Captain Eugen Ercegovic comes from a family with a long tradition of being captains and boat owners. Choosing to make the maritime world his trade, he first qualified by graduating from The Split Faculty of Maritime Studies in 1985 and later rose to Second Officer on intercontinental commercial lines. Eugen has logged many nautical miles on a wide variety of ships navigating the waters of many seas. After this international experience, he was ready to join his father in the family business, on charter vessels. Eugen is a highly qualified captain and a great asset to the yacht and crew.
With his leadership skills, hospitable personality and wealth of experience, together with his very positive and professional team, he guarantees the guests a highly enjoyable, safe and unforgettable stay on board this great vessel. Eugen worked closely with the naval architect and was the creative force behind the design of SY Navilux, which was built from the desire to provide the best service on the best yacht in Croatia.
As a knowledgeable and experienced captain, Eugen welcomes you to step aboard SY Navilux for an unforgettable cruise.
After high school Ivana decided to gain experience in sailing and hospitality independently, outside of the family business. For 2 years Ivana was chief hostess on a private yacht, sailing in the Mediterranean. After this invaluable experience, Ivana obtained a degree in Business at The American College for Management and Technology (RIT) in Dubrovnik.
With her outgoing and friendly character Ivana effortlessly creates good vibes among the crew and builds excellent team spirit. Her main goal is to provide additional value in all aspects of the family business on SY Navilux. Ivana has now put her management skills to the service of SY Navilux and to the guests on board. Not only does Ivana know how to make people feel comfortable by caring for their every need, she also has a wealth of knowledge about local history, and what the Adriatic has to offer her clients. She has diligently and charmingly grown a support network of service providers within the local community for the benefit of clients on board Navilux.
Ivana’s hobbies are fashion, travelling and music. During winter time, it is almost impossible to reach her at home; she is travelling around the globe to meet her friends from college as she switches from her summer role of high-end professional stewardess to winter role of traveller and guest. She finds this extremely important, both for her personal and professional development. Every season Ivana implements new design trends to enhance the interior of Navilux, as well as new guidelines and tips on providing the best service for her guests on board.
After formal education and training at a culinary high school, Zlatko immediately started to collect working experience in restaurants along the Dalmatian coast during the tourist season. Highly motivated by nature, he had no desire to spend his winters at home, so he took the challenging opportunity to work as a chef on a merchant vessel, where he had to work with and combine limited ingredients to deliver diverse and high-quality menus.
Back in 2006 Zlatko started his career as a chef on a luxury charter yacht, after being recommended by his high school teacher. Since then, even though he would work during the winter in restaurants, Zlatko was back on a charter yacht every season. Once introduced to working in a charter yacht galley, Zlatko recognized the immeasurable satisfaction of cooking for a smaller group of guests without the limitations of set menus. He enjoys knowing his guests' food preferences and dietary restrictions in advance and being able to develop personalized meal plans for each group, which encourages him to explore and combine different cuisines. It is completely justified to say that being a chef on a charter yacht is Zlatko's vocation.
Over the last 13 years, Zlatko has become well-known as a specialized master chef in the Croatian yacht charter industry; a complete and detailed connoisseur not only because of his superb cooking and plate presentation, but also for his "life on the yacht" hacks that only a highly interested and devoted chef would notice and implement in their work. Zlatko knows his guests’ appetites - when is the right time to offer lighter meals, when is the moment to reduce the portions, he balances the desert you had in the previous meal with the next, calculating an appropriate amount of sugar for each desert, all whilst keeping in mind the different preferences of each member of the group. A perfect juggling act!
Zlatko says he needs only 3 types of ingredients for his gastro-creations; fresh, local & healthy. He will take you on a journey through any cuisine you request, but having known him for years, here is our recommendation: give him guidelines and let him create your gourmet experience. A charter on Navilux with Zlatko as your chef is truly an experience you don't want to limit in any way.
Organized and with hands-on experience as a seaman (more than once he has offered to take the position of captain of the yacht) he is a cheerful member at the heart of the team and fits in easily as he knows the yacht and her crew well.
Zlatko has obtained all the qualifications and titles of specialized education for chefs available in Croatia: Master Chef Program finished Cum Laude in 2011 at Split School for Tourism and Hospitality, in 2015 he was awarded the title of Master Chef from the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Arts in Split.
Beside cooking and exploring what's new in the world of pots and pans, Zlatko is passionate about cars, a skilled car mechanic and licensed truck driver as well, he loves to play football (five-a-side) with his friends. Zlatko and his wife will take any opportunity to travel - both are passionate about broadening horizons and romantic escapes, which are well-deserved, as they are devoted parents of three children.
After graduating from The American College of Management and Technology (ACMT) in Dubrovnik (now RIT) specializing in Professional Service, Toni continued his career and education in Colorado, USA, where he lived and worked from 2001 - 2003.
