Captain/PADI Dive Instructor – Gavin Bladen

British

Previous Yachts Interests

» S/Y GALAXY (38m) » Water sports
» S/Y CUAN LAW (32m) » Travelling
» Naval and Residential
architectural design

Born and raised in the UK, Gavin caught the travel bug in his early twenties while traveling around
Australia. During this time he started work as a deckhand and then dive master on various live-
aboard dive boats based out of Cairns and Airlie Beach on the Great Barrier Reef which marked
the start of his professional career in yachting. In 1995 Gavin became a PADI diving instructor and
relocated to the British Virgin Islands which became home for the next nine years. In 1997 Gavin
became a Captain and then ran a variety of successful charter yachts until 2004. For the last ten
years Gavin has worked as the Owners Representative/Captain for overseeing the design, build
and commissioning of Hemisphere which was launched in August 2011. Since the launch Gavin has
taken Hemisphere to nearly 40 different countries and cruised her following the motto “sometimes
you have to step off the beaten path, for the bigger rewards in life”. Gavin truly knows this
magnificent yacht inside and out. Gavin is a very hospitable, personable Captain and host, who will
ensure that all guest’s expectations are exceeded.

First Officer – Oliver Cockerell

British

Previous Yachts Interests/Language

» S/Y AQUARIUS (46m) » Surfing
» S/Y RAINBOW (39m) » Sailing
» S/Y SHAMROCK V (36m) » Swimming
» M/Y TUGATSU (45m) » Squash
» Yoga

Oliver joins HEMISPHERE with a wealth of sailing experience on some of the most prestigious J Class
yachts, where he has spent many hours on the regatta race course, and enjoying every moment of
it. In addition to this Oliver has spent time on board busy private and motor yachts gaining
experience from all sides of the industry.
Oliver is a hard working member of the team and enjoys the responsibilities of his position, but he is
always eager to learn more and put his skills in to practice. When not on board, you will find Oliver
making the most of his time off and enjoying the any sports that he can get his hands on!

HEMISPHERE| Crew Profile

Chef – Michael Nielsen
Danish

Previous Yachts Interests/Languages

» M/Y D’ANGLETERRE 2 (42m) » Extreme sports
» S/Y MONDANGO 3 (56m) » Wildlife
» M/Y OCEAN VICTORY (140m) » Danish and Swedish

Michael was born in Copenhagen. While studying to become a chef he managed a fish store
where he mastered the craft of sushi making. After finishing his chef apprenticeship, Michael
worked at a fine dining safari lodge in South Africa. On his return to Denmark, he took a job in the
heart of Copenhagen, at a new restaurant called “Maven”. The restaurant received its Michelin
recommendation three months after the opening, and during his three years as head chef, Maven
was a huge success.
During his career Michael has also worked as a private chef for His Royal Highness the Crown
Prince & Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of Denmark, and their four children. When Michael
isn’t cooking he is working on his micro brewery experimentation, brewing high quality craft beers
based on local ingredients that he plans to take to market.

Chief Stewardess – Kiara Ashenden-Lake

Australian

Previous Yachts Interests

» M/Y JAGUAR (56m) » Swimming in the ocean
» M/Y MYSTERE SHADOW (50m) » Exploring new places
» M/Y PUMPKIN (50m) » Tasting new food

After completing high school in Noosa, Australia, Kiara moved out to the Great Barrier Reef and
lived the island life for a while. When the islands became less exciting she embarked on a
backpacking trip around Mexico and shortly after, she booked a ticket for a trip around Europe!
Kiara always had a love for the ocean. She started her backpacking trip to Europe which opened
her eyes to yachting and she never looked back. To feel the waves underneath her feet every day
and see the most beautiful sunsets for her is priceless.

HEMISPHERE| Crew Profile

Stewardess – Fatima Llaban
Filipino

HEMISPHERE is Fatima’s first yacht! Interests/Languages

» Squash
» Badminton
» Swimming and diving
» Classical music
» Filipo (Bisaya & Tagalog)

Fatima comes for the Cebu City in the Philippines. Since joining HEMISPHERE and yachting in 2016,
Fatima has been on the move, visiting 11 countries and has practically filled her passport with
stamps! Prior to yachting, she used to work in the Republic of Palau at a leading dive facility and
restaurant.

Stewardess – Aine Gough

Irish

Previous Yachts Interests

» M/Y SIREN (73.5m) » Fitness
» M/Y NAVIGATOR (38m) » Hiking
» M/Y MADAME GU (99m) » Swimming
» M/Y LIONSHARE (40m) » Reading

TBC
Aine grew up in a small countryside village called Aughrim in Ireland. When she finished
school, she studied fashion for two years with the end goal in mind that it was a career that
she would be able to travel with. She then decided to just take off, start travelling and see
where it leads her!
Aine found herself living in New Zealand and working on her first yacht. She loves meeting
new people and challenging herself in all areas. Aine is also a qualified personal trainer
and looks forward to putting her skills and knowledge to good use with HEMISPHERE’s
guests.

