Seminars: Tuesday, April 14 - Saturday, April 18, 2020
In-Water Boat Show: Thursday, April 16, 3 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday, April 17, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday, April 18, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
LOCATION:
Seattle Marriott Waterfront
2100 Alaskan Way
Seattle, WA 98121 US
QUESTIONS? Contact us at trawlerfest@passagemaker.com or (954) 761-8777
EXHIBITOR INFORMATION:
If you wish to become an exhibitor and display your boat for sale at TrawlerFest, please contact Ryan Davidson at (954) 328-7573 or rdavidson@aimmedia.com.
HOTEL - Stay on site at the Trawlerfest discounted host hotel- click here
Seattle Marriott Waterfront
2100 Alaskan Way
Seattle, WA 98121
PARKING Options: Lots of downtown options
Marriott Waterfront - discounted valet rate of $29 (no overnight)
Bell Street Pubic Garage- 9 Wall Street, Belltown Seattle 98121
Photo Gallery
SEMINARS:
TUESDAY - SATURDAY, APRIL 14 - 18, 2020
All seminars will be held onsite at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront. Seminar registration will be at the hotel.
TUESDAY, APRIL 14
Everything You Need To Know About Diesel Engines
With Nigel Calder & Matt Mardesich
Tuesday, April 14 & Wednesday, April 15 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Two-Day Seminar. $495 Certificate of Completion *NOT included in VIP PASS*
This is not the only diesel engine course for boaters, but it is the only diesel engine course for boaters taught by renown writer-researcher Nigel Calder and veteran marine trades educator Matt Mardesich. It is also worthy of note that unlike most other engine instructors Calder is a real-deal cruiser, who bring this perspective to the curriculum. Mardesich is an ABYC certified master technician and the primary propulsion instructor at the Marine Maintenance Technology School at Skagi Valley College in Anacortes LUNCH: Attendees will be provided box lunches both days. PARTY/CEREMONY: Attendees and spouses are welcome to a “graduation” party after Wednesday’s session, during which certificates of completion will be awarded, and a good time will be had. In some cases, the certificate of completion may help attendees save money on their boat insurance.
The Great Loop: How To Prepare, What To Expect
With Kim Russo & veteran loopers.
8:30 a.m.-Noon
$130
Counterintuitively, attendees at our Pacific Northwest events have shown a strong sense of bi-coastal curiosity. They talk a lot about wanting to do the “Great Loop.” Well folks, here’s your chance to find out more about it. As you know, boaters who circumnavigate the East Coast of U.S., using the Hudson River, Erie Canal, Great Lakes, Mississippi River and Intracoastal Waterway are called “Loopers” for having completed “The Great Loop.” Kim Russo, executive director of the America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association, will give a detailed briefing with plenty of time to answer questions. She will also address which boats are most suitable and how to budget.
More Modern Power for Cruisers
With the Slowboat Team: Laura Domela, Sam Landsman & Kevin Morris
8:30-10:30 a.m.
$65
Electrical power is a confusing problem for most boaters. In addition to a jumble of technical terms and concepts, we end up having to learn a bunch of strange rules, like “never shower with the coffee maker on”, or “only run the microwave with the generator running” or “only dry your hair when plugged into shore power.” In this seminar, the Slowboat team will help you sort out the confusion of power systems for cruisers and offer a new approach to boat power systems that could lead to hassle-free, almost unlimited electrical power onboard.
Old-School Navigation
With Capt. Robert Reeder
10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
$65
Certificate of Completion
How do I get home when my GPS fails? Robert Reeder, who teaches coastal piloting and terrestrial navigation, will discuss how to get home when the ship’s GPS fails, using an integrated approach that includes simple and inexpensive tools, paper charts, electronic charts and radar. A veteran of the U.S. Navy, Reeder continued his career on tankers, container ships, tugboats and other commercial craft. He has a 1,600-ton master’s license and presently works on Seattle-area passenger ferries. For fun he sails a 25-foot sloop.
Mexico’s 10 Best Trawler Destinations
With Capt. Pat Rains
2-4 p.m.
