TrawlerFest is back in Seattle’s Bell Harbor, with seminars starting on April 14 and the in-water show beginning on April 16. Hosted by Passagemaker Magazine, the show brings everything trawler to one spot and boasts an impressive seminar line-up for those looking to expand their horizons. Here are just a few of the seminars available at this year’s show.
Kicking things off is a returning favorite presenter, Nigel Calder, who along with Matt Mardesich will be covering everything you ever needed to know about diesel engines. Calder is known through out the boating world for his classic The Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual. Mardesich is an American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) certified master technician and the primary propulsion instructor at Skagit Valley College’s Marine Maintenance Technology School. Calder and Mardesich will take students through a two-day intensive diesel engine course with certification awarded upon completion.
There is growing interest amongst West Coast boaters in taking on the Great Loop as part of their boating bucket list, and Trawlerfest features a specific seminar on this topic. Anyone curious about heading out east to complete the Great Loop can stop by Kim Russo’s seminar on April 14. Russo is executive director of the America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association and will be giving a detailed account of what to expect when tackling the loop. Topics include what boats are best suited for the loop, how to get your boat there and back, and how to budget for the trip.
Captain Linda Lewis will be giving a seminar on boat handling theory in a class that includes an on-water session where students will practice what they’ve learned in close-quarters maneuverability. Lewis is a Professor Emeritus from the University of Washington with over 40 years of teaching experience. A certificate of completion will be awarded to students on the last day of the seminar.
Other seminars include topics like old-school navigation techniques for when the GPS is out, cruising in Mexico and Central America, taking on the Inside Passage, first aid at sea, off-shore essentials, weather basics, and many more.
All seminars will be held in the Seattle Marriott Waterfront. General admission to the show is $15 and all seminars have an additional fee. The show runs from Tuesday April 14 to Saturday April 18. Visit passagemaker.com/trawlerfest to see a complete list of seminars and their prices. A general admission ticket is included in the price of the seminar.
Trawlerfest Seminar Full List:
- Everything You Need To Know About Diesel Engines
- The Great Loop: How To Prepare, What To Expect
- More Modern Power for Cruisers
- Old-School Navigation
- Mexico’s 10 Best Trawler Destinations
- Everything You Need To Know About Diesel Engines, DAY 2
- Boat Handling Theory with Capt. Linda Lewis (prerequisite for Boat Handling on the Water)
- Repairing and Maintaining Your Outboard
- Ten Hops through Central America and Transiting Panama Canal
- Mastering the Inside Passage
- First Aid and Medical Preparedness
- Boat Handling on the Water, Session 1
- Boat Handling on the Water, Session 2
- Boat Handling on the Water, Session 3
- Boat Buyers Survival Guide
- Zero to Alaska: How to Successfully Cruise the PNW without a Lifetime of Experience
- The Virtues of Simplicity in a Cruising Boat
- Women’s Roundtable: A Judgement-Free Q&A
- Dial-In Your Trawler
- Circumnavigating Vancouver Island
- Boat Handling on the Water, Session 4
- Boat Handling on the Water, Session 5
- Boat Buyers Survival Guide
- Offshore Essentials
- Multi-Function Displays, Hands On (Option One of Two)
- Packing, Provisioning and Preparing Your Boat for the Inside Passage to Alaska.
- Cruisers Perspective: A Town Hall Meeting
- Boat Handling on the Water, Session 6
- What To Look For Before You Call a Surveyor
- Weather Basics for Cruisers
- Seminar To Come: One Cruising Couple’s Experience
- Navionics Navigation
- Multi-Function Displays, Hands On (Option Two of Two)
- Troubleshooting Electronics (as Opposed to Your Electrical System)
