Captain Phillip C. Otness

Otness grew up on Lake Oswego, Oregon, riding, rowing, sinking, skiing and swimming on anything that floats or sometimes didn’t. He tried it all from trick skiing to boat racing. In 1956 he entered Oregon State University on a Naval Scholarship and was commissioned ENSIGN USN in 1960 along with a BS in Physics. He was immediately assigned to a Ocean Minesweeper and spent the next three plus years throughout the Pacific on this Wooden hulled vessel as Operations Officer. He became a very adept Shiphandler in all situations. He resigned his regular commission and joined the Naval Reserve upon returning to the Portland, OR area in order to take a job in Electric Utilities. He continued with the Pacific Northwest Division of Naval Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts cruising throughout the Pacific for 20 years. He is retired with the Rank of Commander and was qualified for Command of Destroyers and Minesweepers.

Otness‘s profession with the Electric Utilities took he and his family to Massachusetts for a stint of some eighteen years before their return to the NW. During that time in a succession of different vessels they cruised extensively from Quebec Canada, through Lake Champlain, Long Island Sound, Intercoastal to Florida, Bahamas, US Virgin Islands, and British VI. They recently cruised from Florida to Texas in order to then ship their 44 Tollycraft overland to Seattle.

Now homeported in Port Ludlow, WA, Captain Otness is specializing in Custom Charters to take interested boaters anywhere on a type cruise of their choice. The yacht Caroline’s Camelot is a perfect platform to cruise safely throughout the Pacific NW. Otness has taught clinics on Navigation, Shiphandling, weather, and safety at sea among many other topics. A cruise with Otness should be a learning situation. He first acquired an USGC license in 1988 and holds a 100-Ton Master license and has been experience qualified for the 500-Ton license. Captain Otness has owned Caroline’s Camelot since new in 1988. She was in charter in the USVI until 1994. She has recently been completely refurbished and outfitted, and is ready for any cruise in the PNW including Alaska.

For additional information on the vessel click on Tollycraft Specs.