New Boat, New Faces
DECK CREW
Meghan: Mate
I grew up sailing and racing little dinghies in inland Massachusetts but stumbled upon traditional sailing at some point in my high school years.
After my first trip on schooners, most of my time was spent day dreaming about getting back out on the water in these awesome boats.
After high school, I took some time to sail the eastern seaboard and Caribbean and generally have a great time. Eventually I found myself at The University of Rhode Island where I graduated with a degree in Ocean Engineering.
Last season, I sailed as a deckhand in Victory Chimes and I’m excited to join Grace Bailey as Mate.
When I’m not working on boats, you may find me reading, starting projects I’ll never finish, or playing with the dogs. That or you know, sailing.
Anthony St. Pierre: Deckhand
Act II (For Act I, start here.)
The scene opens upon a man (more than) slight of frame and (not quite) youthful in appearance - somewhere between the ages of 18 and 40 (as attested). He turns to the audience to address them in a stentorian baritone, redolent with sagacity and assuredness.
"Becca da boom. Da boom hurt mah head."
And there you have me, distilled in facetious preamble.
This is my second season with Captain Sam, rejoining the cast of characters as a deckhand and trading my cast iron skillet workout routine for hauling and hoisting. Prior to this era of life, I spent roughly a decade in my home state of Vermont working with the developmentally disabled, with an odd stint in the middle as an independently sub-contracted phone book delivery man and daycare staffer, keeping myself sane by tearing up the local karaoke circuit, writing poetry, and solo hiking the Green Mountains.
How did I end up here? The short answer is 3'11". The slightly less short answer is that my best friend got me into it and that being even a small part of participating in and preserving the legacy the Grace Bailey represents is a privilege. Human ingenuity and the elements! You know, people should really write poems about this stuff.
Aboard you can find me (and certainly hear me) cracking puns, binging on whipped cream with Meghan, saving the city and/or Christmas with Mia, playing fiddle, looking mutually cross-eyed at Lena, trying to sneak into the galley to wash dishes for Katey, and talking about how great the almond croissants in Stonington are. Hope to see you and learn about you! I'm a people person, don't you know. Also, I am the caretaker of two Amazon purchased skeletons, Leonard and Beatrice, who may make an appearance on your trip. They're wonderful listeners and a marvelous cheap date. Not big eaters.
For further reading, refer to the rough draft of my biography here or to my irregularly updated blog here.
Isabelle Cadene: Deckhand
Hey there!
My name is Isabelle and I am from Boston, Massachusetts, growing up a short walk from the USS Constitution and Boston Harbor.
I have been sailing since I was 8 years old thanks to a non-profit community sailing center in the city. Though it may seem like I am a true blue Bostonian, the first boats I sailed (and continue to enjoy to this day) were Rhodes 19s built by Stuart Marine Corp right here in Rockland!
Since then, I try to be out on the water during all seasons be it racing, cruising, or just exploring.
Sailing quickly instilled in me a love for the ocean, including everything above and below the surface.
After high school, I attended Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island and graduated with degrees in marine biology and aquaculture. I love fish and would be thrilled to have a lengthy conversation if you share that passion!
Following college, I worked in a number of places including aquariums, a hospital, and a boat shop. Then in 2022, I was able to sail with Sea Education Association aboard the brigantine Corwith Cramer and study the biology of the Sargasso Sea.
This voyage opened my world to traditional sailing, leading me to positions on a handful of East Coast schooners and finally to the Grace Bailey.
I am very excited to be a part of this ship and to sail amongst the beauty of Penobscot Bay!
When I'm not on a boat, I enjoy illustrating wildlife, scuba diving, skiing, learning new things, and planning my next adventure.
Becca Kurtz: Deckhand
I’ve always held an open mind about what I’d do with my Geography degree.
The criteria I concocted for my ideal postgrad job were simply that it put me outdoors and give me the chance to learn a skill from nothing.
Windjamming made itself known to me two weeks before I graduated from Temple University this May, and thank goodness it did. The Grace Bailey took a chance on me, and within days of learning this corner of the world existed I was booking a flight to Rockland. I moved aboard two weeks after graduating, armed only with the good word of a favorite professor and a willingness to learn.
