Newport Bermuda Safety Seminar
From March 17-18, the Newport Bermuda Race Safety at Sea Seminar will introduce a new approach to safety education that fits the needs of sailors participating in the 2012 edition of the biennial bluewater classic.
The seminar will be sponsored by the Cruising Club of America and will take place at the Newport Hyatt Regency Hotel.
On Saturday, March 17, the seminar offers two programmes. In one, anybody who has attended two or more US Sailing certified safety seminars since 2002 may attend a morning refresher course and then do hands-on in-water survival training in the afternoon. The other programme is an all-day safety at sea seminar for people who have not attended a safety seminar recently.
On Sunday there are three options. Two are all-day courses in hands-on in-water survival training, and in Red Cross First Aid and CPR training. In addition, a Newport Bermuda Race Preparation Seminar will be held on Sunday morning. Race winners, race officials, and other experts will speak on advanced topics, including a presentation by the doctor who serves as the race’s special contact for medical advice.
The main theme throughout the two-day seminar will be the requirements and challenges of the 2012 Newport Bermuda Race, which starts on June 15. A large fleet of competitors is expected to set out from Newport, Rhode Island on the 635-mile ocean race to Bermuda.
The official 2012 Newport Bermuda Race Programme will be distributed over the weekend, along with the International Sailing Foundation [ISAF] Offshore Special Regulations. Many venders and suppliers will be on hand with displays of safety equipment, clothing, and other sailing gear.
The following rules concerning safety training apply to boats in the Newport Bermuda Race: ‘A minimum of 30 percent of all crew members shall have attended a US Sailing sanctioned safety at sea seminar within five years of the start of the race. The captain and either the navigator or a watch captain must be included in the required 30 percent. In addition, two members of each crew must hold a First Aid/CPR certificate.”
The entry process for the 2012 Newport Bermuda race opened earlier this month. The first race was held in 1906.
