Meet Our 2016 Bravo 1 & Charlie 1 Leadership Team!

James “Ish” Alexander, Program Director

Ish graduated from Prescott College in 2015 with a degree in Psychology and Adventure Education. His degree came after spending a busy four years tramping and camping around the Arizona desert and much of the western United States. While in school he kept himself busy surfing, skiing, rafting, rock climbing, stargazing, camp firing, and dancing! Upon his return from the Caribbean at the end of last summer he embarked on a three-month road trip that took him from Philadelphia to San Diego, and then up the coast all the way to Juneau, Alaska! Since arriving in Alaska he has been spending his time hiking, exploring the local glaciers, and working as a teacher at the high school!

Jessie Matthews, Captain of Fermi

Jessie developed a passion for the ocean at an early age exploring tide pools in Maine. She learned how to sail and scuba dive in high school during Sail Caribbean’s very own Foxtrot adventure in 2009. She graduated from Boston University in 2014 with a degree in Marine Science. Jessie’s honors thesis was focused on protecting corals by studying their genomics. After graduation, Jessie spent a year working for the World Ocean School aboard the 137’ schooner Roseway as a Deckhand/Educator sailing in the Caribbean and New England. Jessie then spent the fall walking 600 miles from the French Pyrenees Mountains to Cape Finisterre in Spain on the Camino de Santiago. Most recently, she spent the spring/early summer taking students out sailing in Washington’s Puget Sound as a Marine Scientist/Deckhand for Salish Sea Expeditions. While still pursuing a graduate degree, she plans to spend the next couple of years exploring and teaching. She is excited to be back in the BVI working for Sail Caribbean!

Mark Kennedy, Captain of Rioja

Mark has just completed his third and final year in Colaiste Dhulaigh, achieving a Higher National Diploma in Outdoor Adventure Management. This is where he trained as a power boat, sailing, kayaking, windsurfing, climbing and mountaineering instructor. He has worked in the Desolation Wilderness in Eldorado County, California, where he lived in a tent for three months and delivered leadership programs to students of all ages through the medium of true wilderness. This was a life changing experience for him and where he developed his love for sharing his skills and knowledge with his students and learned how to develop their true potential.

Kyle Sarik, Mate of Fermi

As a self-proclaimed pirate, Kyle joins us for his first year from Northern Virginia where he attended George Mason University and graduated in 2013 with a degree in Criminology, Law, and Society and a minor in Psychology. He currently works at Edge Tech Labs as a Technical Engineer and eagerly awaits the launch of their newest product due in 2017. His passion for the outdoors and learning new sports is what draws Kyle to Sail Caribbean. From skiing down the most extreme slopes of the Northeast, to almost every water sport he can find out there, Kyle has tried them all. His love for sailing began in 2010, when Kyle first achieved his ASA 101 certification, and he has been a part-time sailing instructor ever since!

Emily Graf, Mate of Rioja

Emily started diving in 2013 and quickly developed a passion for marine life. Growing up in New Mexico (a state with no oceans), she is grateful to have been introduced to the ocean in such an exhilarating way! Emily obtained her B.A. in Environmental Studies at the University of Redlands in California, and worked as an environmental consultant for many years before she discovered her affection for scuba diving and marine life. She loves to travel, experience new cultures, observe wildlife, and laugh a lot! Scuba diving has become one of her biggest passions along with yoga, mountain biking, and bird watching. Emily hopes to inspire people to love and conserve our oceans by sharing what she has learned about the magical underwater world.

Emily Knudson, Provisions Manager

Emily graduated from Augsburg College in 2015 with degrees in Environmental Studies, English Literature, and Spanish.  Since graduating college, she has worked as a wilderness canoe guide for urban youth, led a three month college canoe expedition down the Mississippi River, and moved to Quito, Ecuador to practice Spanish and plan her next adventures.

Lindsay Walsh, Mate-In-Training

Lindsay just finished her first year at Siena College studying Marketing. Growing up on Long Island, she spends a majority of her time on the water. She grew up sailing for her yacht club and spent summers sailing with her local beach. She even was on her high school’s sailing team for three years. Lindsay has a passion not only for sailing but for scuba diving as well, having gained her Advanced Open water certification through her previous years as a student at Sail Caribbean.