Sisters Under Sail 2012 Crew
If interested in sailing as crew,
please forward your sailing resume to
Dawn Santamaria
Cpt
Denise Meagher
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Denise was not aware that looking out her window that day would be a life-changing event. Spying the HMS Rose in the East River in 1998, she immediately signed up as a volunteer trainee. From there, she found the historic vessels at the South Street Seaport Museum in New York City and joined the volunteer ranks. Eventually, she left her career as a biochemist at The Rockefeller University and ran away to sea. In 2008, Denise became the first female Master of the 1893 Schooner Lettie G Howard and in 2011, the first woman to command the 1932 Schooner Brilliant. Denise joined Sisters Under Sail in 2011, running week long programs in Long Island Sound. Denise has worked on a variety of vessels since her career change: full-rigged ships, sloops, motor yachts, a mega yacht and even a coastal oil tanker. She is a firm believer in the power of sail training and each day aboard continues to be a learning experience. She loves to see students step out of their comfort zone and be challenged in a fun, supportive environment while having a great adventure. Denise holds a 500 GRT Oceans license and a Bachelors Degree in Chemistry from SUNY Purchase. |
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Cpt Rose Witte
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A Maryland native, Rose grew up sailing with her family on the Chesapeake Bay. She obtained her original USGC license at the age of 22 and has been extensively employed in the marine industry for over 30 years in as private yacht captain, racing crew, schooner captain, boatyard and charter fleet manger and inshore and offshore sailing instructor. Rose is currently licensed as Master upon Oceans for vessels no greater than 500gt and continues her professional training at SUNY Maritime. Sail training on tall ships is Rose’s preferred line of work in the industry because the ships are breathtaking and the people that sail on them are typically of the finest character. |
Hannah Imrie
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I am from Penetanguishene Ontario and I have been sailing since 2003. I had the privelege of being a crew member on the Unicorn with Sisters Under Sail in 2011. I have also sailed on schooners such as The Mercantile, The Grace Bailey, and the Bluenose II. I am currently in The Marine Navigation Technology Program and upon completion I aspire to continue sailing tall ships and historical vessels. I draw great pride and inspiration in seeing the growth of skill and confidence in the participants and look forward to being apart of that experiance again this season. I am excited to be able return to this year's crew as the Sisters Under Sail Events Schedule for 2012 is promising to offer great sailing, exciting activities and beautiful destination ports!! |
Patty McLaren
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My full name is Patricia Marie McLaren. I was born and raised in the central part of Washington state called Yakima. After my toddler years in Yakima, my family and I moved to the Lower Yakima Valley where I grew up on an Indian Reservation and went to school with the class I graduated with from high school. I graduated from school in the summer of 2005 with high honors, in a class of 40 students. After high school, I went to a small community college in the small city of my birth place. The night of my commencement from Yakima Valley Community College, was the night I packed up for my first long-term stay on a tall ship. In June of 2008, I packed up my things and went sailing for the summer and fall. The first three months I was a volunteer on board the brig Lady Washington, the last six months of my nine-month stay on the Lady was my offical job as the ship's purser. Since 2008, I've been sailing on multiple tall ships, traveling up and down the West Coast. I went as far north as Tofino, British Columbia, to as far south as San Diego. The past two summers was spent sailing between the port of L.A and the Channel Islands. Last year of the fall of 2010, I sailed from the Great Lakes to the East coast for the first time on board the STV Unicorn. I find that there is no greater teacher than a tall ship. The opportunities to work together out at sea is something you can't find anywhere else. I am particularliy excited to work with the "Sisters under Sail" program this summer becuase it is a special type of tall ship program you, honestly, rarely see. |
Katie Giuliano
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Originally from Rhode Island, I grew up with a love of the ocean and discovered my passion for sailing while studying with the Sea Education Association on a voyage in the South Pacific. Since finishing a degree in geology from Hamilton College, I have been sailing, teaching, and working in engine rooms on schooners in the Great Lakes, Caribbean, and Pacific Northwest. This spring and summer, I am excited to return to the East Coast and sail with a crew of strong and adventurous girls and women.
