grew to have 25+ employees and operated out of offices in Portland, OR. and Kent, WA. The Portland office was sold about 15 years ago and the Seattle office was sold to existing employees 3 years ago.

Mike started sailing over 50 years ago and raced both small and larger boats for many years. About 20 years ago he and his wife, Lauri, purchased their own boat, a Pearson 38. This boat allowed them to learn the ways of cruising and they ventured as far north as Desolation Sound with her. A few years later, afflicted with a bad case of “5 foot-itis”, they moved up to their Jeanneau 43DS named Illumine’. Since then they have expanded their range and skills by cruising to Alaska 3 times and around Vancouver Island.

About 15 years ago Mike gained his Coast Guard Masters license and became an instructor in SJS’s sailing and powerboat schools. He loves sharing his passion for sailing and yachting with others who are excited to learn the skills need to explore our beautiful and expansive cruising grounds.

In 2008 San Juan Sailing contracted with NP Information Systems to develop their booking software. Over the last 10 years this software has been expanded to support both the charter and school sides of SJS. Developing this project provided Mike with a deep understanding of San Juan Sailing’s operations and lead to his interest in becoming one of the partners.

career in commercial / business aviation, earning a commercial pilot’s license and working in program management and business development worldwide in the industry.

During that aviation career I had several boating experiences. I learned to sail on Lake Union in 1986 and then sailed and raced while living in Orange County California. We owned a Bayliner ski boat and explored numerous lakes and the Mississippi River. I transitioned into semi-retirement in 2010 and now pursue what I like to call my encore career. A partner in the company with opportunities for sailing and powerboat instruction, boat brokerage and leading flotillas.

My wife Donna and I took the plunge in charter boat ownership in 2013. Three years later, we upgraded and now own the motoryacht Sea Wings. She’s in the San Juan fleet and we enjoy her whenever she’s not out giving others the same wonderful experiences we know in the Salish Sea waters.

appreciate the off-season warmth of a trawler. To me, the beauty is in the journey, the fresh air, scenery and wildlife along the way, and the opportunity to explore pristine coves and interesting island towns. Among my favorites are:

• Reid Harbor on Stuart Island, for the quiet anchorage and the beautiful walk to Turn Point Light.
• Prideaux Haven in Desolation Sound, for the way the rocks reflect in the mirror-smooth water of Melanie Cove, exploring the intricate islets by kayak, and the history of Mike and Phil.
• Port Townsend's Point Hudson Marina, for visits to the wooden boat center and walking the historic Waterfront.
• Yes Bay, near Ketchikan, for excellent crabbing, because it was where I first saw a coastal brown bear, and for the wonderfully interesting Yes Bay Lodge.

These cruising experiences and the people I have met along the way have been the best part of my 25+ years with San Juan Sailing & Yachting. I even met my husband, David, when he worked for our neighbor charter company!

I've worn many hats over the years, including charter rep, school manager, cleaning manager & COO. Today I am a member of the ownership team, with my day-to-day focus on the charter operations side of the company, website and advertising design/production/management, and accounting.

places of nature. On the side, I am a volunteer coach, with my daughters help, for Girls on the Run program through the YMCA and enjoy seeing these growing young ladies challenge themselves mentally through trying to achieve lap goals. As a mother who runs in annual races, it’s fulfilling to be a part of helping these girls achieve this challenge of running a 5k at the end of the season.

After graduating from Western WA University with my BA in business administration, I went into management at Rite Aid and was a store manager for about ten years. I later took a second part time job cleaning for a commercial cleaning business and a year into that I was offered a management position with that company. After working as a cleaning manager for 3 years, an old employee of mine approached me and informed me that she had recommended me to San Juan Sailing. While I was not looking for a job at the time I was immediately interested because I have always wanted to learn about boating.

Since I began in May of 2019, I have achieved my ASA 101 and 103 credentials and completed an 8 week power boat class to obtain my WA state boaters certification. I am looking forward to continuing to learn and enjoying many more boating adventures ahead. We’ll see where the breeze takes me!

