Growing up on Long Island, New York, Austen was a shoe in-for the sailing life. At the age of eight, he would sail across Northport Bay to visit the town’s general store as he was too young to drive. At the age of ten, he became involved with competitive sailboat racing and soon became an Optimist class national champion. Since then, he has gone on to many other classes of sailboats and filled skipper, crew and coaching roles. After graduating from Hobart William Smith College, where he captained the sailing team, he decided to work and live in the Virgin Islands for a year. There he learned the ins and outs of island life — as well as the be...