Port Captain Paul Dines
Captain Paul Dines has lived in a maritime community his entire life. Born in New York, NY and raised in New England and Hilton Head Island, SC, Paul began his love affair with boats at the age of five. Captain Paul has been on the San Francisco Bay since 1983 and held his captain's license since 1994. Paul has been the master of some of San Francisco's most well-loved vessels. He has successfully delivered numerous private yachts up and down the West Coast and beyond. His longtime observation of the Bay Area makes him the perfect coordinator for marine film, media and special events. He has been a key resource for such productions as Eye on the Bay, National Geographic, BBC TV, ESPN and 2014 San Andreas movie. He has coordinated media to record boats like the Queen Mary, the Maltese Falcon, and Gitana 13 entering out Golden Gate. Captain Paul is the current Admiral of the Master Mariners Benevolent Association and is an active leader in Sausalito's waterfront community. "The Bay has so many wonderful vistas and dramatic corners that continue to amaze me even after 25 years. When people are out on the water taking in the dramatic vistas and learn about the history here, I can see moments that will be remembered for a lifetime being created, it's a privileged to share in something both intimate and profound" - Captain Paul Dines
Marina O’Neill – HOSPITALITY & SALES DIRECTOR
Marina O'Neill imbues everything she touches with her intimate knowledge of the Hospitality and Event Industry. She deeply values and focuses on local food and wine sources, always working to continue the traditions of the Bay Area's legendary culinary luminaries. Marina's career began in 1990 at the San Francisco Theological Seminary, supporting all facets of traditional banquets, weddings and seminars. A native to the Bay Area, Marina has been involved in the coordination and execution of many important events throughout Marin, San Francisco, Sonoma and Napa Counties. Committed to directing the perfect event every time, she is devoted to every detail as her loyal clients know well. Marina is a past Director of the Sausalito Chamber of Commerce Board. She has been a chief coordinator for Sausalito Sailfest, actively involved with the Sausalito Lighted Boat Parade and is active in many of Sausalito's local events. Marina has been at the helm of Hospitality and Sales for SF Bay Adventures for over a decade. "I enjoy the relationship that develops with my clients through the process of planning and executing their events. I feel I am indulged with a wonderful extended family that continues to grow." - Marina O'Neill
Captain Reno Cambridge
Shapiro "Reno" Cambridge is a member of the Dinè (Navajo) Nation and Sicilian. Born and raised in San Francisco, Reno learned his love for the Ocean from his father and older brother who loved to fish and play in the cold Pacific waves. Reno began sailing tall ships on the East Coast and brought his love of sailing back home to the Bay Area. Reno has been sailing with SF Bay Adventures for the past 6 years and has worked seasonally as a Historic Ship Rigger for the San Francisco Maritime Museum on Hyde Street Pier. As a new owner of his own sailboat, Reno spends his free time restoring his Cape George with hopes of sharing his love of being on the water with his family and local native community.
Shannon Elaine Adams – Chief Bosuns Mate
Shannon Elaine Adams (SEA) was born in Porter, a type of soulful beer, and a type of Texas town that apparently produces soulful beer-lovers. After living on the coast of the Gulf, and having tasted the life aquatic, the gravity of the great Pacific pulled her to San Francisco, where she now lives with her pets. She's been a pro beach-volleyball player, truck driver, personal trainer, and more, but mostly a bartender, and is now in her twenty-first consecutive year tending bar. Needless to say, aboard the Freda B, she's the one to ask for a drink, or a warm blanket, or even a nip of bartender wisdom. Since joining the Freda B team in 2015, Shannon has been motivated to acquire her Able Seaman's certification, her Proficiency in Survival Craft: Lifeboatman's certification, CPR certification, and is looking forward to many more. The future is awaiting her Mate's license as well as her Captain's license, perhaps even the STCW course; so stay tuned...
Captain Abby Mohan
Hailing from Missouri, Abby never imagined her path would lead her to the sea. She moved to San Francisco and started taking sailing lessons and has now spent 1,800 days on SF Bay. Abby has since spent the past 11 seasons working as a deckhand, sailing instructor, naturalist and Captain on San Francisco Bay. She has sailed the West coast from Vancouver to Mexico. Abby carries a 100 ton Masters Captain's License. Abby is proud to serve on the advisory council of the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Maritime Recreation seat, helping protect the California Coast. She is a graduate of SF State with a degree in Geography and is pursuing a Master Degree in Marine Science.
Justin Ketzler - Office & Deckhand
Justin Ketzler's background includes work at a luxury wilderness resort in Alaska and trail-work across Wyoming, New England, and the Desert Southwest. However, if there’s one thing you should know about Justin, it’s that he loves water. He wrote with a thesis on Economic History of Water Supply in Arid Regions, and he soon realized that his love for water would be best suited by actually working on it! He moved to Boston in 2015 and started working for a local schooner company, where he acted as operational support and as a deckhand across the East Coast and Caribbean. But Justin is a man of fine taste, and he dearly missed California, so in early 2017 he decided to come home and work for the classiest schooner the Bay has to offer.
