Eric Partika | Modern Sailing

Eric Partika

Instructor

Eric has been navigating the waters of the San Francisco Bay for 18 years. Though he previously owned cruising sailboats in Emeryville and Sausalito, he joined Modern Sailing in 2017 to prioritize professional development and community. Since then, he has completed the vast majority of his formal training directly through the club.

Eric currently splits his time between the Bay Area and Tuscany. This dual residency allows him to enjoy a unique balance of sailing environments, from navigating the challenging and technical conditions of the San Francisco Bay to exploring the scenic Mediterranean waters.

A certified instructor since 2021, Eric teaches ASA 101, 103, 104, 114, and 118. He also holds a USCG Captain’s License for OUPV. His maritime experience extends far beyond the Golden Gate, as he has led group destination sails in world-class locales including the British Virgin Islands, Croatia, Corfu, the Italian Riviera, the Aeolian Islands, the Balearic Islands, and the Tuscan coast.

Eric is passionate about sharing the lessons he has learned with club members. Whether he is coaching students through tricky docking maneuvers or helping them plan offshore passages, his goal remains the same: to foster a lifelong love for sailing and help others build the confidence to helm their own adventures. 

Eric says, "I hope to foster other people’s interest for sailing and offer up any knowledge I have gained over the years. Hope to meet you on the water some day!”

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  • Mike, Santa Rosa, California

    All of the courses and my instructors (JT and Stan) were extremely professional and full of knowledge and experience. I found I was able to learn from their experiences beyond the scope of the courses, and look forward to future opportunities to do so. I would highly recommend Modern Sailing to anyone.

  • 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.

  • Sara Jane G.

    I've taken two classes at MSS&C and was very happy with the program. This is also a great club with lots of opportunities for camaraderie and practice on the water. The boats in the fleet are fantastic and kept in tip-top shape. I highly recommend for all sailors and would-be sailors!

  • John Clark

    Every aspect of Modern Sailing - training, syllabus, course materials, quality of the boats, quality of the instructors, and the very friendly and helpful staff - exceeded my expectations. Modern Sailing has a first class sailing program in an environment with challenging winds and currents. I look forward to coming back to charter a boat and certainly plan to continue my sailing training.

  • 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!

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