U.S. Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod hoists four people from the disabled 42-foot motor yacht Proudfoot, three miles southwest of Moriches Inlet, N.Y., April 4, 2026. The four mariners (two males and two females) were safely recovered and transported to Gabreski Airport for evaluation by emergency medical services with no injuries reported. (U.S. Coast Guard courtesy video)
Rear Adm. Francis “Stash” Pelkowski is a veteran, merchant mariner, maritime industry business leader, licensed attorney and a professor at SUNY Maritime College. To say the 58-year-old father has accomplished a lot in life is a gross understatement. However, to hear him describe his early adult years leading to his enlistment in 1980, his present-day success and many achievements were far from predictable.
Thirty-eight years later,...
