US Sailing Safety at Sea seminars

by Marlieke de Lange Eaton on 14 Mar 2007 With spring almost here, numerous sailors across the country are getting ready for another fun and exciting spring and summer sailing season. For sailors looking to compete in offshore regattas and/or planning an offshore cruise, the US SAILING Safety at Sea Seminars presented by Cruising World magazine help these sailors prepare for any safety-related issue they might face. Sponsored by West Marine and Landfall Navigation, these Seminars cover a wide range of topics, such as safe seamanship, heavy-weather tactics, and boat preparation.

Participants of these most authoritative daylong safety Seminars will learn more about medical, first-aid and seasickness prevention; understand the differences between SOLAS and other visual distress signals; view safety equipment demonstrations; and learn crew-overboard recovery techniques. The Seminars are moderated by some of the most well-known names in sailing safety, such as John Bonds, Chuck Hawley, Ralph Naranjo, and Ron Trossbach.

Several Safety at Sea Seminars are on US SAILING's calendar, scheduled to take place in the upcoming months:

* March 24 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.
* March 24-25 at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.
* March 25 at the South Carolina Maritime Foundation, Charleston, SC
* April 14 at Chicago Yacht Club, Belmont Station, Ill.
* April 15 at Chicago Yacht Club, Belmont Station, Ill.
* May 5 at Milwaukee Yacht Club, Wis.

Two additional Seminars are in the works with exact dates to be determined. One will be held in Long Beach, Calif., just before the start of the Transpac to serve those who were unable to attend earlier ones. The other will be held in Newport, R.I., in early June to support the HSH Nordbank Blue Race to Hamburg, Germany.

For more information about the US SAILING Safety at Sea Seminars, including exact locations and registration, please visit www.ussailing.org/safety/Seminars.

The United States Sailing Association (US SAILING) is the national governing body for sailing and sailboat racing. Headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, the organization's mission is to encourage participation and promote excellence in sailing and racing in the U.S. US SAILING offers training and education programs, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including the US Sailing Teams and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.