Posted by Grant Headifen on October 21, 2010 under About NauticEd, Skipper | 
Want to Update your Sailing Resume on the fly (erh I mean dock)?
Android Sailing Resume Update App
Several students have asked us to implement the same iPhone Resume updating app onto the android platform. Well, we just couldn’t resist and so here it is – if you’ve got an Andoid phone just go to the “market place” on your phone and search for NauticEd.
Or you can go here to learn more.
http://www.androidzoom.com/android_applications/productivity/nauticed_lvpg.html?nav=area
You’ll need a FREE NauticEd account of course and you manage everything inside the experience tab once you’ve logged into NauticEd. But the Android (and iPhone) app allows you at the click of 2 buttons, update your online resume with a sailing outing that you just completed with out having to login. Every time you do this it increases the time on your NauticEd sailing certification.
Login to NauticEd now to set up your experience then visit the market place on your phone and download the Android NauticEd app.
It’s just way too convenient.
Oh the cost – sorry forgot to mention it – it’s FREE.
Posted by Grant Headifen on under About NauticEd, Bareboat Charter, Coastal Navigation, Crew, Maneuvering Under Power, Rules of Right of Way, Sail Trim, Skipper, Storm Tactics, weather |
Hooowa – said Al Pacino in the movie Sent of a Woman.
Skipper Sailing Course Bundle
We recently launched a new Sailing Courses and Clincs Page. The first thing you’ll notice is that we have Bundled the Courses and Clinics into their respective Ranks. So now you can buy the Skipper Bundle which contains the
And the Bareboat Charter Master Bundle which contains the
The investment in the Sailing Lesson bundles now saves you a ton. The Skipper Bundle comes in at $95 and the Bareboat Charter Master Bundle comes in at $161. That is a significant savings over buying eaah sailing course A La Carte.
Bareboat Charter Master Bundle
We’re also finishing up the Safety at Sea Clinic now and so that will make the final Captain Bundle ready. This will contain
The investment in the Captain Bundle will be $293.
AND – we did something that is really cool – we wrote the software so that you automatically get credit for sailing courses and clinics that you have already purchased. So the smart ones will figure out now how to beat the system (and we’re ok with that) that you can start getting the Clinics for $33 instead of $39.
Visit the new NauticEd Sailing Courses and Clinics page now.
Posted by Grant Headifen on October 9, 2010 under About NauticEd, Bareboat Charter, Crew, Sail Trim, Skipper |
SAILING WOMEN INVITED TO RACE IN THE 38TH ANNUAL ST. THOMAS INTERNATIONAL ROLEX REGATTA
Escape the winter blahs and join the fun and excitement of participating with an all-woman crew in beautiful St. Thomas, USVI, March 2011!
NauticEd and Safe Passage Sailing, LLC invite you to “sail with the best” in a world class regatta with world class skipper and mentor Suzette Smith, leading an all women’s crew. This will be an experience not to be missed!
Whether it’s the adventure of cruising or the excitement of racing, there’s no place like being on a Safe Passage Sailing Charter. If you’re an intermediate to advanced female sailor, now you have the opportunity to join in on all the fun.
Rolex Regatta All Women Crew
The St. Thomas Yacht Club and title sponsor Rolex are the hosts for this regatta known as the “Crown Jewel” of Caribbean racing that boasts “reliable breezes, warm azure waters and world-renowned Island hospitality.”
SPS Program includes:
- Exclusive charter of a Swan 51’ – Northern Child
- 2 race training days, lay day, 3 race days
- Racing pro Suzette Smith, licensed skipper, and 1st mate
- All race registration/entry fees
- All berthing fees, fuel, and on/off shore support
- Race equipment including spinnakers
- Breakfast at the St. Thomas YC on race days
- Lunch, snacks and beverages each day on the boat
- SPS stow bag with shirts, hats, and other gifts for each guest
- Event management
- Event and crew photographs
- Transportation will be provided/arranged from/to airport, marina to YC parties
Register Now!
Program Cost: $3275 per person
Participants: 11
Accommodations and airfare not included. Group hotel accommodations and transportation options TBA.
Suzette Smith Sailing Pro
Racing Pro Suzette Smith International Racing and Cruising Specialist will be onboard Northern Child in the role as coach/mentor. Suzette is a seasoned licensed charter captain with a USCG Masters 100 ton and ASA certified instructor on yachts 38’-70’+.
In 2006 she was named ASA’s “Outstanding National Instructor of the Year.”
Ms Smith has participated in numerous high caliber sailing campaigns such as Team Pegasus, the first and only all-woman America’s Cup team, America 3, which raced in the 1995 America‘s Cup defenders series, as well as other notable regattas around the world.
Additional Crew:
RYA licensed Skipper/Owner Christian Reynolds and First Mate Lucy Jones will be onboard to assist and facilitate during the regatta.
Details of the St. Thomas International Regatta itinerary are available online at
http://www.safepassagesailing.com/documents/SPS_brochure_SS_Rolex_2011.pdf
Hi-Res Photos are also available. Please contact us with your specific needs.
For more information regarding SPS “Sailing with the Best” events, or to register for this event, please visit our website at www.safepassagesailing.com. Please feel free to call or e-mail SPS for more information: Tell them NauticEd sent you.
