Capt. Doug and Chef Valerie offer the perfect blend of warmth, hospitality and adventure. A husband and wife team from South Africa, with many years combined cruising, travel and charter experience. To date, Doug and Val have successfully completed over 200 charters in the Caribbean making them one of the most experienced charter crew in the region.

Doug holds a Yachtmaster Offshore Qualification, reinforced with many ocean crossings and coastal voyages. Doug started sailing in his mid twenties, based off the east coast of South Africa, where sailing and weather conditions are notoriously unpredictable and the coastline hazardous. Having grown up on the ocean with surfing, free diving, spear fishing, scuba diving, sailing and yacht racing as his main activities; sailing charters was a natural progression for him. Weekends were occupied with local and coastal racing as well as family sailing with the children. In 1995, in pursuit of our joint ambition to travel to remote places, we left on an extended 6 year cruise aboard our 30 foot yacht together with our two children, then 4 and 6 years old. This adventure took us across the Indian Ocean and back to South Africa, and then across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. During our cruising years we explored remote archipelagos, traveled by yacht many miles up the Amazon River, visited new and unique places, experienced diverse cultures and were exposed to many and varied challenges and opportunities. In 2012, the urge to travel again resulted in the acquisition of Katlyn, our first catamaran, and once again we set off across the Atlantic from Cape Town, spending a year en route, before establishing ourselves in the charter industry in the Caribbean. Along the way we have redeveloped our awareness, appreciation and respect for the ocean, the sky and the weather in all its diversity. In 2018, we upgraded and purchased Gambit, our current charter catamaran, and brought her 4500nm from Italy to the Caribbean.

Doug has been an avid adventure, sport enthusiast throughout his life. After several years of service in a special forces airborne unit, he became involved in Skydiving. He is an advanced skydiver with 2500 jumps, competed on a national level and was the chief instructor at his skydive club prior to his involvement with sailing; he is an experienced paraglider, loves scuba and free diving, as well as water and snow skiing and has completed a number of arduous long distance marathons. He is a natural storyteller and entertainer with a great sense of humor, a charismatic and attentive host, willing to go the extra mile to ensure you get the most out of your vacation whilst ensuring your privacy when appropriate.

Val grew up on a vast dairy farm in the Drakensberg farming district of South Africa, and attended boarding school, before qualifying as a private secretary and then a primary school teacher. She traded horse riding and hiking for sailing, and was perfectly positioned to home school the children while cruising. She is a qualified scuba diver, and enjoys snorkeling, skiing and hiking, and living the island life. She takes pride and pleasure in creating inviting spaces through tasteful choice and use of fabrics and decor, and is an accomplished seamstress. This is evident in the decor aboard Gambit. Many years of monohull sailing and galley responsibilities have enabled her to become a competent and creative chef aboard, fine tuned by various short courses in the culinary arts and bolstered with hundreds of satisfied charter guests.

Doug and Val have a passion for traveling and a special affinity for the African bush, it’s wildlife, beauty, solitude and wide open spaces, and have been fortunate to do an extended three month 4x4 camping safari with roof top tent through some of the most unspoiled and rugged areas of Southern Africa. The freedom of traveling without boundaries inspired a six week camper van tour of New Zealand, wild camping without the constraints of official campsites in the winter wonderland of mountains and fjords. During this time we took the opportunity to try our hand at dog sledding, abseiling and caving. We have spent a month touring Sri Lanka traveling by train and staying in local B&B’s, visited Egypt and driven off the beaten track through the Western Desert, camping in the splendor of the White Desert en route. We have driven across the USA and would love to follow this up with a longer RV trip in the not to distant future.
After 17 years of sailing together, we team up on deck to offer you a fun filled sailing vacation, and when the anchor is down, a companionable, relaxed yet attentive atmosphere is created for you to escape your normal routine and create memories which will live with you forever.

We would love the opportunity to extend a warm welcome to you in the BVI, offer you our hospitality aboard Gambit, and show you around some of our lovely anchorages and must see spots that we’ve come to call home.

