Cruising Skipper Training Programs

Message from the PSC Training Commodore:

Hailing All PSC
Cruising Skipper Candidates
(and anybody else that sails with the PSC on the Bay)

Two important notices:

1. All Bay sails (except the MDRU & LDRU) listed as a two-day overnight sail, will include some night sailing. The requirement for you to sail on these sails is to have a harness & a tether.

The harness can be part of a type V PFD http://www.landfallnavigation.com/sospenders.html, or it can be separate harness that you wear in conjunction with a PFD (this type is the cheapest).
The tether should be one with a snap shackle at the chest end (one you can release under load). The boat end hook shackle is your preference, but most skippers DON'T like the kind that is supposedly the safest, with a double locking mechanisms requiring two hands to release it*. If you check West Marine you will be able to find a good tether. The ones with double, elastized tethers are the best but not required. http://www.greatoutdoors.com/westmarine/tethers/tetherdblelasticwichard.html

* e.g., the Wichard boat end shackle

Here is a link to the cheapest way you could go: http://www.greatoutdoors.com/westmarine/tethers/tethersglsnaphookshackle.html

2. Cruising Skipper Checksheets and Logbook: Your record of your PSC cruising, which you will log your hours and accomplished tasks is key to your Cruising Skipper certification.

I will be at the next club meeting with the Checksheet and Logbooks for all declared cruising skipper candidates. If you are not a declared PSC Cruising Skipper Candidate and which to be check out the website for more information: http://www.pentagonsailing.org/btp.htm#declare

If you CAN'T be there, please email me your mailing address and I will mail your checksheet.

Fair Winds

Will Kelchner
Pentagon Sailing Club
Training Commodore

trainingcommodore@pentagonsailing.org

Message from 2009 PSC Training Commodore Will Kelchner:

Hello All PSC Cruising Skipper Candidates

We are continuing the outstanding efforts the preceding Training Commodores, John Caveto and Roger Hammer who finely tuned our Cruising Skipper Training Program:

With concurrence from the PSC Training Certification Committee the raft up requirements found in Section II (Boat Handling Under power) Subsection E (Rafting Up), are no longer mandatory for Senior Crew, Navigator or B-CSN.

However, the items that are in bold type face remain MANDATORY for the D-CS qualification.

Additionally, Section XII (PARTICIPATE IN ONE PSC THREE-DAY WEEKEND RAFT UP) is also no longer a mandatory requirement for B-CSN.

Like Section II (subsection E), however, Section XII remains a MANDATORY requirement for D-CS.

Make sure your print this email for your records and mark your checksheets accordingly.

Don't hesitate to email if you have questions.

Fair Winds

Will Kelchner
Pentagon Sailing Club
Training Commodore

trainingcommodore@pentagonsailing.org

Pentagon Sailing Club Basic and Advanced Cruising Skipper Training (aka Bay Skipper Training)

Ahoy mates! I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about the Bay Cruising Skipper training program offered by the Pentagon Sailing Club. The Bay Skipper Program is designed to train and certify members to confidently and competently skipper a cruising sailboat in the range for 30-45 on the Chesapeake Bay , and other designated waters such as coastal Delaware , Maryland , Virginia (DelMarVa) and the British Virgin Islands . Although there is little difference in the mechanics of sailing a 22’ keelboat on the river and a 40’ cruising sloop on the Bay, I am sure you can appreciate the substantial difference in everything else: size, weight, speed, power, systems complexity, etc. Because of these differences, the time required to be a competent cruising skipper is significantly more than is required to be a basic keelboat skipper. But NOT to worry, this is where the PSC offers a very comprehensive program that will guide your training towards becoming a confident and competent cruising skipper.

Before I continue, I’d like to make it clear that you don’t need to be involved in any training program to enjoy sailing on the Bay with the PSC. Just sign up and go sailing for the fun of it. There are a number of PSC members who do just that…sail on the Bay just for the pure enjoyment of it. No formal training. No tests. No evaluations. Just Fun…and that's great.

