“Safe Offshore Sailing” will be the theme of the 2010 Safety At Sea Seminar, which will be held March 13 – 14 in Newport, Rhode Island. This seminar is a must for anyone who plans to venture offshore, and is scheduled and constructed specifically to meet the Notice of Race requirements for the 2010 Newport Bermuda Race. Crews for the return trip are especially invited and strongly urged to attend.
The Notice of Race for the Newport Bermuda Race requires that:
A minimum of 30% of all crew members including at least two of the following (captain, navigator, port and starboard watch captains) must attend a sanctioned Safety-at-Sea Seminar within five years prior to the start of the race. For Double-Handed Division yachts, both crewmembers shall meet this requirement.
Note that the requirement has been extended from once every three years to once every five years.
The notice of race also states that:
IN ADDITION, ISAF Special Regulations require that two members of each crew must hold a First Aid/CPR certificate.
Finally, all sailors should be aware that:
“Hands-On, In-The-Water-Training” is a recommendation for 2010 but is expected to be a requirement in 2012.
The Safety At Sea schedule is designed with these requirements in mind.
Saturday, March 13: Safety At Sea Seminar
Hyatt Regency Hotel, Goat Island, Newport, RI
Moderated by John Bonds and Ron Trossbach, this is the core curriculum sanctioned by US Sailing and meets the primary Safety At Sea requirement of the 2010 Notice of Race. The full-day schedule will include indoor presentations, a special keynote speaker, a helicopter briefing by a USCG crew, the “Helicopter Rescue Preparation Guide” video, and outside demonstrations by a flare firing boat. A Vendor Display Area will offer participants opportunity to review required safety equipment and resources. Lunch will be provided and a post-seminar Happy Hour with a cash bar will be set up in the display area following the last presentation of the day.
Sunday, March 14
Three separate seminar tracks will be held on Sunday, March 14. For scheduling reasons, participants may only participate in one of the three tracks.
Race Preparation Seminar
The Race Preparation Seminar is a two-hour program presented by members of the Bermuda Race Organizing Committee to address specific race topics and help competitors plan effectively for the race.
American Red Cross First Aid Course and CPR
This course will meet the Notice of Race requirement for First Aid and CPR certificates. (Note that each boat entered in the 2010 Newport Bermuda Race must have two people on board with both certificates.) Completion of the course will lead to a First Aid certificate good for three years and a CPR certificate good for one year.
ISAF Hands-On In-The-Water Training
This day-long training session follows the ISAF curriculum. Granduates of the Hands-On course can combine it with attendance at the Safety At Sea Seminar to receive the coveted ISAF Approved Offshore Personal Survival Course Certificate, good for five years. This course will be conducted by Life Raft & Survival Equipment and will take place in Tiverton, RI.
Seminar Costs
Details for the costs of each seminar component are being developed and will be available by the time registration opens in November 2009.
Registration
Registration for the Hands-On In-The-Water Training will be handled directly by the course provider, Life Raft and Survival Equipment. Contact information will be available through the US Sailing website. Registration for all other seminars will be available online at the US Sailing website in November 2009. Discounts will be offered to members of US Sailing.
Questions about the seminars may be addressed to Ron Trossbach, Safety At Sea Seminar co-ordinator and moderator.