Profile of a cruising couple- John and Lyn Martin

by Nancy Knudsen on 21 Jun 2013 After over 60,000nm, John and Lyn Martin, speakers at Sydney International Boat Show Cruising Masterclass, 3/4 August, are inveterate cruising sailors, but more than that, they are rally organisers and know the extra skills that a racing sailor need to go cruising - the skills to confidently set off independently to cross oceans knowing that the boat and the crew are well-prepared for whatever you might encounter.

They know that YOU know how to sail your boat, but that is just the beginning when you want to venture past your familiar home waterways.

Together they run an organisation called the Island Cruising Association (ICA), an association for cruising yachties which organises rallies from New Zealand to the South Pacific and, more recently, the inaugural Sail 2 Indonesia Rally in partnership with Indonesian Tourism in 2014. The rally will muster on the far north Queensland coast and clear from the Torres Straits for Sumlaki in Indonesia. The Indonesians have arranged a series of festivals for the fleet. In their yacht Windflower, a 43ft Hartley Fijian sloop weighing 25 tons, they make frequent trips to and around the South Pacific, will be on the inaugural Sail Indonesia Rally, and have already completed some 60,000nm in the last 18 years.

John and Lyn are naturals for seminar leaders for the Cruising Masterclass. For the Island Cruising Association, they already offer help and advice to those who join their rallies, with Australians being the fastest growing sector. This includes not only seminars, but offer training days, recommended reading, discounts at many marine stores, marine insurance, rallies to the South Pacific Islands, plus many other benefits throughout New Zealand & Australia. See their website for the latest program of seminars, club picnics, rallies etc.

John Martin will be giving seminars on two subjects:

Vessel systems: Water, fuel and power options.
As well as issues about fuel including rudimentary maintenance and fuel purity, the seminar will cover the various power generation options for a cruising vessel - gensets, solar, wind, tow and others, and how to achieve a balanced electrical system on your boat. After examining the alternatives John will offer some wise advice and options.

Electronics: Communication, Collision avoidance, AIS and radar.
With so many options, and so many varying prices, what to carry and why can become a very complex jigsaw to put together. Technology keeps changing, but sometimes it's hard to tell the real benefit. This is one of the most important subjects for the cruising sailor to address and keep abreast of, the the seminar will address a great range of issues. John will skip over very quickly the rest of electronics ie plotters, computers etc. but go into detail on Sat V SSB, emails, systems for getting weather reports GRIB's etc.

Lyn Martin will be presenting one of the most critical seminars for cruising couples:
Short Handed Cruising.
The crew on more than 80% of cruising boats are a couple, sailing without other crew. Usually, but not always, the guy is the sailor and his partner the first mate. Lyn will touch on all the subjects that relate to a couple going cruising - valuable for both men and women sailors, whether you are the skipper or the crew.

Other subjects to be covered in the Cruising Masterclass on 3/4 August include:

Passage Planning
Anchoring
MOB
Rigging and sails for cruising, incl heavy weather
Applied Navigation
Multihulls vs Monohulls,
Cruising with kids
Insurance for cruising
Cruising to the Whitsundays - anchorages, dangers, timing
Cruising to Tasmania - anchorages, dangers, timing

Attendance is free for the inaugural Masterclass, but registration is essential to reserve your place as space will be limited.

For the full program and further information about the Cruising Masterclass, http://www.sail-world.com/index_d.cfm?nid=109962!click_here.

For ask for even more information about, or to register for, the Masterclass, http://www.sydneyboatshow.com.au/activities/cruising-masterclass/index.html!click_here.

About the http://www.islandcruising.co.nz/!Island_Cruising_Association:
The Island Cruising Association was founded back in the 1980's by Don and Jenny Mlundell, who were tourism agents in Tonga in the 1980's, in an effort to get more cruising sailors to visit the Kingdom.

The idea took off, however, and has been a firm part of the New Zealand cruising scene ever since.

For 11 years it was run by another cruising couple, the Hepburns.

John and Lyn Martin took it over in 2007 and it has been going from strength to strength ever since. Their 2014 Cruising Preparation Seminar series will start in Perth late January and conclude in Cairns in March with nine stops along the way.

The http://www.sydneyboatshow.com.au/!Sydney_International_Boat_Show runs 1-5 August.