Meet our Captains

Marlin

Marlin Ledin

Marlin Ledin is a self taught sailor from the Minnesconsigan region of Lake Superior. He built his own steel sailboat and sails it year round on Lake Superior. He has been a licensed captain since 2013 and would love to take you sailing!

Jon

Jon Small

As a world-travelling Wisconsin native –from the rugged Himalayas to the cloud forests of the Andes, Sri Lankan shores to the South African Natal, Galapagos to Manhattanoes– I have been very fortunate to have had many “once in a lifetime” experiences. What matters most to me now, is sharing my passion for our home and fostering connections to this unique and beautiful place, the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior. When you sail with me, bring your curiosity, your sense of adventure, and your willingness to learn and try something new. On my trips, you will sail the boat, or simply enjoy the ride; everything is available In the offseason/afterhours I enjoy traveling, silent sports and camping.

Matt

Matt Birhle

Hello, my name is Matt! I grew up surrounded by the northern Wisconsin lakes and have always loved being on the water. I have a background in science and outdoor education and spend most of my year sailing on sailing school vessels (SSVs) across the Atlantic and Pacific. Though I have logged many saltwater miles, I have never forgotten about the beauty of Lake Superior and am excited to help others experience the lake from a whole new perspective. When not sailing, I spend my time playing piano, cycling, and scheming of ways to get back on the water.

Greg

Greg Sumner

Greg got hooked with sailing back in the 90’s when he was the waterfront director at a summer camp in Northern MN. I have worked in various educational environments from camps, public education and coaching where I enjoy helping people work together to accomplish a goal while having a good time doing it. In the last few years I have been lucky enough really get back into sailing and was able live on my boat for a summer while sailing the Duluth area and Apostle Islands. In the offseason/afterhours I enjoy traveling, silent sports and camping. I just finished the Camino de Santiago this spring and am looking forward to another summer in Bayfield!

Alec

Alec Malenfant

Ahoy! I'm Alec (he/him), I grew up on a Minnesota hobby farm with llamas and emus, grew up playing all sorts of sports and games, and got real hooked on outdoor adventures in college! I've been sailing and racing boats for almost a decade now and for the last four years I've been teaching kids as young as five how to raise some canvas into the wind on this big lake of ours! While sailing takes the majority of my warm waking hours, the colder ones are filled with snowboarding, mountain biking, a touch of photography, and a whole lot of social time! Teach me a board game or narrowly beat me in a card game, I'll be up for a chat and a smile wherever. Ask me about North Coast Community Sailing!

Maureen

Maureen Zishka

Growing up I became interested in sailing while sailing on a small boat on Lake Calhoun. After college, my husband and I bought a small sunfish in need of repair and the sailing craziness started then in earnest. I have been sailing the Apostle Islands for over 40 years having owned three boats in the Apostle Islands Marina. We live on our sailboat, Mocha, for the three summer months. Mocha is a Pearson 37 RC. Our permanent home is in Gulf Shores, Alabama having moved there going on 6 years ago. Besides sailing and boating, I love most anything outdoors including tennis. Included in my family are my husband, two grown children and two dogs, Rosie and Milo.

Matt

Matt Edmunds

I have enjoyed sailing my entire life -- first cutting my teeth sailing on Minnesota and Wisconsin inland lakes. Our family always owned a sailboat. Some of our families’ most memorable times were sailing in the Apostles and back and forth to Isle Royale. After 30 years in Chequamegon Bay I continue to love everything about our great lake. I’m a log home contractor by trade but being on the water is what I love. My favorite thing about working for All Hands is their encouragement of everyone learning the joys of sailing. There is magic in the wind and water - I want everyone to get to enjoy it.

Brandi

Brandi Shapland

Hey there! My name is Brandi and I am originally from Nebraska! You might be thinking, how does someone from Nebraska become a sailboat captain? I was lucky enough to grow up on a lake and spent my childhood on the water. I have lived on the beautiful South Shore of Lake Superior for 9 years and absolutely love it up here. When I am not on a sailboat you can find me at Rose's Pottery Studio in Washburn where I am also a ceramic artist or swimming at one of our lovely beaches. Hope to see you on the water soon!

Hyland

Hyland Garvey

Greeting and Salutations! My name is Hyland! I started sailing a couple years ago in highschool and with a turn of fortunate life events, started racing sailboats. Since then sailing has taken me all over the world; through the Mediterranean, across the Atlantic, the Caribbean and up and down the East coast of the U.S. While I’ve been lucky to get around, I still love the saltless Great Lake Superior and call her home. When I’m not sailing, I really like to get outside climbing rock or ice climbing, being out on the lake with my surfboard, or pushing turns on the snow. Cheers, can’t wait to see ya on the water!

Meet our Staff

Brontë

Brontë Gross

purchased Dreamcatcher Sailing in Spring 2023, and is now the owner and Charter Master of All Hands Sailing, which means he gets to keep the boats in working order, and then sail them until something breaks. Though a Minnesota native, he has been sailing in the Apostle Islands since he was a child and has been living up here full time for over a decade, starting by teaching kids to sail through North Coast Community sailing while attending Northland College. When not out on the water, he writes, sews backpacks, and dreams of blue water and fresh winds.

