About
Two captains, one mission: helping owners build the confidence to cruise independently.
What Drives US
There’s nothing better than seeing someone go from nervous about handling their boat to confidently setting sail on their own adventure. We love watching people fulfill their dreams.
Vision
Empowering yacht owners to cruise independently with confidence, skill, and respect for the ocean
Mission
Offering comprehensive yacht training, deliveries, and brokerage services that prepare owners for real-world, independent cruising success.
DEEPWATER
YACHT SERVICE
YACHT SERVICE
Philosophy
Respect for the ocean, empathy for every journey, and authentic relationships where clients become family.
Meet The Captains
We’re Kevin and Kyle. We’re here to help you build the confidence to cruise independently.
- USCG Master 100 GRT
- ASA Certified Instructor
- Licensed & Bonded Florida Yacht Broker
- Catamaran Brokerage Specialist
Kevin Klinges
Co-Owner
Captain Kevin Klinges is a highly experienced sail and powerboat captain, instructor, and yacht broker based in Charleston, South Carolina. Raised on the Chesapeake Bay from the age of four, Kevin grew up aboard his father’s 42′ Irwin alongside his four older brothers—long summer passages up and down the coast laid the foundation for a lifetime of seamanship and a deep respect for the ocean.
At 19, Kevin moved to the Virgin Islands to crew on a 68′ trimaran, sailing through Grenada, Venezuela, and back to St. Thomas. He later worked aboard a 55′ catamaran running day sails and earned his Rescue Diver certification while working at a local dive shop. A transatlantic delivery on a Lagoon catamaran became a defining experience in his career, shaping the way he approaches safety, preparation, and offshore decision-making.
After spending two decades in Sun Valley, Idaho—always returning to the sea whenever possible—Kevin eventually committed full-time to professional sailing, instruction, and offshore work. He has since logged tens of thousands of miles on deliveries and passages from Maine to Florida, throughout the Bahamas, and across the Caribbean. He also spent nearly two years cruising the Bahamas with his family aboard a Lagoon 400.
Kevin has trained and captained on dozens of vessels—from 40′ monohulls to 50’+ catamarans—and brings extensive experience with high-performance multihulls including Catana, Swiss Cat, Outremer, Balance, and HH Catamarans. His instruction focuses on real-world seamanship, system understanding, docking, weather routing, and preparing owners for confident, independent cruising.
As a Catamaran Brokerage Specialist and Licensed & Bonded Florida Yacht Broker, Kevin guides clients through the entire ownership process—identifying the right vessel, evaluating systems, managing expectations, and helping owners transition from purchase to training to full-time cruising. His approach is direct, practical, and experience-driven.
Professional, calm, and deeply knowledgeable, Kevin is committed to helping clients make smart decisions, develop real skills on their own boats, and achieve the cruising lifestyle they’ve worked their whole lives to reach.
- USCG Master 100 GRT
- ASA Certified Instructor
- Licensed & Bonded Florida Yacht Broker
- Catamaran Brokerage Specialist
Kyle Parrott
Co-Owner
Captain Kyle Parrott is an experienced, professional, and trusted yacht broker, instructor, and mariner based in Charleston, South Carolina. With credentials as a USCG Master 100 GRT, STCW-95 Certified Captain, and American Sailing Association Certified Instructor, Kyle brings extensive expertise, professionalism, and passion to every aspect of his work on the water.
Originally from the Midwest, Kyle’s lifelong passion for the sea led him to the South Carolina coast in 2011, where he began his career as a professional captain. During his second year, he was introduced to sailing, a defining moment that shaped his life and career. The skill, precision, and planning that sailing demands quickly drew him in.
Since then, he has accumulated tens of thousands of offshore miles, including a Transpac crossing, aboard a wide range of vessels from comfortable cruising yachts to high-performance sailing catamarans. His work includes extensive offshore deliveries and passages throughout the U.S. East Coast, Gulf Coast, and the entire Caribbean.
In 2018, Kyle began sharing his passion for sailing through professional instruction, teaching seamanship, safety, and vessel handling to students of all experience levels. He has since trained sailors on monohulls and catamarans from 30 to 55 feet, helping them build confidence through practical, real-world training in docking, sail trim, navigation, route planning, and onboard safety.
Today, Kyle serves as a Catamaran Brokerage Specialist and Licensed & Bonded Florida Yacht Broker, helping clients find, purchase, and manage their dream vessels. In addition, he is one of the owners of Deep Water Yacht Service, a Charleston-based marine service company that specializes in comprehensive sail training for owners aboard their private vessels, helping clients develop the confidence and skills to manage their vessels independently and turn their cruising goals into reality.
