We took the sailing dream out of the someday folder
What it actually takes to take a sailing dream to sea — and keep it there.
Media kit
Press
Official language for journalists, producers, podcast hosts, and partners. Use this copy as written. For quotes beyond this kit, email Dave@sailinglifewarriors.com.
Media contact
Talk to Dave
Dave Mortell
Founder / Instructor — Sailing Life Warriors
Dave@sailinglifewarriors.com
(832) 771-3283
NauticEd: instructor profile
Short bio
~90 words
Dave Mortell is a NauticEd Level V Captain Rank Qualified Sailing Instructor/Assessor and PADI scuba instructor who lives and teaches the cruising life aboard a Leopard 45 with his family, Beth and Landon. With more than 16,000 nautical miles as a family across both our boats — the Leopard now through the Caribbean, Panama, and the South Pacific, bow pointed from Vanuatu toward Australia — he helps people trade “someday” for a clearer next step. Sailing Life Warriors: learn, prepare, do life differently.
Long bio
For features and show notes
Dave Mortell grew up with Chicago roots, served in the Air Force, and spent decades in corporate America. Then came a clear decision: do life differently.
In 2022 the family committed to the cruising life. Dave became a NauticEd certified sailing instructor and PADI scuba instructor. They bought a 2021 Leopard 45 and cast off in March 2023. As a family they have logged more than 16,000 nautical miles across both boats. This Leopard’s voyage — Florida through the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, and across the South Pacific — is now in the Vanuatu → Australia chapter.
Dave teaches the way he cruises: practical, calm, and honest about what actually matters when you are away from the marina comfort blanket. Credentials include NauticEd Level V Captain Rank Qualified Sailing Instructor/Assessor, American National Standards Instructor/Assessor, SLC Instructor/Assessor, Travel & Roving Instructor, and PADI scuba instructor.
Beth brings the people-sense and the “we can figure this out” energy that makes a boat a home. Landon (“Lando”) is homeschooled on the move, with a front-row seat to what it means to grow up with the world as classroom.
Sailing Life Warriors is not theory from the dock. It is instruction, coaching, and story from a family living the miles — for people ready to learn, prepare, and do life differently.
Boilerplate
About Sailing Life Warriors
Sailing Life Warriors is a family living and teaching the cruising life aboard a 2021 Leopard 45, with more than 16,000 nautical miles as a family across both our boats, and the bow pointed from Vanuatu toward Australia.
The work is practical: NauticEd sailing instruction (crew foundations through catamaran, bareboat/SLC, and offshore preparation), cruising coaching for people who want clarity before they cast off, and story from a life at sea. Not theory from the dock. Real weather. Real systems. Real decisions.
The Life Warrior idea is quieter than it sounds: you own the outcome. You prepare. You choose. You keep going when the plan gets edited by weather, gear, or timing.
Media contact: Dave Mortell — Dave@sailinglifewarriors.com — sailinglifewarriors.com
Fact sheet
At a glance
| Miles logged | More than 16,000 nautical miles as a family, across both boats |
|---|---|
| Vessel | 2021 Leopard 45 catamaran — home and training platform |
| Current chapter | Vanuatu → Australia |
| Voyage so far | Florida (March 2023) → Caribbean → Panama Canal → South Pacific |
| Crew | Dave, Beth, and Landon (“Lando”) Mortell |
| Instruction | NauticEd Level V Captain Rank Qualified Sailing Instructor/Assessor |
| Additional credentials | ANS Instructor/Assessor · SLC Assessor · Travel & Roving Instructor |
| Diving | PADI scuba instructor |
| Offers | Sailing instruction · Coaching · Books (Kindle out; memoir forthcoming) |
| Instruction / coaching | NauticEd instructor profile · coaching $200/hour, text plus live conversation via /contact |
| Shop | sailing-life-warriors.myshopify.com |
| Media email | Dave@sailinglifewarriors.com |
Talk topics
Conversations we can hold well
Skills that travel when the charter ends
What matters away from the marina comfort blanket: weather, systems, and real decisions.
Clarity before you cast off
Boats, budgets, skills, timing, and family fit — coaching the dream before money hits a broker.
Family cruising aboard a Leopard 45
Shared watch, homeschool on the move, and building a life (not just a passage plan) at sea.
NauticEd pathways from a passage-proven instructor
Crew foundations, catamaran certification, bareboat/SLC, and offshore preparation — taught by someone living the miles.
What “Life Warrior” actually means
You own the outcome. You prepare. You choose. Resilience over perfection — without the hard-warrior pose.
Assets
Logo and headshot downloads
Authentic Sailing Life Warriors marks from sailinglifewarriors.com — not a replacement logo. Use the black versions on light backgrounds and the white versions on dark.
Trident mark — on dark
Download
Authentic SLW trident (white on black) — same mark as sailinglifewarriors.com. Use on dark backgrounds.
Trident mark — on light
Download
Same authentic trident, recolored black for light backgrounds. Not a new mark.
Lockup — on dark
Download
Authentic SAILING LIFE WARRIORS lockup (white on black) from sailinglifewarriors.com.
Offers to link