$65
Trawler skippers need reliable fuel stops. Most of Pacific Mexico’s 3,000 nm coastline is pristine and undeveloped, but it’s dotted with hospitable ports, marinas and yacht services. Based on Mexico’s varied weather patterns, scenery and cultures, delivery skipper and cruising guide author Pat Rains has split Pacific Mexico into five regions: Pacific Baja, Lower Sea of Cortez, Upper Sea of Cortez, Gold Coast, Costa del Sur. This seminar introduces attendees to the 10 best destinations– two within each region, with a few alternates. She will detail which spots are particularly “trawler worthy,” what not to miss in each (plus a couple inland forays), and the best time of year to arrive. Rains will also provide handouts with charts and lists of useful local contacts. And she’ll be available to sign copies of her book “Mexico Boating Guide” (hint, hint), for sale at a discount.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15
Everything You Need To Know About Diesel Engines, DAY 2
With Nigel Calder & Matt Mardesich
8:30 a.m.– 5 p.m.
Boat Handling Theory with Capt. Linda Lewis (prerequisite for Boat Handling on the Water)
8:30 a.m.-noon
$130 Certificate of Completion
This course, combined with an on-the-water session will develop skills in close quarters maneuvering and docking, not to mention the confidence gained from having been taught by an experienced marine trainer and TrawlerFest veteran. As an Emeritus Associate Professor from the University of Washington, Lewis brings her professional educator background and 40 years of hands-on boating experience to her skills-focused teaching. She has taught hundreds of individuals and couples on their power boats over the last 15 years. The certificate of completion awarded to attendees may help save some money on their boat insurance.
Repairing and Maintaining Your Outboard
With Mike Mardesich
8:30-10:30 a.m.
$65.00 Certificate of Completion
Nearly every cruising boat has an outboard-powered dinghy, and these motors are very dependable, if they are maintained properly on a regular basis. This course will cover the basics for all outboard engines, with an emphasis on routine maintenance protocol to ensure you get a long and reliable service life from your outboard.
A sample of topics covered:
· Cooling system service and water pump impeller replacement
·Fuel system maintenance, repair, and troubleshooting
· Engine and gear oil changes
· Ignition system testing
· Routine maintenance points and engine tune-up
· Winterization and spring commissioning
Matt Mardesich is the primary marine mechanical instructor at Skagit Valley College. He has lived, worked, and played around the water all his life and still does some commercial fishing in Alaska when not teaching at the technical school. Matt is an ABYC certified Master Technician and holds a USCG 100-ton Near Coastal Master’s License.
Ten Hops through Central America and Transiting Panama Canal
With Pat Raines
10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
$65
Transiting the Panama Canal is one of the world’s most remarkable boating endeavors, swiftly repositioning you and your whole vessel from the Pacific Ocean into the Caribbean–or vice versa–like magic. Drawing on 36 transits of the canal on 36 different power boats, Pat Rains will present beautiful slides and fresh graphics that provide (1.) All the facts about 10 remarkable destinations that work well even for trawlers with moderate fuel range, five on the Pacific side of Central America and five on the Caribbean side; (2.) The benefits and costs involved with hiring a Panama Canal agent before you get there, plus my list of agent contacts; (3.) Checklist of paperwork and gear to prepare your boat and crew for the transit, and (4.) how to actually up-lock and down-lock through the Panama Canal, with an optional stop in Gatun Lake. (5.) The latest on security in Central America, which places to avoid and why.
Mastering the Inside Passage
With the Slowboat Team: Laura Domela, Sam Landsman & Kevin Morris
1-5 p.m.
$130
Want to cruise further, but deterred by one of the gates? This presentation is about the gates collectively and individually: The Strait of Georgia, the rapids north of Desolation Sound, Johnstone Strait, Cape Caution, and Dixon Entrance. We’ll cover why you might want to cross each gate, tips for making a safe and enjoyable trip, and answer questions you might have.
We’ll practice using real-time weather information to fill out Slowboat Weather Worksheets to help participants build a complete picture of the conditions at each of the gates. We’ll practice calculating times of slack at the major rapids along the Inside Passage and how to time your transit perfectly. The Slowboat goal is to demystify cruising in the Pacific Northwest and to empower and enable cruisers to explore further with safety, comfort, and confidence. They have made numerous trips up and down the Inside Passage to and from Southeast Alaska, both individually and leading flotillas.
Boat Handling on the Water, Session 1
With Capt. Linda Lewis
1-3 p.m.
$150 Certificate of completion (Not included in VIP Pass)
Veteran marine trainer Linda Lewis shows attendees how to put into practice what they learned in Boat Handling Theory, a prerequisite for the class.
Boat Handling on the Water, Session 2
With Capt. Linda Lewis
3:30-5:30 p.m.
$150 Certificate of completion (Not included in VIP Pass)
THURSDAY, APRIL 16
Boat Handling on the Water, Session 3
With Capt. Linda Lewis
8-10 a.m.
