C'est La Vie

CAPTAIN: ROBERT ‘ROBBIE’ SARGENT
Originally from Zimbabwe, Robbie was brought up on a farm with a love for the outdoors, sport and a keen sense for adventure. His hobbies also include golf and darts but his favorite from a young age was and always has been fishing, whether it’s fresh water or deep sea. After school, he moved to South Africa to play professional rugby, but it was not long before he decided on it being an unlikely permanent career choice. He turned towards scuba diving instead, despite the cold waters of Cape Town and worked his way up to becoming an instructor. After a few years of this, Robbie grew keen to search for warmer water to dive in and accepted a job in Raja Ampat, Indonesia. The travel bug set in, Captain’s ticket in hand and many nautical miles later, there is nothing that Robbie loves more than finding new places to have fun in, both above and under the water.

CHEF/FIRST MATE: SOFIA ‘SOFIE’ RIBEIRO
Born and raised in the landlocked country of Zimbabwe, Sofia’s love for water originated whilst growing up as a national swimmer and waterpolo player. Working throughout studying within restaurants and catering, it gave her an opportunity to build up experience in hospitality, develop professionalism within the service industry but most of all appreciate different cuisines. After graduating from University of Cape Town, South Africa with a Social Science degree, Sofia realized she wasn’t motivated towards a formal office setting and sought after a career in which she could combine her love of travel with learning new skills. Discovering the world of yachting she has since worked in the Mediterranean, Australia, Indonesia, Florida and the Caribbean. Being able to explore new places and gain a passion for cooking along the way has been a dream realized.

Robbie and Sofie met in Singapore, soon found common ground of similar roots and have been working together within the industry since then for the last 5 years. Their combined passion for food, travel and most of all the ocean has brought them together to love what they do. They have been lucky enough to get to know some extraordinary, remote locations around the world but also appreciate being able to share time with family and friends in their home country, Zimbabwe.

As a team, they love being able to entertain, share stories and meet new people to learn theirs. Robbie and Sofie are keen on keeping charters light-hearted while making it a priority to go above and beyond so that their guests always have an adventure to remember.

CREW: KIRSTIN KLOPPERS
Kirsten, a native of South Africa, grew up enjoying the pleasant climate and taking part in various outdoor activities, such as photography, swimming, and showjumping. She excelled in golf and earned several titles and a place on provincial teams before scuba diving captured her imagination during her first dive in the ocean. She attended the University of Johannesburg where her studies in Industrial Design deepened her appreciation of the ocean ecosystem and sparked a passion for developing projects to address ocean conservation. As her interest in photography shifted to the underwater world, she found herself drawn to a non-traditional career and pursued full-time work in diving and sailing. She honed her skills in Tuna fishing and spearfishing while working for a fishing charter company in Cape Town. Today, her love for the ocean and marine life remains one of her greatest passions.