Our Guides

Eric Clone

Owner/Captain/Guide/Wilderness First Responder

Eric has most of his adventures with his family in Leelanau County, Michigan. He brings years of experience leading youth and adult expeditions through the wild spaces of Utah, Colorado, Montana, Michigan, and Central America. Besides being the founder of LyfMotiv Adventures, .

Eugene Branigan

Guide/Wilderness First Responder/ Wanderer

Eugene has backpacked and hiked many of Michigan’s trails and has spent years working with youth in the Scouting program.  He began adventuring out west and has raft guided in the Grand Canyon and back home in Michigan.  He has canyoneering experience in Arizona, Michigan, and the Pacific Northwest and is always looking for adventure and a new challenge.  His strengths lie in technology and he is one half of the Wanderers Two bringing their travel blog to LyfMotiv!

John Chase

Kayaking Instructor

Creating positive experiences on and off the water through guiding and instructing and sharing the love of the outdoors drives John each day. John is a multi-discipline ACA-certified Instructor and Coastal Kayak Instructor Trainer, Wilderness First Aid and CPR instructor, host and producer of the Paddling the Blue podcast, and the author of the book and DVD, Power to the Paddle: Exercises to Improve your Canoe and Kayak Paddling. John and his kayaks are frequent guests at symposiums and events throughout the US Great Lakes region. When not paddling or enjoying time with family, John can be found on a mountain bike, road bike, alpine climbing, or adventure racing. By day, John is the Director of Parks and Recreation for Grand Traverse County in the outdoor paradise of Northern Michigan. John’s website for further kayaking lessons Paddling Exercises

Matt Perry

Captain

Matt is a lifetime sailor, growing up on the waters of Martha’s Vineyard and family charters throughout New England and the East Coast. He resides in the Petoskey area during the summer months and sails the Great Lakes on his 40′ Catalina. Off season, Matt delivers sailboats to the Caribbean. He has a 50 ton Masters License from the USCG, is Offshore Safety at Sea and Offshore Emergency First Aid Certified. Matt enjoys sharing his passion for sailing with others and there’s no better place than the waters of Grand Traverse Bay.

Steph Watkins

Captain

Liam Clone

First Mate

Liam has been sailing since he was a little bobber in the TACS program at age 6. Through his years growing up he raced small racing sailboats on the high school team and was recently invited to skipper the team to race in the North American Melges 24 Championship in 2019. Having Liam to handle the lines and trim the sails is great entertainment of its own. He usually knows what the captain want before the captain even asks.