IARA Yacht Charter

Captain: Paul Bowring

In 2017, Paul and Lexy unknowingly began an adventure of a lifetime when they met working for Broadreach as a sailing instructor and scuba diving instructor respectively. During that summer season, they sailed up and down the Southern Caribbean leading groups of 13-17 year olds from all around the world. When parting ways after that summer, they knew somehow it was fate that they would come together again somewhere in the Caribbean Sea. Since then, the couple spent six years in St. Vincent & the Grenadines and stints aboard privately owned vessels across the Caribbean, the UK and the Mediterranean.


Captain Paul was born in the UK but was raised all over the globe. From living in South Korea to the Devon countryside, his fascination with travel and other cultures began quite early. When his family settled in Brixham, Paul and his father bonded through sailing. What started as a hobby soon became a passion, and that passion turned into a career. In 2015, Paul left his life in England as a hotel manager and sailed across the Atlantic. Along with a group of three others, he sailed from the Canary Islands and landed in the Southern Caribbean. After exploring the diverse islands, Paul made Bequia his home, where he captained the jewel of the Grenadines, The Friendship Rose – a classic 100-foot wooden schooner built in Bequia. After three years in this role, he moved on to captain Star of the Sea, a 35-meter motor yacht, for another three years. During this time, he also captained a wide variety of yachts, including his own catamaran, Cataja.

In his spare time, Paul volunteered with Bequia Junior Sailors, an organization that encourages young people to expand their knowledge and skills within the historical sailing community in the Grenadines. In 2019, Paul transitioned to freelance work, captaining a variety of boats throughout the Caribbean islands. Before embarking on his sailing career, Paul climbed the hospitality ladder, working in various hotels, bars, and restaurants, eventually earning a general manager position at Queen’s Court Hotel & Quayside Hotels in the UK. Paul holds an RYA Yachtmaster Offshore certification and an AEC 1.


Lexy was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, but as an island girl at heart, the sea has always felt like home. While living in New York City, Lexy had a career in event planning and marketing, which she continued when she relocated to St. Vincent & the Grenadines (her father’s home country), working for the Bequia Beach Hotel. After a year behind the desk with the sea right outside her office door, Lexy quit her 9-to-5 job to pursue her career as a yoga instructor and started her own studio, Wild Thing Wellness, alongside her family’s Airbnb business, Ohana House Bequia.

In 2019, Lexy began her professional sailing career, acting as first mate and chef aboard Cataja and freelancing with Paul on multi-day charters throughout the Southern Caribbean. For Lexy, cooking is a form of creativity and exploration, so she invites her guests to savor the selections of her carefully curated menu, which is healthy, locally sourced, fresh, and delicious.

“Coming from a multicultural household with roots in the Caribbean and South Korea, my understanding of cooking has always been interlinked with one’s personal history and community. I’m so excited to prepare delicious meals for guests to enjoy as they spend quality time together in some of the most beautiful cruising destinations in the world.”

Each dish fuses luscious local flavors with global inspiration and is truly prepared with love. Some of the best memories are shared around a table with good wine, good food, and good company! Lexy holds a certificate in culinary nutrition and her Food & Hygiene Level 2, and she recently completed a culinary nutrition certificate from Leith’s School of Food & Wine.

As innate adventurers and people-people, Paul and Lexy's passions for travel and hospitality come together magically through the yachting industry. “We really put in the effort to make our guests feel a true sense of adventure and ease while they’re aboard their home away from home. Through sharing our love for food & sailing we create a high-end adventure that is also authentic and true to us, so our guests truly enjoy a slice of paradise aboard the yacht.”