TOP FIVE II

Johannes Buys

South Africa · English

The distinguished yacht captain began his yachting career in 1996. Growing up on a farm in South Africa’s Free State, Joe was easily drawn to the yachting lifestyle. He began his yachting career as an engineer and eventually became a yacht captain in 2002. Joe’s natural navigation and mechanical skills combined with his positive attitude make him a true asset to the yachting industry. His dedication to yachting is seen in his many achievements, including obtaining his Y3 Chief Engineer license. These certifications have provided an impressive foundation for his yachting career. Today, Joe holds 20 years of captaincy under his belt. Boasting a Master Y4 3000 GT MCA Captain’s license, Joe has travelled through the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mediterranean, along with most coastal waters. Wellversed in navigating the world’s oceans, Captain Johannes is sure to provide the ultimate yachting experience.

Grant Heunis

South Africa · English

Grant grew up in East London, South Africa and joined Top Five II from a well-known and successful charter yacht - M/Y Elysian. Grant began his career as a Deckhand giving him an invaluable understanding of each position onboard. He gained his MCA Master 3000 Ton License in 2012 and took over as full-time Captain of M/Y Passion. Having acted as a relief Captain for some time already, this was a smooth transition for Grant, and he has since exceeded all expectations in the role. Grant has extensive cruising experience in the Caribbean, Bahamas, East Coast of the USA, Mediterranean, Adriatic, and Aegean waters. Grant is a qualified PADI rescue diver and RYA Jet Ski Instructor. A keen sportsman, having competed for his provincial team in water polo, he enjoys the outdoors, surfing, keeping fit and hiking.

Rob Fuller

United Kingdom · English

Chef Rob has been a Chef for many years & has travelled all over the world. Originally from England, where he was formally trained in the culinary arts, Rob seized the opportunity to be a Sous chef at the prestigious Ritz de Paris. From Paris he joined the yachting industry where his culinary knowledge has served him well. Mediterranean cuisine to Japanese cuisine is quite a diversification in the culinary world. Having worked with employers such as the Fayyad family, Danielle Steele and Giorgio Armani in their residences, villas and yachts, Chef Rob can supply high-end culinary masterpieces for the charter and guests. Chef Rob understands the diverse requirements for the client regardless of location or resources, creating menus from local ingredients is a fulfilling challenge.

Robert Solomon

South Africa · English

Rob was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. Having grown up on a lake, Rob spent all day in and around the water. He has a strong passion for all water sports and loves being outdoors. Rob joined the industry in 2003 and now has his Chief Mate 3000 qualification. He has worked on a variety of vessels over the years and has cruised the Adriatic, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Bahamas, east coast of Africa and east coast of the USA. He was a crew member on the first Top Five so when the new build was commissioned, he jumped at the opportunity to join the program again. His vast skillset and very friendly nature make him a great asset to the team. Rob loves anything that involves being outdoors and is an avid hiker. After summiting Kilimanjaro, he is planning to do the seven peaks culminating in Everest. The next peak on the list is Aconcagua in Argentina.

Luke De Preez

South Africa · English

Luke grew up on the East Coast of South Africa and has a passion for fishing and diving and often combines the two to spearfish. Luke completed a degree in financial management and shortly after graduating he went and taught English in Vietnam for a year. Luke then decided to pursue a career in something that complimented his love for being at sea which led him to the yachting industry. Luke holds his Chief Mate 3000 is a master tender driver.

Nico Trueter

South Africa · English

Nico was born in a small town called Riversdale in South Africa. Nico developed a real passion for sport, especially rugby from a very young age. Building on his love for rugby, he always enjoys; swimming, water sports, hiking and running. Nico studied at the University of Stellenbosch, where he qualified as an accountant. He returned to his hometown to complete his three years of articles. Once he had qualified, he realised that being tied down behind a desk and crunching numbers was not for him, so in 2018 he took to the seas, where he could be physically and mentally stimulated and has never looked back. Nico is learning as much as he can to build a firm foundation as he climbs the ladder to become a captain, he holds his Officer of the Watch ticket. Nico can impressively do a handstand starting from a seated position.

Matthew Davey

United States · English

Matt was born and raised in Boston Massachusetts and spent his teenage years and early 20’s growing up in Georgia. He attended Georgia State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, initially aspiring to become an attorney. After working as a paralegal for some time, he decided to pursue a life of travel and adventure and joined the yachting industry in 2014. He has journeyed the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and spent time in the Mediterranean, and Bahamas, gaining a great deal of knowledge, experience, and certifications along the way. Currently, he is pursuing his Officer of the Watch Yacht License. Matt enjoys spending his free time staying in shape and embracing the great outdoors. He is an avid runner, skier, camper, and hiker.

