Meet The Team
Brendan Tunkel
Brendan Tunkel is from Mount Airy, Maryland and will be working as a deckhand/educator aboard Denis Sullivan this fall. Growing up, he loved sailing and the outdoors, taking trips every summer to the Adirondacks in upstate New York, and worked various jobs as a lifeguard, camp counselor, backpacking guide, and sailing instructor. He attended college at Colorado Sate and Clemson University, where he studied environmental science and marine biology.
Brendan’s first exposure to tall ships was the college study abroad program Sea|Mester, during which he lived 90 days on the schooner Vela, sailing from Italy to the Caribbean while studying marine biology and acquiring several sailing and diving certifications. It was on this ship that Brendan decided that he wanted to work in the maritime industry. He also discovered a love of SCUBA diving on this trip, and continued his professional education in Koh Tao, Thailand, where he spent three months becoming a Divemaster, Instructor, and Master SCUBA Diver Trainer (MSDT).
This past summer, Brendan was a mate and dive instructor for a summer adventure camp in the British Virgin Islands called Action Quest, where he lived and worked aboard a fleet of catamarans teaching sailing and diving to middle school through high school age students. Brendan is extremely passionate about teaching and sharing his love of sailing and the outdoors, and is thrilled to be joining the Denis Sullivan this fall!