David "Woody" Wood (Canada)
Woody comes to the Polar Regions via a strange path. He has spent time working in a major Paediatric Hospital, has degrees in political science and law, and chooses to spend as much time as possible onboard a ship heading into the ice!
Qualifications:
Woody has degrees in political science and law.
Achievements:
His love of the ocean and the wild places at the extremes of the planet has resulted in a lifetime at sea either in the North or South for the last six years. He is passionate about the landscapes, ice, wildlife and history of these special places.
Jacques Sirois (Canada)
Biologist, naturalist and educator, Jacques has nurtured a life-long interest in natural history and wildlife conservation in general, and in marine and freshwater ecosystems and polar matters in particular. A birdwatcher since childhood in his native Quebec City, he worked for nearly two decades for the Government of Canada in the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic regions of the country.
Achievements:
Jacques has worked on small polar expedition vessels since 2000, on a wide variety of both Antarctic and Arctic voyages.
Scott McPhail (Canada)
Beginning his eighth year of polar travel Scott has worked in all areas of operation on the ship from Hotel Manager to Polar Historian on our educational team. Scott also works onboard preparing equipment and organizing logistics for the positioning and re-positioning cruises, so everything is 'ship-shape' when the rest of the staff and passengers arrive. All in all he can spend up to 8 months of the year on the ship! In his off time, Scott will be found relaxing at his cottage and working on his golf game.Scott has been a main-stay of the Peregrine program for 8 years now and knows the ship like the back of his hand. Being a professional 'cruiser' allows him to explore the shore lines of both Polar Regions while at the same time telling historical tales of Polar Explorers! If you dare, ask him about the stern board or maybe set him aglow with a question about his hero John Rae!!