Our Crew

Deborah Delp

President

Deb grew up in the shadow of Yankee Marina and Boatyard as her father, Ralph, was its founder. She graduated from Yarmouth High School and later became an RN, where she worked in the Intensive Care and Emergency Departments at Mercy Hospital, Maine Medical Center, and Wentworth Douglas Hospital in NH.

The leadership and patient care skills Deb learned in that environment served her well, as when Ralph became ill, she returned to assume management of the boatyard. Deb enjoys being home in Maine and working with her two brothers, Matt and Ben. As president, she is committed to building an even stronger organization by enhancing quality and efficiency. All of Deb’s efforts have focused on ensuring the world-class customer service that is the hallmark of Yankee Marina and Boatyard.

Deb has four grown children; Rachel, William, Jonathan, and James. She lives in Yarmouth, where she has just finished building a house. Of course, building a new house is never really done, so Deb has been devoting the little spare time she has to completing projects, working in the yard and garden, and tending to her new chickens. In addition to these activities and spending time with family, Deb also enjoys cooking, community volunteering, and politics.

Favorite Book: Prefer non-fiction. A real favorite is Conspiracy of Fools (Kurt Eichenwald).

Curt Mildrum

General Manager

Curt joined Yankee Marina and Boatyard in 1986. While he grew up in Connecticut, he spent his childhood summers with his family in Maine at South Bristol, sailing on a Cape Dory Typhoon. At age 18, Curt moved to Maine and began work at Paul Luke’s boatyard, where he assisted with building custom aluminum sailboats and took the opportunity to study marine engineering. Before coming to Yankee, Curt also worked at Handy Boat.

During this period, Curt raced sailboats professionally from Florida to Canada for 15 years. Now going on 30 years with Yankee, Curt is known for his expert knowledge and innovative problem solving ability regarding all aspects of vessel repair and maintenance. He can be relied upon to deliver cost effective, quality, and on time marine work repairs, overhauls, and specialty work.

Curt is father to three children; Jonathan, Sam, and Kali. He lives in Falmouth, with his son, Jonathan, who faces the challenge of fragile x syndrome. He enjoys fishing, skiing, and gold prospecting. For the past several years, Curt has also been working on refurbishing a 1975 Ranger 26 sailboat which he hopes to get in the water again.

Favorite Book: “Grey Seas Under,” by Farley Mowatt.

Adam White

Service Manager

Adam joined Yankee Marina and Boatyard in 1999. He grew up in Scarborough, ME, learning to sail in a junior sailing program, beginning at the age of 10. While at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI, he majored in Architectural Preservation, with a focus on maritime vessels. During his university days, Adam was part of the collegiate racing team and maintained the college fleet. He has raced FJ's, J22's, 420's, Luder 44's, and currently races a Sonar and occasionally a Laser. Over the years, he has won several competitive sailing events and currently, during the summer, competes twice weekly at the Harraseeket Yacht Club.

During college, Adam worked at the Herreshoff Marine Museum in Bristol, RI, and after graduation, worked for a year at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut. He then returned home and took a part-time job painting boat bottoms at Yankee. As he had an interest in electronics, he took the opportunity to work with experienced electronics specialists, study on his own to earn National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) and American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC) certifications, and ultimately specialize in marine electronics. Now, as service manager, he works closely with the general manager to oversee the daily operations of the crew.

Adam lives in Freeport with his wife, Andrea, and two children, Jack and Clara. In addition to being a dad, Adam continues to pursue One Design Racing, as well as hunting, fishing, and household projects.

Favorite Book: “The Old Man and the Boy,” by Richard Rurak

Jeff

Head Rigger/Project Manager

Jeff joined Yankee Marina and Boatyard in 2011 after working as a rigger at Falls Point in Freeport, ME. Jeff is the one you can rely on to inspect and tune your rigging to ensure that you will have a carefree sailing season.

Jeff grew up in Connecticut, where he first sailed at the age of six weeks, raced Star class boats on his high school sailing team, taught sailing and windsurfing, and cruised the waters of New England with his family.

After graduating from Northeastern University in business, Jeff became a network administrator and webmaster for Citigroup, but in 2008 was laid off. As the result of some soul searching, Jeff realized he really didn’t want to sit behind a desk and decided to return to his love of sailing and the water. He got the USCG Masters license and found work operating a tug and barge for a marine construction company, where he split his time between rigging and building commercial docks. As time went on, it became clear that rigging was more important and more enjoyable, so Jeff became a full time rigger.

Jeff, his wife, Caroline, and their three daughters live in Yarmouth and frequently can be found in Casco Bay sailing their J24.

