Stacey began her career with Fisheries Supply working in the retail store, working her way from to Assistant Store Manager up to being the Marketing Manager for the company until she left to go cruising in 2012. Her experience of working in areas that affected many parts of the overall business, along with 15 years of personal boating experience and her background in Graphic Design and Marketing all came together to help advance communications with customers both retail and wholesale. In her position as Marketing Manager, she helped to solidify customer relationships and grow the business through multiple avenues, including boat shows and dealer shows along with specific marketing projects. When she left to go cruising in 2012, she took 2 years off from Fisheries Supply, and then returned as a product expert -- helping to create the How To section of the site, along with doing SEO optimization. Stacey continues to use this knowledge today, creating content and helping to optimize the site as the online world continues to change.

I was introduced to sailing as a teenager when my parents bought a 28' Newport and have been enjoying sailing ever since. When I met my husband in early 2000, I was delighted to find he owned a 34' Irwin that we could sail on together. He also shared that he had a dream to go cruising around the world, and after spending the next 8 years saving and searching for the right boat -- we finally made that dream a reality when we left in 2012. During that process we ended up completely refitting 2 different boats -- the one we THOUGHT was the right boat, and then the ACTUAL right boat! Since our departure, we've cruised from Seattle, Washington all the way through SE Asia, with stops in French Polynesia, American and Western Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. After doing a massive refit on our current boat Bella Vita in Malaysia, we've now set off on the 2^nd half our journey around the world and are currently cruising the Indian Ocean, with stops in Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Chagos, Seychelles, Mayotte and Madagascar as we make our way down to South Africa.

I take great pleasure in using the knowledge and experience I've gained while cruising and doing our various refits to help boaters make good choices when outfitting or upgrading their boats and choosing safety products. I especially like writing about eco-friendly options that can help educate boaters about protecting the very environment we all enjoy cruising in.

Over the years we have upgraded pretty much every aspect of our boat -- from replacing all of the electronics (twice!), to running new hoses, wiring and lighting upgrades, upgrading to a LifePo4 battery system, installing new portlights, grinding off years of bottom paint and completely redoing the bottom from barrier paint onward, waxing the hull, replacing the refrigeration system, even updating the headliner! Basically, anything you can imagine, my husband and I have done on our boat.

Work-wise -- having spent over 20 years in the marine industry doing marketing and E-commerce tasks for Fisheries Supply, I have access to more product information than many industry "experts". That knowledge base, combined with research and access to real life testing, gives me a unique ability to pass on critical knowledge to other boaters -- both new and seasoned. My husband and I have been permanently off the dock since 2012, so we understand how every system on our boat works and we are completely invested in how we can keep those systems working at peak performance -- especially given that we are often in hard-to-reach places. I'm very happy to share that knowledge and real-life experience with other boaters as a part of my job working at Fisheries Supply. Nothing tests a product like over 20,000 nautical miles of cruising!

While we make our way across the Indian Ocean, I'm gathering real-time statistical information on the performance of our solar and wind power in changing conditions, and how they interact with our Victron Energy LifePo4 batteries setup to keep us powered up without needing to run the genset very often. I'll be compiling that information and writing about my experiences in Q3 of 2026.

• Around the World with SYC Cruisers, Seattle Yacht Club Binnacle 12/25
• Cruising Phang Nga Bay (Thailand), Seattle Yacht Club Binnacle 9/25
• Where are They Now, Seattle Yacht Club Binnacle 1/25
• Blue Water Cruising, Seattle Yacht Club Binnacle 2/24
• Traveling through SE Asia, Seattle Yacht Club Binnacle 7/23
• Gifts of the Sea, Seattle Yacht Club Binnacle 12/22
• Hauling Out in a Foreign Land, Seattle Yacht Club Binnacle 8/22
• "Crossing the Pacific" roundtable discussion at the Seattle Boat Show 2/18
• 10 Questions for Bella Vita, Interview with a Cruiser 8/17