Randee Fowler
SafePassageSailing
415/381-4773 direct
415/637-4051 mobile
rfowler@safepassagesailing.com
Posted by Grant Headifen on under About NauticEd, Bareboat Charter, Crew, Skipper |
SAILING ENTHUSIASTS INVITED TO RACE IN THE 38TH ANNUAL ST. THOMAS INTERNATIONAL ROLEX REGATTA
Escape the winter blahs and join the fun and excitement of participating in this world class event in beautiful St. Thomas, USVI, March 2011!
NauticEd and Safe Passage Sailing, LLC invite you to “sail with the best” in this celebrated international regatta with world class racing pros Brian Thompson and Rich Stearns as your mentors on the racing maxi yacht Frers 80, Kialoa V. This will be an experience not to be missed!
Whether it’s the adventure of cruising or the excitement of racing, there’s no place like being on a Safe Passage Sailing Charter. If you’re an intermediate to advanced sailor, now you have the opportunity to join in on all the fun of the 38th St. Thomas International Rolex Regatta.
The St. Thomas Yacht Club and title sponsor Rolex are the hosts for this regatta known as the “Crown Jewel” of Caribbean racing that boasts “reliable breezes, warm azure waters and world-renowned Island hospitality.
Program includes:
- Exclusive charter of the maxi Frers 80, Kialoa V
- Racing pros, licensed skipper, 1st mate and additional racing support crew
- 2 race training days, lay day, 3 race days
- All race registration/entry fees
- All berthing fees, fuel, and on/off shore support
- Race equipment including spinnakers
- Breakfast at the St. Thomas YC on race days
- Lunch, snacks and beverages each day on the boat
- SPS stow bag with shirts, hats, and other gifts
- Event management
- Event and crew photographs
- Transportation will be provided/arranged from/to airport, marina to YC parties
Register Now!
Program Cost: $3750 per person
Participants: 17
Accommodations and airfare not included. Group hotel accommodations and transportation options TBA.
Details of the St. Thomas International Regatta itinerary are available online at www.safepassagesailing.com/events.html
Hi-Res Photos are also available. Please contact us with you specific needs.
For more information regarding SPS “Sailing with the Best” events, or to register for this event, please visit www.safepassagesailing.com. Please feel free to call or e-mail SPS for more information: Tell them NauticEd sent you!
Randee Fowler
SafePassageSailing
415/381-4773 direct
415/637-4051 mobile
rfowler@safepassagesailing.com
Posted by Grant Headifen on October 5, 2010 under Bareboat Charter, Crew, Sail Trim, Skipper, weather |
Whether you’re learning to sail or are an advanced sailor, this tip is a really good one. It’s basic stuff but you’ll see the value pretty quickly, especially if you don’t like going up the mast.
Recently on our NauticEd flotilla to Tonga I semi embarrassingly re-learned a valuable lesson and that’s the value of a stopper knot.
A stopper knot of course is a knot at the end of a halyard or jib sheet that will prevent the line from pulling through fairleads etc and always keeps your line accessible in its proper place. It’s tied in such a manner that you can get it undone – as opposed to the definition of a knife knot which means you need a knife to undo it. And on a sailboat the old saying of “if you can’t tie a knot tie a lot” doesn’t really work).
Here’s how to tie a stopper knot. http://www.animatedknots.com/indexboating.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com. And what’s cool abou this site is that they have an iPhone app you can download so you can carry your knots with you.
VaVa'u-Tonga Sailing Vacation
Well with all the excitement of Tonga and the flotilla and sailing a really nice 47 foot Catamaran chartered from the Moorings in Vava’U Tonga, I neglected to do the walk around to ensure every appropriate line had a stopper knot at the end.
The result? No so good. At the end of the first day I pulled down the sail and tookt he halyard connected to the head of the mainsail and wraped it under a cleat at the base of the mast. I do this as standard operating procedure so that the sail can not get lifted back up during the night should a big wind come through. Well unfortunately, the halyard was designed to be long enough to accommodate this extra precaution and the end of the halyard disappeared up into the mast. Opps!
I just stood there looking at it going “ok that’s not good” and wondering how I was going to keep it a secret. Not possible. My call back to the Moorings Base was heard by the other captains in the flotilla and so I was instantly awarded the first blue duck of the sailing trip.
A blue duck award is a sailing faux pas certificate that is handed out to captains who make such silly mistakes and has become a tradition on the flotillas I run. It’s kinda like a yellow card in soccer but not that bad.
So fortunately the Moorings Base people were extremely understanding and sent out a chase boat. We all stood around wondering what trick they have up their sleeves to fix this interesting problem.
Hoisting up the mast
Well no trick really, we winched one of them up the mast who pushed the halyard back down inside the mast, then the other poked a piece of bent wire into the hole in the mast from when the halyard is supposed to come out. He hooked the wire in behind the halyard. However strangely enough the hole is too small for a doubled over halyard to come out and so the top o’ the mast guy had to slowly pull up the halyard until the bottom o’ the mast guy could see the end. Then with the wire still hooked behind the halyard, he pulled it out the hole in the mast. It was a pretty intricate operation and one that would certainly be impossible in rough seas. Just imagine that, hoisting someone up the mast in a storm and intricately retrieving the halyard all because you didn’t check for a stopper knot! I’m hoping this blog report will help you not have to do that.
Fetching the Halyard from the Mast
Moral of the story? Check your stopper knots and if I operated a charter company (as I used to do) I would sew a small stitch to lock in a stopper knot into essential lines. When you do this however make sure that it’s not a line where you will need to get the knot out quickly in an emergency situation.
BIG NOTE: Don’t put stopper knots in spinnaker sheets and guys. These lines need to be dumped out fast in the likely event of a broach.
