The Crew

Live International Radio broadcast from Trinidad.

Ed Zacko is a native of Pottsville, Pennsylvania.  He never intended to sail around the world.  His dream was to move to New York, study with drum greats  Gary Chester and Louis Bellson and play the drums with the “Big Boys.”  Ed has backed major stars such as Danny DeVito, Chuck Berry, Bobby Rydel and Zoot Simms.  He has played in the orchestra of the Radio City Music Hall,  Broadway musicals with Ben Vereen, Jerry Lewis and Doug Henning and has played on many  recordings and movie sound tracks.  It was on a tour with George Gobel and Glen Campbell when his life took a radical turn.

     George looked at him one day at lunch and asked, “What are you doing with all the money I’m paying you?    One day this tour will end and the money will all be gone.  Buy some land!  Buy a boat!  When this tour is over I want you to have something solid to show for this time on the road.  Do something with the money that will give your life some lasting meaning.”
      So, Ed bought  some land and his first boat, an 18 ft catboat he called Drummer Buoy, and went back to playing the drums.  Two years later 
he met Ellen while playing in the pit orchestra of one of Broadway’s  soon to be, latest, greatest….FLOPS !

     That show only ran for three weeks.  Ellen and Ed’s is still running after thirty-three years.

Enjoy the show! 

With composer Carlos Guzman in Costa Rica.

 Ellen Floody-Zacko is a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota.  The first part of her life focused on learning to play the violin.  She was fortunate to study with some of the finest violin teachers in the United States:  Mary Drane West, Lea Foli, John Tartaglia, Robert Bloch, William Starr, Ora Shiran and Itzak Perlman. 

     A certified Suzuki Teacher through the MacPhail School of Music, Ellen pursued a  career playing and teaching violin.  A summer playing at the Aspen  Music Festival forced a change in her life to move to New York  to play Broadway shows.

     One evening as the orchestra finished playing the entr’acte of the show, Ellen leaned over to the drummer who was reading Sailing Alone Around the World and asked,  “Why would anyone want to sail around the world alone?”  It is here that “The Partnership–Voyage of Entr’acte ” begins.

The crew of Entr’acte is made up of Mike the Moose, Charlie the Bear, Baby G  (in Spanish, Chiquitin) and Boracin (homeless drunk).  “The Boys” bring joy to all they meet.  They are brilliant at adapting to new countries and customs.  Charlie went from a bear to a beach bum with an earring in the Bahamas, to Don Carlos of Seville and Soca Warrior in Trinidad, to a Pearl exporter in Papeete.  Mike became the Matador “Migolito” in Spain, to a Rasta Moose in Trinidad and a coffee Baron in Costa Rica, to the owner of a French Bakery, featuring special KUNA baquettes for all Frenchmen.  Baby G was a banana exporter in the Bahamas, a picador in Spain, joined a pan band in Trinidad and a starting pitcher for a Costa Rican baseball team, to the winner of the coconut tree climb in the Bastille Day Heiva in Papeete.  Boracin is our latest stow-away. He came aboard in Costa Rica and serves full time as our on board Chef and has recently been working with Mike in the bakery having lived with the Kunas knows the bread recipe.  They are always appreciated by the locals, loved by the children and a hit of any anchorage always ready to party.

Mike the Moose gets married!