PassageMaker University Solomons, MD Seminar Schedule

Steve D’Antonio, PMM’s technical editor, will lead this in-depth course that will help you get to know your boat’s systems. Go beyond the basics of your diesel engine and gain the knowledge and skills to have a more comprehensive understanding of what is in your Holy Place. Steve will cover the components of your engine room and how they operate, showing you what to check and what to troubleshoot, maintain, and service. He also will discuss generators, running gear, AC/DC systems, and, of course, the diesel engine, providing you with the necessary tools to make your next cruising adventure a more confident, successful, and self-sufficient experience.

Those taking the course also will spend time in the engine room of a trawler at the event, allowing you to translate what you’ve learned in the classroom into in-person identification. You will identify the many components you’ve learned about and associate what you see with the systems on your own trawler.

Class will run 9 a.m.-5 p.m. for two full days of instruction. All learning materials will be provided, as will lunch each day. Class size is limited to 24, so registration must be done in advance by phone. Call Trawler Fest toll free at 888.487.2953. Your cost for the class is $450.

Patti Moore and Carol Cuddyer, founders of Sea Sense, the Women’s Sailing and Powerboating School, have spent a lifetime boating. With years of professional teaching and boating experience on their side, Patti and Carol will share with you the principles, techniques, and application of proper and safe navigation. This two-day course will cover rules of the road, navigation terminology and theory, identification of navigation aids, chart reading and course plotting, and the practical application of navigation within a controlled setting. You’ll spend time with paper charts learning what all the symbols, colors, and numbers mean and how to get from point to point with the chart and compass.

You will spend a day mastering these concepts in the classroom and then time at the helm on day two with an experienced captain and instructor will help you combine all of the theory and navigation techniques introduced throughout the course. This hands-on class offers you the opportunity to try different things, make mistakes, learn from your peers, and ask questions, all the while gaining confidence and an understanding of the boats and aids around you.

Classes will run 9 a.m.-5 p.m. for two full days of instruction. All learning materials will be provided, as will lunch each day. However, if you have charts of the Patuxent River and Solomons Island area, please bring them with you. Class size is limited to 16, so you must register in advance by phone. Call Trawler Fest toll free at 888.487.2953. Your cost for the class is $450.

Bob Smith, developer of Lehman Ford diesel engines, will present this two-day, hands-on diesel engine course during PassageMaker University in Anacortes. Bob will bring with him a complete engine and all the tools needed for the class. All of the components of the Lehman Ford engine that Bob uses for the course are easily visible, which makes class demonstrations clear and understandable.

On the morning of the first day of the course, Bob will introduce theory. You will get your hands dirty in the afternoon with basic engine maintenance procedures. On day two, you will run the engine you have worked on and will spend some more time on troubleshooting, repairs, and preventive and regular maintenance procedures.

This University course is one of the most popular and it always fills up quickly! Class will run from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. for the two full days of instruction. Lunch will be provided each day. All tools will also be provided.

Class size is limited to 16, so registration must be done in advance by phone—call early to make your reservation! Call Trawler Fest toll free at 888.487.2953. Your cost for the class is $450.

This is an awesome seminar!

This class, given by marine electrician, Bob Campbell, owner of Marine Electric Systems and John Martino, owner of Annapolis School of Seamanship, is to provide a better understanding of marine electrical systems as well as practical skills such as troubleshooting and installing simple circuitry. The electrical systems class covers basic electrical theory, system design, maintenance, and basic troubleshooting and repair skills. Students receive both lecture and hands-on instruction using multimeters and electrical circuitry developed for the course.

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to understand basic electrical theory, DC system design, troubleshoot simple electrical failures, and create basic circuitry for DC installations. Although the course is not designed to turn boat owners into marine electricians, you will have the confidence to know when an electrician is needed and will be better equipped to communicate with industry professionals. Please bring a multimeter to class if you own one, otherwise we will provide one for in-class use.

Classes will run 9 a.m.-5 p.m. for two full days of instruction. All learning materials will be provided, as will lunch each day. Call Trawler Fest toll free at 888.487.2953. Your cost for the class is $450.

Lee Chesneau is a recently retired NOAA/NWS Ocean Prediction Center meteorologist who has been educating boaters on the science, practical application, and forecasting of weather for years. Lee will provide an in-depth look into weather that will allow you to make smart cruising decisions and help you to better understand your immediate area as well as the cruising areas in which you plan to venture.

This course includes an introduction to weather terminology; you’ll also learn about the components of the atmosphere and how they affect the weather around us, the all-important factor of precipitation and visibility, and pressure and wind concepts. Understanding why and how weather happens the way it does can help you become a safer boater. Lee also will explain surface pressure maps, upper air, and wave formations and patterns, and frontal and non-frontal systems, combining lectures with hands-on practice with various weather and surface maps. The course will provide a foundation to make you a weather-wise mariner, enabling you to confidently identify your weather windows and make the “go or no-go” decision that can make or break your cruise!

Classes will run 9 a.m.-5 p.m. for two full days of instruction. All learning materials will be provided, as will lunch each day. Call Trawler Fest toll free at 888.487.2953. Your cost for the class is $450.

This is an awesome seminar!

On day two, you will run the engine you have worked on and will spend some more time on troubleshooting, repairs, and preventive and regular maintenance procedures.

This is a continuation of learning from Day One.

This is a continuation of learning from Day One.

This is a continuation of learning from Day One and will involve spending a day on boats with your instructors navigating a course that you will have plotted on Day One.

This is a continuation of learning from Day One and will include visiting the engine room of one of our exhibitor boats for a "guided tour" with Steve.