Jona Brink

South Africa · English

Jona grew up on a farm in the central part of South Africa called Senekal. Where he has been spending most of his time fishing, diving doing water sports as well as improving on his carpenter skills over the years. Jona loves the great outdoors and being in nature. He joined the yachting industry shortly after finishing high School He wanted to pursue his passion to travel the world and learn about new cultures which is why he joined yachting. Jona loves improving himself in his spare time by learning and practising his wakeboarding skills. He has been working in America and the Bahamas and would like to make a long-term career out of yachting and work his way up to Chief Officer one day.

Andrew

United States · English

Andrew went to St Benedict’s College after which he decided to pursue a career in the marine industry. He became a Diving instructor at 18 and has worked in South Africa, Mozambique, Mexico and Bahamas. In his free time, he enjoys free diving, fishing and going for runs. An interesting fact about him is that he can hold his breath for nearly 3 minutes

Hayden Howard

Australia · English

Originally from Australia’s Gold Coast, Hayden is an experienced deckhand, scuba diving instructor, and passionate cave diver. With a love for watersports, rock climbing, hiking, and motorsports, he brings energy and adventure to the team. Having traveled to over 25 countries, Hayden combines his global experience with a dedication to creating unforgettable guest experiences.

Ross Ramos

United Kingdom · English

Ross has always loved being on the water, and working at sea allows him to combine his passion for adventure with the joy of meeting new people from all walks of life. Whether it’s assisting with water sports, maintaining the deck, or simply making sure everything runs smoothly, he’s here to help make your experience as enjoyable as possible. Ross was born in the United Kingdom where he was raised and moved too South Africa in 2013. His hobbies include scuba diving , knee boarding , chess and watch collecting.

Nicholas Adriaens

Both Kiteboarding and surfing are sports that Nicholas has been doing for over 10 years and has competed in both of them on a national level. His long standing, deep connection to the sea brings a genuine enthusiasm with him to all maritime activities, something you will notice, Nicholas truly has a passion for the ocean and has grown up sailing.

Jeremy Collister

New Zealand · English

Jeremy was raised in Auckland, New Zealand. Growing up he could be found either on the water or pulling apart anything he could get his hands on; this combination naturally led him to a career as a Yacht Engineer. Jeremy has his SVE 9000kW 3000GT. Jeremy has cruised The Mediterranean, Caribbean, and the Pacific oceans. In his spare time, he enjoys sailing, kitesurfing and generally exploring the area around us. His early love for sailing helped him understand and respect the ocean in all forms. This love led him to sailing from Italy to Australia on his 44ft sail boat, much of it single handed.

Sean weeks

New Zealand · English

Sean was born and raised in the coastal town, Auckland New Zealand. After leaving school he did a technical apprenticeship and attended university. After completion of his studies, he travelled to North America with friends and ended up starting his yachting career while in Florida. He cruised the East Cost of the US crossed the Atlantic Ocean and cruised the Mediterranean whilst continuing his studies. Once Qualified he joined a world cruising charter sail yacht doing 20k miles per a year. Sean has his MCA Chief Engineer 3000GT and a diploma in Electrical Engineering. Having spent the last few years in Florida he now lives here permanently with his long-term girlfriend. Sean likes to spend his free time outdoors, either on the mountains in the snow or biking as well as trying different foods from different cultures. He loves the ocean, boating, fishing, and sailing as well as engineering science and modern and historical engineering.

Filip Banks

Poland · English

Filip was born in Poland and lived there for several years before moving with his family to the UK. This taught him to be bilingual as well as have an understanding for different cultures. That in-turn brought about a spark of interest towards being open minded as well as an appetite for travel. His first encounter with yachting came about at the age of 19, since then he has sailed in Asia, the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the Caribbean. Fillips previous vessel, Teleost, took him across to the Caribbean where he had the opportunity to learn to dive and see some of the most amazing sites. Before this he gained his qualifications with cruise ships (Royal Caribbean) as Engineer Officer of the Watch Unlimited (Merchant Navy Qualification). Fillips interests tie into literature, nutrition, and fitness. In the winter he enjoys clipping into a snowboard and cruising down white slopes.

Rikus Van Zyl

South Africa · English

Rikus grew up in George, a small town in South Africa. As a teenager he spent his summer holidays working as a lifeguard on the numerous beaches in the area and it was during this time that he discovered his love for the ocean. After graduating from High School, Rikus knew that yachting would be the perfect fit for his future. He obtained the necessary qualifications to start this new journey and thus his career in this industry took shape. Rikus has obtained his AEC Qualification which qualifies him to assist the engineer, and he am working towards obtaining his Second Engineer Certification. During his free time, he enjoys hiking and exploring new areas, especially in nature as well as reading and learning new skills that he can apply to his professional and personal life. A fun fact – Rikus is a qualified custom knife maker and during his free time he enjoys making these custom knives from scratch.

