John Kelsey
Marine Operations First Mate

John Kelsey is the first mate aboard Raincoast’s research vessel, Achiever, while also acting as drone pilot for the Cetacean Conservation Research Program and contributing support for the Communications Team. 

John has worked on Achiever in the mate role for the past five years, contributing to the vessel’s work in active research, community and youth engagement, and donor relations spanning the coast from the southern Gulf Islands to the headwaters of the Kitlope River. 

After completing a degree in political science and economics at McGill University in Montreal, he moved to California and obtained a degree in professional photography from Brooks Institute of Photography. This program led him to New York City, where he worked in the professional photography industry for five years, working for Annie Leibovitz and Mark Seliger, in succession, while living on an 8.5m sailboat in the Hudson River. 

After calling his name for many years, the Pacific Northwest pulled John back in 2018 to pursue his passion for coastal environmental conservation. He upgraded his floating home to the 13m sailboat, Shambhala, and began working with Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier at Sealegacy, shooting and camera assisting in the field, while also helping with the extensive refit of the sailing catamaran Sealegacy 1. At this point he also met his fiancee Meesh, who shares his passions and values, and who also works with Raincoast on a contract basis. 

John was born and raised on beautiful Vancouver Island, growing up spending much of his time outdoors and on the ocean in the unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Kwakwaka’wakw first nations. John still has his sailboat, but now lives ashore on beautiful Quadra Island with Meesh and their puppy Toast.