Meriwether Gill 
“We were in Endicott Arm Fjord when out of nowhere, a ’shooter’ exploded in the foreground of Dawes Glacier. I’d never heard nor seen anything like it before … the thundering sound and the blue of the ice left our guests awe-inspired. The experience defined, in my mind, the true grandeur of Alaska.”
Meriwether returns for her fifth season with Cruise West, sharing with guests her love for marine mammals and her background in cetology – the study of whales, dolphins and porpoises.
Meriwether attended Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia and double majored in Biology and Psychology. She’s since earned a Master’s in Liberal Arts, with a focus in marine mammal behavior and training. While an undergraduate, Meriwether worked as a marine educator at Sea World of Florida. She’s also interned at the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, Florida, training dolphins and learning about dolphin therapy.
Part of Meriwether’s past life was spent in Hawaii, where she worked as a naturalist for the non-profit Pacific Whale Foundation, educating guests on humpbacks, Hawaiian spinner dolphins and coral reefs. She also worked in the Foundation’s research department, studying the function of the humpback whale’s song and the behavior patterns of Hawaiian spinner dolphins.
Meriwether is involved in several conservation efforts and looks forward to educating Cruise West guests on current conservation and management issues as well as the latest research endeavors surrounding marine mammals. She recently completed a project with The Center for Whale Research in Friday Harbor, Washington, assisting Ken Balcomb and his team in keeping their photo-id catalog of resident orca pods up-to-date. Through this work, she’s learned to recognize individual orcas by the shape of their dorsal fins and saddle patches.
When not cruising, Meriwether enjoys sailing, skiing and traveling, and has returned recently from travels in Patagonia, Iceland and the Galapagos Islands.
Something you might not know about her?
Meriwether is a descendant of the Meriwether Lewis of Lewis and Clark. A possible source of her passion for exploration? We think so.
Paulino Perez
Paulino returns for his fourth season with Cruise West in the Sea of Cortes. He spent the summer onboard the Spirit of Endeavour working the Alaska Inside Passage. Paulino’s experiences have taken him from sailing small ships in the icy waters of Southeast Alaska to the protected areas of the beautiful islands in Mexico’s Gulf of California.Paulino resides in La Paz, Mexico, with his wife and son. He has a degree in Marine Biology and an intimate knowledge of the flora and fauna that we will encounter on our voyage.
Taking a nature hike with Paulino will enlighten you to the fragile eco-system that lives on some of the islands we visit. He will point out flora and fauna that most eyes simply pass over.
When he is not at sea, Paulino indulges in his love of art. As an accomplished artist he often paints the inhabitants of the fragile environments through which he travels. In addition, Paulino works with the children of La Paz, teaching them environmental education through art by creating casts of plants and animals and generating multimedia presentations on natural history and cultural heritage.
