Captain Amio Oru
Captain Amio Oru is a serving private clients in the Pacific Northwest. Clients can hire Captain Oru to skipper their boats or bareboat rentals for lessons, charters, and deliveries. Amio is a in-depth teacher, safety minded, and experienced with large seas, heavy currents, and high tides. As a captain he offers 22 years of experience and an upbeat energy.
Day to Day Life
Currently Captain Amio Oru lives aboard his sailboat with his girlfriend April and their dog and cat. He sails them throughout the Puget Sound, and has called a number of ports home. Most recently, when you find Amio at dock it’s likely at Orcas Island, part of the San Juan Islands. The San Juan Islands and the Puget Sound make a beautiful backdrop sailing, kayaking, and hiking trips for their adventures.
Fishing Career
When Captain Amio Oru started his career boating in 1999, he began as a deck-hand aboard fishing vessels in SE Alaska. Over the next six years Amio worked on a number of fishing vessels throughout SE Alaska, the Bering Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. In 2005 Captain Amio Oru began to commercial fish for salmon with his own gillnetting boat, FV Nemesis. Steering daily on the Clarence Straights and Sumner Straights, taught Amio to pilot rough seas early in his career. Navigating high tides, swift currents, and moody weather were part of Captain Oru’s daily work routine until retiring in 2014.
Learning to Sail
Retired from fishing Amio moved to Chicago from the west coast, but still found he was drawn to the water. He was then invited to go sailing soon after his move in 2015 which sparked new obsession on the water. He was determined to sail often and bought a Catalina 22 soon after his first outing. From there Captain Amio Oru began to learn the fundamentals on Lake Michigan and surrounding lakes sailing multiple times a week. He quickly adjusted to being under sail and started looking west again for larger sailing grounds.
Becoming a Captain
Amio bought his new floating home in Vancouver in 2016, and then sailed her to Port Townsend for the winter. By chance a USCG Masters course started soon after he reaching port. Captain Oru earned his USCG Master 50 ton near coastal credentials through United States Maritime Academy that winter. Due to waiting for the delivery of the Merchant Mariner Credentials Amio sailed his own boat throughout 2017 learning the local waters. Since Captain Amio Oru started taking clients he has helping a number of new boaters and vacationing families enjoy the Pacific Northwest. Amio has truly found his passion sharing the waters, and it would be his pleasure to help you as well.