CREW

CAPTAIN; Xavier Cayatte, 46, French

A veteran of 32 transatlantics, 2 transpacifics and one transindian Ocean crossings, Capt. Cayatte has been a professional skipper since his early twenties.  He is STCW 95 qualified and has certificates in Firefighting, Sea Survival and First Aid - Level II. 

In addition to charter yachts, both power and sail, he has commanded scientific research, commercial fishing and large passenger ferry vessels.  His first-hand knowledge of the world’s oceans is vast:  from the Balearics, across North Africa to Turkey in the Mediterranean; from Iceland, Ireland and England down the west coast of Africa to Brasil, up the Caribbean chain and the East Coast of America in the Atlantic; the Galapagos to the Marquesas, Tahiti and the Society Islands of the Pacific: across the Indian Ocean and through the Persian Gulf.  

 Captain Cayatte’s years at sea total some 280,000 nautical miles sailing the oceans of the world with crew and guests from around the globe.  His easy charm, professional manner and excellent English put guests at ease from the moment they come aboard.

Chef: Eve Gamer:

Entertaining people and nurturing them with wonderful food has been Eve’s passion for more than 25 years.  From 1981 to 1991, she was the owner of “Club St. Tropez. “  Then she discovered yachting.  Life at sea and traveling the world moved to the top of her list of priorities and chartering was a natural career choice.   Since 1992 Eve has sailed all over the Mediterranean, much of the Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the Caribbean on sail and motor yachts from 23 to 55 meters in length as cook and/or hostess.  Having attended secondary school in Zurich and the School of visual Arts in New York, she speaks excellent German and English as well as Spanish.  She has been a resident of Palma de Mallorca since 2004.

Eve is a PADI qualified scuba diver and earned STCW 95 certificates in Fire Fighting, Sea Survival, First Aid, Safety and Social Responsibilities at a crew training facilities in Kent, England and Antibes, France.

Karl Chopin, Mate/Engineer, French, 33

Karl started his training at the age of 18 in the French Navy and earned advanced certification as a mechanic in hydraulic, electrical, A/C and reverse osmosis systems.  In his first two years of civilian life, he completed four certification courses including diesel engine maintenance and repair.  Karl is a sailor at heart and happiest working at sea.  It didn’t take long for him to find a position as mechanic and ‘water sports director’ on a 26m motor sailer with a busy charter schedule.  By July 2003 he had his French captain’s license and Level 2 PADI Open Water Diver certificate.   Some 700 dives later, he is a certified Dive Master.

Karl has considerable experience on charter sailing yachts up to 33m in length.  He is proud to have been part of “Team Cousteau” on the experimental vessel ALCYONE, where he was one of the divers and in charge of maintaining the compressor and diving equipment.  Sociable, professional and versatile, Karl enjoys all water sports, rock climbing and hiking.  He ‘gets along’ in English and Italian. Karl served previously with Captain Cayatte aboard a French research vessel and is glad to be part of the team on DEMOISELLES.