SERVICE AREA
Captain Services on Lake Erie
USCG-licensed vessel deliveries, captain's coaching, and First Mate training for boat owners across Lake Erie's western basin — from the Detroit River mouth out to Put-in-Bay and Sandusky.
SERVICE AREA
Captain Services on Lake Erie
USCG-licensed vessel deliveries, captain's coaching, and First Mate training for boat owners across Lake Erie's western basin — from the Detroit River mouth out to Put-in-Bay and Sandusky.
SERVICE AREA
Captain Services on Lake Erie
USCG-licensed vessel deliveries, captain's coaching, and First Mate training for boat owners across Lake Erie's western basin — from the Detroit River mouth out to Put-in-Bay and Sandusky.
USCG Master 100 GRT
GREAT LAKES & INLAND WATERS
USCG Master 50 GRT
NEAR COASTAL
Commercial Towing Assistance
Endorsement
B.S. Mechanical Eng.
U of M Dearborn
Past Commodore
Ford Yacht Club · 2004–2006
USCG Master 100 GRT
GREAT LAKES & INLAND WATERS
USCG Master 50 GRT
NEAR COASTAL
Commercial Towing Assistance
Endorsement
B.S. Mechanical Eng.
U of M Dearborn
Past Commodore
Ford Yacht Club · 2004–2006
WHERE WE OPERATE
Home Waters
The western basin of Lake Erie is two miles south of my office on Grosse Ile. From the Detroit River mouth out across to Put-in-Bay, Kelleys Island, Catawba, and Sandusky — and north along the Michigan shoreline through Brest Bay to Toledo Beach Marina — these are the waters I run most often outside the Detroit River corridor itself. If you keep your boat anywhere on the Michigan or Ohio side of western Lake Erie, or you're a Great Lakes owner who runs the islands as part of your summer cruising, this is home territory. Lake Erie is the most misunderstood of the Great Lakes. People assume that because it's the smallest by volume and the shallowest, it's the easiest. The opposite is closer to the truth — Lake Erie's shallowness is exactly what makes it the most weather-sensitive Great Lake, and the most demanding for owners who haven't run it before.
WHERE WE OPERATE
Home Waters
The western basin of Lake Erie is two miles south of my office on Grosse Ile. From the Detroit River mouth out across to Put-in-Bay, Kelleys Island, Catawba, and Sandusky — and north along the Michigan shoreline through Brest Bay to Toledo Beach Marina — these are the waters I run most often outside the Detroit River corridor itself. If you keep your boat anywhere on the Michigan or Ohio side of western Lake Erie, or you're a Great Lakes owner who runs the islands as part of your summer cruising, this is home territory. Lake Erie is the most misunderstood of the Great Lakes. People assume that because it's the smallest by volume and the shallowest, it's the easiest. The opposite is closer to the truth — Lake Erie's shallowness is exactly what makes it the most weather-sensitive Great Lake, and the most demanding for owners who haven't run it before.
WHERE WE OPERATE
Home Waters
The western basin of Lake Erie is two miles south of my office on Grosse Ile. From the Detroit River mouth out across to Put-in-Bay, Kelleys Island, Catawba, and Sandusky — and north along the Michigan shoreline through Brest Bay to Toledo Beach Marina — these are the waters I run most often outside the Detroit River corridor itself. If you keep your boat anywhere on the Michigan or Ohio side of western Lake Erie, or you're a Great Lakes owner who runs the islands as part of your summer cruising, this is home territory. Lake Erie is the most misunderstood of the Great Lakes. People assume that because it's the smallest by volume and the shallowest, it's the easiest. The opposite is closer to the truth — Lake Erie's shallowness is exactly what makes it the most weather-sensitive Great Lake, and the most demanding for owners who haven't run it before.
WHAT I DO
What I do for Lake Erie boat owners.
The full menu of services applies on Lake Erie. The most common engagements:
WHAT I DO
What I do for Lake Erie boat owners.
The full menu of services applies on Lake Erie. The most common engagements:
WHAT TO KNOW
What you should know about boating on Lake Erie.
A few things I'd tell any new owner running this water.
