New crew onboard for the new Gundalow Piscataqua

With the launch of the new gundalow Piscataqua from Peirce Island in December, the Gundalow Company has set a new course bringing a US Coast Guard approved sailing gundalow that can take 30 passengers around the waterways of the Piscataqua Maritime Region. Starting Memorial Day weekend, public day sails, school trips, and private charters will be available from Prescott Park, and a new online ticketing system will be ready after April 1st for reservations.

The addition of the Piscataqua has brought new staff to run the gundalow and day-to-day operations. Portland, ME resident Daisy Wilson has joined the Gundalow Company as the first Business Manager. Daisy grew up sailing the waters of Casco Bay and exploring the rivers of Maine by Canoe. Her affinity for the ocean and the outdoors has served as the cornerstone of her personal and professional endeavors, and she has worked with organizations including Outward Bound and the Girl Scouts of Maine. She holds an MS in Organizational Leadership and Management from Antioch University, and is a certified Professional in Human Resources (PHR). Most recently, Daisy served as Operations Manager for Sail Acadia in Bass Harbor, Maine, and has also provided consultation services to companies within the area of Human Resource Management. On a recent sailing trip from St. Thomas to Bermuda, she logged close to 850 nautical miles, and hopes to make a transatlantic passage as well.

Matt Glenn holds the first Captain position, with a 500 ton Ocean Masters license - he has sailed for years as Mate on the Bounty, the SSV Corwith Cramer and SSV Robt. Seamans and Captain of the Liberty Clipper. He also spent a season as deckhand on a tug boat – moving barges under tow on the Delaware River. Most recently, he spent two years as Captain of the A.J. Meerwald, a restored 1928 115’ oyster sloop operated by the non-profit Bayshore Discovery Project in Bivalve, NJ. The A.J. Meerwald is a vessel with a historic connection to the Delaware Bay and as Matt explains, her mission is “to motivate people to take care of the environment, the history, and the culture of New Jersey’s Bayshore region through education, preservation, and example.” Prior to going to sea, Matt graduated magna cum laude from Boston University with a B.A. in History and enjoys hiking, bicycling and paddling a kayak he built.

Megan Glenn will be the first Onboard Educator, leading programs aboard the Piscataqua while under sail. Megan completed a college semester program in the North Pacific Ocean with Sea Education Association on the SSV Robt. Seamans assisting with oceanographic data collection and analysis, and working onboard as an Educator/Deckhand. After finishing her senior thesis on “Teaching Global Climate Change: Why and How” she graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Environmental Studies from University of Pennsylvania. She spent two years as the Shipboard Program Coordinator/Educator for the Bayshore Discovery project onboard the A.J. Meerwald - teaching thousands of students about marine and coastal ecosystems in Delaware Bay. Megan “enjoys connecting students with the marine environment . . .and opening the door for many who had never experienced their surroundings in such a personal way before.” She is currently finishing her position as Educator at City Lab in Boston where she facilitates biotechnology labs for students.