Meet the Crew of Spinnaker Crew Sailing

Captain Frank Jaeger is an experienced mariner who has sailed for years and thousands of miles on several vessels (monohull and catamaran) on the Great Lakes and oceans, over day and night, and in different weather and sea conditions. As a licensed USCG Master Captain (50 Ton), Frank is passionate about providing education across a range of sailing and nautical topics. He has lectured at sailing conferences and routinely delivers vessels to various destinations. He is the founder and owner of The Spinnaker Crew and Spinnaker Crew Sailing, an American Sailing Association (ASA) Accredited School.

Captain Frank holds numerous certifications with areas of expertise and certification as a licensed instructor in: Basic Keelboat, Basic Coastal Cruising, Bareboat Cruising, Coastal Navigation, Advanced Coastal Cruising, Cruising Catamaran, Celestial Endorsement, Docking Endorsement, and Offshore Passagemaking. Frank has received ASA’s highest award as “Outstanding Instructor of the Year” and is among the elite 1% of instructors.

In 2023, Frank published “The Captain’s Series”. A set of three books designed to aid the mariner and captain alike in sailing, references, and the logging all of passage information. When he’s not teaching or writing, he can be found telling stories with family and friends on his sailboat.

Captain Brian Earl has been sailing for over 35 years on various size craft as well as a variety of waters. From the West Coast to the East Coast, the Great Lakes, Inland lakes and rivers, and the Caribbean. This extensive experience has given him a unique perspective of various weather, water, and yacht conditions you might find where you sail.

Brian is a licensed Coast Guard 100 Ton Master Captain and Coast Guard Examiner, authorized to teach USCG Captain courses, holds ASA Instructor Certifications, and is an ASA instructor evaluator. He maintains certificates in Red Cross First Aid, CPR, and AED.

As founder of BE-Nautical, he is recognized as ASA Instructor of the Year (and BE-Nautical as ASA School of the Year). He supports the environment through ASA’s Plastics Purge, recognizes the contribution of veterans and teachers with discounts, and supports women in sailing with Women on the Water courses.

Captain Don Doggett, owner of Sea Safaris Sailing School, grew up sailing inland lakes in northern Wisconsin. Over 20 years ago, he purchased his first sailboat on Lake Michigan – which was a 22 foot Southcoast – since then he has owned and operated a variety of boat sizes and models. Captain Don is an active and longtime member of Milwaukee Yacht Club and spends his time cruising the Great Lakes, racing regional sailboat regattas, and teaching adults how to sail.

Captain Don is known for his dedication to teaching adult sailing and liveaboard cruising courses throughout Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Southern Florida, and the Caribbean. Through years of teaching, Don has developed an acute understanding of why each student wants to learn how to sail and how to patiently work with students at their own pace.

He currently holds a USCG 100-ton Master Captains License and an ASA Instructor Evaluator. He offers all levels of ASA certifications and USCG Merchant Mariner courses, including Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessel (OUPV or 6-Pack) and Master Captains courses. He enjoys sharing his expertise to promote sailing and maritime skills at several organizations from the East Coast to the Mid-West.

Frank has been passionate about sailing since he was a young boy, and has spent most of his life on the water. His extensive knowledge of sailing, combined with his natural ability to teach, make him the ideal candidate to train our students and lead them through our program. Frank is a licensed USCG Captain and an ASA certified instructor who will be teaching ASA 101, 103 and 104 courses out of Burnham Harbor aboard his Hunter 356.

Captain Frank is an accomplished sailor in his own right. He has completed numerous lake crossings, led custom charters, and amassed hundreds of hours sailing. He has sailed aboard several different monohulls and catamarans by day and night across various weather and sea conditions.

Frank will be working with students of all skill levels, from novice sailors to those who are more experienced. He has a keen eye for detail, and his patient and encouraging demeanor will ensure that each student receives personalized attention and instruction. He brings a wealth of experience to the company and we are elated to have him join us.

From the time that Captain Marcin was born and grew up in Poland, he knew the water was calling him. He built sailboats and tall ship models since he was a young boy. Later, he took ocean engineering courses at the Gdansk University of Technology. His passion for sailing began early on when his cousin would take him out sailing. Ever since then Marcin was hooked! He has bought and sailed on a variety of boat sizes on the Polish Lakes.

Captain Marcin is an experienced sailor. He has sailed on Polish Lakes, Baltic Sea, and the Great Lakes. He has crewed in the Mackinac Race, sailed in various weather and sea conditions, and captained custom charters in Poland and on the Great Lakes. He has owned and sailed boats from 18-footers up to 34 footers. Marcin currently has a 19 foot Flying Scot which he sails on various lakes here in Chicago. He is currently on the hunt for another sailboat. Of course he is!

When not on the water (or dreaming of the water), he likes to play guitar and sing sea shanties with his two young daughters (in whom he intends to inculcate into the joy of sailing). He loves boats, the history of boats, and building boats! His goal is to one day build a 40-footer that he will call “Old Timer”.

Captain Marcin is a licensed USCG Captain and ASA certified instructor. We are so pleased to have him join the "Crew" of Spinnaker Crew Sailing and are looking forward to him teaching and sharing his passion for sailing.

Captain Matt Owens journey to sailing started with recreational boating, primarily fishing trips throughout his youth and adult life. In his mid-30’s, he decided to expand that experience to sailing with his first ASA Class on Lake Tahoe, and he was hooked. (There might be genetic influences in play as his own father started his journey piloting small aircraft at a similar age.)

A move to Chicago opened new opportunities for Matt to dive deeper into sailing. He started with ASA 103/104 where was introduced to Captain Frank Jaeger. He expanded his knowledge with ASA 105 over that same winter and started doing the occasional “beer can” race out of Montrose the next year. Matt has been the skipper of his own boat in Chicago since 2022 and decided to share his knowledge through ASA courses in 2024. He currently holds an OUPV 6-Pack Captain’s license.

Throughout the Chicago summer, Matt can frequently be found on his boat in Burnham Harbor and lives aboard part time. He enjoys day sailing with friends and the occasional lake crossing to Michigan. Sailing helps Matt remember that life is more about the journey than the destination as if you want to be a sailor, you must love the journey.

When not on the water, Matt enjoys Chicago and Iowa State (his alma mater) sports, reading, and time with friends and family. During the winter, he tries to escape to warmer areas and blends in sailing or diving experience on those trips. He is also an avid skier and frequents the slopes from California to Colorado.