HALARA

Captain: JD Barrier

Nationality: French

JD BARRIER | Captain | French
Jean-Damien aka ‘’JD’’ was born in Bordeaux, France in 1983. After many years sailing dinghies in
Corsica he logically ended up working on various sailing yacht going around the world or racing in the
Mediterranean. He then decided to continue his career on some private motor yachts such as C Star, Lady
Christina or Ice Angel before spending more than 5 and half years on Lady Britt on the best charter
yacht around and learn from the top charter Captains. Captain JD holds a MCA Master 3000gt certificate
from the Isle of Wight in the UK where he studied on and off for 10 years. He was the first cadet to obtain
that qualification in 2015. He is an avid but noisy tennis player (he likes to raise a racquet!) and used to
work as umpire in the French Tennis Open Roland Garros where he was a line umpire for the
Ladies final in 2005. He loves skiing, sailing and a nice glass of red wine from Bordeaux or course.

RORY GUY | Chief Officer | British
Rory is from a cluster of small British islands called the Isles of Scilly. After moving to Cornwall, where he
studied sports science at University, Rory continued this path and began personal training in the city of
Bristol. After his time in the UK, Rory decided to take the plunge and enter the world of yachting. He now
has 7 years’ experience working worldwide onboard charter and private yachts. Rory has strong passions
for all sports especially golf to which he played at regional and national level within the UK! Although
the Safety Officer onboard, Rory is still fun and approachable so please don’t be afraid to ask him any
questions you may have, and he may even teach you some
moves in the gym if you’re lucky!

MARCEL ORBAN | Chief Engineer | Romanian
Marcel was born in Constanta, Romania, located on the west coast of the Black Sea. After studying
Maritime at the University of Constanta he gained his Class I ticket in engineering and has been serving as
an engineer on board commercial vessels and yachts since 2007. Marcel is dad to three wonderful children
and one French Bulldog! If he finds some free time, Marcel enjoys off-road racing, fishing and playing
backgammon. Perhaps he can challenge you to a game onboard!

VLADIMIR KRUPENKO | Chief Engineer | Ukranian
Vlad is from the Odessa region in Ukraine. In 2010 he started his engineering studies at Maritime college
aiming to achieve the highest rank of commercial shipping. After several years on ro-ro cargo ships Vlad
decided to switch things up and head over to the more glamourous side of the industry. He then fell in
love with the high end and well-kept engineering department on superyachts and has not looked back
since! Vlad strives to keep everything in tip top order and will ensure your time onboard Halara runs as
smoothly as possible. With his love for boats and his passion for Motorsports Vlad is certainly a handy
person to have around!

TOM JACOBSOHN | Bosun | Swedish
Tom takes his roots in Sweden where he grew up next to the coast. At a young age, he competed in
national sailing regattas until moving to London. He has several passions, one of them being endurance
rallying as he drives and maintains his own classic car. Yachting has been Tom’s bread and butter since
2020 though, before was aiming at a career in industrial and product design. Try not to mention anything
related to film cameras in front of him as you may be talking for longer than you’d like!

BRANDON CARTER | Deckhand | British
Brandon is from Leeds and spent his early yachting career sailing around the UK on sailing vessels
between 10-25M. After skippering several classic sailing yachts and doing a crossing from Nova Scotia
to Liverpool, in 2022 Brandon looked for a new challenge and decided to join superyachts. When he’s
not out exploring the local area Brandon is either watching or talking about football! He is a friendly face
to have around and always keen to jump in the water to assist you.

SONIA DONATI | Chef | Italian
Originally from Tuscany in Italy, Chef Sonia now happily bases herself in Barcelona. She speaks fluent
Spanish and Catalan as well as English, French and remarkably good Italian! Sonia delights in creating
dishes on the spur of the moment, incorporating the flavor and nuances of fresh local produce.
Chefing on both sail and power yachts for over 10 years, Sonia draws from a wealth of experience
including her native cuisine and loves the challenge of catering to the diverse palettes of guests!

ALICE EDWARDS | Chief Stew | British
Alice is from the UK and joined the yachting industry in 2011. After several years at sea and extensive
travel in between, Alice decided to pursue her love of nature to gain a bachelor’s degree in Wildlife
Conservation back home in Bristol. After her graduation in 2020 she headed to Malawi, Africa, to work
in carnivore conservation and subsequently managed a luxury safari lodge. She has since returned
to yachting and looks forward to welcoming you on Halara, and of course guarantees a fantastic time
onboard!

CHYNNA KERLIN | 2nd Stew | American
Chynna is from the influential and multicultural city of Atlanta, GA. While completing her studies in
Business and Spanish, Chynna worked at The Ritz-Carlton where she discovered a passion for luxury
hospitality. Her love for travel and refined background in hospitality made it clear that her next step would
be toward an industry where her interests could thrive: yachting, of course! She enjoys all things creativeart,
fashion, and literature, to name a few. She spends much of her free time doing yoga, traveling, and
wining and dining with friends and family.

GRETA STANTON-HOUGH | Stewardess | New Zealand
Greta is from the coastal town of Mount Maunganui in New Zealand. Before yachting Greta was
pursuing a legal career within in the family jurisdiction. After 3 years in this role, she decided to
leave her hometown of 23 years to travel and join the superyacht industry! Her Kiwi charm will certainly
put a smile on your face, if you can understand what she is saying of course!