CAPTAIN | Dave Schlitz | Australian
Born in Melbourne, Australia Dave followed in his sister’s footsteps into the world of yachting and now, 14 years later, he hasn’t looked back! Though Dave has worked on a number of vessels he has been with KNIGHT for many years under her previous ownerships.
In school Dave grew up playing classic Australian sports such as Cricket, Australian Football and Skateboarding. He is a big fan of rock music and enjoys live concerts.
Dave enjoys being out in the open waters. Some of his favorite cruising destinations are in the Eastern Med such as Croatia and Palma, Majorca.
Fun fact: Dave was in a commercial as a child for a furniture store while singing and has appeared on TV show Deal or no Deal!
CHEF | Ingo Martens | German/Namibian
Ingo was born in Namibia, South West Africa and has been in yachting for 11 years. He speaks many languages including Afrikaans, Dutch, German, English & Flemish.
He attended culinary school in Frankfurt where he completed an internship at Arabella Sheraton (dubbed one of the Finest Hotels of the World) and has been French Culinary trained.
In his spare time, Ingo likes to dabble in photography and fly his drone named Toby whilst in interesting locations. During a weekend of downtime, you can find him enjoying a movie marathon, listening to a variety of different music genres or attending heavy metal rock concerts.
ENGINEER | Jib Mitchell | Canadian
Growing up in Florida, USA, Jib enjoys skateboarding and fishing. One of his favourite spots in the Marshall Islands where you can find Marlin and Tuna in abundance. Straight after high school, he was a welder in power plants all over the United States. His love of the ocean has brought him to exploring yachting for the last ten years as an Engineer. Jib’s father owns a coffee plantation in San Jose, Costa Rica called Cachi, which he helps out on, whenever he has an opportunity.
CHIEF STEWARDESS | Maria Finnegan | British
Maria is from Liverpool, UK and is the oldest of 4 siblings. Growing up, Maria trained in ballet and was a regional swim competitor. During high school and University, Maria worked in a restaurant, fine-tuning her skills of hospitality and service. After obtaining a degree in Art & Design with a focus in Buying and Merchandising, she took a role on Disney Cruise Line for an opportunity to be based abroad for a short term. She supervised the Merchandise department before venturing into yachting 6 years ago.
Maria has spent the first half of her career in the Mediterranean and more recently has enjoyed making the jump across the pond to cruise the United States and Bahamas. With a passion for travel, Maria is keen to venture further with a new itinerary of adventure.
2ND STEWARDESS | Gorgi Van Lienen | New Zealand
Gorgi hails from a small city in New Zealand and has been deeply involved in sports from a young age. At 17, she moved to Auckland to pursue football, and after a successful year winning nationals, she earned a football scholarship in the US. But, due to injury she had to pivot to a new path. After 4 years, she graduated with a BA of Business Admin, focusing on Entrepreneurship, with a minor in Finance. Previously, before her year in yachting, she worked in a land-based position as a personal assistant, honing her housekeeping & service skills.
STEWARDESS | Courtney-Jae Fabry | South African
Courtney was born in Johannesburg, South Africa with her parents and younger brother. For 15 years, Courtney competed in weekly horse jumping competitions, riding a horse named Romeo. She enjoys keeping active playing sports, swimming and always going for walks and hiking. After completing school she was an Au Pair in Hamburg for a year, perfecting her German speaking. Courtney’s dream locations to visit are New Zealand and Alaska.
CHIEF MATE| Andy Ferguson | South African
Andy is the youngest of 4 brothers and grew up in the rural area of South Africa. He has been in yachting for 7 years and prior was a Financial Accountant. He is a great lover of the outdoors and enjoys keeping active by surfing, running, regularly going to the gym and travelling. Some of his future itinerary dreams include Hawaii, Alaska, Tuscany & Georgia.
BOSUN | Pierre Vermaak | Namibian
Born in Otjiwarongo, moved to Windhoek in 2009 with his parents and older brother. In school he was fond of Field Hockey, Cycling & Mountain Biking. Pierre has obtained a Private pilot license flying small planes and worked in a number of alternative roles such as a bakery, sales & before starting in yachting 4 years ago. His favourite location he's travelled to is Mexico.
DECKHAND| Jason Timm | Australian
Jason grew up in Bundaberg after living most of his adult life in Brisbane. Before completing his apprenticeship in carpentry, he worked as a restaurant manager. He has worked constructing luxury homes in Australia, as crew on a yacht and with a boat builder in recent years. His love of travel has taken him extensively all over the world which he intends to continue in many years to come.
