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 Captain Bruce Randall is a USCG licensed 100-ton Master Captain who has lived in Chicago for the last 15 years. He was born in New England and was raised primarily in the Boston Harbor area. A member of a large maritime family, virtually all of the men in his extended family, and several of the women, have been professional sailors, sea captains, fishermen and military mariners. His father was a One-design sailing National Champion who taught him to sail almost from the time he could walk. Bruce's grandfather was a Boston Harbor Pilot, for 35 years. The Tall Ship "Highlander Sea", which was named "Pilot" in its pre-restoration era was one of the vessels Grandfather served aboard. Bruce's oldest brother Richard, served under their grand father as a Boston Harbor Pilot for some time.
Bruce's brother, Rodney Randall, served three tours aboard the Coast Guard Barquentine "Eagle" as a training officer, circumnavigating the world.
Bruce acquired his early large boat experience, in this maritime "clan", maintaining and sailing aboard his father's "pride", which was the 55-foot, 35 ton steel Ketch, "Reality".
Since arriving in Chicago, in 1992, Bruce has been a sailing instructor, racing coach, and Charter Captain on many vessels.
He is also a accomplished sailboat racer. With the partnership of his wife Karen, the two began Lakeshore Sail Charters LLC (LSC) in 2003. They expanded into the Tall Ship world beginning in 2005, and nowadays you'll meet Bruce on the Windy dock, supervising everyday operations, and if you are lucky, he may very well be Captain of the Ship that day!
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Dr. Karen Randall also grew up in a sailing family, on Long Island, NY, with an older brother who was a one design National Champion in more than one class and also a winning solo sailor.
She detoured away from the maritime world to pursue a career.
A Clinical Psychologist by profession, she eventually returned to active leisure sailing and racing 13 years ago, and enthusiastically earned multiple certifications in keelboat, performance, navigation, bareboat cruising, and big boat racing.
She has chartered, raced and cruised sailboats many times in the Caribbean, recently in Greece and Italy, and locally here in Chicago, where she has lived and worked for 25 years.
She is interested in the use of sailing experience and sail training for personal growth and discovery, and for relationship change.
We'll bet you'll never guess WHO was one of her sailing teachers!
Lakeshore Sail Charters was originally conceived as a small scale, luxury crewed charter operation, with one to three yachts in the fleet. Karen became known for her glamorous champagne suppers which she cooked aboard their sloop "Crescendo". LSC soon expanded with the discovery and acquisition of the Tall Ship Schooner Red Witch, who was rescued from decline in Ohio, and brought to Chicago in 2004/05. Repairs and restoration of Red Witch began, (and continue), and Red Witch has been in service for four seasons in Chicago. (see
www.redwitch.com and
www.lakeshoresail.com). Karen has been a hands-on managing partner, working the boats and managing the business side, from the beginning of Lakeshore Sail Charters.
Tall Ship Windy is now under the umbrella of the Randalls' overall family business, Tall Ship Adventures of Chicago. Now they have completed the circle of sharing the beauty of sail, with individuals, groups and students from all walks of life and with an ample range of number of guests.
Captain Bruce says, "It has been the opportunity of a lifetime to serve our great city, showcase its beauty and its resources, and to advance ecological mindedness and conservation in the public awareness."
Tall Ships Windy and Red Witch are also longtime members of the American Sail Training Association, dedicated to the advancement of maritime knowledge and traditional sailing skills aboard Tall Ships.
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| The Captains of Windy |
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Lawrence Woods
This is Captain Larry Woods' second season as Captain of Tall Ship Windy.
He has been sailing and racing boats of many kinds on Lake Michigan for 30+ years.
He has been a USCG Licensed captain, US sailing certified instructor, & race coach for 10 years,
and a Charter Captain for Lakeshore Sail Charters, since 2004.
Besides his work as a Captain, and his ongoing passion for sail boat racing,
Larry's maritime career has been focused on issues of boater safety and rescue.
During the summer months, when he is not sailing on Windy, he can likely be found rescuing stranded boaters on Lake Michigan,
raising a sunken vessel, or towing someone to safe harbor.
During the winter months Larry pursues his "other" passions, skiing, or riding a snowboard out in Vail Colorado,
and in the evening is found managing a crew of grooming snow cats.
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Captain Byron Shinn has been a USCG licensed Master for 21 years.
And this is his tenth season with Windy. Prior to this he worked on Schooner Charlotte Ann and the charter Sloop Lake Street. He raced eight seasons on 38' C&C sloop Windquest including six races to Mackinaw Island. He has taught sailing for over 30 years at a boys camp in northern Wisconsin and regularly takes boys on sailing trips on Lake Superior.
He Dr. Shinn is retired after 35 years as a teacher and principal. Most of these years were in the schools of Western Springs, IL.
Capt. Byron is a US Army veteran having been honorably discharged as a Captain in the Medical Service Corps.
He and his wife, Nanette, will celebrate 50 years of marriage this June.
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Educational Coordinator and Artistic Director
Orion Couling grew up in the historical Michigan port Saulte Ste Marie and has dedicated himself to theatre, the sword, and social change since wanting to be a Jedi at age 5! He has a degree with honors from Northern Michigan University, and as a stuntman has studied, and taught, stage combat in Hawaii and China. He has worked as an educator and interpreter at Fort Michilimackinaw, Old Mill Creek, Fort Mackinaw, The Michigan Renaissance Faire, and The Tall Ship Royaliste, Red Witch, Argus and The Windy.
On the stage his favorite roles have been "Tony" in Westside Story, "Danny" in
Haywire and "Booth" in Assassins. Recently you might've seen his work in the Red Twist production of
View from a Bridge as his fight direction "packed an impressive punch."
Orion Couling believes the arts are a catalyst for change in our communities. At any point in the year you might find him blending social activism with theatre. For eight years, Orion's been using stage combat with youth-at-risk in schools and summer camps to discuss choices in violence and peaceful resolution with his self founded Company EDGE (Esteem Development through Greater Expectations). He is invested in bringing theatre to marginalized communities and received the Commitment to Excellence Award from Ups For Downs for his work directing children with Down Syndrome. As a playwright and adapter, his production of
Treasure Island sold out last year at Lake Superior Theatre in Marquette, MI. Also, last year's
Spirit Ship and Haunted Harbors on the Windy broke our fall's box office records. His love of researching a misty area of history and staging it for a historical society or venue, like our own, brings us this year's Windy premier
Real Pirates of the Inland Seas.
Orion teaches studio classes in the Chicago area and fight directs with independent films, local stage productions and Tall Ships. Furthermore, he is the Artistic Director of Gymkhana Studios. Additionally, Orion is recognized as an Associate Teacher for Dueling Arts and is proud to be our new Educational Coordinator and Artistic Director.
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