Tucker Trainees articles

Michelle Simperingham

Deckhand

Michelle made her way from Trainee to Volunteer to Cadet and now works with the team at Tucker a Crew. She was raised in Whangarei but also lived across the ditch for a few years in Brisbane. She was always outdoorsy as a child and is keen to try new things. She’s tried almost every sport she’s come across, her favourites being skiing, sea kayaking and rock climbing. In 2021 Michelle completed her cadetship, gained her Skippers Restricted Limits qualification and has joined our merry team of sailors. Michelle is a relaxed Northlander who brings good skills and good vibes to the team.

Josh Fitzgerald 

Deckhand

Josh is Irish on the outside but he may just be Kiwi on the inside. This inspiring young man brings a spirit of positivity, adventure and fun to our team. His work with youth is underpinned by his work as a sailing instructor and with young people in the outdoors. He has a sensitive nature and is a perfect role model for our rangatahi. At the weekends you will catch Josh surfing, windsurfing or sailing in and around the Bay. Josh makes the most of life and inspires others do to the same.

Steve MacKay

Skipper and Repair Man

Steve MacKay is a real-life pirate. He works with the Tucker as a Skipper, pastry chef and Master-Fixer of most things. This multitalented young man is a huge asset to our organisation because he brings an engineering mind and a pirate’s sense of humour to the table. He is both quiet and loud at the same time. He has a wealth of maritime experience, the ability to design and make things, and a true passion for dinghies. You sometimes will find Steve cleaning the hulls of recreational boats in the harbour, creating a cheesecake, or making something out of wood. Although he is a master carpenter, rope work is his bag; his diddy bag that is. Silver Swords Steve and his sidekick Lily are the real treasures of our organisation.

Rangi Ferris

Bosun

Rangi is a shipwright and rigger and he works with us as our Bosun. He is passionate about square-rig sailing, woodwork, carpentry and steam engines, but mostly about working on traditional vessels. He came to us after spending 6 years at the Maritime Museum in Auckland, where he worked maintaining their fleet of vessels. Rangi’s Mum is from the USA and his Dad is from NZ; he grew up in Port Townsend, home of the Wooden Boat Festival. He is a sailing instructor and has his maritime qualifications. Rangi has his own boat and spends time working on both his boat and ours. We are very lucky to have Rangi in our team taking care of The Good Ship.

Enes Fraj

Deckhand 

Enes is his name but we call him Ness. Ness is a Frenchman and a pilot, with an affinity for tall ships. Ness spent time on the Spirit of New Zealand before joining us on the R. Tucker Thompson. He brings energy, enthusiasm and epic cooking skills to the team.  Ness has a Flight Operation and Dispatch Diploma from ESMA Aviation Academy in Montpellier France and he is working his way towards his Skipper Restricted Limits qualification. Ness enjoys living in the North, flying with the local Aviation Club, hiking, sailing and free diving. He is a good person to have around; he works hard and is always keen to help.

Guy Cunningham

Relief Crew

Guy Cunningham tags in to sail on our Youth Voyages from time to time. He has had a career in the Police force and he is a master of working closely with our youth. Guy sails in a local sailing race each Sunday, with a competitive bunch who often podium. Guy has a keen intuition for helping the kids on board our Youth Voyages: he has insight, wisdom and a wealth of experience working in tough situations. He is a straight shooter, a man of few words, but is always on-point. And it’s always handy having a Policeman on board! We are stoked to have Guy sail with us.

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Abbey Franklin

First Mate

Abbey originates from the top of the South Island. She comes to us with a degree in Physical Education from Otago University,  mentoring and leadership skills, and a wealth of tall ship experience on the Spirit of New Zealand.  Working with youth is a common theme woven through Abbey’s travels, work and volunteering roles. She spent 3 months in Nepal, including a month on a mountain conservation project, another month trekking, and the third month in a hospital placement. She also spent 6 weeks on a teaching project in the Sacred Valley in Peru. She loves learning and teaching in equal measure but her special skill is working to develop our rangatahi. Abbey is a gem and she works her magic with our kids.

Eloise Goodison

First Mate

El is Goodison by name, good by nature. This young lady is a sharp operator. She not only knows her way our round our ship; she has spent a bunch of time on superyachts travelling the world. She is deeply connected with the ocean; both in it and on it. A keen surfer, you will find Eloise chasing waves up and down the coast in her backyard of Northland. Eloise is one of our more senior crew and she helps to develop our programme and strengthen our team like a boss. She is working towards her skipper’s ticket and growing her skills as a mariner. El is a sailor and surfer, in equal measure.

Jo Lynch

General Manager

Jo Lynch is our General Manager. Her background is in the ski industry, youth experiential learning through travel, and business strategy and marketing. She has held many leadership roles in the outdoors and marketing and she combines a wide range of skills to lead our programme. Jo is of Ngati Whatua and Pakeha descent and grew up in Northland. She spent 25 years chasing snow and has returned to Te Tai Tokerau to work with youth and the good people on The Good Ship.

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If you have secured your funding, please download the full application form

We work hard to get funding assistance to help young people to take part in our youth development voyages and encourage sponsorship for students. We are able to offer a payment plan with weekly or fortnightly payments of as little as $20. We also recommend you contact your nearest Lions Club, Rotary Club or Freemasons in your local community. The Fletcher Building Employee Educational Fund also offers their employees’ dependents funding for voyages (please apply direct). Thanks to the generous support of donations received, business sponsors, community groups such as Lions, Zonta and funding organisations such as Lotteries and Gaming Trusts we also have grants available and are able to reduce the cost of the voyages from $1,450 per child to between $200-$500 and in some instances at no fee, although a koha is expected.

If you wish to apply for a grant or sponsorship from the R. Tucker Thompson, please download the Grant Application form.

Jane Hindle

Executive Trustee 

PDF form also available here

Pauline Moretti

Youth Coordinator

Pauline job shares the youth programmes role with Sophie, responsible for liaising with schools and community groups explaining how our youth development voyages help students to make positive changes in their lives. She’s had wide and varied career in a number of roles but is above all an educator. She has taught Outdoor Education, Tourism and been Project Island Song’s Educator on their Floating Classroom. She’s also worked with the Department of Conservation in a number of community liaison roles as well as run her own adventure kayaking business. Pauline is also a very experienced sailor having spent three years sailing from Borneo to the Caribbean via Cape of Good Hope on board the junk rigged yacht, Zebedee.

Suz Te Tai

Trustee

Tim Yeates

Trustee

Mike Simm

Trustee

Bronwyn Hunt

Trustee

Russell Harris

Trustee

Kim Borgstrom

Trustee

Mike Daniel

Chair

Terry Dunn

Relief Master

Wayne Karauria

Master

Kyra Crouzat

Sales & Operations Manager

Sophie Camplin

Youth Coordinator

Chynna Haney

Deckhand

As a child, Chynna was very adventurous – she spent many days at the beach. She was very in tune with the ocean and grew up doing surf lifesaving club, adventure racing, and many other sports. She even had Moko the dolphin as a swimming companion for many years. He was a huge influence on her career path. In 2014, Chynna took an 8-week trip to Australia, volunteering at the dolphin centre in Bunbury Perth. In 2016 she completed a Marine and Eco-tourism course through Northtec, Kerikeri – this course taught her a lot, including how to sail.

In February 2017, she became one of the core crew aboard the R Tucker Thompson. With the knowledge she has accumulated and her training on the R Tucker Thompson, she and her fiancé have recently purchased a 33 foot yacht in the hopes of one day sailing it offshore.