Co-founder & Senior Consultant

Joe Parker was bitten by the sailing bug at 10 when his uncle set him up with a sailing / rowing dinghy on a small lake in the middle of Michigan. Uncle Paul said, “It’s simple really, just WANT to learn how.” Joe spent the next week sailing across the lake and rowing back. Now, more than 50 years later, Joe still wants to learn all there is to know about sailing and recognizes there is always more to experience and learn about sailing.

Joe driving Stardust, a 35′ Allied Seabreeze.

Joe bought a sailboat and started sailing in 1977 and since has sailed more than 50,000 miles. He has sailed in more than 20 Port Huron to Mackinaw races, more than a dozen Chicago to Mackinaw races, countless regattas in the Great Lakes, Annapolis, Newport, Key West and Maine as well as many sailboat deliveries in the Great Lakes and via the Intercoastal Waterway and Erie Canal. But Joe’s favorite time on a sailboat is simply enjoying the beauty of the day while daysailing and cruising with his wife of more than 40 years, Debbie, on their current boat Stardust; a 1968 Allied SeaBreeze 35.

Joe’s love of boats prompted the formation of Bay Boat Works in 1982, a company he created for boat building, boat repair and sailboat rigging. After operating  BBW for 8 years full time, Joe was offered a position with Gougeon Brothers Inc (GBI), makers of the WEST SYSTEM™ Epoxy product line. During the 24 years he worked at GBI, Joe also took on interesting sailboat projects thru Bay Boat works, and consulted with composite manufacturers and boatbuilders world wide. Just to keep things interesting, he has also moonlighted for more than 35 years as a sail consultant for several of the major sailmakers in the US. Since retiring from GBI in 2014, Joe has refocused on Bay Boat Works and taking on interesting sailboat rigging projects.

Joe has built boats, repaired boats, sold sails for boats and raced and cruised sail boats. He has sailed on everything from that 12 foot dinghy to 70+ foot race boats and everything in between. Joe has made many great sailing friends, has enjoyed many miles of sailing, and wants to share his love of sailing with you.