Staff

As a child Richard always wanted to sail but opportunities were limited or non existent. As a teenager Richard immersed himself in river and mountain travel. When studying to become a teacher he explored ways of connecting school subjects to the natural world of land and oceans. He believes that high on a mountain peak or walking along a beach are unique places to explore the world around us and the impact humans have had on this ocean planet.

Eventually in the middle of the mountains in Northern England Richard crewed on a dinghy in a snow storm and he was hooked! Richard has instructed sailing, canoeing, mountaineering and wilderness skills in the UK and Canada, and became a Sea School instructor after the school's first instructor training course in 1995.

The impact of being with teenagers on a small open boat off Nova Scotia, or the winter wilderness, woods should not be underestimated. Richard feels privileged to see inner understanding; compassion and joy develop in the faces and eyes of his fellow crew and travelers whenever he does a Sea School trip. He believes in the Sea School because as an organization, we have worked hard to achieve our mission and provide opportunities to teenagers and adults from the full economic, social and cultural backgrounds represented in Nova Scotia and the word beyond.

David MacCulloch is a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia and he grew up sailing in the Northwest Arm. He has been sailing for as long as he can remember as his mom and dad have always sailed. He joined the sea school as a student at the age of 15, doing boat building and summer sailing programs and he has been on trips with the Sea School nearly every summer since.  He has sailed all around the Maritime provinces, south to Bermuda and the British Virgin Islands. He worked his way up from a participant, to Leading Crew to Assistant Instructor, then in 2007, David graduated to a Sea School Captain and began leading trips.  He loves living on and around boats, teaching people how to sail and exploring the coast of Nova Scotia. 

Geoff grew up sailing in the Halifax area. He started racing at the age of 13 and competed locally and nationally. Despite an impressive resume of sailing victories which include a gold medal in 2005 Canada Games for the Laser Radial sailing class and a countless list of other medals and placements in laser sailing competitions all over North America, the Nova Scotia Male Sailor of the Year Award and the Nova Scotia Yachting Association Legacy Award, Geoff is an incredibly down-to earth guy and excellent instructor. Geoff will graduate this spring with a mechanical engineering degree from Dalhousie University and is Canada’s representative on the Sail Training International Youth Council. Geoff loves giving youth the opportunity 
to experience something unique with the Sea School; helping youth become 
more self confident and more aware of their potential through sailing with the Sea School is an experience unlike any other!

Over the last 18 years Colin has worked in the general area of health and human performance, specifically in the areas of leadership development and executive coaching, human factors and assistive technology, professional sport, sport psychology and experiential education. His focus is to coach elite performers in business or sport and lead them to deliver high performance under pressure and on demand. Colin has conducted research on the comparisons between novice and expert performers, the similarities between coaching elite athletes and senior business leaders, and the psychological make-up of professional sailors who compete in around-the-world sailing races.

In 2008, after spending time in the United States to finish his education and compete on the sailing circuit in the Etchell Class, Colin returned home to Nova Scotia with a vision to apply his knowledge and insight into developing a stronger and more vibrant business community in Atlantic Canada.

Colin earned a Ph.D. in Behavioural Studies/Kinesiology and a Graduate Certificate in Disability Studies from Temple University in Philadelphia (2008), and completed a Bachelor of Science and Master’s of Science in Kinesiology (Health and Human Performance) from Dalhousie University in Halifax. In addition, Colin holds an adjunct faculty position at Dalhousie University.

Colin’s recent clients in leadership development include Nova Scotia Power, Bangor Hydro and Electric, Nautel Ltd, Highliner Foods, First On Site Restoration, and the Canadian Sailing Team.

Colin volunteers his time with disability advocacy groups and remains active in the local sailing community. He promotes sailing at the grass roots level through club programs as well as not-for-profit organizations such as the Nova Scotia Sea School.

Colin resides in the Halifax area and enjoys an active lifestyle with his wife and two young children.

Sailor, surfer and lover of fun, Mac hails from the Great Northern State of Maine and is currently living in Santa Cruz, California. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2006 with a BA in psychology and education. His senior thesis explored experiential education as a means to provide modern rites of passage for adolescent males. He has worked in outdoor experiential education for three years. Outside of his time with the Sea School, Mac was an instructor for Outward Bound (OB) and the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS). His work with Outward Bound dove tailed with his thesis and he developed a rite of passage program for boys ages 12-13 for Outward Bound. Working for Sea School, OB and NOLS, has given Mac the opportunity to sail around the coast of Nova Scotia, Massachusetts and Mexico. He is also a traveling wave-chaser, and has surfed in Central America, Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii. He most recently returned from a delivery job, taking a boat through the Panama Canal to the Galapagos Islands.

Chris was born in Nova Scotia and has grown up with the ocean in his backyard. He spent his early summers playing in the woods and finding scrap materials to build rafts and watercraft. Chris first adventured with the Sea School in 2007 with the wilderness program, Take It Outside, and Chris soon found himself realizing childhood dreams of sailing with the Sea School. Chris recently completed the Baking Certificate program at the Nova Scotia Community College, and placed 3rd in the Nova Scotia Skills Competition for Baking. He also worked as an apprentice at Boulangerie La Vendéenne. Chris is now attending George Brown College in Toronto for culinary arts. Chris returned in 2010 as Provisions Coordinator and in 2011 as an assistant instructor in wilderness programs.

Ben Gallagher moved to Halifax for love, and ended up loving sailboats too. He writes poetry, rides bicycles, and cooks often. He studied philosophy and literature in school, and after graduation has done work with GPI Atlantic, Heartwood Centre for Community Development, the Roberts Street Social Centre, Connections Clubhouse, and the Nova Scotia Sea School. He has a commitment to community-based projects, Do-It-Yourself living, and spending time outside. Above all, he believes that art encourages people to deeply engage with their lives, and wants to facilitate that engagement as often as possible.

Zak has been with the Sea School for the past 4 years, acting as an instructor, program developer, and participant. Trained in Wilderness First Aid, Woodworking, and Shop Safety and hailing from Manitoba, Zak has focused on the ’dry land’ aspects of the Sea School. The lessons he fosters deal with the simple and the slow, the rewards of sticking to the plan, the importance of responsibility to the self; the patience accomplished after tooling your very own hand made Sea Chest that transfers into our everyday life; and the confidence that we build alongside the projects that prove to us we can do the things we have not done before.

Zak is a Public Educator and Program Coordinator for the Ecology Action Centre, an avid Capoeira practitioner, and a slam-hammering good time musician. Of all the things that make up his professional life, Zak’s principle focus is working with other people - especially youth - to help realize our potentials and our abilities to work hard and accomplish our goals.