Sarah

Sarah Szymaniak

purchased Dreamcatcher Sailing in Spring 2023, and is now the owner and Administrative Master of All Hands Sailing, which means she gets to do all of the important work from behind the scenes. She has been sailing in the Apostle Islands for nearly a decade and has been living up here even longer. She has been on many sailing trips and expeditions, including sailing with 59° North from the Azores to Norway. Her favorite place is behind the helm in a steady eight knots of breeze, the wind behind her and an empty horizon ahead.

Steven

Steven Boyd

has been sailing with All Hands since the very beginning, working to manage Dreamcatcher Sailing before the transfer. He grew up in the Chequamegon Region and settled back here after bouncing around the American West. Now he manages a household of five animals with his wife Nicole and in his free time can be found in every nook and cranny of our boats, fixing, improving, and making things better. He loves sailing and the big Lake and has designs of his own to get a captain's license and break through that fiberglass ceiling.

Joe

Joe

Joe

Bayfield's Premier Sailing Company

One of our favorite things about having a sailing company in Bayfield, Wisconsin, is sharing this incredible region and body of water with new-to-sailing customers. The smiles, the memories – it just makes us so happy.

Customer Love The Tour Experiences

“All Hands sailing was a truly beautiful experience! We spent three days/nights on board with Captain Joe – who our son called Uncle a Joe by the time we docked. Joe was an amazing tour guide and we appreciated all his knowledge of the area and all the sailing 101 for our landlubber crew! We visited sea caves, beaches, had a NPS service guided tour of a lighthouse and played croquet on the lawn.”

"Unforgettable experience!"

"This sailing trip was the pinnacle of our getaway, and we're definitely coming back for more. e love how it caters to everyone, whether you're looking to unwind or engage in sailing with the Captain's expert guidance. Even our furry friend Lucy was captivated by the Captain's every word. Thank you for an unforgettable evening!"

Over 180 reviews on Google!

We are so proud to be one of the highest rated sailing businesses in Bayfield, WI! We take great pride in ensuring all our customers have an unforgettable experience on Lake Superior.

Check out our reviews
0 +

Happy Customers

0 +

Miles Sailed

Sustainability & Community

We love where we live, with a passion and intensity that sometimes scares even us. As climate change reshapes the world around us, we are adapting and changing our business to make as big of an impact on the community around us as possible, while leaving as small of a trace in our natural areas as we can. Luckily, sailing makes this as easy as it is joyful. Here are some of our goals, accomplishments, and dreams.

  • Sail Whenever Possible

    The wind is a carbon free, endlessly renewable resource. It’s a gift of the sun and the earth’s rotation, and we hoist whatever canvas we can grab, whenever the slightest zephyr springs to life over the water. It’s our goal to sail on our trips as much as we can, which is why we don’t offer ‘short’ trips to some of the furthest islands out there – it’s unreasonable to expect it can be done by sailing. Luckily, most of our guests agree that good travel takes time, and so, most years, we use only 50 gallons of diesel over 4000 miles of trips. That clocks in at 90% windpower!

  • Minimal Power Usage

    We have intentionally updated our boats to use as little electricity as possible. Most of our lights are high-efficiency LEDs (we swap them out as the old ones die), and we consciously avoid high-draw power sucks, which means our anchors are raised by hand (if you don’t want the workout, the captain can do it!), and we use iceboxes instead of refrigeration systems. The ice itself is made in our perennially cool basement, and the coolness of the lake helps it last as long as it does.

  • Buy Stuff That Lasts Forever

    We don’t mind paying extra for excellent gear. While there are no local sources for our stainless steel shackles and many of our other necessary equipment, we do submit custom orders to some of our local manufacturers, like Bretting Machining. For the rest of it, we take good care of our equipment so that it works as well as when it arrived on the boat decades prior. The freshwater makes it easier than on the ocean – but well-applied grease helps.

  • Educate All Who Step Aboard

    There might be ways to make it through one of our trips without learning anything – but it probably involves a portable sensory deprivation tank. While our captains don’t follow a curriculum, their passion and love for sailing and this area shine through in every single one of their actions and words. Their wonder and joy are infectious for all who travel with us, and that wonder often sparks deep discussions about the world around us and how we move through it.

  • Get Everyone Sailing

    Sailing is a strange sport for a few reasons – one of the biggest ones is that the cost divide from the lowest end of sailing to the highest is enormous. On one hand, you can’t find a new boat for less than the price of a large home (and those are the cheap ones), but you can buy, live, and sail around the world on a boat worth less than the average used car. We know that sailing can change people’s lives for the better – give them time to reflect, be outside, and feel joy in the world and her wild elements. That’s why we’re proud to be offering free sailing to Bayfield’s population by bringing them on board as apprentices, offering free sailing days during the spring, and working with local organizations like the Apostle Islands Yacht Club and North Coast Community Sailing to offer scholarships to Bayfield-area kids. Consider helping us by checking the box to invite an apprentice on-board during your trip!

  • Partner with Local Talent

    We’re proud to be part of the 1% for Recreation fund that supports our local recreation center and community sailing program, NCCS. We are also running several pilot programs this year to offer educational trips revolving around Bayfield history, geology, and food. As our relationships with our partners grow, new things will appear on our roster that enrich us all.

Contact us today to book your special trip!

Sailing is for everyone – from all levels and for those who have never sailed before!

View Trips