$150 Certificate of completion (Not included in VIP Pass)
Veteran marine trainer Linda Lewis shows attendees how to put into practice what they learned in Boat Handling Theory, a prerequisite for the class.
Boat Buyers Survival Guide
With a Team of Experts
Thursday, April 16, continuing Friday, April 17, 8:30 a.m.-Noon.
$260
Even when it goes well, buying a boat can be a stressful process. The idea behind this eight-hour seminar is to arm buyers with the information they need to minimize frustration and unnecessary expense. Five “team teach” instructors look at the challenges of boat buying from unique perspectives. This seminar has saved untold thousands of dollars for participants who avoided making costly mistakes over the past five years. Each morning ends with that day’s panelists answering audience questions, and, as has sometimes happened in the past, engaging in friendly debate.
The theme of the first morning is “physics & psychology,” leading off with the first decision a prospective buyer of a cruising boat must make, as explained by renown boatbuilder Sam Devlin. That is, what kind of cruiser you plan to be and therefore what kind of hull design. Enter veteran boatbuilder Larry Graf of Aspen to explain fiberglass boat construction and how to discern between good and bad. Builders Devlin and Dylan Bailey will then explain wood-epoxy and metal construction, respectively.
The theme on day two is “the fine print,” and it begins as Bailey dons his surveyor’s cap on how to choose the right surveyor and his or her proper role. Vin Petralla, executive director of the YBAA-Association of Yachts Sales Professionals, speaks on the topic of choosing the right yacht broker and the elements of a good sales contract and an insurance veteran follows with a behind-the-scenes look at marine insurance and the elements of a good cruising policy.
Zero to Alaska: How to Successfully Cruise the PNW without a Lifetime of Experience
With the Slowboat Team: Laura Domela, Sam Landsman & Kevin Morris
8:30-10:30 a.m.
$65
Daunted by differing opinions from old salts at the marina? Intimidated by the jargon? Scared of storms and boat-eating rapids and dragging anchor in the middle of the night? This seminar is for you! We’ll help you understand the basics needed for successfully cruising in the Pacific Northwest. We’ll break down the various cruising areas and introduce you to the gates that separate them. We’ll unravel the customs & border mysteries and share techniques for trip planning, navigating, and weather routing. We’ll examine ways to stay connected. We’ll even look at the basics of marine electrical and water systems and help you understand practical ways to monitor and conserve these resources. Most of all, we’ll encourage you to get out and cruise!
About Slowboat: Sam, Laura, and Kevin are the team behind Slowboat.com. Their goal is to demystify cruising in the Pacific Northwest and to empower and enable cruisers to explore further with safety, comfort, and confidence. They have made numerous trips up and down the Inside Passage to and from SE Alaska, both individually and leading flotillas. Sam is former managing editor of the Waggoner Cruising Guide, and lives aboard his 37’ Nordic Tug Safe Harbour. Laura is a professional photographer and writer and is usually at the helm of Airship, a 34’ Nordic Tug. Kevin is an entrepreneur, engineer, writer, pilot, and deck-hand, and travels with Laura aboard Airship.
The Virtues of Simplicity in a Cruising Boat
With Capt. John Clayman
8:30-10:30 a.m.
$65
Everyone touts the virtues of simplicity, but nowadays this idea is rarely achieved. A veteran cruiser under both sail and power with countless sea miles, John Clayman brings decades of experience in the design, construction, and marketing of cruising boats to Seaton Yachts. As president at Seaton, Clayman wrestles with the conundrum of complexity versus simplicity on a regular basis. This talk follows the debate down through the decades from Beebe’s design of the original PassageMaker to the trawlers of today. If you are considering buying a new boat or refitting your old one, this is the seminar to develop a healthy mindset and maybe even save a few bucks.
Women’s Roundtable: A Judgement-Free Q&A
With Linda Lewis, Laura Domela, Marykay Pasnick & Pat Rains
10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
$65
Linda Lewis, Laura Domela, Marykay Pasnick and Pat Rains all have cruised widely but with distinctly different experiences. Rains, a captain, is a leading expert on cruising in Mexico. Laura Domela is part of a leads rallies up the Inside Passage to Alaska. Capt. Lewis has trained hundreds of people in boat handling. Pasnick, a medical doctor, has extensively cruised the Pacific Northwest on her Diesel Duck. This seminar is for women who think they may want to go cruising or who have only recently entered into the cruising lifestyle and have a wide range of questions best answered by other women, and, alas, without any men in the room.
