Maine Campus | Phone: 207-380-4661
145 Main Street, Thomaston, Maine 04861
Virginia Campus | Phone: 843-599-8698 or 434-933-3130
1235 Earley Farm Road, Amherst, VA 24521
DownEast
U.S.C.G. Approved Courses
Maritime Inc
About Downeast Maritime
Downeast Maritime, Inc. started in the late 1980s on Martha's Vineyards Island (the founder being a native Islander) and has for many years been located in the oldest school house on Island. However, in the middle 1990's the ever increasing high costs of doing business on Martha's Vineyard required a change in our headquarters to Freedom Maine.
In the early 2000's, we became joint partners with Maine Maritime Academy offering first rate courses to the general public previously not available in this part of Maine.
Because of the high qualifications of this distinctive school, we have trained personnel from officers in the U.S. Navy, USCG personnel, Woods Hole & other Oceanographic Institutes, NOAA, numerous independent fisherman & yachtmans with a wide ranges of experience, windjammer fleet sailors, harbormasters, state officials and tow boat operators. Younger students taking the courses with us have gone on to more formal educational careers at Maine Maritime Academy and well as other academy's or marine educational institutions. Likewise, employers from around the country routinely contact us regarding placement for our students.
Each year owners of inspected vessels hire the DMI as a private consultant prior to and during USCG inspections. This includes training and drills of the crew in all aspects for that vessels safety, fire and emergency gear.
Other Locations have included: Maine: Mount Desert Island, Maine Maritime Academy, Eastport Washington County Community College, various USCG Groups, Jonesport, Southwest Harbor, Freedom, Belfast, and Stonington Massachusetts: Boston, Gloucester and Martha's Vineyard Connecticut: US Coast Guard Academy South Carolina: Charleston and Beaufort
U.S.C.G. Staff Instructors at Downeast Maritime Inc
The founder, and your primary instructor, Shawn J. Ahearn III, holds an Ocean Master towing vessel unlimited tonnage including western rivers, 1600 / 3000 gt Ocean, 100 gt master auxiliary sail Oceans, all STCW, Fast Boat Rescue Operations, Global Marine Distress Ship Systems, Bridge Resource Management, ARPA, Visual Communications, Advance Firefighting, etc..
Has been elected a Fellow at the Royal Institute of Navigation in London. Is a member of the U.S. Institute of Navigation. Further the training center and Shawn holds an impressively wide range of teaching licenses and endorsements from the USCG's National Maritime Center. In addition he has taught at Maine Maritime Academy as a professor of Celestial & Advanced Navigation; Navigation Rules (Admirality Law), Ocean Survival & Fire Training & License Seminar Preparation and a Licensed FAA Pilot. Many of Downeast Maritime's courses continue to be offered there.
Mr. Ahearn has developed his thorough and effective skills by fusing his educational background with his extensive underway-maritime career. Undergraduate studies include: Florida Institute of Technology for "Offshore Marine Technology", Massachusetts Maritime Academy for "Deck Transportation", the University of Rhode Island for "International Maritime Affairs" and finishing his college training with a Doctorates from California Pacific University in a non-traditional degree program. He has logged thousands of ocean miles on large ships, coastal and harbor tugs, a 152' square top-sail schooner, a wide range of yachts and small work boats including operations manager of a relatively large waterfront & vessel business on Martha's Vineyard. Mr. Ahearn's family'a long yankee maritime traditions, date back to the early 1800's on the U.S.S. Constitution and Constellation. Mr. Ahearn is a member of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland.
Each year owners of inspected vessels hire the DMI as a private consultant prior to and during USCG inspections. This includes training and drills of the crew in all aspects for that vessels safety, fire and emergency gear.
Because of the high qualifications of this distinctive school, we have trained personnel from officers in the U.S. Navy, USCG personnel, Woods Hole & other Oceanographic Institutes, NOAA, numerous independent fisherman & yachtmans with a wide ranges of experience, windjammer fleet sailors, harbormasters, state officials and tow boat operators. Younger students taking the courses with us have gone on to more formal educational careers at Maine Maritime Academy and well as other academy's or marine educational institutions. Likewise, employers from around the country routinely contact us regarding placement for our students.
