After several years of owning a 53’ yacht, my wife decided she wanted to become proficient in close quarter maneuvering. She got in touch with Jack after a great recommendation from a previous customer.
On relatively short notice Jack was able to squeeze us into his schedule for 2 days of training. We couldn’t be more pleased with how Jack went about providing not only actual underway hands on training but also the theory behind it.
Each day began with detailed explanations and documentation of the whys behind each aspect of what she was going to do each day.
His calm professional demeanor and gentle manner put my wife at ease in handling a large single engine trawler. There were many “touch and go’s” in a very busy and tight marina on top of windy conditions on the first day and with each one I could see her confidence growing. We also spent general underway time in open water and drilled chart reading, anchoring, man overboard situations and more. She became much more proficient in these situations.
Jack placed special emphasis on safety and teamwork during our time and I believe we came away from it as a much better team. When we left the marina for the final time on our way to Alaska, she took us out like a pro, calm and confident while also working through strong tides and heavy commercial traffic once out of the marina.
While the training was primarily for my wife, Jack gave us many things to think about as we continue to develop our cruising skills.
Ive been running boats since I was young and learned different ways to think about situations that I will put to use.
We couldn’t be more pleased with what we learned from our time with Jack, aside from his professionalism, he’s just plain a great guy to be on the water with. We recommend his service very highly, you will come away a better mariner.
Russ & Missie Low
MV Melissa Lynn
We decided to move our 45 foot Selene (the Snow Goose) from Anacortes to San Diego. I had the great fortune of finding Captain Jack De Friel to captain the voyage. He picked up and delivered our boat slip to slip in 8 days (it cruises at about 8 knots). The cost was 1/2 the cost of sea transport. Jack was a delight to deal with at all times. He had Garmin satellite tracking, so we could follow our boats progress on our computer. Jack is fastidious . He and his crew treated our boat as if it were his own. I would rate him 10/10 and would highly recommend him to anyone who needs a captain.
"We just returned from dinner and discussed how much we enjoyed our time with you and what a great experience it was. This can be fairly stressful and you make it enjoyable. It was a very thorough course. We have been married for 34 years and boating is something we love, but never really learn it the proper way. We feel like we have set some great foundations we can expand and become more proficient. These last 2 days were great.
If you ever need a reference, we will put in a great word for you.
Thanks again Jack.
Bob & Susan
I recently purchased a 38' Bayliner, and I had no experience operating a boat larger than 24'. I met Captain Jack at 9:00AM on the day of instruction. He began by
reviewing with me what he would cover and why, as well as asking if I had
other concerns or requirements. We started at the bow and he methodically
and patiently introduced me to every mechanical and electrical component of
the boat from "stem to stern". He is extremely knowledgeable on all of the
boat systems including the motors, electrical systems, generator, pumps,
bilges, safety, and navigation equipment. He was absolutely amazing! His
patience and thoroughness of instruction was flawless. By 12:30 we had
covered every piece of equipment, its purpose, and it's operation.
We then had a quick lunch break and then returned to the boat for the second
part of the instruction which was to operate the boat on the water. During
this "hands on experience", he was again very patient and thorough. We
covered operating safety procedures, weather preparation, leaving the dock,
on the water rules and operation, anchoring, and docking. He had me make
multiple "touch and go's", including actual docking and securing procedures.
When we completed those, he had me do it again and again until I felt
extremely confident in the operation of the boat. When we had completed the
"hands on" portion of operating the boat, he then spent considerable time
reviewing everything we had done and answering my questions.
Regards,
Andy Andersen
I wanted to drop you all a note and let you know that I'm back in Seattle, safely! Depending on your view, the trip could not have gone better, in my opinion. We had smooth seas on the Columbia, little more rough running up to Gray's Harbor, really rough running from Gray's harbor to Neah Bay and then smooth the rest of the way in. A nice dose of all conditions to maximize my familiarity with the boat and how it handles in different conditions. We ran daylight hours, with the exception of about an hour of darkness pulling into Neah bay. We had to change out filters 3 times due to the upsetting of the sediment on the bottom of the fuel tanks clogging up the filters. I was thrilled that Captain Jack had me pick up a bunch of extras before the trip. We had a quick surprise with an accelerator cable popping off, but was easily remedied once found. All, I consider great opportunities for learning.
Besides reporting a safe journey, I'm sending this note as the strongest endorsement I can comprehend for Captain Jack De Friel. I was drawn to Jack initially because he lives in Kirkland, WA…had a 3888 Bayliner as his personal craft and was very responsive and professional in our upfront discussions. After spending three days with Jack on the boat, I can honestly say that I wouldn't have wanted any other Captain. From his guidance on up front preparation, to his teaching methods along the way, to his "MacGyver" like solutions to some of our problems along the way, Jack was simply awesome! As a boat owner hiring a Captain for the first time, I was expecting to feel like a pain in the butt…a thorn in his side on a boat move. I never felt this way at all. He seemed to embrace the opportunity to educate a new boat owner with passion and showed me everything from boater safety, navigation, how the on-board electronics worked, what fed what from a power source, the different options and operation for waste disposal, how to change out filters, what to watch for on the engines, how to negotiate fuel pricing at the docks, etc.. He even took the time to stop at a pump out station to show me how to pump out, then refilled the tanks a couple times and re-pumped them out to make sure we maximized the clean out. Shoot, I got up Saturday morning at 6:30 and he already had a bucket and brush and had scrubbed down the whole boat. I simply couldn't have been more impressed.
I know you guys sell lots of boats/yachts and are often needing a Captain for just this sort of situation. This is your guy!!
Thanks all for everything you've done to get us to the finish line. I look forward to crossing paths again.
Cheers, Tom Gocke
Global Vice President – OGIO Golf
Twice in February 2014 our 30,000 pound Meridian 459 yacht needed to be moved from Puget Sound through the Seattle Locks for marine work and repair to the bow thruster. The weather was less than ideal. Transit through the locks involved heavy commercial traffic. Although both my wife and I are experienced boaters and have owned sailboats and power boats, we relied on Captains Jack and Mary De Friel for their seamanship and professional guidance during this transit. They were Excellent. They were Instructive. They were very congenial. Our passage was safe. Afterward, my wife and I agreed that this was the best lock transit we had ever done. We will definitely rely on the De Friels again.
Captain Rich Hurst
United States Navy. ret
“Captain Jack did a phenomenal job at delivering our 40 foot sailing catamaran from Puget Sound to San Francisco. He and his crew were extremely professional, very focused on safety and a pleasure to travel with. I highly recommend Jack”
Trevor McCaw
One of the things we have always enjoyed abut cruising and racing is the constantly changing mix of wing, wave, boats, and crew. No two situations are ever exactly alike, and the learning experience never stops. There is always a new combination of seagoing skills to be used on the next wave.
"Bluewater Handbook"
Steve & Linda Dashew