Stan Lander | Modern Sailing

Stan Lander

Head Instructor / ASA Senior Master Instructor

Stan started sailing at age 15 on Clearlake (Lake County, California) in Flying Juniors. During high school and college, he sailed and raced on trailerable catamarans (mostly Hobie 16s). After graduating from San Jose State University, Stan entered the United States Coast Guard and earned a reserve officer's commission in Yorktown, Virginia.

During his 20-year career, he served aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Morganthau as a Deck Watch Officer and the Coast Guard Cutter Northland as the Operations Officer. With over 10 years of sea service about Coast Guard ships, he is a veteran of three drug war campaigns.

During his off duty time, Stan owned and operated several different sloop-rigged keelboats and cruised extensively with his family. Noteworthy during these years, he and his crew Gordon Thomas captured the Overall SE Multihull Region Championship in 1981 on a Hobie 18 sailing out of the Fairhope Yacht Club, Alabama.

After retiring from the Coast Guard, Stan and his family settled in the San Francisco Bay Area where he still resides with his wife Sher. After obtaining his 200 Ton Master License in 1998, Stan quickly took to the SF Bay waterfront as a Charter Boat Captain and Sailing Instructor. He earned his ASA Sailing Instructor Certificates in the summer of 2000, and later earned his Instructor Evaluator Certificate in 2006.

Currently as Head Instructor, Stan teaches up to ASA 107, USCG Captains License courses, and Modern Sailing's Instructor Qualification Clinics. Based on student reviews, he has been awarded a Certificate of Achievement as an ASA Outstanding Instructor on multiple occasions. He is also one of only 34 ASA Senior Master Instructor Evaluators worldwide.

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Testimonials

  • Rolf Zingg

    Since many, many years, I had the dream to sail underneath the Golden Gate bridge. On October 14th last year, my dream became true. Thanks to our dear friend Aaron Fritz who made it possible and organized this cruise for us. With this adventure I was able to achieve one more milestone on my sailing career.

    Finally on the water, it was great! Full moon made the flows even stronger and it was like sailing in a washing machine.

    I did my sailing education in the English Channel, where the situation with the wind and flows is comparable to the San Francisco Bay. So I felt pretty much "at home" being on the helm in the Bay.

    I hope our skipper Stan Lander enjoyed this day cruise too. We, definitely did! It was an unforgettable experience for all of us.

    A very big thank you to all of you who made it possible, that my dream became reality! Also thank you for the MSC flag I got at the end of the day. It found it's place in my study, where I can see it daily.

    Rolf Zingg
  • 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.

  • John Clark

    Every aspect of Modern Sailing - training, syllabus, course materials, quality of the boats, quality of the instructors, and the very friendly and helpful staff - exceeded my expectations. Modern Sailing has a first class sailing program in an environment with challenging winds and currents. I look forward to coming back to charter a boat and certainly plan to continue my sailing training.

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Modern Sailing School & Club

Sausalito Location
2310 Marinship Way, Sausalito, CA 94965
(415) 331-8250
(800) 995-1668

Berkeley Location
1 Spinnaker Way, Berkeley, CA 94710
(415) 331-8250
(800) 995-1668

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