I am happy and a little relieved to report that I love sailing. Every single day I do something new, and I do it against the surreal backdrop of the Penobscot. There is no classroom more beautiful than Maine’s Midcoast, and no teachers better equipped to bring me up than Captain Sikkema, Meghan, and a (very) healthy dose of error.
My brain earns a dozen new creases by the hour.
This summer you’ll find me leaning on the ice box, messing around in the head rig, or succumbing to Anthony’s humor in a fit of giggles.
On land I’m a frequenter of museums, a thrower of frisbees, and a taker of walks! I am thrilled (and bewildered) to be here and cannot wait to take you sailing.
Mia Plaskiewicz: Deckhand
Hello, I’m the friendly neighborhood apprentice deckhand!
My name is Mia Plaskiewicz (plAH-saw-viCH), and for the past 18 years I’ve been the one and only. I’m a fresh graduate from highschool and set to begin college in the fall in Castine, Maine.
Sailing was never a plan for me. Between fighting crime, saving my hometown of Keene, and writing fantasy stories, I never thought about life on the ocean. Sailing was something that was completly off my radar until I decided to go out on a limb and spend two weeks sailing with SEA’s highschool program the summer of my junior year. After returning back to the dock, I immediately knew that I truly found my calling. I had to get back out sailing.
It was my call to adventure.
Thanks to a trusty mentor (shout out to Sherm! He's in the 2019 Crew Yearbook) I’ve had the privilege to be taught by the amazing crew on the Grace Bailey. I thoroughly enjoy reminding Anthony to water the lobsters, eating leftover fruit in the galley, and lip syncing during deck wash. While the future is daunting, I’ve found myself waking up everyday incredibly thankful for this experience— even if it’s 6:50 AM. All in all, my story is only beginning.
Cameo Crew:
There are folks that come to help for a weekend or a few weeks, but not long enough to submit a bio. If you see a picture of someone not listed above, that's them!
GALLEY CREW
Chef Katey
Chef Katey, here!
Excited to bring you on a culinary journey around the world as we sail the coast of Maine.
Seattleite born and raised, and characteristically addicted to coffee, Pearl Jam, and rain. I drive the seasonal commute with whichever family member I can convince at the time.
And I must say, South Dakota is a very underrated state.
I went to Boston University and received a BFA in Theatre Production (scenic design and playwriting). If you’re interested, come to the galley and I’ll provide a lengthy tangent on how I feel the two are connected.
Despite loving theatre, when I graduated I ran to the sea. Since then I’ve sailed in New Zealand, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, Bermuda, the entire eastern seaboard, and of course Maine, which is perhaps the most beautiful of them all.
This is my third season with Captain Sam in Maine, the previous two on Victory Chimes, and I keep coming back because it feels so much like home.
When I’m not sailing, I mainly hang out with my 16lb cat named Twitch, read, and go running.
In the future, I hope to open a bed & breakfast by the sea filled with family style meals, music, and plenty of pastries as well as continue to publish my writing.
Looking forward to meeting everyone!
Lena Albert: Galley Hand
Hi there grace bailey fans, I am Lena Albert and I will be washing your dishes this season on the Grace Bailey.
I am newly graduated from college, with a degree in Marine Biology and Adventure Based Environmental Education.
Before the GB I haven’t had much sailing experience. I’ve sailed in the Bahamas during an Outward Bound program back in 2017, and did a student trip on the Corwith Cramer in 2020 with SEA.
During my time at SEA I met Katey, yes Chef Katey, and that is why I am here today! As a new college graduate looking for a job this sounded like a fun opportunity, and a chance to gain some sailing experience.
I am originally from Philadelphia, but have spent the last four-ish years in Maine for school. I have frequented the Rockland area before so it was comforting coming back. I love Maine and can’t wait to explore all the little islands it has to offer.
This season you can find me in the galley assisting Chef Katey, laughing at Tony’s jokes (even when they’re not funny), looking for ocean creatures, talking about my girlfriend, and petting Fiji.
