Lou Bruska has been a sailor for fifty years. He and his wife, Laurel, bought their first boat in 1978, and started racing. Since 2003 they've been cruising on their Catalina 36 out of Holland, MI.

Dave has been sailing for over 50 years and currently lives near Midland, Ontario. Since 1990, Dave and his wife have cruised Lakes Huron, Erie and Superior, and have gained considerable knowledge of Georgian Bay, the North Channel and Lake Superior.

Charlie Ellins lives on the Trent-Severn Waterway on Lake Couchiching near Orillia, Ontario. He has spent his summers on the Waterway since the 1950's. Charlie enjoys cruising the Trent Severn Waterway aboard his Sea Ray 34 named "Lady Lou"

As a teenager Mark Gagyi learned sailing on small lakes in southwest Ohio. Much latter when he and his family moved next to Lake Erie, the lure of that deep water was too much. They soon bought their first keel boat and never looked back. Since then Mark has logged thousands of miles exploring his home lake and our four other wonderful Great Lakes

Ken is a Sail Canada Advanced Cruising instructor and holds the RYA Yachtmaster Offshore certification. Ken and Carol conduct sail training adventures on their custom designed/built aluminum cutter, Voyageur 10.10. Combined, they have logged over 200,000 miles. During the past 18 years they have presented hundreds of seminars on boating related topics. These seminars encourage would-be cruisers to pursue their cruising goals. First-hand experience and practical approach help you take your cruising goals from a “dream” to “reality”. Their “Safety-first” mind set will steer you away from some of the more common pitfalls. You, too, can enjoy safe and memorable cruising adventures on the Great Lakes! You can check out their adventures and sailing courses at www.voyageursailing.com

Deb and Mike Hervey, with both sail and power experience as well as being both GLCC and AGLCA members, began their Great Loop travels in 2016. They received the Admiral Bayfield Award from the GLCC in 2023 for cruising all five of the Great Lakes. Hop aboard as they share their loop experience and planning.

In 2024 Lucy Hick was the acting Great Lakes Manager for NOAA's Office of Coast Survey.

Having taken up sailing as a retirement hobby, Rob and his wife, Kelly, enjoy cruising the Great Lakes on their Hunter Legend 40.5, S.V. Windshadow. Typically, they splash in June and return in September. During breaks in cruising, you might find Windshadow tied to a mooring ball in her home port of Presque Isle harbor, where Rob and Kelly serve as GLCC Port Captains. The couple also have experience on the Eastern U.S. coast, the ICW and the Caribbean. Kelly and Rob are now in their 10th season aboard Windshadow and are excited to share their experiences cruising the Great Lakes.

Larry Hunter-Blank has cruised more than 12,500 miles over the course of the last 25 years, aboard QE II, in his Catalina 380. While he lives with his wife, Elizabeth - QE I - in Kansas City, they sail out of Chicago where most of their sailing has been on Lake Michigan. In 2023 he and Elizabeth embarked upon a journey that took them from Chicago to Rochester, NY primarily along the US shoreline of Lake Huron and Lake Erie before circumnavigating Lake Ontario. They wintered their boat in Rochester, NY.

Dee cruises extensively in the Great Lakes and is an active member of the GLCC. Dee holds a USCG 50 GRT Masters License, is a certified ASA Instructor and is a Vessel Safety Examiner for the Grand Traverse Sail and Power Squadron.

Returning for the 2025/26 season, Ric is bringing to the GLCC School a series of knowledgeable, energetic and passionate webinars about Great Lakes history. We think you will agree he's mastered how to engage viewers remotely with his enthusiasm and exclusive interviews and video.

Craig Murchison is a retired Dow Chemical Research Fellow and Past Commodore of the Saginaw Bay Yacht Club. He is also active in the Saginaw Bay Power Squadron and serves as GLCC Port Captain for Tawas Bay and Port Austin, on the shores of Lake Huron. Craig and his wife, Pamela, have extensively cruised the Great Lakes, in particular Lake Huron and it's adjoining North Channel and Georgian Bay, plus are 2011 recipients of the Great Lakes Cruising Club's Admiral Bayfield award for cruising all five Great Lakes. They currently cruise "The Shot Rock", their 42 Cruisers Powerboat.

When not cruising or racing, Joe, an active GLCC member, has worked as a rigger and a sail consultant, plus in countless other aspects of boat construction and maintenance for nearly forty years. He owns and operates Bay Boat Works, his rigging shop and is a partner in Parker Sailing Consultants with his son Brad providing services for sailors buying a new boat, refitting or repairing their boat.

Christian Sandvig is a Professor at the University of Michigan and an active member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. He has cruised in the Great Lakes, the Pacific Northwest, Mid-Atlantic States and the Mediterranean. Christian has taught courses about radio communication for over 20 years.

Dave and his wife Kathy live in London Ontario and sail out of southern Georgian Bay. Dave and Kathy have cruised extensively around Georgian Bay and the North Channel aboard their Catalina 34 sailboat named "Good Idea".

Eric Sunstrum and his wife Cynthia make their home near Ottawa, Ontario, and have enjoyed over 20 years sailing in the Thousand Islands and Bay of Quinte. Active members of the GLCC, they most recently coordinated the 2019 GLCC Lake Ontario Rally and the 2019 Georgian Bay Rally. They keep their Catalina 28 sailboat named Northern Whisper at the Trident Yacht Club in the Thousand Islands.

Tom Trimmer is the founder and owner of Custom Marine Products, a company specializing in marine solar systems for the cruising sailor. He cruises the The North Channel for six weeks every summer.

Steve is a retired teacher and Technology Director. He is a member, and former Commodore, of the Grand Traverse Yacht Club and has sailed the northern Great Lakes, the North Channel, parts of the Caribbean, and Washington’s San Juan Islands.

Jim Zima is the owner of Great Lakes Diesel in Vermilion, Ohio. In addition to maintaining, repairing, and re-powering marine diesels Jim teaches numerous seminars in and around the Great Lakes and at the Annapolis Cruisers University. GLD is the largest certified Yanmar dealer on Lake Erie. GLD is also a certified dealer for Westerbeke, Universal, and Kubota. In his GLCC School webinars Jim Zima shows us that he is not only a master mechanic but a great teacher.