Crew are fully vaccinated for Covid 19.

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Meal times are always a significant aspect of any vacation!

On Gambit we aim to provide our guests with attractive meals

which are both appetizing and nutritious, whilst accommodating your

dietary requirements, likes and dislikes as best we can. We focus on preparing

meals using a combination of locally obtained produce such as fresh fish,

chicken, meat, tropical fruit and vegetables, rather than importing exotic

ingredients and out of season foodstuffs. We serve breakfast, a light lunch

and dinner in the cockpit or at the saloon table, with chilled water,

fruit juice, tea or coffee to accompany it.

 

In addition we have our ‘Captains Bar’,  providing you with that perfect glass of

chilled wine, a cold beer or soda, a selection of standard spirits and

mixers, or a sundowner cocktail.

 

SAMPLE MENU

Breakfast

A fruit platter, tropical juice, coffee and tea await you in the

morning followed up with something from the galley:

~ Fluffy cheese omelettes with a variety of fillings,

slices of avocado and crispy bacon ~

~ Creamy scrambled eggs sandwiched between grilled hash browns,

caribbean grilled bananas and roasted tomatoes ~

 ~ Eggs benedict served on an English muffin and topped

with dijon hollandaise sauce and micro greens ~

~ Continental inspired selection of cold cuts,

croissants, muffins, and boiled eggs ~

~ Golden french toast, decadently topped with cinnamon apples,

dried cranberries and coconut rum sauce ~

~ Cold smoked salmon with poached eggs over

baby spinach leaves and crisp potato cubes ~

 ~ Breakfast sausages, caramelized onions, and

over easy eggs done how you like them ~

~ Toast and preserves ~

**

Lunch

This is usually a casual, relaxed meal served family style at the

cockpit table during a break in activities and sailing.

~ Alfresco dining with an assortment of cold cuts and salads,

crispy artisan loaves, chutneys, mustards and condiments ~

~ Sweet thai chilli wraps filled with chicken, greens, sprouts and peanuts ~

~ Bruschetta with red pesto, feta cheese and avocado topping ~

~ Hamburgers from Doug’s barbecue, build your own with a medley of fillings ~

~ Mexican wraps individually created with a variety of fillings ~

~ Grilled buffalo wings accompanied by tropical coleslaw and a tossed salad ~

~ Melty mushroom cheese toasts with a crunchy citrus flavoured carrot salad ~

~ Chef’s quiche with a Caribbean salad ~

**

Dinner

~ Lightly floured pan-fried mahi-mahi served with sautéed potatoes,

veggie tendrils and a creamy lemon butter sauce ~

~ Shrimp platter on a bed of garlic fried rice drizzled and topped with lime wedges ~

~ Fragrant thai coconut curry served with jasmine rice and tropical mango salad ~

~ Slow roasted lamb shanks, crushed potatoes and mange tout,

served with a deglazed red wine sauce and mint jelly ~

~ Grilled spinach and blue cheese stuffed chicken medallions topped

with a creamy sauce and served with steamed vegetables in season ~

~ Linguine with red wine bolognaise, crispy garlic bread and Italian salad ~

~ Barbecued steak, served with potato gratin and warm beetroot salad ~

~ Oriental stir fry incorporating colourful peppers, and

bright greens served on a bed of penne ~

~ Pork tenderloin medallions flambéed and served with a Mount Gay

Jamaican Rum sauce and colorful roasted veges ~

~ Barbecued tuna steaks marinated and served with a

sesame ginger lime sauce, and couscous tossed veggies ~

~ Asian inspired salmon with quinoa and black bean medley ~

**

Desserts

~ Flambéed banana crepes, dusted with nutmeg

and topped with ice-cream ~

~ Torched Berry brulee ~

~ Rich dark chocolate mousse sprinkled with mint sugar ~

~ Passionfruit mousse over a honey crumble ~

~ Home made pavlova with colorful berries and chantilly cream ~

~ Apple and cinnamon crumble topped with whipped cream ~

~ Poached pears in a red wine reduction with a scoop of vanilla ice cream ~