Logan Johnsen, Amistad's Chief Mate, was born in British Columbia, Canada, and grew up in Minnesota, where he took an interest in seafaring from his father and grandfather.  He took up the family trade and is a graduate of Maine Maritime Academy in Castine, ME, where he studied Nautical Science. Between commercial work on oceanographic and cargo ships, he devotes time to traditional sailing and has been engaged in projects ranging from history and environmental education to film making and has made Atlantic and Pacific Ocean crossings on square-rigged vessels.  Logan worked with Amistad through a spring fit out two years ago in Mystic, CT where he was immediately drawn to the history and mission of Amistad.

Barry Antel was born in Mackay, Qld, Australia, and is sailing aboard Amistad as engineer. Barry has been sailing small boats since he was four, including two years living aboard.  He graduated from Massachusetts Maritime Academy in 1999 with a degree in marine engineering.  Barry enjoys pecan pie, small boat sailing, guitar, passion fruit, hang gliding, windsurfing, hiking, and biking. 

John was born and raised in Minnesota but is now a resident of California. Before joining “Amistad”, John worked for the Ocean-Institute in Dana Point, California sailing on both “Spirit of Dana Point” and the Brig “Pilgrim”. Since coming across tallship sailing “by accident” a few years ago, John has swiftly come up through the ranks and has worked in every position including cook. John came to us on board for his interest in the history of “Amistad” and to sail and see the East Coast, New England, and Nova Scotia. For John, sail and the sea is “all about the adventure.”

Erica Whyte was born in Hartford, Connecticut after her family moved to the United States from  Georgetown, Guyana. Currently she attends the University of Connecticut where she just finished her first year  as a Coast Studies major. Erica described her first year of college as a wonderful experience that helped her become a more confident young woman. Before leaving home for college she was generally a shy person, but now feels that she has more friends that she could ever imagine.

Odwin "Mickey" Berkeley is a native from Bermuda and has been on the ocean since a young age. By the age of 12, he joined the sea cadets and at 19 was a petty officer. While a teenager, he sailed laser and sunfish in many international competitions representing Bermuda. He graduated a carpenter on Bermuda College and worked in that area for 12 years. After that, he became a seaman at marine ports and eventually got his captain's license. He is also a professional scuba diver. Mickey has one daughter: Juinita, 31 years old. He joined the Amistad on February 17th to cross the Atlantic Ocean the way other Bermuda boats have, like the HMS Driver.

Elaine "Insane" Eno is a self-proclaimed privateer who carries her sailing resume with great pride (and if you ask her really nice she may even show it to you). The Atlantic Freedom Tour is her first schoonering outside the Pacific. She is proud to represent the Bear Flag Republic as part of Amistad's international crew.  She may be the first person to have been inspired to go sailing by the movie "Muppet Treasure Island". When she's not messing around on boats she might be found building stages or performing on them, preparing her move into rock-stardom, or continuing her study of why people smile when they say the word "underpants".

Katelinn comes to the Amistad from Tacoma, Washington, where she attends the University of Puget Sound. Besides sailing, Katelinn loves science and music, and can be heard playing Irish fiddle tunes on her violin. Before working on the Amistad, Katelinn sailed with the schooner Adventuress in Washington State. She enjoys all of the new experiences Amistad has to offer.

Imogen Ashfield is 17 years old and currently lives in Eltham, London. Since she was a child, Imogen has loved adventure stories. She is attending Sixth Form College studying English Literature, History, Art and Politics at Crown Woods School. Imogen expects to study History and English Literature when she attends the university. When she is away from school her main passion is music. Her taste in music is wide-ranging and includes interests in: rock,  heavy metal, blues, funk and punk.  In the future she hopes to become a music journalist.

