Tom Wylie - Tom has produced numerous winning racing yacht designs during his 40 year career. Designing and building the 65' sailing research vessel, Derek M. Bayliss added a new dimension to Tom's impressive body of work. Producing a new generation of super clean and efficient working boats is one of Tom's current interests. Sailing World magazine awarded Tom's Wyliecat 44 the 2006 Sailing World Boat of the Year Winner for Innovation. Tom's bio is here.

Dave Wahle - Dave has been racing and building sailboats since the early 1970s, and, as Tom Wylie's business partner, he runs Wyliecat Yachts, in Watsonville, CA. I met Dave while we were building Merlin at Bill Lee's shop in 1976/77. Bill picked only the very best sailors to crew for him on Merlin's record setting 1977 Transpacific race, and Dave was part of that legendary crew. He has many accomplishments, and a good (albeit old) bio is here.

Peter Clyde - Peter was a commercial fisherman for 26 years, fishing for salmon, herring and squid in Alaska, Washington and California.

Ernie Koepf - Ernie Koepf is a commercial herring fisherman in the San Francisco Bay. He is also President of the CA Herring Fisherman's Association, advisor to the CA Fish & Game Herring Advisory Committee, Director on the Board of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, Director of Small Boat Commercial Salmon Fisherman's Association, and is Executive Director of the Alliance of Communities for Sustainable Fisheries. Ernie's father and brother were commercial fishermen, and he bought his first boat in 1971. In addition to herring, Ernie has fished for salmon, crab, albacore, halibut and kingfish over his 40 year career. Picture of Ernie on his herring boat here.

"Mako" Mike Shipp - (In his own words) Some people are born into fishing. It's in the family. It's in the blood. Others stumble into it and it gets into the blood. Either way, once it's in the blood you're hooked. You have to fish.

I stumbled into fishing relatively late in life. Having gone to the beach while still in diapers and surfing Moss throughout my teen years, I didn't step onto the deck of a fishing boat until I was twenty seven. I worked on various boats before working twelve years for "Lucky" Lonnie Suggs on the F/V Robin Ann, fishing coastal salmon and offshore albacore in the north & south Pacific. Think of it as a long apprenticeship. Lonnie's motto was, "Stick and stay and make it pay."

Ten years ago I quit fishing offshore to stay closer to home and a growing daughter. I bought a 1930, San Francisco built, 28 foot Monterey, and renamed her after my daughter; Chole Marie. Fishing isn't a job, it's a lifestyle, a love, a religion. Every time I catch a fish I feel blessed. Picture of F/V Chole Marie here.

Hedley Prince - I have been the Wharfinger (Harbormaster) of Fisherman's Wharf for seven years. Before going to work for the City and the Port of San Francisco, I had a 20 year career as a carpenter and boatbuilder. I'm responsible for all of the content of this website, so please send along any suggestions, corrections or comments to me at <admin@hybridfishingboat.org> Picture of daughter & grandaughter here.

Hedley Prince January 2006