Robyn Carmel - Marine Wildlife Whisperer
Robyn Carmel was born and raised in Los Angeles to a family of ocean lovers. Her favorite memories as a young child include sailing with her Uncle Perry to Catalina Island, and whale watching with the President of the Oceanic Society. After receiving a degree in Dance Therapy from UCLA, and working as a therapist at Napa State Hospital for several years, the ocean called her back and she formally transitioned into the world of non-profits to “do her part” for the planet and its inhabitants. She now has the best of both worlds, working in San Francisco as a fundraiser to support social services, and working to support our “blue planet” as an Educational Docent and Rescue and Response team member for The Marine Mammal Center, and Board Member/Certified Naturalist for the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the American Cetacean Society. As an obsessed and passionate lover of all things ocean, Robyn thrives on teaching people of all ages, and believes that education is the key to succeeding in a world that is ever-changing and challenging. Robyn is thrilled, honored and blessed to be a member of the Freda B crew, teaching guests about ocean conservation, sustainability, and her "people" - whales, dolphins, porpoises and all marine critters!
Travis Mackin - Deckhand & Hospitality
Travis Mackin moved to San Francisco a decade ago to complete his undergraduate studies. Nearing the end of his degree, and ready to start a career in tech, he fell into a unique job as a youth educator for the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association. This role put him on the decks of historic ships, sailing dinghies, row boats, and even a submarine. After a few months, Travis never thought of returning to a career in tech again. This job inspired what would be Travis’ three great loves: boats, the Bay, and teaching. Since then, Travis has been wearing many different hats, including as an outdoor trip leader for UC San Francisco, a director of a sailing and rowing summer camp, an administrator at an elementary school, and an American Red Cross instructor for wilderness first aid and emergency medicine. Most recently, Travis has been happily employed as a deckhand on the schooner Freda B where he gets to enjoy the history, beauty, and natural treasures of the Bay Area with visitors from all over the world.
Sydney Wewerka - Deckhand
Sydney Wewerka grew up in Colorado where she learned to love the water as a little girl, spending every possible second of summer time playing in lakes and rivers. Her earliest memory of sailing is the iconic yellow, red, and orange sail of her family's sunfish against a bright blue sky. Sydney is an avid windsurfer and surfer, and earned a degree in Oceanography in 2020. For the past 5 years, Sydney has adventured through a variety of maritime trades including aquaculture, research & restoration, sailboat maintenance, and now as a crew member aboard the Schooner Freda B! Sydney looks forward to fulfilling her dream of putting together an all-female expedition sailboat crew with her college classmates, where they plan to showcase the power of citizen science and natural curiosity.
Chef "Dr Jones" – David Johnson
David Robert Johnson (a.k.a. Chef Dr. Jones) was born in Iowa. His grandfather, a farmer, first introduced him to growing food, canning, and preserving, and the intimacy of eating locally. He received a BS in Geography & Environmental Management from the University of Iowa, specifically studying the interrelationships between the health of society, economy, and environment with special respect to food production systems. He spent ten years cooking on historic tall-ships, seasonally and geographically sourcing food; and expanding his culinary repertoire via cooking with locals, exchanging recipes, and experimenting with whatever was in season. From French cooking in Montreal to fish fries in the Caribbean, Dr. Jones's cooking is an intimate, eclectic, and joyous accumulation of tastes, cultures, and communities. David spent three years in Africa, where he initiated a community development project employing and educating local Xhosa tribe metic graduates in food production, service, and management. He designed and built a tiki restaurant of local materials, opened a fish market, planted three large perma-culture gardens with French drains for black water, compost, and solar heated water systems. When not aboard the schooner, Chef Jones can be found delighting palettes at his namesake deli.
Captain Casey Dierck
Casey Dierck grew up on the shore of the Puget Sound near a small town named Vaughn. He learned to sail with his dad at the age of five and has been sailing ever since. At the age of 22 bought his first ocean-going sailboat, named Hoy Hoy. With his boat, he thoroughly explored the Puget Sound and the San Juan islands and made passage to San Francisco Bay from his home waters. From the Bay Area, he sailed Hoy Hoy to Mexico and the Sea of Cortez, as well as a passage to Hawaii. With his current sailboat Chae Mi, he has made a windward "clipper route" passage from Cabo San Lucas to San Francisco, which entails sailing offshore 700 miles to gain favorable winds. This fall he intends on making another trip to Mexico and will again return via the offshore route in spring. Casey has sailed and worked to maintain Freda B for five years and he loves her like one of his own! He has crisscrossed the bay almost a thousand times and knows its currents and winds intimately.
Armida Scopazzi - Chef
For over 30 years, Armida Scopazzi has been creating innovative and delicious seasonal cuisine. As a child she baked cakes, cookies and pies for bake sales and friends, eventually working for her mother’s cheesecake and baklava business. After attending college, Armida returned to Marin County where she enrolled in the City of San Francisco Hotel and Restaurant program. After graduation she began to fill her life with food. She cooked and baked in Marin eateries until, at 32, she and a partner opened a beloved restaurant in the West End of San Rafael for a successful ten-year run. She has since turned to catering fulltime, and concocting beautiful baked goods and the like for local farmers’ markets. “I have always loved the smells, sounds, textures and tastes of cooking. The joy I experience when creating food is matched only by the pleasure I find when I see people enjoying my creations. My family taught me that food brings people together and as the years have passed I have grown to appreciate the importance of meals in keeping families and communities together.”
