Close quarters maneuvering can be a real challenge and a bit stressful. Unfortunately, you have little time and room for mistakes. This seminar will help you visualize what your boat is about to do and why. With this in mind, you will be better able to plan and execute your maneuvers. While every boat is a bit unique, understanding the underlying factors will help you get the most out of your boat and increase your comfort level. This seminar is an excerpt from a United States Power Squadrons mini-course and will be taught by Bob Sweet, author of Powerboat Handling Illustrated, (McGraw-Hill, 2007) and Asst. National Educational Officer of USPS.

Marine electronics can be a daunting topic if you don’t know what you need or don’t clearly understand the differences of the many products and features available. Before jumping into designing your dream helm station, uncover the meaning of all the acronyms that make up the “Alphabet Soup” of marine electronics. From collision avoidance to navigation to communications, this seminar will discuss the many electronic options available to the modern yacht. Captain John Martino, owner of Annapolis School of Seamanship, will cover: VHF, DSC, SSB, GMDSS, AIS, MMSI, GPS, DGPS, WAAS, LORAN, RDF, RADAR, ARPA, EPIRB, Class A, B, & 406 MHz./ Cat I & II, SART, and ECDIS.

This seminar provides the essential elements of a sound preventive maintenance program for your boat’s systems including maintenance intervals, techniques, special tools, and spare parts. Actual preventive maintenance programs for diesel engines, AC systems, hydraulic systems and others will be used as examples. This seminar is designed for the owner/operator to create a comprehensive preventive maintenance program.

Learn how to simplify your life, find your boat’s hidden spaces to maximize stowage, and see fun, efficient, and unique ideas to organize your gear. For the past 10 years, Patti DiMiceli has helped owners of homes, boats, and businesses streamline their lives and realize their potential. Beginning with the power of choice, you will understand basic organizing principles, learn tips for an easy-to-use and maintain stowage system, and see products and tools to gain access to those hidden inches in your boat.

You will receive a “Space Detective” booklet which outlines the seminar and contains tips, products, references, and more. During the Q&A time, Patti will be happy to hear your tips and tricks as well as answer any questions you may have. If you have pictures of your boat’s spatial challenges or solutions that you would like to share or any other tips, tricks, or photos, you can contact Patti through her website, www.organizingmadesimple.com. In addition to learning and sharing, “goody bags” and door prizes will be awarded at the end of the seminar.

The adventure of circumnavigating eastern North America 6,000 miles by boat is known as “Cruising the Great Loop.” This presentation is for those who prefer knowing what to expect and how to prepare for the trip. Bob Duthie has cruised the loop with his wife, Mavis, for the past 8 years on the Katy Leigh, a 36-foot Grand Banks trawler. The presentation will draw on their experience and discuss the kind of boat and equipment needed, trip costs, itineraries, support groups, books, and websites. The talk will be illustrated with charts and photos of interesting places you can expect to see on the loop.

Bob spends four months of vacation per year on the Katy Leigh and also land cruises on a newly acquired compact motor home. Bob has also produced the CD “What to expect Cruising America’s Great Loop,” “What to Expect Cruising the Tennessee River,” and the soon to be released “What to Expect Cruising the Cumberland River,” available on www.greatloopcruising.com and www.tnrivercruising.com. The CDs were authored by Bob and Mavis with the latter two developed in partnership with Fred Myers, the well known river cruise guides author.

You probably have numerous routines you run through when preparing for a cruise. No matter how far in advance you begin getting ready, there are some essential items that need to be on your checklist as your departure date approaches. Jerry and Wendy Taylor, experienced cruisers and delivery captains with more than 200,000 miles under their keels, will share in this seminar what they have found to be the most effective pre-departure procedures.

From keeping logs to monitoring fuel, bilge pumps, and main systems, from checking safety gear and anchor gear to provisioning the galley, the Taylors will guide you through those days before you leave the dock. If you’re organized and have the right checklists, the process of getting under way will become a much more efficient and enjoyable part of cruising.

The modern cruising vessel is equipped with a seemingly baffling array of electrical and electronic components. Everything from shore power selector switches and monitoring instrumentation to battery cabling and charging systems; it can easily and understandably become overwhelming for the average vessel owner.

This visually intense, presentation, delivered by PMM’s technical editor and resident gearhead, Steve D’Antonio, will walk you through the typical vessel’s electrical system, placing an emphasis on DC components, batteries, over-current protection, high output charging, safety and enhanced reliability. He will clarify often misunderstood concepts and dispel myths along the way. Even if you don’t know the difference between an amp and a volt, you are welcome to attend this seminar. The concepts will be presented in easily understood terms, using photographs rather than charts, graphs, and text to explain the subject matter.

