A half-day seminar on ocean sailing and racing -- including detailed discussions of medical issues and boat preparation -- will be held Sunday morning, March 20, at the Marriott Hotel, Newport, RI. Organized (like the all-day Saturday safety seminar) by the Cruising Club of America, the Sunday seminar has three sessions: Assessment and Care of Medical Emergencies at Sea, Duties of the Boat’s Medical Officer, and Newport Bermuda Race Preparation.

A CCA Safety Seminar Weekend tradition, the Sunday morning sessions (like the all-day Saturday seminars) are attended by a broad range of sailors: captains, afterguards, crews, "ship's docs," and others heading offshore in boats of all kinds--racing to Bermuda, sailing home on return deliveries, or setting out on their next voyage.

FOR ALL: 8:00-8:45, Assessment and Care of Medical Emergencies at Sea 

The Newport Bermuda Race's medical team will identify and review typical offshore sailing medical emergencies and their treatment.

Barbara A. Masser, M.D., consulting physician for the Newport Bermuda Race in 2012, 2014, and 2016, is an attending physician at the Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and the Center's Medical Chair and Director of Disaster Medicine. She has sailed and cruised extensively in New England waters.

Jeffrey S. Wisch, M.D., Newport Bermuda Race Medical Chair, is Clinical Director of The Vernon Cancer Center and the Chief of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Newton Wellesley Hospital. He has  raced in many Newport Bermuda, Marion-Bermuda, and Marblehead to Halifax Races in his Oyster 53, Wischbone.

BREAKOUT SESSION, Duties of the Boat's Medical Officer, 8:45-12 noon

Dr. Masser and Dr. Wisch will review the responsibilities of the vessel's medical officer (the "ship's doc") and describe how to prepare for, prevent, and treat onboard illnesses and medical emergencies of many kinds. They will also cover how to communicate medical information to others. Several cases will be presented as examples for discussion and problem solving.

BREAKOUT SESSION, Newport Bermuda Race Preparation Seminar, 8:45-12 noon

Aimed at sailors of all types (and especially captains and crews planning to sail the 50th Bermuda Race or return boats back to their home ports), this seminar features Bermuda Race veterans addressing many topics of concern.

Moderator Bjorn R. Johnson has raced and cruised more than 90,000 miles, including  14 Newport Bermuda Races. He chaired the 2010 Newport Bermuda Race.

Preparing the Boat: James D. Phyfe III, Chief Inspector for the 2016 Newport Bermuda Race, is a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and Vice President of Brewer Yacht Yard Group. He has done 18 Bermuda passages.

The Gulf Stream: Frank Bohlen, a physical oceanographer, has sailed 18 Newport Bermuda Races and is a race-winning navigator. He presents Gulf Stream and weather briefings, and prepares the Gulf Stream tutorials posted on the race website.

Winning Strategy: L. E. "Nick" Nicholson chairs the CCA’s Technical Committee and has raced to Bermuda more than 20 times, frequently navigating prize-winning boats.

Sail Selection: Joe Cooper has done numerous ocean and coastal passages and races, including Newport Bermuda and the Bermuda 1-2.

Rating Rules: Jim Teeters, former director of research for US Sailing, has played key roles in developing and managing VPP rules  and the Offshore Racing Rule (ORR), the rule used in the Newport Bermuda Race.

Space is limited. Register here for the Saturday and Sunday Seminars, March 19-20

Information about the 2016 CCA Safety at Sea Seminar is online.