Member since 2005, Commodore since 2009
Elected Nov. 2023 - Term Expires Nov. 2026

Joan has been cruising since mid-1995 and has 35,000 cruising miles under her keel having made transatlantic crossings and cruised in the Atlantic, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific. She and her family have made multiple passages to the Eastern Caribbean where they presently cruise in season.

Joan currently functions as SSCA’s Cruising Host Coordinator which allows her to be heavily involved in communications with both land and water-based maritime and cruisers worldwide; she in turn collaborates with Noonsite.com to communicate pertinent information. She also serves as SSCA’s Clean Wake Project Coordinator and in that capacity, she publishes research articles on such initiatives as Sargassum, hurricane relief efforts and Pacific waste issues. Joan and her husband Greg coordinate SSCA’s presence at the US Sailboat Show each fall in Annapolis and she assists with SSB radios and tracking cruisers during the fall season as well. Joan is also a regular presenter at SSCA GAMS.

Due to her active involvement and history of the Association, she would like to see the image of SSCA promoted as a dynamic and forward-thinking organization that helps all cruisers around the world. She believes SSCA does so much that is not known because the collaboration among cruisers is like family and that’s a message that needs to be conveyed to attract younger cruisers to SSCA.

Joan holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and served 35 years as Senior Engineer Project Manager for a multi-million-dollar US government project.

Member since 1999
Elected Nov. 2022 - Term Expires Nov. 2025

Frank Smith and his wife, Judy are the owners and captains of the S/V Athena - a 60’ sailing catamaran. He has sailed since he was six years old and has literally ‘sailed the seven seas’ both as a racer and a member of the US Navy for 25 years. He is a retired Chief Information Officer and you may know him from around town as a frontline rescue Paramedic for Fairfax County, and a Fire Chief for Great Falls, Virginia. He has extensive training and experience in a variety of survival and emergency situations - especially at sea. When not working or sailing the Chesapeake Bay with Judy and search & rescue dog, Recon - he spends time planning their next trip to the Caribbean or the Med. He is a board governor of the Maryland Yacht Club.

Member since 2012
Appointed Nov. 2024 - Term Expires Nov. 2027

Mike started his sailing career racing dinghies on inland lakes in the 70’s before graduating to small offshore boats raced on Lake Erie during the 80’s and 90’s. In 2002 Mike and crew Andrea sold their Olson 25 and bought a Catalina 36 to try cruising, thus ending the racing . After two summer cruises to Georgian Bay and the North Channel of Lake Huron they transited the Erie Canal in 2013 and relocated their sailing to Annapolis. Semi-retirement meant moving to Williamsburg VA and Deltaville as a new home port. Since then they have cruised much of the Chesapeake and mixed in winter cruising to the Bahamas and Florida.

During the 80’s and 90’s Mike was very active in the Midget Ocean Racing Club (MORC), campaigning a J24, Santana 23, and an Olson 25. He served MORC as a member of its International Board of Governors, Commodore of MORC Station 14, and as an official measurer. Mike co-chaired and was race chairman for the 1993 MORC International Regatta. Both he and Andrea were long standing members of the Sandusky Sailing Club and of the Great Lakes Cruising Club.

Mike attended Rhodes University in South Africa, Miami University and Case Western Reserve University. He is an attorney and now a (mostly) retired partner in a multi-state law firm where his practice was in taxation, estate planning, business succession planning, charitable planning and exempt organizations. Mike currently serves as trustee of several charities and foundations. 

Member since 2015, Commodore since 2020
Appointed Nov. 2023

Don and his wife, Jan, boated in the Great Lakes for 15 years. Upon purchase of their current vessel in 2010, they started boating in the Pacific Northwest. Their adventures included cruises to Alaska and a circumnavigation of Vancouver Island as well as wanderings around British Columbia. In 2017, they downsized and moved onto Figment. They then headed south, transited the Panama Canal, and arrived in eastern Puerto Rico in early 2020 with plans to spend the summer in Grenada. As country borders began closing due to COVID-19, they decided to return to the US making a nonstop run to Florida where Figment is presently moored. During their ten years of cruising, they have put 17,500 miles under her keel.

Don started his career in the business world as a CPA and quickly moved into the role of CFO. He found himself drawn to problem-solving scenarios and eventually began serving clients in a consulting capacity focusing on finance, operations, and management decision-making. He became deeply involved in production agriculture during the severe financial crisis of the 1980s. Dealing with turnarounds and bankruptcies led to heavy involvement in the development of industry information and reporting guidelines. During the past 35 years, Don has served production agriculture both as a leader in various industry professional organizations and as an advisor to farming and ranching families across the US.

Don and Jan joined SSCA while on the west coast primarily because of a concern with anchoring restrictions and rights. During their journey from the PNW to the Caribbean, they benefited from SSCA Cruising Station Hosts in various ports. As cruising changed during 2020, Don felt it was important to continue supporting SSCA; contributions to the Anchoring Advocacy Fund and volunteering to serve are his ways of doing so.