Thanks for visiting. See you in 2013!
The following are the speakers featured as part of the SailFest Seminar Series.
Capt. Thom Burns
Thom is a retired Naval Officer who came up through the ranks. He drove ships for five years and spent another three years aboard them as an enlisted sailor. After retiring at the first opportunity, in January 1992, Thom and two partners started Northern Breezes Sailing Magazine. In 1997, he added Sailing Breezes Internet Magazine.
Thom is a very experienced sailing coach and instructor. He first taught sailing in 1975 in Newport, Rhode Island at the Naval Base. He continued teaching at Great Lakes Naval Training Center on Lake Michigan and, San Diego Training Center, Coronado, CA. He began teaching sailing on Lake Minnetonka in 1993 for the now defunct Northern Maritime Institute. In 1999 he started Northern Breezes Sailing School. He soon expanded it to include everything from a Youth Day Camp for Sailing to Offshore classes on Lake Superior and the Caribbean. Northern Breezes currently offers sixteen courses in nine locations.
Thom is a Nationally Certified Instructor Evaluator for the American Sailing Association where he “trains the trainers”. He is also on the Advisory and Standards Board of the American Sailing Association. Recently, he edited the official Coastal Navigation book of the American Sailing Association written by Captain Mike Pyzel. Thom has continued his own sailing education earning Instructor Docking Endorsement, Celestial Navigation Instructor and National Facility Evaluator within the last two years.
Over the years, Thom has volunteered his time and expertise on numerous occasions. He was instrumental in launching the American Diabetes Association’s, ADA Regatta, which is a fundraiser. He served four years as the Commodore of Sailfest in Bayfield, Wisconsin.
Capt. Tony Green
Captain Tony Green has been boating since 1985, including eight years on U.S. Navy nuclear submarines. He is a Coast Guard licensed Master with Great Lakes, Sailing and Towing Endorsements. He currently teaches for Northern Breezes Sailing School on local waters, Lake Superior and the Caribbean and holds eight American Sailing Association instructor ratings, including Bareboat Chartering, Coastal and Celestial Navigation and Marine Weather. His articles have appeared in SAIL Magazine, Small Craft Advisor and Northern Breezes Sailing Magazine.
Jon Kukuk
Owner and operator of Nestegg Marine, Kukuk grew up on Lake Superior in Marquette, Michigan. When he was 10 years old he borrowed $100 from his mother to buy an aluminum boat from Sears, at 11 he put a five horsepower outboard on the transom…and he has been boating ever since.
As a young person he was in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and taught several Auxiliary courses. His parents bought their first “big” boat when he was 15, and made him “first mate” in charge of upkeep and repairs.
Jon graduated from Northern Michigan University with a degree in Industrial Design and then got a Mechanical Engineering degree from Michigan Technological University. In 1980 he moved to the Marinette/Menominee area to take a job at Marinette Marine where he became Quality Assurance Manager. He joined the M&M Power Squadron and helped teach Boating Safety classes and became Commander in 1988 and 1989.
In 1991 he had the opportunity to buy a marina, which he named Nestegg. He and his wife Sue have expanded the business in both sales and service. Jon and Sue have navigated all of the Great Lakes and have brought two boats up the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico.
Ben Miller
Ben Miller holds a BBA degree from the University of Wisconsin and is an accredited marine surveyor holding membership in the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors (SAMS). He has been surveying yachts and small craft since 2005 but has been active in the marine trades for over 30 years. Others positions he has held in the marine industry includes service as the senior paid professional crew member aboard a custom 87’ sailboat and as a Vice President with marine service company having responsibility for marina, repair service, yacht sales and charter boat operations management.
Mr. Miller is currently engaged in commercial and pleasure craft condition and value vessel and cargo surveying, vessel and cargo damage claim handling in addition to project consulting and repair oversight. While his core service territory takes him from the south shore of Lake Superior to the south side of Chicago on a regular basis, he also offers concierge service throughout the country.