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Kori Pepper
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Hailing from Gig Harbor, Washington, Kori has been near water all her life. In late summer of 2010, she was first introduced to tall ships as a passenger aboard the Hawaiian Chieftain from Aberdeen, Washington. She has been hooked ever since. Most recently, Kori has been living in Southern California and working on tall ships along the west coast. She enjoys teaching children and young adults through the tall ship experience. She believes it is wonderful classroom not only for lessons in history, but also for team work and self-confidence. When people ask her about what draws her to tall ships, Kori tells them: "Tall ships are a continuous learning experience. Not only do you grow in your sailing skills and abilities, but also as a person. They will push you beyond your limits, test your mettle and your strength, and they show you that you can do a whole lot more than you think you can if you are willing to rise to the challenge."
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Julia Stepanuk
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Originally from Suburban Philadelphia, I developed a love for the ocean at an early age during family vacations to the Jersey Shore. One summer, a northward family shift to Maine occurred, and I never looked back. I am in my 4th year of undergrad in environmental science at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, but I've countered library time with sea time. I have crewed dive boats and whale watches, and recently conducted scientific research through Sea Education Association aboard the tall ship SSV Robert C. Seamans. The classroom setting of a 3,000 mile journey from Honolulu to Tahiti further solidified the draw of the sea. I am very excited to join Sisters Under Sail, and cannot wait to embark on new adventures! |
Libby Drew
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I am a 22 year old film and media student at Queen's University with an passion for community radio, film making, DJ’ing, and social justice. I grew up in Kingston, Ontario and started sailing tall ships in 2004 at age 14. My first ship was the brigantine St. Lawrence II which I worked on every winter doing maintenance, up/down-rig and shore based sail training. And where I spent my summers living and working aboard teaching youth how to sail until I was 18. In 2010 I had the opportunity to work on several different tall ships, including the Unicorn, Denis Sullivan, Roald Amundsen, and Brig Niagara during the Great Lakes Tall Ships Challenge as an American Sail Training Association summer intern. It was such an amazing experience working with the Sisters Under Sail program then, and I can't wait to get back into it for a longer period of time. I've spent a lot of my life on tall ships, so I'm really psyched to be back on the water especially on a ship like the Unicorn with a whole fleet of tall ships and sailors to keep us company. |
Amy Magruder
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Currently a student at the Maine Maritime Academy, I love the water and tall ships. With lots of restaurant and cooking experience with the Roald Amundsen and Brig Niagara, I look forward to spending the summer in the galley aboard Unicorn. My specialties include homemade soups and desserts, and get excited when planning and preparing lots of wholesome meals for my fellow crew and students.
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Dawn Santamaria
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Dawn loves to finally get out of the Sisters Under Sail office and back aboard Unicorn each summer as lead facilitator. |
Robin Bieber
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Robin Bieber is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in adolescent treatment. She first became involved with Sisters Under Sail when she brought her youth group aboard. Robin created a program called The Wildflower Adventure group that utilizes challenging outdoor activities to engage girls in ways that traditional therapy cannot. Her experience with that group gives her insight into the goals and mission of Sisters Under Sail. Robin has always been interested in ways to advocate for and empower women and girls. She began her career working at a domestic violence program and continues in her current position with Trumbull Counseling Center to work with women and girls impacted by abuse. Robin's involvement with Sisters Under Sail is part of her ongoing commitment to women's issues. After taking part in many voyages aboard the Unicorn, both as a youth group leader and as part of a women's leadership program she came aboard in 2011 as a program facilitator. She resides in Oxford, Connecticut with her husband and son. |
Maryann LaBella
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Maryann is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who first experienced Sisters Under Sail as a student intern, prior to finishing her Master’s degree. Since that time, Maryann has worked with chaotic multi-problem families in a Child Guidance agency setting. There, the focus of her work was in helping children and families with legacies of physical and emotional abuse. Maryann has extensive training in Internal Family Systems and EMDR, which are both effective treatment modalities for clients with complex trauma. Most recently, she has become Clinical Coordinator of the Koslow Center for Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) at Fairfield University in CT, and teaches graduate students in the MFT program. Maryann is also finishing the requirements to become an AAMFT Approved Supervisor. Having grown up “down the shore”, Maryann has a deep appreciation for the sea and the rich metaphor that sailing lends to her work. She feels privileged to return as a facilitator where she can help young women realize their potential and find success on board the great tall ship, Unicorn. |
