Here's a new safety-training opportunity for racers, delivery crews, and cruisers who were not among the 300 sailors at the Cruising Club of America Safety at Sea Seminar at Newport in March, or who haven't attended other recent US Sailing-sanctioned safety seminars.

A one-day sanctioned seminar sponsored by the Cruising Club of America will be held June 15, two days before the start of the 50th Newport Bermuda Race, at Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) in Newport, from  8 am to 5 pm. Lunch will be available. Personal safety gear and a life raft will be demonstrated.

This seminar satisfies this Newport Bermuda Race rule for all entered boats:  “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 crew members must hold current First Aid/CPR certificates."

Speakers and Topics

• Co-Moderator Ron Trossbach (Newport Bermuda Race Safety Officer):  Safety Requirements Update, MOB Prevention & Recovery, Abandon Ship, Search & Rescue, and the special Safety for Cruising Couples segment that will be the last afternoon session.
• Co-Moderator Bill Biewenga (biography below): Personal Safety Equipment, Heavy Weather Sailing, and Crew Training (including Damage Control during an afternoon interactive problem-solving series).
• W.Frank Bohlen (oceanographer and weather briefer): Marine Weather and Sea State Analysis & Forecasting.
• John Rousmaniere (author, Race Media Chair): Lessons Learned from Accidents and their Seamanship Implications.
• Christopher McNally (Race Communications Chair): Offshore Communications.
• Dr. Garry Fischer (CCA Fleet Surgeon): Medical Seamanship.

Online registration is at Safety at Sea Seminar June 15

Bill Biewenga is an accomplished inshore and offshore sailor, and has accumulated well over 400,000 sea miles, including 41 transatlantic crossings, over 60 passages to and from the Caribbean via Bermuda, several TransPacs, numerous record attempts, deliveries and races, as well as participation in four round the world races. He has experience as skipper, navigator, weather analyst/router, watch captain, helmsman, deck hand, and project manager, and has raced in the Great Lakes and sailed in virtually every ocean of the world. Bill  races and delivers a wide variety of boats located around the world and has offered educational weather seminars both live and online. Additionally, he has written hundreds of sailing related magazine articles and authored the book, “Weather for Sailors.”

For more information about the Newport Bermuda Race, click on this brief description on the race website (BermudaRace.com)

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 web site: www.cruisingclub.org.