CAPTAIN: BRIAN HARRISON
AUSTRALIA
PURSER:
JUDITH HARRISON AUSTRALIAN
Brian and
Judith have been successfully running charter yachts for 25 years, and that
was after they had circumnavigated on their sailing yacht “FARAWAY.” Since
then, they have become a familiar presence at all the world’s charter
centers and have accrued more than 300,000 ocean miles, including two more
circumnavigations, aboard their boats “DIONE,” “THALASSI” and “DIONE STAR”
to places as far apart as Antarctica and Greenland, from America’s Cup
venues to the Olympic Games.
Brian holds
the MCA Commercial ‘Master 3,000 Ton’ license, is a marine engineer, a PADI
divemaster and a dedicated history buff.
Judith holds
the MCA ‘Yacht Master Ocean’ commercial license and is our marine medic.
She is a keen amateur ornithologist with a special interest in sea birds,
and after more than 30 years sailing around the world, Jude is an excellent
above and below water nature guide. Her passion, however, is understanding
fine food and the wines to complement it.
CHEF: OLIVER
LASCOMBE BRITISH
Award winning
head chef of Dartmoor Union, “Best Dining Pub in Great Britain 2006”, Ollie
joined Dione Star for the 2006 summer season in the Baltic. After
completing his formal training in England, he first apprenticed under a
former royal head chef for the Queen, then a Michelin star chef at an award
winning English country hotel. Ollie was recently honored to be included
among invited celebrity chefs who contributed recipes to a new charity
cookbook published for “Children in Need”. His wanderlust took him on a
year-long exploration of the Pacific from Thailand to Singapore, Australia
and New Zealand, where he refined his approach to cuisine. Ollie favors
simple preparations that do not confuse the flavors, and describes his style
as Mediterranean with elements of modern new world cuisine. In addition to
his love for good food, he enjoys wind and kite surfing, scuba diving, and
playing squash.
ENGINEER:
GARY BRYAN AMERICAN
Before
joining Dione Star’s permanent crew, Gary served as relief engineer,
delivery crew and refit manager since 2001. He knows the shipboard systems
well, having installed many of them himself. When not aboard, Gary can be
found in “out of the way places” on his own 40 ft sailing boat “LYSISTRATA,”
which he has sailed throughout the South Pacific, Indian Ocean, South China
Sea and Africa. Gary holds a US Coast Guard Captains License and has taught
sailing school in the Caribbean. Besides fiddling with machinery, he enjoys
scuba diving and hiking.
MATE: MARTIN
DOWNES BRITISH
Martin first
set sail at the age of two and has never strayed far from water. He grew up
sailing and racing recreationally, eventually earning his MCA Yacht Master
Offshore license, sailing instructor qualifications, and PADI Rescue Diver
certification. Martin is well acquainted with the charter industry, with
two transatlantic crossings and seasons in Greece, Turkey, and Australia
crewing on private yachts and leading flotillas. As a former consultant for
one of the UK’s leading bespoke luxury tour operators, Martin understands
customer service and there aren’t many things that he won’t be able to do or
arrange for a guest of Dione Star. Being an ex-pro cocktail bartender, fire
thrower, DJ, and events promoter, life is never dull around Martin. You will
always find him with a smile on his face and a story to tell!
STEWARDESS:
SARAH GREEN BRITISH
With a father
in the British Royal Navy, Sarah has always lived near the sea. As a child
she raced lasers and other small boats, and later developed a keen interest
in wind surfing. Sarah has worked in the hospitality industry in both
restaurants and hotels, while earning her university degree in Economics,
Business, and Geopolitics of developing countries. She took a year off to
explore the world, and her current position on Dione Star is a perfect match
for her love of travel and meeting new people. As a teen, Sarah was a
competitive horse jumper. Her current hobbies include water sports and
golf.
STEWARDESS:
BERNADETTE BENOIT DOMINICA
Bernadette
began working as a stewardess on yachts after more than ten years
hospitality experience in the hotel industry and another 2 years as a welder
at one of Antigua’s marine engineering firms. Her interests include meeting
new people, music, learning about new cultures and traditional dishes,
hiking and most of all, entertaining people. Bernie has performed as lead
singer with one of Antigua’s best jam bands for the past four years, and she
can easily be persuaded to share her beautiful voice in a song or two.
DECKHAND:
BEYERS STERN SOUTH AFRICA
Beyers began
his sailing career delivering yachts up and down the South African Coast. A
few years ago, he did his first ocean crossing to the Caribbean. Once
there, he was introduced to the charter yacht industry and has since sailed
the East Coast of North America and crossed the Atlantic to the shores
Europe. Though his formal training is in Video Production, he has an avid
interest in both Geology and Philosophy and devotes much of his spare time
to learning about alternative, environmentally friendly fuel sources. His
hobbies include hiking, diving, and rock climbing.
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Dione Star
