Vaughan Johansen

Photo of Vaughan Johansen
Vancouver, British Columbia Canada

Level V Captain Rank Chief Sailing Instructor / Assessor

Rated 4.87/5 by 63 students
A USCG Captain and certified sailing instructor, Vaughan Johansen has taught sailing from the Florida Keys to the Canadian Arctic. An adult educator with 20 years standing, Vaughan's approach to sailboat instruction is to help students harness their strengths, push their boundaries, and guide them through the challenges of sailboat operation and sailboat cruising. Vaughan holds certifications from the United States Coast Guard, NauticEd, the American Sailing Association, Sail Canada and Transport Canada. He has been teaching sailing and cruising in the Pacific Northwest since 2010. He sails a C&C 36.

Credentials

NauticEd Credentials

  • Level V Captain Rank Chief Instructor/Assessor
  • American National Standards Instructor/Assessor
  • Canadian National Standards Instructor/Assessor
  • SLC Instructor/Assessor
  • ICC Preparatory Instructor

Other Credentials

USCG Captain (OUPV Near Coastal) ASA Certified Instructor Sail Canada Certified Instructor Transport Canada Certified Small Vessel Operator

Associated practical schools

Publications

Read the Expert Article Vaughan Johansen has written

Training and assessment

International License Training/Assessment

Notes: Sailboat skipper and yacht charter training is done on a C&C 36.

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Feedback from previous students

Calvin J., Canada, BC, Maple Ridge at 2024, Jul 23
Practical Competence of Skipper Rank
I recently completed the Skipper Large Keelboat course with Underway Sailing through the NauticEd platform, and I can't say enough good things about it! My instructor, Vaughan, was absolutely fantastic. Even with my past sailing experience, I learned a ton and had an absolute blast. Vaughan was incredibly patient and had this amazing ability to break down complex concepts into easy-to-understand lessons. His clear and calm instruction made the entire learning process enjoyable and stress-free. Plus, his passion for sailing is totally contagious! If you're looking to up your sailing game or just get out on the water and have some fun, I highly recommend Underway Sailing and Vaughan. It's an experience you won't forget! ⛵
Bob H., Canada, BC, Comox at 2024, Jul 20
Practical Competence of Bareboat Charter Master Rank
I have just returned from sailing the Northern BC Coast and have been remiss submitting this rating (no/little connectivity). Also ##%%& Google would not let me do a review immediately after the Evaluation Course. Don't know why. Not sure what...National Standard Rubrics Assessment Methodology is but I can assure you that Vaughan used a very good Instructional Technique. It worked for me.Vaughan ran an excellent course and made every attempt to ensure i was comfortable and not over-stressed by the "assessment" of my sailing skills. He was polite yet firm in directing me to perform certain tasks. The sailboat he is using is old and has a few issues but certainly suitable for the purpose it is being used. I found after a full day on the water a bit challenging sitting down and writing an exam. Particularly involving arithmetic when quite tired. Thanks Vaughan for cutting me a bit of slack. Perhaps exam first or the next day? Anyway. Well Done! Thoroughly enjoyed the day. Sorry about the
Hugh F., Canada, BC, Pemberton at 2024, Apr 22
Practical Competence of Skipper Rank
Very experienced, professional instructor with emphasis on safety. I learned a lot, notably, vessel under power, docking, MOB, , communication with crew, anchoring.
Richard and H., Canada, BC, Vancouver at 2024, Apr 23
Practical Competence of Skipper Rank
Vaughan was patient and approachable. He introduced new things to notice and adjust incrementally and at a pace that could be absorbed and incorporated into my learning.
Joern M., Canada, Ladysmith at 2024, Mar 11
Practical Competence of Bareboat Charter Master Rank
Vaughan truly went above and beyond. I booked training before the examination and he was great at explaining, showing, having me learn by doing. My wife came along as crew and Vaughan talked her through backing the boat back into the slip in a very calm, clear and instructive way. She aced it. I am still a bit miffed that she was clearly able to do it following his instructions, whereas the outcome of my attempts to show her always bordered on divorce and could only be remedied with gifts of wine and back massages. Vaughan was a great teacher, put a lot of extra time in, and helped me keep it together when I f ailed my first SLC exam… Would very highly recommend him.
Mike A., Canada, BC, Courtenay at 2024, Feb 23
Practical Competence of Bareboat Charter Master Rank
Pearce M., Canada, BC, Vancouver at 2023, Aug 30
Practical Competence of Skipper (small keelboat) Rank
David E., Canada, BC, North Saanich at 2023, Sep 23
Practical Competence of Skipper Rank
Vaughan was an amazing instructor -exceptionally patient with difficult student like me. His boat is an older one, but reasonably maintained. Having everything manual and his discussions about the challenges of maintaining an older boat were very useful in our training. I would not hesitate to recommend Vaughan Johansen to someone wanting to learn to sail or improve their sailing skills. Thanks Vaughan!
Vincent C., Canada, BC, Vancouver at 2023, Sep 04
Practical Competence of Skipper Rank
Very knowledgable and patient instructor.
Kent R., Canada, BC, Vancouver at 2023, Aug 07
Practical Competence of Skipper Rank
Learning to sail with Vaughan was awesome! I went from having never sailed to confidently able to skipper a sailboat in 4 days on the water with him, and I had a blast to boot! Super patient and knowledgeable I would recommend him as a teacher to anyone looking to learn how to sail! He's a solid dude!
Showing 1 - 10 of last 63 reviews.