Our Instructors

Catherine Sawyer

Head Sailing Instructor

From an early age Catherine has been enthralled with the ocean, only to fall further in love when she learned how to sail at 12 years old on Cape Cod Bay. Over the years she has taught sailing at Cape Cod Sea Camps in Brewster, MA and eventually became a supervisor over the very sailing program that taught her. Intrigued by the nuances of sailing and a general curiosity for how the world works, Catherine earned her BA in Physics from Colgate University. After graduation, she continued with her love of boating and adventure by crewing on yachts in Florida and instructing private sailing lessons. In addition, she has also taught skiing at an independent resort in Vermont. Her certifications include US Sailing Counselor, Launch tenders license, CPR, and First Aid.

Ryan McElwee

Sailing Instructor

Ryan grew up in Orion, Michigan where he started sailing at about 8 years old. In 2010 he moved to Lexington, MA where he attended Camp O-AT-KA before becoming a sailing and racing instructor there. After teaching at O-AT-KA for five years, Ryan came to Arey’s Pond. He recently graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.S. in Sustainable Biomaterials and will be attending the boatbuilding program at IYRS this fall.

Wim Steenbakkers

Sailing Instructor

Wim (sounds like “Vim”) grew up in The Netherlands where he began sailing as a teenager, and he has loved sailing ever since. While in college, he and a group of friends built a sailing school in Holland that is still operating today. Wim first came to the US to teach sailing at Stanford University in California. Wim’s travels on the water have included sails from The Netherlands to islands in the Caribbean, from San Francisco to the Gulf of California in Mexico, and from Nova Scotia to the Bahamas. Wim enjoys sharing his love of sailing with the beautiful Arey’s Pond community.