PLAY THE GAME

Captain: Chris Hobart

This truly great team will be back together again for an incredible 6th season on PLAY THE GAME in 2019! This experienced “pro-active” crew, with their extensive local knowledge of the area, are beyond a huge asset to the yacht and come with a solid background of excellent charter references and mulit-repeat clients making them the ideal crew for creating that perfect Balearic charter.


CAPTAIN: Chris Hobart – British
Joined Spring 2014
Chris joined the yachting industry in 2001 and has steadily worked his way up through the ranks from mate and engineer on a variety of distinguished charter yachts including M/Y L’Escapade of London, M/Y Cheetah Moon, M/Y Salee to Captain where he spent 4 years as Captain on board M/Y Equilibrium (30m Mangusta) and a year on M/Y D5. Prior to PLAY THE GAME, Chris finished two successful seasons Captaining M/Y Le Reve cruising extensively in the United States and Caribbean.
Throughout his career Chris has always shared close working relationships with his peers and previous crew members which has enabled him to learn about all aspects of the workings of a yacht and to acquire a well rounded understanding of what is required for each department to run smoothly
“Play the Game” is very privileged to have such an accomplished Captain like Chris on board. He is a highly driven, hardworking and safety conscious person who is held in high esteem by his crew and highly thought of by his guests. Excellent standards of service and comfort are of the highest priority to Chris and all guests can expect to be welcomed with a huge smile!
Languages: English, French and a good knowledge of Spanish.

CHEF: Jose Coley – British
Joined Spring 2014
Jose was born in Palma de Mallorca in Spain and lived there until he was twenty years old. He attended an international school where he learnt Spanish and German. He has always had a passion for hospitality and cooking. Growing up near the sea he was lucky enough to spend time swimming, fishing, boating and any other kind of water activities.
Jose worked at Villa Chenoiserie, St Tropez where he created tailor made menus. It was his duty to provide a full breakfast each morning and design menus based on special occasions and themed evenings including Spanish, Indian and Japanese.
During the winters from 2011 to 2014 Jose worked at Le Chardon Mountain Lodges in Val d’Isere – a luxury five star chalet company and winner of the 2012 World Travel Awards. Each day he was responsible for shopping for the finest local ingredients and designing menus for three to nine (or more) courses each evening, catering to clients needs such as vegetarians, diabetics and allergies whist still maintaining a five star standard of cooking. Jose is very creative when designing his dishes – using different flavours, textures and colours to create unique and imaginative dishes with exceptional presentation.
Working at both Le Chardon & Consensio has given Jose the opportunity to experiment and explore his creativity with food.
Jose has a keen interest in sports - both watching and playing and he is also an advanced snowboarder.
Languages: English, Spanish.

STEWARDESS: Jane Bennett – British
Joined Spring 2014
Jane joined Play the Game with a background in travel and chalet hosting.
She has a diploma in Leisure & Tourism following several years at Going Places, Grosvenor Travel Agents and Althams Travel Agents where she indulged her love of travel.
Jane then moved to St.Tropez where she worked as villa Manager at Le Chenoiserie for a summer season. She then joined Le Chardon in Val d’Isere where she started as a host before being promoted to manager.
Jane enjoys travelling and experiencing different cultures and ways of life as well as reading, theatre and fitness, charity work & boating.
Languages: English

DECKHAND: Neal MacDonald – British/Australian
Joined Spring 2019
Neal started his career in 2001 when he joined the Royal Australian Navy where he stayed for 5 years. He always had an interest in fitness and decided to take his passion for keeping fit by becoming a personal trainer which he is still doing.
Neal has also been a close protection officer for high net worth individuals, families and assets.
Neal is looking forward to joining this dynamic crew onboard PLAY THE GAME for a busy charter season where he hopes he can assist guests with their fitness regimes.
Hobbies include: Snowboarding and surfing, he has completed the Great North Run twice for Macmillan Cancer Relief, he also enjoys reading, listening to music and podcasts.
Languages: English