If you haven’t signed up for The Sailing Foundation’s Safety at Sea seminar on Bainbridge Island this coming weekend, you’re out of luck. It’s all full up. But it’s worth a look at what you’re missing so when the next one comes around you can get in on it.
The big news here is that there’s a three “tracks,” from which to choose, depending on how much coursework participants to do. There’s a renewal track, 2-day track and hybrid track.
Saturday’s sessions will include crew overboard, search and rescue, communication, heavy weather techniques, etc. On Sunday there will be a pool session on liferaft use and a flare session outside.
Presenters include Margaret Pommert, Ken Fabert, MD, Sailish‘s Bruce Hedrick, Swiftsure Yachts‘ Ryan Helling and Bob Schoonmaker, Bruce Brown and Carol Hasse.
Being prepared for an emergencies through is the most important aspect of handling them. And knowing what to do is every bit as important as having the right equipment on board. We’ll have a wrapup of the seminar after the fact. If any Sailish readers want to know anything particular, please send me questions, and I’ll pass them along.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
John Neal and Amanda Swan have been teaching, writing about and actually cruising for decades through their Mahina Expeditions. In March, a dream of theirs is coming true with the Mahina Cruisers College Workshop. It combines their usual offshore Cruising Seminar with hands-on diesel engine maintenance, marine electrics, sail repair, canvas construction and splicing.
Significantly, this seminar represents offshore sailors working together with the Skagit Valley College marine technical program. John Neal explains, “It started coming together when Mike Beemer, program chairman of Skagit Valley College’s marine tech program, invited us to present our normal seminar at the center last March. From that, the idea to present a two-day program came. It’s almost here now!”
Images from a previous workshop.
One can feel the excitement. For cruisers thinking about the big cruise to experienced offshore sailors looking to bone up on their skills, it’s a great opportunity. “Anacortes is a great location as there is moorage next to the tech center at Cap Sante, there are very reasonable hotels within walking distance and there is a great pizza place three blocks away that gives us the entire upstairs for pizza, beer and music Saturday night. We are hoping to get the same group of Celtic musicians again this year,” says John.
Pete McGonagle, who has presented alongside Neal and Swan, for the last 15 years, will also be presenting. McGonagle is a principal at Swiftsure Yachts, one of Sailish’s sponsors. Swiftsure specializes in high quality blue water yachts.
Here is a pdf with all the info, including the schedule.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Practice
Boating Knots at The Seattle Boat Show, FREE for All Ages; Northwest Women in Boating’s “Knot A Boat”
By
Marilyn Michael and Margaret Pommert
Introduction:
Have you ever learned to tie a boating knot in a classroom or at home,
only to suffer amnesia when you try to tie it on an actual boat? Lots of us
have! Including Vivian Strolis, who owns and skippers a large powerboat! So,
she conceived and led a collaborative effort among a large group of local
maritime organizations to create, “Knot A Boat”.
Knot a Boat is a display boat with real railings for you to practice tying fenders to real deck cleats and Samson Posts to cleat dock lines to, and friendly volunteers and instructional flyers to encourage you. It’s totally free! It’s great for families, newbies, and even “Old Salts”. Volunteers at the booth love to teach basic boating knots, but also love it when an old salt comes and teaches a new one!
You’ll find Knot A Boat at booth West 56 at the Seattle Boat Show this
year (2019). That’s on the lower level, near the Information Booth and Food
Court. It’s also outside the Women’s restroom, so a nice way for husbands and
friends to pass the time while a woman is “indisposed”.
We hope you’ll come and visit us and practice some knots! Perhaps you
might also be inspired by the story of how one women’s vision, and the generous
collaboration from local maritime businesses, schools, and individuals created
something for our entire boating community…
What IS Knot A
Boat?
It’s an 8’ by 8’ bow of a fiberglass boat outfitted as a knot-tying training
station. It offers a realistic, three- dimensional opportunity to learn and
practice tying the many knots that we as boaters need to or should use to make
our boating lives safer and easier, but…which we are often out of practice with…or
perhaps never learned.
Where did the IDEA
for Knot A Boat come from?
