If you’ve never sampled a webinar, it’s the best thing to come along for learning in the comfort of your own home or boat. All you need is a computer and broadband.

We’ll be transmitting from Ireland, you’ll be chatting with us from wherever, and it will be an interactive experience to remember. Ask your most pressing questions online or email us afterwards. We’re here to help.

So if you want to brush up on what’s new out there that can help you stay put and wake up where you went to sleep, join us on June 7. To register, just go to the Seven Seas U website.

If you can’t make the live webinar, you can still download a recording for viewing at your leisure or you can sample our Anchoring a Sailboat Clinic at NauticEd.

NauticEd is a comprehensive new educational website for sailors, offering bareboat certification for chartering among many other courses for cruisers.

The Anchoring Clinic covers most of the same material as the webinar but in a self-paced written online course. It is set up in modules with a short test after each module.

Once you pass all the module tests, you’ll receive a certificate of completion. That certificate satisfies one of the requirements of the Bareboat Certification offered by NauticEd. You don’t need to complete the whole series to take our course. If you’re already a competent cruiser but just want a quick update on what’s new in anchors and anchoring, you can review this at your leisure.

NauticEd has some very useful apps and sailing games available free of charge so visit NauticEd website and check out our anchoring clinic.

I am pleased to offer 10% off the price of the Anchoring a Sailboat Clinic to Women and Cruising! Just enter hookbook10 as the promo code. Once you complete the course, you can also set up your own promo code (under the referrals tab when you log in) to get $10 off any additional  courses everytime someone signs up for a course using your new referral promo code.

The most comprehensive resource on anchoring is our book, “Happy Hooking. The Art of Anchoring.” It is available at coastalboating.net and at amazon.com.You can take it with you wherever you go.

Just this month it was endorsed by Practical Boat Owner in the UK after getting loads of favorable reviews in the States.

I’ll be starting a blog post with anchoring tips for women in the months to come, so send me your pressing questions, your pet peeves, and your best anchoring stories. We tackle them all together!

Happy Hooking! From Daria Blackwell…a new Admiral!

About Daria Blackwell

Daria Blackwell is a lifelong sailor and passionate cruiser. She has completed three Atlantic crossings and spent years cruising the coasts of the Americas and Europe, as well as the Bahamas, the Caribbean islands, and the Atlantic islands, most recently double-handing on their vintage 57-foot ketch, Aleria, with her husband, Alex, and cruising kitty, Onyx.

Daria holds a USCG OUPV Captain’s license and is a member of SSCA (Seven Seas Cruising Association), Mayo Sailing Club (Westport, Ireland) and American Yacht Club (Rye, NY). The Blackwells are also the organizers of the SSCA cruising station for Ireland.

The Blackwells are co-authors of Happy Hooking: The Art of Anchoring, which has received excellent reviews in the sailing press. Their seminar on anchoring has drawn large crowds and delivered exceptional attendee critiques and comments (Reference: SailAmerica). Most recently, they have been delivering seminars (on anchoring as well as other cruising topics) online and live via the Seven Seas University of SSCA, GLCC, yacht clubs and boat shows.

Daria is a frequent author about their sailing adventures, contributing to Cruising World, Classic Boat, Latitudes & Attitudes Seafaring, Practical Boat Owner, Ireland Afloat, Offshore, Windcheck, Spinsheet, Points East and elsewhere. For many years, Daria and Alex served as the webmasters for the website of American Yacht Club and launched the popular www.CoastalBoating.net, “the boaters’ resource for places to go and things to know”. As founders of Sail4Kids Make a Memory Cruise, the Blackwells were recognized with prestigious awards by both American Yacht Club and the International Society for Perpetuation of Cruelty to Racing Yachtsmen.

Read also on this website:

• What I like best about cruising? Passages and anchorages: a world of your own, by Daria Blackwell

More information

• For more information on this webinar or to register, go to: Seven Seas U: Happy Hooking webinar. Can’t make the webinar? You can also download it later or buy the book.
• The NauticEd Anchoring Clinic.
• Happy Hooking – the Art of Anchoring is available on www.Coastalboating.net and Amazon.com
  .

