Captain Paul Morse is the owner of the Tree of Life. Paul has been sailing traditional schooners and Tall Ships for over forty years, since the age of 17. In his early twenties, Captain Morse successfully navigated across the Atlantic Ocean twice only using traditional instruments: a sextant; an accurate timepiece; and tables of the sun and planets. He has been employed as the boatswain and first mate aboard the 140-foot topsail schooner Bill of Rights. He has also worked on commercial fishing vessels, supply boats, tugboats and crew boats supporting the oil industry in the Gulf of Mexico.

Captain Morse has owned two previous schooners. 'Tree of Life' is the final vessel he plans to sail, as she possesses all the qualities one could wish for in a well-found ship. Captain Morse holds a USCG (United States Coast Guard) license for sail and auxiliary vessels of up to 100 tons and holds a BA in Marine Affairs from the University of Rhode Island.

Alison Morse grew up in the Hudson River Valley in New York State. She has a B.A. in Social Ecology from Ithaca College and an M.S. in Education from Fordham University. The conservation of nature was instilled in her at a young age. For the past twenty-five years Alison has taught elementary special education. For many of those years, she’s enjoyed sailing aboard Tree of Life with her Captain husband, Paul Morse. Like many people Alison has an innate desire to connect with nature in a deeper way beyond what the everyday experience allows. “I can still become giddy like a child when we set sail for a few days journey”, says Alison. This is due in part to Narragansett Bay’s majestic shoreline from the big green lawns of Hammersmith Farm and Castle Hill that roll down to the bay to Beavertail’s Lighthouse in Jamestown. Beauty like this never gets old. Alison also enjoys a lighter sail up the bay to Bristol, Rhode Island where she and her Captain husband can visit the Herreshoff Museum, walk on the East Bay Bike Path or dine at one of Bristol’s waterfront restaurants. Sunrise Smoothies, healthy meals and calming salutation sunsets are some of the centering moments that Alison is always appreciative of when aboard Tree. Sailing in southern New England offers one kind of sailing experience depending, of course, the direction the wind blows while Penobscot Bay in Maine delivers a different adventure with its rockier shoreline and lighthouses, its quintessential coastal towns like Camden and Belfast and thoroughfares like Deer Isle and Fox Island. Alison is always reminded of how grateful she is to be unplugged and anchored in secluded areas with seals, dolphins, and puffins taking part in nature’s oceanic theater when sailing on Tree. This level of solitude can’t happen just anywhere. She is appreciative of the restorative power that can come when being buoyant in sacred places.

Captain Joshua Jacques fell in love with the ocean at a young age. Spending his summers sailing the coast of New England and his winters surfing the cold waters of Maine he knew he wanted to make a life for himself at sea.

Jacques began his professional sailing career with the Maine Windjammer fleet up in Rockland Maine spending his summers sailing Penobscot Bay and winters aboard the Tall Ship Lynx transiting the east coast. Jacques and his partner went on to purchase the 1886 Schooner Isaac H. Evans, rescuing the historic vessel and breathing new life and programming into her. Now he looks forward to sharing the beauty of Tree of Life and New England waters with the community.

Chief Mate Samuel Glenn was born in the vast confines of a New York City suburb. In his college years he took off to sail the Caribbean islands, thru hike the Appalachian Trail, Colorado Trail, and Israeli National Trail. In 2017, after a prolonged graduation with a bachelor's degree in hand, he sought work with Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, where he learned fundamental seamanship. He then took his skillset aboard Tall Ship Lynx as a deckhand where he came away with a zest for marlinespike seamanship. After a few more seasons of sailing for Outward Bound, he and his wife Ashley set sail for many adventures together at sea. Directly following a 4,500 nautical mile sea journey, Sammy hit the books and passed his Captains licensing exams in both the US and British systems. His first commands were the 1924 72’ classic schooner Bagheera and 1926 53’ schooner Heart's Desire for Portland Schooner Company. He now joins Schooner Tree of Life as Chief Mate and vibe curator.

Zenalyssa Packer grew up in the mountains of Massachusetts while sailing the summers in Rhode Island Sound, Vineyard Sound, and Long Island Sound. The summer after graduating high school, she saw Tree of Life at her sailboat’s homeport in Jamestown, Rhode Island and became immediately interested. She worked as crew until October 2023, and fell in love with Tree of Life. During the winter months, Zenalyssa worked on Mystic Whaler in Oxnard, California to help teach youth and adults about sailing and the sea. Zenalyssa is excited to rejoin Tree of Life as crew next summer!

Emma Pierson was born and raised in New York City and has been sailing with her dad on Damariscotta Lake, ME since she was little. She has a BA in English and was a working musician for many years before the fates ushered her into an inevitable seafaring career. In 2021, she began crewing on the tall ships Shearwater and Clipper City out of NY harbor and came to cherish life on the ocean. Vessel deliveries have brought her to many new and fascinating places: from the Bahamas to Georgia, down the Mississippi River, and along coastal Alaska to Victoria, BC. She is currently attending a Maritime Technology program at Kingsborough Community College and can’t wait to spend her summer on the Tree of Life.