The Chestertown Spy sat down this week with new Sultana helmsman Michael Fiorentino.
Fiorentino, a New York native and recent captain of the Lady Maryland, was hired by Sultana Education Foundation in January after Tanya Banks-Christensen stepped down following seven years of award-winning leadership at Sultana’s helm.
Fiorentino has a 500-ton Master of Oceans license and has spent the last eight years sailing the Chesapeake Bay, along with four years of teaching in the prestigious Living Classrooms Foundation in Baltimore.
He also has an extensive background in marine carpentry. He studied at the International Yacht Restoration School in Rhode Island among others, and describes his transition from traditional carpentry to marine, and finally into sailing tall ships.
The new captain is excited about exploring different parts of the Bay, experiencing a new ship, and becoming a part of Sultana Educational Foundation’s expansive teaching mission. He’s familiar with Chestertown from several Downrigging Weekends, has family here, and loves the area,
He’s been out on Sultana, “learning the ropes” from Banks-Christensen since March and is now readying for Sultana Education Foundation’s busy summer sailing season.
Here, the new Sultana captain describes his journey to the Eastern Shore.
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