Name: Janny Olivier
Age: 34
Hometown: The booming metropolis of Franklin, VA
Position at RMOC: Reservations and Office Manager, and occasional bike shuttler
Certifications: Wilderness First Responder, USCG Master of Vessels less than 50 tons, Near- Coastal, Sail Endorsement
When did you start guiding? 2008
When did you start at RMOC? 2019
What is your most rewarding experience while guiding? Watching a teenager gain self-confidence and feel ten feet tall and bulletproof after accomplishing something hard they didn’t think was possible. It never gets old.
Your most epic day? Getting hit by a micro burst while sailing off the Atlantic coast of Spain on a 54’ trimaran. The rapid wind increase whipped the sail and tore several sail control devices off the deck of the boat. With lines whipping around in the air with metal pieces attached to them, the steering went out on the boat around the same time, and two of the three parts of the boat that provide stability to the mast were broken by the flying lines. I watched my future husband get buried in a wave that covered the deck while re-attaching some hardware to stabilize the mast and my father battle in a huge sail while I worked to steer the boat to minimize the likelihood of the mast falling on either of them. Then everything calmed down, we made it into port and watched the most amazing sunset. The next day we ate amazing food and drank lots of red wine to celebrate making it in!
Education/Background: I graduated from the University of Virginia in 2008 with a double major in Biology and Religious Studies. Go Hoos! Then I taught sailing for Outward Bound and NOLS for many years before moving to Colorado with my husband.
What do you do in the off season? I get my salt water fix.
Favorite beer: A good Chilean Malbec
Favorite day off activity: Season-appropriate outdoor activity + yoga + good food + family
Favorite whitewater run: Surfing in the play park in Salida or Rio Futaleufu in Chile.
Favorite thing after the river: Good food with good friends and family!
RMOC is an equal opportunity service provider. RMOC operates under special use permits from the San Isabel National Forest. All or part of this operation is conducted on Public Lands under special permit from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.