AMICA MEA

CAPTAIN | Stephen Bull
Enthusiastic and healthy individual with a respect and affection for the sea. After graduating with a Diploma in Yacht Management, He moved to using his gained knowledge to build yachts whilst continuing to compete in sailing events home and abroad.
His introduction to the Superyacht world occurred when he moved to Antigua to work for a local carpentry shop, which served the industry in refit and repair. After meeting the people of such a dynamic and diverse industry, he decided to join his first yacht some 16 years ago. Stephen feels very fortunate to work with fantastic individuals and teams and looks forward to continuing this for many years to come.
In his spare time his hobbies are windsurfing, snowboarding and mountain biking.

2nd CAPTAIN | Brendan Roney
Brendan hails from Allentown, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Duquesne University with a BS in business administration, he decided to make the move to a much warmer climate, where he could pursue a career in yachting. He began his journey 23 years ago and has completed transatlantic crossings, traveled from the Caribbean to Alaska, and cruised the eastern seaboard. He takes great pride in my role as Captain and strives to always remain firm in purpose. goal is to make each trip the memory of a lifetime!

CHIEF OFFICER | Manie Steyn
Manie was born in Cape Town, South Africa and studied for his bachelors degree in International Studies at Stellenbosch University. After university he began a career in journalism including working at GQ magazine. Soon the confinements of an office job seemed too limiting so he looked to the high seas. Manie has a love for the ocean passed on to him by his father so found himself on sailboats traveling to many ports around the world. Always quick with a joke, Manie is an avid reader and writer. He is a key crew member onboard who is always excited to meet new guests and hear about their different life experiences.

BOSUN | Oliver Johnson
Oliver is from England. During his youth he was a keen sportsman, participating in both rugby and football teams in his local area, competing for club and school. During his spare-time he enjoyed in mountain biking and exploring local areas. He subsequently stopped competing and participating in land-based sports due to acquiring his first job on a Motor Yacht. He attended boat building school a year after joining the yachting industry. While away training for boat building, he became a narrow boat restorer in an English shipyard to develop his skill further. He then rejoined yachting and became more involved in water sporting activities, visiting many locations as the guest chaperone. He is currently studying for his OOW qualifications.

DECKHAND | Ben Mayo
Ben was born and raised on the sunny shores of Lake Champlain in Burlington Vermont. After moving to Alaska and fishing in the commercial fishing industry, his hook was set for life on the sea. As well as working on yachts and fishing vessels, he has also worked on oil rig supply vessels in the Gulf of Mexico. Ben has over 10 years of experience as a marine engineer and holds a USCG 3000kw chief engineer license.

DECKHAND | Aubrey
Aubrey was born and raised on Long Island, New York. Her deep love for the ocean has been passed from her father who raised her on the water from a very young age. Because she spent half of her childhood living on boats, yachting was a natural career choice. She is passionate about traveling, meeting new people, and stepping outside her comfort zone. An active individual who is always up for an adventure, enjoys diving, skiing, camping, and exploring new places in her free time. She hopes to continue learning and gaining experience in the yachting industry for years to come and someday fulfill her dream of become a captain.

ENGINEER | Rob Tracy
Growing up on Vancouver Island Canada Rob has spent most of his life on the ocean. He moved to St Maarten in 2004 to train and race 12meter sailboats. After two years in St. Maarten Rob sailed across the Atlantic to Barcelona and began his yachting Career. Rob has lived and worked all over the world including the Mediterranean and South Pacific. He has worked on a mixture of Power and Sail yachts over the years and currently holds a Y3 engineering License and is working on his unlimited License.

CHEF | Dave Talling
Chef Dave is an experienced, creative, and passionate chef with over 23 years’ experience. He became a Red Seal Chef in 2002 and trained under French Chef Pierre Koffel, in Victoria B.C Canada where he was born. After learning the tricks of the trade, he took his experience and love for food to work in several different countries including Bermuda, Fiji and Australia before making the move into yachting. Dave has been a chef aboard yachts for the past 11 years. As a yacht chef, Dave has traveled around the globe docking in 22 countries, while creating stunning meals each day for owners and charterers.
Growing up on the West Coast of Canada was key to his success in specializing in seafood. One can truly appreciate the delicacy of fresh seafood when you have spent your childhood digging clams on the beach and hauling crab traps from the dock with your dad. Dave’s love for the ocean has carried on his throughout life, little did he know he had been raised with an “ocean to table” cooking style that has influenced his career.
When not in the kitchen, he loves deep-sea fishing, fly fishing and salmon fishing and will spend all his free time doing so. His world travels have only fed his passion for both fishing and food.
An avid traveler, with the ability to make the most of every situation, Dave’s passion of wildlife photography enables him to take advantage of the many sites he has seen in the 34 countries he has visited throughout his career.
There are limited things that fit in a travelling chef’s backpack, in Dave’s you will simply find a camera, fishing gear, laptop, a chef’s jacket and his flipflops. He looks forward to sharing his passion for cooking with you!

CHIEF STEWARDESS | Mili Dapcevic
Mili was raised in the city of Belgrade in the heart of Serbia. Growing up she excelled in volleyball and after high school, she studied in Milan, where she completed a degree in Italian Language Studies. Her love for the sea led her to pursue a career in the yachting industry. Mili has worked on a variety of vessels during her seven years in yachting and on private jets during the winter seasons. She aims to provide guests with a unique and memorable experience during their time onboard. In Mili’s free time she enjoys traveling to various parts of the world, immersing herself in different cultures, and loves exploring the hidden world beneath the sea through scuba diving. You will always find her with a warm smile on her face and with a positive attitude.

SECOND STEWARDESS | Ana Blagojevic
Ana was born and grew up in Belgrade, Serbia. As a very active child she participated in many sports and activities, including drawing, playing harp, acting in theater, competing in athletics for her country… She has shown great passion for martial arts and has a black belt in Ninjutsu. She finished the high school at a graphic design, and maritime high school as a navigator. After high school she finished at the Academy of Fine Arts as a painter as art is her biggest passion. Her love for traveling opened for her the doors of the yachting industry. During the last 7 years she has developed many different skills as a stewardess. She’s been trained by EBS and MSI butler schools from England. She enjoys learning new languages, and she speaks English, Italia and a little bit of Russian and Japanese. She is a certificated Tetha healing therapist, and also certified in relaxing and sport massages as well as hairdressing, pedicures and manicures. In her free-time she likes to paint, read and spend time in nature.

SECOND STEWARDESS | Joy Shapley
Joy was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. Her love for the sea and her desire to travel prompted the beginning of her career on the water as a yacht stewardess. She is excited to be a part of the Amica Mea crew and looks forward to providing a fun and memorable experience for its guests. In her leisure time Joy likes being active outdoors, baking and listening to music.

THIRD STEWARDESS | Michelle Cronje
Michelle is from Pretoria, South Africa. She studied to be a teacher and has a huge passion for children. Her love for the sea has come from a young age when she used to go fishing with her dad. She loves to travel and go on new adventures. In her personal time she enjoys tennis, fishing, watersports and boxing. She loves to work with people and is looking forward to providing all guests with the fun and memorable experience on Amica Mea.