Meet The Explorers Guide Team

Captain David holds a Master 200Ton Near Coastal License, Able Bodied Seaman Unlimited  endorsement, and Assistance Tow endorsement.  David is an accomplished mariner and USCG Veteran.  He is the Captain on boats up to 200ft  in length. He is the owner and lead instructor in for Explorers Guide Maritime Academy Midwest. 

Captain Gary is the founder of Explorer’s Guide Maritime Academy and course developer. He is one of the founding members of the Maritime Education Standards Council and is currently its acting Vice President. Gary holds a teaching license from the State of Wisconsin, and is a former sailing instructor with American Sailing Association and a trained scuba diver. He lives in Appleton, Wisconsin.

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Captain Phil lives in Grass Valley, California and comes to Explorer’s Guide maintaining USCG licenses OUPV Near Coastal and Masters 50 Ton Near Coastal with Towing Endorsement. He is a retired Deputy Sheriff with Nevada County Sheriff’s Department, and worked eight years as Boating Safety Officer with the Sheriff’s department. Captain Phil teaches the Explorer’s Guide Maritime Training captain’s classes in California.

Captain Bruce holds a BS in Education and a BSBA in Marketing, a 200 Ton Domestic and 500 Ton International Masters Captains’ Licenses, as well as many endorsements. His teaching experience includes 18 years as a grade school teacher, a martial arts instructor, and former chief sailing instructor for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. He is proficient in Survival Craft, Marlinspike Seamanship, is certified as a scuba diver, and YMCA Life Guard. He is the owner-operator of Friendly Sailing Charter www.friendlycharters.com in Door County, Wisconsin.  

CAPT. Ken Spiro, Instructor

Captain Ken holds a USCG Master 200 ton, Ocean credential with endorsements for Towing Assistance and Sailing.  A 27 year Navy veteran, he has driven numerous boats and ships including the 505 foot Arleigh Burke destroyer he commanded.  In addition to teaching Explorer’s Guide Maritime Academy courses for captains in the Mid-Atlantic area, Captain Ken is a certified US Power Boat and National Safe Boating Council instructor.  He is a marine surveyor and is an American Boat and Yacht Council certified marine standards advisor.  He has been inducted into the Chapman School of Seamanship chapter of Alpha Beta Kappa for excellence in the maritime arts.  He is the owner of A to Z Marine Captain Services, LLC.

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Captain Patrick is a former IT Director who at retirement decided to take on the job he’d waited for over 35 years to undertake – driving someone else’s boat for a change!!!  Growing up on the water and since his earliest memories, he’s been working either on, in or under the water.
Patrick is an OUPV with master 25-ton upgrade with towing, AB certified, RADAR observer certified, PADI OWSI Gold SCUBA Instructor and a 35-year National Ski Patrol first responder.
Patrick currently assists the Door County Maritime Museum conducting Historic Waterfront tours in Sturgeon Bay aboard the refurbished NAVY UB40  liberty launch Gratitude.  In his free time, he volunteers with the former military veterans group Patriot Racing Program as crew on their two classic tall ships in Door County. 

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