Favorite books: Who Moved My Cheese (Spencer Johnson) and Scupper the Sailor Dog (Margaret Wise Brown)

Anik Nadeau

Parts Manager

Anik joined Yankee Marina and Boatyard in 2011. She grew up in Presque Isle in Aroostook County, ME, where she worked the annual potato harvest. Anik has a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Maine at Orono and worked in the field in North Carolina and Maine.

Anik and her husband, Chris, live in North Yarmouth, where they are building an energy efficient home which has an insulated block foundation and geothermal heating. She enjoys boating in Casco Bay, hiking, travel, and food. She has practiced martial arts and has earned a second degree black belt in Ninjutsu.

Favorite books: Any book good enough to read in one sitting, as well as travel books by Rick Steves.

Matt Stevens

Yard Foreman

Matt, as one of Ralph’s (Yankee founder) sons, started working at Yankee Marina and Boatyard when he was 16. He is a graduate of Yarmouth High School and attended the University of Southern Maine for two years. He spent two years in the Army at Fort Knox, KY as a field artillery and nuclear weapons specialist and subsequently has worked at Yankee for over 22 years.

Matt is known by both customers and co-workers for his adeptness at moving boats safely through the yard by the travel lift and from dock to dock with the yard boat. This skill is surpassed only by his outgoing personality and willingness to offer help to all.

Matt lives in Yarmouth, high on the hill above the boatyard where he can keep an eye on what is happening below. He is a passionate Red Sox fan and also enjoys gardening. When not at the boatyard, Matt can be found on the water cruising or lobstering on Ever After, which was his mother’s boat, or occasionally will be spotted tending the bar at Pat’s Pizza.

Favorite books: Lord of the Rings (J. R. R. Tolkien) and any by Tom Clancy.

Ben Stevens

Billing/Customer Service Specialist

Ben, as one of Ralph’s (Yankee founder) sons, started working at Yankee Marina and Boatyard when he was 15. He is a graduate of Yarmouth High School and subsequently spent 10 years in the Air Force and Air National Guard, serving in West Germany and Texas. After returning to Maine in 1989, Ben joined Yankee full time and has worked here since then. Initially, he held the role of systems administrator/environmental & safety officer, where he both designed and launched the boatyard’s first web site and environmental control program. More recently, he has transitioned to customer service/billing where he focuses on understanding and fulfilling customer's needs.

While in the Air Force, Ben enrolled in the Community College of the Air Force in an A.S in Electronics Systems Technology, a degree he finished shortly after returning to Maine. Subsequently, he enhanced his technical skills by earning a B.A. with a dual major in Computer Science and Mathematics from the University of Southern Maine.

Ben lives in Yarmouth within walking distance to Yankee just around the corner from the boatyard on Route 88. He has a long-standing interest in animal welfare and volunteers for the local cat shelter. Those who know Ben have the opportunity to share in his dry Maine humor which can always brighten one’s day.

Chad Gillis

Varnisher/Painter

Chad joined Yankee Marina and Boatyard part time in 1991 and became full time in 1995. In 2002, he left Yankee and worked for two years as a varnisher at Hinckley Yacht Service in Southwest Harbor. In 2004, Chad brought his enhanced skills in varnishing and painting back to Yankee. Chad grew up in various parts of the country but ended up back in Maine in 1990 where he graduated from Yarmouth High School.

Chad lives in Cumberland and enjoys bass/trout fishing and barbecuing, but his true passion is ice hockey, which he plays year round with the Falmouth and Gorham Men’s League.

Favorite books: Most anything written by Clive Cussler and White Fang; Call of the Wild (Jack London).

Henry Mark

General Technician

Henry joined Yankee Marina and Boatyard in 2013. He was born and raised in Quinhagak, AK, a small fishing community 500 miles west of Anchorage. At the age of 22, Henry left home and relocated to Maine to attend college at Andover and Husson, ultimately receiving an Associate Degree in Business.

After graduation, Henry spent 10 years working in a variety of office positions, and in the mid 90’s, decided he wanted more hands-on work so he transitioned to the maritime industry. Subsequently, before joining Yankee, he used the combination of his business and technical skills to benefit Quinhagak through applying for, and receiving, a number of federal construction grants enabling him to move back and forth from Maine to the village to administer projects related to bringing water and sewer to the village.

Henry lives in Pownal with his wife, Toni, and has 2 step-children and 4 grandchildren. He loves being around his grandchildren and likes boating, gardening, carpentry, and fixing things around the house. Henry finds it especially satisfying to return to Quinhagak to visit his parents and 6 siblings to fish, hunt, and help in their subsistence lifestyle.

Boatyard customers will see that Henry is accompanied throughout the day by Quinn, short for Quinhagak, a happy-go-lucky golden retriever.

Rae Webster

Office Manager

Rae joined Yankee Marina and Boatyard in 2003. She was born in St. Johnsbury, VT, but raised in Brunswick, ME. After graduating from Brunswick High School, she joined the CPA firm of Boucher Perkins Campbell Paradis where she worked for 19 years.