01
The lake builds and lays down faster than any of the others.
Lake Erie's average depth is only 62 feet, and the western basin is shallower still — about 24 feet on average. That shallowness is why the lake responds to wind almost instantly. A 9 AM trip to Put-in-Bay can become a very different return trip by 3 PM if a thunderstorm rolls through and a 20-knot wind picks up. Owners who learned to boat on Lake Michigan or Lake Huron consistently underestimate how fast Erie changes character. Watch the wind forecast and the radar more than the sky.
02
Summer thunderstorms are the dominant hazard.
03
The Lake Erie Islands are the western basin's center of gravity.
04
Walleye season changes the math.
05
The international border crosses the basin.
WHAT TO KNOW
What you should know about boating on Lake Erie.
A few things I'd tell any new owner running this water.
01
The Trenton Channel runs fast.
It's the narrow western channel between Grosse Ile and the Michigan shore, and the current can be deceptive — especially when Detroit Edison's Trenton Channel power plant water flow shifts. New owners regularly underestimate how much the current is doing for them on the way out and against them on the way back. It's the single most common thing we work on in coaching sessions.
02
Lower Detroit River freighter traffic is constant.
03
Lake Erie weather changes fast.
04
The bridges have schedules.
WHAT TO KNOW
What you should know about boating on Lake Erie.
A few things I'd tell any new owner running this water.
01
The Trenton Channel runs fast.
It's the narrow western channel between Grosse Ile and the Michigan shore, and the current can be deceptive — especially when Detroit Edison's Trenton Channel power plant water flow shifts. New owners regularly underestimate how much the current is doing for them on the way out and against them on the way back. It's the single most common thing we work on in coaching sessions.
02
Lower Detroit River freighter traffic is constant.
03
Lake Erie weather changes fast.
04
The bridges have schedules.
Local marinas I work with.
I've delivered boats to and from most of the major marinas around the western basin, including:
MARINAS (NOT LIMITED TO)
If your boat lives at any of these — or you're planning to base there — I can speak to dockage, the approaches, and the local quirks from direct experience.
Local marinas I work with.
I've delivered boats to and from most of the major marinas around the western basin, including:
MARINAS (NOT LIMITED TO)
If your boat lives at any of these — or you're planning to base there — I can speak to dockage, the approaches, and the local quirks from direct experience.
Local marinas I work with.
I've delivered boats to and from most of the major marinas around the western basin, including:
MARINAS (NOT LIMITED TO)
If your boat lives at any of these — or you're planning to base there — I can speak to dockage, the approaches, and the local quirks from direct experience.
WHAT TO KNOW
Why Lake Erie owners hire a professional captain.
The reasons that come up most often:
01
The first season on Lake Erie is the hardest season.
Owners new to Erie consistently report that their first summer is the most stressful — weather caught them off guard, trips got cut short, plans changed underway. Coaching compresses that learning curve dramatically. By the end of a five-module Captain's Coaching engagement, you've practiced the situations you'd otherwise be learning the hard way over multiple seasons.
02
You bought the boat somewhere else.
03
You're planning to run the islands.
04
Insurance asked for a captain.
EXCLUSIVE PROGRAM
The First Mate Coaching Package
Deck leadership, dock lines, VHF radio, trip planning, and what to do in the terrifying event that your own captain has been injured or suffers a medical emergency. Your decisions and actions as the First Mate matter.
Let OCS bolster your knowledge and confidence. The only program of its kind on the Great Lakes.
WHAT TO KNOW
Why Lake Erie owners hire a professional captain.
The reasons that come up most often:
01
The first season on Lake Erie is the hardest season.
Owners new to Erie consistently report that their first summer is the most stressful — weather caught them off guard, trips got cut short, plans changed underway. Coaching compresses that learning curve dramatically. By the end of a five-module Captain's Coaching engagement, you've practiced the situations you'd otherwise be learning the hard way over multiple seasons.
02
You bought the boat somewhere else.
03
You're planning to run the islands.
04
Insurance asked for a captain.
