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Meet the Crew

These crew members signed on for the transit voyage from Athens to Staten Island. You can either scroll down or click on a face to jump directly to that crew member. After we arrive at Staten Island, mouse over our new crew members' portraits to see them receive their official (and exclusive) Half Moon crew shirts.

Captain William ReynoldsKipp Van AkenPauli DangerousliSara DuBoisLori DucharmeSteve FronhoferBob HansenRalf HenselDawn HopperLenny Kluz
Rachel LauferDoug LykeJohn W. MangrumSteve McLaughlinCarolyn NiehausBarbara RobertsonDavid RoccoAnita Waiboer Frank & Angela Laufer

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.

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.

Pauli Dangerousli

Pauli Dangerousli

This is Pauli Dangerousli's third year with the Half Moon. He accounts himself a sailor, a musician, a healer, and a philosopher.

Mr. Dangerousli is on Port Watch.

Sara DuBois

Sara DuBois

Sara DuBois hails from Horse Heads, NY. After joining the crew for a sailing weekend this summer, she has returned as a volunteer sailor for her first transit voyage. She considers sailing on the Half Moon the opportunity of a lifetime. Sara wants to make it to the crow's nest.

Ms. DuBois is on Port Watch.

Lori Ducharme

Lori Ducharme

Originally from Rochester, NY and most recently Vermont, Lori lucked onto the Half Moon through a contra-dancing friend. Highlights of her first voyage so far include wonderment at all the parts and pieces of a wooden vessel and the crescent moon over a pre-dawn watch. Her goals on board include knot-tying and completion of The Nation crossword puzzle #2199. Help is welcomed.

Ms. Ducharme is on Starboard Watch.

Steve Fronhofer

Steve Fronhofer

Steve Fronhofer is currently a student at SUNY Adirondack, and is working as an intern for the New Netherland Museum. This is his first voyage on board the Half Moon.

Mr. Fronhofer is on Starboard Watch.

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.

Ralf Hensel

Ralf Hensel

Ralf Hensel is a cabinetmaker and Cultural Scientist M.A. He hails from Frisia, Germany, on the North Sea coast. He met the ship’s former boatswain, Janine Oosterloo, and so heard about the possibility to volunteer on the Half Moon. He had sailed before on the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and the Mediterranean, but never before on such a beautiful ship — so he took his chance! Ralf is joining us this fall for his second Voyage of Discovery.

Mr. Hensel is Port Watch Leader.

Dawn Hopper

Dawn Hopper

Dawn Hopper is a South Carolina native who now lives in Kingston. As Dutchess County Tour & Travel Marketing Manager, she is part of the top-notch team who organized the Half Moon's recent visit to Poughkeepsie.

Ms. Hopper is on Port Watch.

Lenny Kluz

Lenny Kluz

Lenny Kluz is Assistant Director at NYS Vital Records, and a part-time volunteer sailor who enjoys the ship and diverse crew. The Half Moon is a wonderful adventure and a great challenge. Everybody needs to get out on the treasure that is the Hudson River. "Sure beats the heck out of my beat-up motorboat."

Mr. Kluz is on Starboard Watch.

Rachel Laufer

Rachel Laufer
2000 Spring Voyage of Discovery Alumna

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.

Ms. Laufer is on Port Watch.

Doug Lyke

Doug Lyke

Doug Lyke lives in Poughkeepsie and works at Dutchess County Community College as an A/V Technician. He first came on board last year during the River Week voyage. His wife asked him to search the Half Moon's website to see when tours were being held during its stay in Poughkeepsie a few weeks before River Week. While searching, he saw where to click to volunteer. The next thing he knew, he was climbing aboard the Half Moon in the middle of the night at Piermont!

Mr. Lyke is on Port Watch.

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 has been sailing on board the Half Moon since the summer of 2004. What started as a simple, impromptu dockside tour of the ship has since turned into a life of adventure.

Steve McLaughlin

Steve McLaughlin

Steve McLaughlin loves to cook and has wanted to crew on the Half Moon since his daughter sailed on a Voyage of Discovery six years ago. Recently retired from the N.Y.S. Department of Health, Mr. McLaughlin has eagerly returned for yet another voyage.

Carolyn Niehaus

Carolyn Niehaus
2000 Fall Voyage of Discovery Alumna

Carolyn Niehaus has been an active member of the Half Moon since 1999 when she started giving tours as a docent through her social studies class. Ms. Niehaus is an alumna of the Fall 2000 Voyage of Discovery, as well as other voyages, and is happy to be back with the New Netherland Museum.

Ms. Niehaus is on Starboard Watch.

Barbara Robertson

Barbara Robertson

Barbara Robertson loves "messin' around with boats." Any kind, any size except large cruise ships. She owned a Catalina 22 for ten years and now sails OPBs (Other People's Boats). She spent five weeks cruising in Maine this summer, in addition to teaching sailing for the Appalachian Mountain Club.

Ms. Robertson is on Port Watch.

David Rocco

David Rocco

David Rocco of Hopewell Junction, NY, is a retired carpenter and photographer with two children, Chris and Jackie. He is a not-for-profit volunteer and fundraiser extraordinaire, involved with Walkway Over the Hudson, Rivers Alive at Wall St., Bannerman's Island, Schell Bridge, and more. Contact him at coyoteroc AT optonlive DOT net.

Mr. Rocco is on Starboard Watch.

Anita Waiboer

Anita Waiboer

Hallo, mijn naam is Anita Waiboer. Ik kom uit Nederland. Back home, Anita Waiboer is a P.S. teacher. She arrived in Albany on August 9th to work on the Half Moon, and thinks the first weeks on this beautiful ship have been wonderful. She is looking forward to sailing with the students. It's a very unique experince and one of the best choices she's made in her life. Hope to see you soon on the Half Moon!

Ms. Waiboer is on Port Watch, and is Starboard Watch Leader.

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