
Meet Michelle Heyns
Experience Counts—Michelle is well educated to guide you on a journey that will lead to the trip of a lifetime!

Take a vacation aboard a luxury charter yacht in The Caribbean, The Virgin Islands, The Bahamas.
With over 300 charter weeks and 16+ years of experience as a hostess and charter chef, Michelle has a unique perspective on the industry. She spent 8 years chartering specifically in The British Virgin Islands with her husband Leon and knows every anchorage, every activity spot, every secret sunset viewing beach, and every yacht/crew in the area. Together they have also chartered in other Caribbean destinations and in the Abacos and the Exuma Cays in the Bahamas. She founded Epic Yacht Charters in 2016 and is now one of the top crewed charter yacht brokers in The Virgin Islands. She understands firsthand the importance of creating a perfect match between her clients and their ideal yacht & crew for an unforgettable sailing vacation. Michelle was inducted in the fall of 2020 as an active member of the prestigious Charter Yacht Broker Association (CYBA).
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Deep Dive
Prior to her successful yachting career, Michelle obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and a Master’s in Nurse-Midwifery. After a destiny-driven decision in 2004, Michelle came to the British Virgin Islands for her own first chartered yacht vacation. She fell in love with her captain—Leon Heyns, whom she later married, and rest shall we say… is history. For Michelle & Leon, it was love at first sight. They started chartering together as captain and chef soon after. She willingly gave up her career delivering babies in favor of the adventure lifestyle of yachting. Over the years they built a successful charter career and she has never looked back. After they survived Hurricane Irma on Tortola, BVI in 2017, they were fortunate to move and keep working from home for the last 4 years. Currently, they live in the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina and are happy to be near the ocean again.
With experience in managing a yacht and a few villas in the BVI, she is very confident with asset management. Her top priority is creating well-executed crewed yacht vacations. She has experienced every angle of the industry and personally attends annual boat shows each year to meet yachts/crews new to the scene and to see what is new with her long-standing favorites. Frequent trips to the BVI keep her updated with current information.
Together with Leon, she has been all over the world and has sailed over at least 10,000 nautical miles. Michelle has worked in charter areas from the East Coast of the United States to the Leeward and Windward Islands of St Maarten, Saba, Anguilla & St. Barts, and on to the Bahamas in the Exumas Cays and the Abaco Islands.
Michelle is also well versed in the stunning sailing vessels themselves. On several occasions, she has been responsible for creating layouts and well-appointed designs inside and out to outfit each yacht for its journey to becoming your vacation home. She has seen a yacht from the factory in France all the way to successful charter employment in the Caribbean – coordinating every fine detail from luxury fittings to the crew while Leon was sailing the yacht across the Atlantic ocean.
Michelle also happens to be an exceptional chef – she attended the famed Ashburton School for charter chefs in the United Kingdom and continues to pull out her chef’s knives when asked. She has also completed many dives with her divemaster husband after completing her PADI open water certification.
Leon started his yachting career after 15 years in the South African Navy. He sailed on a survey vessel to Antarctica twice. He then sailed across the Atlantic from Cape Town, South Africa to Rio De Janeiro in a 30’ sailboat. In 1999, fate brought him to the BVI where he started chartering with The Moorings. Shortly after he started in the charter industry he obtained his Yacht Master license. In 2004 he was the first captain of the first Lagoon 440 in the BVI – no other catamarans offered a flybridge before that. Leon and Michelle moved onto a Lagoon 500 in the BVI right after getting married on the beach on Peter Island in 2008. This catamaran also sailed through the Bahamas on a 3-week charter and up to the East coast of the USA to NYC. Leon then sailed it back to the BVI via Bermuda. In 2012 he was given the chance to sail a brand new Lagoon 560 catamaran from Bordeaux France to the Caribbean and onward to Miami for the boat show. This month-long journey was forever life-changing and just cemented his love for the sea. He is also a keen photographer and Scuba Divemaster.
After their successful yacht charter career, Michelle and Leon decided to add more skills to their resume and moved to work on a private island in the Exuma Cays of the Bahamas. Working for a lovely family and all their friends, they learned everything about chartering on land. From provisioning the entire island with food, beverages, and parts needed for maintenance, they worked as a team to satisfy everyone’s needs. During the 2 years that they spent there, they explored many beautiful beaches, dived some amazing sites, and learned a lot about the local culture and customs of the Bahamas. A few favorites are snorkeling at Jeep Reef, exploring the Exuma Land and Sea Park, and sailing across clear blue waters.
