Darren Lim, Celebrity Skipper & Yacht Owner

Being a TV actor and host for more than 20 years, Darren has become a household name and a face easily (and excitedly) recognized by most Singaporeans. Known for his sense of adventure, he has lived with his family of 6 (including 4 adorable children) on board his yacht, Gracefully, for close to 3 years. Prior to Gracefully, his children also grew up at sea on board his previous 3 yachts. With his vast knowledge about the ocean and marine life, and his experience in sailing and diving, Darren hopes to educate and inspire more people to appreciate the great outdoors through our yacht charters and sailing programs.

On board Gracefully, Darren has sailed extensively within the region, exploring both the west coast of Malaysia to Phuket, Thailand, and the east coast of Malaysia to Koh Samui, Thailand. Darren is a certified RYA Day Skipper.

Other than being a celebrity, a father and our captain, Darren is also a NAUI Master Scuba Diver and enjoys golfing and motorbiking in Singapore and around the region. His ultimate life dream is to sail and motorbike around the world with his wife, Evelyn Tan.

Darren is Singaporean Chinese, and speaks English, Mandarin, and various dialects. 

Victor Faustino, Chief Engineer &
Business Manager (Yacht Care Services)

Leaving his family with 5 children at home, Victor travelled all the way from Philippines to Singapore to earn a steady income so he could give his sons a good life and education. While he is still brushing up on his English, Victor started as a deckhand without any knowledge about the sea, but has since become the team's super handyman/engineer who can fix literally anything on board, has crawled into every corner and hole on our yachts, and is constantly finding ways to make things easier and better. His skills have even been noticed by our boating neighbours, which has enabled the company to launch our Yacht Care Services department to serve other boaters in their yacht maintenance needs.

Victor’s strong work ethic is motivated by his dream of owning a piece of land in Philippines, on which he can build his own house with a sea view and rice fields and a private dock for Ximula & Gracefully to visit.

Victor has assisted Darren and his family on board Gracefully during many expeditions within the region, including Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. Victor is a certified RYA Competent Crew and a certified Open Water Diver.

Other than helming the repairs of Gracefully & Ximula and leading our Yacht Care Services department, Victor is best at serenading us with his voice and guitar. 

Victor is Filipino, and speaks English and Tagalog. 

Faris Ashraf, Lead Skipper

Prior to joining the Ximula Sail family, Faris was a seafarer, holding the position of Second Deck Officer, who had sailed the high seas - from the South China Sea to the West Pacific, from the Indian Ocean to the high-risk area of the Arabian Sea all the way up to pirates-abundant Gulf of Aden and Red Sea, on board commercial merchant ships, spending an average of 8-10 months out at sea each time.

Tired of being away from home for prolonged periods but still very much a sea-lover, he decided to seek refuge with Ximula Sail, which has made him a very happy sailor as he learns to harness the elements on our sailing yachts, enjoys the interactions with guests on board, and falls in love with snorkeling underwater. With his wealth of experience navigating the open sea, Faris brings to the team a wider perspective of the maritime world and a heightened awareness of safety.

Since joining the Ximula Sail team, Faris has completed sailing passages to the west coast of Malaysia and to Anambas Islands in the South China Sea. Faris is a certified RYA Coastal Skipper and holds an STCW certificate. He is also a certified PADI Advance Open Water Diver.

Other than overhauling the ins-&-outs of Ximula and entertaining all of us on board with his antics, Faris enjoys motorbiking, soccer and freediving.

Faris is Singaporean Malay, and speaks English and Malay.

Vanessa Lim, Sales/Marketing & Crew

Propelled by her love for the sea, Vanessa joined the Ximula Sail family in July 2019 as a marketing intern to assist with market analysis projects, planning and executing community events, and handling customer enquiries. She did such an impressive job that she was converted to a full-time employee within 3 months. She is now the face behind our Facebook Page, Instagram account, and email.

Despite having never sailed before, Vanessa brings with her a strong passion and never-say-cannot attitude towards learning everything about boats and sailing, fresh insights on how to grow the business, and a solutions-oriented approach towards customer service. Her energy is also infectious when she is on board our yacht charters as a crew. She has also sailed with the team to Anambas Islands, Indonesia (and documented her exciting experience on our blog).

Vanessa is a certified PADI Open Water Diver.

Other than replying enquiries daily, she is also holds an Aikido black belt, spends part of her time volunteering with the Rotaract Club, and has developed an interest for cooking, space design, and hand lettering.

Vanessa is Singaporean Chinese, and speaks English and Mandarin.

Hansen Loh, Diver

Being a commercial diver for more than 20 years, Hansen began his commercial diving career as a combat system operator in the Singapore Navy maintaining weapon systems on naval vessels and supervising top secret operations. He later served in several offshore installations for underwater repairs, welding and maintenance works, and inspections.

While his career brought him to places, it was also extremely high-risk where he could lose his life anytime. At the age of 49, he decided to retire from these risky activities so he could care for his mother. With his years of experience in the commercial diving industry, he brought a high level of professionalism and skilled expertise to Ximula Sail’s Yacht Care team, serving private yacht owners’ needs in hull cleaning, inspection and repairs.