EXCLUSIVE PROGRAM
The First Mate Coaching Package
Deck leadership, dock lines, VHF radio, trip planning, and what to do in the terrifying event that your own captain has been injured or suffers a medical emergency. Your decisions and actions as the First Mate matter.
Let OCS bolster your knowledge and confidence. The only program of its kind on the Great Lakes.
WHAT TO KNOW
Why Lake Erie owners hire a professional captain.
The reasons that come up most often:
01
The first season on Lake Erie is the hardest season.
Owners new to Erie consistently report that their first summer is the most stressful — weather caught them off guard, trips got cut short, plans changed underway. Coaching compresses that learning curve dramatically. By the end of a five-module Captain's Coaching engagement, you've practiced the situations you'd otherwise be learning the hard way over multiple seasons.
02
You bought the boat somewhere else.
03
You're planning to run the islands.
04
Insurance asked for a captain.
EXCLUSIVE PROGRAM
The First Mate Coaching Package
Deck leadership, dock lines, VHF radio, trip planning, and what to do in the terrifying event that your own captain has been injured or suffers a medical emergency. Your decisions and actions as the First Mate matter.
Let OCS bolster your knowledge and confidence. The only program of its kind on the Great Lakes.
ABOUT CAPTAIN TOM
Professionally licensed, with 36 years of context you can put to work.
I've been running Lake Erie's western basin for decades — out of Grosse Ile, where my office sits two miles from the Detroit River mouth and the open lake. Three years on the Ford Yacht Club Board of Directors, Commodore from 2004 to 2006. Currently President of the Ford Yacht Club Past Commodores. I hold a USCG Master 100 GRT license for the Great Lakes and Inland Waters, plus a 50 GRT Near Coastal Master, both with Commercial Towing endorsement. USCG Mariner Reference Number 2913289. If you're keeping a boat anywhere on Lake Erie — Michigan side, Ohio side, or you're using the islands as your summer base — let's talk.
Tom Ketelhut
Owner, Offshore Captain Services
ABOUT CAPTAIN TOM
Professionally licensed, with 36 years of context you can put to work.
I've been running Lake Erie's western basin for decades — out of Grosse Ile, where my office sits two miles from the Detroit River mouth and the open lake. Three years on the Ford Yacht Club Board of Directors, Commodore from 2004 to 2006. Currently President of the Ford Yacht Club Past Commodores. I hold a USCG Master 100 GRT license for the Great Lakes and Inland Waters, plus a 50 GRT Near Coastal Master, both with Commercial Towing endorsement. USCG Mariner Reference Number 2913289. If you're keeping a boat anywhere on Lake Erie — Michigan side, Ohio side, or you're using the islands as your summer base — let's talk.
Tom Ketelhut
Owner, Offshore Captain Services
ABOUT CAPTAIN TOM
Professionally licensed, with 36 years of context you can put to work.
I've been running Lake Erie's western basin for decades — out of Grosse Ile, where my office sits two miles from the Detroit River mouth and the open lake. Three years on the Ford Yacht Club Board of Directors, Commodore from 2004 to 2006. Currently President of the Ford Yacht Club Past Commodores. I hold a USCG Master 100 GRT license for the Great Lakes and Inland Waters, plus a 50 GRT Near Coastal Master, both with Commercial Towing endorsement. USCG Mariner Reference Number 2913289. If you're keeping a boat anywhere on Lake Erie — Michigan side, Ohio side, or you're using the islands as your summer base — let's talk.
Tom Ketelhut
Owner, Offshore Captain Services
LEARN MORE
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you work with Ohio-side Lake Erie boats?
Yes. My USCG license covers the entire Great Lakes, and I regularly work with owners based in Toledo, Port Clinton, Catawba, Sandusky, and the Lake Erie Islands. For deliveries between the Michigan and Ohio shorelines — or to and from the islands — I'll go wherever your boat needs to go.
Will you come to my marina for coaching?
Yes. All coaching is conducted on your boat, in your home waters. For Lake Erie slips on the Michigan side, I come to you with travel built into the engagement. For Ohio-side slips, the engagement structure is the same; travel is factored in.
What size vessel do you handle?
