Originally hailing from outside Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, David grew up with the ocean as an integral part of his life. A lifelong sailing and watersports enthusiast, he is a true waterman at heart, with a natural affinity for life on and around the sea. His passion for sailing developed from an early age and ultimately became the foundation of his professional career. David progressed into the world of large-yacht sailing, building extensive experience across an exceptionally broad range of vessels—from high-performance Grand Prix racing yachts to luxury sailing superyachts, and just about everything in between. Throughout his career, David has operated superyachts extensively across the Mediterranean, Caribbean, the United States, South Pacific, New Zealand, Australia and Southeast Asia. This international experience has given him a broad understanding of the operational, logistical and cultural challenges involved in managing large yachts across some of the world's most diverse cruising grounds. Complementing his sailing and operational experience is a strong technical background. David has managed and overseen significant refit and maintenance projects at shipyards and facilities around the world, including in the Netherlands, Spain, France, the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia. Working across such a diverse range of countries, shipyards and operating cultures has given him an extensive understanding of different facilities, infrastructure and working practices. It has also developed his ability to navigate language barriers, cultural differences and the inevitable challenges associated with complex international projects. More recently, David has taken on the role of Build Captain for Project 007/ Project 3097, a new 53-metre performance cruising yacht. His involvement began at the very inception of the project, developing and writing the original owner's brief from which the designers and naval architects could begin their work. He has since played an integral role in developing the project through its early design and technical phases, with construction scheduled to commence at Vitters Shipyard in the Netherlands in 2027. Alongside his role as Captain, David works closely with his wife, Megan Roberts, who founded Ashore Management Lda in late 2023. Ashore Management is a bespoke, boutique yacht-management company providing tailored support to yachts and their owners across payroll, ISM, crew and account management. David's involvement is primarily focused on technical consultancy, refit supervision and project management, drawing on his extensive operational and technical experience to provide practical, hands-on support to the yachts under management. Despite the increasingly technical and managerial nature of his career, David remains a sailor and waterman at heart. His approach combines practical seamanship, performance sailing and technical knowledge with the experience gained from operating and managing complex yachts and projects around the world. David and Megan have a young family and divide their time between Cape Town, South Africa, and Portugal's Silver Coast, maintaining strong connections to both Southern Africa and Europe.