FEDERICO GUERRERO
Co-Founder, Managing Director, Special Projects Captain
Federico, better known as Fede, is the Captain and co-founder of Quixote Expeditions. Fede earns the respect from all who sail with him, gained through his years on the ocean. He grew up 4 blocks from the beach and at age 12 went to sailing school with his dad. From there the family explored the Coast of Argentina and Brazil in small sailboats. Fede went to University at the National Maritime college in Argentina and holds a Master’s unlimited licence. He has worked on nearly all of the worlds oceans on many vessels including seismic research vessels, fishing vessels, supply ships, and cargo vessels. Fede took his experience from both large and small boats to build his own sailboat, Quijote, which he used for his first expedition to Antarctica. After the initial expedition to the South, he has never left and calls Ushuaia home.
He now commands the Quixote Expeditions fleet, keeping up with planning,maintenance, safety regulations and more. All passengers – both experienced and novices alike come away from a trip having learned a new thing or from Fede. He takes good care of his crew, passengers and boat, and always looks to safety first in all he does. In addition to his role leading Quixote, he participates in many IAATO committees, is on the Board of the local yacht club AFASYN in Ushuaia, and is a Member of the Explorers Club.
LAURA K.O. SMITH
Co-Founder, Operations Director, Speical Projects Expedition Leader
Laura started sailing in optimists as a child. She has since crewed on tall ships, sailed on geology research vessels, and lived on sailboats for nearly 10 years. She has a background in geological engineering and helped name a fault in Mongolia.
Laura has a passion for sharing her knowledge with others. She does so by leading passengers in the field, as well as lots of behind the scenes work prior to the season, so that everyone can have the best experience possible once onboard. In addition to work with Quixote Expeditions, she is also the Chair of mulitple committees in IAATO and a Member of the Explorers Club.
MATIAS CRUZ
Superintendent
Matias is a naval engineer and oversees the technical aspects of the Quixote fleet, including off season maintenance and dry docks. When not around boats, he loves nature, trekking, and playing tennis and has a deep passion for music, including singing and playing the guitar. He also enjoys building scale model boats using his skills in mechanics and carpentry.
JARRAD GERAGHTY
Captain, Hans Hansson
Jarrad hails from Australia, where he grew up in the water living on the Australian coast. He has worked on many different types on boats in the industry from Expedition, Scuba Diving, Super Yachts and Marine Conservation. Jarrad is a keen wildlife observer with an interest in wildlife photography and drone piloting. “I enjoy working on these types of expeditions to see the ends of the earth and see what wildlife comes along the way”.
DANIEL CARLE
Chief Engineer, Hans Hansson
Daniel calls Uruguay home when he is not off on a vessel. He has been sailing professionally for 13 years and has worked on many types of vessels ranging from Fishing vessels, cargo ships, Tug boats and Expedition vessels. He enjoys his time on expedition vessels so he can get to new remote places, see lots of new wildlife and, of course, have an adventure.
JULIAN McGALE
First Mate, Hans Hansson
Julian, originally from Scotland, started his seafaring career as an officer cadet on large cargo vessels traversing the world’s oceans. Since then he has sailed all over the world on many different types of vessels from cruise ships, offshore construction and ferries to ocean conservation and tours and logistics around Svalbard. He now lives on his own barge in France which he is restoring with his engineer girlfriend. Julian has a passion for nature, particularly the wonders of the oceans which are so rich and precious in the polar regions.
MAX DRAKE
Second Mate, Relief First Mate, Hans Hansson
Max grew up on the Australian coastline working on many different boats in various maritime careers. He has done everything from dive instructing on pristine reefs to crewing on super yachts to working cargo resupply ships for Australian Antarctic research bases. He has a passion for exploring the globe and all its wonderful inhabitants!
ERIK SELIN
Second Mate, Hans Hansson
Erik graduated from Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, since then he has worked on everything from state of the art survey vessels to 18th century sailing ships. He has always been drawn to smaller vessel since these provide a larger variety in tasks and challenges.
Pre-pandemic, he did his first season in Svalbard and quickly fell in love with the Arctic and polar regions. Now he joins Quixote with his arctic knowledge down south.
NAOMI GREGORY
Chef, Hans Hansson
Naomi comes from a seafaring family and has spent time on the sea since she was young. She has professional maritime qualifications as well as culinary training. Most recently she has been wowing guests on super yachts with her culinary skills.