Dial-In Your Trawler
With Jeff Merrill, CPYB
1-3 p.m.
$65
There are hundreds of great ideas and best practices that many knowledgeable trawler owners are using to better monitor their vessels and improve their understanding of equipment and systems. Veteran yacht broker Jeff Merrill has compiled a massive collection of simple and effective techniques and procedures that you can immediately put into action on your own trawler. This talk shares an organized collection of hundreds of photos. Merrill has updated this presentation to illustrate many new trawler tips taken from a wide variety of trawlers. Solutions including many clever reminders will help you take much of the guesswork out of tracking various systems and equipment on board your trawler. Little details like reference marks for needles on analog gauges, “To” and “From” labels on fuel manifolds, anchor chain marking, galley suggestions and many other common-sense concepts make this an engaging and informative seminar that has inspired several topic specific Dial-in-your-trawler magazine articles. Merrill will also discuss an assortment of products that you should consider using on your trawler that will not only make your life more enjoyable aboard but may also favorably influence your eventual resale value.
Possible Additional Topic Here
1-3 p.m.
Boat Handling on the Water, Session 4
With Capt. Linda Lewis
4-6 p.m.
$130 Certificate of completion (Not included in VIP Pass)
Veteran marine trainer Linda Lewis shows attendees how to put into practice what they learned in Boat Handling Illustrated, a prerequisite for the class.
FRIDAY, APRIL 17
Boat Handling on the Water, Session 5
With Capt. Linda Lewis
8-10 a.m.
$150 Certificate of completion (Not included in VIP Pass)
Veteran marine trainer Linda Lewis shows attendees how to put into practice what they learned in Boat Handling Illustrated, a prerequisite for the class.
Boat Buyers Survival Guide (continued from Thursday)
With a Team of Experts
8:30-Noon
Offshore Essentials
With Jeff Merrill, CPYB
8:30 a.m.-Noon
$130 Certificate of completion
“Offshore Essentials” was developed to review the necessary preparations required for trawler owners (and want-to-be owners) interested in transiting between sea ports for extended trips including overnight passages. This course is designed to be both an introduction and a refresher for owner operators and their crew. You will be reviewing important knowledge and fundamental skills needed to understand what to expect and how be organized in order to ensure a safe trip. Jeff Merrill is an active yacht broker who has logged nearly 20,000 miles offshore on trawlers and has spent the majority of that time training with clients on systems and teaching them how to manage and run their boats safely offshore. Merrill will touch on key topics such as safety, weather, pre-departure preparation, captain responsibilities, crew orientation, watch standing, engine-room checks, pilothouse navigation/electronics operations, and more. This talk will also include examples of important checklists Merrill has created and refined over many years of traveling out of sight of land.
Multi-Function Displays, Hands On (Option One of Two)
With Eric Kunz
8:30-10:30 a.m.
Certificate of Completion
$65
This seminar (and another on Saturday) is designed to show you how to become proficient at electronic navigation--six working MFDs, 18 students with three per screen. Our instructor has spent an entire career developing marine electronics for Furuno. But this seminar is not about one brand; it’s about what all brands share in common, which is a lot. It’s an open secret that when one manufacturer introduces an innovative feature, that idea finds its way into the competition’s products pretty quickly, however different the interpretation may be. PLEASE NOTE: This course IS available to holders of a VIP pass. However, please pre-register with Donna (daschheim@aimmedia.com) because class size is limited.
Packing, Provisioning and Preparing Your Boat for the Inside Passage to Alaska.
With the Slowboat team: Laura Domela, Sam Landsman & Kevin Morris
10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
$65
Before you embark on an extended cruise in the Pacific Northwest or up the Inside Passage to Southeast Alaska, you might want some tips about what to pack, and how to prepare your boat (and yourself) for the adventure. The Slowboat team shares lessons from numerous trips and leading flotillas up the Inside Passage from Washington through British Columbia up to Southeast Alaska. They’ll discuss food, clothing, first aid, spares, ground tackle, boat systems, general best practices, and how and where to get parts and supplies along the way. The seminar is a distillation of lessons learned by the SlowBoat trio from having guided several cruising boat flotillas to British Columbia and Alaska.
Cruisers Perspective: A Town Hall Meeting
With Bruce Kessler, Dylan Bailey, Sam Devlin, John Clayman, Eric Kunz, Robert Reeder, Sam Landsman and Kevin Morris. Moderated by Jeff Merrill, CPYB
2-4 p.m.
