Chicago Yacht Club Safety at Sea seminar

Speaker Biographies

Brian Adams - Moderator

An experienced Great Lakes sailor with a US Coast Guard Captain’s License, was navigator and radio operator in the Sociable in the 2011 Chicago-Mackinac Race when the boat rescued six people from WingNuts in a night storm and served as primary on-site radio contact and search coordinator for the U.S. Coast Guard, other boats, and the race committee. Sailing has been a large part of Brian’s life and has been a great influence. Sailing has taught him how to safely deal with a constantly changing environment and how to achieve the best from the experiences and individuals involved.

Racing experience includes 18 Queens Cup races, 8 Chicago-Mac races,

Hundreds of races around The Great Lakes in summer and Florida in the winter. He has extensive cruising miles on the The Great Lakes, East Coast, Florida and Caribbean including deliveries around The Great Lakes and East Coast.

Accomplishments:

US Sailing, Safety at Sea Moderator

Cruising Club of America, Rod Stephens Trophy 2011 (Sociable crew) recipient

US Sailing, Hanson Rescue Award 2011 (Sociable crew) recipient

US Coast Guard, Captain David P. Dobbins Award 2011 recipient

US Coast Guard Captains License – Masters - Certified instructor

Boat manager for highly competitive racing program on the Great Lakes. Boat and crew training.

Board member, Junior sailing at South Shore Yacht Club

Sailing instructor Nearshore to Offshore.

President of marina business in Milwaukee (2000-2010). Responsible for managing 100 slip customers.

Jay Muller

Jayis the CYC Race to Mackinac Committee Administration Vice-Chair. He has been sailing since 1997 and sail racing since 1998. He campaigns onDas Boot, a Beneteau 40.7 along with his wife and daughter (who got the family into sailing). 2012 will be his 14thMac race. Other racing includes the NOOD’s, Verve Cups, Bi-State and buoy racing. When not sailing, Jay has been a practicing architect in Chicago since 1984.

Perry Lewis

Perry is one of North Sails' longest-term veterans, w/ over 33 years in the Midwest loft. His integrity, product knowledge & dedication to customer service have earned him the respect of the local sailing community, as well as many Company awards for outstanding performance. With a background in math, he grew up family cruising, and later spent three months cruising around Europe w/ his fiancée. He has also proven himself on the race course w/ over a dozen National or North American titles, in everything from the S2 7.9 ( 4 times), T-10, J/30 & J/35, IOR 1/2, 3/4, & 1-Ton Cups, and the MORC Int'ls. He enjoyed participating in the 2010 J/80 "World Tour". Perry is also one of the inaugural Mackinac "Double Goats", having completed over 30 of both Chicago & Pt.Huron-Macs, and having won overall ~ten times.

Amy Seeley

Amy is a Meteorologist and has been with the National Weather Service for over 20 years. For 14 years, she was the Port Meteorological Officer for the Great Lakes, and trained commercial mariners on how to use NWS marine products and how to take marine observations while on the water. Now she works with recreational boaters – training them on what to expect weather wise while on the water. She graduated from Northern Illinois University with a degree in meteorology in 1992 and has received an NWS award for her presentations. She is involved in numerous organizations, such as the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, the U.S. Power Squadron, and International Shipmasters Association.

Donald Michael Bush

  • Firefighter/Paramedic since 1985, Currently an Engine Company Lieutenant with the Oak Park Fire Department.
  • 20 years sailing experience on a wide variety of sailboats from 14 to 66 feet.
  • Competed in nine Chicago Mac races, three as person-in-charge.
  • Competed in NOOD, Verve, Port to Port and weekly beer can series racing.
  • Extensive double and solo sailing on the Great Lakes.
  • U.S. Sailing Keelboat certification, Safety at Sea certification.
  • Earned a B.S in Fire Science Management from SIU Carbondale,
  • Currently working on a Masters in Public Safety Management at LewisUniversity, Romeoville.