My USCG license covers vessels up to 100 Gross Register Tons. Most coaching and delivery work on Lake Erie is on 30- to 65-foot cruisers and sportfish.
Can you help me run between Lake Erie and the Detroit River?
Yes — that's a common delivery. The transit between the western basin and the Detroit River corridor has its own freighter timing, channel constraints at the river mouth, and weather windows. I run both directions regularly.
How does insurance coverage work?
I provide my USCG credentials and Mariner Reference Number 2913289 to your carrier, and the carrier issues a rider or written confirmation. I have a standard professional mariner credential submission form for this purpose. Most carriers process it in a day or two.
LEARN MORE
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you work with Ohio-side Lake Erie boats?
Yes. My USCG license covers the entire Great Lakes, and I regularly work with owners based in Toledo, Port Clinton, Catawba, Sandusky, and the Lake Erie Islands. For deliveries between the Michigan and Ohio shorelines — or to and from the islands — I'll go wherever your boat needs to go.
Will you come to my marina for coaching?
Yes. All coaching is conducted on your boat, in your home waters. For Lake Erie slips on the Michigan side, I come to you with travel built into the engagement. For Ohio-side slips, the engagement structure is the same; travel is factored in.
What size vessel do you handle?
My USCG license covers vessels up to 100 Gross Register Tons. Most coaching and delivery work on Lake Erie is on 30- to 65-foot cruisers and sportfish.
Can you help me run between Lake Erie and the Detroit River?
Yes — that's a common delivery. The transit between the western basin and the Detroit River corridor has its own freighter timing, channel constraints at the river mouth, and weather windows. I run both directions regularly.
How does insurance coverage work?
I provide my USCG credentials and Mariner Reference Number 2913289 to your carrier, and the carrier issues a rider or written confirmation. I have a standard professional mariner credential submission form for this purpose. Most carriers process it in a day or two.
LEARN MORE
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you work with Ohio-side Lake Erie boats?
Yes. My USCG license covers the entire Great Lakes, and I regularly work with owners based in Toledo, Port Clinton, Catawba, Sandusky, and the Lake Erie Islands. For deliveries between the Michigan and Ohio shorelines — or to and from the islands — I'll go wherever your boat needs to go.
Will you come to my marina for coaching?
Yes. All coaching is conducted on your boat, in your home waters. For Lake Erie slips on the Michigan side, I come to you with travel built into the engagement. For Ohio-side slips, the engagement structure is the same; travel is factored in.
What size vessel do you handle?
My USCG license covers vessels up to 100 Gross Register Tons. Most coaching and delivery work on Lake Erie is on 30- to 65-foot cruisers and sportfish.
Can you help me run between Lake Erie and the Detroit River?
Yes — that's a common delivery. The transit between the western basin and the Detroit River corridor has its own freighter timing, channel constraints at the river mouth, and weather windows. I run both directions regularly.
How does insurance coverage work?
I provide my USCG credentials and Mariner Reference Number 2913289 to your carrier, and the carrier issues a rider or written confirmation. I have a standard professional mariner credential submission form for this purpose. Most carriers process it in a day or two.
READY TO GET STARTED?
Let's talk about your boat.
Every engagement starts with a conversation. Tell me about your vessel, your waters, and what you're working toward.
Or give me a call at (248)-497-5791. If I'm on the water, I'll call you back same day.
READY TO GET STARTED?
Let's talk about your boat.
Every engagement starts with a conversation. Tell me about your vessel, your waters, and what you're working toward.
Or give me a call at (248)-497-5791. If I'm on the water, I'll call you back same day.
READY TO GET STARTED?
Let's talk about your boat.
Every engagement starts with a conversation. Tell me about your vessel, your waters, and what you're working toward.
Or give me a call at (248)-497-5791. If I'm on the water, I'll call you back same day.
Explore
©️ 2026 Offshore Captain Services LLC · All rights reserved
USCG Mariner Reference #2913289
Explore
©️ 2026 Offshore Captain Services LLC · All rights reserved
USCG Mariner Reference #2913289
Explore
©️ 2026 Offshore Captain Services LLC · All rights reserved
USCG Mariner Reference #2913289