Rae is the heart of the Yankee office, where she channels all communications with a cheerful demeanor that pleases everyone. She lives with her husband, Tom, on Pleasant Pond in Richmond and has two grown children, Brandi and Katie, as well as two granddaughters, Bryn and London. In addition to being devoted to her children and grandchildren, Rae is a passionate Red Sox fan and an active volunteer for the Richmond Area Food Pantry for which she serves as treasurer.

John Morin

Mechanic

John joined Yankee Marina and Boatyard in 2014. He grew up in Sanford, ME, received training in the welding and mechanical trades, and has held employment as an Iron Worker, Mason, and Welder. In those capacities, John has worked on government construction, nuclear waste sites, and shipyards worldwide, including locations in Germany, Guam, Norway, and Japan. Previously, John also worked as an Urchin/Scallop Diver in Kennebunk and Portland.

In addition to hunting (only for the food), hiking in the woods, fishing, and cooking, John also enjoys panning for gold.

John lives with his wife, Dorothy, and their Cairn Terrier, Hannah, in Alfred.

Favorite books: Raven’s Prey (Jayne Ann Krentz); Variety of non fiction

Cameron Balzer

Mechanic

Cameron grew up in Freeport working in his family’s business, Balzer Family Clockworks. A company started by his grandfather and carried on by his father in a home workshop, they travel all over the country to work on tower clocks. Cam was standing on a milkcrate at the young age of 8, working a metal lathe. While he still enjoys clock work and occasionally travels to other cities to help his father and grandfather repair clocks, like many young men he has been a car enthusiast from a very young age. His fascination only grew when he studied Automotive Technology in high school and then studied Diesel Technology at UTI in Massachusetts. Due to his love for the ocean and “any mechanical beast”, Cam sought a career fixing marine engines and was hired at Yankee Marina right out of college. While by day he loves working on boats, during the evening and weekends he continues to work on cars and trucks. He currently owns a 1978 F250, 1993 Dodge W250, BMW 335 and a 1970 C-10 which Cam repowered as his senior project with two of his friends . He also is preparing his 1985 Chris Craft Scorpion 215 for the water this year.

Favorite reading: Engine Schematics

Sam M.

Mechanic

Sam joined Yankee Marina in 2018 not realizing just how much he already knew about engines. Having grown up helping his older brother work on engines, he came to Yankee to work in general labor, but very quickly started training in the Mechanical Department. His schooling while at Yankee has included attending classes in person and on-line at Suzuki for outboards and Mack Boring for Yanmar engines. Sam says he likes being a mechanic because every day he does something different, and he likes solving problems that other people can’t solve. After work, when not coaching football or playing baseball with his 4 young boys, he spends time on Outboard Owner Group Sites, where he learns a lot about the issues with which the different engines can present and learns how to solve them. While being focused on providing the best mechanical service to our clients, Sam has a knack for making people laugh. His co-workers say, “Fun follows him everywhere.”

Book: Suzuki 300 Service Manual

Damek B.

Marine Carpenter

Damek joined Yankee Marina summer of 2021 after working for himself for several years and while transitioning from living on a boat with his young family to buying a home. His love for boats, whether sailing them or drawing them, with a special love for old sailing vessels, started at an early age and is what encouraged him to hone his woodworking skills. Currently owning several boats; 1958 Alden Yawl, Cape Dory Typhoon, White Hull Rowboat and Fatty Knees Tender, even at home, boat projects are always waiting for him.

Having worked as a Timber Framer and a Musician: pianist and organist, Damek has eclectic interests. As a woodworker he enjoys the challenge of “outsmarting the wood”, taking a pile of stuff and creating something beautiful from it or admiring the functionality of the dovetail joint. Damek lives with his girlfriend Erica, and they are expecting their second child.

Favorite Books: Loves historical fiction, and the works from James Michener, Leon Uris and Herman Wouk

Joe W.

General Technician

Joe came to Yankee in 2021 to start a career in the marine trades. Learning mechanics from his father and after studying auto collision repair in school, he came with interests and abilities in several disciplines. Hoping to learn all he can, he works in many departments, he helps launch and haul boats, moves boats around in the yard, operates equipment, helps with mechanical work on all of our equipment and works in the fiberglass department as well. Very conscientious, he does a great job teaching newer employees Yankee methods.

Joe says he loves the friendly environment and the “good people” at Yankee. He has learned a lot in a short timeframe and loves working outside.

In his spare time, he is at home with his girlfriend Sam and their son Jaxson. He loves to hunt, snowmobile, ride ATVs and fish.

Favorite book: Instruction manuals

Dave Stager

Mechanic

Interested in learning more about Yankee Marina?

We'd love to hear from you!

Search form