Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Capt. J. R. Braugh majored in philosophy at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash. He first came to Maine Windjammer Cruises® as a volunteer in 1994 while seeking his first paying job in the windjammer fleet.

Capt. J.R. Braugh is as much at home fitting-out at the dock as he is at the wheel when sailing on the bay. (Photo by Luke Whitney)

Since that time, J. R. has crewed tall ships on Penobscot Bay, the Chesapeake, and in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. Now in his tenth windjamming season, J. R. captains the schooners Mercantile and Mistress for Maine Windjammer Cruises®.

An interest in music provided a diversion from sailing in 1997, when J. R. began working with several country-pop acts in the Pacific Northwest. As a bass and acoustic guitar player, J. R. played concerts and radio promotions in six Northwestern states and Las Vegas, Nev.

Later, after a stint of several years as an account executive for a dot-com retailer in Portland, Ore., sailing called him back to Maine. J. R., now 30, lives in Camden and works for Maine Windjammer Cruises® year-round.

"In the winter we do maintenance, and in the summer we sail." he said. "Those of us who work all year for the schooners usually travel for fun at least once during the winter. This gets us refreshed for fit-out in the spring."

J. R. can be contacted through the MWC website or just found down at the Camden harbormaster?s shack shooting the breeze on any sunny morning our Green Boats are in the harbor.