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.

I was born and raised in West Virginia with an unshakeable urge to travel.  I went to college at the University of Illinois at Chicago where I received two bachelor of fine arts degrees (graphic design and photography).  My summer job while I was in school was in working for some charter yachts as a deckhand.  A few months after my graduation I landed a job as a photographer’s assistant.  And one week into this job I was offered a position on a tall ship going from Chicago to the Virgin Islands.  I decided that a career in photography could wait a few months. 

10 years later I am still perfecting the art of staying in debt by continuing to work on tall ships.  And for the most part I am happy to do so.

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. 

Sarah hails from Milwaukee, WI, and joins the Amistad with diverse knowledge and experience aboard several tall ships including the Irving Johnson, Denis Sullivan, and Lady Maryland. She especially enjoys traveling to new, exciting places and backpacking. Sarah has a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Vermont. She looks forward to the challenges and opportunities that await this season aboard Amistad.

Cook / Medical Officer :Mountain's, Hiking, Fly Fishing, getting to know people and intellectual conversations... Life is what you make it. At least, that is what my mother always told me as a young lad. I try to respect all this world has given me and I am out there seeing it all. I travel the back roads and sea to find new people and skills and meet the people that work behind the doors of the world.

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.

Brynna hails from Takoma Park, Maryland. Having a love of the water and traveling since a little girl, she has found her calling on tall ships. With a degree in Geography form the University of Mary Washington, working on tall ships has become a chance to see all the places she has only ever read about. Brynna is eager to share the experiences of traveling, the story of the Amistad and sailing with people from around the world.

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.

Ben has been in and around sailboat since his earliet memories, but he got into the tallship industry through the backdoor, as a carpenter on the build crew of the brigantines Irving and Exy Johnson. When the boats were commissioned, he managed to snag a deckhand position on Irving. He has also worked on the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, and volunteered on the Hawaiian Chieftain. When he’s not sailing, Ben is a science journalist. His writing has appeared in the Australian titles COSMOS and G: The Green Lifestyle Magazine, as well as Science magazine and online.

Haley Cox was born and raised in Shelburne, Nova Scotia.  Haley loves reading, traveling and playing sports including soccer, basketball, and softball. After graduating from high school, she moved to St. Johns, New Foundland and did a year at Memorial University before signing aboard the Amistad mid August. After finishing the second leg of the Freedom Tour in Sierra Leone as a student she knew she wanted to come back. Four months after returning home she flew down to Barbados to rejoined as crew. The boat and the story has become a large part of her life and she is enjoying every minute of it. Haley and her sister Nina became Amistad's personal connections to the Black Loyalists story.

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".

Michael Simon was born and raised in Liverpool, England.  He comes from a family that has been actively engaged in improving the lives and social conditions of Black people living in Liverpool. Michael sailed on Amistad as a Sankofa Program Student during first transatlantic leg of the Tour , from New Haven to England. He joined the ship again in Barbados as a deckhand, and is really finding this sailing business very attractive. To the point where he shall attend the sailing academy of England.

Chrisy was born on Christmas Eve in New York City. She loves to travel and has lived in both the United States and Bangkok, Thailand. Chrisy is entering her senior year at the United States Coast Guard Academy, where she is working to earn a degree in Mechanical Engineering and work her way towards flight school. At the Academy she takes much pride as the captain of the Women’s Rugby team, member of the Aviation Club and member of Foxtrot Company. Her first tallship experience was onboard the USCGC Barque Eagle; the Coast Guard’s training vessel. With Eagle, she was able to travel to Portugal, Spain, Bermuda, Puerto Rico, and along the east coast of the United States. Onboard the Amistad, Chrisy is fulfilling the responsibilities of deckhand in addition to doing her studies on diversity and the Amistad history. Chrisy has a goal to use all her research from this Amistad experience to conduct trainings for her fellow cadets.

As a 21 year old I have decided to take some time out to find out exactly what I want do with my life. My boyfriend Mike, who is sailing on the Amistad, introduced me to the ship. I live in Exeter UK and work as a coach driver; I would like to be able to take new skills away from this experience and possibly even new career path. I have never sailed before but I am ready and willing to learn.

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.

I was born, raised, and learned how to sail in Camden, Maine, which is famous for being a beautiful harbor where boats from all over the world come to visit. So I guess it makes sense why I’d still be out the water and have chosen to make boats a part of my career choice. I started out on tall ships as a student aboard the Harvey Gamage and Spirit of Massachusettes and began working aboard the Maine Windjammers, Timberwind, Stephen Taber, and Victory Chimes. I spent this summer touring California aboard the Washington ketch Hawaiian Chieftain and this spring working in Nova Scotia on the European film of “The Sea Wolf” as crew aboard the schooner Alabama. Once my time on Amistad is over, I’m moving to Nova Scotia and would eventually one day like to go to boatbuilding school, as well as continue with making sailtraining a part of my career.

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.

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.

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.

A native of Freetown, Sierra Leone. John has been in and around the water all of his life and captained a 20ft speed boat for the Mammy Yoko Hotel in Freetown. John currently resides in Ohio with his wife and children and has dedicated his life to spreading love, unity, hope, harmony, peace and reconciliation to all races throughout the world taking the legacy of the Amistad and Sengbe Pieh to the world. Johnny is an Amistad veteran - sailing as a crew on and off since 2003. Lately he sailed across Atlantic from New Haven to  Falmouth in UK.  "Johnny Be Good", as he is known in Freetown joined the crew back when the schooner sailed  into his  home-waters around Freetown.

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.
 

Jeremy Dann set his first steps on a tallship at the young age of 14 sailing aboard the historic schooner Ernestina. Ever since that week of adventure traveling from his home port, New Haven, Ct to Boston Mass. Jeremy has been addicted to the sea. Spending his high school summers aboard various tallships Jeremy has gained various experiences with day sails and exploring the open ocean. Jeremy now attends Maine Maritime Academy fulfilling his dreams of being a licensed officer aboard a tallship.

Matt is a deckhand from Nashville Tennessee. He got involved with sailing when he was in college at The University of Tennessee. He was on the college sailing team for four years where he raced against other schools throughout the southeast region. He has always loved the water and when he found out about the opportunity to sail onboard the Amistad he couldn’t say no. Matt joined the crew in back in June when the boat was docked at the Mystic Seaport. He has a passion for not only sailing but loves traveling from port to port spreading the incredible story of the Amistad and the lessons that can be taken from it.

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.

Born in Changchun, China, Xiaobin (pronounced “sho-ben”) immigrated to the United States at the young age of 2. Since then, she has lived in Florida, Texas, and Washington state, and now currently resides in Maryland. An upcoming senior at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT. Xiaobin is a proud member of Foxtrot Company, and is a Government major. At the Academy, Xiaobin is a member of the Women’s Rugby team, the Boxing Club, the Running Club, and Vice President of the Society for Politics & International Affairs. When not fulfilling her duties as a deckhand, Xiaobin is working on a project that attempts to examine civil-military relations within the tall ship and sailing vessel community. 

Paul Bryant-Smith is pastor of United Church of Christ, and is spending his sabbatical with Amistad America as a continued expression of the 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.