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 Maryland, Californian, Bill of Rights, New Way, Alexandria, Brilliant, Clearwater, Elissa, Oliver 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 started sailing off and on aboard Pride II in 2008. He has been sailing with Pride II as chief mate since 2017. 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 100-ton near coastal master’s license.
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 E, Appledore II, Hindu, Pioneer, Spirit of Massachusetts, Harvey 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.
Taylor Methven, Bosun
Andover, New Hampshire
Returning to Pride II, Taylor brings previous experience sailing aboard Roseway, AJ Meerwald, Denis Sullivan, and Geronimo. Taylor holds a 100-ton Inland Masters license, AB Sail, and STCW Basic credential. When not working, you can find Taylor at the nearest hockey rink. She has a particular interest in rocks, can solve a rubik’s cube in under a minute, and contends that Andover, New Hampshire is cooler than Andover, Massachusetts.
Mary Walker, Engineer
Kapa’a, Hawaii
Joining the ship for another season, Mary has experience working aboard sloop Clearwater, Lady Maryland, Gazela, and Argia. Fun fact, Mary has superior axe-throwing skills. Mary also serves as one of Pride II‘s snacticians and has engineered perhaps one of the most genius snack containers ever conceived. Mary wants you to know that her favorite dinosaur is a stegosaurus.
Alexandra Wiese, Cook
Roseville, California
Joining us for her first season, Alex comes to Pride with experience cooking aboard the Baltimore Clipper schooner Lynx. We recently learned Alex has completed over 300 hours of volunteer work for the SPCA, Lifeline Hotline, and the Alzheimer’s Association. She loves to cook Italian food using family recipes passed down to her from family
David Harrison, Deckhand
Quitman, Texas
Returning to our crew, David (Texas Dave) brings with him experience sailing aboard Nao Trinidad. Texas Dave has trained as a gunsmith and holds an associate degree in applied science. This is his first time in Baltimore and is looking forward to exploring the city, especially Fort McHenry. Plot twist, Dave does not have strong opinions on the presence of beans in chili.
Remy Perron, Deckhand
Andover, Massachusetts
Birdman is back for another season! Remy sailed with Pride for the duration of 2022 and fall of 2021. Prior to joining Pride he sailed aboard the iconic fishing schooner Adventure and the noble schooner When and If. Remy is adamant that he can beat “you” at Go-Karts, and claims to have once traveled to Germany just to watch an F1 Race. Remy is also a fashion icon and talented mixologist, however, he loathes olives.