MEET OUR MATE!

It’s 7am on a weekday. Some of us have had a solid night’s sleep and have gotten used to the rocking motion of sleeping on a ship. Some of us have only just shut our eyes after just coming off the 12-4am night watch. All of us are woken up by the sound of Abba blasting through the ship’s speakers, followed by a Croatian accent greeting us with “Morning guys, guys morning. Time to get up and do some stretches, then we go eat.” Sitting in the Charthouse at the other end of the speaker, holding his cup of freshly brewed coffee, is Slaven Roje, our First Mate.

Born in Croatia, Slaven moved to Oz and joined the Leeuwin team in early 2012, having previously been in the position of First Officer on the Queen Mary. Slaven has sailed on cargo and cruise ships all around the world, and has travelled to places as diverse as Antarctica and the Caribbean. He worked as the second mate on the Queen Victoria before jumping ship to the Queen Mary as second mate and working his way up the ranks.

“Before I joined LOAF, I didn’t really know what to expect from Sail Training.

Does it really work, is it just an excuse for people like me to have fun on tall ships… now, a year smarter and definitely more experienced in Sail Training, I can say that the previous year of my life has been a fulfilled one.

I am now convinced that what we do here does make a difference and it can change young people’s lives.

I know it sounds like a cliché, but then again if it wasn’t true, it wouldn’t be a cliché.”

As First Mate on Leeuwin, Slaven is second in command of our ship. He is the one of our five permanent crew members that works most closely with trainees on voyages and runs the trainee program on board.

When Slaven isn’t sailing he enjoys photography, running, the gym and motorbikes. He would also like anyone who owns a long board with a single fin to give him a call!