2009 Fresh River Voyage of Discovery banner
Meet the Crew

You can either scroll through these pages or click on a face to jump directly to that crew member. Mouse over our new crew members' portraits to see them receive their official (and exclusive) Half Moon crew shirts.

AlannaAlexDeNiroElainaJonathanJoseLorenMatthewMichaelNadiaTajanaeTyron
Captain William Reynolds
Kipp Van AkenKeith CardozaDeb CowlesSwantje CroneVicki GilesEwout van GrondelleBob HansenMary Ellen JacobsSanne KoenenRachel LauferJohn W. MangrumWoody Woodworth
Lisa JohnsenPatrick E. NoonanAnn McGuinessJay PociusJennifer ReillySteve WeisseHobbes

Student Crew | Senior Crew | Shore Support

Senior Crew

William Reynolds, Ship's Captain

William Reynolds: Ship's Captain

Captain William "Chip" 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.

Senior crewmember Kipp Van Aken

Kipp Van Aken

Kipp Van Aken is serving as the Half Moon's chief engineer. Mr. Van Aken has a background in history, anthropology, and business, is a graduate of Hope College, and holds an MBA. He is a veteran of the US Navy Submarine Force and is retired from Southern California Edison's San Onofre Nuclear Station. He is a direct descendant of three early Dutch families in New York and is an original shareholder of the ship.

Senior crewmember Keith Cardoza

Keith Cardoza

At age 40, Keith Cardoza has been on, in, or under water since birth! Inspired by his mentor Captain Jack Clarke, he is a licensed captain and diver. This is his third season on board the Half Moon. Mr. Cardoza first came to the Half Moon to earn sea time for his 100 ton master & sail endorsement, as well as his desire to learn old school sail techniques and navigation. During his years in the ship's crew, however, he has learned so much more.

Mr. Cardoza will serve on the crew before departing on Day Three.

Senior crewmember Deb Cowles

Deb Cowles

Deb Cowles lives in Glastonbury and has been working with students of all ages for 30+ years. Her free time is spent reading, kayaking, and in handicrafts. She has returned for her second Voyage of Discovery.

Senior Crewmember Swantje Crone

Swantje Crone

Swantje Crone comes to the Half Moon from Lueneburg, close to Hamburg in Germany. An artist, Ms. Crone will be painting portraits of the ship during her month on board.

Senior crewmember Vicki Giles

Vicki Giles

This is Vicki Giles' third year volunteering on the Half Moon. She normally comes on board as the cook but has also been a crew member.  Her job as a computer programmer limits her availability to weekend voyages.  For this voyage, she cooks meals at home and brings them to the crew. Even though Ms. Giles' main role is cooking, her passion is going aloft.  She takes every opportunity to go up in the rigging whenever she is on board.

Ms. Giles will serve on the crew before departing on Day Three.

Senior crewmember Ewout van Grondelle

Ewout van Grondelle

Ewout van Grondelle, serving this year as the Half Moon's bosun and ship manager, first set foot on a sailing boat at age 13. He enjoyed sailing so much that he ended up 24 years later on a replica Dutch ship on the Hudson River. He went from sail instructor at sailing schools to mate and skipper on sailing barges. In the last few years he has been sailing as bosun on the bark Europa (external link) across the Atlantic ocean between Amsterdam and Antarctica.

On shore, Mr. Van Grondelle has a background in hospitality, tourism, and software engineering. He has a house in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, which he sees very little of.

Senior crewmember Bob Hansen

Bob Hansen

Ship's mate Bob Hansen started sailing on the Hudson on the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater; later, on two engineless sloops. Since the 1990s, he has served as a volunteer and mate on the schooners Spirit of Massachuesetts and Ernestina, as well as other vessels.

Having recently retired from a career as a self-styled "bureaucrat" with the New York State government, Mr. Hansen has now turned his attention to serving as second-in-command on board the Half Moon.

Senior crewmember Mary Ellen Jacobs

Mary Ellen Jacobs

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.

