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Captains & Crew

Jan Miles, Senior Captain
Pasadena, Maryland

Captain Miles, an Annapolis High School graduate, has been with Pride of Baltimore, Inc. since 1981, when he joined as one of three rotating captains on the original Pride of Baltimore. He was the first to sail the original Pride across the North Atlantic to Europe and was at the helm for Pride of Baltimore II‘s maiden voyage in 1988. He is a tall ship master with more than 50 years of experience as a professional sailor. His voyages have included six Atlantic Ocean crossings, as well as three Pacific voyages of 5,000 miles, each taking about 25 days. He has traversed the Saint Lawrence Seaway more than a dozen times. He holds a USCG 500 Ocean Master License for Power and Sail, as well as numerous other certifications. Captain Miles has served as master or mate aboard many other vessels, including Lady MarylandCalifornianBill of RightsNew WayAlexandriaBrilliantClearwaterElissaOliver Hazard Perry, and Tiare Toporo. Along the way, he also helped develop model sailing programs for youth at risk.

His accomplishments and contributions have been recognized both within and outside of the maritime community. In February 2013, Captain Miles was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award by Tall Ships America. In September 2005, he was the master aboard when Pride of Baltimore II suffered a catastrophic dismasting. As a result of the crew and trainees’ conduct during that event, Sail Training International awarded the ship the Special Seamanship Award. Capt. Miles was named Sail Trainer of the Year by the American Sail Training Association in 2004. He has also been recognized for his efforts to shine a positive light on Maryland, having been named Marylander of the Year by the Maryland Colonial Society in 2001.

Jeffrey Crosby, Captain
Duluth, Minnesota 

Jeff first joined our crew as a deckhand in 2008 & returned to Pride as chief mate in 2017 and was promoted to captain in 2022.  Jeff grew up sailing on Lake Superior on one-design boats and shifted into the traditional sailing world after graduating from the Landing School with a degree in boat building in 2005. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 200-ton near coastal master’s license. 

Shevawn Innes, Senior Mate

Shevawn Innes, Senior Mate
Owosso, Michigan

Shevawn returns to Pride II as the senior mate. She has sailed on a number of other schooners, Mary EAppledore IIHinduPioneerSpirit of MassachusettsHarvey Gamage, and Westward. Shevawn has been playing roller derby for 11 years. When not working on the ship, one of her favorite things to do in town is to go to local farmers’ markets. 

Jeremy Lawrence, Second Mate
Onancock, Virginia

Jeremy joins Pride II with experience sailing aboard Sloop Providence, Robert C Seamans, USCG Barque Eagle, US Brig Niagara, Lettie G. Howard, and Corwith Cramer. We are actually surprised Jeremy completed his crew bio form as he is somewhat mysterious. There have been times that we suspect he might be a time traveler, specifically along the lines of the 2013 romantic science fiction comedy-drama film, About Time, written and directed by Richard Curtis, and starring Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, and Bill Nighy. There are rumors that Jeremy quotes Herman Melville in his sleep, only furthering our suspicions. 

Lucy Canfield, Bosun
Erie, Pennslyvania

Back for another season. Lucy first joined the crew of Pride II in the summer of 2021. In addition to sailing with us, Lucy has sailed aboard the Brig Niagara. Lucy contends that if you have ever met her more than once, her hair has never been the same color. 

Suzy Zahradka, Cook
St. Paul, Minnesota

A small boat sailor from the Great Lakes, Suzy joined the ship for the final months of our 2024 sailing season. Suzy’s regular job is as an artist that specializes in making knives and swords. She would like you to know that she is shorter than average. Her favorite food is anything cooked for her by someone who loves her. Suzy is a USDA-certified Food Protection Manager and a Wilderness First Responder.

Sofia Loucks, Engineer
Piedmont, California

Joining us for her first season on tall ships, in her spare time Sofia is working on a wave powered desalination system (patent pending). Sofia is a retired competitive fencer & one day dreams of opening combination library/restaurant where all the dishes are book themed. 

Kai Joswig, Deckhand
Las Vegas, Nevada

We really aren’t sure about Kai, he just sort of showed up on the boat one day. He brings with him experience sailing aboard Lady Washington, Adventure (the fishing boat), J&E Riggin, Ardelle, Isabela, and Alabama. Kai claims that he can build “you” a lobster pot. 

Emily Rose Stringer, Deckhand  
Brookfield, Connecticut

Emily hails from Brookfield, Connecticut, the hometown of famed silent film actor, director, and producer Carlyle Blackwell. Emily grew up sailing on Long Island Sound with their grandfather and brings with them experience sailing aboard Robert C. Seamans. Their college thesis was on Sea Cucumber Reproduction in the Gulf of Maine (nerd). Emily is also a watercolor artist. 

Gretchen Ladd, Deckhand
Lafayette, Louisiana

New to Pride II, Gretchen first started sailing tall ships in 2023. Her favorite sailing experience was crewing aboard the longship Draken Harald Hårfagre. Gretchen aka Gretzel has spent time living in the UAE, Sweden, and Spain. Her favorite shanty is “Fish in the Sea”. The crew have voted her “most likely to hike the Appalachian Trail”. 

Laine Nightingale, Deckhand  
Frederick, Maryland

Joining us for her first season on Pride II, Laine brings with her experience crewing aboard a commercial fishing vessel in Alaska. Prior to jumping on boats, Laine was a Wildland Firefighter. She has been known to do a great Donnie Thornberry impression. Laine has asked us to, “tell your dog she says hi!”

Remy Perron, Deckhand  
Andover, Massachusetts

Yeah, Remy is back *long sigh

Remy brings with him experience sailing aboard Mathew Turner on San Francisco Bay. He also has experience as crew aboard When and If, True Love, and Adventure. For a reason that is still unknown to our staff, Remy is proud to share that he spent Spring Break 2013 driving to Kansas. Remy is an award-winning bartender & loves a good game of rugby. Remy is currently still seeking a sponsorship from any apparel company that will take him. 

Stephen Plante, Deckhand  
Warren, Rhode Island

New to our crew, Stephen has previously sailed aboard Thoi, Anne (topsail schooner), and Irene (Western Trade Ketch). We think he got lost on his way to work on yachts in Newport. Recently voted “most likely to be a character on a Netflix Original Series”, Stephen once lived in Ethiopia, has swam with manta rays (and sharks), and worked at a sea turtle conservation center in the Maldives.