Posted by Grant Headifen on July 22, 2010 under About NauticEd, Skipper | 
whales want to learn to sail
OMG
Actually this story is real – it’s a pic of a southern right whale accidentally breeching onto a sailboat in Capetown South Africa. I actually think that it was jealous and was wanting to get in on the learn to sail action. Everyone’s doing it. Start with the skipper course at http://www.nauticed.org/courses/view/skipper
Here’s the post
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2010/07/21/2010-07-21_amazing_photo_image_captures_whale_as_it_leaps_from_water_smashes_into_boat.html
Posted by Grant Headifen on July 13, 2010 under About NauticEd, Bareboat Charter, Crew, Skipper |
Rolex Regatta St. Thomas
Join us on an 80 ft Maxi Yacht in the Rolex Regatta.
In the movie “Hunt for Red October” the XO came to Sean Connery and said: “Captain, it is time”. It was the time to make the decision to go for it – or not. And it is now one of those classic movie lines you just can’t forget.
Well everyone, that time for you is now!
Join us on Kialoa a 80 ft maxi yacht
NauticEd along with sailing adventure partner, Safe Passage Sailing, are chartering Kialoa V, an 80 ft (25m) Maxi yacht to participate in the Rolex Regatta (the “Crown Jewel of Caribbean Racing”) in St. Thomas in March next year.
On board will be world-class sailing and winning professionals Rich Stearns and Brian Thompson along with NauticEd’s Educational Director, Grant Headifen to lead us through the weeklong event and … hopefully win.
The event consists of 2 training and preparedness days followed by 3 race days out and around the various island of St. Thomas and St. Johns.
Because of the reasonably serious nature of operations on such a large yacht, we will be requiring a certain level of sailing experience to sail on this Maxi yacht so you’ll need to ensure you fill out your NauticEd Sailing logbook under your login account.
See our successful Antigua Sailing Week Video.
We have space for 10 more crewmembers only on this 80 ft yacht so in order to participate you must register your interest with us NOW. Accommodation in local rental Villas is available but these will disappear fast after that the hotels can get quite pricey so contact us now to get moving on this opportunity.
Accomodation can take place in several rental villas that we have identified – BUT … these will go fast so you really should contact us fast.
Send us an email to: info@nauticed.org / subject line: Rolex Regatta Interest
See our brochure on the Rolex Regatta which contains the itinerary, costs, professional hired crew resumes, etc.
Discounted rates for 4 or more so update your facebook page, send out a tweet and bring a few friends!
Back to NauticEd Sailing School
Posted by Grant Headifen on July 8, 2010 under About NauticEd, Bareboat Charter, Skipper, Videos and photos |
I get this message below all the time from people that I know or meet. Here’s one I got this morning through my Linkedin account.
>>>>>>>
Hey Grant,
Long time no see. Grant, I’m thinking about learning to sail. Your sailing vacations all over the world have inspired me. What do I do, where do I start, can I buy you a beer some time and get some advice from you.
Mark.
>>>>>>>>>>
Here’s my reply this morning
Mark,
Would be good to catch up. In the meantime – here’s my advice. Obviously I’m a little biased here but you should really start with one of my online theory classes. I’d recommend the NauticEd Skipper Sailing course at http://www.nauticed.org/course/view/skipper. That will give you a good solid knowledge of what you need to know when starting out on a learn to sail quest.
Skipper Sailing Course
The next thing I would recommend is to spend ¼ million dollars on a boat – nah just kidding. Go join our local yacht club and do some racing. Almost every yacht club is begging for members to be crew on their boats. A note on their pin up board that you want to crew will attract multiple phone calls to you. Also just call their office and ask what you should do. But I guarantee that they will be more than happy to have you out there. Yacht clubs appear old and stodgy on the out side but once you get inside there are dozens of skippers that are keen to help out.
Whether or not you’re into yacht racing, racing is the absolute best way to learn fast through immersion and you can rack up the experience fast. By taking the skipper course you’ll have the theory knowledge to know what you’re doing on the boat. Now you just need to burn it into your brain with the practical sailing skills.
