Islas Chafarinas - Crewed Catamaran Yacht Charter

Captain JAVIER TORRAS
Captain Javier “Xavi” Torras Fernández was born in Barcelona, Spain, but spent his youth in Cadaques, a small fishing village between France and Spain on the Mediterranean coast. The local crystal-clear waters, rich underwater life, and superb sailing grounds forged his forever love for sailing and the sea.

His parents introduced him to sailing first on Optimists and later on 420, 470, and then Snipe dinghies. He began sailing on racing boats at 16 in local regattas and later in national and international events. At age 20 Xavi was drafted into the Spanish Navy and joined the Spanish Naval Sailing Military Team. At 22 he took part in the Plymouth (UK) to Perth (AU) race and came in seventh. He has literally done all major races in Spain along with some Ocean racing as well!

Captain Xavi attended College in Oxford, UK, and graduated in Maritime Leisure Management at Southampton Solent University. Other studies include a Master´s in Finance at Oxford Brookes University and a Master´s in Accounting at Barcelona ́s Pompeu I Fabra University.
Xavi once worked as a Marina Manager in Barcelona, Valencia, and Tarragona for several years, but sailing being his passion he decided to pursue his career as a professional Skipper. Xavi has now been sailing professionally for 18 years now, mostly on yacht deliveries and charters.

On charter Xavi really wants his guests to have a pleasant and happy time. He feels that, beyond his responsibility for their safety and comfort, he can act as a guide, instructor, and companion; his easy-going, respectful, and friendly persona makes him perfect for this role. Guests might find him playing games like cards, Scrabble, Charades, and even Monopoly with the kids on days when the weather is not perfect. On the normal fair-weather days, when not underway, he´ll join guests for water skiing, windsurfing, and snorkeling, plus he is a dive master and guide. Xavi is happy to sometimes fade away to allow for maximum space and intimacy for the guests or to be totally interactive.

Captain Javier enjoys sailing in the Caribbean for the winter season, but remains particularly attached to Spain and the Mediterranean sea and can share great tales of sailing in France, Italy, Croatia and Greece too!


Mate/Stewardess CRISTINA NAVAS GARCIA:
Cristina Navas García (Cris) was born in Tarragona, close to Barcelona, Spain. Her French mother and Spanish father worked in Equatorial Guinea (Africa); she grew up there until age twelve, living in a house on the beach of the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by nature. At age 12 she returned to Spain but has retained the sense of adventure that was part of her childhood.

Cris is a sports enthusiast, who will try most everything, but is especially fond of volleyball, skating, diving, and swimming. When on board she loves to participate with guests for water sports, she is great with water skiing, wake boarding, paddle boarding, surfing…you name it!
Cris also loves hiking, meditating, camping, skiing, and, of course, sailing. She is a great lover of travel and nature, her motto is: “Hakuna Matata, live and be happy!”

With hospitality experience and cocktail and sommelier studies, Cris has been working on ships and sailing since 2017. She has sailed through Europe, New Zealand, and the Canary Islands and really enjoys the camaraderie of crewing as a team and learning every day. She has worked on different types of boats with all styles of service, but prefers yachts that keep her close to the guests. She feels the crew is part of the boat and wants guests to always feel comfortable and at home.

Cris´ closest friends describe her as positive, dynamic and fun. She looks forward to hosting you on board with her exuberance and smile!


Chef - NATHALIE BOEN:
Diversity and culture are the key building blocks to Nathalie´s world and the experiences she continues to seek. This comes to life on a whole new level in her cooking with international inspirations!

Nathalie is of Belgium nationality, but was born in Central Africa in the Democratic Republic of Congo where her family operated a mining company. She has fond memories of her beautiful childhood in Africa, growing up with her 2 brothers, 2 horses, and 2 dogs.

As a teenager, she went abroad to the U.S. through the Rotary Club, learning English and finishing her senior year of high school in Pennsylvania. Craving to travel more, Nathalie set out in her home in Brussels to study at a top-tier Hotel Management School. As Bar Manager for Club Mediterrannée Hotel and a 4-Star Intercontinental Hotel, she sharpened her hospitality skills and cultural appreciation working at locations in Israel, Chamonix, Greece, Brasil, and back to Brussels. She even became fluent in Portuguese along the way!

Following her brother to Saint Martin in the Caribbean, Nathalie´s desire to always travel and discover more brought her to life on board charter yachts. Nathalie creates a warm atmosphere with her homestyle, globally inspired cooking and thrives off of guests feeling pleasantly satiated with healthy meals. In her galley there can never be too many avocados!

As a very cosmopolitan person, Nathalie is known for her generosity, open-mindedness, and active nature. When she´s not in the galley, find her testing the heights with sky diving, admiring the power of the ocean while surfing, or taking time to breath and exercise mind and body with yoga practice.