A licensed Engineer aboard the Freedom Schooner Amistad served in the US Coast Guard for 7 years. Ben has over 12 years as a Maritime educator with The Tradewinds Education Network and has served as a Historical Interpreter for the Henry Ford Museum as well as the Old Sturbridge Village. Ben has dedicated over 10 years of independent study to enslaved Africans in rural Richland County, South Carolina and has done over 10 expeditions to the Richland County area to locate undocumented, unidentified/obscure slave cemeteries. Ben joined the Amistad crew to create a continual dialogue amongst people who have never discussed race relations or slavery. "Bengineer", as he is known aboard, sailed the first leg of the Atlantic Freedom Tour from New Have to England and joined the crew again in Freetown in January 2008.

Chef/ Moral Officer aboard the Amistad has been a chef for over 30 years, owning and operating her own restaurant. Dani is no stranger to sailing vessels and has worked aboard sailing school vessels in the South Pacific as well as Hawaii. Along with her duties as chef, Dani is Amistad America's Morale officer, Griot and caretaker! Dani's goal is to provide food that celebrates life, warmth and comfort as she strives to save the world one bite at a time. Already and Amistad veteran, Dani sailed the first Leg of the Tour from New Haven to UK and joined the crew again in Freetown in Sierra Leone in the end of January 2008.

Deckhand, medical officer, geek squad. I'm a 28 y/o Libra who enjoys coffee shops, reading and writing. Born in Hawaii, grew up in Seattle suburbs. Sailing small boats all of my life, traditional sailing has been an incubation area for me to start a career in boating.
Working, sleeping, eating, relaxing, arguing and laughing with my diverse crew mates has been both challenging and rewarding. I work outside my own little comfort bubble everyday and that makes Amistad a one of a kind platform for open conversations about assumptions I didn't even know I had. The unique combination of this twenty four hour environment along with the tallship puzzle, truly makes Amistad a special place for growth and learning.

Logan  Senack grew up in Torrington, CT and graduated from Torrington High School in 2004. He is a senior studying Environmental Science/Environmental Biology at the University at Connecticut at Storrs where he was recently selected as a University Scholar. He enjoys hiking and botany. Logan has been a student employee in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology department at UConn.  He also works and volunteers for the Invasive Plant Atlas of England, an organization that tracks invasive plants through a public volunteer network.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. In ac eros a odio porta tristique. Praesent et purus quis quam dignissim sollicitudin. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Etiam porttitor orci. Suspendisse non risus. Ut justo. Ut ut lorem molestie dolor rhoncus rutrum. Duis consectetuer, libero sed nonummy pulvinar, nunc elit ornare felis, in scelerisque diam pede vel purus. Pellentesque eu sem imperdiet lorem scelerisque commodo. Suspendisse egestas mauris vel erat. Mauris nec tellus. Nulla auctor neque malesuada massa. In sollicitudin massa non mauris. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia.

Joy Collins holds an AB and has been with Amistad America since 2001, working as a deck hand/ educator aboard the boat and as the Vessel Operations Coordinator on shore; seamlessly transitioning based on operational needs. Joy is a student of Tai Chi and Chi Kung and utilizes the philosophies of those disciplines in her everyday life; providing a life force of peace, patience and strength to the organization. Joy has lived and traveled throughout Europe and will finally be bringing the story of the Amistad and the mission to European shores. Joy sailed the first Leg of the Tour from New Haven to UK and joined the cre again in Freetown in Sierra Leone in the end of January 2008.
 

Eve Southworth first sailed tall ships at the Williams Mystic Maritime Studies program at Mystic Seaport.  After her semester there, she interned at the Mystic Seaport exhibits department on their “Black Hands, Blue Seas” and “Women and the Sea” exhibits. She first worked on Amistad in 2005, and is glad to be back! She likes pecan pie, blue guitars, drawing, yoga, and rock climbing.  Eve has her BA from Connecticut College in social history and grew up in Framingham, Massachusetts.

