JOY

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CAPTAIN: Carl CJ Coetzee
South African

CJ’s passion for the ocean stretches back further than he can remember. Born out of a childhood of summers spent visiting his grandfather’s house on the beach in Cape Town, he always knew he wanted a life by the sea. Starting his career as a dive instructor and professional underwater photographer and videographer, CJ spent many years working with thousands of clients, not only training them how to dive, but sharing his love for the ocean and guiding them to some of the most spectacular underwater locations and majestic marine life.

After many years under the sea, CJ decided to make the move into yachting to expand his experience and build his career. Taking his experiences from large superyachts to smaller award winning charter catamarans, CJ now has 8 years of working experience around the Caribbean, Mediterranean, South East Asia and French Polynesia to make him the perfect captain for any yacht charter. 

With experience of transatlantic crossings on spectacular sail yachts, finding Manta rays in the Benguela current off of Mozambique, discovering overhead barrels on never heard of islands lost in the Indian ocean or swimming with Tiger sharks in the Bahamas CJ has a knack of finding the most spectacular treasures that mother nature has to offer.
 
With a laid back and very friendly disposition, he leads a team of dedicated and professional crew to ensure that all of his guests have the opportunity to enjoy an once in a lifetime experience. 

“I am very fortunate to be able to live a life that most could only dream of, however there is no greater joy than sharing that with others, either in, or out of the water.” 


CHEF: Danica NEL
South African

Danica comes from an active family all the way from Kwa Zulu, Natal, South Africa. She has a bubbly personality and is a social chef that loves to interact with clients to share her passion and her recipes. She loves to experiment with international cuisines ranging from Thai to Caribbean and Italian to everything in between, bringing her own unique flourish and finishing touches to each dish. Her passion for cuisine was born at a young age having been raised in a very culinary household in a Mediterranean family where food always formed the centrepiece of every day and where she was always surrounded by delicious smells and tasty morsels coming out of the kitchen.
After attending design school, Danica decided she wanted to spread her wings and combine her creativity with the culinary world in a career as a yacht chef. She trained at The Super Yacht Culinary Academy in Cape Town, followed by an internship under a Michelin star trained chef where she took her skills to the next level. She has since been sailing and cooking her way around the British Virgin Islands, where she perfected her charter chef game. After arriving in remote French Polynesia, Danica has enjoyed exploring the islands, adding some local recipes and ingredients to her vast repertoire along the way.



STEWARDESS: Lexi Fletcher
British

Lexi is upbeat and charismatic, with a calm disposition and can do approach that makes her a welcome team member in any situation and a great asset on board JOY.

With experience early in her career serving cocktails and later moving on to client servicing in the marketing industry, Lexi has extensive practice delivering to the highest standards with flourish and flair over almost 15 years. She understands the importance of the smallest finishing touches and prides herself on providing a truly personalized service for guests.

Working closely with Captain CJ and Chef Nikki, Lexi will make sure that every aspect of your trip is taken care of so that you can sit back, relax and enjoy a once in a lifetime holiday on board JOY.

Having lived on three continents, Lexi has developed a deep passion for travel and has been lucky enough to visit some of the most beautiful places in the world. A keen diver and hiker, she delights in exploring everything that the natural world has to offer, both above and below sea level.


MATE-ENGINEER: Luke HAMMERTON
South African

Luke grew up on the East Coast of South Africa with a real passion for the ocean. He has loved surfing and free diving since he was a young boy, so being immersed in and under the water became part of his everyday life. After finishing school Luke went on to study law, but then decided a sailing career was what inspired him most, so he allowed the winds to blow him in a new direction and towards a life on the sea.
Luke’s first onboard job was as 1st Mate on a 72ft ketch cutter mono-hull that took him sailing around the East coast of Africa. After that adventure, he sailed the British Virgin Islands as a charter captain for four years, jumping between 49ft - 65ft sailing catamarans. He loved the experience so much and wanted to explore he more of the world, and what better place than on one of Lagoon’s flagship 77 foot sailing catamarans in French Polynesia.
As an active waterman, Luke loves introducing guests to enjoy a new adventure on board, whether its snorkelling, wakeboarding or banana boating!

W= Winter: (15 December - 30 April)

Caribbean Leewards, Caribbean Windwards, French Polynesia

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S=Summer: (1 May - 14 December)

South Pacific