Current Crew
Captain Tharon, aka Tron, aka T-Rod.
No, he is not Norse. His parents chose it out of a name book but it’s a great name, right!? Although Tipsy Gypsy has two captains, Tharon is the one who does most everything of true meaning. He was raised in Alger, MI and attended Grand Valley State University to obtain his Information Systems Degree. After a few jobs, he became an independent contractor which allows him to continue to work while traveling via sailboat. He thoroughly enjoys his current contract and the flexibility it provides. In the Summer of 2013, sailing lessons became a reality. Two boats later, he found their floating home. Tharon is confident, intelligent, and fun. His passion is what drives the success in this adventure to travel and explore new scenery. He’s great with problem solving, provides a sensible direction to the journey, and keeps all projects on task.
Favorite Music: Flight of the Conchords, David Bowie, Watsky, Mayday!, Ott, Damien Marley, & all the songs on Awesome Mix #1 from Gaurdians of the Galaxy
Favorite Books: Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, Dune by Frank Herbert, & Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss.
Favorite Food: Pizza, Tacos, Crab Rangoons, and Ice Cream.
Favorite Beer: All Day IPA
Travel Goal: French Polynesia, Solomon Islands, & New Zealand
Captain Mary, aka Dozer, aka Rowdy Mary.
Mary was raised in Northern Michigan in a small town called Ossineke. She left to study at Grand Valley State University and after 4 years of college, obtained her Psychology Degree and partial Business Management Degree. The joy of event planning took over throughout her college career and led her to begin wedding planning and putting together special events all around the Grand Rapids area. From there, she continued her successes with becoming West Michigan’s Regional Catering Sales Manager with Panera Bread. Similar to Tharon’s bio, she learned to sail one Summer and never looked back. She has plenty of ‘pink’ jobs on the boat but also maintains the travel blog, assists with boat projects, and is the primary helmsman. She’s pretty awesome at most things but continues to learn new skills such as sewing and writing. In the near future, she hopes to add more crafting into her freetime and to produce videos of their adventures.
Favorite Music: Led Zeppelin, Tame Impala, Flogging Molly, Beach House, Phish, Pearl Jam, Bela Fleck, The Concussions, & Oldies
Favorite Books: Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss, Wild by Cheryl Strayed, and The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac
Favorite Food: Bread & Butter, Cheese, and Tharon’s Risotto
Favorite Beer: Hell or High Watermelon from 21st Amendment OR All Day IPA from Founder’s Brewing
Travel Goals: Galopagos Islands, Mediterranean, & Thailand
Previous Crew
Mike Wardman & Shannon Lee
Mike and Shannon are good friends who decided to finally visit us on the boat! I’ve known Mike since Junior High School and is part of the reason why I know Tharon! These two joined us in Hope Town (February 2019) to enjoy a relaxing getaway from the frigid Winter in Michigan. We had an exceptional time with them. Highlights include spearfishing, enjoying Songwriters in Paradise, visiting the Elbow Cay Reef Lighthouse, exploring Hope Town, and eating at all our favorite spots. Their trip was too short but they’re already planning to return as soon as they can. We miss them already!
Beth Arnold
Beth joined us for some fun adventures in the Abacos. She’s a digital nomad like us and loves to travel. She arrived in Hope Town (February 2019) and traveled with us South to Lynyard Cay to search for blue holes and Sandy Cay to chase sharks. We had a great time and she was an exceptional crew member during her visit. Next time she visits, we hope to work less and find some good wavesfor her to teach us how to surf.
Courtney & David Watson
Tharon’s Grandpa and Us saved these two from engine issues while in Leland on their Honeymoon around Michigan (Summer 2016). From there, we’ve been sailing friends every since! Only after hanging out with them once more (after making it around the mitten to their marina in Detroit, MI) we invited them to come hang out in the Bahamas once we made it over. They met us in Guana Cay after taking an interesting flight over from Fort Lauderdale. After settling in, we island hopped around The Abacos (Great Guana Cay -> Man-O-War Cay -> Elbow Cay -> Marsh Harbour) and having them along was the highlight of our time in the Bahamas. We look forward to more sailing adventures with them in the future!
