Maritime expert witness and consulting services by Captain Mike Monastra
I am a private yacht captain and a SEAK trained expert witness. My career on the water has led to working as an expert regarding seamanship and maritime cases. Years of teaching sailing and powerboating courses have given me the skill set to explain complex maritime laws and rules to the layman. I enjoy what I do and my services are are recommended by those who I have helped. I am prompt to reply with opinions to lawyers. I have experience and training with report writing in federal cases and I have professional deposition training. I excel at making complicated seamanship matters easy for the non sailor and jury to understand.
Maritime Experience
I've sailed and skippered almost every type of sailboat and motor yacht. I am proficient in all aspects of seamanship in small and large sailing and motor yachts. I received my Captains License in September 1990 when I was twenty years old and sailing and motor yachting is the only job I have ever had.
Throughout my career racing sailboats and working on motor yachts, I worked as a professional sailing and powerboating instructor at San Diego Sailing Academy and San Diego Powerboating Academy. My dad, Captain Nick Monastra, and I owned and operated the academy until December 2021 when we retired from issuing student certifications. We certified over 2600 students in the ASA program and the US Powerboating program. These courses were all private, liveaboard instruction on sailing and motor yachts we owned and provided.
The old San Diego Sailing Academy and San Diego Powerboating Academy websites have been made available here for archival purposes, however these businesses are no longer active.
Current Activities
I'm semi-retired now. My wife, Sue and I enjoy splitting our time between our home on Lake Okanagan in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada (where we keep PG3 our 2024 Cobalt R4) and cruising aboard Prairie Girl, our 1999 Offshore 48 Pilothouse motor yacht based out of Loews Coronado Resort in San Diego, California, USA.
Since we're just cruising, I’m available to provide an opinion. Just call me, tell me about your case and I will provide a preliminary opinion. Engage me and I will review your documents and provide a report. I’m available to be deposed and for trial. Otherwise, I’ll be on the water, on one of our boats.
Certifications & Professional Experience
Licenses & certifications
- USCG captains license #2284727, 1990-Present
- SEAK trained expert witness (Seamanship/Maritime) 2018-present
- American Sailing certified instructor #900854 1990-present
- American Boating certified instructor #900854 2009-present
- US Sailing certified instructor #179012R 1995-2021 (retired)
- US Powerboating certified instructor #179012R 2012-2021 (retired)
- US Sailing Safety at Sea certified #179012R 2004-present
- Certificate of Proficiency for Navigating in Mediterranean Waters (Yacht Helmsman)
- Pleasure Craft Operating Card for navigating in Canadian Waters
- World Sailing group 3 (professional) competitor 2004-2021 (retired)
Professional sailing and powerboating instructor/yacht captain/president and owner at Privateer Maritime Inc. DBA
San Diego Sailing Academy December 1989-December 2023
San Diego Powerboating Academy May 2009-December 2023
From December 1989 to December 2023, I taught certification courses in both sailing and powerboating. These are the Seamanship Certification Courses that I am certified to teach:
- AS 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing (Learn to sail a small keelboat with a tiller)
- AS 103 Basic Coastal Cruising (Learn to sail a medium keelboat with a wheel)
- AS 104 Bareboat Chartering (Charter large sailboats without crew internationally)
- AS 105 Coastal Navigation (Classic pencil and paper techniques for navigation)
- AS 106 Advanced Seamanship and Cruising (Plan and execute passages requiring overnight)
- US Sailing 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing (Learn to sail a small keelboat with a tiller)
- US Sailing 103 Basic Cruising (Learn to sail a medium keelboat with a wheel)
- US Sailing 104 Bareboat Cruising (Charter large sailboats without crew internationally)
- US Powerboating Basic Powerboat Cruising (Learn to operate a small powerboat)
- US Powerboating Inshore Powerboating Cruising (Learn to operate a large powerboat at night)
- AB 101 Powerboating Made Easy (Learn to operate a small powerboat)
- AB 111 Close Quarters Twin inboard certification (Operate a powerboat with two engines)
- AB 111 Close Quarters Single inboard certification (Operate a powerboat with one engine)
- AB 111 Close Quarters Directed thrust certification (operate a powerboat with pod drives)
Seamanship consultant/expert witness/yacht captain/president and owner at Offshore Nautical LLC. 2018-present
Recent cases as an expert witness
- United States v. Joseph Barber (maritime smuggling)
- Tracy Sebastian v. Chief Sportfishing LLC. (alision)
- Swift v. Oceansound Investments (injured crew)
- Walker v. Staughton, Skene (sailboat racing accident)
Recent consultations on motor and sailing yachts
Dennis Pennell
We operate his amazing Fleming 55 pilothouse motor yacht in the Canadian Gulf Islands in the summer and race the new Beneteau 411 sailing yacht in San Diego in the winter.
Mark and Connor James
I consult with these owners on their Offshore 54 pilothouse motor yacht in San Diego. I advise on issues regarding hands on ownership, seamanship and maintenance of their fine yacht.
Professional sailor/yacht captain at Pennell Yacht Racing
I’ve sailed, raced and delivered sailing yachts and motor yachts for Dennis and Ernie Pennell since June 1996 exclusively. Here are some of the yachts I have been paid to race or was the captain of:
- R/P 50, custom offshore sailing yacht Blue Blazes
- ILC N/M 46, International Level Class sailing yacht Titan
- Tripp 40, custom sailing yacht Voodoo
- Farr 44, custom sailing yacht built for The Admirals Cup Bravura
- P/C #62, Kettenburg Pacific Class sailing yacht Jacks Wylie Menace
- Beneteau 411, state of the art, cruising sailing yacht Wind Seeker
- Fleming 55 custom motor yacht Jersey Girl
- Fleming 55 custom motor yacht Cheers
- Home Port: San Diego Yacht Club, San Diego, California, USA and Royal Vancouver Yacht Club, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Yachts that I currently own
- Offshore 48 custom pilothouse motor yacht Prairie Girl
- Cobalt R4 custom runabout Prairie Girl 3
- Boston Whaler 13 classic Vamanos
- Home Port: Southwestern Yacht Club, San Diego, California, USA and Kelowna Yacht Club, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.
Book a martime expert witness you can trust
Have a question? Need a maritime expert witness for your case? Contact Mike to discuss.