Our Skippers
Our proven skippers are qualified to either or both of the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean or Offshore standards. They have global experience - including high latitudes both north and south - and are ready to help. Several are RYA-endorsed instructors, and are also ready to teach!
Chris Connor
Master Mariner
Global deliveries, instruction.
Captain Chris Connor is an Ocean's qualified RYA Yachtmaster Instructor & Examiner for both power and sail. Additionally, Chris holds a Master (Unlimited) STCW95 license and has been a Master Mariner since 1992. He makes his living as a Master Mariner aboard some of the world’s largest commercial vessels, and as an instructor, examiner, and captain in the yachting industry.
Chris teaches sailing and navigation through his company In Slocum’s Wake.
Dave Dewolfe
RYA Ocean Instructor
Global deliveries, instruction.
Dave DeWolfe is an RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Instructor and Yachtmaster Examiner in the RYA Cruising program and has a commercially endorsed RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Ocean certificate. As well, Dave is a RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Examiner. He was awarded the 2011 Male Sailor of the year by the Nova Scotia Yachting Association.
Learn more about Dave at his own website: Discovery Sailing.
Grant Redvers
RYA Ocean
High latitude specialist, Pacific.
Grant is an RYA Ocean Yachtmaster and a uniquely qualified polar sailor. He was the Captain of Arctic Tern I in 2012, 2013 and 2014 and is currently based in Canada's high Arctic. Since the early 2000s, Grant has devoted himself to polar sailing and exploration. These projects have ranged from Antarctica to the Arctic and have included climbing, glaciology, science, research, natural history and adventure. Grant holds a Master’s degree in environmental science and has worked as a scientist in New Zealand and at Scott Base in Antarctica. He was the Captain of Tara during her two in-ice voyages across the northern polar icecap.
Grant's polar work is operated through his company Ice Navigators.
Scott McDougall
RYA Offshore
Global deliveries, Managing Director.
Scott is an RYA Offshore endorsed skipper and a lifelong sailor and navigator. He has worked as skipper or mate aboard boats ranging from an 85' brigantine to a 30' sloop (on which he completed a two-handed trans-Atlantic). Scott has owned and operated a charter boat in the British Virgin Islands, and recently has sailed in the Arctic aboard Arctic Tern I. Most recently, he sailed from Toronto - Victoria via the Northwest Passage as Expedition Manager aboard Canada C3. (Aboard a much smaller boat he completed the first circumnavigation under sail of the "Eye of Québec".)
Scott manages the business side of SmoothPassages.com and consults through his business Brentwood SRI Inc.