While all the attention of the Around-The-World trip focuses on the crew members on board the Nordhavn 40, the voyage is an entire-company production that wouldn't have gotten underway without key players from on shore. Aside from controlling the weather, these people work daily on every aspect of the ATW to ensure the crew, the boat and the Nordhavn fans enjoy a smooth and safe cruise.

Jim Leishman - Whether at sea or on land, the ATW has been a constant focus for P.A.E's Vice President since its inception more than a year ago. Long before Jim helmed the boat at its departure from Dana Point, California last November, he had spent countless hours devising the best route and time frame possible for the trip. He's currently captaining Leg 2 through the Indian Ocean and Red Sea, but during his hiatus off the boat, Jim serves as "ground control" - monitoring weather patterns on an hourly basis, toiling over potential course changes, and communicating with the on board crew, via Iridium phone or e-mail, to ensure all systems are go. Because of his intimate and infinite knowledge of the boat, Jim also lends a hand in answering the forum questions that come in.

Dan Streech - Like his partner, Dan is heavily involved in the ATW both on board and off. He'll serve as the Captain of Leg 4 bringing the boat from Antigua, through the Panama Canal and on to Mexico. But while running the company from home in California, P.A.E's president spends much time studying the crews' e-mailed reports and conferring with Jim Leishman about the boat's status in order to help advise the current crew. He also responds to many ATW questions from the public.

Jenny McCauley Stern - Followers of the ATW thrive on the information coming from the boat on a daily basis. P.A.E.'s marketing manager, Jenny handles all correspondence and forum questions to and from the ATW boat and is responsible for keeping the ATW section of the website current. Before each leg, Jenny gathers information for port, customs, fuel & provisioning needs for each stop of each leg.

Michelle LeRoy - P.A.E.'s marketing assistant is in charge of arranging flights to various countries - many with irregular flight schedules - researching the quickest and most cost-effective routes. Michelle also assisted with gathering information for port, customs, fuel & provisioning needs for each stop of each leg. In addition, she collected information for the sponsors section of the website and compiled informative kits and welcome bags for all the guests of the ATW.

Jeff Merrill - Jeff will serve as crew for a short stint on Leg 4, but even before he was scheduled to join the boat, he was busy securing many of the sponsors for the Around The World trip. Many of the first sponsors to commit were the result of Jeff's communication efforts.

Brian Saunders - Brian joins Jim Leishman on Leg 2 of the voyage. While back in Dana Point, Brian took over the task of seeking additional sponsors. Brian's vast knowledge of the marine market led to the donation of a variety of boating products.

Mike Parker and Sky Scott - Lots of different and sometimes random parts needed to be brought along the trip. And the purchasing department, headed by Mike and Sky, made sure each part was ordered and arrived on time for the boat's departure. They were also responsible for making sure that new hose - to replace the 2 faulty ones on the boat - was shipped and received by the crew in Chuuk.

Pete Eunson - The project manager for the Nordhavn 40, Pete knows the model inside and out and has conferred with Jim Leishman about any technical difficulties any of the crews have encountered. (There have been only a couple of minor issues.) Pete also advises the purchasing department which spare parts should be stocked on the boat.

Erin Lloyd and Patty White - With so many countries being encountered by the ATW boat and with weather-driven course changes, it is an arduous task to both manage unforeseeable risks and make sure the boat is properly insured at all times. Erin Lloyd works closely with the Shorepoint Insurance to make sure the policy is up to date by submitting to them the most current itinerary, as prepared by Michelle Leroy. Erin also works with all potential ATW guests and crew to make sure they have turned in their release forms prior to departure. As a team, Erin and Patty pore over the numerous expenditures made by each crew. Additionally, Erin has contributed answers to forum questions.

Kirk White - While Kirk's dock crew has been busy working on new Nordhavns during much of the voyage, they were focused 100 percent on commissioning the ATW boat for several weeks leading up to the departure in November. The crew spent hours making sure everything like the extra freezer and the master bunk "divider" - were in place and functioning perfectly.

Jean Badraun - Lots of e-mail comes in from the crew members on board the trip and Jean is responsible for making sure the rest of the company gets updated on the happenings on board as well as alerting the proper employees to any specific needs of the crew.

Leah McGettigan - The three salesmen taking part in the trip rely on Leah to keep them current on sales office goings-on. Maintaining daily e-mail correspondence with the voyaging reps, Leah is also responsible for servicing their customers when necessary.