The Team:  Our most precious resource

Welcome aboard! As Canada’s largest learn-to-cruise sailing school, we’re proud to say that our greatest strength is our team. You’ll be learning with passionate, skilled, and knowledgeable instructors and skippers who are as enthusiastic about sailing as they are about helping you succeed. From your very first lesson to your final sail, you’ll be supported every step of the way by a dedicated team committed to making your learning experience safe, rewarding, and fun.

Our instructors are experienced professionals, certified by Sail Canada and other leading international training organizations. That certification means they’ve met the highest standards in sailing instruction—and more importantly, that they know how to teach in a way that makes sailing not just understandable, but exciting and enjoyable. Their hard-earned qualifications are your assurance of a top-quality learning experience.

Above all, our instructors are here because they love what they do—and they’re excited to share that passion with you. Whether you’re just starting out or building your skills, we’re here to help you feel confident, capable, and inspired on the water.

Ron Schute

Founder, Basic Cruising, Intermediate Cruising, IYT & Racing

Doris Parolin

Sailing School Director, Basic Cruising, Racing & VHF-ROC(M)

Nicholas Schute

Basic Cruising, Intermediate Cruising & Racing

Jean Charles, Lucas-Baker

Charles (Jean Charles) Lucas-Baker

CANSail, Basic Cruising, VHF-ROC(M), Sail-Share & Maintenance

kelly barr, basic cruising

Kelly Barr

Basic Cruising & VHF-ROC(M)

Stan Blakey

Basic & Intermediate Cruising, Coastal Navigation

Ken Bourne, Advantage Boating

Ken Bourne

Basic & Intermediate Cruising

Ryan Davis

CANSail, Basic Cruising, Racing & Sail Canada LF

Raymond Gouin

Basic Cruising

John Lowerey, Advantage Boating

John Lowery

Basic Cruising

Ron Haag, Basic Cruising

Ron Haag

Basic Cruising

Peter Lok, basic cruising

Peter Lok

Basic Cruising

Mike Roper

Basic & Intermediate Cruising

Michel Veilleux

Basic Cruising

Gavin Shanks

Basic Cruising

Louie Skretas

Basic, Intermediate & Advanced Cruising, Coastal Navigation, Sail Canada IE

Peter Wood

Basic Cruising

Siobhán Henderson 

CANSAil 1, 2, and 3

Ron Schute

Founder, Basic & Intermediate Cruising & Racing

Ron Schute is the very proud owner of Ottawa based Advantage Boating. Ron formed Advantage Boating in 1992. The company has since grown into Canada’s top adult sailing school, boasting thousands of graduates and a fleet of 20 vessels, with programs offered across Canada, in the Caribbean and Worldwide.

Ron’s sailing career began at the age of 7 in a styrofoam sailboat called a Sunfish. At 9 years old, he graduated to a Jr. Club boat called a Cadet. They were shaped like a shoe box and plowed rather than plied the waters. Neither pretty nor quick, Ron quickly yearned for something bigger and faster. Bigger and faster he got!

At 13, Ron joined the team of Robin Hood, a beautiful 36 foot, laminated cedar racing machine. It was during a 50 miler race aboard this boat that Ron really received his sailing baptism. With strong winds at their back and moving like a freight train a diagonal gust of wind hit the boat and pushed the leeward rails deep into the water. At this point, Ron found himself hanging on to the safety rails, buried up to his armpits in foaming water and struggling to keep his hair dry!

It’s been over 40 years since that memorable race and Ron continues to love everything associated with sailing and being on the water, apart from getting his hair wet. If sailing sounds interesting and you’d maybe like to get your feet wet, just a little, then get in touch with Ron. He can be reached directly at ron@advantageboating.com.

We can also lend you a Sou’wester if wet hair is a concern for you too, although we’re pretty sure, that’s just Ron!

