Meet the GLCC’s new Port Captains of Winthrop Harbor – Chicago M-43.4 (IL)

Dave Hanson and Lennine Occhino grew up immersed in Great Lakes boating traditions on Lake Michigan.

Dave and Lennine joined the Great Lakes Cruising Club in 2020 and have attended three Rendezvous: Mackinaw City, MI, in 2022, Escanaba, MI, in 2024, and Little Current, ON, in 2025.

Dave was raised in Saugatuck, MI, where he captained his own 13-foot Boston Whaler at a young age and frequently handled his father’s boats -- a 23-foot Slickcraft and 23-foot Lyman. After college, he spent several years in the Florida Keys working as a divemaster, earning a 100-ton U.S. Coast Guard unlimited captain’s license in 1983.

Dave captained numerous SCUBA dive charter vessels in the 45-foot range for local dive shops, and served as second captain on a 90-foot vessel cruising between Key West and the Dry Tortugas.

Dave’s passion for the marine industry led him to take further training at Chapman’s School of Seamanship to become a marine surveyor, along with advanced NMEA installer and ABYC master electrician certification. He has been active in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary for more than 30 years, serving as a coxswain, instructor, vessel examiner, ATON verifier, uninspected passenger vessel examiner, and Qualifier Examiner. He has also had various District-level leadership roles.

Lennine grew up in Green Bay, WI, spending summers boating and fishing with her family in Green Bay, Sturgeon Bay, and throughout the Door County area. She, too, is active in the Coast Guard Auxiliary and is certified as a coxswain.

Shortly after meeting, Dave and Lennine in 1988 bought their first boat together: a 38-foot Bertram flybridge convertible — and have cruised the Great Lakes aboard it every summer since.

Lennine retired in 2021 as a partner of a global law firm, leaving summers free for Dave and Lennine to cruise more extensively.

Their home port for the past 28 years has been North Point Marina in Winthrop Harbor, IL, (M-43.4) where they moor their boats: Boomerang, a 26-foot Wahoo center console; InSeicheable, a 28-foot Bertram Sportfish; and their cruising boat, Big D, a 38-foot Bertram Convertible III.  They chose Winthrop Harbor for its quiet, natural setting in the Illinois State Beach area and easy commuter transportation to Chicago.

They look forward to many more seasons of Great Lakes exploration and camaraderie with fellow GLCC members.