun
Garrett was born in South Africa and grew up all over the country, spending a lot of time next to the Kruger National Park, as well as Cape Town. After school he went on to complete a double major in Law and Psychology at the Northwest University and finished his last year in the top 15%. Following his studies, he went into yachting to follow his passions of being outdoors and being surrounded by people. In his off-time Garrett enjoys hikes, runs, keeping fit and healthy, martial arts including judo and exploring new places.
Garrett -
Deckhand
James’s yachting career started out during his gap year before he was due to return home to study architecture in South Africa. Now, 19 years later, he finds himself reaching for different career goals as Captain. James joins Zen with experience leading energetic and professional crews on board previous vessels ranging from 50m – 74m. He has cruised the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Baltic, the North American Atlantic, the English Channel, the Panama Canal and the Suez Canal. James has a young family in South Africa and when he isn’t home enjoying time with friends and family, he is a keen mountain biker, golfer, squash and padel player.
James
Captain
Dylan was born in Ireland and grew up living on the coast. Coming from a sailing family, he spent a lot of his leisure time on the water, learning how to both love and respect it in equal measure. Dylan is also a professionally trained singer and, during his teenage years, he toured Ireland with the Northern Irish Opera, while keeping up his sailing and rowing. Dylan attended university in Newcastle where he graduated with a first-class honours degree in law but, with his strong affinity with the sea, he felt compelled to pursue a career in yachting.
Dylan -
Deckhand
Coral is an Australian law graduate who is taking some time out to explore another beautiful corner of the world, before settling down to kick-start her career back home. She is passionate about human rights, the environment and social justice issues. Coral has seized opportunities to study and intern across the globe – in France, China, Dubai and West Africa. In 2015 Coral worked her first season in the Mediterranean and fell in love with the yachting lifestyle. Coral loves hiking, cycling and dancing at any given opportunity. As her name suggests, she is no fish out of water when it comes to swimming or diving… although she is yet to master surfing, (which is embarrassing for an Aussie).
Coral -
Lead Service
Kai grew up in Staffordshire in the UK and since the age of 10 he has been involved in water sports, starting at his local scouts’ group. Kai didn’t know the superyacht industry existed until he found ‘day-in-the-life’ videos of already established deckhands, showing what they do day-to-day and how others can get into the industry. When he was 17 he began working on sailing yachts, which boosted his passion for a life at sea, inspiring him to join the ‘Superyacht Cadetship’ course at the UK Sailing Academy. After completing the first phase of this course he joined the industry in 2023.
Kai -
Deckhand
Hailing from Cape town, South Africa, with the ocean and mountain on his doorstep, the outdoors has always featured heavily in Dan’s life. He started sailing at a young age, competing in regattas around the waters of the Cape and other coastal regions of South Africa. He completed a degree in 3D Design and Computer Animation and spent a few years working at design studio in London.
In 2008 Dan took some time out to deliver sailing yachts from South Africa, which took him to the South of France, where his superyacht career began. He has since worked on an array of large, highprofile, fully compliant vessels around the globe. Notable cruising grounds include the Mediterranean, the South Pacific and Indian Oceans, Southeast Asia, the Americas – including Alaska and the Caribbean – and his career has included many ocean crossings. Acquiring his Master’s qualification in 2018, Dan has proven success in upholding a high standard of service, safety, security, efficiency and team spirit on board – all with good humour.
Dan -
Chief Officer (rotational)
Price: €1,600,000 - €1,600,000 / Per Week
Length: 0 Ft
Guests: 12
Speed: 18 Knots
Cabins: N/A
Build year: N/A
Crew: N/A