Member Spotlight: Tom Bastardo

Guild Member Tom Bastardo volunteering on Gazela

How did you hear about the PSPG and how did you start volunteering?

Well, not so much about the Guild, but the boat - I moved to Philadelphia in the fall of 2023. I used to walk my dog in Penn’s Landing all the time because I lived in the neighborhood, and I saw this boat (the Gazela), and I thought to myself “Oh, this is a really cool ship”! In spring of 2024, I was walking by the boat and, as I was looking, I saw there were people on it. Kelsey, (our bosun and a longtime member of the Guild) asked me: “Want to learn how to tie a knot?” I said, “Sure!”, and the rest is history.

What’s the most rewarding part about volunteering?

The people. I love the people. I worked hard for 40-something years, took a year off and sat on my butt - then I wanted to start volunteering and I met a great group of people to volunteer with! This is the kind of boat that you fall in love with when you set foot on it, and she’s now a part of my life.

What did you do before you retired and do you volunteer anywhere else?

I was a finance guy. I was an auditor for about 27 years, and then I managed a payroll budget for the Dow Jones to the tune-of about $700M. My first volunteer opportunity in Philadelphia was the Guild, but I also volunteer at the Philadelphia Goat Project--I love my goats--and at the Independence National Historic Trust. I also volunteer at the Old Pine Community Center. I started out as the director of their rooftop vegetable garden, which was very successful in 2024. I also do some maintenance over there if they need me. I also helped the director [at OPCC] get in touch with Gina (our director here at PSPG), and they have organized a summer camp scheduled to run two weeks this year on the boat!

What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve done in your life?

Four years ago, my daughter and I did a hiking trip in Switzerland. We kind of went all over the region, with our base camp in Grindelwald. We spent the day in the Lauterbrunnen valley, where she talked me into jumping off a mountain...which I did!

What would your dream destination be to sail on the Gazela?

Take her back to Portugal. Have the people who were the family members that worked on that worked on that boat waiting on the dock waiting for her to arrive - I would have tears coming down my face.

Anything else you’d like to share?

I love everybody!