Instructors – Advanced Maritime Education

USCG Approved Instructor/Examiners

Our Instructors are all current, active commercial vessel operators.

Serving the boating community since 1982, Capt. Robert McCreary has sailed and piloted recreational and commercial passenger and event cruise vessels professionally since 1986. His experience includes national-level maritime education oversight, charter business administration, seminars, transportation, tourism, recreation, television, radio, corporate events, and U.S. Coast Guard captain’s licensing.

A U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton licensed captain, ASA and Red Cross certified instructor since 1986, Robert is a published educator with instructional design experience ranging from end-to-end program implementation to captain’s license training.

Previously a Coast Guard certified instructor and examiner for three USCG-approved captain’s licensing schools, Robert also served as the American Sailing Association’s National Education Coordinator, administering educational standards and instructor training to more than 300 charter yacht sailing schools and 3500 instructors worldwide. Robert was named ASA Outstanding Instructor for 2015.

Robert currently pilots commercial dining cruise vessels, skippers coastal and offshore deliveries of new yachts for dealers from Vancouver to Ensenada, serves as a yacht racing tactician and coach, presents boat show cruising and racing seminars, and is a yacht purchase and owner consultant.

Learning to sail on Oakland’s Lake Merritt in 1974, Robert has since taught small- and big-boat sailing and powerboating at all levels to adults and children up and down the West Coast and in the Rocky Mountains, founding and advising several community-based and commercial sailing schools, and programs designed for physically challenged, inner-city youth, women, and seniors

Celebrating decades of maritime education, Capt. John Beard is a 1976 graduate and Board Member of the California Maritime Academy. John served most recently for 34 years with Golden Gate Ferry as Vessel Master, including 10 years training captains as Supervising Vessel Master.

As captain of numerous private yachts on San Francisco Bay, John also holds Able Seaman (Any Waters, Unlimited), Lifeboatman, and Radar Observer Unlimited certifications.

A lifelong educator, John is a big-boat vessel handling

instructor, a certified Master golf instructor, a certified

instructor in self-defense, group exercise leader, and is

an EFT Level II in energy medicine.
John began his career at a young age in the Sea Scouts, earning the Quartermaster Award (similar to Eagle Scout). After graduating from CMA, he sailed as Third mate with the Army Corps of Engineer on Dredges, and as Third mate with Matson shipping and Lion Oil.

Skippering some of the finest yachts on San Francisco Bay and the West Coast, Capt. Richard Foregger has more than 15 years’ experience as a professional boathandler and instructor.

Richard is a gifted educator with hundreds of hours of class-
room and on-the-water powerboat instruction and charters.
Richard currently operates commercial cruise vessels for
Commodore Event Cruises and Mariposa Yacht Charters,
with interim duties aboard private yachts.

Richard is originally from the Seattle/Puget Sound area and
began his professional boating career instructing
powerboating and sailing for Club Nautique while operating
his own enterprise in the film industry.

Designing and delivering effective, professional-level maritime learning experiences, Capt. Joan Gilmore is a published educator and boathandler with a Master’s degree in Adult Learning Styles.

Joan’s experience includes national-level marine
education administration as the American Sailing
Association National Education Coordinator and
Instructor Evaluator with years operating her own
“outside the box” learning programs.

Joan presents numerous sailing and boating
seminars around the country and the British Virgin
Islands. Joan is also the author of many articles and
cover feature stories in national sailing publications.

Joan has been sailing and piloting on the Great Lakes, the West Coast and Lake Powell professionally as an instructor, charter captain and towboat operator for more than 20 years. In addition to her outside endeavors, Joan currently owns and operates Sail Away Sailing School in Minneapolis, M