Captain Duane Moran

Captain Duane Moran has spent a lifetime on the water. Growing up in Ocean City, New Jersey, he was introduced to boating by his grandfather and began sailing and racing Optimists at the age of nine. By eleven, he was spending summers working as a dock hand at local marinas, and as a teenager he earned his sea legs as a mate aboard charter fishing boats.

After earning a degree in Structural Engineering and building a successful construction company, Duane never strayed far from the ocean. Time away from work was spent delivering boats between the Northeast and the Caribbean, racing Lightnings, Lasers, and PHRF yachts in regattas from New Jersey to Block Island, and steadily expanding the offshore experience that would become a lifelong passion. Today, Duane brings decades of blue-water sailing experience across the Caribbean, the Atlantic, and beyond to every passage aboard Gemini II. Holding a USCG 100-Ton Master's License and ASA Instructor certifications through ASA 108, he combines deep technical knowledge with a practical, hands-on approach to teaching.

His philosophy is simple: put students in real conditions, give them real responsibility, and let the ocean do the teaching. Whether standing an overnight watch, navigating a coastal passage, or managing a vessel offshore, students learn by doing. Every lesson is earned at sea, not in a classroom. His active sailing life ensures his students learn from someone who is still out there doing it, not just talking about it.