Growing up on the remote island of Virgin Gorda, sailing has always been a part of Dane life. Piloting Hobie Cats after school and spending family vacations on sloops and catamarans, the coves and inlets of the British Virgin Islands becoming his childhood backyard. But eventually Dane’s love of sailing would take him far beyond those familiar waters.

 

Seizing an opportunity to volunteer aboard The Activ, a 100 year old top gallant schooner, Dane met the vessel in Svalbard, Norway. After a month of traditional sailing in the brutally cold Arctic Ocean, the ship was home, and Dane was hooked, now convinced that his path was to become a professional skipper.

 

Over the next few years, Dane joined every voyage he could, helping deliver yachts up and down the Atlantic and beyond. He’s weathered storms in the Gulf of Mexico, navigated the strait of Gibraltar, and raced from the Canaries to Antigua. By chance during one of these voyages, Dane met some owners of a BVI based boat — and they needed a skipper to show them around.

 

Returning to the islands where he’d first learned to sail, Dane discovered an entirely new talent: being an enthusiastic tour guide! Between his local connections and knowledge of the BVI’s countless hidden gems, he has helped visitors experience truly unforgettable vacations. Dane is very happy to have found a home aboard Out of the Blue, where he can continue to show off his beloved islands the way they are meant to be experienced, from the sea.