Mark and Diana Doyle, authors of the Managing the Waterway cruising guide series, present a fun and informative seminar on electronic charting. You probably already have a computer on board—and with NOAA’s recent free release of its digital chart library, there’s no excuse not to put your laptop to work on electronic charting.

We’ll decipher the differences between raster and vector chart formats and look at the advantages of each, discuss PC and Mac charting and navigation applications, and tell you where to find free and trial software. This seminar details NOAA’s ChartServer interface for free charts and discusses alternative low-cost sources of electronic charts and provides an overview of external input options for position tracking, collision avoidance, and satellite weather. You’ll also learn tips for troubleshooting a laptop charting system and practical examples on how to make the most out of laptop e-charting.

Have you ever considered cruising the ICW? If so, this seminar will bring to light all the many reasons why cruisers choose to follow the ICW year after year from Norfolk, Virginia, to Miami, Florida. From the seemingly secret, anchorage rich recesses of South Carolina's Waccamaw River, to Eastern Florida's wide Indian River, there is something along this Waterway for everyone. Of course, there are a few problems as well, and cruising guide author Claiborne Young will also acquaint you with the Waterway's warts. So, come hear about both the good and the bad concerning this timeless passage.

In this seminar, Lee Chesneau will lead a challenging discussion of surface weather maps. You will be asked probing questions about what you see and what the anticipated weather forecasts are for several geographical areas on the East and West Coasts and other parts of the country. The discussion will touch on “human intelligence products” versus numerical and graphical weather models as generated by the National Weather Service (NWS), the largest of six government agencies under the administration of the NOAA. Tropical cyclone avoidance techniques using the 1-2-3 Rule will be reviewed, along with regional weather events such as Gulf Stream North Wall episodes, Southern California’s Santa Anna winds, and Mexico’s Gulf of Tehuantepec events. An overview of what mariners need to do to become self-reliant and make good weather decisions also will be presented. Attendees will become familiar with navigating via Lee Chesneau’s home page (http://www.marineweatherbylee.com) to the Ocean Prediction Center/Tropical Prediction Center websites, accessing weather forecast schedules and weather at sea, reading weather symbols and terminology used on charts, using NOAA Weather Radio, obtaining local area forecasts through the NWS marine weather home page, and more.

Rules of the Road may sound like a dull subject, but they are critical to keeping us safe on the water. Based on Charlie Wing’s United States Power Squadron Guide, “One Minute Guide to the Nautical Rules of the Road,” you can go through the basics of right of way, channel markers, lights, and horns in a seminar that will prove to be interesting, informative, and very practical.

Learn from a certified financial planner not just how to afford and buy your boat but how to continue managing your finances while cruising. Michael Schenking, a senior financial advisor with Merrill Lynch, will discuss and innovative ways of purchasing and financing your dream vessel and how to keep your assets working for you so that you can cruise comfortably and also have the ability to control your ownership expenses. He will discuss online banking and creative solutions for how to manage and monitor your investment portfolio no matter where you're cruising or where your destination may be.

Take a visual tour of Chesapeake Bay with a seasoned cruiser and get the lowdown on the hot spots, the quiet spots, and the most scenic places the Bay has to offer.

It is easy to spend large sums of money on the "latest" in safety equipment and think that the mere possession of this gear will make you safe. By performing a risk assessment study of your vessel, you will discover the accidents that could be "just waiting to happen."

Capt. Henry Marx of Landfall Navigation aims to provide insight into a thought process that will ensure a higher degree of safety on your vessel and which frequently does not involve spending large sums of money on exotic equipment. Equally applicable to static liveaboards, coastal and offshore cruisers, this risk assessment system was devised by the British Sea Fish Organization to try and eliminate accidents in what is probably the most hazardous profession in the world. Regardless of your cruising status, this practice session and handouts will provide you with some valuable tips on how to make your vessel safer and your experiences more enjoyable.

Puzzled by pumps, inhibited by impellers, phased by filters? This seminar is an introduction to your diesel engine and many of its important parts and pieces. Join Capt. Carol Cuddyer of Sea Sense for hints that will demystify daily engine checks, maintenance, and troubleshooting all with easy-to-use checklists. Learn to speak “engine” and to feel right at home in your engine room! You will learn the importance of checking engine systems each day, parts, pieces, and related systems. Know where things are located, what they look like, and how they work. Learning to recognize what looks right and when something has changed can save a great deal of anxiety and money in costly repairs. And, learn the things you can fix yourself.

