OKTO

Pete Grunow - Rotational

South Africa · English

With a proud heritage rooted in both Italy and South Africa, Captain Pete is now based in Cape Town, where he lives with his wife, their dog, and newly born twins. Pete began his career in the yachting industry in 2013 and has since grown into a highly experienced and respected leader. Over the years, he has logged thousands of nautical miles, sailing on vessels across the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and the Bahamas. Known for his calm leadership, operational expertise, and passion for the sea, Pete brings a wealth of cruising knowledge and a deep commitment to safety and guest experience onboard OKTO His love for exploration and the ocean is matched by his drive in personal pursuits. A dedicated endurance athlete, Pete has completed several ultra-distance trail running events in remote and rugged terrains, including New Zealand and Nepal. When not at sea or on the trails, he enjoys time at home, playing golf, or competing on the padel court.

Zane Gray - Rotational

Australia · English

Zane grew up on the coastline of Perth, Western Australia, where an early life around boats and the ocean set the foundation for his maritime career. His passion for the sea led him into professional yachting, where he has now spent over a decade working on both private and charter motor yachts worldwide. Zane’s career has taken him across four of the world’s five oceans aboard yachts ranging from 50 to 91 metres. He obtained his Masters licence in 2022 and has since served as Captain of M/Y Avalon (46m) and M/Y Soundwave (63m), developing broad charter experience across the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and high-latitude cruising regions, before joining M/Y OKTO. Zane takes great pride in delivering a safe, seamless, and memorable onboard experience, with a strong focus on professionalism, crew leadership, and attention to detail. He enjoys sharing his knowledge of cruising areas and marine life. Outside of yachting, Zane is an avid waterman and dive instructor, with a passion for diving, kitesurfing, foiling, and surfing. He looks forward to welcoming guests on board OKTO and creating unforgettable experiences.

Sophie Morgan

United Kingdom · English

Sophie grew up in London before moving to the south coast of England to a county called Dorset, here she spent time fishing for mackerel and cruising around the coastline in a small tender with her three older brothers. Sophie has several Atlantic crossings under her belt and has covered the Pacific Ocean, Mediterranean, Caribbean Sea and East Coast. Sophie has worked hard throughout her career, studying for her OOW and in 2022 her hard work paid off with her gaining the ticket and being promoted to 2nd Officer.

Cameron Wilson

Afghanistan · English

Cameron was raised in Cape Town,South Africa where he spent all his timeon the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, fishing, spearfishing, surfing and sailing. A career on the sea was a natural choice for Cameron joining the Yachting industry in 2010. Where he has worked on a variation of both Sail and Motor Yachts. Cameron joins the OKTO team as an established Chief Officer, who strives to deliver an unforgettable experience to all guest’s joining us, whether that be a relaxing holiday or action-packed adventure. In his spare time you will catch Cameron seeking out the best golf courses or on a 4x4 adventure with his family in tow.

Tehan Smit

South Africa · English

Tehan comes from a beautiful coastal stretch in South Africa known as the Garden route. He has a natural love for the ocean and spends most of his time on the water. Tehan enjoys interacting with guests on OKTO and showing his passion for the watersports toys and activites on board. His great personal skills and sense of humour are what Tehan prides himself on. He embraces each day and strives to provide the best on deck experience as he climbs the ladder and works towards gaining his officer tickets .

Lewis Barker

United Kingdom · English

Lewis got his first break into the yachting industry on board MY OKTO He joins us from Ipswich, a countryside town in Suffolk. Lewis enjoyed growing up with his brother and sister in the countryside always exploring together, trying to keep out of trouble. Lewis has a passion for basketball, going to the prestigious Ipswich basketball academy and playing into his university years. Here he spent 5 years on a degree in strength, conditioning and personal training. He enjoys putting his knowledge into practice and is ready to tailor a programme to your needs.

