The Director of Adriatic Maritime Institute, James Bender, came to Croatia in 2009 and began working with local organizations including Outward Bound Croatia to help include traditional vessels in local youth programs. A rock climber, avid hiker and a fifteen year veteran to the cruising world, James has been building his high seas resume passionately and diligently since he first discovered sailing in Trinidad and Tobago. Since then, he has sailed on tall ships and sailing vessels to over 40 countries around the world.
As an Environmental Educator and student of Cultural Anthropology James has used his sailing expertise to explore some of the world’s most hard to reach and culturally rich regions. Most significantly, in 1998 he lived in Indonesia with the Bugis who are traditional ship builders and sailors.
More recently, James completed a 22,000 mile two year voyage from Australia to New York as Expedition Leader forReachtheWorld.org, an educational non-profit based out of New York City also in New York worked turning young people in the Bronx on to the joys of life on the water as the Maritime Skills Director at RockingtheBoat.org. In the Bay Area James works as a teacher of environmental Science at a private school in San Jose.