The crew of Lady Slipper has been plucked from across the nation with a myriad of backgrounds and personal stories. Let these be their tales.
Paul Maravelas
Paul has been sailing for fifty years, mostly on Lake Minnetonka and Lake Superior. He keeps a Morgan 22 on Lake Minnetonka and enjoys night sailing.
Paul teaches basic keelboat students for the American Sailing Association. He has long wanted to see this part of the maritime world.
Paul's ability to speak French was invaluable throughout Quebec. Merci beaucoup Paul!
Tim Donovan
Tim started his sailing at an early age on open dinghies. After moving into larger dinghies for several years he then discovered keelboats. First, a Pearson 26, followed by a Raider 33, which he currently sails with family and friends out of Marion, Massachusetts. Most trips are in and around Buzzards Bay.
Wanting more from his time on the water, he began taking classes to further advance his sailing skills; through ASA106 and ASA IQC104. He began taking classes towards his USCG Captain's License in 2021.
Mark Banker
Mark Banker is from the Minneapolis area. He will be with Doug from start to finish. Lake Superior is his favorite place to sail but he has sailed in the Caribbean and Thailand.
In September, Mark will be traveling to Mexico to get married. His fiancé, Chitti, is from Thailand. They will be having a western style wedding in Mexico and a Buddhist wedding in Thailand. Thus, Mark has been busy planning a wedding from the boat and marinas along the way...when Wi-Fi is available. Thankfully his sister, Cheri, has been helping him.
"This trip is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Thank you for the opportunity!"
Mark Banker
Nathan Sanders
Nathan Sanders comes from Denver, Colorado and is sailing the Great Lakes leg from Racine to Montreal. He has a wife and two kids (7-year-old boy and 4-year-old girl) who are vacationing in South Korea while he is crew for the Lady Slipper. As a sailing novice, Nathan is learning everything he can about sailing and navigation.
Tom Bergen
Tom Bergen grew up with Doug in Santa Cruz, CA where his father passed down his love for sailing. Day sailing transitioned to buoy racing, then big boat offshore racing.
Tom has been married to his best friend and talented business partner Debbie for 39 years. Tom and Debbie have an amazing adult daughter, Abby. They mostly live in Atlanta now but keep a place in Santa Cruz where they hope to spend more time when not consulting or sailing.
"I am thankful to Doug and Kathy for their vision and including me on the crew." Tom Bergen