Zane Gray

Australia · English

Zane grew up on the coastline of Perth, Western Australia, where an early life around boats and the ocean set the foundation for his maritime career. His passion for the sea led him into professional yachting, where he has now spent over a decade working on both private and charter motor yachts worldwide. Zane’s career has taken him across four of the world’s five oceans aboard yachts ranging from 50 to 91 metres. He obtained his Masters licence in 2022 and has since served as Captain of M/Y Avalon (46m) and M/Y Soundwave (63m), developing broad charter experience across the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and high-latitude cruising regions, before joining M/Y OKTO. Zane takes great pride in delivering a safe, seamless, and memorable onboard experience, with a strong focus on professionalism, crew leadership, and attention to detail. He enjoys sharing his knowledge of cruising areas and marine life. Outside of yachting, Zane is an avid waterman and dive instructor, with a passion for diving, kitesurfing, foiling, and surfing. He looks forward to welcoming guests on board OKTO and creating unforgettable experiences.

Jean Maritz

South Africa · English

Jean grew up in Durban South Africa coming from a very sporty family. He is an avid fisherman and loves spending time in and around the water. Sailing all over the world has been a thrilling experience for him as he has cruised the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas and hopes one day to add the Indian Ocean to the list. As a deckhand onboard OKTO Jean is looking forward to giving you an experience you will never forget through their wide range of water toys and days filled of adventures.

Aly Nielsen

New Zealand · English

Meet Aly, a passionate adventurer from the beautiful Hibiscus Coast in New Zealand. With a lifetime of adventure both in and around the water, she developed a strong love of travel and exploring the world. As an experienced yachting professional with 12 years in the industry, Aly’s impeccable service skills are second to none. She adores welcoming guests onboard MY OKTO and providing a seamless, luxurious experience. Thanks to her love for exploring and being on boats, yachting became the perfect opportunity to turn her passion into a thrilling career. Join Aly and her team for an unforgettable voyage.

Alice Johnson

Australia · English

Meet Alice, born and raised on the coast of Melbourne, Australia. Alice comes from a background of being on the water with a family of sailors. Through this it was how Alice discovered the yachting industry and landed her first position in yachting cruising South East Asia and the Pacific for her first three years. Alice thrives on leading the Interior team and is excited to bring her wealth of knowledge to MY OKTO, guiding her department to deliver seam- less, luxury service in true OKTO style. In her free time, you can find Alice staying active and outdoors, travelling to off the beaten track countries, often to get below the sea level scuba diving

Tate Long Lines

South Africa · English

Meet Tate, she is a city girl who then moved to the beautiful Cape Town, South Africa. She studied at a culinary school in the wineries of Stellenbosch and became a qualified pastry chef. Soon after Tate realised yachting was her next step and she dived into it with an open mind and soon fell in love with it. Her creative side from cheffing has allowed her to take on being a stewardess with all the detailed orientated and creative aspects that come with the job. Tate would like to progress in the industry and soon take on some courses to better her skills and knowledge in interior

Tannah Metzler

South Africa · English

Growing up in sunny South Africa, Tannah enjoys anything from a good book, to hiking, to exploring beautiful places. She has a special love for the ocean and outdoors. Tannah completed her degree in Clothing Consumer Science and worked in the fashion industry prior to joining MY OKTO. Tannah is passionate about High End fashion and in her free time enjoys sewing and growing her knowledge in sustainable fashion.

Bella Thompson

South Africa · English

Meet Bella, she is joining the OKTO Interior team in the 2nd year of her career. Bella’s hometown is Durban, South Africa. She comes from a Big Greek family where they spent their summers in beautiful St Francis. Bella is the proud Aunty of two mischievous nephews and a beautiful niece, she describes her family as loud, loving and outgoing. Naturally she fits right into the fun-loving crew/family we have onboard. In her spare time she loves hiking, yoga, reading and photography which she hoping to incorporate this into her working day.

Emma West

South Africa · English

Emma is our most recent to join the MY OKTO team, securing her first full time stewardess position. Emma grew up in Central Drakensberg and considers herself very privileged to call Champagne Sports Resort, a resort her parents managed, home for 25 years. Emma likes to keep fit and prides herself by having 2 half marathons under her belt. She also enjoys swimming, reading, and dancing. Emma is excited to start her yachting career and hope to one day become a Purser.