Log all your yacht club time in our free online logbook as it counts towards your sailing certification rank.
Another thing you can do is to go to the local sailing school. In Austin it is the Texas Sailing Academy. They teach a 2 weekend long basic introduction to sailing and will give you hands on training. Just make sure that whatever school you go to that they don’t put too many people on the boat at one time. It waters down your practical experience. Some schools do this to keep the cost down but if you’re there to learn to sail then you’re there to learn to sail not water it down with a cheap course. With Sailing courses you get what you pay for.
The other ways to gain practical sailing experience is to catch up with friends who have a sailboat. Funny enough but sailboat owners are almost desperate to have some one call them and say “would you like to come sailing with me on your boat this weekend”? But people learning to sail are always too embarrassed to ask – so sailboats tend to sit in the slip month after month. So just ask.
If your goal is to take a sailing vacation then I’d also recommend aiming to reach our Bareboat Charter Master Rank. Most worldwide charter companies accept our certification. Here’s a video explaining that.
http://www.nauticed.org/faq_sailing_certification/
Sailing vacations are the way to go. They’re relatively inexpensive and you get to go to some awesome places. As you know, every year we gather our friends and go somewhere. This year we’re chartering three boats with The Moorings South Pacific in Tonga. I was up there a few months back and wow – what an incredible place. By the time we get there next month the place is supposed to be teeming with whales.
Let me know if there is any way I can help out.
Cheers
Grant
Posted by Grant Headifen on May 17, 2010 under About NauticEd, Bareboat Charter, Skipper |
This is the final day of your introduction to NauticEd
Today we’re discussing chartering a yacht on a sailing vacation and the NauticEd Post Graduation Sailing Trip.
After having lead dozens of sailing trips all over the world including Greece, Croatia, The British Virgin Islands, Grenada, St. Martin, Guadeloupe Island, Mexico, New Zealand, Belize, and Corsica and other exotic locations, I’ve come to realize that there is nothing more fun than a sailing trip.
We encourage you to gain the education and experience to take one of these vacations. They are relatively inexpensive in the order of $500 per week (excluding airfair) per person. And, if you dine on board, the price includes your entertainment, accommodation and food costs.
We’ve taken babies and kids, small groups and large groups. Every time captains and crew have had the time of their lives.
If you start out in a easy location like the British Virgin Islands, the sailing is mild and the navigation is by sight. Or if you want slightly more of a challenge, Greece is amazing.
Our Sailing Vacation Route in the BVI's
There are literally hundreds of charter companies through out the world. Your knowledge and experience is the main key to being accepted by these charter companies as a customer. After working closely with many of the larger companies, we developed the Rank of Bareboat Charter Master Level III as the base standard for being accepted.
By now you will have learned that with the rank of Bareboat Charter Master a student will have completed the following courses:
- Skipper Course
- Maneuvering Under Power Clinic
- Bareboat Charter Clinic
- Coastal Navigation Clinic
and would have logged a minimum of 50 days of on-the-water experience.
If you’re considering taking a sailing vacation then we strongly urge you to achieve this Certification. And if you’re chartering a catamaran, take the Catamaran Sailing Confidence course and play the associated Catamaran Maneuvering Game.
To celebrate your successful achievement to Bareboat Charter Master Level III, NauticEd leads a Post Graduation Sailing Trip each year to either the Caribbean, the Mediterranean or the Pacific.
Once you achieve this Rank and Level you will receive a personal invitation to join us on this trip.
You will captain your own boat with your friends and family. We will act as flotilla admiral and lead the fleet and provide assistance should you need it. At the conclusion of the trip we’ll add the Verified Proficiency Mark to your sailing certification.
If you’re slightly timid about taking a sailing vacation after you graduate or want to join a fun group flotilla, this is the trip for you. Follow us on twitter to keep up to date on this trip and watch our newsletters.
This concludes your introduction to NauticEd.We truly hope that NauticEd can serve your sailing education desires and that we help you enjoy our wonderful gift of the oceans.
