Shearwater University - Maritime Education — Local services in Anacortes

We recently bought a 55’ Ocean Alexander Pilothouse. Even though we had many years of boating experience, our insurance company required us to have at least 50 hours training from a licensed captain. We found Shearwater University at the boat show and subsequently hired Captain Phyllis Woolwine. Our experience was excellent! Captain Wooly proved to be an excellent instructor. The curriculum she provided was thorough and addressed more than what the insurance company required. She not only taught how to do things, but also why. Her enthusiasm for safe boating and education was unending. We would definitely recommend Shearwater University for your boating education needs. ...

My partner and I jumped into PNW yachting with both feet, purchasing a 50’ steel adventure trawler…first boat ever…single screw…without bow thrusters. We had zero boating experience beyond johnboats and canoes on small Midwestern lakes & rivers. This had the potential of being the worst decision we’d ever made. Phyllis was a Godsend. Her Shearwater curriculum, coupled with extensive, hands on training tailored to the characteristics of our challenging boat, gave us the knowledge, strategies and confidence to realize our dreams. We can’t say enough good things about our experience with...

We trained on a beautiful 40 foot trawler in order to get our international certification to be able to charter a power boat in Croatia. As experienced small boaters, Captain Phyllis opened our eyes to the world of handling a displacement trawler with full control. She and her team at Shearwater University are highly skilled, and well versed in every aspect of boat handling, safety, navigation, provisioning, the list goes on. You will be hard pressed to find better hands on boating education in the...