GEL partners with leading sailing schools, quality charter operators, OD consultants and regional facilitators to deliver safe, effective and enjoyable team building and leadership development programs across the country.

Our team delivers consistently high-quality experiences. Since our BoatWorks formula is unique, we "train the trainers" in each location. Professional sailing instructors and licensed captains are utilized in all venues, and for custom events, we've even flown in Olympic and America's Cup athletes.

The Extended Team :

Jay Palace: Founder, Facilitator/Speaker.

Jay brings twenty years of experience leading high tech sales and marketing organizations to help GEL's clients develop their own high performing teams. While in the corporate world, he utilized sailboat excursions to build esprit de corp within teams of employees, partners and clients. In between Gel experiences, he still assists early and late stage start-ups with go-to-market research, alliance development and execution consulting services.

Our founder admits to being passionate about sailing. He served on the Louis Vuitton Race Committee and as a commentator for the America's Cup. He serves on the boards of the Treasure Island Sailing Center, Reach The World Chicago, and the National Maritime Heritage Foundation.


Jahn Tihansky: Guru & Program Architect

Jahn Tihansky brings 33 years of sailing, racing & coaching experience to bear for GEL’s clients. He’s been delivering sailboat based team building experiences since 1992 as owner of J World Annapolis and Director of Varsity Offshore Sailing at the US Naval Academy. Together with Jay Palace, he's developed and refined BoatWorks into the industry-leading experience it is today.

 

Robyn Benincasa:, Adventure Racing Partner

Robyn has been studying the good, the bad, and the not-so-pretty in teamwork for the past 12 years--First as a top sales rep for a Fortune 500 Pharmaceutical Company, and currently as a San Diego City Firefighter as well as one of the top Adventure Racers in the world. Her teams have won the most prestigious races in the sport, including the 7 day non-stop Eco-Challenge, and she now shares her teams' hard-won wisdom about creating that winning Human Synergy with corporations around the world through her adventure-based teambuilding company, World Class Teams.

 

Kristen Berry – Coach, EC & Facilitator

Kristen is a US Sailing certified instructor who comes from a family of teachers and coaches. Before becoming a sailing coach, he was a swimming and diving coach and a fly-fishing and rock-climbing instructor.

Kristen owns and operates Gale Force Sailing, providing racing instruction, instructional lectures, and private coaching for clubs, teams, and individuals.

 

David Rennie: Sailing Coach & Event Coordinator

David hails from Edinburgh, Scotland and brings 40 years of sailing experience to the table.  He is a Royal Yachting Association Yachtmaster, a US Sailing Keelboat Instructor, a PSIA-Alpine Ski Instructor, a PADI-Rescue Diver and a SHRM- Senior Professional in Human Resources. David is one of our most popular coaches and has a dock side manner guaranteed to calm the nerves of any new sailor.

 

Erica Hoffman: OD Consultant, Facilitator

Erica brings a strong background in leadership coaching, organization development, and excellent facilitation skills to bear for Gel's clients.. As founder and owner of The Symphony Group, Erica has helped a myriad of clients design, develop and implement leadership and organizational development programs and initiatives. She’s worked with Gel since 2004 facilitating experiences, assisting our clients with pre and post consulting and developing custom programs. Erica received a B.A. in education and cultural anthropology from James Madison University and holds a certificate in Organization Development and Leadership Coaching from Georgetown University.

GEL Event Planning Partners:

PartyPOP.com - Corporate Events 

 


Why do client’s engage us repeatedly?

  • Our programs are top-notch.
  • Our people are experts.
  • We sweat the details.
  • We love what we do, and it shows.

 

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Sailing School Partners:

 

 

 

Chicago Sailing

 

Club Nautique Logo

Club Nautique is our principal partner in Northern California. The school's 36 instructors all hold Coast Guard licenses and US SAILING instructor certifications. But what may distinguish them even more is the fun that they have on the water, and how they want to share that with our clients.