Our Staff

Come down and speak with us — about anything: what to paddle, where to paddle, what gear to use, how to include your kids, whatever you like. You'll feel the Charles River Canoe & Kayak difference.

If you've taken a class, trip, or tour with us, please evaluate your instructor/guide. Evaluations help us maintain the highest quality standards!

Larry joined Charles River Canoe Service in 1974 and has overseen its evolution to Charles River Canoe & Kayak, a full-service canoe and kayak center with five locations. After graduating with a masters degree in City and Regional Planning he was drawn to a Boston research lab. A career change brought him back to the outdoors to enjoy boating and cross-country skiing with Lincoln Guide Service. He organized the first "Run of the Charles" canoe and kayak race and began Weston Ski Track, the country's premiere urban cross-country ski center. Larry often canoes to work, and his latest excuse to be on the Charles is weeding the river of the invasive European water chestnut plants.

Dan Smith graduated from Cornell and spent several years pursuing a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Harvard before escaping to join Charles River Canoe & Kayak as our web and graphic designer and an instructor and ACA-certified guide. One of our most dedicated sea kayakers, Dan completed an eight-day, 120-nautical-mile, solo kayaking trip around Isle au Haut and Mount Desert Island in Maine during July 2006. He loves teaching beginners and considers tides and currents one of his specialties. His latest project was designing our new online booking system from scratch.

John grew up canoeing, water skiing, and playing hockey in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. He learned to kayak on Ossipee Lake's Danforth Bay and eventually led tours on the lake with Purity Spring Resort. He has extensive experience in a variety of areas in the outdoor industry. During the summer he works at our Kendall Square location in Cambridge, and during the winter manages the Kendall Square Community Ice Skating rink.

Ralph has enjoyed canoeing since 1951, in addition to running a backpacking store, leading trips on the rivers of New Brunswick and Maine, and now managing our Boston rental operation. Ralph is an instructor in both canoeing and kayaking, and is a certified wilderness EMT.

Chris graduated from the University of Miami with a B.B.A. in entrepreneurship and pursued a career in architectural lighting design before a moment of enlightenment led him to the world of paddlesports. Having always lived by the sea, he has a deep-rooted connection to the ocean and believes that, when paddling, one must stop a moment to enjoy the immense beauty of nature. He loves sharing his passion of paddling with others and doesn't care what or where you paddle, just as long as you do!

Armand (Mickey) Mickune-Santos is a seasoned coastal kayak instructor who recently joined the team both at Charles River Canoe & Kayak and Weston Ski Track. Armand is a veteran American Canoe Association Coastal Kayak Instructor Trainer Educator who has trained and certified many coastal kayak instructors who are presently working in the New England region. When not paddling Massachusetts's diverse coastline he works as a special education teacher and head softball coach at Dartmouth (MA) High School.

Mark grew up with a pack on his back and a paddle in his hands, paddling canoes on lakes and rivers in North and South Carolina, Tennessee, and Canada. He has knocked around a bit in Alaska, Iceland, Tibet, and Norway too. A Registered Maine Guide, Mark has paddled the bulk of the Maine Island Trail including the Bold Coast section from Machias to Lubec. Mark graduated with a Masters in Music from New England Conservatory, and performs and teaches classical singing at Boston College. Mark is Certified by the ACA as an Open-Water Coastal Kayaking instructor.

Dave graduated from Rhode Island School of Design with a B.A. in Architecture in 1971, but followed his passion for the outdoors elsewhere. He climbed in the Everest region of Nepal for three months during 1972, ran the waterfront program at a major N.E. summer camp where he taught swimming, sailing, canoeing, waterskiing, and trip planning, then came to Charles River Canoe Service. He has been our Director of Guiding and Instruction since 1978. Dave holds ACA Certifications in canoeing and sea kayaking, and loves to share his knowledge with others.

Mark received a master's degree in Environmental Science before joining the Weston Ski Track and Charles River Canoe & Kayak. He has extensive experience in whitewater and sea kayaking, backpacking, backcountry skiing, and mountain biking. His current passion is kayak racing, in all types of boats from ICF kayaks to surf skis. His two children have given him a valuable understanding of paddling with kids, and he loves getting them out on the water.

Dan's journey into the crazy world of paddling began sitting in front of a TV, watching Levar Burton of Reading Rainbow raft the Zambezi! Then he watched the Atlanta Summer Olympics slalom paddlers and wanted to be those people! One year later, using money from dog sitting and lawn mowing, he had his first kayak on top of his mother's car. Many years and thousands of miles paddled later, here he is in Boston, with his wife Bethany, working for Charles River Canoe and Kayak.

Hailing from the vast Canadian wilderness, Kevin grew up paddling the pristine waterways of Northern Ontario. Take off, eh! During college Kevin spent his summers leading multi-day outdoor adventures throughout New England and eastern Canada. He moved to New England full-Time in 2005 and spent four seasons managing youth leadership and adventure programming at a residential summer camp in New Hampshire. Kevin is a registered EMT, Solo WEMT, and holds Canoe and Hike Leader certifications through ORCA and Hike Ontario.

Kevin worked as an adventure therapist after graduating from college. Kevin has paddled in Kenai Fjords, Alaska and in British Columbia, and considers kayak surfing his favorite boating pursuit. Kevin loves teaching, and is ACA-Certified as an open-water coastal kayaking instructor. His favorite trips are Advanced Ocean Skills and both of our Ocean Skills: Surf trips.

Bethany didn't start kayaking until she went to college, but from that moment on... it was on... so to speak. She has a degree in Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education from Brevard College in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. After graduation, she and her husband embarked on a kayaking adventure that lasted over a year and a half, paddling from Lubec, Maine to Key West, Florida. She is a transplant from the south, moving from the Outer Banks of NC to Boston MA, to work for Charles River as a supervisor at the Kendall Square Location. Her favorite things include but are not limited too: her husband, the ocean, Ireland, coffee, Christmas, music, and Walt Disney World.

Steve Hulbert is an ACA-Certified River Canoeing and Sea Kayaking Instructor. He particularly enjoys Traditional Solo Canoe and Greenland Style Kayak paddling. Fall through Spring he works in Health and Environmental Education. Steve has paddled throughout New England, but his favorite paddling is in the coastal areas of New Brunswick, Canada.

Liz has served as a kayak instructor/guide since 1999, primarily as a guide for our kids camps but also teaching rolling and other classes. The best part of the kids camp, she says, "is spending every day on the water, rain or shine, hunting for crabs, navigating through fog, and playing in the waves with the kids." She graduated from Wellesley College in 2002, is a Certified EMT, and has paddled trips in Alaska, New Zealand, Greece, and Canada.