$65
In this “town hall” event, our panel of veteran cruisers will field audience questions on a wide-range of topics, sea stories always resulting. Circumnavigator Bruce Kessler can discuss what it’s like to spend months and months treading blue water. Surveyor Dylan Bailey is a veteran cruiser who learned to build boats with his father. Sam Devlin will discuss epoxy-wood boatbuilding for passagemaker boats. John Clayman is a prominent East Coast yacht broker, cruiser, racer and all-around boat guy. Eric Kunz, after a stint as a professional big-ship mariner, went on to help develop radars and other electronics for Furuno. Robert Reeder is a Navy vet and professional mariner who teaches seamanship and navigation. Kevin Morris and Sam Landsman are part of the Slowboat team that guides cruiser flotillas to Alaska. The moderator is Jeff Merrill, a certified professional yacht broker, author and trawler specialist with thousands of cruising miles with clients.
Boat Handling on the Water, Session 6
With Capt. Linda Lewis
4-6 p.m.
$150 Certificate of completion (Not included in VIP Pass)
Veteran marine trainer Linda Lewis shows attendees how to put into practice what they learned in Boat Handling Illustrated, a prerequisite for the class.
SATURDAY, APRIL 18
What To Look For Before You Call a Surveyor
With Dylan Bailey
8:30-10:30 a.m.
$65
So, you want to buy a boat? Boatbuilder, cruiser and ace-surveyor Dylan Bailey explains what you should look for before making an offer and hiring a marine surveyor. A dream of the perfect cruising boat can be crushed when its surveyed, but some of those deal-killers could have been detected early were it not for the fact that buying a boat is rarely a rational decision; we are often lead by our hearts. Bailey explains the ways in which buyers can slow down and take a look at the boat with the rose-colored glasses off. He will cover how to inspect hoses, valves, wiring mistakes, and signs of structural damage. There will be many photos of examples of what to look for. Attendees will be given a check list to follow for their inspection.
Weather Basics for Cruisers
With Robert Reeder
8:30-10:30 a.m.
$65
Learn the fundamentals of marine weather, with a special focus on Salish Sea weather patterns and weather routing. Robert Reeder explains how to find and use the best local weather resources from NOAA and Environment Canada, and correlate these with your onboard observations to confidently plan inland and coastal passage making. He will also summarize the various hardware and software forecasting solutions available on the market. Reeder began his seafaring career on U.S. Navy submarines, and has sailed commercially on tankers, container ships, tugboats, passenger boats, and just about anything that moves on the water. He lives with his wife and their daughters in “sunny” Seattle.
Seminar To Come: One Cruising Couple’s Experience
10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Navionics Navigation
With Capt. Linda Lewis
10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
$65 Certificate of Completion
Using the “Navionics” app makes it easy to learn and practice navigation at home, then carry your work onto the boat as a backup to your on-board electronics. Marine trainer Linda Lewis will lead the class with hands-on work with the app in the seminar, teaching the meaning of colors and symbols, how to plan a trip by entering, editing and naming routes, how to find tide and current data, how to adjust app settings for safe navigation and how (and why) to orient the screen and adjust the app’s settings for safe navigation. Attendees will be asked to download a two-week free trial of the Navionics app prior to the seminar. Just Google “Navionics free trial.”
Multi-Function Displays, Hands On (Option Two of Two)
With Eric Kunz
8:30-10:30 a.m.
$65 Certificate of Completion
This seminar (and another on Saturday) is designed to show you how to become proficient at electronic navigation--six working MFDs, 18 students with three per screen. Our instructor has spent an entire career developing marine electronics for Furuno. But this seminar is not about one brand; it’s about what all brands share in common, which is a lot. It’s an open secret that when one manufacturer introduces an innovative feature, that idea finds its way into the competition’s products pretty quickly, however different the interpretation may be. PLEASE NOTE: This course IS available to holders of a VIP pass. However, please pre-register with Donna (daschheim@aimmedia.com) because class size is limited.
Troubleshooting Electronics (as Opposed to Your Electrical System)
With Eric Kunz
10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
$65 Certificate of Completion
First of all, we said “electronics” not “electrical.” This new seminar will prove that when marine electronics fail there are remedies available to a boater other than surrender and a telephone call to the technician. Eric Kunz, senior product manager for Furuno, takes a non-partisan look at how to troubleshoot hardware, systems and NMEA 0183 and 2000 networks using a meter and common sense. As a teaching aid Kunz will bring to class a networked system in miniature to play with. This is one of those seminars that can end up saving you more than the price of admission.
