Our Team
Emma Gunn Thomson (she/her)
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Emma developed a passion for the sea and sailing at an early age. Her upbringing on the water instilled a deep respect for nature and a spirit of adventure that continues to guide her career. Emma started teaching sailing as a teenager and has worked in many capacities on sailboats of all size and style around the globe. Early on she was employed by organizations such as the Wooden Boat Foundation, Northwest Maritime Center and the Center for Wooden Boats, inspiring youth and adults alike to embrace the challenges and rewards of life under sail. After graduating with a BFA from Seattle University, Emma worked at NW Sails and Canvas, repairing and building new sails, rigging, and canvas work for nearly a decade. Studying art and learning the trade of sailmaking further nurtured Emma’s love of crafting with her hands. In 2020 Emma received her 100 ton captain license and began running sailboats around the east and west coasts, voyaging to Alaska, Baja, Nova Scotia and the Bahamas within her first year. Most recently she has captained the 84’ schooner Martha, of the Schooner Martha Foundation, leading sail training programs around the San Juan and Gulf Islands. As a female captain she has seen many challenges and felt the pressure of a steep learning curve. Through The People’s Boat Project Emma looks forward to creating more space for experiential learning that fosters inclusivity and community while also helping preserve maritime traditions.
Ginny Wilson (she/they)
Having grown up on both the east and west coasts, Ginny has always been a lover of the ocean, and the creatures in it. She got her first taste of boat life while spending the summers sailing with her college boyfriend in the San Juan Islands. She was drawn back to the sea when she spent 3 seasons working on commercial salmon tenders in Bristol Bay & Southeast Alaska, while also doing boat work in the off season. In 2017, Ginny found herself at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding, a place and time that changed her life. After graduating from NWSWB in the fall of 2018, Ginny was lucky to join a team of boat school alumni that were chosen to go to Tasmania as part of a collaboration between NWSWB and the Australian Wooden Boat Festival. The team spent 2 months building a Haven 12 1/2 that was then auctioned off at the AWBF. After returning from Tasmania, Ginny worked in the boat yard, and helped finish a Poulsbo Boat at the boat school. In the fall of 2019 Ginny started at the Port Townsend Shipwrights Coop, where she launched straight into the ceiling project on the Western Flyer Restoration. After almost 2 years at the Shipwrights, she decided it wasn't a good fit, and left to try to make it on her own. After a few months of working out of her van, she was lucky enough to score a bench space at a shop that her friends were renting. The shop grew to 10 independent marine tradespeople and incorporated into a formal Cooperative - The Boat Shop Cooperative. Ginny started Thorn Boatworks and is a card carrying member of the cooperative. She loves planking, corking, interiors, and making things pretty. In 2022/23 Ginny was lead boatbuilder for the Girls Boat Project at the Northwest Maritime Center, and then served as boat building support for the 2023/24 session. She currently spends part time in Alaska working with her partner, tendering, on his 85 foot wooden boat. She is dedicated to being a presence in the this trade, working to shift and shape the culture, if even a little bit, to be a more inclusive place.