HEMISPHERE| Crew Profile

Shadow Boat Captain – Mike Olsen
New Zealander

Previous Yachts Interests

» MV PRIMETIME (16m) - New Zealand's » Diving
top swordfish and marlin game fishing » Fishing
vessel » Hunting
» LADY ALISON (19m) - custom built » Camping
game fishing boat
» Sailing

Mike has a passion for sports fishing and after travelling extensively throughout Europe he worked in
Fiji and running a private game fishing boat for seven years. Mike has some impressive catches
under his belt and was part of the team that caught 10 marlin in a day in New Zealand waters,
something that only three boats have ever done before!
Mike is an avid traveller and he is now looking for new adventures on board HEMISPHERE.
In his spare time you can see Mike likes to stay active, diving, fishing, hunting, camping,
sailing…anything in the great outdoors! He is also in the process of getting his yacht masters off
shore commercial.

Chief Engineer – Lee Rickman (Rotation)

British

Previous Yachts Interests

» M/Y CHANTAL MA VIE (46m) » Squash
» M/Y AMORAZUR II (47m) » Golf
» M/Y WHISPERING ANGEL (37m) » Listening to talented musicians
» M/Y DYNA-R (37m)

Lee hails from a small village on the south coast, near Southampton, England. Lee undertook an
apprenticeship in Marine Engineering at the age of 16, with the aim to work in the yachting industry.
Lee has now been working on board yachts for the last 9 years and has greatly enjoyed the
opportunities it has given him to travel and meet new people. Lee very much enjoys the problem
solving side to engineering, and with his positive demeanour he is not one to be disheartened by a
challenge!

HEMISPHERE| Crew Profile

Chief Engineer – Johan Jonck (Rotation)
South African

Previous Yachts Interests/Language

» S/Y LADY SUNSHINE (33m) » Rugby
» M/Y FAMILY DAY (40m) » Paddle boarding
» S/Y PERSEUS (50m) » Jogging
» M/Y ALDABRA (53m) » Fluent Afrikaans
» M/Y PARAFFIN (63m)

After finishing high school in England, Johan was working in a car factory as a production line
technician for two years, building MINI Cooper motor vehicles. This is where his interest for the
mechanical side of things started. He decided to do a Yacht master course, never knowing it was
the start of a whole new career! Johan embarked on his first delivery from Cape Town to St Lucia
and has never looked back. Johan is a dedicated and hard working member of the team and is
currently working towards being a Y4 engineer. Johan loves to explore so HEMISPHERE’s exciting
itinerary suits him well.

Second Engineer / Deckhand – Tony Lillington

British

Previous Yachts Interests/Languages

» M/Y REVELRY (39m) » Skiing
» M/Y KERI LEE III (54m) » Rugby
» S/Y KEALOHA (27m) » Motorbikes
» M/Y ANNA (67m) » Watersports
» Basic French and Spanish

Tony grew up on the Isle of Wight and joined the Royal Navy to train as a pilot – his claim to fame is
that he walked with Queen Elizabeth II at her Diamond Jubilee. Having an adventurous spirit and
having sailed around the Coast of England, he decided to join the yachting industry. Tony is an
experienced and responsible member of the HEMISPHERE team who will ensure guests needs are
well looked after.

HEMISPHERE| Crew Profile

Diving instructor / Deckhand – Simon Livingston
British

Previous Yachts Interests/Language

» S/Y ARGO (34m) » Cave and TriMix Diving
» S/Y HEMISPHERE (44m) » Yoga and Meditation
» M/Y KIRKLAND (34m) » Enjoying city-walk and sea views
» Basic Spanish

Simon grew up in Scotland and gained a BSc (Hons) in Molecular Biology from the University of
Glasgow. He loved water from an early age and started spending time around boats when he first
became a Scuba instructor in 2002. Since then Simon has worked on a variety of yachts introducing
divers to the amazing underwater world. He has dived in 30+ countries around the world; from South
Africa to Galapagos, Egypt to Australia and Honduras to Palau. Simon is skilled at leading divers at
all levels even on unfamiliar reefs and puts the client safety always first.
In early 2014 he first joined HEMISPHERE for two years when he decided to broaden his qualifications
taking on a one-year maritime training abroad 34m schooner ARGO. During this time Simon
circumnavigated the Caribbean, Pacific and Indian Oceans and comes back on board
HEMISPHERE bringing wealth of experience and enthusiasm.

HEMISPHERE| Crew Profile