Marion Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race - Safety at Sea Symposium

by Liz Stott on 23 Dec 2010 The Marion to Bermuda Cruising Yacht Race is a biennial event held in odd-numbered years, from Marion, Massachusetts to the island of Bermuda, a distance of 645 nautical miles. The Safety at Sea Symposium for the event is scheduled for March 19, 2011, and will be held at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and is truly of interest and consequence to all sailors - not just those participating.

We have lined up a very experienced group of speakers to address a series of topics which are of vital interest to all serious sailors. The event will be sanctioned by US Sailing and moderated by John Rousmaniere.

Moderator John Rousmaniere has more than 40,000 miles of blue water behind him, including nine Newport Bermuda Races (with two second place finishes) and three Atlantic crossings. He wrote The Annapolis Book of Seamanship, Fastnet, Force 10, the well-known account of the fatal 1979 Fastnet race storm (in which John sailed), and the history of the Newport Bermuda Race, A Berth to Bermuda.

He has moderated or spoken atmore than 100 safety and seamanship seminars. He co-organized and write the final report of the most recent crew overboard rescue trials.

The Symposium will be held in the very comfortable Kresge Auditorium on MIT's campus. The ticket price of $130 ($5 discount for US Sailing Members) will include a continental breakfast, lunch and the certificate of attendance from US Sailing.

Registration will begin at 0645. The program begins promptly at 0730 and is scheduled to continue until 1800.

A series of Practical Training Courses will be offered on Sunday, March 20 at MIT - Weather/Gulfstream, Medical and In-Water safety procedure training for additional registration fees, ranging from $50 - $125 per course.

Click here for Details about the schedule and On-line registration for the March 19 Safety Symposium and for the Practical Training courses on Sunday March 20, 2011.

The knowledge, expertise and experience of the faculty is incredible, especially when you consider the combined number of offshore races and offshore miles sailed by John Rousmaniere, Shiela McCurdy, Steven Thing, Mike Kenworth and others.

This Safety at Sea Symposium will truly be a premier event and is shaping up to be the best ever as organized by the Marion Bermuda Race. This is not just a Safety Symposium for Marion Bermuda or Marblehead Halifax sailors - - it is truly of interest and consequence to all sailors; it's not just those participating in offshore events.

Please sign up early, as there is limited room, and with the line up we have planned for you, this event is sure to sell out.

Event website click here