Delaney
in action
348
1
MATE
United States
BIO
Delaney began her professional sailing career on the Schooner Woodwind in Annapolis after graduating college during the pandemic, to pursue a fun summer job. This fun summer job led to working on sailing yachts in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, gathering over 20,000 nm in two years, and then returning to the Woodwind as a Captain in 2024. Sailing is also a family affair. Delaney first went sailing on a catamaran in the BVIs when she was two years old. Fast forward 20 years and she completed the Annapolis to Bermuda race in 2022 on her family’s sailboat with her dad, two uncles, two cousins, and best friend. When not sailing, Delaney likes reading with a cup of hot tea, birdwatching, baking, deadlifting, and practicing stick and poke tattooing on any willing participants.
Books
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
The Realm of the Elderlings series by Robin Hobb
Pet Sematary and 11/22/63 by Stephen King
The Long Way by Bernard Moitessier
Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman
I'll keep going......
Movies
The Sound of Music
Music
The Sound of Music soundtrack
(but seriously, my midwest emo playlist and Truman Sinclair's full discography)
Passion
Sailing. Its one of few things I would always say yes to. It is both a personal passion and a professional aspiration. I am also passionate about my family and friends. They are all great people, and the main reason why life is good. In a more tangible sense, a good book could keep me up all night.
Leadership
A good leader: has a plan and clearly communicates that plan, is not quick to anger, understands and utilizes their team's strengths and weaknesses, will not ask anyone to do anything they would not do themselves, praises publicly and criticizes privately, offers opportunities to learn and grow, takes the high road, leads by example. The list could go on... As this applies to ocean sailing, a good leader plans and communicates sail plans and changes, watch expectations, and each team member's responsibilities. A good leader is able to adapt to challenging weather conditions and mechanical issues. A good leader creates an environment that encourages learning, safety, and fun. A good leader pitches in wherever needed, a good leader is the best at cleaning the heads. A good follower allows the opportunity for their leader to earn their trust. Once trust is earned, a good follower accepts direction and advice from the person in charge. It is important on a boat for a good follower to understand that the person in charge holds ultimate responsibility/liability, and therefore can choose their preferred methods to accomplish tasks. This being said, a good team is the sum of its parts. A good follower understands the importance of their input, and uses best judgement on when that input would be well received.




