Look at the News We Found in the Chart Table
We were looking for our dividers and parallel rules in the chart table and came across a few other items that we thought would be of interest to sailors. Some of it is out of this world.
Cruisers are Gathering in Mazatlán for the Total Eclipse of the Sun
There are many great reasons for cruisers to visit Mazatlán, Mexico, though it has an added benefit this coming Monday, April 8, when cruisers will be in the ideal place to see the total eclipse of the sun. It will be the first place in continental North America to experience the eclipse.
Cruisers have been sailing into Marina El Cid and Marina Mazatlán as it is right in the center of the “Path of Totality” where the sun will be completely blocked by the moon. According to the website GreatAmericanEclipse.com, you’ll be able to skip the hat and sunscreen for 4 minutes and 15 seconds (but still don’t look at the sun!), as that is the duration of the totality in Mazatlán, occurring about noon on Monday. It’s no wonder that our friends, the Rossis from the Cheoy Lee 40 Luna Sea, will be there.
The path of the eclipse then continues northeast through Texas and northern New England, where they just had a late-season snowstorm and “practice” blackouts. Luckily, it looks as if it will be a sunny day in New England for the eclipse.
Have You Ever Wanted To Be a Sailing Judge?
It does take expertise and training, and luckily for you, a training opportunity is coming up starting April 25. The StFYC is offering a one-year-long series of evening seminars to train sailing judges. These seminars will be two hours in length and usually held on Thursday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m. The first two are scheduled for April 25 and May 30, 7–9 p.m., at St. Francis Yacht Club.
You’ll learn from experts! The seminars will be taught by L. Douglas Sloan and Paul Zupan, two of the three Bay Area International Judges. Sloan and Zupan are also umpires, and have extensive national and international experience in both disciplines. They have officiated at dozens of international championships and umpired at top levels. Sloan has also served 10 years on the National Appeals Committee. Zupan is the developer of the incredibly successful website RacingRulesofSailing.org, which has revolutionized online access to digital protests, case retrieval, rules discussion, and regatta management.
Attendance is only by RSVP to the organizer, Greg Meagher: [email protected]. Just like when you’re racing, you’ll be asked to arrive at the “starting area” 15 minutes early to check in. Bring a Racing Rules of Sailing rulebook, a note pad, and a sense of humor.
How Can You Find Work in the Marine Industry?
Orange Coast College School of Sailing and Seamanship will be hosting a Mariner Career Fair & Industry Panel on Friday, May 10, at their Professional Mariner Training Center at 1700 West Coast Highway in Newport Beach, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Companies will be on hand to help attendees discover a variety of career opportunities in the maritime industry. If you’re looking to put that keyboard, mouse and screen away and put your mind and hands to work with a solid career in a rewarding industry, this is the trade fair for you. It is free to attend, which is far less than a four-year college education! You can register to attend here.
If you want to get to work now, have a look at the jobs available in the “Job Opportunities” section of our Classy Classifieds.
Greenpeace Bought a Sailboat
Usually when we see pictures of Greenpeace vessels crusading on the ocean, we’re looking at large motor-driven boats. While we recognize that power isn’t Greenpeace’s only method of propulsion (Rainbow Warrior has sails, and Witness is a sailboat), power makes sense, as the boats are usually chasing and confronting even larger motorboats. So we were pleasantly surprised to see that Greenpeace has bought another sailboat — a 68-ft bluewater sailer. The boat is based in Australia and is currently being refitted from a cruiser to a “fit-for-purpose campaign vessel.” You can see the boat here.