Phoebe & Braden
Meet the Crew On Tiger Lily
Chasing Horizons, Sharing the Way.
Every sailor has a beginning. Our crew once stood where you are now, dreaming of the sea, chasing freedom, and learning by doing. Today, they bring that journey full circle, guiding others with the same passion, patience, and sense of adventure that first inspired them.
Phoebe
RYA Yacht Master | Sea Earth Sail
Growing up in a small town in west Michigan, Phoebe spent her summers on the lakes, sailing and racing dinghies, then teaching sailing at the local yacht club. Though far from any ocean, she developed a deep interest in it early on, likely passed down from her parents, world cruisers themselves. Their stories of circumnavigating took shape into a dream of her own—to sail around the world.
Phoebe moved southwards, from freshwater to saltwater, to attend college at University of North Carolina Wilmington. While obtaining degrees in Marine Biology and French, she found a job crewing sunset sails and teaching sailing in Wrightsville Beach. After one summer there, she realized sailing could actually be a career! Obtaining her USCG captain’s license, she quickly worked her way up from crew to captain to manager. Upon graduation, the company decided to keep her employed by sending her down to the Caribbean on a 44’ catamaran to run liveaboard charters through the winter months.
Excited by this opportunity, Phoebe learned to navigate new waters, fix things, plan passages, and build a business on her own. She formed incredible friendships with her customers, welcoming them aboard as family and curating every trip to fit their unique interests. Phoebe enjoys sharing her knowledge of marine life with her guests, having worked in coral husbandry at UNCW and volunteered in fisheries research in Madagascar. Snorkeling or diving with Phoebe can turn into a fun marine biology lesson!
Phoebe loves nothing more than to be active and outdoors. You might find her up at sunrise, flowing through some yoga and journaling before the rest of the boat wakes up. On land, she enjoys biking, hiking, traveling, and cooking. Though she appreciates her adventures ashore, Phoebe is always drawn back to life afloat. She has captained four ocean passages, and crewed aboard others, racking up roughly 8,000 offshore miles.
Braden
RYA offshore captain | Professional Sailor
Growing up in White Lake, Michigan, Braden spent his summers on the water, learning to sail through the local sailing school at White Lake Yacht Club. What began in a Butterfly quickly grew into a lifelong passion for sailing and racing. He worked his way through Lasers, MCs, Melges 17s, Melges 24s, E-Scows, C-Scows and a variety of different high performance sport boats, developing a love for competition and a deep understanding of sailing along the way.
After spending part of high school in Paris, France, Braden discovered a passion for languages and international cultures, becoming fluent in French. He went on to attend the College of Charleston, where he sailed at the varsity collegiate level and competed on the offshore team. During his college career, he was part of multiple national championship-winning teams and competed at the highest levels of collegiate sailing. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in International Business and French, combining his interests in sailing, business, language, and international travel.
After college, Braden pursued sailing professionally, racing in the J/70, Etchells, and Melges 24 classes while also joining major big-boat programs. He has sailed aboard programs including Bad Pack, a TP52, and Pyewacket, the Andrews 68 owned by Roy Disney and a multiple-time Transpac winner. He has competed and placed highly at multiple World Championships and is a national champion in two different single-handed classes.
Alongside racing, Braden has built extensive offshore experience delivering sailing yachts along the East Coast and between the U.S. and Caribbean. As a first mate, he has accumulated thousands of nautical miles aboard large sailing yachts, gaining experience with long passages, offshore watchkeeping, navigation, sail handling, and life at sea. He is now an RYA-certified Offshore Captain.
Braden has also spent 10 years sharing his passion for sailing as a coach, teaching and mentoring sailors at yacht clubs around the country. His experience as both a competitor and coach has given him an appreciation for the technical side of sailing as well as the importance of making time on the water fun, approachable, and memorable.
When he isn't sailing, Braden loves being active and outdoors. He spends his time surfing, foiling, hiking, traveling, and working out, and he is always looking for an opportunity to learn something new. His interests extend well beyond the water, he enjoys cooking healthy food, learning languages, and immersing himself in different cultures. He has also worked as a surf videographer and drone pilot, combining his love of the ocean with a passion for storytelling and visual media.
From the freshwater lakes of Michigan to offshore passages, international travel, and some of the world's most competitive sailing programs, Braden has built his life around the water. Whether racing at the highest level, coaching the next generation of sailors, or exploring somewhere new, he brings the same curiosity, energy, and love of sailing that first drew him onto the water in White Lake.
