Professional Captains

Someone wise once said "you are known by the company you keep". Pinnacle is honored to keep company with USCG Licensed Captains that are the best in the business. Deeply skilled mariners that are highly educated with remarkable career and life experiences; and inviting personalities.

Each of our Professional Captains have had vast time at sea and undergo rigorous screening and testing by the United States Coast Guard to achieve and maintain their Master license.

Every course offered by Pinnacle Yachts is taught exclusively by these highly skilled USCG Licensed Captains. Using Pinnacle's renowned curriculum, they deliver top-quality instruction in a way that builds skill and confidence.

Our Professional Captains are also available for hire directly by Pinnacle Members to assist with operating the yacht so that the member can focus on entertaining business associates, friends and family. Pinnacle Professional Captains are wonderful people that make your yachting event truly special and help you shine as the host.

Captain Randall Smith
USCG Licensed Master

Pinnacle Founder Randall Smith leads and is the principal architect of our sailing, powerboat and navigation training programs. Randy has extensive on-the-water experience having sailed Lake Michigan, the Chesapeake Bay, the Caribbean, the Ionian Sea of Greece and the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. He has completed extensive formal studies as a student and instructor with the Annapolis School of Seamanship, the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, the US Power Squadron and the American Sailing Association. Randy formerly was COO of a medical products company and a management consultant at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture). Randy holds a BS in Engineering from Northwestern University.

Captain BJ
USCG Licensed Master

The "Ever-Charming" Captain BJ is graceful and articulate - and one heck of a serious mariner. Few people can handle a yacht like her in any conditions due to her extensive off-shore experience. She has also instructed at Womanship, a highly regarded east coast school dedicated to teaching woman to sail. Her career as a National Account Manager to a Fortune 250 company gave her the opportunity to travel the country and expand her sailing expertise to the San Juan Islands, Chesapeake and Long Island Sound. She summers in Chicago teaching on sail and powerboats, and spends winters teaching yoga and traveling the globe. BJ holds a MA in Psychology from DePaul University

Captain Mayre
USCG Licensed Master

A consummate professional, Captain Mayre is a wonderful, patient teacher and highly skilled sailor. Her students often comment to management about their delight with her teaching. Mayre's interesting resume includes a stint as a country singer in New York City in the 70s, and most recently as an adjunct professor in writing. She lives along the southern shore of Lake Michigan with her menagerie of pets. Mayre holds a BA from Depauw University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Captain Claudia
USCG Licensed Master

"Beloved" is the most fitting word to describe Claudia as a sailing instructor. Her students rave about her energetic style and great passion for the water. Claudia's extensive skills have been honed by years of race experience, having completed many prestigious regattas including twenty-three Chicago to Mackinac Island races and the infamous blue-water Newport to Bermuda race. She winters on her 63 foot yacht “BAY” in Ft. Myers, Florida. Claudia holds a BS in Marketing from Southern Illinois University.

Captain Pat
USCG Licensed Master

Pinnacle Founder Gary Feracota has said "If I were in a storm on the North Atlantic in January with my wife and kids, and could have only one person with me, it would be Pat... He is the best mariner I have ever known." Vastly experienced, steady, brave and an absolute gentleman. Pat led a distinguished career in law enforcement and specialized as a narcotics agent.

Captain Rich
USCG Licensed Master

Growing up on Long Island Sound, Rich was drawn to offshore sailing. It was this great enthusiasm for the sea that led him to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and later to serve with the Coast Guard. A twenty year corporate career followed, and now in addition to his commitment to Pinnacle Yachts, Rich is a dedicated middle-school math teacher and athletic coach. He owns a fine sailboat in Chicago, vacations on his second boat in Florida, and frequently sails the blue waters of the Caribbean. Rich holds a BS in Ocean Engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, an MS in Education from Lewis University, and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

Captain Dave
USCG Licensed Master

Dave has been following his passion for connecting people with the water by working in the charter and tour boat industry for more than fifteen years. He has held USCG Captain positions with some of the most prestigious large ships in Chicago and Key West. Using his love of Chicago architecture and history, Dave is known for creating informative and memorable on-the-water experiences. He also has a reputation as very thorough and patient instructor. Dave holds a BS in Financial Management from DePaul University.

Captain Leo
USCG Licensed Master

Leo is an insightful mariner that enjoys sharing the knowledge he has amassed over his thirty-five years on the water. He has sailed extensively on both coasts, the Chesapeake, the Great Lakes, and has delivered yachts to the Caribbean via Bermuda, and has participated in six Chicago to Mackinac Island races. Leo has also owned several power and sailing yachts. He enjoys the water year-round providing sail and powerboat instruction, and captain services in the north during summer; and yacht deliveries in the south during winter. Leo holds a BA in Economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Captain Robert
USCG Licensed Master

Enjoying the wind from a yacht or on a motorcycle, Robert embraces the outdoors. After many years of powerboat ownership, he began sailing in San Francisco Bay in 1979, and then purchased his own sailboat to cruise the great lakes. He has sailed the San Juan Islands and is also a skilled sailboat racer. Robert had a distinguished career in law enforcement, which culminated as the head of the Illinois State drug enforcement program. He dedicated many years as a community leader, serving as Alderman and Mayor in the Northwest Suburbs. Robert holds a BS from DePaul University.

Captain Mitch
USCG Licensed Master

Mitch has explored the waters of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines, has sailed both coasts of the U.S., and is an avid outdoorsman and licensed pilot. He has served as managing partner of a private equity firm and was a management consultant at major firm in Chicago. Mitch has a friendly, attentive style that fits very well with those new to sailing. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Captain Eddie
USCG Licensed Master

A sailor and saxophone player, Captain Eddie is an artist on the water and on the stage. His love of sailing shows in the classic yacht he has beautifully restored with much skill and attention to detail. He was a highly regarded sailing instructor for the skipjack adult sailing program at Columbia Yacht Club. He has raced in many Chicago to Mackinac Island and other port-to-port races. He is also a talented saxophonist and professional bandleader playing most recently with his band “Paris Swing”. Eddie holds a BA from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Captain Larry
USCG Licensed Master

Larry is a recognized “voice of the mariner” in the development Chicago’s waterway safety initiatives. He is a former president of the International Ship Masters’ Association, Chicago, and was a member of the USCG Ports and Waterways Safety Assessment Taskforce for Chicago. The Chicago Riverwalk Expansion Project values Larry’s participation and contributions as a caring river safety activist. For many years he has captained tour boats on Chicago’s river and lakefront. An executive vice president, Larry had a very successful career in the reimaging of major global brands. He is a highly knowledge mariner, superb instructor and absolute gentlemen. Larry holds a BS from The Ohio State University in Industrial Design.

Captain Tom
USCG Licensed Master

Tom takes to the air by plane and yacht as a skilled pilot and mariner. He cherishes sharing his deep knowledge of sailing with others, and does so with a reassuring style that builds skill and confidence in his students. Following a distinguished professional career in finance, his wish now is to catch the wind — with a smile. Tom holds an MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and BA in Economics from Northwestern.

Captain Jim
USCG Licensed Master

With 30 years of sailing experience on the Eastern Seaboard, Chesapeake Bay, Great Lakes, Caribbean, and French Polynesia, and three transatlantic ocean crossings, Jim has quite literally traveled the world in a sailboat. He also has formal training as a student and instructor with the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, the US Power Squadron and the American Sailing Association. As far reaching and prestigious as his sailing resume is, Jim is know for his and relaxed but comprehensive style of teaching. Jim holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Missouri School of Mines and an MBA from Gannon College.