Steve Matles | Modern Sailing

Steve Matles

Instructor

Steve began sailing as a summer camper at age ten. At 15 he had a 19-foot Flying Scot sailboat on the reservoirs of Oklahoma. In 1981 he moved to Reno, NV and began his teaching career at Lake Tahoe, then working for Modern Sailing while on a job assignment in San Rafael. Steve holds a US Coast Guard 100 Ton license with Sailing endorsement.  As an ASA instructor, he is qualified to teach almost all courses up to ASA 106, Advanced Coastal Cruising. Additionally, Steve holds a Royal Yachting Association Yachtmaster-Offshore certificate. His log has passages on Lake Superior, Gulf of Mexico, California Coast, Caribbean, Scotland and England. He recently crossed the English Channel.   Steve is a retired Healthcare Safety Officer and Disaster Manager. “I might be slightly risk-adverse,” he tells his students as he emphasizes the need for safety in all aspects of sailing. However, “I want to create a safe-space for students to allow them to make mistakes so they can learn first-hand. Direct experience is a great teacher.” 

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  • Andrew Goble, San Francisco

    It has been wonderful sailing with MSC over the years. Please extend my thanks to the owners, management, and staff for unrequited professionalism and high standards in a charter fleet. I have sailed with several in my years and none nearly hold a candle to the quality of business and staff at Modern Sailing.

  • 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.

  • Danny Collins

    The office staff was very accommodating in meeting my availability.

  • 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.

  • Steve Hood, Basic Coastal Cruising

    I would definitely recommend Modern Sailing to anyone who is interested in learning to sail the right way.

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