Meet our Captains

Our Captains are such a big part of the Saga Cruise experience, taking charge of our boutique sister ships as they seek out many remarkable destinations. Get to know our Captains before you step aboard. 

Hailing from the island of Jersey, where his parents lived on the coast and spent much of their time on the water, it was hardly surprising that Captain Kim became attached to the ocean at an early age. Educated in the highlands of Scotland, he partook in his first ocean yacht race across the Atlantic at the age of 16 during the school holidays, having truly fallen for the sea.

After leaving school and a short spell as a fireman, Kim got carried away travelling the world for almost three years before his father reminded him it might be a prudent idea to have a career in mind. Having spent much of his final year abroad as a charter yacht skipper in the Whitsunday Islands on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, he promptly applied for an officer cadetship with P&O Cruises.

Kim studied in Southampton, and thereafter worked his way up through the ranks on various ships of P&O, Cunard and Princess Cruises. After reaching second in command, he was offered a spot at Saga Cruises in late 2015.

Kim has since been at the helm of Saga Pearl II, Saga Sapphire, Spirit of Discovery, and is delighted to have been the new-build and delivery Captain of our newest vessel, Spirit of Adventure.

When not at the helm of our ships, he lives on the island of Mallorca, but is also fulfilling his lifelong dream of slowly sailing around the world on his own boat. He stays busy with a variety of activities including water-sports, skiing and flying private aeroplanes.

Captain Jason, or ‘CJ’ as the crew and guests know him, was born and raised in Guildford. The sea is in his blood – his father was a ship’s Captain with Chandris Lines running the ‘ten pound pommies’ to Australia in the 60s and 70s, and his maternal grandfather was a submariner in the Royal Navy.

Jason’s first dream was to play rugby for a living. It was only as a young adult that he realised that dream would be difficult to achieve, with the sport only turning professional in the 1990s!

Early in his seagoing career, he made his living aboard cargo ships. He recalls the exact moment he decided he wanted to change from cargo ships to cruise liners. He was helping clean a cargo hold of coal when, appearing like an epiphany, he spotted a gleaming white cruise ship approaching. He looked down at his uniform black with coal, and then up again at the white vision. His fate was sealed in that moment in 1986.

After living in California for some time, Southampton is now home. With almost 40 years at sea, and 18 of those years at the helm of various vessels with Azamara, TUI and a Saudi private yacht, he now feels at home on our beautiful ship, Spirit of Adventure.

To Captain Franko, life at sea is a family tradition. He followed in the footsteps of his father, grandfather and great grandfather, becoming the fourth-generation seafarer in his family. He was born and raised on the Croatian coastline, in the small village of Bakarac.

Being at sea has always been a part of his life. Ahed 16, his first job was on a cargo ship in the North Sea, after his second year at Nautical College. After graduation, he commenced his cadetship on Croatian coastal ferries. After three years, he graduated from the Maritime University of Rijeka and went back to sea as a Third Officer in 2005.

The following year, Franko joined Seabourn Cruise Line, where he spent the next 10 years, progressing through the ranks to Staff Captain, and being a part of four new-build ship deliveries. In late 2016, just as the final newbuild was being delivered, he was approached with an offer to join Saga Cruises. He has relished being part of Saga family for seven years now and he is delighted to be a Saga Captain.

He still lives in Croatia, just on the other side of the bay from where he grew up. Franko has been happily married to his wife Sonja since 2006. They have two children, a daughter called Sara and son called Maro. His passion is music along with playing and collecting guitars and singing, often for guests during service as well!