Doris Parolin

Sailing School Director, Basic Cruising & Racing, VHF-ROC(M)

While Ron Schute is the owner of the company, instructors and clients alike will affectionately tell you that it’s Doris who really runs the show. On a daily basis, Doris works very hard to ensure that expectations are exceeded for both the clients and her instructor team. She is very boot’s to the ground, or in our case, top siders to the deck. Doris learned how to sail in a Laser II dinghy in the 80’s with her family and some very supportive and keen sailors at Ottawa’s Lac Deschenes Sailing Club.  This is where her love of racing sailboats began.  It wasn’t long afterwards that she discovered racing and continued developing her passion of sailing while cruising and racing their family Tanzer 26 at Nepean Sailing Club.  Since those early days Doris has raced on any boat she could step foot upon and at competitions at the Local, National and International levels.

Doris had been involved with teaching sailing now for over 30 years. It was at Nepean Sailing Club that Doris first started teaching adults and youth sailing as part of “Sail Nepean” (NSC’s dinghy program) in late 80’s and then with Advantage Boating in 1992.

Doris has also shared the love of sailing with her own family. Her three kids are all active sailors, instructors and racers! When not flying the flag on behalf of Advantage boating, she can likely be found somewhere on the Ottawa River racing her J22 or cruising in exotic locations around the world. On the cruising side Doris tells people that one of the best ways to explore the world is by sailboat.  To learn more about Doris’ passion for sailing, contact her directly at doris@advantageboating.com.

Nicholas Schute

Intermediate Cruising & Racing

Give Nicholas a boat and he will sail it. From laser dinghies to high performance sport boats, to comfortable cruising boats to America’s cup boats, Nicholas loves sailing them all!

Nicholas is Sail Canada’s youngest Intermediate Cruising instructor. To say that sailing is in Nicholas’ blood would be an understatement for he has been sailing since before he could walk. It may well be argued that Nicholas has more sailing miles under his belt than many seasoned salty dogs. His love of sailing has taken him from sailing in Ottawa, to the Thousand Islands and Kingston to as far away as Auckland New Zealand where he worked as crew on one of the famous America’s Cup boats.

Nicholas learned how to sail from his Dad on their family Shark, Optimist, Open Bic and CS30 sailboats. As part of Nepean Sailing Club’s junior club and high performance race team he further fine tuned his sailing & racing skills. While at Queen’s University Nicholas won Varsity Athlete of the week for his outstanding performance and victory in the Canadian Intercollegiate Sailing Association Fleet Racing National Championship.

Nick’s students will all testify that after taking a course with him, you will not only learn how to sail, but you will also fall in love with the sport! Nicholas teaches our Basic Cruising, Mileage Builder, Intermediate Cruising & Racing courses.

Charles (Jean Charles) Lucas-Baker

CANSail, Basic Cruising, VHF-ROC(M), Sail-Share & Maintenance

Kelly Barr

Basic Cruising & VHF-ROC(M)

Before he was trimming sails, Kelly Barr was navigating the skies—working full-time as an air traffic controller and flying part-time as a pilot. But in 2016, he set his sights on a new challenge: sailing.

What began as a hobby to complement his aviation skills quickly became a full-blown passion.  Kelly now gets out on the water every opportunity he can and has been teaching with Advantage Boating since 2020.  

He’s passionate about sharing his love of sailing and takes pride in helping students of all ages and experience levels feel confident and inspired on the water.

Stan Blakey

Basic and Intermediate Cruising & Coastal Navigation

Stan got the sailing bug as a teenager sailing Hobie 16’s on the Swan river in Perth Western Australia. At the time, his only instructions were “the ferries won’t stop for you”.

Arriving in Canada, Stan learned more about sailing through Sail Canada’s dinghy & keelboat Learn-to-Sail programs with Advantage Boating. Stan has been a member at the Nepean Sailing club for 25 years now, first owning a Tanzer 22 and currently owning a Mirage 25.