But…if you want to get more involved in the actual sailing, navigation, and eventual skippering of mid to large size cruising sailboat, then some sort of training is required…and that is where the Bay Cruising Skipper Program comes in. The PSC Bay Skipper Program is a natural progression from the Basic Keelboat Skipper (B-KBS) offered by the club. While the basic keelboat skipper certification is not a prerequisite to entering the Bay Skipper Program, earning your B-KBS is a requirement for completing the Bay Skipper Program.

The parent organization of the PSC is the U.S. Naval Sailing Association (USNSA), and they govern our training standards and policy. The Bay Skipper qualifications we award are the equivalent to the USNSA Watch Captain (WC) and D-Cruising Skipper (D-CS) qualification. While these qualifications are obviously recognized by the USNSA…and by all of its worldwide branches, it is unfortunately NOT transferable to a US Sailing certificate. The PSC Basic Cruising Skipper (with night endorsement) is easily commensurate if not a higher level than the US Sailing “Bareboat” rating and our Advanced Cruising Skipper (D-CS) is commensurate with US Sailings Coastal Passage Making. With that said, upon completion of either the PSC Basic or Advanced Cruising Skipper programs, you should have ample experience and a sailing resume sufficient to charter from most bareboat charter companies as well as challenge the US Sailing Programs should you want an internationally recognizable certification.

The PSC Bay Skipper training program includes the following basic elements:

Required:

Your self-paced, but sequential completion of an extensive “checklist” of bay sailing skills—This is referred to as the Bay Skipper Check sheet.
Documentation of specified hours underway, under sail and at night.
Completion of a recognized CPR and First Aid course every two years
Three written examinations…General Knowledge, Rules of the Road, and Navigation
Two on-water evaluations…the final one being from a PSC Senior Bay Instructor (Both performed after completion of the “check sheet,”
Participation in at least one three-day raft up

Strongly Recommended:

Participation in the PSC Winter Training Program
Participation in a USGC Aux, U.S. Power Squadrons, or state sponsored boating safety course (long version)
Coordination of at least one three-day raft up

OK…so how long does all this take, anyway?

If your are an absolute novice sailor and don’t have any kind of navigation training, you should count on at least 16 on the water training days to become a Basic Cruising Skipper and 24 on the water training days to become an Advanced cruising skipper. This does not include approximately 6 days of classroom instruction you will need in order to pass the written examinations. For most people with full time jobs, this equals approximately a year and a half to two years. As I said before, the program is sequential, but self-paced. If you already have considerable experience, you may challenge parts of, or the entire process.

What's in it for YOU?

Basic Cruising Bay Skippers (B-CSN) are qualified to charter any PSC Bay Boat in the 30-34’ range, where as Advanced Cruising Bay Skippers (D-CS) charter and skipper the larger cruising boats. Both skippers are eligible for deep discounts when functioning as Skipper for Raft-ups and other Bay sailing events. Furthermore, it is our D-CS skippers who act as training skippers for the skipper candidates.

So how do YOU get started?

First, you have to declare yourself a PSC Bay Skipper Candidate to me, the Training Commodore. This is easy! Just let me know you want to be a Bay Cruising Skipper Candidate, and I will send you an introductory letter AND your Bay Skipper CHECK SHEET. Mentioned briefly already, the Bay Skipper Check sheet is a document that lists all task and time requirements to attain each sequential level of certification. I call the check sheet the “charted course” for the journey to the Bay Cruising Skipper qualification. But don’t let the size of the check sheet be discouraging, it goes amazingly fast once you get out on a few Bay sails and start learning BY DOING!

The Bay Skipper program is actually a sequentially phased process that consists of four levels…

Senior Crew
PSC Navigator
Basic Cruising Skipper (B-CSN) & Watch Captain
Advanced Cruising Skipper / D-CS

Each of these phases builds upon the other representing a natural progression toward Advanced Bay Cruising Skipper. You can stop at any of the interim phases, e.g., Bay Navigator. The PSC provides a handsome certificate and associated club recognition as each phase is completed…ultimately leading to your Advanced Cruising Skipper (D-CS) qualification.

