Private Sailing Instructor — Captain Mike
Your boat.
Your skills.
Your captain.
On-boat sailing mentorship aboard your own vessel. Captain Mike arrives at your marina, steps onto your boat, and works through exactly what’s holding you back — in real conditions, with real stakes, until you’ve got it.
Most sailors don’t lack information. They lack the moment someone stood beside them — on their own boat, in real conditions — and said: you’ve got this. Go.
A sailing coach for boat owners — not a textbook.
On-Boat Mentorship puts Captain Mike aboard your vessel for a focused, private session. No lecture halls. No strangers. No drills written for someone else’s boat.
You choose the goal. Maybe it’s docking in tight quarters with a crosswind. Maybe it’s your first overnight passage. Maybe it’s finally reading conditions the way experienced skippers do — and trusting what you see.
Whatever you’re working through, we work through it together. On your boat. In real conditions. Until it sticks.
“I leave the boat. The skill stays.”
— Captain Mike
Ten sessions. One clear goal each. All of them on your boat.
You don’t need more theory. You need to do it — in your waters, on your vessel — with someone who’s seen every mistake and knows exactly how to stop you repeating it.
Most Requested
Docking Mastery
A focused half-day on the skill that causes the most anxiety for boat owners. Leave with a repeatable process — even in tight spaces, crosswinds, and current.
Skills
Anchoring & Overnight Confidence
Anchor set, scope, watch scheduling, and sleeping aboard with confidence. By day's end you'll have anchored in a bay and stayed the night without second-guessing yourself.
Passages
First Passage Program
A 3–5 day offshore mentorship for your first coastal or overnight passage aboard your own vessel. Navigation, watch-keeping, conditions, crew management — all of it, live.
Judgment
Skipper's Decision Framework
The session most sailors don't know they need. Half on the water, half at the dock — entirely focused on go/no-go decisions, condition reading, and calibrating your risk tolerance.
Crew
Couples Sailing Mentorship
Designed for the dynamic no one talks about: one partner more confident than the other. Communication, briefings, shared decision-making — without the tension that usually comes with it.
Readiness
Offshore Readiness Assessment
A full evaluation day that ends with a written report: what you're ready for, what needs work, and a clear path forward. Know exactly where you stand before committing to anything offshore.
New Owners
New Boat Onboarding
You bought the boat. Now learn to own it. Systems, quirks, limits, and the first five things every new owner should do before their first solo sail.
Season Prep
Pre-Season Shakedown
Start the season right: boat systems review, safety gear audit, skills refresh, and a passage planning walkthrough for wherever you're headed this year.
Planning
Passage Planning Intensive
Desk and chart table. A specific trip you're planning to make — built out fully. Weather windows, waypoints, contingencies, crew briefing. Leave with a plan you can actually execute.
Leadership
Crew Leadership Coaching
Boat handling is easy. Managing friends and family as crew is harder. This session focuses on communication, calm under pressure, and running a tight ship without losing relationships.
Sailing confidence coaching in three steps. On the water by session two.
You tell me the goal
A direct phone call. You tell me what you want to walk away with. I tell you which session fits. We pick a date.
We sail your boat
I arrive at your marina. We leave the dock and get to work — on your boat, in your waters, in actual conditions. No classroom. No theory runs. Real sailing.
You leave with it
Not a certificate. Not a notebook. The skill in your hands — used on your boat, in conditions that were real. Most sailors book a second session within the month.
You already sail. You want to sail better.
On-Boat Mentorship is right for you if:
Their Words, Not Mine
“Mike has a knack for making the complex seem simple. His laid-back style is somehow super comprehensive and well-rounded — without any tension. He teaches without complaint or criticism and his knowledge and skill level is in the WOW category.”
— Burt Jacobs“Nothing needed to be rushed with Mike. There was always time available to think clearly and safely through every situation. His approach combines discovery, common sense, building muscle memory, and reinforcing safety all along the way.”
— Amanda Schubert“Mike builds up your knowledge, skills, and — more importantly — your confidence. By the end of the course he has you being skipper for the day. Hands-on training and great learning-by-doing. Mike is my go-to moving forward without a doubt.”
— Chad Rathief & John House
Captain Mike
360+ sailors. The Sea of Cortez. Beautiful BC. The BVI. The Med. Every crossing ends the same way — a sailor who no longer second-guesses themselves at the helm. That moment never gets old. It’s why Mike still does this.
Honored Member of the Killer Whale Clan of the Gitga’at First Nation — a recognition rooted in years of connection to the waters and communities of coastal BC. The Orca teaches through experience. So does Mike.
Based in — La Paz, BCS & Vancouver, BC
Affiliate School — NauticEd
Specialty — Offshore judgment & confidence-based instruction
“I didn’t become a sailing instructor because I love sailing.
I became one because I love the moment someone stops being afraid of their boat and starts being its captain.
That moment happens on glassy mornings in the Cortez and in 35-knot gusts off the BC coast. It’s the same every time. And I’ll never stop chasing it.”— Captain Mike
One conversation.
One session. Everything changes.
Private on-boat sailing mentorship in La Paz, BCS and Vancouver, BC. From docking lessons to offshore sailing mentorship — travel considered for extended engagements. One conversation is all it takes — tell Mike where you are, and he’ll tell you exactly which session fits.
Sessions from $600 CAD per half-day. Multi-day programs available. Contact Mike for exact pricing based on your location and goals.
Book Your SessionAdjust Your Sails to Adventure.