Senior crewmember Sanne Koenen

Sanne Koenen

Sanne Koenen is from the Netherlands. D'Halve Maen is the second VOC replica she's sailed on. She likes this era of her country's history and therefore likes to tell others about it. Ms. Koenen is assuming duties as ship's cook upon the departure of Vicki Giles.

Senior crewmember Rachel Laufer

Rachel Laufer

Rachel Laufer first came to the Half Moon as a docent in 1999, then joined the crew as a student on the April 2000 Voyage of Discovery; she has continued to work on the ship ever since. Now that she has graduated from the University of Delaware with a degree in American History and therefore has a free summer, she is thrilled to again have the chance to work on the ship for the 400th anniversary schedule.

Senior crewmember John W. Mangrum

John W. Mangrum

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, the self-titled "Ship's Chronicler" oversees the daily updates to this website during our voyages. A roleplaying game designer in a past life, Mr. Mangrum is now starting his sixth 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.

Mr. Mangrum's nephew Baxter was born just before last year's Fresh River Voyage of Discovery and, based solely on his size, may be part moose.

Senior crewmember Woody Woodworth

Woody Woodworth

Woody Woodworth has a home in Schenectady, NY. He has worked as a professional photographer for three decades. He joined the Half Moon in 1998 and is best known for keeping the ship's head working.

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Shore Support

Shore supporter Lisa Johnsen

Lisa Johnsen

Lisa Johnsen is a teacher with a passion for photography. She spends her free time photographing bugs, slugs, and other tiny creatures.

Since teaching fourth grade she has developed a fascination with the Hudson River and the Half Moon. After sailing with us from Athens to New London, she remained on board until the ship's departure to help with preparations and student orientation.

Ann McGuiness

Ann McGuiness is a long-time sailor on and supporter of the Half Moon, and a free-lance management and development consultant. She has not only sailed, but also provided numerous meals and hospitality to visiting Half Moon crew. Okay, she does have a vested interest here, being the mother of two Half Moon crew and the wife of the Captain.

Ms. McGuiness transported gear and crew from Albany to New London.

Shore supporter Patrick E. Noonan

Patrick E. Noonan

Lifelong lover of the sea, Patrick E. Noonan is a longtime recreational boater of both power and sail and is pursuing a lifelong dream of sailing on board a tall ship. Mr. Noonan is a former US Coast Guard member, having served aboard Search and Rescue vessels in both Alaska and Hawaii.

Having recently sailed the full River Day Voyage with us, Mr. Noonan visited us in New London and East Hartford to help handle docklines and reprovision the ship.

Shore supporter Jay Pocius

Jay Pocius

Jay Pocius is fore topman and database administrator, having sailed with the Half Moon for thirteen years. Work and family demands have kept him ashore for the past three years, but he still keeps the information systems running for the entire operation. If anyone in the lower Connecticut River Valley can provide dog-sitting services, contact us so Jay can sail again.

Mr. Pocius has provided extensive organizational shore support for this voyage.

Shore supporter Jennifer Reilly with her daughter

Jennifer Reilly

Jennifer 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 with her husband and the two cutest babies in the world, whom have now both spent time sailing on board.

Ms. Reilly has provided extensive organizational shore support for this voyage, acting as the Half Moon's regional liaison.

Steve Weisse

Steve Weisse, the father of a former student crewmember on a Voyage of Discovery, has since graduated to serving as a crew member on the Half Moon himself. A professional musician, he often uses his trumpet to serenade the crew in the evening and to act as a "wake-up facilitation engineer" each morning.

Mr. Weisse transported the ship's museum materials from Albany to East Hartford, and was present at our arrival to help handle our dock lines.

Hobbes Reynolds

Hobbes Reynolds visited the ship during our first weekend in East Hartford to bolster morale and to provide reveille at 0530 hours. Despite his lack of seniority, this young cadet was promoted to a bunk in the great cabin with the dockside officers.

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