At Otium Yachts, we pride ourselves on working with some of the best in the industry. With more than a decade’s worth of experience, we learned that the crew is the heart and soul of a yacht charter experience. The crew is the one who transforms a good holiday into an exceptional sailing holiday. Hence, we are just as passionate about presenting the crew from the yachts in our fleet as we are the yachts themselves. This week, we introduce you to the crew from the luxury sailing yacht NAVILUX.
Ante Ercegovic, Captain
Ante is the 7th generation of captains and boat owners in his family. Some of Ante’s earliest memories are being at sea with his grandfather and father, which instilled a passion for the sea, sailing and tourism. Besides spending time at sea with his family, Ante studied at the Faculty of Maritime Studies in Split and graduated “Cum Laude”. Ante was a driving force in the Ercegović family decision to build Navilux – one of the first custom luxury yachts built in Croatia. Ante spent four years aboard Navilux with his father a s captain before he dedicated himself to the build of the sister ship Aiaxia - renamed Omnia, where he took the helm as captain. Now, Ante returns to Navilux to take over from his father a s captain. Ante is detail-oriented and a natural leader; he has carefully chosen his crew to provide the best possible service and experience to his guests.
Srdan Smailagic, Deckhand
Srđan is a passionate deckhand and enjoys everything connected to the sea. After graduation, Srđan completed all safety training and certificates in the Maritime School in Split and obtained the highest international certificates for his position. Following this Srđan worked for more than 8 years on yachts and passenger ships, sailing worldwide. Most recently, Srđan was aboard luxury yacht Aiaxaia (renamed Omnia) and now he follows Ante to join as crew aboard Navilux. Srđan has a relaxed and friendly nature which guests feel and appreciate. Whether driving the tender for guests to go ashore or enjoy water sports, or helping around the yacht, Srđan is always willing to do what is necessary to ensure the best experience for the guests and a positive working atmosphere amongst the crew.
Luka Maric, Deckhand
Luka grew up on the sea and fell in love with boats from an early age. This passion took him around the world, working on various passenger ships. Due to Luka’s experience and reputation, he had many job offers but Luka decided to return to his well known and deeply loved Adriatic Sea. Besides his experience, knowledge and professional qualities that make him a great addition to Navilux’s crew, Luka is a hands on person who takes every task seriously and completes it to the highest standard. Luka strives to make guests stay aboard Navilux both safe and enjoyable.
Drago Dukic, Deckhand
Drago was working on mini cruisers for five years now and as an experienced deckhand this season he is finally moving into the yachting industry, provided with the opportunity of developing and sharpening his skills. Drago brings a wealth of experience holding a Deckhand and Helmsman certificate, he is a hard worker, consistent, and efficient under pressure. Growing up in the vicinity of the sea and seeing his friends joining the industry one by one, he decided to see what is it all about and fell in love with the job. This love also kind of runs in the family since his great-grandfather, who was Italian, had an accident with his boat in the Adriatic and ended up recovering and getting married in Croatia where he taught locals how to catch lobsters. Being fluent in English and having an interesting family history at sea, Drago will have stories to entertain the guests onboard. In his free time, he enjoys recreational sports, loves mechanics, and collects model cars.
Ante Basic, Chef
Ante grew up with an intuitive love for food and cooking. His mother and grandmother recognised that interest as something much more than a child’s curiosity, so they guided and supported him on a path toward the culinary world. After graduating from culinary school, Ante continued to learn, explore and challenge himself. Ante has worked with some of the most prominent names of the Croatian culinary scene. The list of restaurants where Ante has worked is impressive, including the renowned Saints Hills Winery. Ante has been aboard Navilux delighting guests with his cuisine for several years now. Year after year, Ante continues to surprise guests with his world class food. Ante loves the freedom he has in the kitchen to innovate, and he is always looking for ways to improve especially for returning guests. As far as chefs go, Ante has a calm demeanour and is a joy to work with his attitude sets the tone for a positive working environment.
Antonija Buktenica, Stewardess
Antonija has been in the yachting industry since 2017, when her friends, owners of gulet Libra offered her a job onboard finding her perfect for it. She justified their trust by staying there for five seasons, sharpening her skills. After graduating from the Faculty of Economics Antonia still sees herself in yachting looking for opportunities to grow. Last season she was the Sole stew on a motor yacht, sailing through Greece and this season she is joining a strong Navilux crew team. With her professional and detailed approach to every task and delivering it with a smile and ease she is a perfect choice for any yacht making the interior warm and welcoming. Being fluent in English and Spanish, being experienced, and having an intuitive sense of guests made Antonia an obvious choice for Navilux. When not on board she enjoys a number of her hobbies, such as water sports, joga, skiing, CrossFit, extreme sports, Latino dancing, and cooking.
Tina Paraman, Stewardess
Tina grew up in Trogir and graduated in Maritime studies in Split. Growing up on the coast, entering the world of Maritime studies and nautical tourism was a natural step. Tina has worked on several large mini cruisers as a waitress, cruising from Opatija to Dubrovnik, and she also worked a few weeks aboard Gulet Pacha as a stewardess last season. This will be Tina’s first season aboard luxury yacht Navilux Tina is more introverted by nature but said she joined the yachting industry to ‘step outside her comfort zone’, and she is excited to grow within the industry and learn from a great team. Guests will feel comfortable and taken care of by the Navilux interior team.
Melody Rarela Matkovic, Interior Stewardess
As a diligent, experienced, professional stewardess, Melody has always proved herself to be a valuable asset to every resort and yacht she worked on. She worked for several seasons on different yachts and in resorts around the world, always upgrading the service, team spirit and overall experience of the clients. Melody worked from 2014 2016 on SY Navilux, leaving an impeccable reputation among the clients of that yacht, to join SY Aiaxaia in 2017 but this season she is back on Navilux to provide the best housekeeping service. Melody is an organised, attentive, and well focused person, in control of the situation in her working domain. Although you might not see Melody that much, the results of her work will thrill you In her spare time, Melody is learning Croatian (tutored by her Croatian husband), enjoys walking, cooking and gardening.
Sail with Navilux this season
We have worked with Navilux for nearly a decade; it has been a pleasure to watch this dream come to reality and to watch Navilux’s story of success and excellence continue to grow. Many new luxury yachts have entered the Croatian market over the last few years but Navilux continues to be fully booked because of her brilliant reputation. Navilux has 6 luxurious cabins and can accommodate up to 12 guests.
Read more detailed information about Navilux here. Contact us via email at info@otiumyachts.com or fill the form on the contact page for questions and inquiries.