It came from the creative imagination of the co-director/creator of
Northwest Women in Boating, Vivian Strolis. She wanted a hands-on three-dimensional
way of making knot tying stick. A focus of Northwest Women in Boating is
helping improve boating skills for greater safety, and this was a unique way of
supporting that. Plus, there was an enthusiastic community of boat-loving gals
to adopt the idea!
Where did Knot A
Boat itself come from?
It came from ‘the depths of the Puget Sound’. Yep, creative Vivian asked
herself, “Where can we get a boat and someone to cut the end off for us?” It
turned out that the Derelict Vessel Removal Program was the perfect source.
These are the folks who drag up derelict, sunken boats from the depths, and
gather other abandoned boats from around the sound. They were so thrilled that
someone actually wanted to take one of the boats off their hands, or at least
part of one, that they did the actual cutting off of the bow to Vivian’s
specifications!
How did it go from
derelict to ship-shape?
Through the kind generosity of dozens of maritime businesses and folks
around Seattle, Knot A Boat emerged as the attractive teaching station that it
is today. It was a community endeavor embraced by all. Here is a list of those
who made, and continue to make, Knot A Boat possible:
Government
organizations:
WA State Department of
Natural Resources (DNR) –
Derelict Vessel
Removal Program - Melissa Ferris/Jerry Farmer
Sandy Kawamura &
Lance Pascubillo – carpet for booth
Anastasia Reed – carpet for booth
Why is Knot A Boat Featured
at the Seattle Boat Show?
Knot tying is an element of safety onboard that is often overlooked by
boaters. From the beginning, the Northwest Marine Trade Association embraced Knot
A Boat as a unique feature at the Seattle Boat Show. The Booth is
non-commercial, and fun for both those volunteering and the boat show attendees
stopping by. They can relax, engage in conversation and practice the actual
tying of all kinds of knots, using the instructional boards or the expertise of
volunteers. It is an interesting way to promote a feature of safety on board.
What did Knot A
Boat offer to Northwest Women in Boating?
Boating has long been seen as a predominantly male dominated activity. Yet
there are so many talented women doing amazing things on the water! There are
so many women eager to become more knowledgeable and “in charge” out on the
water. There are many women wanting to take a more active role in the boat they
own with a partner. Women who embrace
Northwest Women in Boating are proactive about improving, and even sharing,
their boating skills. Knot A Boat gave women an effective teaching tool to improve
their skills. Very importantly, though it offered an opportunity to put women
‘out front’ as actively involved with promoting and teaching boating skills and
safety on board. Knot A Boat, in a way, became a visible statement to other
women and the larger boating community of women taking charge and saying, “We
are capable of learning and mastering the skills of boating.”
What’s Knot A Boat’s
Future?
Knot A Boat arriving at new home at Seattle Maritime Academy. (Left to
right: Northwest Women in Boating member Juli Tallino, Vivian Strolis, Seattle
Maritime Academy Director/Associate Dean Sarah Scherer)
Vivian continued as caretaker of Knot A Boat, but it needed a permanent
home between Seattle Boat Shows. With the help of Director/Associate Dean Sarah
Scherer and others, it was donated to the Seattle Maritime Academy in Ballard,
where it resides proudly in their lobby as an educational display. They use it
as an inter-active educational display for visiting groups of High Schoolers,
and others, interested in the maritime programs offered by Seattle
Maritime Academy. It’s also used for knot tying classes for
recreational boaters, part of a variety of classes offered to the local boating
community.
Knot A Boat fits in perfectly in Seattle Maritime Academy’s Lobby
Northwest Women in Boating still features Knot A Boat at the Seattle
Boat Show, staffed by volunteers.
We also have this display at the booth, with more pictures and story of
Knot A Boat’s history.
Look for us!
—
Marilyn Michael is co-director of Northwest Women in
Boating. To learn about this no-dues organization for women involved with
boating go to www.nwwb.wordpress.com.
Margaret Pommert is Northwest Women in Boating’s Knot A Boat
booth organizer for the Seattle Boat Show.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
While it’s great to read Bruce Hedrick’s weather analyses here on Sailish, it’s even better to hear him in person. A last minute move has put Bruce on stage, literally, tomorrow and next Wednesday.