Do you have a question on anchoring?

Let us know. Email kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below.

We love these seminars and all the new friends we have made doing them. In fact, I love the seminars so much I am packing up my bags and leaving the boat in beautiful Eleuthera, Bahamas (with sand in my shoes) to fly to the Oakland show.  When we’re not giving seminars we will be hanging out at the Author’s Corner. I will be selling my French for Cruisers and Spanish for Cruisers books plus a new audio. Come by and talk cruising! We look forward to seeing you there!

Blue Water Sailing is the Presenting Sponsor of the Seminar Series.  The one-hour seminars are FREE with your paid show admission. Attendees will receive two issues of Blue Water Sailing and a complimentary subscription to Cruising Compass.

Women and Cruising

by Kathy Parsons, Pam Wall, Gwen Hamlin

Kathy Parsons, Pam Wall and Gwen Hamlin  team up to share experiences and answer all your questions about preparing for cruising and life aboard: from the skills you need to cruise, to outfitting and provisioning, to seasickness, staying healthy, finances, long passages, safety and the fears and the rewards of cruising.

Attendees will receive a Women and Cruising Resource List to supplement the information covered in the seminar.

Dates:

• Friday, April 15, 2011 – 11:45am
• Saturday, April 16, 2011 – 4:45pm

What Works: Tips and techniques for long-distance cruising.

by Kathy Parsons, Pam Wall, Gwen Hamlin

Sometimes it is the little things that make all the difference. With decades of cruising and tens of thousands of miles under their keels, cruisers Pam Wall, Gwen Hamlin and Kathy Parsons have learned lots of little things that make cruising safer, more comfortable, more successful.

In this quick-paced seminar, they will share some of their favorite tips, techniques and gear. They will cover the full gamut of cruising: from passage-making, boat-handling, anchoring, line-handling, provisioning, stowage and boat systems, safety, communications, finances. You are bound to learn new ideas to improve your cruising.

Dates:

• Thursday, April 14, 2011 – 11:45am
• Sunday, April 17, 2011 – 10:30am

Cruising the French and Spanish-speaking Caribbean

by Kathy Parsons

The French and Spanish-speaking countries of the Caribbean provide rich and varied cruising opportunities: from Martinique and Guadeloupe’s French creole cuisines, to inland travel through Central and South America, to the music and beauty of Cuba. Yet boaters often hesitate, faced with language and cultural differences.

With photos, hand-outs and personal stories from over a decade of travel throughout the Caribbean, author and cruiser Kathy Parsons shows how and why to fully explore these areas. You will leave this seminar with a list of Caribbean destinations that you won’t want to miss and practical tips that will reduce cultural misunderstandings and make your travel more safe and enjoyable.

Date:

• Thursday, April 14, 2011 – 03:30pm

Spanish for Cruising Mexico

by Kathy Parsons

To make the most of your cruise to Mexico, you’ll want to be able to communicate with the people you meet – from port officials to repairmen, market vendors and fishermen.

In this seminar, Kathy Parsons, will give you techniques and strategies that help you communicate with everyone you meet ashore and on the water. Participants will learn techniques that ease communication, will learn to avoid common cultural mistakes and receive hand-outs covering Spanish for provisioning, clearing in, conversation, and other essentials of Mexican cruising.”

Date:

• Saturday, April 16, 2011 – 11:45am

Outfitting Part One – On Deck

by Pam Wall

Pam Wall will give sensible and practical ideas on how to make your boat more seaworthy, safer, more efficient, and more fun. The systems and equipment that she and her husband, Andy, have on their boat came from years of practical sailing.

From bow to stern Pam will show you what she found made her boat a better blue water cruising boat. Be ready to take notes on what works and what does not work in this informative seminar on proper deck hardware and systems. All this leads to having a better time aboard your boat.

