Tall Ships America, a national sail training organization, recently honored Northport resident Ben Hale as the “sail trainer of the year” for 2023. Hale was recognized for his work as senior captain for the Inland Seas Education Association (ISEA) in Suttons Bay, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing hands-on experience aboard their two tall ship schooners.
According to the Tall Ships website, the sail trainer of the year award is given to members “who made a significant contribution to sail training through the demonstration of leadership by means of empowerment and inspiration” – a decent accolade from the Congressionally-recognized sail training organization.
Hale grew up near Flint before attending Michigan State University in Lansing, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in zoology. Shortly after graduating, he took up an internship with ISEA in 1997. Hale said that he still wasn’t certain what he wanted to do for a living at this point but was interested in ISEA for its science and education programs.
Hale also said he was looking forward to the opportunity to spend more time out on the waters of Grand Traverse Bay. When he was a child, Hale and his family frequently vacationed in the Traverse City area. After completing his ISEA internship, Hale went on to serve on ships of various kinds, first in the Great Lakes region and then on the oceans, climbing up the ladder from deckhand to captain.
“I worked mostly on all sailing vessels – I did work on a work freighter one winter – but most of what I worked on were what people call ‘tall ships.’ So, I worked on anything from a 60-foot schooner up to (a) 220foot clipper ship from the Netherlands,” Hale said.
Over his career, Hale sailed to many of the few remaining truly remote locations in the world, including the famous Easter Island in Polynesia, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Island in the southern Atlantic Ocean, and Antarctica itself. Hale counts himself lucky to be among the relatively few human visitors to these places.
However, in Hale’s words, he came “full circle” when ISEA co-founder Tom Kelly offered him a full-time position as captain for the eponymous schooner Inland Seas, which he accepted in 2012. He moved to Northport near the ISEA campus in neighboring Suttons Bay, where he lives today with his wife, son, and daughter.
“I’ve been to a lot of really pretty places in the world, and there are places in the Great Lakes that rank among them,” Hale said, reflecting on his storied career. “But I also like working with students. I’ve done a little bit of work on big, fancy yachts – don’t really care for it … They can be fun and interesting in their own right, but my favorite is just the education component. It keeps me interested in things and it makes me more aware of the environment I’m working in.”
As captain for ISEA, Hale teaches students about the world of sailing while instilling values like teamwork and stewardship of the environment. In Hale’s words, a steward is someone “who takes care of that area, tries to prevent it from getting polluted (and) from getting damaged, to try to make sure it’s something that’s enjoyed by future generations.”
ISEA reaches students of all ages through its programs, and not all of them will pursue maritime careers. Hale said that his goal is to help students develop a broader view of the world by exposing them to things they wouldn’t normally encounter. He also said their programs teach students to appreciate the Great Lakes and seek out tangible, physical experiences in increasingly digital lives.
Although Hale agreed that captaining a schooner for ISEA is “more than a full-time job,” he still finds time for music as a hobby. He can occasionally be seen at local events with friends and fellow musicians playing traditional folk music as a flutist.