Mr. Ahearn is also licensed by the USCG as a senior instructor to train and qualify others wishing to become instructors for any ocean or tonnage level courses STCW.
My Associates are Professors (all are licensed by the USCG's National Maritime Center)
Captain Kenneth Stuart is a retired 22 year veteran of the United States Coast Guard. He holds a 200GT Master of Towing Near Coastal, and 100GT Master of Auxiliary Sail, with Unlimited RADAR Endorsement. His service time included numerous Commands of Coast Guard Small Boat Stations and Cutters. His training with the Coast Guard includes, but was not limited to: Search and Rescue; Motor Lifeboat Surfman Registered; Law Enforcement Boarding Officer and Defensive Tactics Instructor. Captain Stuart is currently serving as a Civilian Search & Rescue Specialist for Coast Guard Sector Northern New England, which has an area of responsibility ranging from the Massachusetts/New Hampshire State Line North to the Canadian Border.
Captain Ken Stuart recieves The George R. Putnam Inspirational Leadership Award is a prestigious national award that recognizes a Coast Guard civilian employee who exemplifies the Coast Guard’s leadership philosophy, principles, and core values. Honor, Respect, Devotion to Duty: Kenneth Stuart
Written by Lt. David Bourbeau | Coast Guard Compass - Read Entire Article, Click Here (image courtesy Coast Guard Compass)
Captain Glenn Hibbard is licensed as Master Unlimited Tonnage Inland, Master 1600 GT Oceans, Master Towing Vessels Oceans, Master 100 GT Auxiliary Sailing Vessels and 2nd Mate Unlimited Tonnage Oceans. Glenn has been licensed by the USCG for over 35 years and has spent most of that time as the Captain of oceangoing tugboats.
He also provides expert opinion and testimony to admiralty cases. He has been using his navigation experience to teach celestial and terrestrial navigation at DMI since 2010.
Lindsey Pinkham is the owner of Midcoast First Aid and a lead instructor for Downeast. She is a graduate of Maine Maritime Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation and who holds an unlimited tonnage mates license. She also holds a National Registry Advanced Emergency Medical Technician License, Maine State Advanced Emergency Medical Technician, and is a Certified CPR/AED and First Aid Instructor. Lindsey has worked on tugs, oil cleanup vessels and bulk carriers and has also worked as an instructor at Maine Maritime Academy both in the classroom and on the annual training cruise.
Captain Christopher Fleming is licensed as Master of Motor, Steam, Auxiliary Sail and Towing Vessels of Unlimited Tonnage upon Oceans and is certified by the Nautical Institute as an Unlimited Dynamic Positioning Operator.
Christopher began his maritime career on charter boats directly out of high school at age 18. In addition to serving in both upstream and downstream sectors of the Oil and Gas industry on tugs and MPSVs, he spent over fifteen years teaching coastal piloting, celestial navigation and seamanship onboard traditional sailing vessels all over the world.
Jason Yereance - Started his maritime career working on a local fishing boat during summer break from high school. After attending Maine Maritime Academy, and graduating from the SVO major he continued in the commercial fishing industry for the next 12 years as the deck boss and engineer of a 70’ trawler. During the transition from the commercial fishing industry to the tug boat industry he worked in a local boat building shop. Starting as an deckhand and working into the engine room where he still serves as chief engineer on a tractor tug in New York Harbor. Licensing includes 100 ton master, 200 ton mate, AB unlimited, Chief Engineer OSV, Assistant Engineer limited, Designated Duty Engineer any horsepower vessels under 500GT, and STCW Chief Engineer vessels any horsepower and under 500 GT.
VESSELS
These are some of the several training vessels used for our Coast Guard Training courses. The restored and repowered U.S. Navy Officers motor whale boat is inspected and certified by the USCG.