Date:

• Thursday, April 14, 2011 – 1:00pm

Outfitting Part Two – Below Deck

by Pam Wall

Once again Pam Wall will show you ideas on how to make your boat more comfortable and more efficient down below where your living quarters make all the difference to your comfort and safety! See the many ideas Pam has put into use to make the interior of her boat functional and safe. Again, be prepared to take a lot of notes on the good ideas presented in this seminar.

Date:

• Thursday, April 14, 2011 – 2:15pm

Cruising the Bahamas

by Pam Wall

I don’t have to sail around the world to be in Paradise! Pam Wall has sailed around the world, but her most favorite place of all is in her back yard!

The Bahamas are Pam’s favorite cruising grounds, and she takes you there with a flair! See the beauty of these magnificent islands, so near, yet so far. This slide presentation will have you jumping into the clear water before you know it.

Date:

• Friday, April 15, 2011 – 3:30pm

How to be your own Maintenance Captain

by Pam Wall

Pam Wall will take you from bow to stern, on deck and down below, to help you check out what you need to know to maintain your vessel without the help of trained professionals. This type of basic knowledge of maintenance and how to keep everything in good running order will give you the confidence to know your own boat and all its systems. Pam will suggest easy programs to keep all you have aboard in good condition making your cruising more successful without any breakdowns. Learn from Pam how a woman can contribute to the maintenance schedule to keep your boat in top condition. All this will allow you to have a happy time aboard and give you the basic knowledge of how to eliminate most annoying failures!

Date:

• Saturday, April 16, 2011 – 1:00pm

Cool Products No One Knows About

by Pam Wall

Pam Wall has been working for West Marine for twenty years. She sees and tries many new and lots of old products that are available to the yachtsmen around the world. Let her show you many really great products that very few people know about. The secrets of great things will be revealed so you can take advantage of a lifetime of finding cool products that few have ever tried. Pam has her favorites that she will share with you, and you will come away with many great ideas for your own boat.

Date:

• Sunday, April 17, 2011 – 1:00pm

Severe Weather Preparation

by Pam Wall

Many of you may have attended Pam’s Hurricane Preparation seminars in the past. This year Pam will take you through the steps to be prepared for severe weather while at sea! The list of what you should have aboard, how you should prepare yourself, and how you should handle your boat are all given to you by someone who has lived through many a severe weather situation in her years of sailing. This is a seminar everyone should attend to be prepared and therefore be able to handle any situation with severe weather

Date:

• Sunday, April 17, 2011 – 3:30pm

More info

• About Kathy Parsons, Pam Wall and Gwen Hamlin
• Visit the Strictly Sail Pacific website
• Download the complete seminars schedule

The Pardeys will be speaking at:

• the Northwest Maritime Center Spring Symposium in Port Townsend, Washington;
• Spaulding Wooden Boat Center in Sausalito, California;
• and OCC School of Sailing and Seamanship in Newport, California.

Topics for each venue are different, ranging from “Encouraging your partner to love cruising”, to “Handling storms at sea”. A complete list of seminar topics, dates, and times can be viewed at the Pardeys’ website, www.landlpardey.com.

Lin’s new book will be launched during this tour.

In Bull Canyon Lin turns to an “adventure on land.” This is the story of the four years the couple spent far from the sea, building the boat of their dreams in California’s remote Bull Canyon.

First there were the rats in the ceiling, then the floods, then the fires, then the visiting cougar … life in Bull Canyon was daunting and dangerous. Often Lin wondered just what they were doing so far from their customary “home” on the open seas.

Bull Canyon joins the annals of great tales of homesteading, told in the warm, funny, and insightful voice of a true storyteller.  You can read excerpts from the book at www.linpardey.com.

Here is what the first reviewers have to say…

“Lin Pardey has captured the very heart of a full life (the good, the bad, and the uncomfortable) in Bull Canyon. It is a must read for anyone with an adventurous spirit or those who need to be encouraged to follow their dreams.” Lee Stanley, Award-winning filmmaker, producer (Grid Iron Gang)

“It’s great. Very very funny and insightful. Captures a time and place.” Herb McCormick, Editor at Large, Cruising World/Sailing World.

