Captain’s Bio

Captain Richie Blink has spent a lifetime on the bayous of Louisiana studying its wetlands, people, and economy.

Growing up, Richie would spend summers and holidays on his family’s shrimp boat. Understanding the nuances of the delta helped his family live better, and that knowledge was passed along to him on the bow of an old shrimp boat in the bayous of Louisiana.

Despite the incredibly productive waters, coastal land loss was at forefront of daily life. Driven to turn the tide, Richie organized grassroots coastal restoration projects between his hitches as a oil field boat captain in the delta, and is now responsible for the planting of 25,000 trees to reduce storm surge near his home south of New Orleans.

Realizing education is the single most effective tool in keeping the Mississippi River Delta functioning, Richie formally incorporated Delta Discovery Tours in 2015. Since then, thousands of people from all parts of the globe have visited the delta with him on his converted shrimp boat that he rebuilt from the keel to the mast.

Richie formerly served on the boards of the Woodlands Conservancy and Plaquemines Association of Business and Industry. He is also a founding member of New Harmony High, a game-changing public high school, using students' passions, talents, and skills to address the coastal changes in Louisiana.

Richie holds a US Coast Guard issued 100 Ton Master’s License and is certified in CPR/First Aid and Offshore Water Survival. In 2019 he was a winner of Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana’s Coastal Stewardship Award.

When he’s not at the helm he can be found exploring the delta by small plane or in his backyard beekeeping.