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BobJ
02-04-2010, 01:40 AM
Is anyone else going to the SAS seminar in Vallejo on Saturday?

Culebra
02-04-2010, 03:45 PM
Nope, would have had fun shooting off the old pyrotechnics, though. I went last spring and the seminar was chock-full of good content.

Paul

BobJ
02-06-2010, 07:39 PM
The SAS seminar was pretty helpful.

I saw Phil M (No Ka Oi), Jim Q (Green Buffalo), Sylvia S (Cinnabar), Steve H (Coyote) and several others, talked with Jim Antrim briefly about the DW ratings, saw the CG do their rescue swimmer demo, life jacket and life raft demos in the Academy's pool, and I got to shoot off a flare. All the talks were very good.

I had to chuckle when Liz Baylis was talking about crew selection. My crew kinda sucks - the foredeck, mast, pit, trimmers - the lot of them. What's a solo sailor to do? Keep practicing I guess.

Observations:
1) You're pretty much screwed if you fall into the water untethered, and that's if you have crew.

2) SOLAS flares are well worth the extra cost. It was funny watching these folks set off their little plastic pop-gun flares. It's almost not worth the effort.

3) It's really hard to get into a floating life raft. The young bucks from the Academy could do it - the other guys not so much - and nobody had on extra gear (foulies, etc). A boarding ramp on the raft is probably the way to go. That and I need to lose a few pounds!

4) Lifejackets are essential but a mixed bag in performance. The best one was not Coast Guard approved! You want a crotch strap on it.

5) Having good tools and repair materials is well worth the bit of extra weight.

6) When a bunch of them get together, Pac-Cuppers get really wound up about racing to Hawaii! (But so do we!)