Here’s the spiel that wasn’t done until after the show programs are printed:
Marine Weather in the Pacific NW: Where to get it and how to interpret It once you get it.
Bruce has been involved in boating in the Pacific Northwest for over five decades and has done just about every major sailboat race on West Coast. He was also the Managing Editor at Northwest Yachting Magazine for 18 years. Currently, he is the Chief Forecaster for Meadow Point Marine, providing event-specific weather forecasts and vessel routing services. He also writes Bruce’s Brief that comes out on most Fridays on sailish.com.
Bruce will be giving weather programs at the Seattle Boat Show tomorrow at 6 pm on Stage 6 and Wednesday, January 30 at 2:15 on Stage 3 in the North Hall. He’ll also be at the NMTA (Northwest Marine Trade Show) booth at various times during the show. Stop by and say hi!
That all seemed a little too reasonable and dry, so the the editors at sailish.com (me, Booboo the mutt and Bijou the Anatolian Shepherd) came up with the following:
Not only will Bruce be able to show you how to predict the weather with 99.2 percent accuracy, he’ll also teach you how to control the weather ahead of time, stop storms when they get too bad and, for you racers, engage a windshift at exactly the right moment. It’s a program not to be missed.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
Margaret Pommert of The Sailing Foundation wants to make sure that those who want to get into the Safety at Sea course this February are able to. Classes fill up, and rightly so. Also, there’s early bird pricing. Here’s a little video on the program, followed by the press release. By the way, if anyone who takes the course wants to do a review for sailish.com, I’d love it! - KH
Press Release for the US Sailing Safety at Sea Course
Headline: U.S. Sailing Safety at Sea Course®; Feb 9&10 2019 in Vancouver, WA
The Sailing Foundation, with local boating clubs, will be offering the U.S. Sailing two-day International Offshore Safety at Sea Course with Hands-on Training® on February 9 and 10, 2019 at the Marshall Leupke Center in Vancouver, Washington.
This complies with World Sailing Offshore Personal Survival Course guidelines. Offshore races such as the Oregon Offshore, Vic-Maui, Van Isle 360, and Pacific Cup have requirements for this training. If you hope to participate in these races, understand the requirements and don’t miss the chance to take this class! This class typically fills up a month or 2 in advance very year, leaving would-be racers and others who are “slow off the line”…. left behind. Don’t let that happen to you!
As an added incentive to sign up now, “Early Bird” pricing is available until Nov 1.
This informative and entertaining course is endorsed by Sailing World and Cruising World magazines. It includes classroom, in the pool, and hands on training, and is designed to enhance your sailing skills as a crewmember. Whether you are a racer or a cruisier it will make you, your boat and crew safer. Moderator Bruce Brown, and local boating safety experts have tailored their presentations to give you as much relevant information as possible in the two-day experience. Days are long, but you’ll come out of each with a better understanding of the many topics covered.
Day one (Saturday) will be in a classroom setting where instructors discuss topics including heavy weather sail selection and use, man overboard and safety gear, offering assistance to other vessels, safety communication devices and EPIRBs, personal safety gear, heavy weather techniques, abandon ship and life raft procedures, medical emergencies, and weather forecasting. There will also be a discussion on what lessons U.S. Sailing has learned from studying recent and relevant emergencies at sea.
Day two (Sunday) will take participants through hands-on scenarios in pyrotechnics and fire-fighting, and then into the pool for life jacket inflation and practice, life raft deployment and entry training. Classroom sessions that day delve into remote-boating medical scenarios and kits, weather routing, sail repair and maintenance, and Lifesling® crew overboard rescue training.
By participating in and completing the seminar, attendees will earn a certificate from U.S. Sailing that can be used when racing offshore and internationally.
Kurt grew up racing and cruising in the Midwest, and has raced Lasers since the late 1970s. Currently he is a broker at Swiftsure Yachts. He has been Assistant Editor at Sailing Magazine and a short stint as Editor of Northwest Yachting. Through Meadow Point Publishing he handles various marketing duties for smaller local companies. He currently is partners on a C&C 36 which he cruises throughout the Northwest. He’s married to the amazing Abby and is father to Ian and Gabe.
