Iris Robertson

USCG Licensed Boat Captain
Sail Selina II

Since the early 20th century when the second Selina (pronounced like “Carolina”) boat was built, named for Iris’s great-grandmother, both the boat and the name have passed to generations of women in her family. Iris learned to sail from her mother as a young child, and youth sailing camps were basically her daycare. It was also known since her childhood that she would be the next caretaker of the family cat boat. When Selina II came into Iris’s care, she was faced with the reality of classic boat maintenance and the associated costs. Iris lost her breath when hearing from her parents what sort of numbers are required to keep the boat each year. Realizing the boat needed to fund its own way, Iris pivoted to a role that she didn’t expect - licensed charter captain. The boat went to a shipyard for necessary repairs, and she tracked her sea time and studied for her license. Now leading daily seasonal tours out of St Michaels, Iris still loves her time on the water, paying respect to how the boat always takes care of everyone aboard. As she says, “nothing could be fina than going sailin’ on Selina.”