Captain: Alan Owen
Al was born in South Africa, and by the age of 8 he was a regular at the local yacht club, racing in Optimist dinghies. This began his long association with boats and water sports. He moved to Ireland as a young adult, and spent the next eight years as an outdoor instructor. Disciplines covered included sailing, windsurfing, kayaking and paddle sports. Archery, indoor climbing, orienteering, mountain biking and swimming.
Al has competed at national and international level in both dinghy and keelboat racing, and represented Ireland in kayak surfing at World Championships. Offshore racing in J24s had whetted his appetite to pursue a career in a maritime setting and he enrolled on a Professional Offshore Yachtmaster course. He then worked as Flotilla Lead and bareboat Skipper for Sunsail, Dubrovnik, Croatia, before setting his sights on the Caribbean and fulfilling a lifelong dream to captain a yacht in paradise.
When at home you’ll find him hunting surf along the West Coast of Ireland, either on a board, windsurf, or more recently on his wing foil.
Chef/First Mate: Iona Matheson
Iona was born and raised in Scotland. She studied Psychology and English Literature at the University of Glasgow, and worked in hospitality to fund her travels to Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Canada, and all over Europe. Her love of cooking was ignited by attending cookery workshops around the world, and she became passionate about flavor combinations, menu creation, and mixology, through working in the hospitality sector. After graduating, she decided to move to Ireland to follow her passion for outdoor sports.
A lover of movement, she is also a qualified yoga teacher, and an instructor of aerial acrobatics and aerial dance, which she is always keen to share with adults or children! Iona can’t wait to serve you beautiful and delicious food, and tailor the experience, the menu, and the provisions on board to your choosing.
Iona and Al met 5 years ago working as outdoor sports instructors. They got together after he introduced her to sailing, united through a love for adventure, life on the water, and water sports. They are experienced in working together as a team with family groups including children, adult groups, and disability groups. They worked together, as Skipper and Hostess, on a monohull sailing yacht in Croatia for a season facilitating Flotilla holidays, and experience which they both adored. This spurred them on to set their sights on the Caribbean, where Al has already been working as charter Captain for the past year, while Iona furthered her culinary skills at cookery school in London, and became a Day Skipper.
Al and Iona can’t wait to welcome you aboard Sea Dog and give you the experience of a vacation of a lifetime!
