Meet Our 2019 Early Alpha, Charlie, Foxtrot and Sierra Leadership Team!
Written by Meredith Evridge
Eliot Faust
Program Director
Eliot joins us from Bethesda, MD. He is currently getting an MA in International Studies from Johns Hopkins SAIS, concentrating in Strategic Studies and International Economics. Starting in 2007, Eliot spent five years enrolled as a student at Sail Caribbean. Sail Caribbean really attracted Eliot due to his interest in marine biology from a young age. Following his time as an SC student, Eliot then completed the Sail Caribbean Dive Master Internship and transitioned to staff. Always ready with a funny one-liner, Eliot loves diving at the Fearless and the Indians or sailing to his favorite location of Little Harbor on Peter Island.
Luka Walshe
Fleet Captain
Luka is an outdoor instructor from Ireland. After studying Outdoor Adventure Management he has been traveling around the world working various jobs, from windsurf instructor, to wilderness canoe trip guide. Luka has been sailing and windsurfing for five years, in that time he has been chasing storms to windsurf all over Ireland and Cape Town, South Africa. The coming summer will be Luka’s third year with Sail Caribbean.
Jen Borderud
Sail Staff Director
Jen is a proud Southern Californian that refers to freeways and interstates by saying “the” and then a number. She has worked at Sail Caribbean since 2013 after doing the Echo Program as a college student in 2011. She has a B.A. in Psychology from Williams College in Williamstown, MA and since graduation has made a pretty strong commitment to never having to experience winter ever again. She has worked in international, outdoor, and adventure education for almost 7 years and shows no signs of going to med school like she always told her parents she would. She has led and managed surf programs in Costa Rica, study abroad semesters in Panama, and trail crews in various regions of America. She also boasts average competency on an acoustic guitar, and she cannot play Freebird or Wonderwall. Going into her 7th season with Sail Caribbean, she still feels incredibly lucky to get to return to the BVI and and the many friendly faces and places it holds. The saying holds true that there may indeed be nothing better in life than messing about on boats.
Adrian Debrah
Captain
Adrian is from small-town Iowa, and attends Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to study Aeronautical Science. He started sailing at the age of 14 with a Hobie Cat Wave in a small lake behind his house and has been in love ever since the first time the wind caught his sails. He has always had a fascination for the oceans and its awesome inhabitants (especially Spotted Eagle Rays), but he was not satisfied having to be so far away from an ocean. So he enrolled with Sail Caribbean for his first program in 2016 and enjoyed it so much that he came back for a second year in 2017. And is now in his second year as Sail Caribbean Staff.
Garrett McQuiston
Captain
Garrett has spent the last 3 years studying engineering at the University of Michigan and is a member of the Michigan sailing team. Garrett taught himself how to sail when he was 11 years old, and quickly convinced his entire family to join him. He grew up sailing catamarans and small keelboats all over the great lakes. Garrett loves all things outdoors-including fly fishing, paddle boarding, backpacking, and scuba diving. In high school, he taught woodworking skills to younger students as an assistant woodshop teacher; and he spent a summer working as the first mate aboard a charter sailboat on Mackinac Island in northern Michigan. In his free time, Garrett loves to test his free-diving skills and building custom longboard skateboards. His next big goal is to become a scuba diving instructor so he can teach skills both above and below the water. He loves teaching others fun knots and sailing tactics, and is excited to return to Sail Caribbean to share his passion for the water for a second season!
Claire Lennarz
Captain
Claire is finishing her third year at the University of Virginia where she is majoring in architecture. However, she spent the past semester studying abroad in Italy! She grew up in Williamsburg, Virginia, but spent her summers racing Optimists and Lasers in regattas up and down the East Coast. For three summers during high school, she shared her love for racing by coaching Optimists on the Chesapeake Bay. On her days off during these summers, she was able to enjoy water skiing, wake boarding and paddle boarding with her family’s three water-loving dogs! This past summer, however, she was thrilled to join the Sail Caribbean family and come on board as Sail Staff. In Charlottesville, when she escapes from the A-School, Claire frequents the farmers market, local concerts, and enjoys discovering new restaurants. This summer, she can’t wait to share her love for sailing and other water activities with all of you!
Keiley James
Captain
Keiley James is a second year mate/marine biologist at Sail Caribbean. She is originally from Atlanta Georgia, but has lived on Tybee Island for a lot of her life, where she developed a passion for marine biology, conservation, and of course, sailing! Currently, Keiley is a student at the University of Georgia, where she majors in Marine Biology, and is the captain of the school’s offshore sailing team. She recently went on a program where she sailed a tall ship in the Caribbean, and conducted marine biological research. Keiley is a very friendly and understanding shipmate, and is very excited to spend the summer sailing with some really awesome people!
Meredith Davies
Captain
Meredith lives in Memphis, Tennessee and is a rising senior at Rhodes College where she studies Environmental Studies and Political Science! In the fall she is looking forward to becoming the Rhodes College Recycling Coordinator. She is a member of the varsity swim team as well as a member of Tri Delta. She loves volunteering with Tri Delta’s philanthropy, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Meredith found her passion for the ocean, sailing, and scuba diving during her summers as a Sail Caribbean student in 2014 and 2015. In 2016 she interned at Cape Eleuthera Institute at the Island School studying southern stingrays in the Bahamas as well as conservation methods. She returned to Sail Caribbean as a student on the Ocean program and as a Mate in Training in the 2017 season and has not wanted to leave the BVI since! She is thrilled to back at Sail Caribbean for another summer of fun! She loves encouraging students to find their love for the ocean and teaching students how to care for the environment. She is always ready for a dance party on board and will always have a bandaid!
