Mystic Whaler Cruises

Captain: John Eginton

Captain John’s schooner career began in Maine in 1976 aboard the historic three-masted schooner Victory Chimes.  After six seasons on that famous schooner, he joined the schooner Voyager as First Mate, sailing the waters of the Caribbean. 

In the spring of 1982, Voyager left the Virgin Islands and sailed to Mystic, CT, bringing the young captain to the waters of Southern New England, and to the beginning of a life chapter that has spanned more than 25 years.

Now entering his fourteenth year as owner of the Mystic Whaler, Captain John is a respected veteran of the windjammer world.

The Captain is a member of the American Sail Training Association and serves on the board of the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race.  He is also Commodore of the American Schooner Association.

Deckhand: Laura Castanon

Laura hails from the suburbs of Boston, MA and grew up sailing significantly smaller boats than the Mystic Whaler with life goals ranging from animal trainer to train hobo. After four years of college at Washington University in land-locked St. Louis, MO, Laura had degrees in Environmental Studies and Theatrical Design and, to the chagrin of her career advisor, a crazy idea to get a job as a sailor. Through a mixture of timing and good luck, Laura found herself on board the Mystic Whaler as a week-long volunteer educator, working beside a fantastic captain and crew. She was thrilled to be invited to finish the 2009 season with them as a deckhand. After a winter of land and ice, she can’t wait to be back on the water for 2010.