Sailor since my youth, I was a sea cadet before joining the Antwerp maritime academy and obtaining my deck officer’s licences. I have been racing sailing boats and serving as race officer and administrator of the Bruxelles Royal yacht Club. I have a full career in the merchant service, ending as master on chemical tankers. After that, I have been a teacher at the maritime academy, a Quality, Safety and Security manager for an offshore salvage and towage company, and later a class society surveyor and lead auditor. Nowadays, I work as master and refit master on luxury yachts. I commanded Berzinc, Sherakhan and Legend. With Legend, I helped the shipyard works that made her win the best rebuilt award in 2017, then took her through her paces on a Norway fjords season. These days, I happily plod through the Mediterranean on the last great steam yacht afloat. As the yachts I have sailed on have large crew, I have had plenty opportunities to coach and motivate other crew members who went on to brilliant careers of their own. Luxury yachting is a fascinating business where much is possible but much is required of every individual. I enjoy learning more everyday and passing it on to the younger people I work with.
