Your Crew
Darragh McCarthy Head Captain
Crew Profile
Captain Darragh McCarthyDarragh has sailed professionally for more years than he cares to remember, so he brings a wealth of knowledge and experience. With more than 150,000 miles notched up around the globe (over 4,000 of those single-handed in the Pacific), Darragh’s focus is to ensure that all of our guests have the best possible experience, during their time on Lir.
Darragh has spent a considerable amount of his life in the Mediterranean (Greece, Italy, particularly Naples, Sardinia and Sicily areas and Malta), plus areas as varied as, Costa Rica, Mexico and the Caribbean.
Growing up on the beautiful west coast of Ireland Darragh spent most of his time on the water so it was inevitable that being at sea would become his life and with many a story ready to share with guests you can rest assured he will keep you entertained.
Chef Jonathan Levy
Crewing on Lir has enabled Jonathan to put together his enjoyment of being a professional Chef and the thrill of sailing.
Growing up, he always had a passion and curiosity for cooking and foods generally. As a young boy he was always in the kitchen helping his father with dinners. This interest developed and evolved, so much so that he started his professional career at 16 years old, with a chefs apprenticeship based in Switzerland. From that beginning, Jonathan later found himself working in well-known kitchens with “high ranking” chefs, whilst retaining his passion by working with street food vendors in many different countries.
Jonathan has been fortunate to become a highly creative Chef who has a flair for developing individual, flavourful dishes - being able to do that whilst catering for different styles and dietary requirements.
Sailing was a family holiday and a pastime for him; however, a few years ago he decided to turn that to a far more professional interest and Jonathan completed his RYA Offshore qualification thereafter skippering a monohull for a season in Greece and a Catamaran in Guadeloupe.
His plan with Lir is “to be able to continue to develop both passions, focussing on giving his guests memorable food experiences alongside enjoyable and safe cruising”.
Stewardess Valerie Stathem-Sprod
Valerie served as a Flotilla Skipper in Croatia in 2024, which included up to 15 other yachts. Her role included guiding guests on island excursions, assisting with their holiday plans, and ensuring the highest levels of customer service throughout the week.
With extensive experience in high-end hospitality, Valerie has worked as a Front of House Manager in hotels, restaurants, and theaters for many years before embarking on a career at sea. Her expertise also includes organizing and leading various themed events, such as murder mystery nights.
Rest assured, with Valerie's experience, your guests are in the best hands.
Daniel Yelseth
Daniel grew up in South Africa always gravitating to the sea and water sports,
becoming an experienced kite-surfer and loving his fishing . As soon as it was feasible he qualified for a future career at sea with his RYA PowerBoat
and Open Water Diving and then graduated into yacht sailing and water-craft . He can also add a lot of fun to any charter , not just “out on the water” but also with his other passion - for photography and drone operation . To round out his present skills sets , Daniel has also enjoyed graduating from a
SuperYacht Steward training programme . This will be his 3rd full season with Lir in the Tyrrhenian Sea and Corsica areas .
