Meet the Crew

John recently retired from his role as Vice President at Yamaha Corporation of America. During his 26 years at Yamaha, John was responsible for sales, marketing, inventory control, budgeting, recruitment, and onboarding. His vision for leadership is to inspire innovation and collaboration in a compassionately inclusive environment. John and his wife, Martha Szufnarowski, moved from California to Hilton Head Island in September 2023. Their intense attraction to the water led them to Hilton Head Plantation, where both are active community members. Having recently joined Freedom Boat Club they look forward to learning the waterways from the many skilled and experienced HHPYC members.

Steve is a retired scientist form the Nation Institutes of Health. He has sailed on the Chesapeake Bay for over 20 years and is still an active member of the NIH Sailing Association with over 200 members. Sailing experience includes a wide range of boats from 20-foot Flying Scot to a 60-foot Jeanneau Sun Odyssey. Sailing in the Ballimore Harbor and Chesapeake Bay out of Annapolis, the South River and Rock Hall. Last year he competed in the 50th Year Multi-hull Catamaran Regatta on Hilton Head Island featuring 74 boats and the Heritage Golf Regatta out of Windmill Harbour. He is also an active member of the Hilton Head Catamaran Club, which currently has 30 boats and this year the club will host three Regattas.

John has long had a passion for the water, growing up on the southern coast of Massachusetts where he enjoyed sailing, power boating, and waterskiing. An accomplished athlete, he captained multiple teams in high school and college. He recently retired after a 43-year career in the food industry, serving in senior leadership roles in sales and marketing with leading manufacturers. Along the way, he also developed interests in RVing, golf, and home renovation. In 2025, John and his wife, Sandy, moved to Hilton Head from Maine’s Casco Bay area and are active members of the Freedom Boat Club and HHPYC. They look forward to becoming more involved and enjoying all the club has to offer.

Gail joined HHPYC in 2024 and entered the role of Fleet Captain – Boating in 2025. Gail has been a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist for 43 and has just recently fully retired. A native of Connecticut, Gail spent summers on the state’s shoreline, where her boating adventures began as a child. After many years of crewing for her father and brothers, she now finds herself at the helm as a member of Freedom Boat Club. Gail looks forward to strengthening her seamanship skills and increasing her knowledge of the local waters, together with and alongside the members of HHPYC.

Greg is a native of Carney’s Point, New Jersey, in the heart of South Jersey (Exit One), Greg is a devoted fan of all Philadelphia sports teams. While he doesn’t own a boat, his love for the water led him to take sailing lessons in Washington, DC, through the Pentagon Sailing Club. Greg works remotely for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. He has been an active member of HHPYC since 2023 and previously served as the club’s secretary.

Dick is a lifelong boating enthusiast, having grown up vacationing on multiple inland lakes in upstate New York. Dick is an experienced sailor and power boater and has obtained Bareboat Cruising Certification from the US Sailing Association's Offshore Sailing School. He and his wife Karen have a 22-foot power boat they keep on Lake Chautauqua in Western New York. They have been members of the HHPYC since 2022.

Water has always been Dawn’s element—she grew up on the shores of Lake Michigan, lived along the coast in Southern California, and spent several years on Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay. She’s a former competitive swimmer who now prefers to stay dry aboard a boat. Dawn works in the nonprofit sector at the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, where she connects people with local opportunities to make an impact. She enjoys using that same energy to help HHPYC members get the most out of their membership. She and her husband Pete have been club members since 2021.

Kristy’s boating adventures began as a kid, spending summers on lakes in Pennsylvania and Maine. After a career in the Air Force, where water-borne fun took a back seat to other duties, she is excited to reconnect with her sea legs. She dreams of the day she can explore the world’s waterways on her own boat. Until then, she’s enjoying the next best thing – being part of this group of “friends with boats”. Kristy has been an active club member since 2023 and previously served as its webmaster.

Bev’s boating experience includes previously owning a 26-foot Sea Ray Sundancer named "In Conference" and boating in the waters around Charleston. She has fond memories of her son growing up at Dolphin Head Marina alongside their standard poodle and her son entertaining people while wearing his life jacket. Bev has taken numerous Coast Guard classes and still keeps an Ocean Kayak at John’s Island. She serves as the HHPYC’s Social Captain and has MUSC degrees in radiologic technology and nursing and a master’s in professional health sciences.

Pete is a retired executive from a global federal defense contractor and a retired pilot. His love of water and boating began while growing up near Cape Cod, and it continued while he was at the US Naval Academy, and then while living on the Chesapeake. He is an experienced boater, having owned both sailboats and powerboats for 40+ years. Pete and his "First Mate," Dawn, have a power boat named Green Heron and have been HHPYC members since 2021. He previously served as the club’s Vice Commodore.