Hansen is a ADAS Level Two Occupational Diver, and a certified Surface-Supplied Air Commercial Diver under the Association of Diving Contractors International (ADC). He is also a certified NAUI Divemaster.

Other than checking and cleaning all our bottoms (of our yachts, of course), Hansen enjoys cycling, golfing, and of course anything sun sand and sea. During his free time, a beer or two with friends is his favourite way of winding down.

Hansen is Singaporean Chinese, and speaks English, Mandarin, and various dialects. 

Shawn Lim, Skipper

Shawn became a part of the Ximula Sail family as a part-time crew when we conducted our first recruitment of #ximulasailors in 2017. With his prior work experience in the tourism & F&B industries, Shawn brings an exceptional level of attentiveness towards anticipating guests’ needs and the ability to think of solutions on his feet. His positive attitude towards learning and personal growth has fueled his progression to becoming our skipper.

Having served as the president of Singapore Polytechnic’s sailing club and represented the school in various regattas on regional and international levels, Shawn plays a critical role in equipping our team with sailing knowledge and setting up protocols for our operational processes. He has also sailed with the team on a sailing holiday to Anambas Islands, Indonesia (and made a beautiful video about his experience for our YouTube channel).

Other than working part-time as a skipper on board our yacht charters, Shawn is currently a Business student at Singapore Management University (SMU) and also a certified PADI Rescue Diver, swimming coach and lifeguard.

Shawn is Singaporean Chinese, and speaks English and Mandarin.

Minqi Wong, Business Development & Crew

An outdoor lover since young, Minqi has always dreamed of traveling the world as part of her job. Leveraging on her family yacht Ximula, she is fortunate to be living the dream when she co-founded Ximula Sail together with her dad TC Wong in June 2014. She hopes to share her passion for the outdoors with other like-minded Singaporeans who are always looking for opportunities to get out of our crowded city. 

Despite her poor psycho-motor skills, she picked up sailing from her dad, and has sailed with the family on various expeditions on board Ximula to many beautiful destinations including Phuket and Koh Samui in Thailand, Pulau Tenggol and Redang in Malaysia, and the Lingga and Tambelan Islands in Indonesia.

Minqi started building the business through this website, social media, and the support of amazing friends, but has since passed on this role to Vanessa. Minqi is now focused on business development through partnerships and reaching out to international markets, but will always remain close to the sea and her guests by serving as a crew on board during our yacht charters.

Other than meeting with potential collaborators, Minqi enjoys yoga, freediving, and exploring other places of nature in Singapore with her friends.

Minqi is Singaporean Chinese, and speaks English and Mandarin. 

TC Wong, Yacht Owner

Known for his out-of-the-box thinking and lifestyle, Wong has loved boating since he was a teenager who was always going out fishing with his friends. Pursuing his passion, he used to own a 34ft Riviera powerboat docked at Keppel Marina back in 1994, but had to let it go when finances were tight. After 20 years of regret from letting it go (while working hard to grow his business, Zhaplin Work Pte Ltd), he has finally re-achieved his dream of owning a sailing catamaran, Ximula. 

Other than sailing and enhancing his catamaran, Wong also loves rockclimbing, mountain climbing, traveling to unexplored areas, and basically anything sun and sand and sea. 

Since 2016, Wong has retired from helming Ximula to continue his sailing adventures around Southeast Asia on board his 50ft Leopard sailing catamaran, Ximula III. After months of dreaming and researching and planning, he set sail on 2 Feb 2020 to embark on his 3-year journey sailing from Singapore, through the Java Sea, Raja Ampat Islands of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and into the South Pacific where amazing islands like Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa, and his destination Tahiti, French Polynesia are at.

Wong is Singaporean Chinese, and speaks mainly Mandarin and a little English. 

Join our Team!

The Ximula Sail team is a passionate, diverse, fun-loving and serious-on-duty/crazy-off-duty family. With big dreams and happy hearts, we’re constantly looking for more hands on deck to sail with us toward our vision to inspire a happy sailor in everyone. We are made up of individuals who demonstrate leadership, ownership and good relationship with others in everything we do. Being on the same ship together means every individual plays a part and there is no room for deadweight; there is only room for people who take action, find solutions, spread positive energy, and always go above and beyond.

If you like what we’re made of and are looking for a dynamic environment to learn, grow, and make a real difference, we’d love to hear from you.

We are currently hiring for the following positions:

TO APPLY:

Please drop us an email with your resume, a brief introduction of yourself, your availability and expected salary to minqi@ximulasail.com.

Yacht Experiences

Leisure Charters ›

Day charters within Singapore for all kinds of celebrations, from birthday parties, to engagement proposals, to bachelor's/hen's parties, to team bonding retreats, and many more.

Overseas Adventures ›

Venture out of your comfort zone and explore the charming, idyllic islands within Southeast Asia, whether it is a short 4D3N sailing getaway to nearby islands, or a longer 8D7N sailing expedition to remote destinations you've never been to.