Capt. Battye is recognized nationally for his knowledge of, and considerable contributions to, two of boating's toughest and least-understood topics: basic Rules of the Road, and basic close-quarters boat control.

A fine boat handler and master close-quarters boat-handling skills instructor, he teaches for dealers, schools, and brokers. Capt. Battye also contracts directly with private individuals. He has been teaching these skills to pleasure boaters on upper Chesapeake Bay, since the mid-1980s. He specializes in short-handed and singlehanded close-quarters maneuvering in wind and current. A former college instructor, Capt. Battye thus comes to boat-handling instruction as a teacher who boats, not as a boater who tries to teach.

A long-time Coast Guard-licensed master and former delivery captain, Capt. Battye is well able to teach on express and flybridge cruisers, sailboats, runabouts, center consoles, and sportfish. He knows single and twin inboards, stern-drives, and outboards. He loves to work in wind and current, and is especially pleased to teach people how to singlehand in those conditions. Capt. Battye gives seminars on Rules of the Road, Line Handling, Close-quarters Boat Control, and other boating topics at marinas, yacht clubs, and boat shows.

Capt. Battye works with boaters of all skill levels, and specializes in singlehanded and short-handed slip-and-pier docking and departure, in varied conditions of wind and current.