Instructors
Ellie Maus
Director Middle Keys Sailing
I am incredibly excited to be returning for my third year as Director at Middle Keys Sailing! I've been sailing since I was eight, racing since I was ten, and have seven years of coaching under my belt. I competed on the highschool and collegiate level. At Bowdoin College, I started all four years, was team captain, and helped the women's team finish top ten at Nationals in 2022. After graduating with a Biology and English degree, I'm now pursuing my Master of Science in Marine Science at Jacksonville University, where I'm also a graduate assistant sailing coach for their varsity program. I'm looking forward to spending another summer encouraging campers to try something new, find a new interest, and appreciate time spent outside and on the water.
Carol Shattuck
MYC Educational Foundation Co-Chair
I grew up learning to sail on an El Toro sailing dinghy also known as an American pram sailboat or a single handed one design racer. I also sailed lasers and sunfish. I moved up to keel boats, O’Day 25, and turned into a world cruiser on a Passport 42. I spent three years cruising around the world in the early 1980s. In 1997 my family moved to the Marshall Islands, Kwajalein Atoll, and spend 8 years living on a tropical island in the Pacific. There was a small fleet of Lasers, Sunfish and Cal 20 Sailboats. With our local yacht club support, I taught young island kids to sail. When I was not teaching, I may have been found crewing on a Cal 20 in a Friday evening race. My passion for sailing has never diminished. I moved to the Keys 5 years ago and discovered the Middle Keys Sailing group. I became a US Sailing Certified Instructor 2 years ago and I am now Co-Chair with Betsy Lefler of the Middle Keys Sailing program.
Ben Bartels
Assistant Director Middle Keys Sailing
Born and raised in the Florida Keys, I've been sailing since I was 9 years old and have spent the past five years sharing my passion for the sport as a sailing instructor for Middle Keys Sailing over the summer. Currently, I'm attending Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), but I always find my way back home to the Keys in my off time. My goal as a coach is to help sailors of all levels develop confidence, skill, and a love for sailing. Whether you're just starting or looking to refine your technique, I'm excited to be part of your journey on the water!
Betsy Lefler
MYC Educational Foundation Co-Chair
Betsy Lefler has been a avid, life-long sailor and shares that passion with Florida Keys youth as the 2018-2019 Chair of MYC Educational Foundation through their Middle Keys Sailing programs. Betsy learned to sail dinghies as a child in Deltaville, Virginia, and at Boston’s Community Boating on the Charles River. As a teen, she moved to keelboats in Marblehead, Massachusetts, where she crewed on and later skippered boats for over fifteen years, including numerous Marblehead to Halifax races. After moving to Annapolis, Maryland, Betsy enjoyed many more years racing and winning in keelboats. Betsy is a corporate and securities attorney. She is enjoying partial retirement cruising the eastern U.S., Canada and the Caribbean, and living in northern Maine while helping to Co-Chair the MYC Educational Foundation.