Brennan Rodriguez
With Brennan on board (Tharon’s Youngest Brother), we completed quite a few projects that needed to be taken care of before leaving for the Bahamas. Not sure he wanted to help but he always kept a light attitude in regards to the task at hand. After two flight changes, he actually got to sail over from the Bahamas with us from the Lake Worth Inlet in West Palm Beach. Our plans were to make it around the Abacos but nasty winds caused us trouble in our plans sticking us in West End for his travels with us. He’s been the most helpful crew member thus far, Tipsy’s longest crew member, and Elwood’s favorite cuddle buddy.
Arce Rosalez
Although Arce was meant to help us sail to the Bahamas, our weather window wasn’t good for the time frame in which she joined us. Instead, we had an enjoyable time in West Palm Beach relaxing on the boat and exploring many bars and islands during the holiday season. It was so nice to have another girl on board for a while and look forward to her return. In the mean time, you can find Arce hiking and making the most of life’s adventures!
Nate & Taylor Vanden Hoek
Nate & Taylor came to visit during Halloween weekend before we left on our travels down the ICW. They came aboard for four nights and joined us for a day sail around the Chesapeake Bay. Alongside their love of the sailing lifestyle, we were also able to share with them some of the downs with a few boat projects needing to get completed before our departure. We showed them around Annapolis and enjoyed a boat hopping Halloween party! We LOVED having their company and look forward to helping them find the right sailboat for them!
Brenda Feldpausch, aka Tharon’s Mom
After a couple of weeks in Annapolis, we were happy to get out on the water. Tharon’s Mom joined us! Although we only did one day sail, she also stayed on the boat for three days to enjoy the live-aboard lifestyle. We explored the town, enjoyed delicious meals, and accomplished some boat projects. It was a successful and fun weekend and look forward to her return in the upcoming months. Not just to go sailing again but because we need help with all of our woodworking projects. It’s always nice to have a helping hand!
Lars Johnson
He’s quiet & a cousin on Mary’s side. Although he slept the majority of the time, it was great to have a younger generation aboard for a few days. He joined us from Alpena -> Harrisville -> Tawas City. There was also quite a connection with him and our dogs but Elwood was by far his favorite. We hope sailing becomes as fun of a hobby of his as paintball is already. Looking forward to his next visit with us!!
Lisa Shulman, aka Mean Lisa
She joined us for our travels to America’s Cup and is one of our best friends. Although she mostly slept through the travels to Chicago, she was an essential part of our joint Honeymoon adventure to the British Virgin Islands. She’s most definitely the life of any party, enjoys traveling, and always has an opinion we enjoy hearing. She loves good beer, hammocking, and hanging with her bros. When she’e not slinging burritos at Qdoba, she’ll be on board mixing up delicious concoctions for us all to enjoy!
Elizabeth Whitney, aka Libby
We only recently met Libby and were extremely happy to have her aboard as we sailed across Lake Michigan to America’s Cup. She’s been sailing for a while and races Hobie Cats around the West Michigan shoreline. She took ease in steering us out of our first squall, has an upbeat but relaxed attitude, and is a great photographer too!
Dave Navarro
No, not the guitarist. Dave’s our mate from college and is always happy to help on the boat. From rebedding toerails to swabbing Fuzz’s decks, he always wants to be on the water. He also made his debut at America’s Cup after his class got cancelled last minute. He has a Philosophy degree and is now finishing up his studies to become a paramedic. We’re always happy to have him around, Dave saves!
Abbey Blodgett, aka Alice Argyros
You never know what color hair she’ll have. She is Tipsy Gypsy’s first crewmember and helped deliver the boat from Charlevoix to Muskegon. She’s laid back, is an extremely talented artist and works at one of our favorite breweries (Founder’s Brewing). We met in College and continue to enjoy similar interests and an intertwining group of friends. You probably won’t see her working at Founder’s but you can find her artwork here –> Alice Argyros
If you’d like to join as crew, send us an email at hello@svtipsygypsy.com
We’ve had many others onboard Tipsy Gypsy. These are the ones who’ve sailed & stayed with us for multiple days
