The Blue Water Sailing Club is hosting three off-water seminars designed to enhance the enjoyment and safety of cruisers and offshore sailors. The first is DIY Solar Panel and Refrigeration: Planning and Installation. BWSC member Bernie Coyne will discuss his recent project of adding solar panels and new refrigeration to his J/46 Mystic Rose. The seminar is January 13 from 9:15am – 12pm at the Jubilee Yacht Club in Beverly, MA. Coyne will be joined by BWSC member Steve Lee, who will discuss a simpler, out-of-the-box approach to solar. The cost is $10 per person. Participants are required to register by January 10 at bluewatersc.org.
The second seminar, Heavy Weather Sailing presented by popular sailing and author Charlie Doane, is Saturday, March 10 from 9:15am – 12pm at the Kittery Point Yacht Club in New Castle, NH. Doane will discuss the offshore abandonment of the catamaran Be Good Too 300 miles east of Cape Hatteras in January 2014 in which he was personally involved (as crew). The incident was chronicled on his popular blog WaveTrain.net and his new book, The Sea is Not Full (copies will be available at the event.) There’s no fee, but participants must register by March 7 at bluewatersc.org.
The final seminar is an in-depth course on offshore safety and survival at the Life Raft and Safety Equipment facility in Tiverton, RI on Saturday, April 21 from 9am – 3pm. The program will cover safety equipment, emergency procedures, use of EPIRBs, Mayday calls, life raft deployment, firefighting, and the use of flares. A second, in-water segment of this course, at the Boys & Girls Club in Newport, RI, covers the deployment and proper use of liferafts. This event is limited to 40 people and the fee is $120 per person. All fees must be received by January 31. More information can be found at bluewatersc.org.
Founded in 1959, the Blue Water Sailing Club promotes safe cruising, racing, boating education and good fellowship among its members, and is a sponsor of the Marion Bermuda Race.
