CHARTER YACHT VENTANA

Captain Name: Michael Hoy Briggs

Captain Nationality: USA

Number of Crew: 2

Captain Hoy was born in North Carolina and there too was born his love of the water. He started sailing at 6 years old and hasn’t stopped since. A move to Japan developed his deep love of travel, 30 countries visited so far! He returned to the USA to study engineering in Sacramento. After obtaining his degree, he joined the corporate world. While some may have considered a career designing motorcycles a dream, his dream of life traveling the seas was calling him.

Hoy began crewing a tall ship out of Sausalito, CA as engineer and gunner in ’98-’99. In 2010, he sailed the Bahamas and then to the Virgin Islands in 2012 where he started working as a skipper. In 2015, Capt Hoy sailed his own boat transatlantic to Europe. Spending summers, sailing around the UK and the Netherlands, with a little time in France, Spain, Portugal and Canaries before sailing back to Virgin Islands in 2019.

Hoy has a 100-ton USCG license and about 20,000nm sailing from Rhode Island to Trinidad to the North Sea. What they say is true, “If you can sail in the North Sea, you can sail anywhere”. Hoy is extremely knowledgeable about sailing, including traditional square rigs, rigging, and history of sailing. He is very excited to share his knowledge with you and ensure your comfort with snorkeling, freediving, and playing with the floaty toys.

Chef Julia Ray grew up in Michigan surrounded by the Great Lakes. She developed a love for boating and sailing on frequent family outings on Lake Huron and the many inland waterways that are abundant in Michigan. Julia was introduced to the Virgin Islands as a child on the first of many annual family vacations more than 30 years ago. Julia learned to cook and entertain while assisting family members during daily meal preparation and by assisting with catering numerous gatherings. Julia has also worked in the restaurant and hospitality industries. She holds degrees in both accounting and social work and although she had a successful career in the corporate world, she left it all behind in 2013 to realize her dream of living in the Virgin Islands. She has since been employed as mate and chef, sailing throughout the islands.

Energetic and personable, Julia loves to meet new people and share her enthusiasm for the islands while ensuring their comfort and safety aboard and in the water. She is certified in first aid, CPR and fire fighting. She spends much of her spare time in the kitchen, preparing and perfecting new recipes for friends and family to sample. Julia delights in spoiling guests with gourmet meals and tempting treats. She prepares a wide variety of meals and remains flexible in her meal planning to ensure the freshest and best quality food is offered to guests. Julia takes much pride in her ability to work with guests to accommodate special diets and food allergies and develop menus that will leave everyone satisfied!