Meet the Crew

Ever since he was young, Tyler has spent time on local waters boating, fishing, and exploring back bays, marshes, rivers, and our Jersey Shore. Spending much of his childhood in the USVI, he was bit by the sailing bug early on and learned to sail in the trade winds between St. Thomas and St. John. In 2017, he procured his first sailboat he could call his own. The Search is Over is a 1994 Hunter 33.5 and was sailed extensively through the Delaware Bay and South Jersey coastal and inland waters. Along with his wife, he’s experienced a few summers of being crew while racing sailboats with the Ocean City Yacht Club. More recently, Wabi Sabi, their 2008 Beneteau 46, has been sailed through the Northern Caribbean and United States East Coast, settling back to the Captain’s home in South Jersey.

Sailing and boating became an inherited trait through marriage for Heena. She’s learned the ropes fast while sailing and racing with the Captain and crew over the years, sharing thousands of nautical miles together and many more to come. Sailing has been an awakening experience for her and has exposed different people, cultures, and lifestyles that couldn’t be absorbed any other way. Prioritizing safety at sea, Heena has mastered the art of the night-watch and squall-spotter and has proven to manage Wabi Sabi on her own if needed.

Luffy is a Scottish Fold breed that was destined for life on the water. His name is taken from the nautical term “luff” which is a part of the sails and an action to head further into the wind. Joining our crew in the summer of 2023, he’s known life on a boat from when he was a kitten and certainly has his sea legs. He seems to love sailing and often finds a nice perch to look for dolphins and sea birds between nap sessions amongst sheets and halyards. He’s got great balance on the decks of a vessel underway and, while fascinated with the water, seems to have a healthy respect for the vast surrounding ocean. In other words, he’s a cat that sails but does not have interest in swimming. Luffy is extremely friendly (especially with children) and a people person, greeting locals at every port and expecting a customary dock-walk at every new marina he encounters.