This combination of brokerage, instruction, and training expertise allows Kyle to guide clients through the entire journey of yacht ownership, from purchase and skill-building to confident, independent cruising. Kyle’s approach is built on a foundation of trust, professionalism, and genuine passion for the sea. Whether you’re a first-time buyer or an experienced owner seeking expert support, Kyle is dedicated to helping you navigate every step with confidence and skill, both on and off the water.
- USCG Master's License
- MCA Yachtmaster Certified
- Multi-season Charter Captain
- Instructor Since Age 14
Robert Peters
Captain
Captain Robert Peters is an experienced sail and powerboat captain, instructor, and trained commissioning skipper based in Charleston, South Carolina. Originally from the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Robert grew up on the water, developing a deep connection to the sea and gaining extensive sailing experience from a young age.
His sailing career began alongside his father and brother aboard a variety of small catamarans, including Hobie 18s, Nacra I-20s, and other performance-oriented vessels. By the age of 14, Robert had already begun teaching sailing—starting with private youth lessons and later serving as a junior instructor for children’s sailing camps. Over three years of instruction, he developed a strong foundation in communication, safety, and hands-on seamanship.
As his experience grew, Robert transitioned into crewing roles aboard a range of vessels, most notably a 38′ Maine Cat operating private sailing charters during the summer seasons. He remained with the program through multiple years, gaining real-world operational experience until earning his USCG Master’s License and MCA Yachtmaster certification. Following this, he assumed the role of Captain, taking full responsibility for vessel operations, navigation, maintenance, crew coordination, and guest experience.
While attending college during the off-season, Robert expanded his professional scope by working as a commissioning skipper for HH Catamarans, in addition to crewing on deliveries along the U.S. East Coast and throughout the Bahamas and Caribbean. In his commissioning role, he became deeply familiar with the systems, rigging, and performance characteristics of high-performance luxury catamarans, conducting sea trials, system checks, and owner walkthroughs.
Through this work, Robert has developed a comprehensive understanding of yacht systems and a talent for training owners to confidently and safely operate their vessels. He is highly skilled at instruction, troubleshooting, and translating complex systems into clear, practical knowledge for owners and crew alike. Known for his calm demeanor, direct communication style, and depth of technical knowledge, Robert brings a thoughtful, professional approach to every vessel he operates—whether commissioning a new yacht, training owners, or captaining charters. His passion for seamanship, safety, and education is evident in every aspect of his work.
- USCG Master 100 GRT
- ASA Certified Instructor
- Trans-Pacific Crossing Veteran
- Performance Multihull Specialist
Rob Teter
Captain
Rob’s life on the water began almost as soon as he could walk. He spent his formative years sailing throughout the Caribbean aboard his family’s Beneteau, chartering up and down the U.S. East Coast, and competing on youth racing teams in Charleston, South Carolina.
He launched his professional sailing career in New York City, teaching at sailing schools in Manhattan and operating charter vessels in New York Harbor and Long Island Sound. After several brief detours into other careers, Rob returned to Charleston seven years ago and has been sailing full time ever since.
Over the course of his career, Rob has logged tens of thousands of sea miles aboard high-performance sailing vessels—as well as the occasional motor yacht—throughout the East Coast, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, and Central America. He also completed a trans-Pacific crossing last summer. Rob brings extensive experience on dozens of cruising yachts from 35’ to 65’, including high-performance multihulls like Outremer, Catana, and Balance. He’s an American Sailing Association instructor and holds a USCG 100-ton master license with sailing endorsement.
In hallmark Deepwater Yacht Service fashion, Rob is a pleasure to have on board, has an easy-going teaching style, and specializes in real-world seamanship, system knowledge, docking/maneuvering, and offshore weather routing – helping clients build the confidence, competence, and independence needed to manage their boats safely and turn ambitious cruising goals into reality.
