NAVILUX Yacht Charter

Captain: Ante Ercegovic

CAPTAIN: ANTE ERCEGOVIC
Ante is the 7th generation of captains and boat owners in his family. Some of Ante’s earliest memories are being at sea with his grandfather and father, which instilled a passion for the sea, sailing and tourism. Besides spending time at sea with his family, Ante studied at the Faculty of Maritime Studies in Split and graduated “Cum Laude”. Ante was a driving force in the Ercegović family decision to build Navilux – one of the first custom luxury yachts built in Croatia. Ante spent four years aboard Navilux with his father as captain before he dedicated himself to the build of the sister ship Aiaxaia (now OMNIA), where he took the helm as captain. Ante is detail-oriented and a natural leader; he has carefully chosen his crew to provide the best possible service and experience to his guests.

DECKHAND: SRDAN SMAILAGIC
Srđan is a passionate sailor and enjoys everything connected to the sea. After graduation, Srđan completed all safety training and certificates in the Maritime School in Split and obtained the highest international certificates for his position following this. Srđan worked for more than 8 years on yachts and passenger ships sailing worldwide. Most recently, Srđan was aboard luxury yacht Aixaia and now he follows Ante to join as crew aboard Navilux. Srđan has a relaxed and friendly nature which guests feel and appreciate. Whether driving the tender for guests to go ashore or enjoy water sports, or helping around the yacht, Srđan is always willing to do what is necessary to ensure the best experience for the guests and a positive working atmosphere amongst the crew.

DECKHAND: LUKA MARIC
Luka grew up on the sea and fell in love with boats from an early age. This passion took him around the world, working on various passenger ships. Due to Luka’s experience and reputation, he had many job offers but Luka decided to return to his well-known and deeply loved Adriatic Sea. Besides his experience, knowledge and professional qualities, that makes him a great addition to Navilux’s crew, Luka is a hands on person who takes every task seriously and completes it to the highest standard. Luka strives to make guests stay aboard Navilux both safe and enjoyable.

DECKHAND: DRAGO DUKIC
Drago was working on mini cruisers for five years now and as an experienced deckhand this season he is finally moving into the yachting industry, provided with the opportunity of developing and sharpening his skills. Drago brings a wealth of experience holding a Deckhand and Helmsman certificate, he is a hard worker, consistent, and efficient under pressure. Growing up in the vicinity of the sea and seeing his friends joining the industry one by one, he decided to see what it is all about and fell in love with the job. This love, also runs in the family since his great - grandfather, who was Italian, had an accident with his boat in the Adriatic and ended up recovering and getting married in Croatia where he taught locals how to catch lobsters. Being fluent in English and having an interesting family history at sea, Drago will have stories to entertain the guests onboard. In his free time, he enjoys recreational sports, loves mechanics, and collects model cars.

CHEF: ANTE BASIC
Ante grew up with an intuitive love for food and cooking. His mother and grandmother recognised that interest as something much more than a child’s curiosity, so they guided and supported him on a path toward the culinary world. After graduating from culinary school, Ante continued to learn, explore and challenge himself. Ante has worked with some of the most prominent names of the Croatian culinary scene. The list of restaurants where Ante has worked is impressive, including the renowned Saints Hills Winery. Ante has been aboard Navilux delighting guests with his cuisine for several years now. Year after year, Ante continues to surprise guests with his world class food. Ante loves the freedom he has in the kitchen to innovate, and he is always looking for ways to improve especially for returning guests. As far as chefs go, Ante has a calm demeanour and is a joy to work with. His attitude sets the tone for a positive working environment.

HOSTESS: ANTONIJA BUKTENICA
Antonija has been in the yachting industry since 2017, when her friends, owners of gulet Libra offered her a job onboard finding her perfect for it. She justified their trust by staying there for five seasons, sharpening her skills. After graduating from the Faculty of Economics, Antonia still sees herself in yachting, looking for opportunities to grow. Last season she was the Sole stew on a motor yacht, sailing through Greece and this season she is joining a strong Navilux crew team. With her professional and detailed approach to every task and delivering it with a smile and ease she is a perfect choice for any yacht making the interior warm and welcoming. Being fluent in English and Spanish, being experienced, and having an intuitive sense of guests made Antonia an obvious choice for Navilux. When not on board, she enjoys a number of her hobbies, such as water sports, yoga, skiing, CrossFit, extreme sports, Latino dancing, and cooking.

STEWARDESS: TINA PARAMAN
Tina grew up in Trogir and graduated in Maritime studies in Split. Growing up on the coast, entering the world of Maritime studies and nautical tourism was a natural step. Tina has worked on several large mini cruisers as a waitress, cruising from Opatija to Dubrovnik, and she also worked a few weeks aboard Gulet Pacha as a stewardess last season. This will be Tina’s first season aboard luxury yacht Navilux Tina is more introverted by nature but said she joined the yachting industry to ‘step outside her comfort zone’, and she is excited to grow within the industry and learn from a great team. Tina’s warm, quiet nature is a perfect complement to the Navilux interior team.

INTERIOR STEWARDESS: MELODY RARELA MATKOVIC
As a diligent, experienced, professional stewardess, Melody has always proved herself to be a valuable asset to every resort and yacht she worked on. She worked for several seasons on different yachts and in resorts around the world, always upgrading the service, team spirit and overall experience of the clients. Melody worked from 2014 to 2016 on SY Navilux, leaving an impeccable reputation among the clients of that yacht, to join SY Aiaxaia in 2017 but this season she is back on Navilux to provide the best housekeeping service. Melody is an organised, attentive, and well-focused person, in control of the situation in her working domain. Although you might not see Melody that much, the results of her work will thrill you. In her spare time, Melody is learning Croatian (tutored by her Croatian husband), enjoys walking, cooking and gardening.