NIKA ONE

Crew Profile

TONI Ljubović - CAPTAIN
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Captain TONI, 39 years, was born in Split, Croatia, and from the very earliest age has been in the most complete sense a total man of the sea. By the age of three he was already accompanying his father on his fishing boat plying the Adriatic for the perfect catch and it was this very early experience which developed his deep love and affinity with boats and the water.

He grew up in and around the extensive sailing community in Split. Before the age of ten he had already acquired advanced sailing qualifications and was to be seen each weekend carving through the waves on his special dinghy 'Lorimar.' By the time he reached his teens he had developed into an extremely competent helmsman with a love for anything connected to the water: TONI was also a national swimming and water polo champion at junior level and gained a reputation locally as an excellent diver who had a side business selling shells from his underwater exploits.


TONI knows the Dalmatian islands like the back of his hands and will impress you with his in-depth knowledge of each island, each restaurant, each bay, and all the interesting sites and things to do. A discreet and quiet Captain extremely proficient in all matters related to boat handling, he used to skipper one of the local 57ft sailing yachts called 'Dora' that went around the world. He also sailed extensively in Greece, BVI, Montenegro, Italy and Spain. He is an active member of the sailing community in Split and has won awards in several sailing races. Toni is also a university graduate where he excelled with a major in sailing.

TONI has over 11 years' experience at skippering commercially with charter guests on boats of varying sizes. Professionalism, quiet efficency, and good humour are his main characteristics and he will make sure that you have what you need throughout your charter.

He is married to Marina, the hostess aboard, and is fluent in Croatian and English.

MARINA Ljubović - HOSTESS
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MARINA is at once a very experienced and professional hostess and also the wife of Captain TONI. They met on a sailing trip they had both joined around the Mediterranean ( where else? ) and the rest is history. MARINA's background is in hospitality; she graduated from one of the best hospitality schools in Split. She is also a trained chef and delights in preparing snacks and hors d'oeuvres for guests on occasion.

Having started sailing as a hostess on various sailing yachts later on in her career, she incorporated her love for cooking into her hostess role. She is highly responsive, detail-oriented, and passionate about delivering an unforgettable vacation experience for guests. From helping Ivan to organize impeccable meals to ensuring every aspect of the journey runs smoothly, she goes above and beyond to exceed guest expectations.

Her warm personality and attentive service have consistently received high praise from clients. Marina has previously lived in London and Perth, Australia and speaks good English.

IVAN Cagalj - CHEF
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Having graduated from one the best private culinary schools in Split, Ivan's carreer started at the Le Meriden Lav, a 5 star hotel in Split where he mastered his cooking skills as well as developed an impeccable eye for presentation. More recently he also worked at several other high end hotels such as Martinis Marchi on Solta and has accumulated a very impressive CV.

His culinary ethos is all about incorporating fresh local produce, hence he tries to source local ingredients where possible. His passion is Dalmatian Cuisine (a light Med cuisine based on a lot of veg, fresh fish and meat) however he is able to adapt to any cuisine and delights in showing his skills by adapting to the various palates of international guests.

He is happy to receive feedback and incorporate client suggestions and wishes into his menus, and has a happy personable manner which has won him a lot of friends on the boats and many very satisfied clients.