Meet The Yacht Week skippers
By Yacht Week
Posted on 1st June 2020
Our skippers are an essential part of TYW. Ensuring you have a safe and enjoyable experience, they not only navigate your yacht and lead your crew but are happy to teach you key sailing skills and show you hidden gems along the way. They're an incredibly friendly and professional bunch, perhaps because they have such an incredible job: sailing, partying and enjoying a never-ending summer with people from over sixty different countries. Check out these amazing skippers you could be sailing with next summer!
Thinking about becoming a skipper on The Yacht Week? Check out Quarterdeck's training academy!
Andreas Alsved
What made you fall in love with sailing? The speed and adrenaline from dinghy racing was how it all started for me. After that, I realised how nice it is to sail a bigger yacht at medium speed and just relax. Where is your favourite place to drop anchor? The small islands and towns in the Saronic region of Greece, where you'll be greeted like family every time you tie up to the dock. Also, anywhere around Jost van Dyke in the BVI. It's just so damn beautiful! How many years have you been a skipper with TYW? I started in 2014 and have just finished my sixth season. From your experience, what do you think is the best thing people get out of TYW? The community, network and all the new best friends!
Lieselot Heynderickx
What made you fall in love with sailing? I didn't grow up sailing but towards the end of University, I felt stuck in a routine and needed something more. So, I took off to South Africa, signed up to a sailing school and taking this plunge turned out to be the best decision I ever made. I love the sense of freedom and adventure sailing gives, and the places it takes you. How many years have you been a skipper with TYW? I started in 2014, so that’s six years now. If you weren't a skipper, what else do you think you would be? An investigative journalist, engineer, horse whisperer, space cowboy… but in this life and for now, skipper it is! What is your preferred type of yacht/catamaran etc? The Yacht Week is really about sailing and for this, I prefer the bigger catamarans. Fountaine Pajot’s Saba 50 is a special yacht to me and you can’t go wrong with a Lagoon 50 or 52.
Anton Ha
What made you fall in love with sailing? The freedom. That moment in spring when you hoist the sails for the first time after a long winter back home. The option to travel the world and always have your home with you. How many years have you been a skipper with TYW? I've completed four seasons in Greece, Mallorca, Montenegro, BVI and, my favourite, Croatia. If you weren't a skipper, what else do you think you would be? I’m not a full a time skipper, but driving boats in the most beautiful spots around the world is a fantastic balance to my office job back home. Any favourite moments from TYW? There are many, but here's a special one that stands out. When I started working for TYW in 2016, I was unsure about skippering a yacht with cabin bookings because the guests don’t know each other before the trip. It ended up being my best week of TYW so far. We all became friends and are still in touch. After Komiza in Croatia, we did a sunrise sail and there were dolphins swimming around us. It was so beautiful, everyone was crying. One of the guests shot this picture (above) of us together with his drone.