After 35 years of architecture for my wife Laura and 40 years of medicine for Me… it was time for a change! During the summer of 2019, Laura spent a week in Greece with family on a sailing monohull and she came home with the idea of moving from powerboats to sailboats. We had previously rented power catamarans in various places including the Abacos, US&BVI, and Greece, and realized how comfortable they were for life aboard. A decision was made! Having no sailing experience, we signed up for the 101 Basic Keelboat Sailing course from the American Sailing Association at the School Of Sailing in Charleston, SC. The course took place on a 25’Catalina and we were both immediately hooked. We took the 103 Basic Costal Cruising course in Charleston on a 38’ Lagoon catamaran. But for the 104 Bareboat Cruising Course, we decided, together with my cousin and his wife to rent a larger Catamaran in Antigua and brought Kevin Klinges, an instructor from the same school, with us. Kevin has been sailing in the NE of USA since he was a young boy and became an expert sailor and great instructor. We were very lucky to have him with us for a week and experienced sailing with different weather conditions and learned all about docking and mooring as well. At that point, we made the decision to buy a sailing catamaran and get it delivered in Europe to be able to enjoy everything that the Mediterranean and the Adriatic have to offer. On July 2020, after 11 days at La Rochelle (France) were we had delivery of our FP Astrea 42 named Aqua, we felt ready to leave and head to San Sebastian in Spain. The first overnight passage under a full moon confirmed that we made the right decision, and the time had arrived for this change in life. Since then, we have sailed over 10000 miles and visited 10 countries. Sailing has changed our lives and we are very thankful to the people like Kevin that helped us to learn not only the basics by sharing their own sailing experiences.
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I had the pleasure of working with Kevin at Deep Water Yacht Consultants to acquire an amazing sailing catamaran. Kevin’s extensive industry experience and dedication were evident from day one. He took the time to ensure that we had a thorough understanding of what we needed in a boat, guiding us through the entire process with patience and expertise. Kevin arranged all necessary pre-purchase inspections, handled transportation logistics, and even helped us move the yacht from South Florida to our home in the Carolinas. His attention to detail and commitment to our satisfaction gave us complete confidence in our purchase. What really set Kevin apart was his ongoing availability—not only during the buying process but also afterward. He has been 100% available to answer any questions we’ve had and has even assisted us with sail planning. Kevin is also an exceptionally patient and insightful teacher, making sure we were fully prepared to operate our new catamaran. I highly recommend Kevin and Deep Water Yacht Consultants to anyone looking for a yacht. Their personalized service, industry knowledge, and ongoing support made this a truly exceptional experience.
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When we first met Kevin at the Charleston Sailing School, we were (and still are) very new to sailing. His knowledge of boats and sailing is beyond compare and has been an invaluable asset to me and my wife. He is able to impart his knowledge in a manner that is not only informative, but also fun. We have reached out to Kevin on several occasions and spent some one-on-one time with him on our newly purchased catamaran learning specifics about our boat and sailing. Kevin was able to answer various questions from our sailing trip up the Gulf stream from Riviera Beach, FL to Charleston, SC and was instrumental in our safe passage to the Chesapeake Bay. He is an extremely down-to earth captain, and I will continue to reach out to him for advice and/or sail with Captain Kevin.
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Our family of four (including two teenage boys) spent several days with Captain Kevin in Charleston learning to sail our 50’ catamaran. From the moment we met, we knew we were in good hands. Not only is Kevin incredibly knowledgeable about all-things-yacht-and-sea, but he’s endlessly patient, encouraging, and funny. Our time together gave us the skills and confidence we needed to complete our ASA courses and carry on executing our dream of sailing around the world, as well as provided some of our favorite memories of our early days on the water, sparking a friendship we still cherish today. Throughout our travels, Kevin was a go-to for our endless train of questions and he remained gracious and generous in sharing his time and expertise with us even from afar. We can’t give Kevin a high enough recommendation — he’s the cream of the crop and you’ll be so glad you’ve chosen him to be on your team.
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I am a career Marine Officer. A Marine Officer’s primary responsibility is to teach our Marines everything they need to know to be good at what they do. So I taught daily during my career, and went on to be selected for the Instructor Group at The Basic School (TBS) in Quantico Va. where I taught literally everything to pertains to the USMC. History, leadership, night ambush patrols, maintenance of the 50 caliber machine gun, etc. Further I went on to become a pilot and taught flying the entire rest of my career. In those assignments I became responsible for not only the course material but also as a senior officer - responsible for our instructors, both at TBS, and out in our fleet squadrons as a Senior Marine. So I have seen a lot of people give instruction, and understand a fairly wide variety of teaching methods. With that background I can say that Kevin Klinges is an exceptional teacher and blessed in his ability to impart knowledge and teach good technique and habits (seamanship). His knowledge base is without peer when it comes to matters pertaining to sailing and boats - both standing and running rigging as well as equipment. He has an exceptional depth of experience doing boat deliveries across oceans and coastal. He is a survivor of one of most harrowing deep ocean mishaps I have ever heard. His fortitude and determination to survive speak volumes to this man’s character, and as a Marine of 21 years experience I have known no few men of great character. Ask him to tell you the story, and then go read it. It’s really an amazing story - which unsurprisingly he doesn’t talk about much. Kevin is a real pleasure to work with, learn from, and just laugh and have a good time with. He pushed us hard in the ASA-104 course, and forced me to maneuver a boat in situations that weren’t comfortable based on my experience, but which gave me confidence in handling so when the time came, as it always does, when I needed those skills - I had them! He had us do several drills where we saw just how the boat handled and performed under extremes. Hard maneuvering, coming to a fast stop from speed, and how a boat moves in constrained areas. He has several techniques pertaining to all aspects of sailing that I use today and were both common sense and good seamanship. The last time we were out in Charleston, I had a couple of less knowledgable friends out with me, and as Kevin helped around the boat he was quietly teaching and showing my friends - because that’s just what he does! He was such a pleasure to have aboard that one friend asked if we could take him out again because she so much enjoyed what she learned from him and his manner while teaching. Kevin is a great father, a friend, and the finest Sailing Instructor I have had the pleasure to work with. Were I still in Charleston (I’m not) I would have him out again to pick up a few more pointers. I couldn’t have been more pleased with the results of retaining him.
