Dan Givens | Modern Sailing

Dan Givens

Instructor

Dan’s first experience sailing was on a Lido 14 with his grandfather in Oregon. On those lazy summer days, he developed a love for sailing, but never really thought about it as a full-time hobby, let alone a career.

Fast-forward to 2013, when a co-worker asked Dan to crew on a 36' X-Yacht for springtime beer-can races. Through weekly practice sessions and race events, Dan was hooked. He enrolled in classes at OCSC Sailing and worked his way through Basic Keelboat, Basic Cruising, Bareboat Cruising, and Coastal Passage-Making. Along the way, he honed his skills on various boats and charters on the San Francisco Bay. 

In 2015, Dan resigned from his career in corporate finance to pursue a life of sailing, volunteering, and traveling. By 2017, he had lived and volunteered in Chile and Thailand, he had completed his first ocean crossing between New Zealand to Fiji, and he landed a part-time job back at OCSC as a Sailing Instructor. 

With the closure of OCSC, Dan had a brief stint teaching at another sailing school in the area before returning to the Berkeley Marina to help start up and teach at Modern's Berkeley location. In early 2023, he added to his instructor credentials by becoming an American Sailing Association certified instructor. Dan is also a Cruising Powerboat Instructor with the US Powerboating affiliate of US Sailing.

Dan holds a USCG 50-ton Master License and has sailed over 10,000 ocean miles, including 7 ocean crossings in the South Pacific. He is also the owner of a J/24 in our Berkeley sportboat fleet named Midnight Run. 

You can read about his sailing, volunteering, and traveling adventures at www.dannyboytravels.com. You can also view his sailing and travel videos on his Youtube channel.  

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  • Warren Leiden, Member

    I try to get out on the water every week: out the Gate, around Angel, up Raccoon - I love it all. After 18 years as a member of OCSC in Berkeley, I learned to sail the bigger boats at Modern by taking ASA 103 and 104. My ASA 104 instructor Dave Russell was terrific. Also, Captain Bill Moreland has been very generous in giving informal advice whenever I’ve asked him. Thanks to Bill, I no longer have any anxiety about docking!

  • Jessica Zittere, Member

    The Full Moon Sail with Skipper Bob Gutsgell was Ah-Mayzing!! The group dynamic was lovely and the views spectacular. I can't say enough good things about the experience. Thanks so much for the wonderful Club Sails, they are really great.

  • Emma & George Stubbs, Sausalito

    We just took our ASA 106 at a school in Rhode Island as we prepare for 6 months of cruising in the Caribbean. The class was great, but more than anything it made us really appreciate the quality of teaching and rigor at Modern Sailing. Even though we were the newest to sailing, the group seemed to think that we had the best fundamentals. We felt very well prepared and we see why Modern Sailing has the reputation it does.

  • John Boynton

    The class was terrific. I know you must get many compliments about your sailing instructors...But I must tell you that Robert is outstanding. Having taught SCUBA, I really appreciate the way he is so sensitive to all on board, dealing with each so well, knowing quickly their strengths and weaknesses making each feel special and cared for.

  • John Kipping

    The meeting room was quite adequate and the location most convenient, but the course outline and instruction were outstanding. Modern Sailing is fortunate to have such a well organized instructor in Mr. Stan Lander who teaches very well from a rich professional background. Mr. Lander was generous with his time and patiently in helping students who needed more attention or time in understanding various aspects of the curriculum.

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Modern Sailing School & Club

Sausalito Location
2310 Marinship Way, Sausalito
(415) 331-8250
(800) 995-1668

Berkeley Location
1 Spinnaker Way, Berkeley
(415) 331-8250
(800) 995-1668

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