Sam Forbes, Captain

Sailing runs in the blood in Sam’s family. His father was an award-winning skipper in round the world races and the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Growing up in England it’s his dad who taught him to sail at a young age and introduced him to the world of yachting. He started out with superyacht racing onboard 60m Perini Navi SEAHAWK, and 44.7m Vitters NINGALOO. From there he stepped into roles on spectacular J Class Yachts 39m Endeavour and 43.4m Lionheart where he worked on cruising programs, refits, deliveries, and racing preparations. Sam took on some freelance positions with smaller carbon yachts and worked as first mate onboard 34m Baltic NILAYA before he took the opportunity to be captain of ONYX.

The Pacific Ocean is his favourite destination, but he loves any location that’s secluded with blue water. On ONYX he enjoys the sleek design and ‘old school’ style of sailing that incorporates modern technology but still takes a hands-on approach with minimal use of hydraulic furlers.


Emma Carmichael, Stewardess

Emma hails from Falmouth Cornwall in the UK. She studied law at university for 4 years before changing her path to yachting, allowing her to earn an income while exploring different parts of the world. Over the past several years she’s created exceptional experiences for her guests aboard successful motor and sailing yachts, both charter and private, including 65m MY SHEMARA, 47m SY AQUARIUS, and 34m SY NILYAYA. Now Emma is keeping guests happy on ONYX, where she brings her experience and high standard of service to everything she does. West Coast Mallorca and Croatia are two of her favourite corners of the world, and she enjoys hiking and swimming.



Stephen Bannon, Engineer

Born in Melbourne Australia, Stephen completed an electrical apprenticeship and then moved to Europe to travel. He spent a decade working as an electrician in the UK before moving to Barcelona where he became a superyacht engineer. Since then he’s cruised the world and kept systems up and running on a long list of sailing yachts including 3 in the J Class fleet: Rainbow, Endeavour, and Hanuman. Stephen’s ultimate destination is Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands, and in his spare time he enjoys swimming and keeping fit.


Jess Ellis, Chef

Jess grew up in Knysna, South Africa, and it’s her mother’s love of sailing the first drew her to the yachting industry. She started out as a stewardess on sailing yachts but always had her sights set on the galley. Her love of food and nutrition pushed her to make the leap to a cooking role in 2020, and she joined ONYX as chef in 2022. Her focus is on providing healthy and beautifully presented meals, with an emphasis on fresh locally sourced ingredients. Jess’s food is prepared with love, always combining enticing colours and textures with delicious tastes. She especially enjoys building luxurious salads and putting decadent lunch platters together for guests to enjoy. Jess also loves sailing, is a PADI Divemaster, and a keen hiker.