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Meet the Captains
All of our captains are licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard and are very knowledgable about Narragansett Bay and the history of Newport harbor. They can give you an insider’s guide to the best restaurants, beaches and activities on Aquidneck Island. All of us will strive to make your sail the highlight of your stay here!
John Hirschler
John Hirschler is the founder and president of Sightsailing. A native Newporter, John learned to sail at an early age in the Junior program of the Newport Yacht Club. Growing up, he also spent a great deal of time sailing with his sister and parents aboard their Pearson Ensign, Fling. He has cruised and raced on a variety of dinghy and keel boats from 420's and FJ's to 50 footers. John really enjoys running his business. "The people part of it is the best. We have many guests who return here year after year to sail…I think that we have the right combination of boats, sails and staff." Interviewing, training and hiring the right people are a lot of fun. We're in the hospitality business as much as we are the sailing business." "And, I love just "messing around in boats." John has a B.S. in Mass Communications from Boston University and an M.B.A from the University of Rhode Island. He has been a licensed captain since college, and currently holds a USCG Master's 100 ton license. The idea for Sightsailing was hatched during John's last corporate job in advertising in Providence, RI. Wanting to start a small business before returning to graduate school, John formed Sightsailing in 1990. John did all the sailing while his girlfriend attended to the business end of things. "Things were simple in those days, one boat and one employee!" Things quickly mushroomed, and John decided to stick closer to home and enrolled at the University of Rhode Island. John continued to run Sightsailing during the summer and after earning his MBA, realized how little he really knew and decided to stick with what he felt he knew best which was running a sailing business! An avid reader of the New York Times, John enjoys just about everything. Tom Wright
Tom Wright was born in Philadelphia, PA and brought up in Swarthmore, PA. However he spent every summer in Jamestown, Rhode Island - a short sail away from Newport. He learned to sail on Narragansett Bay, going out with his parents as a toddler and taking lessons starting at around eight years old at the local yacht club. Having excelled at sailing and racing by his early teens he went to a racing camp to hone his skills at age fifteen. In the winter he attended the George School in Newton, PA. With more racing and pleasure sailing under his belt, Tom left for sunny New Orleans to attend Tulane University, where he was an active member of the sailing club, and received his B.A. in Philosophy. He was still spending summers in Jamestown, sailing in his dad's "Ensign" class day sailer, "Protea". While at Tulane, Tom was elected President of his fraternity, Phi Kappa Sigma, and got involved in the music scene, forming a band and playing guitar. In addition, he managed the wine department for a health food store and worked freelance for movie production companies. Tom also found time to travel the country, spending a lot of time in the San Francisco area as well as in Boulder, Aspen and Telluride Colorado. While in San Francisco he worked for the prestigious Olympic Circle Sailing Club, maintaining and sailing their fleet of yachts. Tom stayed in New Orleans, working in management and sales in audio/visual companies, still summering in Jamestown, until 1999, when, desirous to be closer to his parents moved back to Newport (just across the bridge from Jamestown), got his captains license, and started sailing for Sightsailing. John Hughes
Originally from Pennsylvania, John Hughes spent many summers in Rhode Island before becoming a year-round resident in 1996. He grew up around boats and learned to sail by age nine. He has raced dinghies and keel boats on Narragansett Bay. He has cruised in coastal waters and on the open ocean. He also spent several months as a deck-hand on a salmon troller in southeast Alaska. John has worked for Sightsailing in alternate summers since acquiring his captain's license in 1994. In addition to sailing, John loves traveling and he has spent nearly seven years overseas (including four and half years in Japan) and visited over twenty five different countries. His other interests include rowing, dancing (ballroom and swing), blues, and a nice cold beverage at the end of the day. John holds a bachelor's degree in history from Connecticut College and he is completing a master's degree (also in history) from Harvard University. During the school year, John teaches history at the Rocky Hill School in East Greenwich, RI. Green Brett
Born in West Virginia, Green Brett's parents gave up the farm and moved onto an old wooden sailboat when he was two. The rest is history... He was raised sailing and living on boats from the Chesapeake to the Florida Keys. He finally moved ashore when he attended the University of Central Florida, where he met his wife, Jen. Upon graduating from UCF with a degree in business, Green moved into the Information Systems field where he would work for the next three years. Green and Jen also bought an old sailboat that they proceeded to restore. Eventually, they took 10 months to cruise the boat through the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and as far as the Dominican Repulic. Returning to America, Green began building boats in Key West. In 2004, he was offered a captain's job sailing the antique schooner "Olad" on daysails in Camden, Maine. There would be no turning back from sailing for a living. That winter was spent in Fort Lauderdale Florida, where his daughter Caitlin was born. 2005 was spent with Sight Sailing fleet here in Newport. Over the winter, he built boats for New England Boatworks. Green's passions in life are family, sailing, and travel. He loves Newport for its unbelievable summer sailing and because it is close to so many outdoor things to do.
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Sitemap • © Sightsailing of Newport • 32 Bowen's Wharf • Newport, RI 02840 |
