05/23/2026
At the Helm | Captain Tom Sovulewski ⚓
Some captains have a resume. Tom Sovulewski has a legend.
He came from Northern California, served as a Chief Warrant Officer in the U.S. Army keeping aircraft flying through deserts and storms, then retired and promptly decided retirement wasn't really his style. The saltwater had other plans for him anyway.
Tom and his first mate, Commodore Patty, have spent a lifetime chasing the horizon together. Alaska. The tropics. Ocean crossings. Yacht deliveries offshore. Fifty days at sea from Tahiti through Mexico and Panama, coming back with a grin and enough stories to fill a very long dock conversation. These aren't weekend sailors. These are people who have genuinely lived on the water.
Somewhere between the harbors and the ocean spray, Texas found them. And Galveston Bay got a whole lot more interesting.
On the water, Tom is calm, steady and the kind of captain who makes complex things feel effortless. Off the water, he's the man in the bright sarong and rocker shades that makes people stop and stare on the pier. More than a few have hollered "Sammy Hagar!" in his direction. Tom takes it as a compliment. Patty just smiles and keeps walking.
For years, Tom and Pattie have also competed in the legendary Harvest Moon Regatta aboard *Mayan Mistress*, part of the Windward SeaVenture fleet, earning an impressive 2nd place finish in their class last year. Racing offshore isn’t just something they talk about , it’s part of how they live.
He tells dad jokes so bad they somehow come back around to brilliant. He rides motorcycles. He fishes cold northern rivers. He delivers yachts to places most of us only find on maps. And somewhere out past the shipping lanes on a moonlit crossing between Galveston and Key West, shared with Doug and Darryl, something happened that nobody on that boat has ever been fully able to explain. Mermaids. That's all we'll say. Ask Tom about it in person. Bring snacks. It's a long story and every word of it is true.
Darryl met Tom nearly ten years ago at a boat show and the friendship has held through rough seas and golden sunsets ever since. That's the thing about Tom. He's the kind of person the water tends to keep close.
If you're looking for a charter captain with real ocean miles, genuine warmth, a sarong, and the occasional terrible joke delivered with a perfect straight face, you've found your guy.
👇 Book a charter with Captain Tom at the link in bio. Fair warning — the dad jokes are complimentary and completely unavoidable.