Chart your course.
Captain your journey.
Take the helm
Sailing experiences and coaching for women ready to lead with more clarity, calm, and confidence—on the water and in their lives.
Leadership Retreats for Women and Teams
Small, immersive single or multi-day on-water experiences to practice real-time leadership.
Sailing Instruction & Certification
Learn to sail or build your skills with hands-on, practical instruction. ASA Certifications 101-105.
Your Course Forward
There’s something that happens when you step onto a boat.
You leave the dock with a plan—but once you’re out there, the wind shifts, the current pulls, and you have to adjust.
You can’t force your way through it. You have to read what’s happening.
Anticipate. Respond. Stay present.
And in that space, something becomes clear.
You start to notice how you actually show up:
When conditions aren’t ideal
When you don’t have full control
When others are looking to you to set the course
Hesitation. Overthinking. Holding back.
Or stepping forward, making decisions, and trusting yourself.
On the water, those patterns are hard to ignore.
And once you see them there, you start to recognize them everywhere else.
Because real leadership isn’t about having perfect conditions.
It’s about how you navigate when you don’t.
Women’s Leadership Escapes
You’ll step into new roles, make decisions, navigate challenges — and see exactly how you show up and find your new direction.
Sailing & Instruction
Learn to sail or build your skills with hands-on, practical instruction by a certified ASA Instructor. Classes are through Island Sailing School, Portland, an ASA accredited school.
Sailing Experiences
Travel, explore, and sail in extraordinary places—while connecting with others and yourself in a deeper way. Sailing trips in Greece.
Coaching and Team Retreats
One-on-one and small group coaching to strengthen how you communicate and lead. Team outings on the Columbia River, Portland, OR.
Upcoming Women’s Retreat
Are you going through a big life transition and feel a bit lost? Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do in the middle of a major life transition is step into a completely different environment.
Take the Helm is a 3-day women’s retreat on the Columbia River — where nature, sailing, and coaching create the space to connect with your inner compass again and set out a new direction.
Who is this experience for?
This is for women navigating a major life transition — a relationship that ended, a career shift, a loss, a life that needs reimagining. You don’t need to become someone different to find your way through. You just need the right space to reconnect with what’s already there.
Does this has to be a dramatic or recent transition?
No. Transitions come in many shapes and timelines. What matters is that you’re in the middle of something — and ready to slow down, reflect, and begin charting what’s next.
What makes this different from other retreats?
The environment. Being on the water strips away the noise of daily life and creates an unusually honest space. The boat, the wind, the elements demand your full presence — and in that presence, patterns become visible in a way they rarely are on land.
What can I expect to gain from it?
A reset. A clearer sense of who you are on the other side of this transition. Insight into the patterns that have been running the show — and a renewed sense of direction and meaning to bring home with you.
Is this therapy of coaching?
It’s an experiential retreat that combines sailing, nature, and professional coaching. It’s not therapy, but coaching is known for having a therapeutic effect. It goes deep, and it’s designed to move something in you.
Do I need sailing experience?
Some prior time on the water is helpful. You don’t need to be an experienced sailor — but this is not a beginner sailing course. If you’re unsure whether this is the right fit, reach out and we’ll talk it through.
Are there any physical requirements?
Sailing requires a basic level of physical mobility — moving around the deck, stepping over lines, and adjusting your position as the boat moves. This ensures your safety and that of others. If you’re unsure whether this is the right fit physically, I’m happy to have a conversation before you register.
I’m Berry Kruijning—a leadership and communication coach and a lifelong sailor.
For over 20 years, I’ve worked with leaders to help them communicate more clearly, navigate difficult conversations, lead with confidence and become more impactful.
Sailing has always been part of my life. Over time, I realized it’s also one of the most powerful environments for learning how we lead.
Happy at the Helm brings those two worlds together.
Captain Berry
Testimonials
Certification Trip in Greece
“I came to Greece with Captain Berry to earn my ASA 103 and 104. What I didn’t expect was how much I’d learn about myself. There were moments of real challenge — riding out a ” Medicane” at the dock on the Ionian Sea, navigating tight harbors, working through crew dynamics in close quarters. But every time I felt out of my depth, Berry’s calm, clear instruction helped me find my footing. By the end of the week, I wasn’t just certified — I was a sailor. Greece was the perfect classroom: stunning, unforgiving, and absolutely unforgettable.”
— Certification Crew, o/b Beleza
First Time Coastal Cruising
“I had never sailed on open water before this trip. My first moments at the helm — wind in the sails, the Greek coastline sliding by — genuinely changed something in me. Berry has a rare gift: she makes you feel competent before you realize you’ve become competent. I left with my certifications, a new love for sailing, and a handful of people I’ll call lifelong crew. If you’re wondering whether this trip is for you — it is.”
— First-Time Offshore Sailor, o/b Beleza
Cruising Trip Greece
“What I’ll carry home from this trip is harder to put in a logbook. Falling asleep on deck to the sound of waves. The simplicity of meals made fresh in a small galley. The way time slows down when you’re anchored in a quiet Ionian bay with nowhere to be. Happy at the Helm created something rare — not just a sailing trip, but a week that reminded me what actually matters. I’d go again without a second thought.”
— Cruising Crew, o/b Oasis
Online Resources I Love
Weather and Tides
The Columbia River and Pacific waters are beautiful and dynamic. These are the tools I check before every sail.
Books I Recommend
A short list of books that have shaped the way I sail and lead.
Tools I Use
Apps and tools that keep me organized, creative, and on course — on the water and in my coaching practice.