Sincerely,
Grant Headifen
Educational Director
NauticEd
Posted by Grant Headifen on May 16, 2010 under About NauticEd, Bareboat Charter, Skipper |
This is day 5 of 6 in your introduction to NauticEd
Today we’re discussing practical sailing schools and how you can get a verified proficiency stamp added to your sailing certificate.
The NauticEd Sailing Certificate with Practical Sailing Verification
The Verified Proficiency Mark is an acknowledgement that the student has had on the water training and check-out by an accredited NauticEd Professional Affiliated Sailing School.
Although NauticEd recommends that all students gain practical instruction through an accredited Sailing School, it also recognizes that in many cases sailors feel they are already proficient in boat handling skills and choose not to go to a practical school. In this case then, Students still gain the sailing certification rank and level, however the Verified Proficiency Mark is left off their logbook resume.
The Verified Proficiency Mark is attained after the professional Instructor tests out the student on the water using the NauticEd Practical Proficiency Check list which is available at http://www.nauticed.org/images/certification/proficiency/skipper.pdf
The Instructor then simply logs into NauticEd, securely locates the student’s profile online and verifies the profile for sailing proficiency with one click. The NauticEd software then automatically and instantly marks the student’s certification with the Verified Proficiency Mark. The Verified Proficiency Mark adds significant value to the student’s certification because it adds further proof of the Student’s sailing abilities.
Our list of professional schools is growing. If you don’t see your favorite school listed on our site at http://www.nauticed.org/school then let them know about NauticEd.
Visit one of our schools to gain a Verified Proficiency Mark for your sailing certification.
Tomorrow is our last day of NauticEd introduction. We will discuss chartering a yacht on a sailing vacation and the NauticEd Post Graduation Sailing Trip.
Login Page: http://www.nauticed.org/myNauticEd
Until then – fair winds
Grant Headifen
Educational Director
NauticEd
Posted by Grant Headifen on May 15, 2010 under About NauticEd, Bareboat Charter, Celestial Navigation, Coastal Navigation, Crew, Maneuvering Under Power, Rules of Right of Way, Sail Trim, Skipper, Storm Tactics, weather |
This is day 4 of 6 in your introduction to NauticEd
Today we’re discussing the list of courses and clinics that NauticEd offers for your education.
One of the first course we believe that all sailors should complete no mater what their experience level is the FREE NauticEd Rules of Right of Way Clinic.
If you’re an experienced sailor you’ll see the value in a quick refresher course.
If you’re new to sailing then you’ll learn some vital nautical rules.
In either case – this course is free and thus you’ll be able to see how taking a NauticEd clinic and the associated test will work. This is a graphical and fun 20 minute course.
Take the Rules of Right of Way Clinic now!
For your convenience, we’ve created a chart of recommended courses depending on your skill level.
Go to http://www.nauticed.org/recommended_sailing_lessons
Ranks and courses
In email #2 we discussed the ranks Skipper, Bareboat Charter Master and Captain
Gaining the Skipper Rank
The first lessons to begin your sailing certification is the Skipper course and the Maneuvering Under Power clinic.;
The SKIPPER SAILING COURSE is a beginner to intermediate sailing course. It is a prerequisite to any certification and covers the fundamentals that every one must know. The total time needed to complete this course will be about 20 hours. Cost $67.00
The MANEUVERING UNDER POWER CLINIC: This is our most popular course. An absolutely essential maneuvering and docking course that will save you thousands in dents, bumps and scratches at the marina. Want to dock your boat like a pro every time? Want to impress? Take the most popular NauticEd Sailing School Course now. Estimated time: 3 hours total. Cost: $39.
Gaining the Bareboat Charter Master Rank
BAREBOAT CHARTER CLINIC: Taking a sailing vacation? All hands on deck – this is the yacht charter sailing course for you and ALL of your crew. Make your charter sailing trip more enjoyable by getting ALL the bareboat charter tips you’ll need. Estimated time: 5 hours total. Cost: $39.
COASTAL NAVIGATION CLINIC: Learn to navigate your sailboat. If you plan on sailing away from your home base or are taking a sailing vacation, you need this course. NauticEd Sailing School makes navigating a sailboat – a breeze. Estimated time: 10 hours total. Cost: $39.
