Doctor
Dr. Thomas is a seasoned sailor and physician. Hailing from Seattle, WA, he sailed extensively and dabbled in mountain climbing. He moved to Hawai‘i in 1983 and has contributed greatly to the health community ever since. He is the president of the Hawai‘i Emergency Physicians and works as an emergency physician at Castle, Wahiawä, Hilo and North Hawai‘i hospitals. He has also been the medical director for the Honolulu Fire and Police Departments. Dr. Thomas currently lives in Kailua where he bicycles towork at Castle Hospital.
“I’m fascinated by the Palmyra trip. I want to see how a traditional voyaging canoe sails and learn from skilled traditional navigators. The task of finding a low eight mile wide atoll from 900 hundred miles away without modern navigations aids seems impossible. Palmyra Atoll is a gem I’ve always wanted to visit and this trip is a perfect way to get there. I’m looking forward to working with and getting to know the crew with whom I’m sharing these experiences.”
“I believe all experiences beyond our own world and contacting other people and places make both us and the people we meet grow and change. Thus my hope for the worldwide voyage is a spread of Polynesian maritime culture to the rest of the world and a life changing growth for the crew.”