See You In Annapolis! I’m Speaking at Cruiser’s University

I still have to pinch myself because I’m not quite sure this is 100% real yet, but I just saw it go up on the Annapolis Boat Show Cruiser’s University website, so it must be! Friends, followers, I have been working hard to put this together so I could finally make this exciting announcement: I am so proud to be speaking with Pam Wall at Cruiser’s University during the week of the Annapolis Boat Show in October! (I’m imagining cheers, applause, sharp whistles, maybe some confetti raining down on the stage … I love confetti!). This is such an honor for me, and I am very grateful to my very good friend and long-time cruising inspiration–Pam Wall–for agreeing to join me in a presentation and the Cruiser’s University team for taking a chance on this relative newbie cruiser and ocean-crosser.

Pam and I will be speaking on Tuesday, October 8th from 12:30 to 3:45 p.m. on how to rig an old(er) boat for comfortable coastal and ocean cruising. Our presentation is called “Old Salts, New Systems: Making an Older Boat Comfortable for Cruising.” Here is the Cruiser’s University Schedule so you can check it out!

I originally met Pam when Phillip and I attended our very first boat show, the Miami International Boat Show in February, 2015, and she was a huge inspiration to me from the very moment I saw her hands clapping and her eyes ablaze talking about her beloved Abacos in the Bahamas. Having now experienced those amazing islands myself, I can see exactly where her fire and Bahamian passion come from. In addition, Pam has also helped Phillip and I over the years analyze and update many systems on our boat; she’s helped us navigate some tricky waters and discover wondrous new anchorages to explore; she’s also connected us with many of her own personal friends and acquaintances along the way who–as many fellow-cruisers often do–opened their arms and quickly shared their vast cruising knowledge and stories with us. I am forever thankful I met Pam and am privileged to be taking the stage with her this coming October.

Our presentation (although it continues to grow and evolve) will cover many different systems new boat-owners and cruisers may want to learn about, inspect, look for, or perhaps install on a boat they are considering purchasing to make it more comfortable and capable for cruising. This will range from discussions about rigging, hull, keel, and rudder structure, weight and displacement, power management, navigation and electronics, even the basic quality-of-life items such as the galley, head, stowage, and communication. Pam and I are both excited to offer our unique forty-year spectrum of knowledge covering older tried-and-true systems as well as the newer generations of electronics and gadgets that are coming out. We expect the presentation will be enlightening and very entertaining with as much Q&A as you can dream up. Lay it on us!

For the next 7-10 days Cruiser’s University will be open to registration by Cruisers University Alum, after which it will be open to the general public for sign-up and registration. I will keep you all informed here on the blog and my social media pages as updates become available about registration or other CU and Annapolis Boat Show highlights. Phillip and I are both incredibly excited to be attending. We’ve never been to Annapolis before! How many of you are planning to go to the Annapolis Boat Show this year? If so, we hope you can join Pam and me on Tuesday during Cruiser’s University!