The Crew

Meet the Crew

Welcome aboard our vessel. We are the Wilinski Family and our journey began in December 2010 when we 

sold everything and bought a sailboat. We started this journey in order to simplify our lives and put the 

important things in our life front and center. We now live with no debt, no stress and no worries. Although 

we do have stress about the weather or boat repairs, they are easy to handle. 

See the story from the very beginning on our first blog here: The beginning                        

Steve

A former Firefighter/EMT in Chicago and Missouri, Steve's love of the water began early in life from time spent visiting the lake at his Grandfather's home in Wisconsin. Having been to far away places while in the Army, he grew his love of travel. Starting with a 27' Catalina on Lake Michigan, he was bit by the sailing/cruising bug. Once the Admiral gave the approval for fulltime liveaboard status, it was full steam ahead the end of 2010 and he hasn't looked back. In 2013, he decided to change things up and after 3 sailboats has decided to head to the dark side with the purchase of our trawler.

Mimzie

After leaving her corporate job in Chicago, Mimzie focused her energy into homeschooling the youngest two of their five children. Her love of water began before she can remember. Having grown up on a lake in SW Missouri, she was on the water almost daily. She grew up with the privilege of having a Captain for a father and as a family, chartered and cruised the Caribbean. She has a love of travel, having traveled to numerous foreign countries and wants to instill in her children, a firsthand knowledge and respect of other cultures. Following in her father's footsteps (a previous liveaboard) she loves giving her children the same unforgettable experiences she had as a child.

Commodore Peggy

Living a life of adventure is nothing new for Peggy. You name it, she's done it. Skydiving? Check. Skiing? Check. Motorcycles? Check. Camping? Check. Racing? Check. Traveling around the world? Check. Flying planes? Check. RVing through foreign countries? Check. Taking on snakes, tarantulas and scorpions? Check. The list goes on. So living part-time aboard a sailboat, then a trawler is nothing out of the ordinary for this adventurous young lady. Don't let the age lull you into a false sense of pity - Peggy's had the strength and tenacity to fight through Breast Cancer and FOUR hip, a shoulder & a knee replacements. (Having earned her the nickname "Bionicle Grandma" by the grandkids.) And at 72, she's just now sliding into the prime of her adventures.

Brandon

The eldest of the boys, Brandon 21, known as B to friends and family, enjoys spending time visiting when he has a break from his current boat life. After a full recovery from a very serious illness in 2015, B followed his lifelong dream of traveling the world. He is doing so aboard a superyacht owned by an American billionaire. Already checking off Mexico, Bahamas, Spain, Gibraltar, Morocco, Italy, France, and the Azores, he's quickly accomplishing this dream. We miss him around our boat but we know he's adding so much to his current boat home and gaining so much from his experiences.

Jake

Jake is a charismatic and brave 17 year old young man.  Jacob is a proud advocate for Autism. Having been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in 2008, he has been a critical player in helping decide his course of treatment. He enjoys educating people on the aspects and spectrum of Autism as well as reading, reading and more reading. Jake's interests are varied but writing, Legos, quoting his favorite TV shows and movies and books by Clive Cussler are at the top of that list currently. He is thriving and excelling at all types of new experiences. Our resident "Professor," Jake is having a blast "boatschooling" and learning new things everywhere we go.

Dani

Danielle, AKA Dolphin Dani, is our 16 year old resident artist. Currently a High School Senior with her brother Jake, Dani's love of animals, dolphins and most aquatic things (except barnacles, of course!) seems to have no limit. She is an amazing artist, a lefty, an animal activist, guinea pig momma, and proud Sci-fi nerd. She loves manga, Dr Who, Harry Potter and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. She is small but mighty and, despite her small stature, will always fail to go unnoticed. Danielle is very studious, accomplishing skipping 2 grades, which was probably more out of her competitive drive to be equal to her brother Jake! 

Ralph - RIP sweet boy

Ralph is our old rescued country boy. His age is vague because of his condition when they found him, the vet was unable to be exact. When we brought him home in 2009, he was starving and near death at 67lbs. But after feeding him chicken breasts and hot dogs and dog food, he now weighs in at 107lbs. He doesn't get around well but he doesn't let it stop him from jumping around when and playing in the surf when he wants. Ralphie is the biggest teddy bear anyone has ever known but has been known on rare occasion to let out a most terrifying bark. He looks scary enough to keep away unwanted visitors and is tender enough to keep us warm at night. ~Ralph traveled to the Rainbow Bridge this year. He left his huge footprint on all our hearts and we miss him everyday. 



Sophie

Sophie is our 13 year old too-smart-for-her-own-good rescued Chicago girl. She is all spunk and 100% goofy. She loves the boat life and upon the questions of "Go for a walk" and "Boat ride" will dance merrily, impatiently waiting for her dinghy ride. Her favorite activity is to submerge herself in the ocean and quickly proceed to roll all around in the sand. Known as her "sugar cookie" move, she never tires of doing her part to turn the boat into a sandbox.

Sadie

Sadie was rescued in Charleston, South Carolina on our delivery cruise down the east coast from Belhaven, NC to the Keys. She is a sweet 8 year old and will give kisses to anyone within reach. But don't let the sweetness fool you. She will bark at anyone or anything, including dolphins riding the wake that get too close to the boat.  

Louie

Louie came to us late in 2015. Having just lost his lifelong home and then shortly after that he lost his bonded mate of 7 years. He is our "Momma's boy" and is slowly learning that he is surrounded by new friends and lots of love. Losing his sight, fully in one eye already, has not slowed him down. He can be found usually at the feet of his momma or cuddling with one of his fellow "Rat Pack" mates.

Sandy

Sandy is our newest member of the Rat Pack. When we went to pick up Ralph's ashes, we had a strong urge to visit the shelter next door. Maybe it was our grief, maybe it was Ralph leading us there but either way, Sandy had our heart immediately. Between her blond Mohawk and crooked snaggletooth, she has a face that matches her goofy personality. She is a true boat dog at heart and can be seen running laps on the nearest beach. And when I say laps, I literally mean laps. She runs from the second she jumps out of the dinghy and doesn't stop until she gets home. And at 2 years old, she has brought a young puppy spunk back into this old pack of dogs.