Meet Lake St. Clair Sailing Instructors
Our Sailing Instructors have diverse experience in sailing. They are certified by American Sailing Association and they have a Captains license from US Coast Guards.
Captain Joe Bowen
ASA Certified Instructor: ASA 101, ASA 103, ASA 104
Captain Joe Bowen has a USCG 100 GRT, Near Coastal, Master’s License.
Joe first learned to sail Flying Junior’s, Flying Scot’s, and Soling’s on Lake Michigan while at Marquette University in the 1970’s. He owned a 24’ Islander on Lake Michigan. Captain Joe has cruised and raced sailboats on Lake Michigan, Long Island Sound, Lake St. Clair, and the Gulf of Mexico. He still races a Catalina 30 on Lake St. Clair most weeks in the summer. Joe is semi-retired and enjoys teaching sailing and boating.
Captain Chuck Smith
ASA Certified Instructor: ASA 101, ASA 103, ASA 104
Chuck has been boating on the Great Lakes for more than 50 years. He is a kayaking mentor, owned a Windsurfing school, and has been teaching outdoor activities for several decades. He actively sails his O’Day 30 on Lake St Clair and holds a USCG 25T Master’s license.
Captain Bill Stimac
ASA Certified Instructor: ASA 101, ASA 103, ASA 104, ASA 105
Bill first became interested in sailing in the late 1970s after reading a book called “Dove” about a sixteen year-old who set out to sail around the world alone in a 24 foot boat. He took his first sailing lessons in 1982 and began crewing on a 30 foot Catalina. He has raced and cruised on Lakes St. Clair, Erie, and Huron until 1995, finally giving up racing to teach sailing. Bill earned a U.S.C.G. Master’s License in 1994 and have been teaching ASA classes ever since. He sailed boats from 18 foot Interlake to large cruisers, single-handing vessels up to 45 feet. Bill has ASA instructor certifications up to Advanced Coastal Cruising and he also teaches the Navigation class.
Captain Brett Bridgham
ASA Certified Instructor: ASA 101, ASA 103, ASA 104, ASA 105, ASA 118
With more than 25 years of sailing experience, Brett has had the good fortune of sailing many different types and sizes of boats – ranging from small Dingys and Hobie Cats on inland lakes to large keel boats on the Great Lakes, Pacific Coast and Virgin Islands. Brett has been an ASA instructor at Lake St. Clair Sailing School since 2005 and holds a U.S.C.G. 50T Master license. Having raced on Lake St. Clair for several years; he now enjoys teaching and sharing his experiences with newcomers and seasoned sailors alike
Captain Ranam Kazziha
ASA Certified Instructor: ASA 101, ASA 103, ASA 104
Captain Ranam Kazziha is the owner and manager at Lake St. Clair Sailing School. She has been sailing since 2017. She sailed in the Mediterranean, Great Lakes and chartered sailboats in Florida. She is a U.S.C.G. Licensed captain and she is certified to teach ASA 101, 103, and 104. Captain Ranam has been with Lake St. Clair Sailing School since 2014. She helps her students learn to sail during sailing classes, sunset sailing and day sailing.
Captain Robert Durkin
ASA Certified Instructor: ASA 101, ASA 103, ASA 104
Robert’s passion for the outdoors and travel is the driving force behind his success as a captain. Robert was first introduced to sailing as a kid during a family vacation to Lake Wallenpaupack and immediately took to the sport. As an adult he moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio. He found himself living on an old rock quarry, that was now a lake, and bought his first boat; a daysailer sloop that he avidly sailed in his spare time. That sparked his drive to combine sailing and his love of travel; soon finding himself sailing The Great Lakes.
During the sailing season in the midwest Robert focuses on teaching sailing, charters, and boat deliveries on The Great Lakes. He also likes to spend his free time sailing the waters of Lake Erie aboard his 29’ sloop, Christina. Robert is also an avid competitor and can often be found participating in sailing regattas around the midwest and beyond. Most recently that has turned into international competition where he crewed the vessel Lunasea for the 2019 Conch Republic Cup, an international 3 race regatta where crews compete in both the U.S. and Cuban waters.
