Publisher Mike O’Brien
At the age of three, Mike first climbed aboard a skiff, and at seven he taught himself how to sail by reading instructions found in the family encyclopedia. As a college student, he rowed in “eights” and went undefeated during three years of surfboat rowing competition along the New Jersey shore. After earning a degree in physics, Mike pursued graduate work in oceanography. Later, while serving as Chairman of Marine Sciences at a small college in Virginia, he filled his long vacations by designing and building boats (up to 26’) in his one-man shop.
Mike worked as Associate Editor for Sailor magazine and Technical Editor for Soundings during the 1980s. For the past twenty years, he has been Senior Editor for WoodenBoat. His boats and articles have appeared in many publications, including Cruising World, Small Boat Journal, and Soundings. In his spare time, he writes and publishes Boat Design Quarterly. A registered Maine Guide, he teaches sailing and kayaking at the WoodenBoat School.
A few months ago, Mike became Boat Design Editor for WoodenBoat. This new position will allow him to devote additional time to that magazine’s Designs section and to Boat Design Quarterly, which now will appear more frequently.
