A native of San Leandro, California, Matt learned to sail in Monterey Bay as a boy, and went on to race on San Francisco Bay on his first yacht Quarter Pounder, sailing under the St. Francis flag. Matt is also a well-known mountain guide, and over the past forty years has racked up first ascents in the Sierra and the French alps, established a mountaineering equipment company, and earned the Presidential Gold Medal from the American Mountain Guides Association. Since soloing as a pilot at age 13, Matt has also set many world records in the air, including the record time for circumnavigating the globe (westward) and flying westward across the US, all in a specially equipped Citation business jet. 

Matt’s partner on land and sea, Pam Rorke Levy is a filmmaker & creative director, and a fan of classic yachts.