Roland Bouwkamp, Dutch, was raised surrounded by water and sailboats. The family-owned 20-feet Orion was taken for granted and gave him the spirit and joy of sailing. He studied in Holland, Hotel School management, worked in Germany and France and returned to Holland to enter sales and marketing, for a car rental company. At the age of 31 he quit from one day to another, dissatisfied with his life. After a 6-month break he applied for a job with Medecins sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders), a medical NGO. With a specialization in finance and administration he worked the next 6 years in some of the most war-torn and disaster stricken countries in the world. The last two years he was a member of the Emergency Team of Medecins sans Frontieres. Roland spent time and worked in Rwanda, Burundi, Zaire, Brazzaville, Albania, Macedonia, Zambia Kosovo, Albania and Sudan.

In the last 7 years (while working for Medecins Sans Frontieres) he took up sailing once again, spending most of the summer sailing in Greece for a Dutch based charter company. By now he is familiar with most of the Greek Islands and knows almost every boat from 30 to 60+ feet. Feedback from clients over the years convinced him that he was one of the best in the business and capable of ensuring an unforgettable experience onboard. His experience with living on a boat for extended periods of time with guests and chartering, combined with his love and respect for the sea, made him very aware of what a yacht and a charter need to offer.

Roland has been a constant presence throughout the restoration of SYLPHE in Turkey, which began in November of 1999 and took until the beginning of June 2000 to complete. Since then he is living on and sailing with Sylphe.

Roland speaks fluent Dutch, English, French and German.

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