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.

Stephanie Bisson

Stephanie Bisson is an English teacher at Connecticut River Academy. She currently resides in Waterbury, CT. She loves traveling and the outdoors and hikes every weekend. She learns the most about herself in uncomfortable, challenging situations, which made her want to take this journey on the Half Moon. She's looking forward to learning a lot of new things about sailing, her students, and herself through this incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Miles Garfinkel

Miles Garfinkel was born at a very early age. His career as a 7th grade biology & history teacher has been wonderful, learning with children of all ages. His hobbies are bicycling, cross-country skiing, birding, botanizing, and observing & enjoying insects. His daughter sailed and volunteered on the Half Moon, and his wife Evelyn is a tour docent when the ship is in Albany. He thinks the crew is great, and he appreciates their expertise & giving him the opportunity to sail with them.

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 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! This marks his third Voyage of Discovery.

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.

Jennifer Reilly

Jennifer Reilly teaches science at Connecticut River Academy and is an experienced sailor on the Half Moon crew. Her early Half Moon voyages prepared her for a previous career as a professional rigger on ships for Hollywood. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and the two cutest babies in the world, both of whom have also spent time sailing on board.

Tony Roy

Hello! Tony Roy is a teacher at Connecticut River Academy who loves traveling and history. He is looking forward to this trip because of the authentic experience offered by the Half Moon. In his free time he likes to cook and spend time with friends and family.

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!