Hiring an approved Moderator is required before your course can be sanctioned by US Sailing. You will find a listing of approved Moderators below. If you would like to use someone not on the list below, you must submit (in writing) a sailing and teaching/speaking resume of your candidate for US Sailing approval at the same time you submit your Organizer Agreement. The Moderator must be approved by US Sailing before your course will be sanctioned or posted on the calendar.
Your Moderator should provide ongoing support as well as organizing and promotional guidance in the months preceding the course. S/he handles one or more of the key presentations, is the linkage between the indoor sessions and outdoor demonstrations, and connects what is happening on the water to the classroom presentations. A continuous stream of conversation with the audience is useful and instructive. Moderators are up-to-date safety experts, experienced public speakers, and have mastery of their subjects.
Coastal Safety at Sea Course Moderator
(Any Offshore Safety at Sea Moderator can run this course)
Offshore Safety at Sea Course Moderators
 Bill Biewenga Wellfleet, MA (508) 905-0006 billbiewenga@gmail.com Bill is an accomplished inshore and offshore sailor. He has accumulated well over 400,000 sea miles including 41 transatlantic crossings, over 60 passages to and from the Caribbean via Bermuda, several TransPacs, numerous record attempts, deliveries, and races, as well as participation in 4 round the world races. He has experience as a skipper, navigator, weather analyst/router, watch captain, helmsman, deckhand, and project manager. He has sailed in the Great Lakes and virtually every ocean of the world. |
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 Mark Lenci Natick, MA (617) 515-8050 marklenci@gmail.comMark is a retired US Navy Captain. His Navy career was primarily in attack submarines and he commanded USS Houston (SSN 713). Mark has sails primarily in New England and the Canadian Maritimes and has cruised in various areas around the world. He holds various professional certifications including a USCG 100T Masters License and the RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Ocean certificate of competence. Mark has presented at multiple Safety at Sea Courses and is considered one of the best at sharing his leadership and seamanship insights. |
| Rich du Moulin Larchmont, NY (914) 834-0061 rtdumoulin@gmail.com Rich is an ex-Commodore of the Storm Trysail Club where he founded the Junior Safety at Sea program of Courses. He is an active double-handed racer and shares the Hong Kong to New York record with Rich Wilson aboard Great American II. Rich has raced in 23 Bermuda Races and many Fastnet, Sydney-Hobart, Transpac, and Transatlantic, recently on Carina with Rives Potts and their sons and friends. Rich owns and operates ships and is actively involved with international maritime safety. |
 Jonathan Kabak Portsmouth, RI (917) 309-4790 jkabak@gmail.comJonathan is an internationally recognized expert on maritime training and education and serves as Chair of Tall Ships America’s Ship Operation and Safety Committee. He holds an Unlimited STCW Endorsement and 1600/3000ton USCG Auxiliary Sail Master’s License and has sailed in command of vessels ranging from landmark tall ships to high-performance racing sailboats. Currently, he serves as CEO of Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island, where he also is captain of the 200’ Square Rigged Ship OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. His involvement with US Sailing/World Sailing Safety at Sea began in the early 2000s, and his particular interest is in sharing the universal value in the foundations of proper seamanship. |
 Chuck Hawley Santa Cruz, CA (831) 406-9132 hawley.chuck@gmail.comChuck served as the Chairman of the Safety at Sea Committee of US Sailing from 2011 to 2017 and has moderated over 80 Safety at Sea Courses in the past 20 years. He co-authored the Safety at Sea handbook, as well as being the creator of the online Safety at Sea course. He is an active sailor, having logged over 40,000 miles on a variety of sail and power craft, including six transoceanic passages. |
 Sheila McCurdy Middletown, RI (401) 847-0051 sheilamccurdy@mac.comSheila has run SAS courses in the U.S, Canada, and Bermuda for over 10 years. She has sailed the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans logging over 100,000 offshore miles on boats from 35 to 65 feet. On her 38-footer Selkie, she has skippered ten Newport Bermuda Races out of a total of 17. She holds a 100-ton master's license. She ran the National Faculty for US Sailing for 13 years and advised on safety and coaching at US Naval Academy Sailing for 20 years. She is a past commodore of the Cruising Club of America. |
 John Miller Oceanside, CA (760) 650-6901 findjohn@sailaweigh.orgJohn is a USCG MM Master 100T with Sailing Endorsement; over 45 years on the water spanning most of the United States coast, inland lakes, and waterways. He is a certified sailing instructor. Over the past 6 years, he has organized, conducted, and instructed many US Sailing Safety at Sea Seminars in SoCal certifying over 800 sailors, cruisers, racers as well as powerboaters. John is proud to work with some of the best sailors on the West Coast to deliver safety programs in SoCal; Bruce Brown, Chuck Hawley, John Jourdane, Peter Isler and Keith Kilpatrick to name a few. More recently, John was asked to become the Safety Programs Committee Chair for SCYA. He is a proud member of OYC and Transpacific Yacht Clubs. |
Bruce Brown Costa Mesa, CA (714)435-9264
Hands-on Course Moderators
| Bill Biewenga | Wellfleet, MA | (508) 905-0006 | billbiewenga@gmail.com |
| Bruce Brown | Costa Mesa, CA | (714) 435-9264 | b2brown51@att.net |
| Rich du Moulin | Larchmont, NY | (914) 834-0061 | rtdumoulin@gmail.com |
| Chuck Hawley | Santa Cruz, CA | (831) 406-9132 | hawley.chuck@gmail.com |
| Jonathan Kabak | Portsmouth, RI | (917)309-4790 | jkabak@gmail.com |
| Mark Lenci | Natick, MA | (617) 515-8050 | marklenci@gmail.com |
| Sheila McCurdy | Middletown, RI | (401) 847-0051 | sheilamccurdy@mac.com |
| John Miller | Oceanside, CA | (760) 650-6901 | findjohn@sailaweigh.org |
Ralf Steitz Treasure Island, FL (516) 423-6422 ralfsteitz@gmail.com
Ralf is the President of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Foundation, following 15 years as the USMMA director of offshore sailing activities. His experience includes America’s Cup, transoceanic races, Maxi Worlds and Farr 40 Worlds. He is the recipient of the Timothea Larr Award for excellence in sailing instruction and coaching.
Dan O’Connor Tiverton, RI (401) 835-3740 cell oconnordan@icloud.com
Dan is on the board of directors of the U.S. Marine Safety Association. He certified in Alaska as a USCG approved marine safety instructor. Dan teaches hands-on marine safety training to commercial mariners, USCG, US Navy, and public safety departments, as well as offshore racers and cruisers. Dan grew up sailing and worked for many years as a US Sailing Instructor. His offshore experience is varied and ranges from Gulf of Alaska crossings, working on offshore scallop boats, to coastal cruising with his wife and children.
