US Sailing Sanctioned Hands-On Safety at Sea Seminar
SUNY Maritime College
Saturday, May 16, 2026
Storm Trysail Club will host their annual spring US Sailing Sanctioned Hands-On Safety At Sea Training Seminar on May 16, 2026 The seminar will be a one full-day event at SUNY Maritime College. Building on the success of past seminars, this event will follow an interactive curriculum where participants will learn about damage control, fire distress rockets and flares, put out fires, set storm sails, and exercise water survival skills & use of life rafts, perform man overboard (MOB) rescue among other activities. One of two safety at sea certifications can be earned by a combination of participation in the hands-on training seminar and completion of the US Sailing online course material. There is a nice diagram explaining the different certification requirements on the US Sailing website: Click here for the diagram link Once we receive your completed registration and seminar payment you will receive a confirmation email and ISAF traditional participants will receive important information on how to access the online course. It is highly recommended that participants review the following STC videos: Please pay special attention to the MOB sections of the videos. Additionally, please study the attached Control Grid. SASDamageControlGrid copy Another great resource is the SAS Leadership and Seamanship Report.
Course Curriculum
Questions?
Contact [email protected] with any questions
Schedule
0700-0745 Registration – MAC Academic Building, next to Sailing Center Coffee and bagels, lunch and afternoon coffee and snacks are provided
0745-0900 Opening Session
0900-1630 Participants will rotate between various activities including: Damage Control, Fire Fighting/Pyrotechnics, Pool/In Water Survival and On the Water MOB
1630-1745 Closing Session
What to Bring
The seminar will be an all-day affair. You will be in the classroom, in the pool and outdoors for the fire safety segment and on a boat practicing MOB. Please be prepared for all of these different environments.
We suggest you bring the following:
- Inflatable PFD - The PFD should be for offshore sailing i.e., have an integral harness, 33lb/150 newton buoyancy, etc. NOT a dinghy life jacket.
- Spare CO2 cartridge
- You will need a set of foul weather gear (jacket, pants, boots/shoes). Bring a change of clothes and bath towel because you will be going in a pool. The purpose here is to make the training realistic and give you the confidence to handle the added weight of the wet sailing gear.
- Second set of old foul weather gear or cold wather gear for on the water segmenet.
Fees
Payment is due in FULL at the time of registration. Once your registration payment has been processed, you will receive a registration confirmation email from the Storm Trysail Club. ISAF Traditional participants will also receive important information about accessing the US Sailing online course. US Sailing members get a discount on this course with the discount code found in your “My US Sailing” account under Member Coupons and benefits. The online course covers a broad range of material in depth. We are confident you will find this course quite valuable. There is an examination after each of the topics and at the end of the course. ISAF Traditional participants must successfully complete the online course at least 3 days before the date of the in-person portion of the course. If you are not in the US Sailing database as having completed the required courses, you cannot attend the hands-on day. No exceptions.
Payment is due in FULL at the time of registration. Credit Cards Accepted
Once your registration payment has been processed, you will receive a confirmation e-mail from Storm Trysail Club that will include important information about course requirements and a link to the seminar site.
Registration