They are so good at helping their clients plan their yacht vacations because Leon & Michelle love to travel. It is their passion and they enjoy seeing the wonderful places the world has to offer. During the last 15 years together, they have explored many countries. One of their many favorites is a 10-day self-drive tour around Iceland. They have taken a cruise ship to Alaska via the inside passage and have hiked and biked all around Europe. Seeing the Aurora Borealis for Leon was a first and snowmobiling onto a frozen lake to snap that special shot comes naturally to him as he is a very talented photographer. Michelle loves to plan their next trip and she is very good at getting it right. Dog sledding with huskies in the Lapland of Sweden is hard to beat, but they are just as content walking through soft snow falling in Central Park, New York City. They have rented cars and drove along the fjords of Norway and explored the beautiful Canadian Rocky Mountains and the splendor of Whistler, Banff, and Jasper. Another favorite is an African safari with 2 game drives per day at a game reserve in Sabi-Sands. They are adventurous eaters and enjoy meals from all cultures and exotic lands. Excising in the outdoors is an addiction and they are attracted to all kinds of water sports and finding new trails in the mountains. Zip-lining through the rainforest in Costa Rica and learning about the flora and fauna on a guided hike along hanging bridges and waterfalls was an experience both are still talking about and will no doubt be re-visiting such beauty. Scuba Diving is one of Leon’s favorite water sports and Michelle often joins in to see the beauty of the underwater world.
South Africa is still close to Leon’s heart as he was born in Cape Town. Michelle enjoys the family reunions held often in Northern Wisconsin, where she hails from.
Michelle has been active in the Charter Yacht Communities and Organizations and is proud to belong to a group of prestigious associations. She is so excited to help you book your EPIC vacation of a lifetime! About Epic VI









Reviews
See what others are saying about their experience with Epic Yacht Charters…
- Neel Kumar1/29/2023We had an AMAZING time! "We booked through Michelle to reserve the Vicarious Charter which took 6 of us around the USVI AND BVI. Michelle... read more"We booked through Michelle to reserve the Vicarious Charter which took 6 of us around the USVI AND BVI. Michelle was great to work with; quick to respond, knowledgeable and gave helpful suggestions when picking a charter. We had an AMAZING time. The food and drinks were great, the crew was very accommodating to our needs and we cannot say enough good things about Austen and Phily. We were luck that we found a charter that was able to do both the USVI and BVI. Once in a lifetime trip that lived up to everything we hoped it would be. Hardest part of the whole trip was coming home. Thank you Michelle, Austen and Phily!" read lessStephanie Daleo1/11/2023Perfect family vacation! - The booking process was simple and Michelle helped us sort through all the options to find the boat &... read more The booking process was simple and Michelle helped us sort through all the options to find the boat & crew for us. Once aboard Scuba Doo, Kris and Aneta anticipated our every need and saw to it that our days were as active or lazy as we desired. They were also extremely accommodating of late sleeping teens and picky eaters. It really was a fantastic week. read lessTandCJennings12/17/2022Everything was fabulous! Our vacation planned with and through Michelle and Epic Yacht Charters was fabulous. It was all we hoped it would... read moreOur vacation planned with and through Michelle and Epic Yacht Charters was fabulous. It was all we hoped it would be for our family. Michelle proved to be an excellent guide on making our choices of when to go, what boat and what crew would be the best fit for us and our vacation. And she nailed it! Krazy Kat is a beautiful boat perfectly setup for comfort, luxury, activities, rest, and relaxation. Our whole family (8 of us) fit nicely into the spaces on the boat. They have all the equipment needed for fun in and on the water.
The Krazy Kat owner made their best choice in selecting Cam and Jada as the crew for the boat. We feel like we made new friends with them, and we genuinely enjoyed all the time we spent with them during our week in their home. Cam is a skilled captain, and he's very relaxed and easy going creating fun and no stress. We loved the itinerary he and Jada chose for our week - it suited our interests perfectly. We appreciated that he laid out the plan for the day, but allowed for any spur-of-the-moment changes that occurred to us. Cam's table-scapes were a perfect complement to Jada's beautifully presented meals.
Jada is so relaxed and fun as well; we enjoyed the time we got to spend with her. She is an excellent chef, and she was able to accommodate our special requests easily. There were audible oohs and ahhs each time she and Cam brought the food to the table and she shared just what wonderful food we were about to eat. Every meal not only looked "Insta-worthy" but was delicious. We loved the customization she did for us and our interests, and we appreciated being introduced to new tastes and originals she prepared for us. We especially loved her appetizers at cocktail time each evening as we sat around sharing our favorite experiences from the day.
