Seahome
Crew profile

Captain: Franco Janse van Vuuren
From a young age, Franco has always been adventurous, pushing the envelope to the next great experience in adventure. His adventures have ranged from sailing the Arctic all the way to the most isolated tropical islands in the world.

Franco’s career in the super yachting industry has seen him rise from a Deckhand to a Captain/Engineer over the past several years. Franco has fulfilled his original dream of being both a Soldier and a Mariner. After 3 years of yachting, he joined the Legion, where his time was unexpectedly cut short due to being medically discharged, resulting in his return yachting in 2017. The adventure has continued since. Franco is now back in the islands aboard Seahome and ready to take his charter guests on their next adventure.

Qualifications:
-MCA Sailing Yachtmaster 200GT
-AEC 1&2
-PADI Dive Master
-STCW 95
-ENG1

Chef: Nina-Sue Hopkins
Chef Nina-Sue, grew up on a wine farm in the Western Cape winelands, South Africa. With wine, there is always lovely food paired with it. Nina’s dad was a wine farmer and a very passionate fisherman. Nina and her family spent a lot of time in their holiday home in the Western Cape, on the South Coast of Africa where she learned how to catch and clean seafood herself. She always very thankful to have had fresh seafood on the table, paired with hand harvest wine made from her family’s vineyards as well as fresh vegetables and herbs form the garden. This naturally gave Nina the opportunity to grow her passion for all the lovely flavors of food and wine together. Her passion for food continued to grow over the years, and she knew this was something she should pursue as a career. Now, 10 years later, Nina is sailing the seas and cooking on a boat! The ocean has become a part of who she is, and she is excited to share this with all of her charter guests.

Qualifications:
-Power Boat Level 2
-Top Nosh Cooking School
-STCW 95
-SYA Culinary Art Course
-Ashburton Chef’s Academy

Stewardess/Deckhand: Renee Hopkins
Reneé grew up in South Africa and has 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry and is excited to put her experience to work aboard Seahome. Renee loves water sports including wakeboarding and snorkeling, and likes to spend her free time traveling, practicing yoga, horseback riding, and spending time on the beach.

Qualifications:
-Pull North- Certificate of Stewardess Training
-STCW Course-SAMSA
-Powerboat Level 2
-Food Health and Safety Course
-Top Nosh- Advanced Cooking Course Certificate
-SAMSA Seafarer Medical Certificate