During his work in the Hyatt Regency Beaver Creek Hotel, Avon, and later in The Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado Springs, Tony undertook specialized training programs while at the same time working in all positions in the field of food and beverages management in these hotels (from steward/waiter to bartender, ending as supervisor of the food and beverage department). This gave him a full picture of the essence and necessity of team work, organization and time management.
After his return to Croatia, Toni joined the USAID Community Engagement Project as a consultant, developing the training program for the employee management system and establishing quality service guidelines for three new luxury hotels in Split.
Soon he was noticed by the management of Le Meridien Lav Hotel in Split where Toni spent a decade as a detailed and devoted manager of different food and beverage sections, managing during that period three bars, room service, two restaurants and banquets in the hotel, and coordinating the work of up to 50 employees.
In 2016 Toni accepted a proposal from Navilux management, as he was looking forward to getting back to direct work with clients and he felt it was time to take a break from his management career and become a part of the exclusive and enthusiastic team on board this luxury sailing yacht. From the first charter the Navilux team had only praise for Toni: "He simply blended in, like he had known us and the yacht for years." Attentive, measured, cheerful and hard-working, nothing is a bother for him, always smiling and helping - all of these words come up when you ask about Toni.
Toni ensures that everyone’s needs and expectations are met in a welcoming and professional manner. Enthusiastic about his role on board SY Navilux, Toni has mastered the art of unobtrusive yet impeccable service. In his free time Toni is an aquarist, enjoys fishing, sport - basketball and football in particular, and loves to travel. But most of all, he enjoys his role of father to his nearly one-year-old baby daughter.
After attending maritime high school Marin gained experience in both yachting and commercial shipping. Marin approaches his job in a very professional way. The captain of Navilux will often say that Marin is a born sailor, with a natural talent for immaculate assistance in manoeuvering the yacht, giving unbelievably precise instructions based on estimations and predictions, or more simply – having a feeling for the sea and wind.
His engineering knowledge, organization skills, devotion to detail and constant awareness of every working segment of Navilux as a mechanical entity, together with the fact that he has been on board from the first season (2012) will definitely contribute to your overall feeling of being in capable and safe hands on board this luxury yacht. Marin is truly devoted to his job and has a well-balanced approach; he is simply there whenever you need him, ready for any task with a professional and affable manner.
Srdjan, or Sergio, has grown up with boats. He has been a crew member of Navilux since the beginning of her construction so it is no exaggeration to say that he knows the yacht from inside out.
Sergio’s warm and kind personality has made him the favorite crew member among the crew and highly appreciated by the clients. Always ready to help, work hard, and to assist other crew members, he is the kind of person that can simplyfit into any role on board and he does this all with a great sense of humor.
Born and raised in Laguna, Philippines, her formal education gained her a BSc in Computer Science, but Frenzy's outgoing and adventurous spirit couldn't sit long behind a programmer's desk. Interaction with people is Frenzy's strong point, so she found much more pleasure working as a restaurant supervisor and fashion sales consultant in Manila. Her hobby and passion from an early age was singing. Frenzy made a career out of this, while living in Japan, where she was a professional singer. After two years of performing on the club stages of Kyoto and Osaka, Frenzy returned to The Philippines to work as a receptionist at the Ronette Villareal Junsay Hotel, Manila.
She spent two years here before being offered the position of housekeeper in the Philippine Ambassador’s residence in Croatia. It was an exciting opportunity to again do something new and different, so of course Frenzy accepted it with enthusiasm and organized the household and staff in the Ambassador's residence for the next two years.
For the past 3 years Frenzy has been living with her Croatian husband in the charming Croatian coastal town of Trogir, and is now excited to join Navilux this season. Her kind nature and fun personality, strong work ethic and energy are exactly what the management of Navilux was looking for.
Stipe rounds off this crew as another excellent new addition to the team. Stipe was born in Switzerland where he spent his early childhood, before coming to Croatia where he continued his higher education, gaining qualifications in construction and surveying. Stipe worked in this industry for 6 years, travelling all around Europe, measuring the formation and infrastructure stability of tunnels. It was a high-risk job that provided an environment of adventure and challenge; Stipe gained many valuable skills in this role, placing teamwork above everything else.
However, when Stipe grew restless in this role, he turned his heard and his heart to a career at sea. In his words, he has: “always loved the sea, adventure and travel – working on yachts provides all of this, it also gives me the opportunity to meet people from all around the world and to explore and understand the diversities and similarities within human society and a variety of cultures”.
Stipe has built a respectable reputation in the yachting industry; this is his sixth season aboard charter yachts and he is dedicated to reaching his long-term goal - to one day captain a charter yacht. A hardworking and committed crew member, attentive and respectful Stipe was targeted by Navilux management and offered the opportunity to join the Navilux team.
Stipe has an adventurous spirit and outside of yachting, he is also passionate about nature, hiking and motorbikes.
Along with Stipe's attributes, which make him a valuable deckhand, he also contributes to the overall ethos and atmosphere of the boat and crew with his excellent team spirit, sense of humor and highly likeable personality.