Gaining the Captain’s Rank
WEATHER CLINIC: If you’re a real sailor then you need to understand and read the weather. It’s as simple as that! Written by the professionals at Clear Point Weather, this is the best weather sailing course available. Estimated time: 7 hours total. Cost: $39.
SAIL TRIM CLINIC: Learn the true art and finesse of trimming the sails. When to adjust the fairleads, the traveler, the downhaul, the outhaul, the Cunningham, the boom vang. When leaning to sail properly, you should know what all these fine adjustments do. Estimated time: 4 hours total. Cost: $39.
STORM TACTICS CLINIC: Even when day sailing, a storm can be upon us in minutes. Are you prepared with the knowledge now? This storm tactics sailing course will teach the essentials to keep you and your crew alive. Estimated time: 4 hours total. Cost: $39.
SAFETY AT SEA CLINIC: This course is still under construction by Captain Ed Mapes. Captain Mapes has logged tens of thousands of miles on the sailboats around the world. He knows how to be safe and is passing on his hard learned information to you. Coming soon.
In addition to the above courses and clinics, we offer the following:
CATAMARAN SAILING CONFIDENCE CLINIC: Converting over to a catamaran or chartering a catamaran for the first/second time? Learn the essential differences between sailing a monohull and a catamaran. This clinic will give you the confidence. It includes an interactive experiential online game to practice maneuvering in a marina. Estimated time: 3 hours total. Cost: $39.
INTRODUCTORY CELESTIAL NAVIGATION CLINIC: If you’re in any way intrigued with Celestial Navigation, this is the best and simplest celestial sailing course available. You’ll be able to do an actual noon shot and determine your position. Estimated time: 5 hours total. Cost: $39.
QUALIFIED CREW MEMBER COURSE: Learn to sail and contribute as a crew member on a modern cruising sailboat. Learn the lines, sailing terminology, sail trim and rules of the road. Estimated time: 7 hours total. Cost: $37.50.
Tomorrow we’ll discuss practical sailing schools and how you can get a verified proficiency stamp added to your sailing certificate.
Until then – fair winds,
Grant Headifen
Educational Director
NauticEd
Posted by Grant Headifen on May 14, 2010 under About NauticEd, Bareboat Charter, Crew, Skipper |
We received a lot of interest in the Bareboat Charter Clinic Crew Briefing Check list that we sent out via our mailer earlier in the week. Some additional and excellent tips were sent in by some of you and so we have updated the list. See it now at the bottom of this page:
http://www.nauticed.org/courses/view/bareboat-charter
Yum yum while sailing
Bareboat chartering is one of the most fun things you can do on this planet. This August we’re leading a fully booked flotilla in Tonga to sail the islands around Vava’u. But next week we thought we’d pop over there to do a reconnaissance trip. So watch out for our video blog report in a few weeks on that.
Each year we invite our Bareboat Charter Master Graduates to join us on a flotilla. While this year is Tonga, next year we’re thinking of some where in the Med. Come join us on that – watch out for the announcement.
One of the things that we find particularly great about our trips is a fully engaged and working crew. With this comes knowledge about leadership and team work, boat systems, dinghy operations, provisioning requirements and just basic bareboating skills by everyone on board. It’s not that everyone should know how to sail but some good knowledge of what to expect before hand makes the trip go smooth with out drama, confusion, injury, or arguments. Everyone invests A LOT of money in a trip like this.
What we’re suggesting is why not make it as fun as possible. So if you haven’t taken the NauticEd Bareboat Charter clinic yet and haven’t sent it onto your crew, go ahead and do so because the small comparative investment in the clinic by everyone will make the trip seem ten times more fun (and safe). The one tip like walking under the boom side of the boat when going down wind is tooooooo invaluable for your crew.
Bareboat Yacht Charter Clinic
In addition to this, if you’re traveling to Greece, Spain or Croatia, you’ll be required to show harbor authorities a VHF endorsement on your Sailing Certificate. When you take and pass the NauticEd Bareboat Charter Clinic, you’ll get that endorsement stamped on your Sailing Certificate.
