What's your job on the Atlantis? Chief pilot of the Alvin

How long have you been with the ship? 10 years

Where are you from? Coastal North Carolina

What's the most unusual thing you've seen on a cruise? Scientists in tears of frustration over the difficulties of obtaining samples to accomplish their science. When you see that, you realize how much your own efforts mean, and there can be no question that you will do whatever it takes to get these people, who are (mostly) your friends, what they need.

What's the strangest thing you've ever eaten? I try about everything I run across; haggis in Scotland, raw octopus in Central America, and a couple of things that I couldn't identify while aboard a Navy submarine.

What's the scariest thing that's ever happened to you? Coming into Newport, aboard the Atlantis II, we were popped by a wave and lost steering and propulsion. The quick action and skill of the crew saved us, but I was actually convinced the ship would founder on the rocks. I was afraid for my life for several minutes while we regained control.

If you didn't have this job, what would be your next job of choice? I'd like to be Kid Rock.

What's the hardest thing you've had to endure? I had a really bad marriage. Ending that and having to leave my daughter was terribly difficult.

Where's the coolest place you've ever been? Sitting in a hot-spring fed pool in a hotel at the volcano Mt. Arenal in Costa Rica enjoying a cold drink at sundown and watching the lava roll down the side of the mountain.