On-The-Water Instructors

Diane DeWitte

Diane began her boating and sailing actives on the Finger Lakes of Upstate New York. At the age of 7 Diane was helping her big brother build their first Sailboat in their garage and at 23 she made her first offshore cruise from Fiji to Sydney, Australia and decided to make sailing (her passion) her work. Since then Diane has cruised the South Pacific, Asia from Indonesia through the South China Seas, and up the Malacca Straits to Thailand.

After spending a year working for Annapolis Sailing School in Maryland, she found her way back to the West Coast and is now teaching and delivering boats up and down the coast from Baja, Mexico to Seattle, WA. She is an Advanced American Sailing Instructor, a US Sailing Certified Bareboat Instructor, and PADI Dive Master.

Debbie Dunne

In 1994 Debbie Dunne started at OCC by teaching and coordinating the At Risk Youth Sailing Program. Since then, she has taught Lidos, Shields, Keelboat and Racing classes.

Her love of sailing started at an early age in Newport Harbor. At age 15 she began teaching and racing at the Boy Scout Sea Base and was a sea explorer for ten years. After that she worked for various charter companies in Newport and San Francisco Bay. “Sailing, for me, is a total blast. Being able to teach an incredible sport in such a beautiful setting is a great bonus.”

Debbie holds a 50 ton U.S. Coast Guard captain’s license as well as a U.S. Sailing Small Boat certification and Basic Keelboat certification.

Debora Robinson

Marc Hughston

Colleen Harber

Colleen harber

Growing up in Southern California and spending many summers vacationing in the western United States with her family, she appreciates the outdoors. She has worked in the business environment for over 10 years, as a private & public accountant, OC Deputy Bus. Property Auditor & Appraiser, an agricultural financial analyst and a few other key roles; she understands working with a variety of personalities and the difficulties professionals encounter when endeavoring to master a new sport.

She has been a part of the OCC SS&S team since 2002 when she was an instructor with the Jr. Summer Sailing Camp Team. In 2004 she headed up the Team as Jr. Summer Sailing Camp Lead Instructor. Prior to these roles she began as a Lido I volunteer assistant. Colleen also provides maintenance and office help when the needs arise.

Quality of life isn’t complete without being part of the Sailing Center on a regular basis. She looks forward to continuing to be a part of building our programs, interacting with the community, & sharing her love and excitement of Newport Harbor & the boating environment.

Jim Jorgensen

Brian Kfoury

I came from a sailing family which cruised Long Island Sound with me aboard as a toddler. I began sailing on my own in Newport Harbor at the age of nine in sabots and kites. At eleven I trained as a race skipper with three other kids on the same shields I know teach on. My sabot teacher set up a “grudge” match against other instructors in Newport Harbor and their kids. Every summer I sailed with my family to Catalina (1-2 weeks there with a family of six on a Santana 22).

Later I was involved with the Sea Scouting Program, and learned square-rigger sailing aboard the “Argus.” I won the National Scouting Sailing Championship sailing in Lido 14s, 420s and FJs as I finished high school with a summer job demonstrating Sol Cats for a boat dealer. Later I graduated from the California Maritime Academy in 1980 with a Third Mate Unlimited Tonnage license for power vessels as well as a 100 ton Master of Sail Oceans License.

I sailed the deep sea on tankers and container ships. Later I began instructing sailing and navigation in Newport Beach, and working as a yacht skipper for private owners, charter clubs and the “Argus”. I have instructed at OCC for eight years now, including skippering the Alaska Eagle over seas. I most enjoy seeing students that started in my entry level classes show up on Alaska Eagle as crew in some far off part of the world.

Garrett Laudenback

Kirk Schuler

Karen Prioleau

Robert Profeta

Ernie Schultz

Anne Marie Thompson

Jack Patterson

Captain Patterson is a retired US Coast Guard Captain with over 30 years of maritime operations and training, coastal and celestial navigation, shiphandling and merchant marine safety experience. During 27 years of active duty with the US Coast Guard, he served on several CG cutters as navigator, underway watch officer and Commanding Officer, USCGC Morris, San Pedro, CA. He also has significant experience in the marine safety field, having been Commanding Officer, Marine Safety Office Portland, OR involved with merchant vessel inspections, marine casualty investigations, merchant mariner license processing, oil spill containment and hazardous material handling. Currently, he is an active delivery captain for yachts along the West Coast of the US, Mexico and Central America.

Rich & Sheri Crowe

Rich and Sheri Crowe

Since Rich and Sheri first sailed aboard Alaska Eagle from England to California in 1982, they have been aboard as skipper and mate for the majority of every Orange Coast College voyage she has done. Combined, Rich and Sheri have sailed more than 550,000 miles, including three Atlantic crossings, more than 30 crossings between Hawaii and the West Coast, 13 equator crossings, and many miles through the South Pacific between Tahiti and Australia. In between, Rich and Sheri built two boats, virtually by themselves. In the first boat, a Farr 44 named Confetti, they circumnavigated South America. Their next boat was a 54 foot aluminum sloop named Polar Mist, in which they voyaged from California to Antarctica and back.

Rich and Sheri enjoy sharing their extraordinary knowledge with others. Rich can fix anything (and has) on a boat. He has taught many nautical skills, and enjoys showing sailors how easy it is to learn celestial navigation. Sheri is an expert in preparing for cruising, from provisioning to spare parts to sail selection. Rich and Sheri live life to the fullest, enjoy sharing the adventure, and always look forward to new destinations. With a complete knowledge of boat building, navigation and offshore sailing, along with a high regard for safety, Rich and Sheri are a great leadership team aboard Alaska Eagle.

Licenses held:

USCG Master Open Oceans
STCW International
Yacht Master Offshore (RYA/DOT)
US Sailing Keelboat Instructor
Marine Radio Operator (FCC)
Certified Divers NAUI
Amateur Radio License