Vincent Saruwa Conteh was born in Kamankay Bombali Dist, Sierra Leone, in 1967. He finished High School in Freetown and went to Ghana to do a course on Boatswains mate. Back in Freetown, in 1991, he joined the military at the Sierra Leone Naval Wing (RSLAF). He started at the Infantry and became a deckman boatswains mate in the navy. Vincent joined the Amistad in Freetown to gain more skills and experience on seamanship. He wants to extend sincere greetings to all Amistad personnel as well as commanders of entire unit in RSLAF - Naval Wing - and family back in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Dominic Clayton is eighteen years old and was born and raised in Paterson New Jersey and currently resides in Morris Plains, NJ with his family. He is a recent graduate of Montclair High School and will be attending Virginia State University in the spring 2008 semester; to take up engineering. In his spare time he likes to write poetry, write music, listen to music, play volleyball, and watch the history channel. Going on the journey aboard the Amistad is something that he will enjoy doing because he always wanted to learn about his ancestors and see what they really had to go through during slavery. This semester will also allow him to become more knowledgeable about events that he did not learn in school. Learning different languages and seeing things that are new to his eyes is something that interest him the most and has excited him about the journey is about to embark upon.

Sia Fillie was born in Kono, Sierra Leone, in 1969. She went to college in Freetown, Ghana and South Africa, to study Marine Engineering. Then she worked at Sierra Fishing Company as the 2nd engineer for six years. In 1991, Sia became the first female chief marine engineer in Sierra Leone Port Authority, where she works until today. She has sailed on board cargo vessels, oil tankers and ro-ro vessels, but it is her first time on a sailing vessel. That is why she joined Amistad: to gain wide experience on navigation. In her own words: "There is a big difference between merchant vessel and sailing vessel. On board a merchant vessel, as an engineer, you work only as an engineer. But on board a sailing vessel, it's all hands on deck".

I was born in Haiti and have lived most of my life in Queens Village, New York.  Since my first sailing trip in 1998 with my brothers Patrick and Richard from Seattle, Washington to the San Juan Islands, sailing has become my passion. I love to sail, and take every opportunity to encourage others to sail as well. I enjoy cruising in the Caribbean, New York, Florida, and other parts of the world. I have enjoyed offshore sailing in the Azores, the Georgia/Florida Coast, and the Caribbean. I am a sailing instructor and former executive board member for TASCA, a non-profit organization operating out of Flushing Meadow-Corona Lake in Queens, New York, that provides affordable sailing education to residents of the New York City area. Gina joined the crew in UK in summer 2007.

Paul Bryant-Smith is pastor of the First Congregational Church of River Edge, New Jersey, United Church of Christ, and is spending his sabbatical with Amistad America as a continued expression of the Congregational Church’s historical role in the 1839 Amistad incident and the United Church of Christ’s continued commitment to equal justice for all people and support for Amistad America.  Over the past five years, he has spent several weeks as a volunteer crewmember aboard Amistad.  When not volunteering aboard, he enjoys reading, playing guitar and clawhammer banjo, and sailing his own sloop, Boojum.  Paul joined the crew in late December 2007 in Freetown.

Chris Roche, born in Folkestone, England, is 61 years old. By his own definition, he is a sailor, a singer and a romantic. He has not sailed the seven seas, but almost that. He crossed the Pacific and Atlantic oceans aboard square-riggers. He has also rounded the Cape Horn in 49 days. Among other ships, he has sailed: Sea Cloud, Soren Larsen and Eye of the Wind. When at sea, he tries to help his mates by singing sea shanties, and usually has a song on his lips. Chris is the editor of the journal of the Cape Horners ICEH. Once, in the southern ocean, he was asked: "What do you do?" And he responded: "In real life I'm a plumber." And the person replied: "No, this is real life and that is what you do."

Dustin Ford  was born and raised in SE Washington, DC.  He is 18 years old and the youngest  of four children. Dustin describes his personality and laid back and reflective. He enjoys singing,  playing the drums  congas and roto toms and listening to his hometown’s signature  sound: ‘Go-Go’ music.   He will be a first year student at the University of the District of Columbia in the spring were he plans on majoring in Business.

Dustin disembarked the vessel in Lisbon. 

