About Cruisers College

Started in 2016 to provide high quality marine courses to boat owners. These courses are offered in a first class marine training facility with the opportunity for demonstrations and hands-on activities. The SVC technical program provides training for new technicians, and has great material for boat owners, but requires 12 weeks per course—which was difficult for boat most owners. Cruisers College brings in expert staff to provide delivery designed for 1 day courses. This program is great for the community as participants visit our town, and use a building/equipment that often sits idle on the weekends.

Michael Beemer

Michael is a Marine Technology instructor at the Northwest Career and Technical Academy in Anacortes, WA. He has been instrumental in developing the marine programs for the Academy that bridge both the high school/college programs with the industry needs. In the cruising community, Michael is well known as “The Boat Doctor” who can diagnose and fix almost anything on a vessel. Michael is the lead instructor for Skagit Valley College in the marine systems program, including ABYC certification courses. Mike grew up as the son of a master mechanic. This experience included learning all things mechanical including motorcycles, automobiles, and boats.

He has operated his own successful boat repair businesses, lead flotillas to Alaska and Desolation Sound, and presents at many venues included the inside passage seminar and the Seattle Boat Show. Michael has presented programs such as Keeping Your Diesel Alive and maintenance courses covering water-making systems, gensets, steering and control systems, marine electrical systems, boat freshwater and gray water plumbing, and freshwater pump systems. Mike’s specialty is the new technology systems now coming on-line for boats in batteries, solar, power generation, water systems and propulsion. When not teaching, in the summers, you can find he, and his wife, cruising the inside passage on their beautiful motor-sailor S/V Black Pearl.