Dries van Dyk is the skipper who will welcome you aboard Campai. Dries grew up by the sea in South Africa and has sailed all his life.  His extensive sailing experience includes 6 transatlantic crossings, 5 years on a Swan 81’ charter yacht (3 as captain) and numerous competitive racing regattas on both sides of the Atlantic.  Dries holds an MCA Officer of Yachts 3000 Tons Offshore License and is a certified PADI open water diver. His passion for all things nautical includes a love of diving, snorkeling, surfing and kite surfing.  For his rare days spent onshore, Dries enjoys mountain climbing, skydiving, bird watching and hiking.   Dries also enjoys languages and speaks English, Afrikaans and is learning Italian.  He has crewed and skippered charters in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and the United States and has raced in the Antigua Classic Yacht races, the Brindisi to Corfu International yacht regatta and in numerous regattas at the Royal Cape Yacht Club. His work experience on both charter and racing yachts has given Dries an excellent background in sailing technique, ocean safety and onboard systems. Though relatively new as Campai’s skipper, Dries has already proved himself an outstanding host and superlative yachtsman.

Your Chef aboard Campai will be Jade Rose Konst.  Jade hails from the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada, where she lives solo aboard a 38ft Junk Schooner. Next to sailing, Jade’s passion is cooking. Her experience has taught her that starting with fresh, organic and local ingredients and preparing them with innovation and high standards create simply good food, atany level of dining.  As a result of being raised in multicultural Vancouver, Asian and Indian styles fuse with European methods regularly in her dishes. Jade learned quickly working under many talented chefs and enjoys menu creation and aesthetic plating as well as food preparation. Before joining Campai, Jade worked as a chef at two high-end boutique resorts in British Columbia, Clayoquot Wilderness Resort and the Cable Cove Inn. Dietary concerns and allergies only give her reason to show her flexibility and to be more creative, and are in fact a welcome challenge. As a Private Chef she has had the experience of sourcing local ingredients, budgeting her own food costs and suggesting wine pairings. When not in the galley, Jade enjoys the natural environment and whether it be sailing, surfing, hiking, horseback-riding or scuba diving, she is in her element outdoors.  

On board, Dries and Jade are ably supported by Iona Wallis, an experienced yachting stewardess from England whose training in the hospitality industry helps to ensure that all goes smoothly during the charter.  Working for Dries as a mate while under sail and assisting Jade in the galley and at the table are just some of the duties Iona is eagerly prepared to undertake for the pleasure and comfort of Campai’s guests. Iona has a degree from Exeter University in conservation and ecology and is an avid sailor and watersport enthusiast.

Together, Campai’s crew of three is a team whose consuming focus is to make charter guests happy and comfortable – whether by leaving them alone to seek out and enjoy their own privacy and serenity or by leading and participating in the unlimited fun and games available in our ocean paradise.