Thursday Night Racing Survey
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Good luck to Annapolis Racers!
Here at J World we are in the final prep stages for Annapolis Race Week which starts on Saturday. We have three student J 80s (Wild Horses, Willie T, and Emotional Rescue), our long time friend Courageous (also a J 80) and our latest edition, Danger Mouse racing in the J 70 class. It appears like it is going to a beautiful weekend, maybe a bit light. Our J 80s will be practicing Thursday and Friday, any J 80s that would like to join us you are welcome. We will monitor channel 72 and anticipate doing some practice starts at 1300 on Friday.
We wish all the racers safe, clean, fun racing. Sail Fast!
Commissioning of Danger Mouse
Long time racing student Taz Coffey has purchased a new J 70 which is going to reside at J World for the next two years. We held a commissioning ceremony for the mighty Danger Mouse Saturday afternoon after her inaugural sail. Enjoy!
So You Want to Learn to Sail? Two Essential Questions to Answer Up Front
While flipping through the Sumer 2013 issue of Outlook By The Bay, I came across a wonderful article that will help anyone considering going to sailing school make the decision about which school is right for them. While we believe that J World Annapolis is the right school for anyone looking to learn how to sail, improve their sailing skills, obtain US Sailing certifications or hone their racing skills; we think the following process is a good one for every would-be sailing student to consider. Re-printed with permission from Outlook By The Bay. Read more
Fun Fact About the Chesapeake Bay
This week at J World Annapolis we are hosting our third annual Kids on Keelboats program. Kids on Keelboats is a five day sailing camp for kids age 12-16, held on our fleet of J/80’s. The kids follow our Basic Keelboat curriculum while also learning about Chesapeake Bay ecology, Annapolis history and more. Kids keep you on your toes – so here are 10 things you may not have known about our Chesapeake Bay. Read more
App News – Get Your Captain’s License
Lot’s of sailors spend the winter poring over sailing books to increase their sailing knowledge. Some even study or take courses that enable them to sit for their USCG Captain’s License. Studying for this test can be both mind expanding and frustrating as you try to remember accurately the differences between inland and international rules or what shape a boat towing alongside that is greater than 50 meters should display. Read more
Dock Talk With Terry Hutchinson – Starting Secrets
Need Help Fighting Hurricanes?
NEWS from BoatUS
Boat Owners Association of The United States
880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304
BoatUS Press Room at www.BoatUS.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: D. Scott Croft, 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com
Boaters: Need Help Fighting Hurricanes?
BoatUS Adds Online Hurricane Seminars to Arsenal
ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 9, 2013 — With the NOAA Climate Prediction Center forecasting an “active or extremely active season this year,” recreational boaters will have to make storm preparations for a likelihood of 13 to 20 named storms. It’s also important to remember that tropical storm and hurricane damage isn’t limited to the coastline. However, if the battle in preventing hurricane damage is to be won, some boaters will need to use every tool in their arsenal of storm planning tools. Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) just added another weapon by offering three online seminars on Superstorm Sandy that share an analysis of what worked, what didn’t, and suggests some lessons learned. The seminars, along with a range of free storm planning, preparation and tracking tools can be found at www.BoatUS.com/hurricanes.
While they were designed for marina and boat club managers, each one-hour long seminar shares relevant and important information for boat owners as well. All of the information is taken from first hand accounts of the BoatUS Catastrophe Response Team. The first seminar is an overview of what the BoatUS team learned, while the second and third tackle the topics of storing boats on land and water, respectively. All can be viewed at your own pace, starting and stopping at anytime. The only prerequisite to watch for free is you must be a BoatUS member – but they are also available to non-members starting at $30 through a partnership with the Association of Marina Industries (call: 866-367-6622).
In addition, BoatUS has free resources online for any boater owner, boat club or marina at the BoatUS Tracking and Hurricane Resource Center at www.BoatUS.com/hurricanes. The website offers easily downloadable storm planning materials including an in-depth Boater’s Guide to Preparing for Hurricanes, and a Hurricane Preparation Worksheetthat can be copied and great for handing out to slipholders, and checklists for what to do before and after a hurricane strikes.