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Please find this referral letter as a testament to our experiences with Captain Kevin Klinges. In 2021, we purchased a 2018 Fountaine Pajot Helia 44 catamaran and since this was the first boat we owned in this size range, our insurance company required that we have a captain sign off on our sailing skills. Although, we had been chartering 40-foot monohulls and catamarans every vacation for the past decade, we were glad to bring a captain on board to ensure we had the necessary skills before cruising full time on the US eastern seaboard and Bahamas. What we got with Kevin was a captain who not only validated our skills and taught us a few new ones, but also provided us with some great nuggets that made us better and safer sailors. Kevin’s temperament and style combined with his knowledge and experience make him an excellent instructor. We had such a great time working with him for those first three days, that we brought him back to brush up on docking skills, working with our new to us asymmetrical spinnaker, and later on our fist multi-day passage. Kevin always made us feel calm and confident despite docking in 25 knot cross wind and heading out on passage from Charleston to Fort Lauderdale in very “sporty” conditions. After purchasing our boat in Charleston, we spent our first winter cruising the Bahamas (hitting many of the great spots Kevin recommend and had first hand experience with). As of August 2022, we have sailed 3,700 NM extending south to the Exumas, Bahamas and north to Acadia National Park, Maine. We could not have logged this many miles this year without the boost of confidence from Kevin. As a retired Forensic Structural Engineer and Denise as a retired Corporate Trainer and HR Specialist, we both appreciated Kevin’s detailed, memorable, relaxed and fun style. Lots of people can sail but not everyone is a good teacher, Kevin has both of these skills. Every time we move our boat we rely on many “Kevin-isms”, from “the sea is always watching” as such we “put money in the bank” basically, keeping the boat ready, because “someday you will need to make a withdrawal”, to the every day “wobble” routine. Plus, getting “style points” is always fun and keeps us relaxed! We have and do recommend Kevin to our fellow sailor friends and unequivocally recommend Kevin to assist anyone with their boating needs. Feel free to reach out to us with any further questions at sailing.leni@gmail.com.
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Besides a few bare boat charters, our family was completely new to sailing. Kyle met us where we were in our understanding, kept the training concise and focused. He was patient as we learned the ‘ropes’ and made sure we were hands-on in our training. He also reinforced our day’s sailing lessons with discussions and sketches around the table that evening. Enjoyed having him aboard and value the skills and confidence he shared with us. We’ve safely sailed up and down the east coast from Virginia to the Bahamas for nearly two years now.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Not at all. We meet you wherever you are, whether you're brand new to catamarans or looking to sharpen your offshore skills. Our instruction is tailored to your comfort level and goals.
Absolutely. All our captains are USCG licensed with extensive offshore and catamaran experience.
We're not a classroom. We're real captains teaching real-world skills on your own vessel. You get one-on-one instruction focused on what you actually need to cruise confidently.
We are based out of Charleston, South Carolina. We work throughout the East Coast, Bahamas, and Caribbean. We're always open to discussing special routes or longer passages.
Absolutely. We offer training deliveries where you learn underway while we handle the passage. It's a great way to gain real offshore experience on your own boat
Yes. As licensed yacht brokers, we guide you through the entire buying process and help you find a catamaran that fits your goals and budget. What sets us apart is our extensive offshore sailing experience, we've each logged thousands of offshore miles throughout the East Coast, Bahamas, and Caribbean. Our experience means we don't just help you buy a boat; we help you select the right vessel based on real-world experience.
Ready to Start Your Journey?
We’d love to talk about your cruising goals and how we can help.