Captains Chris and Alyse Caldwell are a husband and wife team of cruising coaches who will lead a cruisers’ orientation, offering tricks and tips on vessel preparation, safety and trip planning with an emphasis on team work. Each crew member is given the opportunity to walk in the deck shoes of both the ‘captain’ and ‘first mate’.

Training includes lively discussions, hands-on prep work and a below deck systems preview over a two day course, first in the classroom and then on a featured vessel docked in the Gulfport Marina. Additionally you will practice effective communication skills with crew as well as using the VHF radio.  

Your coaches will make navigation easy to understand and you will apply it using paper charts, GPS and RADAR.  We’ll take the mystery out of overnight anchoring sharing fundamental anchor theory and will actually lower and raise an anchor from the pulpit using a windlass.

You will learn proper line handling, an essential skill for all crew members. Close quarter maneuvers and docking procedures will be discussed and monitored as all types of boats come and go on the Gulf Coast.

The training vessel generator helps transition from shore power to ship power and we’ll show you how. We share what works in the real world...and sometimes what doesn't.   

Please note: Class limit is 10.

While we will bring all systems to life in the featured vessel we will not leave the dock during this two day session.

Wednesday April 13 & Thursday April 12, 2016

$295 per person for the two day seminar and will include box lunches and all instruction materials for the two days.