Sample Marina/Club Hurricane Plans for boat and yacht clubs as well as up-to-the-minute storm tracking tools with live satellite images are also offered. A 24-page Yacht Club and Marina Guide to Preparing for Hurricanes shares success stories and failures of dozens of facilities that have experienced a hurricane over last two decades. The latest storm-tracking and forecasting information is also offered.
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About BoatUS:
Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) is the nation’s leading advocate for recreational boaters providing its over half-million members with government representation, services such as 24-hour on the water boat towing as well as roadside assistance for boat trailers and tow vehicles, feature-packed boat insurance programs, money-saving benefits that include marina and West Marine shopping discounts, and vital information that improves the boating, fishing and sailing lifestyle. Its member-funded BoatUS Foundation is a national leader promoting safe, clean and responsible boating.
San Juan Islands Update: Do you have a cruising resume?
You may have heard that J World Annapolis is headed to Washington State’s San Juan Islands for a summer flotilla. We are escaping the Chesapeake heat and sailing two well appointed cruisers around the “paradise of the Pacific Northwest” and the process of planning and preparing for this excursion is in full swing. You can download the San Juan Islands to learn more about this amazing summer cruise.
In order to charter boats in the states and abroad it is standard practice to submit an application and a cruising resume, and I am refreshing mine. While a credit card that clears may get you off the dock at some charter companies, many companies are now scrutinizing resumes and even requiring certifications such as the US Sailing Bareboat Cruising Certification (BBC) or an International Proficiency Certificate (IPC.)
Whether you are chartering or not, having an up to date cruising resume is a good thing. First, it forces you to make some record of your sailing accomplishments and the miles under your keel. Second, it makes filling out the inevitable charter resume a snap.
Creating a useable resume is fairly simple. A few short paragraphs the identify you prior experience skippering a similar type of vessel, recent boating experience and any specific skills or certifications (e.g. experience on tidal waters, Coastal Navigation certification, etc.) will provide anyone interested the information needed to quickly evaluate your qualifications as a skipper or crew.
Here are a few other items your sailing resume should include:
- Name
- Contact Details including cell phone and email
- List of boats sailed in the past 12 months
- List of boats chartered in the past five years
- List of boats you have owned
- How many years have you been actively been skippering?
- How many days per year do you skipper?
You may want to list specific experience or working knowledge of charter specific skills such as:
- Sailing in heavy conditions and depowering a sail plan
- Reefing
- Sailing in waves and current
- Close quarters maneuvering under power and sail
- Picking up a mooring
- Single bow anchoring
- Bow and stern anchoring
- Bahamian anchoring
- Med-Mooring
- Docking alongside
- Docking in a slip
- Reading nautical charts
- Reading tide and current tables
- Plotting location and course
- Piloting (using visual ATONs to navigate)
- Using a GPS and electronic charts
- Dead Reckoning
- Overboard rescue techniques
- Safety and emergency procedures
- VHF Radio use and protocol
All of these practical skills and knowledge items are best developed through a combination of structured learning and experiential learning. Demonstrating to charter companies that you have both time on the water and the certifications to go along with them is a great way to ensure smooth chartering worldwide.
J/80 World Championship in France
One hundred nineteen teams are entered in the 2013 J/80 World Championship in Marseilles, France, with teams representing 12 countries (France, Spain, USA, England, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Switzerland, Russia, and Oman/ United Arab Emirates). The sailing schedule starts with a the practice race Monday, July 8th followed by five days of racing with up to three races per day, concluding Saturday, July 13th. – Event website
Best of luck to Brian Keane and Team Savasana. US Entries are a little light at this year’s Worlds in France, with many US teams keeping their powder dry for next year’s Annapolis based World Championships. Will we have 119 here too?
While traveling to Europe may be outside the budget boundaries for many US based teams, traveling to Annapolis is easy. J World Annapolis can help too! If you have questions or are looking for a price quote on transportation, logistics support or coaching – please don’t hesitate to contact us.