When the Ottawa river freezes over Stan finds ways to sail where the temperatures are warmer. Most recently he sailed in the British Virgin Islands with Advantage Boating’s 2019 flotilla. Stan has sailed at various points along the west coast from San Diego to Vancouver Island including Santa Cruz, San Francisco Bay, and Puget Sound. Other memorable sailing experiences include riding out a tropical storm in the Bahamas.

While finding words to say why sailing is so satisfying seems impossible, Stan will tell you that any time he travels (on shore) and sees a boat sailing by, he yearns to be on that boat. Take a course with Stan and you will see why!

Stan knew teaching sailing and becoming a Sail Canada Instructor was his next calling in life after being a skipper during Advantage Boating 2019 BVI flotilla. It was there he realized just how much fun it is to help other people develop their love of sailing.

Ken Bourne 

Basic & Intermediate Cruising

Ken was born and raised in Atlantic Canada, and grew up with a passion for the ocean. When he eventually moved to Ottawa, he took up sailing, and amassed quite a bit of experience on Albacores, Lasers, Sharks, and Hobie Cats. However, it was during his first charter to the BVI’s that he fell in love with larger cruising sailboats- he could feel the salt water calling him back! Since then, Ken has spent many winter vacations down south, chartering sailboats and as part of our flotillas. Additionally, in 2019, he purchased his first cruising boat and sailed it down the Eastern Seaboard, from Lake Ontario to the Bahamas. If you need him during the winter months, you can be sure to find him there! 

Throughout his years on the water, Ken has accumulated thousands of hours sailing on the Great Lakes, and has logged over 3500 nautical miles of coastal cruising. Once he retired, he decided that he wanted to share that knowledge, experience and passion for sailing with others, and decided to become a Sail Canada instructor.

Ryan Davis 

CANSail, Basic Cruising, Racing & Sail Canada LF

Ryan began sailing at the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, and it was here that his passion for teaching developed at a young age. After his time racing in the Laser Radial fleet, he began coaching junior sailing programs in Nova Scotia, sharing his passion for the sport with the next generation of sailors. Most recently, Ryan led the Bedford Basin Yacht Club’s Learn To Sail Program as its head coach! 

Ryan now joins us here in Ottawa, bringing with him his nearly decade of teaching experience in Halifax and the surrounding waters. Outside of his work as an instructor, he is also an active keelboat racer, and continues to race a J105 with his father in Chester, NS whenever he finds himself at home. As he begins his first sailing season in Ottawa, he is also excited to get involved in keelboat racing here at Nepean Sailing Club.   

As a sailing instructor, Ryan exudes calm and patience, understanding that learning for novice sailors requires a slow and comfortable approach. He keeps his lessons fun and engaging by incorporating a hands-on teaching style and ensures that everyone gets a chance to participate. Keep an eye out- Ryan is sure to be on the water often this summer!

Raymond Gouin

Basic Cruising

Raymond ‘Marin’ Gouin’s first pleasure craft was not a rubber ducky, but sailing at the beach on an air mattress at the age of 5 months old. He summered often in the New-Brunswick Acadian peninsula, where he inherited the love of the sea from his Acadian family.

Raymond was introduced to sailing when he joined the Canadian Navy in 1973 as a Naval Officer. He later reclassified as a Sea King Helicopter Air Navigator. His last tour of duty was as an Air Navigation Instructor in 1993. During his 21 years in the Canadian Forces Raymond accumulated 10 years of Sea time and 10 years of Air time.

Upon retiring from his military career, Raymond decided to combine his passion for the sea & his love of teaching. Raymond recently started transferring his professional knowledge and experience, to the sailing world by becoming a Basic Cruising Instructor.

Raymond looks forward to sharing his passion of the open water and starry skies. As he puts it, “I am the one who wakes up in the morning to share experiences over, on, in and under-water.” As you learn the ropes sailing with Raymond, your course will be well seasoned with salty tales of dark and stormy nights in the North-Atlantic.