And still I want more!

My passion for sailing and teaching sailing brought me to San Juan Sailing’s doorstep in the late 80’s where I obtained American Sailing Association instructor certifications and thoroughly enjoyed teaching weekenders and learn-n-cruise week-long courses as well as assisting with management of the charter fleet. A growing family of my own pulled me away from San Juan Sailing and steered me into a career in the engineering business for many years. I continued to spend time on the water during this phase, racing dinghies and keel boats and cruising our small power boat throughout the San Juan and Gulf Islands. But I couldn’t be held away for long and returned to San Juan Sailing/Yachting in 2014 to do what I love most – teach sail and power lessons and help manage the growing charter fleet!

I currently hold a Coast Guard captain’s license and instructor certifications for keel boats, cruising catamarans, single and twin-engine power boats and a docking endorsement. And my knowledge of boats and boat systems continues to grow every year that I work with the San Juan Sailing/Yachting charter fleet. I look forward to many more years of sharing my passion for boating with all our staff, students, charter guests and charter boat owners.

often a topic of conversation around home. I married into a large sailing family and to a husband who would choose to go sailing as one of the best things to do on a windy day. My enjoyment for sailing adventures continued to my adult years.

In 2006, I joined San Juan Sailing and was trained through the American Sailing Association. Even though I had more than 25 years of sailing experience, it wasn’t until I learned again from the beginning, with the ASA curriculum, and from ASA certified instructors, that I moved on to becoming a much more knowledgeable sailor.

Sailing is always our family highlight, with cruising destination like Sucia Island (the Lawson bluff hike near sunset), Rosario (a visit isn’t complete without a hike to Cascade Lake and jumping in) and Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park, near Nanaimo (long, winding trails and views throughout) as some of my favorites.

few years I started earning my ASA certifications, participating in regattas, and weeknight races. I was fully emersed in the marine community and couldn’t get enough.

After graduating college, I took the opportunity to travel aboard. The experience opened my eyes to new perspectives and resulted in an immense amount of personal growth. “Leaving” allows me to reset and return home feeling humbled and appreciative for my friends, family, and the beauty of where I live. Travelling has shaped my journey and has become a very important aspect of my life. A few years ago, I visited one of our instructors in the BVI’s to observe a class being taught on a catamaran. I saw how traveling and sailing could be intermixed. The realization encouraged me to pursue sailing as my career.

Currently, I’m working towards earning USCG Captains License, which will open doors to more opportunities to be on the water. I’m planning to participate in the ASA instructor clinic offered by San Juan Sailing, to become a sailing instructor and over time transition into a delivery captain, which will allow me to incorporate travel. I’ve had the chance to build a family, support team, and network in the marine community to make these dreams become a reality.

sandbars, islands and channels of the Intercoastal Waterways in our 22’ AquaSport.

I graduated from Manatee High School and continued my education at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee where I studied Natural Resources and spent my first years in a temperate climate. After leaving Sewanee, I worked at Mote Marine Laboratory (Sarasota) as a biology tech, sorting and staging ichthyoplankton, and within six months as a staff biologist involved in research of the Common Snook. This position, literally, kept my hands in, on, and around the Gulf Waters, seining for Snook, collecting plankton, monitoring water quality, and managing the research lab.

Three years later I moved to Scotland to pursue a Masters of Science degree in Aquaculture and Fisheries Management. Upon completion, I started as a bioassay technician with an environmental engineering firm in Tallahassee and six months later I married Shayne from my hometown. Over the course of 10 years, I became a project manager and staff scientist in aquatic toxicology, our family grew to five (with a daughter and two sons) and we moved from Tallahassee to Gainesville to Jacksonville and then one giant leap to Bellingham. Our move was inspired by Bellingham’s coastal location and my husband’s opportunity to practice medicine!

