Sail America Seminar Series -2013
Presented by
With over 400 power and sailboats on display, in-water and onshore, the
South West International Boat Show showcases the very best in sailing and boating.
Once again, Sail America will be organizing a program of seminars that cover all facets of the sailing and boating lifestyle, from the magic of discovering exotic new ports around the world, to the must-have knowledge of staying safe and healthy at sea.
Click to view some of the entertaining and educational seminars that are included in the price of show admission.
The Seminars will be held at the South Shore Harbour Resort & Conference Center, the official hotel of the Boat Show conveniently located
on site. Respected experts and skippers, best-selling boating authors and world cruisers will share their fascinating tales of sailing adventures and their expert advice about the boating lifestyle.
Speaker Information
Bob Bitchen
Since the early 60’s, adventure has been a way of life for Bob Bitchin. He worked as a traveling companion and bodyguard for famous motorcycle daredevil, Evil Knievel. Then in the early 70’s he started sailing and for over thirty years he lived aboard sailboats and cruised most of the Pacific and Central America. In 1996 he created Latitudes & Attitudes Magazine. Currently Bob and his wife Jody are creating a new title, Cruising Outpost, which will launch this winter. www.cruisingoutpost.com . Bob has written seven books: Letters from the Lost Soul, The Sailing Life, Brotherhood of Outlaws, BIKER, Emerald Bay, King Harbor, and Starboard Attitude which was released in June of 2011.
Liza Copeland
Award-winning, best-selling author Liza Copeland has written four books on cruising, three narratives and a "how-to". Just Cruising and Still Cruising recount their family voyaging around the world with Comfortable Cruising covering North and Central America. Cruising for Cowards, a current, practical A-Z for Coastal and offshore sailors, is co-written with husband Andy. In total, their Beneteau Bagheera has taken them 116,000nm to 114 countries with many more miles sailed together and separately both racing and cruising in other vessels. When not giving seminars at boat shows and for various other organizations, cruising with family and friends or leading groups worldwide, Liza enjoys life in Vancouver, BC.
Zack Smith
Zack Smith has spent a good part of his adult life researching how parachute sea anchors and drogues behave in changing seas. A well known inventor of drag devices, Zack is the author of a groundbreaking series of technical reports,
manuals and video instruction on the effective use of parachute sea anchors and drogues. His research lead him to an industry
first − his "constant Rode Tension Theory", which states that "keeping the rode taut is the big secret to successful use of
parachute sea anchors and drogues". Zack and his associate, Fiorentino, were given a team achievement award from NASA for providing
never-before-published technical reports and counsel to the agency during drogue tests related to space capsule recovery.
Lee Chesneau
Lee Chesneau is a highly seasoned senior marine meteorologist with a distinguished 36 year career in maritime weather forecasting, ship routing, writing, key note speaker at seminars, and a certified U.S. Coast Guard STCW Basic and Advanced Meteorology instructor. Lee’s focus as an accomplished instructor and lecturer for various maritime organizations is educating every seagoing mariner on self reliance in marine weather and forecasting, strategic routing, and most importantly,
in prudent self reliant decision making. He has his own company, Lee Chesneau’s Marine Weather, marineweatherbylee.com and e-mail at
lee@chesneaumarineweather.com.