John Lowery

Basic Cruising

John’s journey with sailing began on an odd vessel- a sail rigged canoe- during a visit to the family cottage. It was that experience that ignited John’s passion for the sport and at just 8 years old, his parents purchased a ‘Sea Snark’ styrofoam dinghy for just $25. The following summer, a thrilling ride on a Laser sparked John’s fascination with high-performance sailing, and so he decided that the CYA’s White Sail program was the next step. Even as adulthood beckoned, John’s love affair with sailing endured. 

Now, John’s enthusiasm has been passed on to his three sons, all of whom he has guided through the CanSail program at Nepean Sailing Club, as well as the Race Team and Dinghy Instructor Program. Additionally, retirement heralded a new chapter for John as he moved his boat down to Kingston and decided to share his expertise and passion for sailing as a Sail Canada instructor. Armed with a lifetime of experience and a love for the water, he now imparts the joys of sailing to eager learners! 

Ron Haag

Basic Cruising

Ron developed his passion for boating at a young age as he grew up sailing a wide array of small dinghies over the summer months. Many years later, he decided to buy a keelboat of his own and has been sailing out of the Rockcliffe Yacht Club ever since. 

Sailing for Ron is a family activity. His fathers love for sailing led him to develop his own passion for the sport, and he decided to name his first keelboat after his father in honour of him. Last summer, Ron also went on a 5 week adventure, sailing around Lake Ontario, and loved the time he got to spend with his wife and son when they were able to join in. He did however also get his fair share of solo experience as he completed 3 of those weeks by himself! 

The passion and the community that he’s developed through the sport has given him a desire to give back and allow others to have the same joys and experiences. Teaching was the perfect choice for him! 

Peter Lok

Basic Cruising

Peter’s love for the water began at an early age as he learned to sail as a child in the Gulf of Thailand. Life’s twists and turns kept him away from the sport for many years but he finally returned to sailing in 2012, completing his Basic Cruising certification in Georgian Bay. Since then, he’s been hooked! 

Shortly after his course, Peter began racing keelboats out of Nepean Sailing Club and purchased a 420 dinghy. Later, in 2016, he upgraded to a Catalina 30 and fell in love with the cruising lifestyle. Since then, he has logged miles on the Ottawa River, the West Coast, the Great Lakes, and the Caribbean, with plans to explore beyond! After skippering a boat in the 2023 Advantage Boating Grenadines flotilla, Peter now has plans to depart for Croatia in the fall to explore the Dalmation coast.  

Peter is always looking to enhance his knowledge of all things sailing so that he can better educate and inspire new sailors. He feels extremely lucky that he gets to combine two of his life’s passions: sailing and teaching!

Mike Roper

Basic & Intermediate Cruising

Mike started sailing as a teenager in England, exploring the estuaries and creeks that run into the North Sea. It was fun but the water sure was cold! After moving to Canada, he was delighted to start sailing again in the water waters and bluer skies of the Ottawa River. 

Mike has been sailing and racing on the river for the past 34 years. He began by sailing Lasers and Albacores out of Kanata Sailing Club, where he stood as Commodore for a couple of years. He then joined the Fireball fleet at Nepean Sailing Club, and later migrated to racing keelboats- he has been the proud skipper of the C&C 27 “Xel-Ha” for the past 13 years! 

Alongside his experience on the Ottawa River, Mike is also a certified ICC and IYT bareboat skipper and recently chartered a boat in the Adriatic, exploring the Croatian coast. He brings with him a wealth of experience and a great enthusiasm for sailing, both of which he enjoys passing on to new sailors.

Michel Veilleux

Basic Cruising

Despite his current wealth of knowledge, Michel’s first sailing experience started out as many others do- figuring out where and how everything fit and worked together on their small family sailing dinghy! The hook really set in however when a friend of Michel’s invited him out on Lake Champlain for a few sailing lessons, and during a winter holiday sailing down in the US Virgin Islands. The following winter, their vacation was spent sitting on the beach at a resort, and his longing for the boat solidified his realization that he’d much rather be out on the water.

