Meet The Team
Captain Jill Hughes
Captain Jill Hughes grew up in Buffalo, New York and learned to sail on the Great Lakes. She was introduced to tall ships and sail training aboard the US Brig Niagara, the summer before her freshman year of college. Since that impactful experience, Jill has dedicated her career to sail training.
Jill has been fortunate to sail aboard many vessels and to learn from skilled shipmates over the years. She has been crew aboard Pride of Baltimore II, Lynx, Bowdoin, Harvey Gamage, Westward, and Spirit of South Carolina. Additionally, she has served as Captain of Hindu, Irving and Exy Johnson, Geronimo and Roseway. For three years, Jill worked aboard two different European square rigged ships conducting high school at sea programs. These shipboard experiences have provided her the opportunity for exciting voyaging, including: five transatlantic crossings, two transpacific crossing, two trips into the Arctic Circle, and numerous months sailing the Caribbean with students.
Jill earned a bachelor's degree from Boston University in International Relations and a master’s degree in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island. While in graduate school she focused her studies on sail training, specifically the sailing school vessel’s act and utilizing tall ships for STCW training. She holds a USCG 1600-ton ocean license and serves as a trustee for Sail Training International.
She is excited to work among a driven group of individuals to provide the transformative experiences that sail training fosters— ones that were so impactful on her own life.