Have a diesel engine caged in that engine room? Ever wonder how to care for it, what to feed it, or whether it is healthy? Want to know what to do when it is sick or what to ask your mechanic? Bob Smith, the diesel doctor, can help. Bob is the developer of the Lehman Ford diesel engine and founder of American Diesel. He will share his years of hands-on experience and expertise. So bring your questions to this fun, relaxed, conversational, and practical session.

The adventure of circumnavigating eastern North America 6,000 miles by boat is known as “Cruising the Great Loop.” This presentation is for those who prefer knowing what to expect and how to prepare for the trip. Bob Duthie has cruised the loop with his wife, Mavis, for the past 8 years on the Katy Leigh, a 36-foot Grand Banks trawler. The presentation will draw on their experience and discuss the kind of boat and equipment needed, trip costs, itineraries, support groups, books, and websites. The talk will be illustrated with charts and photos of interesting places you can expect to see on the loop.

Bob spends four months of vacation per year on the Katy Leigh and also land cruises on a newly acquired compact motor home. Bob has also produced the CD “What to expect Cruising America’s Great Loop,” “What to Expect Cruising the Tennessee River,” and the soon to be released “What to Expect Cruising the Cumberland River,” available on www.greatloopcruising.com and www.tnrivercruising.com. The CDs were authored by Bob and Mavis with the latter two developed in partnership with Fred Myers, the well known river cruise guides author. (Please note this is the same course that is being held on Thursday.)

If you’ve ever dragged anchor, or wondered if you have the right anchoring equipment on board, this seminar will cover all aspects of the gear that should be on your foredeck as well as techniques for successfully dropping anchor. You will learn what to consider in anchor sizing and selection, which anchor to use under various conditions, how best to deploy anchors for various conditions, and how to negotiate dropping the hook in different bottom types. You may need multiple anchors for special situations or storm conditions and this seminar will address all of those scenarios.

Sharing the waterway with commercial vessels is all about collision avoidance! Whether you’re cruising the inland rivers, Chesapeake Bay, or more open waters, you’re bound to come across ships, tows, and barges. Know the procedures and workings of these larger vessels so you can better understand your position as a recreational vessel. The right safety and communication procedures will allow you to comfortably share the waterways with commercial vessels.

This will be a seminar based on the “patchwork quilt” concept of using different digital communication technologies to keep in touch while cruising. The focus will be on the options available (including new products) and the way that cruisers actually use different technologies: Wi-fi at the dock, broadband cellular underway, HF SSB radio, satellite phones, and satellite broadband terminals when offshore. You will learn how to adapt these technologies to a your needs and budget as well how you can move your business aboard. Steven Bowden and his partner Pamela House founded SeaTech Systems in 1994 to design, build and market integrated navigation, communication and weather systems based on the personal computer. He became the first sales representative for the CAPN software which is the official software of the US Navy and Coast Guard. Bowden and his partner also own NavCom Digital which is involved in wholesale distribution of marine electronics as well as manufacturing of accessories for satellite phones.

If you’ve ever been on the hunt for a boatyard, this seminar will give you some things to look for and questions to ask to determine if the yard you are considering is right for you. Chris Washburn has owned and operated Washburn's boatyard for 16 years, has been on the board of directors of ABYC, American Boat Builders, and Repairers Assoc., and has cruised aboard a Krogen 42 for two years. As owner of a major outfitting, refitting, and repair yard he deals from the other side of the table than the boat owner. Hear his explanations about what you should be able to expect from any boatyard you select for repairs or upgrades. An extensive question and answer period will be included.

If you’re planning to spend your winter with the snowbirds in Florida, you will want to come aboard as Claiborne Young, co-author of Cruising the Florida Keys, takes you on a watery journey from Miami to Key West. He will detail both the inside ICW route and the offshore Hawk Channel, as well as the important streams that connect the two passages. One of the highlights of this presentation is a detailed look at the little-known “back route” from Marathon to Key West. Whether you’ve cruised the Keys before or are venturing out for your first time, this seminar will leave little to chance as you plan your trip to these ever fascinating waters.

Mark and Diana Doyle, authors of the Managing the Waterway cruising guide series, present a fun and informative seminar on electronic charting. You probably already have a computer on board—and with NOAA’s recent free release of its digital chart library, there’s no excuse not to put your laptop to work on electronic charting.

We’ll decipher the differences between raster and vector chart formats and look at the advantages of each, discuss PC and Mac charting and navigation applications, and tell you where to find free and trial software. This seminar details NOAA’s ChartServer interface for free charts and discusses alternative low-cost sources of electronic charts and provides an overview of external input options for position tracking, collision avoidance, and satellite weather. You’ll also learn tips for troubleshooting a laptop charting system and practical examples on how to make the most out of laptop e-charting.