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.