Synergy
Crew profile

Captain: Jacob Beman
Captain Jacob grew up in Chicago and left the cold weather for sunny Southern California after college. It was there that he fell in love with sailing and yachting and never looked back. After purchasing his own boat and becoming involved in several race teams, he decided to make his passion his full-time career. Jacob traveled the world to gain experience and hone his skills, working several seasons in the Mediterranean and Australia. He arrived in the Virgin Islands in 2018 and he has never looked back!

For the last four seasons, Jacob has been a Captain in the USVI and BVI, and it is his favorite place to charter and show his guests the trip of a lifetime. Last season, Jacob was the captain of S/Y Synergy in the BVI. When his same owner recently purchased the beautiful M/Y Synergy, Jacob was thrilled at the opportunity to stay with the family, and move aboard as the captain of M/Y Synergy!

Chef: Audrey Boulianne
Audrey was most recently the chef aboard the award-winning luxury power catamaran ‘Mystic Soul.’ Audrey is a renowned yacht chef, receiving multiple 1st place awards in the 2022 BVI Charter Yacht boat show!

Born and raised in Montreal, Canada, Audrey has spent the last 8 years working as a cook professionally. She always had a profound passion about all things culinary. With years of customer service and hospitality experience, Audrey aims to provide a high level of service, catering to everyone’s dietary needs and requests.

Audrey started working as a freelance chef on chartered yachts in 2016 and never looked back – she is very inclined towards fusion cuisine, passionate about fine dining and artistic plating – After all, we eat with the eyes first !

Audrey enjoys living on the water and strongly believes that unique memories and epicurean experiences are created around a great meal shared with your loved ones.

First Mate: Philip Ashford
Philp was most recently the captain aboard the award-winning luxury power catamaran, ‘Mystic Soul.’ Born in England, Philip was introduced to sailing dinghies and windsurfing on the broads at a very young age. He first stepped aboard yachts as a toddler and has progressively turned his passion into an established career. Working professionally across the globe and logging over 20000 miles, his experience spans everything from 20ft clippers to superyachts. He aims to instill the immortal words of Wind in the Willows into others: “There is nothing — absolutely nothing — half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

In his spare time, Philip can be seen pursuing his musical passions and traveling the world.

Philip and Audrey are a fun, professional, kind, and approachable couple who have been working together for the past 5 years. They are both obsessed with customer service and thrive to enrich every guest’s experience by making it unique and memorable. They aim to deliver a stress-free holiday for families, couples, friends – or whoever may be seeking an inimitable journey adorned with life-lasting souvenirs.

Stewardess: Michelle Barbuto
Growing up sailing in the British Virgin Islands with her parents, Michelle has spent much of her time on the water. The sea is her home and she’s always happy to teach the guests new skills aboard. She has completed over 6000 miles of offshore sailing between Europe, the Caribbean and the North East coast of the U.S.

Sailing in the Caribbean and motor yachting in the North East US contributed to her desire to work in the industry. She has completed 5 yachting seasons as a chef in the Virgin Islands, Bahamas and the Mediterranean. While she will always have a passion for cooking, she is excited for a new chapter as a Deckhand/Stew, bringing other skills to the table. With a background in event planning, Michelle is proud to go above and beyond to enhance the experience her guests are looking for. She is excited to plan fun activities, themed dinners, cocktails and overall ambiance for her guests to make their holiday perfect.

Aside from sailing, Michelle is a certified free diver and yoga instructor. Teaching is her passion and she is thrilled to offer morning flows and meditations to the guests. Whether the students are new to their practice or looking for something more advanced, she is happy to create a class around what they desire to get out of their holiday. In her free time she enjoys her own practice, as well as travel; eating and drinking her way through new countries and cultures.