- born in 1961, Brussels, Belgium
- married with 3 children and living in Ireland for the last 26 years
- joint the Merchant Navy in 1981 working on a wide variety of commercial vessels
- studied Marine engineering in Antwerp Nautical College and qualified as Chief Engineer in 1991
- as a passion for sailing and is owner of a Warrior 35
- joint the crew of TS Pelican of London in 2017