Shortly after moving to the NW, we bought a powerboat which allows us access to the beautiful marine environment of the San Juan Islands and the recreational opportunities of crabbing and camping around the many marine parks in this cruising paradise. Our family has enjoyed many bareboat sailing adventures in the warm waters of the Caribbean and the Sea of Cortez as well as staying connected with the Gulf of Mexico through our family in Bradenton. In 2016, I earned my USCG captain’s license.

I came to San Juan Sailing in July 2017 and have enjoyed working in the enthusiastic environment of the sailing school. Being able to share in the excitement of our sailing and yachting students has been a highlight!

Hydroplane race on the Columbia. While high performance boats are fun to watch, the first time I was able to experience being out on the water was when my father purchased a 1968 Glastron with a 110 HP Mercury. This was the first boat I learned to drive and the days we spent on the water together are some of my best childhood memories.

After moving to Bellingham in 2012 I began working, then enrolled in an automotive repair program. I didn’t know it at the time, but these skills would be helpful working in the charter industry. After completing the program, my wife Pam and I decided to move to Vancouver, Washington for job opportunities. During our time in Vancouver my father and I purchased a C-stock hydroplane and raced on the APBA region 10 circuit for two years. A short time later, Pam and I welcomed our daughter, Liliana, into our lives. After being contacted by San Juan Sailing/Yachting with an opportunity to become a member of this amazing team, we moved back to Bellingham for the 2020 season.

By the 2021 season my job shifted away from cleaning and into a fleet management role. Throughout my time here I have taken several classes including the ASA 101, 103, 104, 114, and 118. Recently I started working as an associate broker for San Juan Sailing/Yachting under the mentorship of Wes Koenig and Lothar Taylor. In January of 2022 our family was fortunate enough to begin our journey as owners of Mirage, a 2011 Beneteau 34.

I kayaked and canoed at various camps throughout schooling years, and now as an adult, I’ve joined my parents on several outings on San Juan Yachting vessels.

The enjoyment I had from those times led to my interest in pursuing a career with San Juan Sailing & Yachting. I joined the team in December of 2020 and found my niche at the start of the 2021 season when I began working with both the School and Charter sides of the business. In August 2021 I also began taking on several Bookkeeping responsibilities. Throughout the season, I was given the opportunity to spend time on various fleet boats. In October 2021, I earned my ASA 101, 103, 104, and 118 while out on a 2-week charter with my husband, Peter, and our 3-year-old daughter, Liliana. That experience was so fun and memorable, and it became the catalyst for our family purchasing a boat of our own. In January 2022, our family bought Mirage, a Beneteau 34, and she is a charter sailboat for SJS. Our family is looking forward to many future boating vacations, and we hope others enjoy their times spent in the San Juan Islands as much as we do.

during my 3 years. I never went back to Montana. The water, the islands, and yes, BOATS, well, I was 'Hooked"!

Married, and with a teenage son and daughter (back in the 1970's) we put our kids on correspondence schooling, bought a 35' Fuji cutter sailboat sailed around the Pacific Northwest...then on to Mexico, the Marquesas Islands, Tuamotu Atoll Islands, Society Islands, Tahiti, Hawaii and back to Bellingham Wash. All with a sextant and a depth sounder. A great 4 years!

My passion for the water and boats has never left me. I lived aboard our sailboat for 10 years, started working in boat brokerage in 1984, and also was on staff with MasterCraft Ski Boats from 1986 - 2008 as Western Regional Coordinator and a competitive water skier.

This professional lifestyle with boats has included deliveries to Mexico, through the Caribbean, Bonaire, Panama Canal, Cocos Island, and Costa Rica. Lot's in the Northwest too!

The passion lives on as a "Certified Professional Yacht Broker", working with clients and finding the "Right Boat" for them. My boat search and travels with clients has reached beyond our local area, including the East & West coasts, Great Lakes, Florida, Mexico, and British Columbia.

Being involved for 29 years in the boat brokerage with surveys and sea trials on a lot of different boats and of course the "friendship" formed with clients from all over, really is a special highlight to my profession!

The Pacific Northwest is sooooo "Beautiful" ~~~ "Thank You LORD! - Brand New Day!