Cam and Jada are very attentive and seemed to have a good sense of when we were fine and wanted our time together. The only negative from our trip was that it had to end when it did, and we said goodbye to the BVI's, Krazy Kat, and the crew. Thank you Michelle for guiding us along this amazing vacation! read less - michael schofield12/16/2022First crewed charter. - BVI, with the excellent and outstanding crew of Capt Mike and Lizzy. Wonderful boat, super crew (can't say enough... read moreBVI, with the excellent and outstanding crew of Capt Mike and Lizzy. Wonderful boat, super crew (can't say enough about how Mike and Lizzy made us so comfortable, and such a fun duo), We learned the crew really make the trip!. Hidden places, local spots, snorkel, swim, eat (like a michelin star restaurant - extra Kudos to Chef Lizzy), and relax in the beautiful BVIs. Michelle and her team set it up, kept in touch, listened to our dreams and between the Epic crew and the Lady Fiona crew, it was truly a dream trip. Looking forward to future trips, especially if we can hang with Cp Mike and Lizzy on board! read lessZOZOMA7/30/2022BEST EVER VACATION !! BOOK SCUBA DOO THRU EPIC YACHT CHARTERS - We cannot spotlight enough how spectacular our cruise was. We chose Scuba Doo thru Michelle Heyns at Epic Yacht Charter... read moreWe cannot spotlight enough how spectacular our cruise was. We chose Scuba Doo thru Michelle Heyns at Epic Yacht Charter for the number of berths, size of boat, length of cruise, destination and especially the crew after watching several videos. Our crew, Cammi & Charlie, were utterly remarkable in handling the catamaran, tending to our fabulous gourmet meals, taking us many sites to snorkel, hike, relax on the beach, etc., while remaining unobtrusive. Cammi had a freshly made dessert at every dinner; she made pasta on the boat, seriously !! Our beds were made daily and mid-week we received fresh linens. Unbelievable! Charlie is so knowledgeable about sailing, fish, history of the islands, boats. They are a lovely couple with much, much, much sailing experience which is immediately reassuring. And they obviously take pleasure in hosting families.
The boat was first class and in primo condition. read lessHappytravelerAlabama7/21/2022Amazing BVI charter This trip to the BVI was nothing short of spectacular. We were lucky to have Michelle from Epic Charters guide... read moreThis trip to the BVI was nothing short of spectacular. We were lucky to have Michelle from Epic Charters guide us in choosing our charter which was great. Michelle was very quick to answer any questions we asked and advised us on any travel question we had. The crew, Gio, Anna, Sam and Rich were great. They worked together to make sure we had a great time. Gio designed our itinerary and was flexible everyday. Anna was our hostess and was constantly available for anything we needed. Sam also assisted in helping us with water sports, transferring in the tender, etc. Rich was an excellent chef and we couldn't wait to see what he prepared each meal. The Tellstar 77' catamaran was luxurious and very comfortable for us and our friends. We had 8 of us plus the crew and there was plenty of space to spread out and enjoy the boat. The flybridge was especially relaxing and enjoyable. We can't wait for our next adventure and will be sure to have Michelle at Epic Charters as our guide! read less - jesmc11237/11/2022Exceeded expectations This was our first yacht charter, and I anticipated it being difficult to navigate the planning. It wasnt. Michelle was... read moreThis was our first yacht charter, and I anticipated it being difficult to navigate the planning. It wasnt. Michelle was very responsive, provided all the information we needed before we needed it, and answered our questions quickly. She was great to work with, and the overall experience, beginning to end, was beyond expectations. read lessSusan Carleton6/28/2022Incredible! I relayed to Michelle Heyns what we were looking for in this sailing adventure and she suggested the perfect crew... read moreI relayed to Michelle Heyns what we were looking for in this sailing adventure and she suggested the perfect crew and boat for our family’s needs. It was total perfection from the booking and payment process to the actual quality and replication of what was advertised. Will definitely use Epic Yacht Charters for all future sails and recommend them to family and friends without reservation. It takes a little work to get a group together but it is so worth it and Epic makes it easier with their smooth communication and suggestions. Thank you Michelle - the crew of Twin Flame is incredible! read lessDAMichel20226/07/2022Rendez-Vous USVI Catamaran Trip May 2022 - Epic Yacht Charters (Michelle Heyns) did a fantastic job of describing the trip of a lifetime, asked us key questions... read moreEpic Yacht Charters (Michelle Heyns) did a fantastic job of describing the trip of a lifetime, asked us key questions and directed us towards a week and vessel that met our time frame and budget. Michelle walked us through the reservation process and stayed in front of important communications to ensure our trip was thoroughly planned. And what a trip it was! Allie and Chase on Rendez-Vous are not only a top notch sailing team, they are truly good people who care about their guests. Allie's meals were fantastic - Allie's kitchen always had some excitement and brought anticipation-whether it was brownies or some exotic spice combo, the meals were as spectacular as the scenery. Chase kept us captivated with choices of hikes on shore, snorkeling below and hanging out onboard in between. Both Allie and Chase are easy to talk with and quick to share their knowledge of the history of the area and sailing adventures. We felt safe at all times and they went out of their way to ensure we had a great time. read less
MUST SEES
There are a few things not to be missed. Take a look at our favorite anchorages, restaurants, beach bars and shore excursions.
SAMPLE ITINERARY
Having a hard time visualizing your crewed yacht vacation? Take a look at a sample itinerary to get the ideas flowing and plan your trip.