So go ahead, get started now with the Bareboat Charter Clinic and let NauticEd teach your crew prior to the trip. Register now at
http://www.nauticed.org/courses/view/bareboat-charter
And while you’re at it, please hit the Like Button on that page to tell your facebook friends that you like this clinic.
Here again is the Bareboat Charter Curriculum
Module 1: Planning and Arriving
1.1 The Types of Charters
1.2 Good Captainship
1.3 Arrival at the Base
1.4 Provisioning
1.5 Freezer and Fridge Management
1.6 Generators
1.7 Fishing
1.8 Kids
1.9 Local Area Familiarization
1.10 VHF Operations
Module 2: Checking out the Boat
2.1 Getting Familiar with the Boat
2.2 The Deck
2.3 Breakdowns
2.4 The Engine
2.5 The Fuel System
2.6 Starting the Engine
2.7 Operating the Engine
2.8 Stopping the Engine
2.9 Plumbing and Tankage
2.10 Seacocks
2.11 Showers
2.12 Heads
2.13 Bilge Pumps
2.14 Galley Stove
2.15 DC Electrical System
2.16 AC Electrical System
2.17 Sails
Module 3: Underway
3.1 Knot Tying School
3.2 Communications
3.3 The Nautical Chart
3.4 GPS
3.5 The Autopilot
3.6 Mooring
3.7 Anchoring
3.8 The Windlass
3.9 Docking
3.10 Seasickness
3.11 The Dinghy
3.12 Briefing the Crew
3.13 Conclusion
Register now at
http://www.nauticed.org/courses/view/bareboat-charter
Posted by Grant Headifen on April 17, 2010 under About NauticEd, Skipper, Videos and photos |
This is day 3 of 6 in your introduction to NauticEd
Today we’ll discuss why and how to fill out your free online boating resume and our free iPhone application which lets you update your boating resume on the fly. We’ve created a helpful Sailing Experience Video to assist in filling out this portion of your profile.
Why fill out your online boating Resume?
Pilots record their flight time in a logbook because it is an absolute must for determining the potential competency of the pilot. The United States Coast Guard and most other country’s coast guard or maritime agencies require a person to document their practical time on the water for professional boating licenses. Yet, in reality few if any sailors document their time in a paper logbook. Practically, it’s just not done.
Charter companies, however, when determining if they will charter a boat to you, will ask sailors every time for a sailing resume and a list of practical experience to ascertain the worthiness of the sailor – and rightly so. Sailors typically scramble to determine their sailing experience and often misquote real experience due to lack of documentation.
Sailors deserve to be recognized for their experience. There is no existing certification that recognizes this because of the previous lack of practicality in logging time on paper.
Times have changed and NauticEd has met the challenge to recognize sailors for their achievements.
NauticEd’s sailing certification uses real practical experience a sailor has achieved to determine levels with each rank. From yesterdays’ email you would have discovered that:
- 10 days = Level I
- 25 days = Level II
- 50 days = level III
- 100 days = Level IV
- 200 days = Level V
Thus each time you update your boating resume, you raise in level. This gives you more credibility with charter companies when looking to take a sailing vacation. Plus, with the push of a button you can print out your resume for review by a charter company. And even better than that, you can simply give a charter company your logbook code and they can review your sailing certification directly online themselves when they go to http://www.nauticed.org/student_verification
Filling out your Sailing Resume
We’ve noticed that you’ve already started filling out your resume. Congratulations. We now want to encourage you to fill it out as completely and accurately as possible so that you gain the maximum benefit from the experience Levels.
Using your IPhone or Facebook
Now this is really cool, after a days sailing you can simply boot up your iphone, run the FREE NauticEd application, hit one button and viola – you’ve logged your day out on the water. Alternatively, you can log any experience past or present via your Facebook page by going to http://aps.facebook.com/nauticed
It’s that simple and easy.
Login to NauticEd Sailing School and visit your experience tab on NauticEd now and complete your boating history. It’s FREE!
Tomorrow well discuss the list of courses available at NauticEd.