In conclusion, if you want to receive formal mid to large keelboat skipper training on the Bay, the way to do it is through the PSC Bay Skipper Program. The way to start that is by declaring yourself a Bay Skipper Candidate, and signing up for as many of the Bay training sails as you want. Any sailing supervised by a D-CS or PSC Bay or Senior Bay Instructor can count towards your total time on the water required for certification. This includes our annual Memorial and Labor Day raft-ups.

The bay sails will be advertised in the early spring for the entire season that runs from May through November. Be careful and don’t put it off signing up as the sails fill up fast; not to mention if you sign up more than 30 days in advance you receive a 20% discount.

Don’t hesitated to contact the Training Commodore Will Kelchner or Duane Covino (baytraining@pentagonsailing.org) if have any specific questions. Finally, you can get more specific details from the PSC “Training Program…Policy and Procedures,” which describes the entire PSC training program.

Will Kelchner
Training Commodore

The PSC offers a special package deal on the Cruising Skipper Training Program fee and the three US Sailing Books. If you want the package deal, send a check for $60.00.

From that point, all you need to do is follow the guidance in the check sheet, get out on the water during any one or all of the 25 Bay Sails we have scheduled this year, start logging hours and getting tasks checked off by a current certified Bay Skipper.

If you have previous experience, please make sure you send in a detailed sailing resume with your check as your previous experience can count toward some of the requirements in route to the Advanced Cruising Skipper certification.

Schedule - By definition, all bay sailing events are training events, and a Bay Skipper Candidate can take advantage of any one of them. Some are designed to provide more intensive training than others and those are generally skippered by more senior instructors. Click here for the bay sailing activities.

Bay Instructor Clinic

The Instructor Clinic is usually scheduled in early May. This clinic is specifically aimed at, and is restricted to, PSC D-CS or higher Bay Skippers who plan to be instructing on the bay, aboard our bay season boat. The purpose of this clinic is to familiarize the Bay Skippers and Instructors with the boat, and with the various training policies of the club. Attendance at the Bay Instructor Clinic is therefore mandatory to obtain a "thumbs up" to skipper a season boat.

How to sign up for Bay Sailing events (Other than Raft-ups. Click here to sign up for Raft-ups):

1. Check the calendar to see when bay sails are scheduled and then check the Bay Sail Crew List to see if space is still available on a particular sail.
2. Contact Bay Training Coordinator Duane Covino.
3. Print and fill out a Bay Activities Registration Form for the event. Check rates to find the appropriate fee.
4. Send your completed Bay Activities Registration Form and check payable to "Pentagon Sailing Club" to:

Larry Paulson
PSC Treasurer
1318 Mistyvale Street
Herndon, VA 20170-3629

Please Note:

Remember that you can only make a reservation for club events and activities by sending in your payment for the event to the Treasurer. Reservations are confirmed in the order in which payments are received.
If payment is received/postmarked/offered less than 3 weeks prior to event, PSC will employ "best effort" to accommodate a PSC Member if space is available. Otherwise, if a crew with skipper can be formed, PSC will offer guidance in finding a boat to charter at their own expense.
Each PSC crew shares the additional costs (if any) of fuel, shared food, ice, sanitary pump-out, docking/slip fees, and damages to the boat.
Cancellation Policy: If you cancel after paying for an event, you are responsible for finding a suitable replacement. You may request a refund from the Bridge, but only as a last resort. The Bridge is not bound to grant a refund.
Make checks payable to "Pentagon Sailing Club" and specify for which event. (Please do not include dues or other payments unrelated to the event.)
All PSC activities are considered training activities. As such, our policy is that any student participating in these activities must be able to physically respond to the commands of the instructor or skipper in charge. This policy is for your safety, the safety of your fellow crew members, and the safety of the boat. The skipper will make the final determination of: (1) a student's ability or inability to comply with this guideline, and (2) the limitations, if any, of a student's participation as crew on the boat.

How to sign up for a PSC Raft-up/cruise see Bay Activities Page.