Captain Taylor Bowker

Taylor Bowker | Captain
South African
Taylor was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and was by no means brought up around, or on the ocean. It was his attraction to adventure and travel that pushed him to sail a 40ft catamaran across the Atlantic Ocean from Cape Town, South Africa to Annapolis, Maryland at the age of 18. It was from there that he began his career on yachts. Taylor has traveled a vast amount of the world by sea, having encountered all sorts of weather and emergencies in his years of yachting. He has performed and excelled in every role throughout his yachting career, including chief engineer on a 146ft jet drive yacht at the age of 28. Due to his extensive knowledge on land, sea and behind the scene mechanics, Taylor carries a calm, collected and educated approach to any situation. Taylor has been Captaining motor yachts since the age of 25 and will ensure you a safe voyage aboard VIVACE. To top it off Taylor holds a PADI dive master, certified free diver and is an expert spear fisherman. If you are interested in water sports, Taylor is your guy. He can lead you through the lively reefs and wrecks of the clear Bahamas water and even catch your dinner! This, along with his friendly demeanor has created a favorable reputation for Taylor in the super yachting industry. In his off time he can be found venturing the mountains in Maine or diving the reefs of Central America. His passion for the outdoors and happy go-lucky attitude will have you smiling for weeks after your trip.

Monja Jacobs | Chef
South African
Monja grew up in Northeastern South Africa in a town called Nelspruit, on the boarder of the Kruger National Park. Her childhood circled around nature & wildlife, as she spent her winter’s enjoying safaris and summers on the Mozambique coast. After grade school, Monja moved to the Western Cape of S.A. and attended the University of Stellenbosch for Law and Accounting. It was there where she developed a greater passion for the outdoors, arts and gastronomy. After successfully procuring her bachelor’s degree she set her eyes on finding a career that suited her personality and aligned with her passions. It was then she decided to join the Yachting industry. Monja started yachting as a sous chef learning under some of the best charter chefs in the industry. Throughout her many years cooking on yachts, Monja has developed a refined, artistic and fresh cooking style. She has taken various intensive culinary courses and has a true passion for pastry making, Northern African and Mediterranean cuisine. Monja’s attention to detail and ability to utilize the freshest ingredients in all areas of the world, ensure each meal to be filled with flavor, delight and appreciation. Her calm and collected persona make her an advantageous crew member on board Vivace.

Elodie Davis | Chief Stewardess
American
Having grown up in the mountains of New England, Elodie’s love for the outdoors has always been strong. Her summers were spent sailing the ridged Maine coastline, while her winters were spent skiing the White Mountains. At an early age, Elodie was taught to grow her own produce on the family farm which created her palate and value of fresh and flavorful foods. Being a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, Elodie decided to take on a double major in Criminology and Sociology in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Shortly after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts, she made the decision to join the yachting industry in 2015, to combine her passion of traveling the world with working on the ocean. Elodie has been lucky to travel many destinations all over the world on Superyachts, including the South Pacific, Australia, Central America, the East and West Coast of the United States, the Mediterranean and Caribbean. She has taken pride in learning cuisine styles on all of her travels and incorporates them into her cooking style. Elodie’s positive, upbeat and caring attitude creates for a fun-loving presence onboard amongst crew and guests. Elodie’s focus is always the guests experience, and she does everything she can to make the guests stay onboard memorable. Her impeccable service is complimented by her friendly, enthusiastic approach to life. She loves to entertain and strives for perfection. Elodie will ensure your holiday on VIVACE is everything you could imagine and more. Watch out, as her smile is contagious!

Daniel Barry | First Mate
Dan grew up on the coastline of Durban, South Africa. To this day, Daniel’s passion surrounds water sports. He played water polo in high school and was on South Africa’s competitive surfing circuit and raced L34 monohull sailboats. In addition to his love for water sports, Dan also was an avid Rugby player. At the age of 19, Dan joined yachting in hopes to turn his love of sailing into a career. Dan, holding dual citizenship in South Africa and England, initially sought a yachting job in Europe. He soon found himself cruising the Mediterranean on some of the largest mega yachts in the industry. Over his seven years in yachting, he has explored major hot spots like Europe, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and East Coast, USA. Holding a 3,000GT chief mate license, Dan aspires to become a captain in the future. Dan’s extensive knowledge of safety and deck along with his calm and collected demeaner will make any guest of Vivace feel safe in his care. Dan has a great sense of humor and loves a good laugh, making him a hit among crew and guests alike. Dan’s extensive knowledge of water sports makes him an asset to the Vivace team. When it comes to water sports; leave the coaching to Dan and you are guaranteed to be a water-pro by the end of your vacation.

India Bembry | Second Stewardess
American
India grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Her childhood consisted of summer activities like wake surfing and snowboarding in the winter. India has always had a sense of adventure and love for the outdoors. She graduated from the University of Minnesota, with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. On a solo backpacking trip through the Mediterranean, India found her interest in the yachting community. She met friends from all over the world working on yachts, and loving it. Motivated by this, she packed up and moved to Fort Lauderdale and landed her first stewardess job on the motor yacht Party Girl. Within a month she was off on her first Atlantic crossing. India has been in yachting just over a year and has been lucky to cruise the Mediterranean, Bahamas and East Coast, USA. She is eager to please and shines a light of positivity wherever she goes. She is enthusiastic and takes on new tasks with optimism and ease. India is ready and willing to serve. Her eye for detail and attentiveness in housekeeping will leave you wondering how your room is always so pristine. India’s professionalism and fun personality provide top notch service for guests. She is looking forward to aiding in an unforgettable experience for any guest that comes onboard Vivace.