TEAM LIR
Captain Hennie Goudswaard
Hennie was always going to end up with a life at sea, on the sea and by the sea …as well as often enough under it too, as he loves diving!
He is Dutch by birth and grew up near the North Sea, learning to sail from the young age of 10 years old - as many lifelong professionals do. Gradually his enjoyment and pleasure became a career and he became both a sailing instructor and RYA Yachtmaster .
In 2007 Hennie moved to Greece , where he started his own charter company with which he sailed all types of catamarans and mono-hulls , including some very large boats up to 125’ length , throughout the Mediterranean and often in winter further afield .
After 15 years he decided to sell-on his business and get back to his real love of being a Captain , which he achieved in 2023, and he now joins Lir as your Captain bringing with him a deep knowledge of our cruising areas , yachts , water sporting equipment , all mixed with a genial character and great humour .
Hennie also brings with him the experience of 17 years water sports instruction and being a PADI Rescue Diver for the last 31 years.
By the way - he also loves cooking , especially Asian food and BBQ for the catch of the day .
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 Morag (Mok)
Mok grew up in South Africa, where she always had a strong affinity with the sea and water sports .
Mok later moved to the Netherlands, where she worked for 10 years as an Occupational Therapist before her own “wanderlust” took over and she moved to Corfu in Greece where she began to redirect her life and began working on charter boats , in general maintenance and also refurbishment out of season . In the meantime she started to sail with friends and seeing industry potential Mok started up her own provisioning company for yachts and villas. This mix led her to gain both experience and qualifications so that for the last 6 years she has been working as a Sous- Chef and Stewardess on numerous types of sailing yachts. Mok is a fan of Mediterranean and Thai kitchen styles so is a great asset for Lir’s guests as her own menus and styles can compliment and add to the offering we give our guests from Jonathan .
Mok speaks fluent English , German , Greek , Dutch and is a genuine Team Member on Lir, bringing so much to our guests comfort and enjoyment of their time with us .