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.

Scott Beiter
Educator, Rensselaer Middle High School

Scott Beiter is the 8th grade physical science teacher at Rensselaer Middle School. This will be his tenth Voyage of Discovery. He always looks forward to the history/science immersion of the voyage.

"This is what education is about, not textbooks and worksheets."

Ramon Brugge
Educator, Bornego College

Ramon Brugge is 40 years old and an English teacher at Bornego College. He lives in Joure, Friesland, and is the father of three children.

Van William Calhoun

Ship's engineer Van William Calhoun has a "Six Pack" operator's license from the US Coast Guard. He is the co-captain of the 36-foot steel tug Betty June. He is also a Vice Commodore on the Mohawk-Hudson Council of Yacht Clubs, board director of the Solar SAL Project. A past owner and restorer of wooden boats with a lifelong interest in the water, rivers, and boating. A descendant on his mother's side of the Hudson River Dutch Van Tassels, he lives on a farm in Chatham that has been in his family since 1782.

Hennie Groenvelt
Educator, Bornego College

Hennie Groenevelt is 54 years old and teaches French at the Bornego College in Heerenveen, Holland. She has two adult daughters and two cats. She is very glad to return to the Half Moon with the Dutch students.

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 Massachusetts 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 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 in 2009 he took his chance! This marks his fourth Voyage of Discovery.

Jurriaan Los

Jurriaan Los has been on a sailing ship once before, but he doesn't consider himself a sailor (yet). He can cook a bit, though, and that's why he's here. He is one of the few Dutch members of the senior crew. Back home in the Netherlands, Mr. Los is a social worker, but sailing is starting to catch his interest!

Doug Lyke

Doug Lyke lives in Poughkeepsie and works at Dutchess County Community College as an A/V Technician. He first came on board in 2009 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!

John W. Mangrum

Originally hailing from the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA, John W. Mangrum has spent 11 years in 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. Sadly, the tides are pulling Mr. Mangrum halfway across the country, so he's looking forward to marking one last birthday on board (his tenth in a row) before closing out his tenure as a regular crew member.

Connor Powell

Connor Powell lives in Buffalo, NY, where he studied Geography at SUNY Buffalo State College. Having recently graduated in May 2013, he is seeking to travel and create unique life experiences. He's been on board the Half Moon a few times before and is looking forward to spending the 2014 season as the ship's boatswain.

Daniëlle Stevens

Daniëlle Stevens is returning to the Half Moon once again after having originally spent two months sailing on board in 2011. This will be her third Voyage of Discovery. In the Netherlands, she learned to sail on a “Valk”, near Leiden, but lately she’s had some experience on bigger ships and larger waters like the IJsselmeer and the Waddenzee. She is a social worker in the Netherlands, working with mentally disabled people.