If anyone could have the Superstar Sailing Instructor title, it would be Deirdre Lacambra. After starting in 1989 and working for HIOBS throughout the ’90s, Deirdre took a 25-year break from instructing to raise a family with her husband Mark and pursue work elsewhere. In 2021, she returned to Maine and settled back into her happy place—working with HIOBS, this time with her daughter by her side.
Read our interview with Deirdre to learn all about her history with the school, why she came back, and what she hopes to accomplish 25 years later.
You worked for HIOBS in the 1990s and then came back in 2021. What made you return to the field after spending so much time away?
After taking a 26-day multi-element HIOBS course in 1987, I returned to work at HIOBS as a bosun on Hurricane Island and taught multi-element courses from 1989-1995. I met my husband Mark on a canoe staff training, and we eventually moved to Seattle, married, and had two children, Sophia and Jack, who went on their own Outward Bound courses. Sophia started working for HIOBS herself as a marketing intern out of Wheeler Bay in the summer of 2021—and later became an instructor as well. She was the one who really got me back in the field. She said to me, “Mom, they need old people with their WFR!” Lovely, right? Just what every middle-aged woman wants to hear. I got in touch with my old friend Eric Denny who said to me, “You can always come back home.” A few weeks later, HIOBS hired me to teach a short course. Although challenging, I loved every minute of it and came back last summer to teach a few short courses as well.
What would you say are the best parts of your job? What are the most challenging, and what have you learned from them?
The best parts are the HIOBS community, forming authentic relationships with students, and sleeping under the stars on a wooden boat gently rocking on the sea. The most challenging: the bilge water at the bottom of the boat. I’ve learned that believing in a workplace’s mission is very important to me and that bilge water is really not that threatening after all!
You’ve also served on the HIOBS Council since the summer of 2021. What made you decide to get involved in this capacity, and how has it been so far?
Being on the Council has helped me stay connected to HIOBS, even if I’m not in the field, and see how many incredible people are invested in the success of the school. For many, many years seeing the names of some of my old friends on the Council made me so happy—that somehow a part of me was still here no matter where I lived. Now, I have the chance to be a part of this amazing group of professionals who provide expertise and guidance in making decisions for the school’s future. We all share a love of HIOBS, and it’s just been a wonderful opportunity for me to get involved with the school and this awesome community in a different way.
What would you tell your friends and colleagues who are thinking about applying to work for Outward Bound?
If you are thinking about coming back as a returning instructor, no matter how many years may have passed by, HIOBS would love to hear from you. We value what you have learned as an instructor and in life, and the HIOBS community is waiting to welcome you back. Bring an open mind, your life experience, and make time for the staff trainings—you won’t regret it. Now go get your WFR and get in shape for bilging boats. It’s really not that threatening after all!
