[fourcol_three]Registration is now open for the Cruising Club of America’s biennial US Sailing- sanctioned Safety at Sea Seminar, which will be held at Newport, R.I. on the weekend of March 15-16, 2014. The seminar welcomes cruisers, delivery crews, racing crews, and skippers. All will gain valuable practical information.[/fourcol_three] [fourcol_one_last]
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SATURDAY EVENTS feature the Safety at Sea Seminar and the ISAF Offshore Personal Survival Refresher, which allows those with expiring ISAF certificates and other experienced sailors to acquire their certificate in one day. Saturday will feature exhibits by many organizations offering safety at sea services and products. McMurdo Grab Bags will be presented to registrants for the Saturday seminar.
A Practical Hands-On Training Session on SUNDAY will combine with the Saturday seminar to yield the coveted ISAF Approved Offshore Personal Survival Course certificate. This certificate is highly recommended for the Newport Bermuda Race and required for such races as the Fastnet, Sydney-Hobart, and races in Mexico and Canada. Dan O'Connor of Safescape LLC will moderate hands-on training.
All certificates are valid for five years.
SUNDAY EVENTS also feature two morning seminars. The Race Preparation Seminar is aimed at sailors planning to participate in the Newport Bermuda Race, organized by the Cruising Club of America and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and starting on June 20, 2014. The new Medical Seminar will focus on scenarios that medical officers are likely to encounter in an offshore passage.
SATPHONE TRAINING will be offered during the weekend, featuring hands-on training with satellite phones to better prepare sailors to use these vital communication tools.
SPEAKERS: The Safety at Sea Seminar moderator will be Ralph Naranjo, technical editor of Practical Sailor magazine. Other speakers include: John Rousmaniere on lessons learned from recent incidents; Ron Trossbach on changes in offshore regulations, the Bermuda Race Notice of Race, and new safety equipment; Rives Potts on heavy weather; Frank Bohlen on weather and the Gulf Stream; and Dr. Jeff Wisch on how seasickness, dehydration, and hypothermia can impact seamanship.
Other speakers include: Howard Lapsley on crew preparation and training; Chris McNally on offshore communications; Will and Hank Keene on damage control; Ralph Naranjo on crewoverboard prevention and recovery; and Ron Trossbach and Henry Marx of Landfall Navigation on abandoning ship, personal equipment, and life rafts.
Sunday’s Race Preparation Seminar will be moderated by Kenyon Kellogg and include these speakers: Nick Nicholson on developing a prerace strategy; Frank Bohlen on the Gulf Stream; Robbie Doyle on sail selection; and Mike Keyworth on vessel preparation. Race preparation and medical seminar attendees will combine for a quick review of emergency medical procedures then split into two sessions.
Sunday’s Medical Seminar, directed by Dr. Jeff Wisch and Dr. Barbara Masser, will focus on the duties of the boat’s medical officer and the unexpected accidents and events this person may face. The Cruising Club of America views safety at sea as an important part of its mission and encourages sailors to access articles written by members and posted on the CCA’s public site: www.cruisingclub.org. Owners of boats returning from Bermuda are encouraged to send return crews to the seminar. The offshore environment is the same for the race and the delivery home, and boat and crew require advance preparation.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The following rules concerning safety training apply to boats entering the Newport Bermuda Race: “A minimum of 30% of all crew members shall have attended a US Sailing-sanctioned safety at sea seminar within five years of the start of the race. The captain and either the navigator or a watch captain must be included in the required 30%. In addition, two members of each crew must hold a First Aid/CPR certificate.”
