Bob Bitchin’s Advanced Cruising Seminar (April 27-29)

Paid Courses

Location & Registration

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S/V Auspicious

Weather I

May 19th (Trawler Fest Anacortes)

This insightful introduction to weather basics and the structure and composition of the atmosphere will help you understand how clouds and weather are produced. Identification of cloud types and what they mean to the mariner will be integrated with surface-map interpretation. You’ll learn about high- and low-pressure systems, troughs, ridges, and fronts, and will have opportunities to apply what you’ve learned by looking at weather maps for various regions, from New England to the Bahamas and Seattle to Los Angeles. You’ll also receive handouts on cloud types and a summary of surface-map symbols to use while cruising.

Weather II

May 19th (Trawler Fest Anacortes)

Get an introduction to upper-air 500Mb charts—the key to interpreting the causes and effects of surface weather. Learn about sea wave formation, propagation, and decay, as well as the sea-height data and tools that are available in the public domain from the National Weather Service (NWS), the Ocean Prediction Center (OPC), and the Tropical Prediction Center (TPC). After attending the Weather I and Weather II seminars, you will have been introduced to the core graphical data produced by the NWS, OPC, and TPC for self-reliant marine weather forecasting and routing in coastal and offshore cruising. Selective handouts will be provided for future reference.

There will also be an overview wave formation, propagation, and decay as well as parsing out wind driven waves versus wind waves that originate from a distance storm’s winds and propagate downwind known as swell. There will be exercises on understanding the combined usage of surface pressure, wind & wave, and upper air charts.

Oceanographer Frank Bohlen will present a detailed discussion on ocean currents with a strong emphasis the Gulf Stream. There will be the latest imagery of the Gulf Stream and its patterns in play from a few months before to most current Gulf Stream data, and how to interpret the information. There will be an exercise on the analysis of the Gulf Stream and how integrate weather and strategies for a successful Gulf Stream crossing. . Attendees will gain a better understanding of the race environment, how to access and analyze the data available and make good, safe and strategic decisions while underway.

Click here for more info!

Professional Mariner STCW 5-Day Courses

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Course Locations, POCs, & Websites

Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship
Piney Point, MD

Maritime Institute of Trainings & Graduate Studies (MITAGS)
Linthicum Heights, MD

Pacific Maritime Institute (PMI)
Seattle, WA

Simulation Training, Assessment, & Research (STAR Center)
Dania Beach, FL

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Non-STCW 2-Day Courses

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Other Paid Boat Shows/Events

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Free Seminars & Other Events

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Boat/Trade Show Locations

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Rich Boren
S/V THIRD DAY
1978 Pearson 365 Ketch Hull #192
Full Time Live-a-board Cruiser…we made it!!
Cruising the Sea of Cortez Summer ’09
http://www.svthirdday.com
http://www.Pearson365.com

I came out feeling much better prepared than I did going in, and I thought I had a pretty good handle on it. Instead I found the seminar was a steady stream of “AHA!” moments, and many of my basic understandings were corrected. I can highly recommend it, and look forward to the advanced seminar Lee is developing. It’s 3 days with a lot more focus on self routing, although I feel at least reasonably prepared to self route with the body of information provided at this seminar.”

Lee Walker
S/V Bolero
Lagoon 37 TPI

I have taken two courses from him at Strictly Sail Pacific. The classes explain the basic dynamics that drive weather systems as well as how those forces are expressed in the NOAA weather products. This basic grounding in marine weather not only lets you look ahead a few days while on a passage, it gives you an understanding of why changes are occurring in data you see in GRIB files and buoy data.

Lee Chesneau’s Marine Weather is a free and very concise site that organizes the Atlantic and Pacific NOAA Ocean products. Using this site you can get a quick picture of the 96 hours of weather in a minute or two.”

Lee’s longer workshops are also offered through the Seven Seas Cruising Association.

S/V Maitreya – A blog detailing the adventures of the sailing vessel Maitreya.
http://www.sv-maitreya.net

Since you said you are a big fan of Benjamin Franklin, here’s an interesting quotation:

“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing.” – Benjamin Franklin, 1738″

Best regards,
Alan Clendinen