Continuing Education

Captain Alan Karpas

USCG 100 Ton Master Inland w/ Sailing Endorsement

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I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, spent 25 years living in the Philadelphia area before moving to Bethesda in 1997.

I started sailing in the mid ‘80s when a friend invited me and my girlfriend to sail aboard has 36’ Erickson for a weekend.  After an exciting sail, anchoring, grilling steaks, drinking rum and singing Buffett songs all night, I was hooked.

The Chesapeake Bay is where I do most of my sailing on my 50’ Beneteau.  My cruising outside of the Bay includes the east coast - Maine to Key West, and the west coast of FL - Key West to Tampa Bay.  In California from San Diego to and from Catalina Island, the San Juan Islands in Canada, most of the islands in the Caribbean, Greece, and Croatia.  In 2018 I participated in the Annapolis to Bermuda sailboat race.

Besides loving to sail, I also enjoy teaching boating.  I have served as an instructor for the US Power Squadron teaching everything from basic boating to advanced navigation.

Professionally, I retired from 3M’s Healthcare Division as a sales manager.  My area of focus was their cardiovascular products.  My interest is cardiovascular health led me to become a CPR instructor in 1974.  In 1976, along with a colleague, formed the Safety Institute of PA, one of the first American Heart Association CPR training centers.  When I moved to Bethesda to get married, I formed the Safety Institute of Maryland, an American Heart Association CPR and First Aid training Center which specializes in providing training to the boating community.

Besides our spending time on the water, my wife and I enjoy international travel and most of all, spending time with our grandchildren.