Donna Austin

Summary of Qualifications

Highly experienced Blue Water sailor with extensive commercial, racing, and cruising experience.  Pacific Maritime Academy graduate with 100-ton endorsement.  US Merchant Marine Document holder.  Broad commercial sailing experience throughout the North, Central, and South Pacific. Strong background in maritime logistics, vessel maintenance and refitting.  Provided ocean going services to numerous customers to include the Woods Hole Marine Laboratory, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, the University of Hawaii, and the United Nations, Hawaii Women’s Yacht Racing Association Skipper of the year 2001, Woman of the Year 2007, Skipper of the Year 2007.  Veteran of numerous California to Hawaii ocean races and boat deliveries.

CHRONOLOGY

1974 Arrived in Hawaii moved onboard a 50ft Ketch, sailed about 15,000 miles between the Big
Island and Kauai.

1974 Worked at Windjammer Cruises sailed as a deckhand, 55ft Brigantine Schooner, 50ft
Topsail Schooner, 60ft Alden Schooner and a 50ft Ketch.

1974 Sailed onboard 63ft Staysail Schooner RV MACHIAS sailed about 3,000 miles

between the Big Island and Kauai.

1975 Crew position onboard VICTORIA, a Hershoff Ketch. Sailed from Honolulu to Long Beach,
hit three gales and broke the arm on our worm gear steering. Jury-rigged a tiller at the
halfway mark, and still did the crossing in 13 days 23 hours

1975 Captain job with WESTSAIL the sail manufacturer, doing demo sails with prospective
buyers. Sailing out of Redondo Beach, Newport Beach, San Diego and Honolulu.

1976 Moved back to Hawaii joined MACHIAS a 63-foot steel schooner. Sailed to Christmas
Island, Fanning and Palmyra, delivered food and medical supplies, at sea two months.

1977 Crewed onboard MACHIAS 9 months each year for 3 years, at sea two weeks a month.

Supported the Blue Water Marine Lab program through the U of H. Took students

from the Big Island to Kauai, taking public and private school students to sea on mini

expeditions.

1978 Graduated from the Pacific Maritime Academy with a 100-ton endorsement.

1980-83 Port Captain for Ocean Charter Service Inc. supporting three-year contract with the United
Nations. Bought and shipped parts to U.N. vessels operating in the Pacific. Wired money
and rotated crew on a regular basis. Flew every other month to American and Western
Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, New Hebrides, New Caledonia,
Tahiti, Rarotonga, and Tarawa. Sailed with the supported vessel for duration of mission.

1983-84 Under contract to provide services for El Niño weather phenomena studies work based out
of Fanning Island for18 months of work with University of Hawaii, Woods Hole Laboratory,
and Scripps Institute. Sailed down and back from Hawaii to Fanning numerous times. 1984-85 Rebuilt 63-foot steel schooner MACHIAS; added draft, height on main mast and length

of hull.

1986 Moved MACHIAS Charter business to Maui

1987-90 Ran charters to island of Molokai 3 days a week. Included picnic, snorkeling, whale
watching and SCUBA diving sails for paying customers.

1991 Provided Dive charters to the LINE ISLANDS; divers flew to Christmas Is. where we picked
them up. Rescued ten shipwrecked fishermen from Palmyra on our way home to
Honolulu.

1991 Sailed to Christmas Island and then Palmyra with crew from the Towill Corp. Spent

two weeks taking soil samples, fuel dump samples, and PCB readings.

1991 Transported Fish and Wildlife Service employees from Christmas Island to islands of
JARVIS, BAKER, and HOWLAND. Spend 3 days at each island, count nests, eggs, chicks
and putting in new preserve signage.

1991 Charter to Winslow’s Reef by expedition searching for Amelia Earhart's airplane followed by
return to Honolulu.

1991 Sail to Christmas Island to pick up the owners of Palmyra Atoll, take them to Palmyra for 10
days, then back to Christmas Islands and back to Honolulu.

1993-01 Extremely active in sailboat racing out of Honolulu. Steered over 400 races in a 33-foot J
boat. Placed first in the Asahi Cup three-day race.

2001 Hawaii Women’s Yacht Racing Association Skipper of the Year

2002-04 Over 150 sailboat races.

2004 Graduated U.S. Sailing Association Instructors course.

2005 Rear Commodore for Sail Pearl Harbor Yacht Club and Rear Commodore for Sail Hawaii
Women’s Yacht Racing Association. HWYRA. Started crewing on a J35

2006 Crewed on a delivery of CIRRUS a Standfast 40 sloop from Honolulu to San Francisco

2006 Crewed on same CIRRUS Standfast 40 in the '06 Pacific Cup ocean race from San
Francisco to Kaneohe, Hawaii

2007 Vice Commodore HWYRA, and Rear Commodore(power) PHYC

2007 Worked 6 months preparing CIRRUS for Pacific delivery to the west coast of the US, then
raced in the a '07 Trans Pac race from Los Angeles to Honolulu

2007 Won FIRST place in our Trans Pac division, crew of 5 women 1 male.

2007 Hawaii Women Yachts Racing Association WOMAN OF THE YEAR '07

2007 Wahine Skipper of the Year '07

2007-09 Served as Crewmember on the Hawaii Super Ferry, providing passenger and vehicle
transportation between the Hawaiian Islands of Oahu and Maui. Underwent intense
USCG- approved safety at sea courses to include firefighting, fire rescue, rescue at sea,
and more.

2009 Disassembled a J35 sloop for transport by ship to Long Beach for the '09 Trans Pac. Spent
3 day in dry dock putting her back together, then did the provisioning.

2009 Again crossed from Los Angeles to Hawaii while racing in the '09 Trans Pac

2012 Three-week delivery of a Beneteau 39 sloop from Tahiti, French Polynesia to Kaneohe,
Hawaii. A non-stop sail of over 2,000 miles.

2013 Delivery of vessel for Trans Pac ocean race, Honolulu to Long Beach 43 ft. Reich-Puhl
sloop SIESTA, an extremely light carbon fiber vessel with no bilge or head.

2014 Inducted into The Athletic Hall of Fame sponsored by my high school in Alhambra,
California and The Alhambra Chamber of Commerce. Awarded for excellence in
sailing. The school is over 200 years old, I was the first to get this recognition for sailing.

2015 Delivery from Honolulu to San Diego of the 43 ft. Reich-Puhl sloop SIESTA