Mark Showalter | Modern Sailing

Mark Showalter

Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Mark has been sailing on San Francisco Bay for decades, cruising with friends and racing in beer can regattas. His sailing adventures have taken him beyond the Bay to Catalina, the British Virgin Islands, Croatia, St. Lucia and Thailand — and he's always planning his next international sailing trip.

Mark's path to Modern Sailing started through a prior career in tech, where he met Leigh Hunt — now Modern Sailing's owner and CEO. When the opportunity arose to bring his sailing passion into his professional life, Mark joined Modern Sailing as Fleet Service Manager at the newly opened Berkeley location. From there, he became Fleet Service Director, overseeing the Fleet Service team across both locations, then General Manager of the Berkeley location. In 2025, he stepped into the role of Chief Operating Officer.

Today, Mark oversees operations across all three Modern Sailing locations. He holds advanced ASA and US Sailing credentials. During his tenure as COO, Modern Sailing has grown into the largest sailing school on San Francisco Bay — three locations, a fleet of 50 boats, and an unmatched team.

"My passion is building strong teams and empowering them to succeed." Mark says. "We offer the broadest sailing curriculum on the Bay, and every day, our team is focused on one thing: making our members' sailing dreams come true.”

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  • John Kipping

    The meeting room was quite adequate and the location most convenient, but the course outline and instruction were outstanding. Modern Sailing is fortunate to have such a well organized instructor in Mr. Stan Lander who teaches very well from a rich professional background. Mr. Lander was generous with his time and patiently in helping students who needed more attention or time in understanding various aspects of the curriculum.

  • John Boynton

    The class was terrific. I know you must get many compliments about your sailing instructors...But I must tell you that Robert is outstanding. Having taught SCUBA, I really appreciate the way he is so sensitive to all on board, dealing with each so well, knowing quickly their strengths and weaknesses making each feel special and cared for.

  • Lisa Butzer Wilde

    Thumbs up to (Club Skipper) Geoff (Love) and his wife Laura. I went on my first Club Sail on Sunday, January 18, 2026. They were terrific!

  • John Kratochvil, Oregon

    I would like to compliment Stan Lander for his coaching, counseling and teaching Heavy Weather Offshore Sailing. Stan was very accommodating to all of the student's interests and shared his many years of insight on handling the boat in heavy seas. I would certainly recommend Stan and this course to sheltered waters sailors. My confidence in handling a boat of this size was certainly enhanced by the experience.

  • Alisa Driscoll, Dual Site Member

    Here are some snaps of Our Saturday, August 20, 2022 Modern Sailing Expedition with Captain Robert Bivin, who was outstanding. Please convey photos and thanks to him. He is an outstanding individual, leader and sailing instructor. His knowledge and experience made us all feel safe and our Farallones Day Trip educational and just amazing. 

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