COLUMBIA Yacht Charter

Born in Dalby, Queensland, Australia to Ex-pat American parents, Ruth benefits from dual citizenship, and a combined Aussie/American perspective. Ruth’s family moved to Tasmania when she was a small child, it was there that she developed a love a sailing in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel near Hobart. Her love of sailing and a passion to explore lead to the eventual purchase of a 35’ sailboat, in which she traveled extensively on the east coast of Australia and to New Caledonia and Vanuatu. With a combined 14 years of resort and hospitality experience, it was a natural progression to yacht stewardess. Her first job onboard the 108’ ketch AVALON in 1998 took her on a Pacific crossing from Panama to New Zealand via the Galapagos and Tahiti. It was in New Zealand that she met her future husband, Captain Karl and they have worked together on large sailing yachts for nearly two decades. In addition to her Pacific crossing Ruth has completed 2 trans-Atlantic crossings and experienced The US East Coast, Canada, the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean as professional yacht crew. She has sailed over 75,000 miles at sea since those early days in Tasmania. Ruth looks forward to providing her guests a warm and inviting atmosphere with excellent service and her keen eye for detail. In her down time, Ruth enjoys horseback riding, beachcombing, and gardening.

Even though Barbara was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, she always had an affinity for the sea, and for cooking. Having lived in a variety of places in the U.S., and visited many countries, she was always learning new ways of cooking and new dishes. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at So. Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon, and set out as a corporate manager; but she had to be near the water. In 2007 she moved onto a boat and has lived on, or sailed on boats ever since. Her interest in food won out, and she became the co-owner of a prize-winning sandwich shop in Panama City. The crew of the COLUMBIA found her there and offered her the job of chef on the COLUMBIA in 2015. She recently published a cookbook, “COOKING ABOARD COLUMBIA”. In her time off, she enjoys going to the gym, yoga, painting, reading, drumming and playing her piano. She also loves spending time with her twin daughters and her four grandchildren.

Jessica is a Yacht Master accredited, Cruising Instructor whose skills were honed cruising and racing all over the world! Having been in the Maritime Industry for over ten years, Jessica has had the privilege of working and living on board all types of vessels; from dinghies to Tall Ships, and has led dozens of offshore student leadership and seamanship programs. Not only is she a world-class sailor, she is also a leader within her second passion: Environmental Public Health. Jessica worked hard to complete her Masters of Public Health and combine wilderness medicine and environmental health security through community outreach on the water. A dream come true for Jessica would be to explore the many islands of the South Pacific by sailboat, experiencing the culture within each island and its influence on local medicine/health practices. When not working on the deck of the Schooner COLUMBIA, Jessica enjoys climbing, painting, and exploring the outdoors. Jessica can't wait to welcome you aboard the COLUMBIA and share in your adventures at sea!

Willy was born in Billings, Montana in November of 1983 and grew up in Portland, OR. He spent his younger years sailing small boats with his dad on the Columbia River, touring the states with rock and roll bands and shooting and editing film & video. In 2008 he sold all of his belongings, quit his job and headed to Thailand to start hitching on ocean-going sailing boats. Over the course of two years, through 19 countries he sailed 17,000nm west back to North America via the Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, Mediterranean, Atlantic and Caribbean seas respectively, on several different sailing vessels. He spent 7 years touring the continental United States, Alaska, and Europe whilst captaining private sailing boats with his partner, Pandora, in his time between tours. Their last major job was running a Spirit 70 in the Mediterranean between Malta, Sicily, Sardinia, and Spain for almost two years. Wanting to focus on the engineering side of his maritime career, Willy jumped at the opportunity to join the historic Schooner COLUMBIA as sole engineer. When not working, he and Pandora live on a 34ft cold-molded double-ender in Portland OR called SIDE BY SIDE, and Willy still plays with the band when he can. Willy holds his MCA Yacht Master Ocean 200GT and AEC tickets.

No stranger to the ocean, Henry shares Gloucester, Ma., the same homeport as the original COLUMBIA. The New England culture and climate has helped shape his admiration for classics of all kinds. Sailing and working on board schooner THOMAS E. LANNON instilled in him a strong sense of pride for traditionally rigged fishing schooners. Having a good time is what Henry does best. On his lay days, he likes to surf, mountain bike, disc golf, or play some backgammon in fo’c’sle. Henry wants to ensure your time on the COLUMBIA is a positive, unforgettable experience and looks forward to welcoming you aboard.

Daren grew up on St. George Island off the Florida Panhandle Coast near Apalachicola, Florida where she learned to sail at a young age. Competitive sailing through the local Boy Scouts of America Troop 22 led to earning trophies in the Mid-Winters, Mid-Americas, U.S. Youth Multihull Championships and the North American Youth Championships to name a few. During her time at Gulf Coast State College she lived aboard a sailboat with her father and was introduced to coastal cruising. She continued her competitive sailing throughout her time in college and was part of the University of West Florida Sailing Team in Pensacola, Florida. Painting and doing fiberglass work on the side she lived the cruising lifestyle along the Florida Coast and Bahamas. Daren has been a part of 2 full restorations on small sailboats and has been actively living, working and cruising onboard sailing yachts ranging from 27’ to 37’ for the last 9.5 years. In 2015, Daren completed her STCW and Marine Security Awareness Courses at MPT in Fort Lauderdale. Her continued training has helped with her desire to work on larger yachts. As a part of Columbia’s crew Daren looks forward to continuing her life, learning, and career on the sea. In her time off, Daren enjoys reading, playing the Ukulele, working on her own boat, a Hobie 18 catamaran, and spending time outdoors or on the water with friends and family.

Emily was born and raised in the sailing town of Newport, Rhode Island. Growing up a mile from the beach, Emily was always heavily influenced by the ocean and enjoyed activities like surfing, sailing, and wakeboarding throughout her childhood. As the youngest crew member aboard as well as a new member to the classic schooner world, Emily is learning yachting fast and loves every second of it! She has worked extensively in customer service and hospitality and is very eager to bring her energy and skills to enrich your charter experience. In her free time, Emily enjoys outdoor activities and downhill pursuits, as well as studio art and photography.