Jack Delaney
Mate
Jack is originally from Cork in Ireland but has spent the last 3 years studying in University College Dublin. He gets his love from the ocean from his father who worked at sea for over twenty years as a Marine Engineer. He was introduced to sailing at age 12 and has since sailed various boats primarily focusing on dinghies. Having spent the last 2 summers working at a sailing camp on Cape Cod, Jack is very excited for a change of scenery and to share his love for sailing with everyone he meets.
Stefanus Francois Marais Visser
Mate
Hailing from Cape Town, South Africa, Stefan is an avid traveler and trip leader that often finds himself off the beaten track learning about different cultures around the world. Laos has mostly been his base for the past 3 years, working with ethnic groups and taking on development initiatives. He likes to start his day with exercise and some yoga to set the day straight and welcomes students to join. Though he often finds himself climbing a crack in the mountains, he also loves the feeling when the wind catches the sails, knowing what possibilities it brings to see the world, being self-sufficient on a vessel. He recently qualified as a rescue diver when exploring Tanzania in the pursuit to gain his Dive Masters in the near future. When he works with his students, he takes each participant’s experience to heart and quests to go the extra mile, ensuring that they walk away with an expanded skill set.
Tess Avery
Mate
Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Tess has always loved the outdoors and the ocean. Her hobbies include skiing, painting, playing with dogs, and hammock-ing. She has been sailing since she was six, and has sailed competitively for her college team as well as taught sailing the past four summers. She is currently finishing her sophomore year as a marine science and astronomy major. She spent this past January on the Great Barrier Reef doing field work, and can’t wait to see what the Caribbean has in store. This is her first summer at Sail Caribbean and she is super excited to be a part of the adventure!
Joss Myers
Mate
Joss is an experienced sailing instructor and has a degree in Marine Science from the University of Ireland Galway (NUIG). Joss grew up sailing and surfing in Ireland, where his interest in the world of marine science began. He has been teaching sailing for over eight years across dinghies and keelboats. He has recently managed to combine his passion for both sailing and science by leading the development of science programs for sailing organisations within the Irish Sailing Association. He has a strong interest in fisheries biology and how fish interact with their environment. He enjoys spending his time sharing this passion with others and educating young people on the joys of our marine world.
Sinéad Power
Mate/Medical Officer
Hailing from the Emerald Isle, Sinéad spent her undergraduate degree studying medicine before getting to work in Ireland and Australia. From there, she spent time travelling South America and honing her love for the outdoors. From rock climbing to hiking or kayaking, she is happiest outside. Sinéad went on to study Outdoor Adventure Management, finding an interest in experiential learning and her first taste of sailing. Her love of sailing only grew over the next two years and her qualifications now include a day skipper licence, sailing and windsurfing instructorships and a powerboat certificate. Sinéad is really excited to start her first season with Sail Caribbean, to experience the BVIs, explore a new culture and share her passion with the next generation of environmentalists and sailors.
Katie Tuck
Mate
Katie is joining us for her first year with SC. Born and raised in Dublin she is currently in her second year of ‘Outdoor Adventure Management’ course in Coláiste Dhúlaigh. She is a qualified Kayak Level 2 instructor, Dinghy Instructor, Windsurfing – Get Up and Go! Instructor, Leave No Trace Instructor and has her Day Skipper licence. Her other hobbies include Mountaineering, Rock Climbing/Bouldering, Cycling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (Blue Belt) and she also loves to cook. She does enjoy a lovely sea swim any time of the year, be it May or December. Prior to her Outdoor Adventure course she was a Zumba Instructor for 4 years so she does enjoy a good aul dance! She is a great believer in experiential learning and how it helps a person to grow and she enjoys teaching the skills she knows in different ways. Katie is enthusiastic and a great lover of outdoor activities. She’s looking forward to being apart of the Sail Caribbean team for 2019.
Emily Mussio
Mate
Born and raised on the shore of Lake Huron in a small beach town of Grand Bend, Canada has put the love of the outdoors and travelling in her blood. Emily is currently attending Laurentian University for their Outdoor Adventure Leadership program as well as completing their Concurrent Education Program where she became a certified Wilderness First Responder. She first joined Sail Caribbean as a student in 2012 and returned every year afterwards, in a wide variety of programs to ensure she got the full Sail Caribbean experience. She has many boiling passions that range from athletics to exploring the world. She is looking forward to this upcoming summer and sharing her passion for the outdoors with others and educating them in more ways than one.
Sarah Pulitzer
Dive Instructor
Sarah grew up on the seacoast of New Hampshire and attended university at Sarah Lawrence College just outside New York City. After graduating she worked in an artist studio in Brooklyn for four years before trading paintbrushes for a mask and fins. Sarah has been a dive professional since 2011, and since 2014 she has lived on the Caribbean coast of Mexico. She has since concentrated on cave diving and freediving in freshwater sink holes and in the ocean with migratory whale sharks, bull sharks and sailfish. Sarah loves to teach and guide divers of all levels in all types of environments, and her favorite ocean creatures to see are octopus, nudibranchs, seahorses, and of course all the big stuff! Above water Sarah loves nothing more than a hammock and a good book or a nice sweaty yoga session!
Luke Weller
Dive Instructor
From good ol’ Blighty, Luke is one of our esteemed dive instructors. Having been a former accountant/financial strategist with seven years experience in multi-billion dollar conglomerates, he traded his fast paced, materialistic lifestyle for one of adventure above and below the aquatic wonder. Every now and then, Luke likes to take a break and for a little trip such as cycling across continents or walking the length of countries. In his spare time, Luke dabbles in soccer, golf, snowboarding, skydiving and rock climbing.