Cassidy Jerram

South Africa · English

Cassidy was born in Cape Town, South Africa. Growing up on the beach she has always had a love for the ocean through surfing and wakeboarding. After matriculating, Cassidy flew straight over to the yachts and has been in the industry ever since. Since early 2015 she has cruised the Mediterranean, USA, Seychelles, and the Bahamas. In her spare time, she loves spending time outdoors in group sports, horse riding, nature hikes, and enjoying the local cuisines and cultures. She never misses a Wordle and loves a good crossword puzzle. When she is home, she enjoys working on her 1971 Chevrolet L/S Edition. Cassidy is also a qualified Yoga Instructor, she holds her 200Hr YTT, she is also the Medical Officer onboard M/Y TOP FIVE II.

Megan Ralph

South Africa · English

After 5+ years of working onboard busy charter and private vessels, Megan joined the Top Five II team. Prior to yachting, Megan modelled with 20 Model Management. Megan enjoys fitness, hiking and staying active. Megan loves children and was an au pair in Cape Town, South Africa. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking for her friends and family. Megan is our number one go to for any organizational needs and is the relief Chief Stewardess onboard.

Emma Haupt

South Africa · English

Emma was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa and studied Human Resource Management at Stellenbosch University. Due to her experience working with people in the hospitality, she knew that the yachting industry would be a great fit for her. Emma spent the past year travelling and working in the winter ski chalets in the French Alps, and for a water sports company on a Greek Island. Emma enjoys wakeboarding, surfing and being out in the ocean and sun.

Olivia Kirkman

United States · English

Olivia grew up right by coastal North Carolina and fell in love with the ocean at an early age. She studied Political Science and Biology at UNC Wilmington and has an interest in anything Science related. Olivia was drawn to the yachting industry by all her time spent on boats in Wrightsville Beach. She worked in hospitality for 10+ years and ran a surf camp prior to starting her yachting career. Olivia was also a Marketing Director at a yacht charter company in the Hamptons as well as a Yacht Charter Broker at a very successful brokerage. She has a deep passion for the interior as she has worked on well-known charter yachts ranging from 40M-95M as Second and Lead Service Stewardess. Now she happily continues to serve guests to create the best possible experience onboard.

Amy Mockey

South Africa · English

Amy is from Cape Town , South Africa. After finishing her BCom Law Degree and spending time in corporate and an Airbnb hostess, she joined yachting. She loves being in nature, hiking and being by the ocean. She is qualified in Holistic masseuse and spent 7 years as a dancer competing in Europe. In her spare time, she enjoys long walks and watching sunsets.

Amelia Elliot

United States · English

Amelia is an Australian from New South Wales with a Bachelor of Nursing and a postgraduate certificate completed in 2024. She has a passion for animals and enjoys spending her free time diving, hiking, going to the beach, and traveling. Amelia brings professionalism and adaptability to her work, complemented by her adventurous spirit and love for exploring new places.

Niki Youra

Canada · English

Niki is an energetic Canadian whose heart has been longing for the sea as long as she can recall. She attributes this longing to frequent family trips to Canada’s West Coast. Despite being raised in Calgary, Alberta; a city surrounded by mountains and prairies; she always knew that her career would take her seaward. Niki has always had a curiosity about how and why things work the way they do. From a young age Niki was a tinkerer, choosing to work on her own cars rather than take them to a mechanic, work on home projects, and dismantle anything she could, just to take a peek inside. While attending a university transfer semester in Nice, France, she learned about the yachting industry. It was clear to her then, that yachting was the perfect way to combine her love for the sea, and constant curiosity into a rewarding career.

Ricardo Garcia Jasso

United States · English

Ricardo was born in Guadalajara Mexico. After finishing high school, he entered business school and worked for a few years as a commercial director, but he decided to fulfill his dream and traveled to Paris to study at culinary school. He has since worked as a chef in many countries and had his own restaurants. He enjoys nature and leading a healthy and peaceful lifestyle.

Ross Ramos

United Kingdom · English

Ross has always loved being on the water, and working at sea allows him to combine his passion for adventure with the joy of meeting new people from all walks of life. Whether it’s assisting with water sports, maintaining the deck, or simply making sure everything runs smoothly, he’s here to help make your experience as enjoyable as possible. Ross was born in the United Kingdom where he was raised and moved too South Africa in 2013. His hobbies include scuba diving , knee boarding , chess and watch collecting.