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You can either scroll through these pages or click on a face to jump directly to that crew member.
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William Reynolds: Ship's Captain
Captain William Reynolds has been captain of the Half Moon and Director of the New Netherland Museum since 1998. Before coming to the Half Moon, he captained numerous seagoing vessels, both historical and industrial. His background also includes training and work in the environmental sciences. He currently lives with his family in Selkirk, NY, and is looking forward to seeing the new student crew meet the challenges this Voyage of Discovery places before them.
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Menno Smit: First Mate
Menno Smit is from the Netherlands. Last year he finished the Maritime Academy for traditional (square rigged) fishing vessels in Enkhuizen, the Netherlands. At that academy he contacted Janine Oosterloo, the well-known boatswain of the Half Moon. She made him an enthusiast of the ship, the program, and the background of the whole project.
In Enkhuizen he also met Captain Reynolds, who made him even more enthusiastic. The result was that Menno is now the first mate on this Voyage of Discovery. He has already met a lot of nice and motivated people on board the ship, even before the students arrived. He thinks the trip will be great. Not only is the Hudson River a very nice place but, maybe more importantly, the Half Moon is a unique ship. In Holland, there are several replica ships, but they do not sail, and are just for tours. To sail with the Half Moon will be a unique experience. To set the sails and navigate the river using a whipstaff instead of a steering wheel; he looks forward to setting out.
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Mark Morel: Boatswain
Mark Morel hails from the Netherlands, where he lives on a houseboat in Amstelveen, near Amsterdam. He works as an instructor at a sailing school, where they teach sailing to students of all ages. After joining us for our fall Voyage of Discovery and History Channel voyages in 2004, Mr. Morel has returned this year to live and work on the Half Moon for another season. He considers this an expression of how much he likes being here and working with a student crew.
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Sylvia Lawler: Ship's Cook
Sylvia Lawler one day asked Captain Reynolds, "Who cooks for all those kids on the Voyage of Discovery?" He smiled and replied, "Volunteers, Sylvia, volunteers." That's it in a nutshell. This is Mrs. Lawler's second Voyage of Discovery on the Half Moon. She would like to thank Captain Reynolds for including her in this adventure.
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Daniel Scott Dawson: Deckhand
Mr. Dawson is a professional handyman/painter and spent the summer of 2005 restoring the Half Moon to its original 17th century colors after they were muted for the ship's use in the film, The New World. This is Mr. Dawson's fifth Voyage of Discovery. When not working on the Half Moon, Mr. Dawson is an avid fisherman and wilderness explorer, and he also enjoys skiing, billiards, the New York Yankees, and listening to and collecting live music.
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Christina Fountain: Educator
Christina Fountain is a sixth grade English teacher from Rensselaer Middle High School. This is Mrs. Fountain's third Voyage of Discovery on the Half Moon.
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Laurie Hausler: Educator
Mrs. Hausler is a sixth grade Special Education teacher at Rensselaer Middle High School. This is her first Voyage of Discovery on the Half Moon. She is so excited and can't wait to share her experience with her family and friends. She definitely plans on climbing the crows' nest (or top, as it's called on board).
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Mary Ellen Jacobs: Science Officer
Mary Ellen Jacobs has an undergraduate degree in history and a Ph.D. in molecular biology & biochemistry. She is currently a researcher at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, CT. She is serving as science officer on this Voyage of Discovery, during which she hopes to introduce students to the biology of the Hudson River, as well as the history of the Henry Hudson & his crew on their 1609 voyage along the river that would bear his name.
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John W. Mangrum: Webmaster
Originally hailing from the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA, John W. Mangrum holds one of the most anachronistic positions the crew of a 17th-century wooden sailing ship could imagine: the Half Moon's webmaster. Seldom seen in front of the camera, he oversees the daily updates to this website during our voyages. A former roleplaying game designer, Mr. Mangrum is now enjoying his third year of voyages aboard the Half Moon. What started as a simple, impromptu dockside tour of the ship has since turned into a life of adventure.
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Grant Prime: Educator
Grant Prime teaches 5th grade at Taconic Hills Elementary School. Mr. Prime has been involved with historical re-enactments for more than thirty years, and has been bringing his enthusiasm to the Half Moon each summer since 1998. He has completed his Master's in Elementary Education, and was a contributor to the New Netherland Museum's 4th- and 7th-grade curriculum materials.
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Jennifer Reilly: Rigger
Mrs. Reilly is a future middle school science teacher whose early Half Moon voyages prepared her for work as a professional rigger on ships for Hollywood. She lives in Connecticut.
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John Swartwout: Science Officer
Mr. Swartwout is an Environmental Engineer who works for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in Albany. He is a graduate of Shaker High School in Latham, NY, and Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. He is serving as an advisor on this voyage for the student science projects. Mr. Swartwout's ancestor, Thomas Swartwout, arrived in New Amsterdam in 1652 when Peter Stuyvesant was Goveror General of the Dutch colony of New Netherland! The family has remained in the Hudson Valley since that time.
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