Hire a Captain

Want to take out family and friends on your boat?  Let me be responsible for the day’s operations while you relax and enjoy the day with your guests.

I provide captain services to private and commercial vessel owners and operators in the San Francisco Bay Area.  I am available as master for special charters as well as repetitive scheduled services with an extreme eye to safety, efficiency, and professionalism.

You can be assured that you are getting the highest level of operational and customer service expertise available on the Bay.

Bareboat (Demise) Charter Captain Services

Bareboat or “demise” charters are very common on San Francisco Bay and around the world, and are characterized by the operation of the chartered vessel solely being the responsibility of the charterer.  The owner or owner’s representative cannot be aboard.  For those instances where you might prefer a more experienced captain aboard, you can hire me for operation of the vessel.

Bareboat charters are limited by regulation to a maximum of twelve passengers.  This does not include the individual designated as the charterer nor the crew that might be hired by you.

Make SURE you are chartering a legally operated bareboat vessel.  If the charter company is supplying its own captain then it is NOT operating legally, regardless of the vessel size.  The Coast Guard is VERY particular about charter vessels – this USCG Charter Brochure is a great summary of the differences between a bareboat charter vs. passenger vessels.

Uninspected Passenger Vessels

A vessel is considered an uninspected passenger vessel (UPV) when it is operated by the vessel’s owner or a captain designated by the owner.  In these cases, a UPV can carry up to six passengers if under 100 Gross Register Tons, and up to twelve passengers if between 100 and 300 GRT.

Inspected Passenger Vessels

I also provide master services for inspected passenger vessels up to 200 gross register tons, for all sorts of events – birthdays, anniversaries, corporate events, weddings, and more.  Yes, I’m also ordained and can officiate weddings too!

Risk Management

Evaluating risk for both day-to-day operations as well as planning for voyages and one-off charters are critical to ensure safety and efficient operations.  I provide guidance for both private and commercial operators regarding how you evaluate risk and how those methodologies are managed in your current policies and procedures.  This includes standard practices of bridge resource management, team communication and coordination, standardized commands, go / no-go guidelines, and more.  While this may seem as applicable to only large vessel operators, even the smallest sailboat owner benefits from a standardized approach to managing risk.

Operations Management

For both new and established operators, having rigorous and thorough operational policies and procedures is absolutely necessary to safe and profitable operations.  I will review your existing operations and will develop new or revised operational procedures for single vessels and multi-vessel fleets to comply with U.S. Coast Guard requirements.