Meet The Crew
John Whelan,
Co-Owner & Captain
John is a Maryland native who has enjoyed the Potomac, the Chesapeake, and the Patuxent waters all of his life. He loves being able to share and pay tribute to the Half Shell’s nearly century-long history as a working buyboat. A recovering patent attorney, John is thrilled to show our guests what beauty the Half Shell and the waters she now calls home have to offer. John holds a U.S. Coast Guard 50-ton Master Captain's License.
Don Novak,
Co-Owner & Captain
Donald is a native of Maryland’s Eastern Shore and now lives in Solomons, Maryland. Donald has been a waterman his whole life, running charter boats, fishing commercially for oysters and crabs, and working in marine construction. Donald holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master Captain’s License.
Debbie Whelan,
Co-Owner
Debbie is a 13th generation Calvert native. She grew up in Huntingtown, MD, where she still lives with her husband, John. She has four daughters: Jessica, Darcy, Audrey, and Becky. Debbie grew up eating (and sometimes catching) the local seafood our beautiful local waters have to offer, and spent a lot of time playing on and in the Chesapeake Bay and Patuxent River, which she still enjoys doing today. Debbie loves the adventure of helping operate Half Shell Adventures and sharing the water with all who live in and visit Calvert.
Jessica Souder, General Manager
Jessica was born and raised in Calvert County. She is the oldest daughter to owners John and Debbie. She spent her summers growing up working at her family’s crab house in Chesapeake Beach as a waitress, so working on the water as a bartender in another family business just makes sense! The Bay and River are her happy places, and work on the Half Shell doesn’t really feel like work.
She is married to Samson, a Prince George’s County Firefighter, and has 2 children, Braeden, who works with her on the Half Shell and Isabella.
Jeni Berry,
Marketing Director
Jeni is a native of Baltimore and moved to Southern Maryland in 2004. She graduated from York College of Pennsylvania with a degree in Graphic Design. Jeni recently married her husband Jonathan in 2021 and they are expecting their first baby this Fall. Jeni creates and promotes all public cruises, and spearheads our marketing efforts. She loves Taylor Swift, snuggling with her cats, and cooking.
Braeden Souder, Deckhand
Braeden is 15th generation Calvert County. He is 15 years old and the son of Half Shell Bartender, Jessica. Since Half Shell became a part of his family, he has loved everything about it and couldn’t wait to start learning and helping out onboard! His favorite thing about the boat is climbing into the wheelhouse and driving the boat. From time to time, you’ll see Braeden working hard on crab feasts or public cruises, and entertaining and interacting with our amazing guests. He loves to give tours of the Half Shell and teach people about the history of the boat. When Braeden grows up, he wants to be a robotic engineer!
Audrey Whelan,
Marketing Advisor
Audrey was born and raised in Calvert County and is proud to call Southern Maryland her home. She is a 2018 graduate of the University of South Carolina, where she studied business management and marketing. You will often find her with a spiked seltzer in hand, with her eyes behind a camera lens, or talking to anyone that will listen! Audrey loves being able to work for such a wonderful organization that connects members of the extended Solomons community with the beautiful waters that she grew up on.
Shelly Novak,
Half Shell Mascot
Shelly is a yellow lab and the official mascot of No Thyme To Cook and Half Shell Adventures! She loves getting into mischief all around Solomons and playing with Enzo, the pup next door, who lives at Blue Heron Bed & Breakfast! You might even see Shelly onboard your next Half Shell Adventure!