“Lin Pardey makes it clear why she has such a following among her sailing readers: she’s a great observer of human nature and a natural storyteller. With Bull Canyon, she has bridged the divide between sailors and landsmen and will touch readers of every inclination.” Karen Larsen, founder and editor, Good Old Boat

About Lin and Larry Pardey

Lin and Larry have voyaged more than 200,000 miles together on self-built engine-free wooden boats.

Their voyages have taken them around the world, both east-about and west-about, including counter-to-the-prevailing-wind passages south of the great southern capes.

The books and DVD programs created by Lin and Larry have been credited with launching thousands of dreams by inspiring and empowering three generations of sailors.  In 2010 the Pardeys were awarded The Cruising Club of America’s prestigious Far Horizons Award.

Seminar dates:

More information (external links)

• For a complete list of the seminars topics, dates, and times, visit the Pardeys’ website: www.landlpardey.com.

• Editors—for publicity photos or further information visit www.linpardey.com or email jim@paracay.com

Please join us for a lively interactive learning session about everyone’s favorite topic: anchoring. Don’t be intimidated by anchoring bullies. Here are the details:

Education for those long winter months – Seven Seas University Presents:

Happy Hooking – the Art of Anchoring

• with Captains Daria & Alex Blackwell
• Saturday February 12 at 1000 CST (1100 EST, 1600 GMT)

Whether you are sailing your own vessel locally or chartering in the Caribbean or beyond, knowing how to safely and effectively anchor is one of the most essential and liberating skills you can have.

Knowing about anchors, rodes, anchorages and anchoring techniques is a prerequisite for enjoying an evening in a magically beautiful setting as well as getting a good night’s sleep while swinging from the hook.

Much has changed over the years and the new gear offers serious technical advances over the older standard options.  The goal of this session is to either help you get more confident using the gear you have, or to help you select new gear and understand how to deploy it correctly.  We’ll be discussing available equipment and its performance under simulated and real conditions.

In addition, we will cover:

• Tackle and Anchor Selection
• Techniques for Setting the Anchor
• Scope, Chafe, Snubbers, Kellets, Trip Lines and More
• Anchorage Selection: Charts & Guides, Picking Your Spot, Swing Radius
• Setting Two Anchors and Med Mooring
• Weighing Anchor
• Anchoring Etiquette

Visit Seven Seas U to register today!

About Daria Blackwell

Daria Blackwell is a lifelong sailor and passionate cruiser. She has completed three Atlantic crossings and spent years cruising the coasts of the Americas and Europe, as well as the Bahamas, the Caribbean islands, and the Atlantic islands, most recently double-handing on their vintage 57-foot ketch, Aleria, with her husband, Alex, and cruising kitty, Onyx.

Daria holds a USCG OUPV Captain’s license and is a member of SSCA (Seven Seas Cruising Association), Mayo Sailing Club (Westport, Ireland) and American Yacht Club (Rye, NY). The Blackwells are also the organizers of the SSCA cruising station for Ireland.

The Blackwells are co-authors of Happy Hooking: The Art of Anchoring, which has received excellent reviews in the sailing press. Their seminar on anchoring has drawn large crowds and delivered exceptional attendee critiques and comments (Reference: SailAmerica). Most recently, they have been delivering seminars (on anchoring as well as other cruising topics) online and live via the Seven Seas University of SSCA, GLCC, yacht clubs and boat shows.

Daria is a frequent author about their sailing adventures, contributing to Cruising World, Classic Boat, Latitudes & Attitudes Seafaring, Practical Boat Owner, Ireland Afloat, Offshore, Windcheck, Spinsheet, Points East and elsewhere. For many years, Daria and Alex served as the webmasters for the website of American Yacht Club and launched the popular www.CoastalBoating.net, “the boaters’ resource for places to go and things to know”. As founders of Sail4Kids Make a Memory Cruise, the Blackwells were recognized with prestigious awards by both American Yacht Club and the International Society for Perpetuation of Cruelty to Racing Yachtsmen.