William Pitt-Brooke

United Kingdom · English

William joins MY OKTO having perfected his trade over the past 12 years. Will has worked in 1, 2 and 3 Michelin star restaurants, with his proudest position being Head Chef at a 1 Michelin star restaurant in Birmingham. He loves all types of cuisine and is continuously discovering and experimenting with new ones! His favorite type of food is street food. In his spare time William enjoys playing football, skiing, hiking and challenging crew members on the Padel court.

Owen Nyakudya

Zimbabwe · English

Owen started his career in Africa where he worked in 2 restaurants ranked 22nd and 56th best in the world. During this time Owen grew into his own personal style of intuitive and creative cooking as he worked closely with farmers, fishmongers and foraging around Cape Town. In his free time Owen enjoys creating digital content, sand-boarding, snowboarding and keeps fit by mastering the skill of Calisthenics.

Dylan Harbin

United Kingdom · English

Dylan was born in Geneva, Switzerland but grew up in England where he developed a keen interest in all things mechanical and electrical. Prior to joining the industry Dylan completed a degree in mechanical engineering. He is now in his thirteenth year as a yacht engineer seven of those years spent onboard MY OKTO. Outside of work Dylan is very keen on rugby, diving, skiing, traveling photography and horology. He too enjoys hitting the paddle court and is always on the search for the best restaurants in town.

Ben Cudd

United Kingdom · English

Ben joined OKTO as 2nd Engineer in 2023. With 11 years of experience under his belt he was the natural choice for the promotion to Chief Engineer when it became available. He has passion for everything related to marine engineering and is dedicated to ensuring that the yacht’s mechanical systems are functioning at their best. Outside of work, Ben enjoys mountain biking, cars, and spending time with his family, especially his growing young son who at the age of 2 keeps him on his toes. Ben is an adventurous person who enjoys seeking out new locations and pushing himself to the limit!

Vasi Mic

Romania · English

Vasi has spent the last 5 years in the large yacht sector and prior to his yachting career he lived in Australia for 12 years, working in the mobile telecommunications industry. Since joining yachting he has specialized in working with various high-tech technical systems. Engineering runs in the family with his sister also working in the superyacht sector as a Chief Engineer. In his free time, Vasi enjoys cycling, diving, snowboarding, and travelling.

Dan Stanton

United Kingdom · English

Dan is the newest member of the engineering team. A seasoned aircraft engineer from the Royal Navy with a year in the yachting industry under his belt, he is eager to put his technical skills and Navy-honed work ethic into practice. His background emphasizes attention to detail, high standards, and effective teamwork. Professionally groomed through Navy experiences, he is ready to elevate the vessel’s engineering performance. His self-confessed career highlight to date? Raising the flag at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Beyond the engine room, he enjoys photography, cars, watches, and the occasional round of golf.

Jake Napoli

Jake has never been far from the sea, growing up in the coastal town of Portree in the Isle of Skye, he enjoyed exploring the rugged coastline and Jurassic landscape with his 3 sisters. Jake has tried a few different career paths such as training for 4 years and becoming a qualified Plumber, working for an Oil and Gas company, dipping his toe into Construction, on to Commercial Shipping and landing in the Yachting industry where he feels most fitted in the Engineering department. Jake is continuing to up his skills and is currently working towards his Chief Engineers License

Zane Gray

Australia · English

Zane grew up on the coastline of Perth, Western Australia, where an early life around boats and the ocean set the foundation for his maritime career. His passion for the sea led him into professional yachting, where he has now spent over a decade working on both private and charter motor yachts worldwide. Zane’s career has taken him across four of the world’s five oceans aboard yachts ranging from 50 to 91 metres. He obtained his Masters licence in 2022 and has since served as Captain of M/Y Avalon (46m) and M/Y Soundwave (63m), developing broad charter experience across the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and high-latitude cruising regions, before joining M/Y OKTO. Zane takes great pride in delivering a safe, seamless, and memorable onboard experience, with a strong focus on professionalism, crew leadership, and attention to detail. He enjoys sharing his knowledge of cruising areas and marine life. Outside of yachting, Zane is an avid waterman and dive instructor, with a passion for diving, kitesurfing, foiling, and surfing. He looks forward to welcoming guests on board OKTO and creating unforgettable experiences.