Michel went on to obtain his American Sailing Association Keelboat and Coastal Navigation certification which allowed him to charter a boat for the first time, a trip that offered some very valuable lessons and experience as they battled and survived Hurricane Dean! His enthusiasm however wasn’t dampened and he went on to buy a 46 foot Beneteau, which he has since enjoyed sailing along the US east coast, in the Caribbean, in the Mediterranean, and beyond as a full time liveaboard skipper. Since then, Michel has accumulated over 30,000 nautical miles crossing the Atlantic, Mediterranean, Pacific, and Indian Oceans.     

Throughout the years, Michel has introduced and initiated many friends into the sailing lifestyle and, since his return to Ottawa, has felt the urge to pass on his experience and knowledge to others. In his own words, “there’s nothing quite like it!”

Gavin Shanks

Basic Cruising

Gavin has been sailing and racing sailboats for 50 years. From many years as a flying instructor, he has developed a patient teaching style and an ability to inspire confidence in his students. This experience combined with a deep knowledge of sailing techniques on a variety of sailboats from dinghies to 50 foot mono hulls is now being applied to instructing the basic cruising course. When not instructing on Lac Deschênes Gavin can be found racing at Nepean Sailing Club, cruising in the 1000 islands out of Trident Yacht Club or somewhere in the Caribbean. Other interests include playing guitar, mandolin and baking bread onboard while cruising.

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Louie Skretas

Basic, Intermediate & Advanced Cruising, Coastal Navigation, Sail Canada IE

Louie has been a Sail Canada instructor since 1992 and, over the past 32 years, has taught numerous Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Cruising live-aboard courses. These courses have taken place in some incredible locations, including on the Great Lakes, Georgian Bay, the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean. Additionally, he has also worked as an active boat delivery skipper and charter captain, delivering boats as large as 112 feet from the Caribbean to Florida and the northeastern US! 

Recently retired, Louie enjoys spending time with his partner Sophia, cruising between the Great Lakes, the St.Lawrence River, Halifax, and Bermuda, as well as adventure bike touring in Europe. Whatever the case, you can always be sure to find him on the go!

Peter Wood

Basic Cruising

Peter brings a lifetime of adventure, teaching, and creativity to the helm. He launched his sailing life racing Lasers at CORK and teaching dinghy sailing in Southern Ontario. Since then, his journey has taken him from guiding adventure tours in Nova Scotia to teaching school in Abu Dhabi, and eventually back home to co-found a thriving bike shop in Perth, Ontario.

These days, Peter spends his summers teaching sailing with Advantage, sharing his love of the water and helping new sailors find their sea legs. Come winter, he swaps sails for brushes and works as a professional oil painter, capturing the vivid beauty of the Ottawa Valley and beyond. (You can explore his artwork at www.peteraswood.com.)

Peter also co-owns a spirited little pocket cruiser, affectionately called the Julie-Elizabeth (or Elizabeth-Julie, depending on which of them is skippering that day). She’s docked at Rideau Ferry, always prepped for her next grand adventure.

Siobhán Henderson

CANSAil 1, 2, and 3

Siobhán fell in love with sailing while learning how to walk and taking her first steps aboard the tall ship St. Lawrence II. She began her sailing journey in dinghies on a styrofoam dinghy called the Sea Snark then graduating to the Albacore.  By age 8, Siobhán was enrolled at Collin’s Bay Yacht Club Sailing School, where she completed her CANSail 1 through 3. She continued developing her skills through training with the Cadets, the Kingston Yacht Club, and the Royal Military College sail team, earning her CANSail 4 to 6 along the way.  As one of Canada’s few CANSail 4/5 instructors, Siobhán is passionate about both sailing and teaching, and she’s been sharing that passion as a coach since 2021.

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