More information

• For more information on this webinar or to register, go to: Seven Seas U: Happy Hooking webinar.
  Can’t make the webinar? You can also download it later or buy the book.
• Happy Hooking – the Art of Anchoring is available on www.Coastalboating.net and Amazon.com.

Do you have a question on anchoring?

Let us know. Email kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below.

NWSA’s 9th Annual Women’s Sailing Conference (a Take the Helm® event) is only two weeks away! Come join us! It will take place Saturday June 5, 2010 at the Corinthian Yacht Club on beautiful Marblehead Harbor in Massachusetts.

Nancy Erley, two-time circumnavigator, calculates that this will be her 6th year at the conference. One year she traveled all the way from London to attend!

Why does she keep coming back as a volunteer instructor?

Nancy says: “I love being with a big group of women who all love what I love – sailing.  And this is a very well organized conference at an exceptional venue. “

We asked Nancy to tell us about the workshops she will be giving this year:

This year I’m giving 3 workshops:

1. How to turn your boat around in tight spaces using spring lines:

I’ll show where to tie the line in order to drive against it and spring the boat away from the dock.  

We will use a boat at the dock and flip it around every which way with whatever long lines we can find aboard. 

We may be tying two dock lines together to get the length we need to turn the boat completely around at the dock without the engine.

2. How to heave a line:

We will toss at a lawn chair for target practice using 50’ heaving lines that I’ve made with a monkey’s fist on the end. 

We’ll also use spare old halyards and see that they toss pretty well too if coiled right, and Hall Spar and Rigging is donating 2 lines for us to toss as well.

3. Night Sailing:

This is an classroom presentation about the awesomeness of sailing at night on the ocean and how to keep watch coupled with the details of lighted aids to navigation and lights on vessels.

About the Women’s Sailing Conference

NWSA’s 9th annual Women’s Sailing Conference (a Take the Helm® event) will take place Saturday June 5, 2010 at the Corinthian Yacht Club on beautiful Marblehead Harbor in Massachusetts.

It’s a full day of learning, sailing, sharing, networking, and good fun. You can participate in a variety of workshops for women of all sailing abilities, presented by some of the best women sailors around.

You can select on-land and on-water workshops that match your interests and abilities. (Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, and you must sign up in advance.)  Both NWSA members and non-members are welcome. 

Women and Cruising founder Kathy Parsons will be the keynote speaker at the evening’s dinner, so come join us!

For more information and to register:

Visit the website of the National Women’s Sailing Association. You will find information on the conference on the home page with a link to the registration form and conference schedule.

See also:

• See you at the Women’s Sailing Conference June 5, 2010 in Marblehead, MA! (our first blog post announcing the conference)

About Nancy Erley

Nancy Erley led two voyages from Seattle around the world aboard her Orca 38 sailboat, Tethys.

“As the skipper of an all-woman crew, Nancy fashioned a circumnavigation that should go down in the record books as one of the soundest, most seamanlike journeys in the modern cruising era. Like all competent voyages, Tethys circumnavigation was notable for its lack of disasters.” George Day, publisher Blue Water Sailing magazine.

Founder of Tethys Offshore, Nancy teaches the skills to take a small boat across an ocean, from competent crew to ocean skipper. She holds her USCG 50-ton Master of Oceans and 100-ton Master Near Coastal licenses, is an Instructor Evaluator-Ocean for the International Sail and Power Association, a ham radio operator (ki7dp), and an advanced scuba diver and delivery skipper.

In 2006 Nancy was presented with the Leadership in Women’s Sailing Award sponsored by BoatUS and the National Women’s Sailing Association. The award honors a male or female who has built a record of achievement in inspiring, educating and enriching the lives of women through sailing.

Nancy is now in the Pacific Northwest scheduling learning cruises for women aboard Tethys. She also offers private instruction aboard the learner’s boat for both men and women, ocean deliveries as captain or onboard advisor, and voyaging consultation. Her website is www.tethysoffshore.com