ROISIN FELGATE
Stewardess and Deckhand , Hans Hansson
Róisín is Australian and Irish and will be working on board as Deckhand and Stewardess. She has a love for the polar regions and works both in the Arctic and Antarctic. She has diploma in film, and loves recording wildlife, so you’ll often see her with a camera in hand.
KELLY FRASER
Stewardess and Passenger Interface , Hans Hansson
Kelly joined the yachting industry after working as a photographer on whale watching charters. She has worked along the East Coast of Australia, French Polynesia and Fiji on different vessels as a Stewardess. Kelly is an energetic crew member, excited by all new experiences, and loves keeping everyone happy onboard.
MAK
Expedition Leader, Hans Hansson,
Trained as a Scientific Illustrator, Mak has been viewing the natural world through pen and paper ever since he can remember. The trade forces him to see the details of nature, leading him to care passionately about the world around him. Over the years this passion has led him to volunteer for marine conservation, sail in remote locations and travel. He first started sailing 10 years ago and has never turned back!
WOJCIECH MADEJ
Captain, Ocean Tramp
Wojciech, goes by the name of “Voy” and is proud that he has never worked a desk job in his life. He got a degree in physical education and has been working in the sailing and adventure travel industry ever since. He discovered sailing at the age of 12 and has never looked back, gaining experience on everything from tallships to yacht deliveries of over 8,000nm. He and his wife Ewa have been able to live a life together at sea! When not on the water he loves to cycle and ski.
LUCAS LANUSSE
First Mate, Captain Ocean Tramp
Lucas’s lifelong passion for sailing began in Rio de la Plata. He honed his skills on various boats, working as a sailing instructor, delivery crew member, and dedicated racer. At the age of nineteen, he co-skipped his first ocean passage, navigating across the North Atlantic from America to Europe. His first high-latitude adventure was exploring the Alaskan fjords in an 88ft yawl. His time at sea sparked a deep curiosity for wildlife, conservation, and ecological issues, leading him to pursue studies in Ecology and graduate as a Biologist.
Lucas developed a profound appreciation for Antarctica’s pristine and fragile ecosystem while working closely with penguins, seals, and whales at different research stations. Since then he continues to explore the captivating landscapes of Antarctica via sailboat, where he has found the perfect blend of his passions.
BEN TUCKER
Captain, Ocean Tramp
Second Mate Hans Hansson
A professional seafarer, Ben grew up living on his parents’ yacht in New Zealand. His strong love for the sea, sailing and exploration led him to sailing his own 34 foot yacht ‘Snow Petrel’ to the remote and wild Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica, almost 1500 miles south from Tasmania. As a kid he raced dinghies, and offshore yachts, then worked on fishing boats, container ships, Ice breakers, square riggers and charter boats all over the world. He now lives in Tasmania dividing his time between sailing, maritime training, his family, and Antarctica. Other interests are marine science, engineering, sea kayaking and rock climbing.
FEDERICO FARIÑA
Cook, Ocean Tramp
Fede had an interest in cooking as a child, and unknown to him at the time, it was also in his genes – with aunts and uncles also in the culinary world. He started as a dishwasher, watched, observed, and worked his way up. After many years cooking in kitchens, he went back to school to get a degree in the Culinary arts and from there continued to grow. He has a passion for cooking and loves to forage for food and use it, when he can!
EWA MADEJ
Cook, Crew, Ocean Tramp
Eva started sailing on her own at 8 years old and was a member of regatta club. She has shared her love of sailing, by teaching others (kids and adults) at regular sailing camps, while she was at University, where she earned a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering. She is very active and loves swimming, hiking, cycling and adventure tourism.
MATIAS MOANA GUERRERO
Crew, Ocean Tramp
Matias first started sailing before he could remember as his family sailed down the west coast of Africa. He grew up near the ocean in Gabon and has continued to always stay on the water. Recently he’s crossed the Atlantic and explored the Greek islands. For Matias travelling is an opening into nature, wildlife and local cultures. He has lived on three continents and speaks five languages. He also holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering which he likes to use practically on solving any problems that pop up onboard.
SHACKLETON’S WAY
Logistics, Punta Arenas
The fantastic team at Shackleton’s Way takes care of our passengers as they go through Punta Areanas. They have an eye for detail and a passion for quality service. They are a great help to make things go smoothly, especially when things don’t go as planned. The team: standing (left to right): Ninoska Ojeda, Siegrid Hechenleitner, Victor Calbucheo, Branko; seated (left to right): Adolfo Patiño, Katica Stipetic, Dania Alvarez, Laura Ivelich, Milenko Buljan, Macarena Henriquez.