CHARTERING
NEWS and NOTES on SAILING-VACATION OPPORTUNITIES
CHARTER PRACTICE FOR CROATIA
The nonprofit Green Sail offers instruction about chartering and environmentally sound practices in the online courses “Yacht Charter: An Introduction to Croatia” and “Introduction to Marine Sustainability.”
The free courses were developed to save crews time at check-in and safeguard the popular Dalmatian Coast cruising grounds of the Eastern European country. The videos are 20 minutes and an hour in length, respectively.
The introductory charter course topics include onboard safety equipment, how to use a bow thruster, and how to dock and moor in Croatia. Best practices for releasing black and gray waters and onboard waste reduction, as well as recycling, are also covered.
Besides identifying contributing factors to climate change, the marine sustainability course raises awareness of the global problem of marine litter. Contact Green Sail for details (green-sail.com).
NEW CAT COMING
Cruise Abaco is adding Wayfinder, a newly commissioned Fontaine Pajot Astrea 42, to its fleet. The catamaran, with three cabins and three heads, will be available for charter starting in April 2022. The boat, an owner’s version, features a master suite, air conditioning throughout, a removable Bimini, roller furling and electric winches. For details, contact the company (cruiseabaco.com).
With the return of the Combustion Music Hope Town Music Festival for the weekend of December 3-5, Cruise Abaco urges vacation sailors to make reservations for available boats in its fleet as soon as possible. The three-day event, founded in 2013, brings top singer-songwriter talent to the Bahamas, and is a fundraiser for local charities (combustionmusichopetown musicfestival.com).
RILEY LEADS AT 2022 PERFORMANCE RACE WEEK
Acclaimed racer Dawn Riley is the guest expert for the 2022 Performance Race Week at Offshore Sailing School. Riley, a 2021 inductee to the National Sailing Hall of Fame, is a veteran of the America’s Cup, the Whitbread Roundthe-world Race, and other top competitions.
Riley and coaches from Oakcliff Sailing Center, where she is executive director, will rotate among crews January 30-February 4, 2022. The three days of on-water drills and practice starts, combined with onshore seminars and social events, take place at South Seas Island Resort on Captiva Island, Florida, before the Go-for-the-gold Regatta on February 3. Newer racing sailors are urged to enroll in the combination Fast Track to Performance Racing Course three days before race week.
In other news from Offshore, the company has promoted two longtime staff members to vice president roles with the company. Beth Oliver, director of marketing, is vice president and director of sales and marketing. Bryce Jackson, chief operations manager, is vice president and director of operations. Oliver and Jackson will manage company personnel and services on behalf of founder-owners Steve and Doris Colgate, who remain integrally involved in company and community affairs. The company has also hired sales professional and sailor Paul Klutes for its sales team at the company’s headquarters in South Fort Myers, Florida.
Offshore continues to seek qualified instructors for its sailing and powerboating faculty, in Florida and the British Virgin Islands. To accommodate unprecedented demand, the company actively recruits sail and powerboat owners to place boats in the company’s fleet in St. Petersburg, Cape Coral, Fort Myers Beach and Captiva Island, Florida. For details, contact Offshore (offshoresailing.com).