Samuel Benson Yokie is a Sierra Leonean born in 1972. He studied agriculture general at the Institute of Agriculture and then worked in that institution as a tutor. During the war in Sierra Leone, he spent 18 months on a church mission as a Nursing Aid. Afterwards, he worked for a security company and as an assistance contractor that supplied local materials for the construction of the United States embassy in Freetown. Sam has two children: Alice, 8, and Eddie, 3. He joined the Amistad to study sea life and to learn about seamanship.

Nadia Waithe was born and raised in Bristol, England. After High School she went straight to a music college to cultivate her musical skills. She graduated with a BTEC National Diploma in Contemporary Popular Music and from there went on to complete a degree in Popular music at Glamorgan University. As a Black British African Caribbean she loves to mix with all kinds of people and learning about different cultures. Her main aim in life is to be a successful singer. She has been singing professionally since the age of twelve years old.

Thomas "Toby" Clarkson, 22 years old, was born in Gloucester, Massachusetts, United States. He was raised in Southeastern, Connecticut, and for the last three years has attended the University of South Carolina, studying history. He enjoys challenges such as shipboard life. He also enjoys music and outdoor activities, including sports and exploring nature. Following his Amistad experience, he is going to enjoy the small task of figuring out what to do with the rest of his life.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. In ac eros a odio porta tristique. Praesent et purus quis quam dignissim sollicitudin. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Etiam porttitor orci. Suspendisse non risus. Ut justo. Ut ut lorem molestie dolor rhoncus rutrum. Duis consectetuer, libero sed nonummy pulvinar, nunc elit ornare felis, in scelerisque diam pede vel purus. Pellentesque eu sem imperdiet lorem scelerisque commodo. Suspendisse egestas mauris vel erat. Mauris nec tellus. Nulla auctor neque malesuada massa. In sollicitudin massa non mauris. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia.

I grew up sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and the Susquahannah River. The day after high school, my Dad took us all on sabbatical to sail the inland waterway and the Bahamas for a year. Small craft sailing mostly and lots of hospitality work brought me to the dock in Halifax. My sweetie and I live in the country in Annapolis County in Nova Scotia, and I will be sworn in as a Canadian on July 1st. I knit, cook, learn and share as hobbies and in my real life I'm a medical lab tech.

Nina Cox, 19, was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and grew up in Shelburne, NS.  She is currently enrolled at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, NS, where she is enrolled in a bachelor of Tourism and Hospitality Management program.  She enjoys sports such as basketball, soccer and softball, the outdoors, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. Being a descendant of the Black Loyalists who settled Freetown, Sierra Leone, she feels strongly about the mission of the Amistad and enjoys the challenges this trip has to offer.

Saphra K. Ross  was born in Wales and since she was a child one of her life aspirations has been to travel across the world, particularly to America, Caribbean and Africa. One of her main interest is learning about Black history and gaining in-depth knowledge on slavery. Currently she is studying for a Law degree at the University of the West of England where she plays on the football team.  In her spare time  she is a member of  a church dance group and drama club. In the future, she expects to pursue her law career in the United States or England.

Lesandra Bailey is a junior at Delaware State University, where she currently majoring
in Television Production.  Her long-term goal is to become an entertainment lawyer.  She was born and raised in Long Island, New York.  She first heard about the Sankofa College Program from her mother and was immediately interested in participating in the Atlantic Freedom Tour after reading the courses descriptions.  Lesandra  expects to learn about the impact of slavery on west African societies.
 

Seth Bruin was born and raised in Hyattsville, Maryland. He is currently a sociology major at Frostburg State University. Seth has a long-standing interest in promoting positive dialogue about race and he views his participation in the Sankofa College program as a natural outgrowth of his academic interest.   He plans to pursue a career in public service when he graduates.

Molly Crossthwaite is 22 years old and from Bristol, England.  She has just finished an undergraduate degree in Archaeology and Ancient History.   She became particularly interested in the history of slavery, the way it is interpreted and presented during last year. Molly’s undergraduate dissertation compared the way cities of New York and Bristol deal with their slavery heritage in context of the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade.  In the future she hopes to pursue a graduate degree in maritime archeology.

