Our Crew

Capt. Steve Lohmayer

Steve is an ASA certified Sailing Instructor, with extensive offshore, ocean-crossing, and racing experience. He holds a 50 ton US Coast Guard Captain’s license and he is a PADI Open Water diver. 

During the past 30 years he’s participated and placed in most east coast regattas and races, such as Miami to Havana, Tybee 500, Steeplechase, Hogsbreath 100, Worrell 1000, Pineapple Cup, Columbus Discovery, and many more. In addition, Steve was crew for the Whitbread around the World race team on Challenge America.

Favorite on-the-water adventure:  downwind sailing with a spinnaker on a beach cat

Favorite on-the-water experience:  winning a long distance race

Least favorite on-the-water experience:  dismasting in a race

Favorite race:  Daytona to Bermuda

Capt. Carmen “Mica” Alex, Ph. D.

Carmen holds a 500-ton US Coast Guard Captain’s license and is a PADI Advanced Open Water diver. She sailed in high school and college and re-kindled her interest many years later when she had a chance to teach sailing to youth with physical disabilities at Shake-a-Leg Miami. 

Carmen is a geophysicist by trade. After ten years in academia and another ten working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), she decided to ‘lean out’ and swapped her cubicle for the outdoors. Carmen is now an accomplished outdoor journalist, award-winning photographer, and adventure enthusiast. 

Favorite on-the-water adventures:  30 days on an icebreaker in Antarctica & getting hazed during an equator-crossing in the Pacific

Favorite on-the-water experiences:  witnessing nautical dawn & paddle boarding among sea turtles

Least favorite on-the-water experiences:  dodging severe weather and submerged oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico

Favorite reefs: Maldives, Fiji, St. John (USVI)

Jessie Pernick, First Mate

Jessie hails from Pittsburgh, PA. In 2022, he decided to head south for warmer climates. Jessie bought his first sail boat shortly after and learned about the boating live in the Florida Keys. An A/C-Refridgeration mechanic by trade, Jessie decided to acquire new skills when he started to learn rigging at Keys Rigging in Marathon.

Jessie is an enthusiastic diver and has discovered his love for traveling. We don’t know what his favorite adventures are, yet, but we’ll post as soon as we know.

Chris Atherton, First Mate

Chris grew up in El Paso, TX