About Columbia Pacific Maritime LLC
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Columbia Pacific Maritime LLC is a USCG approved training school located in
NE Portland, Oregon close to the Portland International Airport (PDX) and just
off Interstates 205 and 84. The school was founded in the fall of 2006 with the
idea of providing USCG approved courses in a small classroom environment.
The school is located in the 814 square foot, four room, fully finished basement
of my home and includes: A full bathroom; A private secure file room providing
storage space and security for student records and course exams; A 132
square foot clean and well lighted radar classroom containing two student
stations and one radar simulator. This classroom space is used for teaching
radar observer classes and tutoring students on several other approved
classes that are taught in a self-paced format; A 330 square foot clean and well
lighted lecture classroom containing six student stations and the instructor’s
station. This classroom space is used as the primary classroom for teaching
interactive lecture based classes using PowerPoint presentations.
The Owner, Dennis Degner, began his sailing career working as a deckhand
on his father's commercial fishing vessel in the early 1960's.
In 1973, just one year after graduating from Marshfield High School in
Coos Bay, Oregon, Dennis purchased a 60-foot steel shrimp boat in
Texas and sailed it through the Panama Canal to the Oregon coast. For
the next twenty years he worked as Master of commercial fishing vessels
operating off the Oregon, Washington, and California coasts.
After retiring from commercial fishing Dennis began a career in education
teaching USCG approved courses at the community college level while
continuing to sail as Master or Mate of commercial vessel during the
summer breaks. In 2006 he retired from the community college system
and moved to Portland, Oregon with the idea of founding a small private
maritime school.
Dennis Degner holds Merchant Mariner Credentials (MMC) as Master 500
ton oceans, Mate 1600 ton inland and Able Seaman unlimited.
"Training professional
mariners is not just a job for
me, this is what I do and it
defines who I am."
Dennis Degner, Instructor
The lecture classroom provides
space for a maximum of six
students and is the primary
classroom. Classes taught in a
lecture formate include the
OUPV course, Master 100 and
200 ton course, and Able
Seaman course.
Radar Classroom
Radar classes use a the same
modern Buffalo Computer
Graphics PC Radar Simulator
used by the USCG and Navy.
This classroom provides space
for a maximum of two
students and is used for
teaching self-paced classes,
which include Radar Observer,
Celestial Navigation, Towing
and Fishing Vessel upgrades
and Auxiliary Sail and
Assistance Towing
endorsements.