Paula McFarlane is a 3rd year student at the University of Connecticut.  She was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Paula is one of seven siblings. Paula currently resides in Bridgeport, CT.   She has not decided on a major yet but is leaning towards pursuing a degree in either  International Business or Urban Studies. During her free time, Paula enjoys reading and writing poetry and was recently given an opportunity to study under Marilyn Nelso, the Poet Laurate of Connecticut. Paula has always wanted to travel and believes the Sankofa College Program will be an educational opportunity of a lifetime.

Paula disembarked the vessel in Lisbon. 

A returning crew member to the Amistad as third mate. Along with sailing Halsey is an avid skier. Halsey brings a wealth of knowledge and true team spirit to the boat.

Chief Mate aboard the Freedom Schooner Amistad a recent graduate of the Maine Maritime Academy, holds a 500 Ton Ocean Mates License (sail endorsed) and an AB Limited (sail endorsed). An avid sailor, Paul is dedicated to promoting the Amistad mission as well as freedom and diversity on a global scale and is excited about utilizing his professional maritime experience as well as safety training to bring the Amistad and her crew to international ports and globalizing the mission. Paul joined the crew in spring 2007 and disembarked mid December in Freetown, Sierra Leone

A returning crew member to the Amistad. Tim holds an AB and is working in the capacity of Bosun. Tim worked during the yard period this winter with the Amistad and built the new bunks in the main saloon. Tim is also a talented musician and provides the ship with tunes from his banjo.

Began sailing square rig at the age of fifteen under the command of Dan Moreland aboard the handsome Barque Picton Castle.  Mike went to Falmouth for orders to sign aboard the schooner Amistad.  He brings to the morning muster a wealth of traditional maritime knowledge and an enthusiasm for deep sea voyaging.  An avid tie-wearer and skier, Moreland recently graduated from Maine Maritime Academy and holds a 500 ton mates license.

Hannah Gray is 3rd Mate aboard the Amistad, holds a 100 Ton Near Costal Captain's Licensce. Prior to joining Amistad she worked as a first mate aboard a 43ft Ketch covering over 23 countries, producing science and social studies curriculum for elementary school students following her voyage online. Prior to that she worked in NYC in the criminal justice system where she witnessed the consequences of continuing racial inequality.Hannah believes that the power of the Amistad story as well as the vessel will capture people's imaginations; creating a common space to build, trust and foster discussions that will lead to change. Hannah joined the crew early in 2007, participated in preparing the schooner for the Atlantica Freedom Tour and sailed all the way to Freetown, Sierra Leone where she disembarked in mid December.

Holds a RYA Yachtmaster Ocean license, a  RYA Yachtmaster Offshore License, a RYA Cruising Instructors Certificate and various other certifications. Kent is seasoned in ocean yacht racing as well as solo sailing. Kent has worked aboard sailing vessels in the US, UK, Bahamas, Italy and South Africa.

Ella Haselswerdt is a 23 year old college graduate from Wales Center, NY who has been sailing with the Amistad as a deckhand on and off for a year.  Her interest in tall ships stems from the intellectual and physical challenge of learning an occupation with so much breadth and rigor.  The Amistad’s unique mission of using lessons from history to confront social issues of the present while educating today’s youth makes working aboard an irresistible opportunity.

A returning crew member to the Amistad, as an AB has been involved with the sea throughout his life as a sailor, sail instructor, surfer and diver. Newman a former 8th grade teacher in South Carolina taught the Amistad story as well as facilitated debates with his class based on the story. Having traveled extensively and lived aboard (Italy and South Africa) Newman witnessed discrimination amongst those less fortunate; most recently while working in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. He has dedicated his life to changing the world through education.

A 15 year old high school student taking time off from school to sail on the Amistad. He will be sailing from Falmouth England to Lisbon Portugal. His father Stephen Olson is sailing as the captain of the ship. Skyler is being given extensive square rig training by Moreland and Bracken. Skyler has sailed on two Schooners before this, but most of his boating experience comes from smaller crafts such as lasers and beverly dingies.

Skyler disembarked the vessel in Cascais.