— why the crew matters
On a small boat, in a remote place, for ten days at a time — you don’t just meet the crew, you live alongside them. The captain becomes the person you trust with the anchor set at night. The chef becomes the person whose kitchen you drift into with a glass of wine, watching dinner happen.
THE CAPTAIN
Cahors, Southwestern France · 15+ years at sea
Adrien.
Adrien was born in France and has spent more than fifteen years exploring the world by boat, by bicycle, and — when the mood strikes — on foot. He’s owned his own sailboat in New Caledonia, worked as a captain on charter and private yachts, and served as a deckhand on superyachts. In 2013 he crossed the Atlantic. Then, in one of the more improbable career decisions in ocean sports, he got off the boat and spent the next seven years cycling across Latin America.
“The best places I’ve been, I got to slowly”
He came back to the sea in 2022 with a Pacific crossing from Mexico to New Zealand, which is where his path crossed Dani’s. He’s been sailing ever since. An avid freediver and spearfisherman — usually the reason the fish on your dinner plate is on your dinner plate — Adri speaks French, English, and Spanish fluently, and has spent enough time in the South Pacific to read the wind, the reef, and the room.
What guests notice about Adri isn’t the paperwork or the résumé. It’s how completely at home he is on the water, and how naturally that transfers to the people around him. Whether he’s threading a pass with a strong tide, planning a spearfishing dive off the boat, or sharing a coffee at sunrise while the anchor watch ticks over, he does all of it the same way — quietly, warmly, and well.
ADRIEN’S CREDENTIALS
RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Offshore · STCW Basic Safety Training
Personal survival · Fire prevention & fire fighting · First aid · Personal safety & social responsibilities
THE CHEF & HOST
Santiago, Chile · Rapa Nui to the Pacific
Dani.
Dani was born in Chile and spent much of her early adult life on Rapa Nui — Easter Island — where she owned and ran her own restaurant. Cooking for the people who live 3,700 kilometers from the nearest continent teaches you a few things about resourcefulness, generosity, and what a shared meal is actually for. Eventually the ocean called louder than the shore, and she left the restaurant to work on charter yachts, superyachts, and private sailing boats as a deckhand, chef, and dive instructor.
“Every dinner on Holoholo is a small ceremony. That’s the whole point.”
In 2022 she crossed the Pacific from Easter Island to New Zealand aboard a series of sailing boats — the kind of voyage where you meet the wind, the weather, and yourself on equal terms. Somewhere in Fiji she met Adri, who was crossing the same ocean in the other direction. They’ve been sailing together ever since.
Dani is a certified scuba diving instructor, a certified yoga teacher, and a working chef — a rare combination, and exactly what a small crewed sailing boat needs. She speaks Spanish, English, and French fluently, with conversational Portuguese. When she’s not sailing, you’ll most likely find her underwater — diving, freediving, or with a camera in her hand.
DANI’S HATS
Chef, dive instructor, yoga teacher, deckhand, underwater photographer. On most yachts these are five different people. On Holoholo, they’re all Dani.
— together
Eight seasons and counting.
— Meet at sea, 2022
Fiji, and everything since.
Our paths crossed in Fiji during our Pacific crossings — Adrien sailing west from Mexico, Dani coming north from Easter Island. We’ve been sailing through life together ever since.
On the boat, we share every responsibility naturally — Adrien at the helm and on the spear, Dani in the galley and under the water with a camera. What we care about most is that our guests feel comfortable, safe, and at home. We’re both easygoing, we love meeting people, and we believe some of the best memories are made through shared experiences at sea.
— what guests say about them
“We came for the sailing, but honestly what we’re going to remember is Adrien and Dani. Adrien read the weather and our moods equally well. Dani cooked meals that will haunt me for years — in the best possible way.”
John D.
TUAMOTUUS EXPEDITION · 2026
Sail with
Adrien and Dani.
Questions about the crew, the boat, or the trip? Get in touch