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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.