Posted by Grant Headifen on April 16, 2010 under About NauticEd, Bareboat Charter, Skipper, Videos and photos |
We produced this video to help you in filling out your NauticEd Sailing Logbook.
All yacht charter sailing companies require you to fill out a sailing logbook or resume when you take a sailing vacation. NauticEd sailing school makes it easy with a free online sailing logbook. Watch this sailing video to learn how to fill out your sailing logbook. If you’re learning to sail, then the NauticEd Sailing School sailing certification with the sailing logbook is what you need to show yacht charter sailing companies that you are a competent sailor.
View the Video NauticEd Sailing Experience Logbook
Posted by Grant Headifen on March 31, 2010 under About NauticEd, Bareboat Charter |
Here is an email we received from a NauticEd student
>>>>>>>>
On 4/1/10 8:31 AM, “Michael” Wrote:
Hello,
I reviewed your website and am interested in taking your courses. The courses are the background to actual on-water experience. I live in Northern California and sail with a friend quite often. There are also several sailing schools in the San Francisco Bay area. My questions:
· What is acceptable as on-water, real-sailing experience? Sailing is a real-world experience, of course, but is it required for licensing purposes?
· Is sailing on a friend’s boat acceptable?
· How are these reported for certification purposes?
Hands-on part of your online courses is what is confusing to me. Is it just as simple as taking online courses and then gaining my own experience whenever and however in my own way? Please clarify these points for me? Thanks.
Michael
>>>>>>>>>
And here is our answer
>>>>>>>>>
Michael
Yes!
In fact to get a United States Coast Guard Commercial Captains license you must “self document” 360 days on the water. NauticEd has used the same technique. You MUST absolutely have experience and using the FREE NauticEd online logbook is the way that our computer algorithm calculates your rank and level with in each rank. Please review our video here http://www.nauticed.org/faq_sailing_certification/
You can use a friends boat however our algorithm says that 50% of the time must be spent as “Master” of the vessel. IE you are the designated person that day to make the decisions and “skipper” the vessel.
A day according to the US Coast guard is a minimum of 4 hours on the water underway. 8 hours still counts as one day.
Regarding reporting – ALL charter companies NEED to see a sailing logbook or resume prior to allowing you to take their vessel out and the resume must satisfy their minimum requirements. In our interviews with the world’s largest sailing charter companies, 50 days on the water (25 min as master of the vessel) and the knowledge contained in the 4 sailing courses/clinics we offer – Skipper, Maneuvering under power, Coastal Navigation and Bareboat Charter is sufficient experience and knowledge to charter their vessels. However they do (as always) reserve the right to spot test the charterer at the base in case of misleading supplied experience.
Currently there are two countries (port authorities) who require documentation when chartering a vessel in their waters, Croatia and Greece. They require a VHF users certificate. The NauticEd Bareboat Charter Certificate caries the VHF endorsement which is sufficient for those countries to accept.
As far as a “Sailing License” There really is no such animal. Charter Companies require knowledge and experience. The license really comes down to an operator of COMMERCIAL vessels which in most cases is not the case. Usually it is some one just operating a recreation boat in that particular countries waters. A charter company does not require a “Sailing License” just documented knowledge and experience. In our opinion and the opinion of the larger charter companies, the NauticEd sailing certification is the best certification in the world doing this right now because of the thoroughness of the information supplied to the charter company.
In order to show your sailing certification and sailing logbook/resume to a charter company – you simply give them this website http://www.nauticed.org/student_verification plus your email address and logbook code. When they login – they can see all the info that they need for a charter decision.
I hope this answered your question sufficiently.
Sincerely
Grant
–
Grant Headifen
Ph 512-696-1070
http://www.nauticed.org
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/grantheadifen
READ MY BLOG: http://www.nauticed.org/blog – it’s about interesting sailing stuff
PLAY WITH NED: http://www.nauticed.org/sailing-instructor – it’s totally cool
Go Completely Nautical
Take the FREE online Rules of Right of way clinic for Sailboats at NauticEd.org
Or
Challenge our sailing knowledge facebook app at http://apps.facebook.com/sailingrules
The World’s Most Advanced Online Boating Education
