Nick started sailing on the pristine waters of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. at the tender age of 6. When he was 8 years old, his dad “accidentally” forgot to tie off their Sailfish’s bow to the dock and watched young Nick get blown away, left to his own devices to return (spoiler: he made it back). In college Nick stumbled on a “free” Cal 20 before upgrading to a Cal 36 for a trip from LA to Houston via the Panama Canal. Upon arrival in Houston to begin work for Dow Chemical, Nick swore he was done with long ocean trips and sold his Cal 36, marking the last time he ever went sailing ever again…. until one year later when he bought a Cal 39, moved aboard, and prepared her over the next year and a half for a trip back to San Fransisco via the Virgin Islands and Panama Canal. Upon arrival in San Fransisco, Nick again swore he was done with long ocean trips for real this time, sold his Cal 39, and hasn’t bought another boat since, marking this as his longest time out of sailboat ownership since the disease began in 2011. He credits joining Spinnaker as an instructor in 2017 (which allowed him to sail without buying a boat) with his long stretch of success and encourages others to get similar help, though does admit that he currently has multiple bookmarks for various boat broker websites on his computer.
Qualifications & ASA Instructor certifications:
Basic Keelboat Sailing ASA 101
Basic Coastal Cruising ASA 103
Bareboat Cruising ASA 104
Coastal Navigation ASA 105
US Coast Guard License 50 ton captain’s license