Steve, the designer and owner of Villa Octavius, was born in Auckland, New Zealand. He has lived in Greece since 1979.
Brought up by his British parents on a dairy farm in South Devon, England, he learnt to sail on the local river Tamar. After schooling he trained as a joiner with a local firm.
Steve taught sailing in Salcombe during the summer and worked as a joiner during the winter. A chance meeting led him to get a job teaching sailing in Greece.
After over ten years and as a director of the company then called Falcon Sailing he moved on and went sailing in a Wayfarer from Greece to Egypt and the river Nile, returning via Cyprus and Turkey and the Greek Islands. This adventure was over 4000 miles and took 18 months.
Back in Lefkas, he started his own business with a boat called Ayesha, an Egyptian Felucca, which he had built in Turkey.
Many fine years of sailing people around the local islands in the end lead him to design and build Villa Octavius. Villa Octavius is named after the victor of the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, Octavius, who defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The Battle of Actium was fought just north of Lefkas Island and decided the fate of the western world.
Steve has a passion for showing his clients the area in the form of a boat trip that includes caves, coves, beaches, the wonder turquoise waters and many nearby islands, and loves to explain a little about the geology, marine life and mythology of the area. A wonderful private tour.