Our Team

MEG PATTERSON

Communications & Outreach Coordinator

Meg grew up in Alaska, but discovered her love of traditional boats and sailing while living in NYC and volunteering at the South Street Seaport Museum. Inspired by this experience, she spent several years traveling between coasts to crew on tall ships, sailing yachts and work in boatyards during the off-season. Since swallowing the anchor, Meg has used her passion for visual arts, storytelling, and traditional craft in marketing and communications for an array of brands, companies and non-profits.

Julia Papell

Assistant Youth Boatbuilding Instructor

Julia grew up on Long Island, New York. Daughter of a boatbuilder, she learned to sail on wooden skiffs in the Great South Bay. After earning an English degree in NYC, she relocated to Maine for a summer camp job, and hasn't looked back. She comes to the Apprenticeshop after completing an apprenticeship program at the Carpenter's Boat Shop in Pemaquid. Her role as Youth Boatbuilding Instructor allows her to combine her background in alternative youth education with her love of wooden boats. 

Board

Steve Anderson, Chair
Steve’s family has been in MidCoast Maine for generations. He joined the Coast Guard after high school and made a career in banking for over 30 years. Steve’s current focus is in investment real estate at a community bank in Massachusetts. He splits his time between central Massachusetts and Owls Head, where he and his wife plan to retire. Steve is passionate about serving The Apprenticeshop because of the positive effect it had on his own son as an apprentice over a decade ago.

Ken Pride, Vice Chair
Ken was born in Maine, and after leaving to travel and adventure, he returned in 1976. A longtime resident of Rockland, Ken spent over 20 years as a teacher at Oceanside High School before retiring in June of 2015. He first became involved with The Apprenticeshop as a volunteer with the High School Sailing Program soon after it began. An avid sailor and active member of the Rockland Yacht Club, Ken and his wife own a Cape Dory 36 that they have sailed from Rockland all over Penobscot Bay.

Whitney Files, Treasurer
Whitney is the Chief Operating Officer of Knox County Homeless Coalition (KCHC), the only nonprofit serving homeless families, individuals, and at-risk youth in Knox, Waldo, and parts of Lincoln counties. Prior to KCHC, Whitney served as COO of Harlem Grown, a youth development organization in New York City focused on urban farming. A new resident of Rockland, Whitney spent her childhood visiting her grandfather in Thomaston and Tenants Harbor, and sailing with her father throughout the Midcoast. Whitney holds an MBA from Bard College, earned her B.A. from New York University, and served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali.

Frank Blair
Frank served in the U.S. Navy for five years as a fighter pilot flying single-seat fighters off of carriers in the Mediterranean and the Western Pacific, receiving five Air Medals for low-level reconnaissance over North Vietnam. Flying skills honed sailing skills: radio, navigation, meteorology and appreciation for Bernoulli's Principle. His love of sailing began in childhood and he worked Hurricane Island Outward Bound School for 20 years teaching seamanship. He became a Shellback en route to Australia from Vietnam and has served as a stand-in for Neptune twice since. Frank is the author of The Schooner Maggie B: A Southern Ocean Circumnavigation. He lives in Maine and on his new schooner, Farfarer.

Julia Carleton
Julia grew up spending summers in Camden, where she developed a love of the ocean & sailing.  After earning a B.S. in Electrical Engineering she did a 3 year stint as an engineer before realizing she needed to spend more time on the water.  She left the office and spent the next decade and a half leading sailing expeditions and semesters at sea on traditional boats for organizations such as Hurricane Island Outward Bound School and Ocean Classroom Foundation. She also spent seven seasons working with the US Antarctica Program as a marine technician.  Currently, Julia is Operations Manager and Partner at OceanPlanet Energy, a marine energy systems consulting firm, and is pursuing a Master of Science in Project Management.

Tim Clark
Tim is a professional shipwright who co-owns and operates Clark & Eisele Traditional Boatbuilding, LLC. He has been building and restoring wooden boats in boat shops, shipyards, and museums across New England for nearly two decades, and has also spent significant periods of time working aboard large, traditionally-rigged sailing vessels of many types, both as ship's carpenter and deck crew. Tim is particularly interested in historic vessels and working craft, and has dedicated much of his career to the stewardship of maritime traditions through his work with several educational institutions, as well as commercial vessels that provide authentic traditional sailing experiences. Tim lives in Midcoast Maine and offers his skills wherever they are needed, whether locally or on the other side of the globe.

David Cockey
David’s interest in traditional boats and boatbuilding began as a teenager in Maryland. Influences include books by Howard Chapelle, the columns in National Fisherman by John Gardner, and later the writings of Lance Lee. David has degrees in mechanical engineering, naval architecture, and aerospace engineering. Following a career in automotive research and engineering, David and his wife moved to Rockport several years ago. His current activities focus around boat design and documenting historic boats. Other interests include boating on Penobscot Bay, woodworking, photography, travel and history.

Robert Johnston
Robert made his first sailing cruise to the MidCoast from New York in 1981, where he discovered beautiful “Good Wooden Boats” on the Camden docks. He returned every year after, cruising the Maine Coast from York Harbor to the St. John River, admiring Maine wooden boats wherever he found them, then retired from the United Nations in 2005 and bought a house in Rockland and a racing sailboat, so he could try his hand at racing. He now divides his time with his partner between Rockland and Long Island City, NY.

Leigh Williams
With an entrepreneurial spirit with no shortage of ideas, Leigh is lways dreaming up creative ventures while striving to enjoy the simple beauty offered in every moment.  She loves learning and being outdoors, building and creating things that brings joy to others alongside like-minded mentors and community. As a recent graduate of our 12-week Apprenticeship program, she has this to say about her experience: “My time at The ‘Shop taught me patience and that I can do anything. It taught me to slow down and appreciate the process and that by thoughtfully adding elements you can achieve incredible things.”