One of the best things about the Providence Boat Show is all the education you get once you walk through the show gates. Do you want to learn how to fillet and cook your fresh catch? Or pick up tips for stress-free docking? Or get advice from the experts about the best ways to get started in boating? Then the Providence Boat Show is where you want to be in January. We have three days of free Sport Fishing and Boating seminars.
Free Seminars
SPORT FISHING SEMINARS
Captain Jack Sprengel returns to the Providence Boat Show with his crew of local anglers and experts and a brand-new series of seminars. These sessions, which run all three days of the show, build on the series run at last year’s show. “But we’ve upped the ante,” says Captain Jack. “If you think you’ve been to the Providence Boat Show before, think again. We have worked hard to line up some of the most unique speakers to be found anywhere in the Northeast and are very excited to offer you a full 360-degree perspective of the sport fishing industry.”
You’ll learn from big- money tournament captains, successful guides, an elite male-female on-the- water fishing team, instructors for the Salt Water Sportsman National Seminar Series, a spearfishing industry icon, commercial fishermen, and two teenage anglers who are making waves in the tournament and offshore scene. Catch sessions on canyon fishing, sword fishing, tuna tactics, striped bass, false albacore and bonito, terminal rigging, fluke fishing, Rhode Island cod fishing, togging, filleting and cooking your catch, and much more.
The Sport Fishing Seminar Series is paired with a great raffle drawing. So just for sitting in on one of the boat show’s exciting speakers, you will automatically have a chance to win prizes from STORMR, RonZ Lures, Jay Jigs, AFTCO, Deep Force Jigs, Carlson Offshore Lures, Louis J. Defusco Art, 9ers lures, and Gibbs Lures.
Whether you are a tournament angler looking for an edge or just getting started in the sport, the seminar leaders at the Providence Boat Show will give you the education you need to take your next step in the sport. Says Captain Jack of the experts coming to this year’s show: “These guys are some of the best at what they do—and they come with my personal seal of approval.”
BOATING SEMINARS
The Annapolis School of Seamanship, along with local sponsor Safe/Sea Marine Rescue, has created a new series of Boating Seminars for the Providence Boat Show. These sessions cover a range of topics for all levels of mariners.
Interested in taking your first step into the sport? Then attend our Gateway to Boating session with the pros from Annapolis School of Seamanship to get an overview of the different styles and types of boats and how they fit the boating lifestyle you choose. Or head to our Start Sailing
Now panel where Molly Winans, editor of a new book of the same name, will help you navigate your way into the sport by answering all your questions—from what shoes to wear to what to ask a sailing school before you sign up for lessons.’
Professional mariners Captain John Martino and Captain Matt Benhoff will take you up the skill ladder with sessions on how to maintain and troubleshoot your diesel engine, how to master stress-free docking techniques, the best techniques for anchoring safely in any type of setting, and the latest on radar and AIS technology. Attend an invaluable session on towing and salvage with Captain Phil LeBlanc of Safe/Sea, who has spent nearly 20 years extracting boats and boaters from every predicament imaginable; he will share his wealth of knowledge and touch upon the differences between simple towing and more costly salvage. You’ll even find a session on How to Get your Captain’s License and a one-on-one session with a professional captain so you can ask a pro how he would handle the situations that challenge you on the water.
Local sponsor Safe/Sea Marine Rescue is the leading provider of on-the-water boat towing services and marine salvage services for recreational boaters in Rhode Island.
Premium Seminars
WOMEN ON THE WATER
Join Confident Captain/Ocean Pros for a Premium Seminar on Women on the Water. This special two-hour program is taught by women for women; the seminar is sponsored by Safe/Sea Marine Rescue, the leading provider of on-the-water boat towing services and marine salvage services for recreational boaters in Rhode Island.
Women on the Water provides answers to all your boating questions in a friendly, stress-free setting. Led by an experienced female captain, this course is designed for women of all experience levels—whether you are just getting your feet wet or you have a few seasons under your belt. Come learn about navigation, docking, emergency procedures, and more. This exciting and informative program will cover the fundamentals while still leaving ample opportunity to ask questions.
Confident Captain/Ocean Pros is a Rhode Island-based maritime training facility dedicated to providing the best possible training, service and consultation for all mariners— be they recreational boaters, U.S. Captains, or Yachtmasters.
Participants will receive a Confident Captain course-completion certificate, a boat show goodie bag, and free refreshments. Women on the Water takes place Saturday, January 24, from 1 pm to 3 pm. The $40 ticket price includes your Saturday admission to the show. Register online at www.providenceboatshow.com.
SAIL AMERICA SEMINARS
Look at the ranks of the top sailors in the world and you’ll see that Rhode Island has an outsize population of experienced cruisers and championship racers.
The Ocean State is the place to be if you want to learn how to travel by wind power alone, so this year the Providence Boat Show teamed up with Sail America to bring you a
new series of Premium Seminars for sailors.
Sail America, the trade association for the U.S. sailing industry, produces high-quality seminar programs at boat shows around the country. Their industry experts will educate, inform, and entertain you about the joys of the sport while they lead you in hands-on instruction and teach you to navigate the common situations that many racers and cruisers face on the water.
Are you a cruiser who wants to build the kind of skill and expertise that will make you as self-sufficient as possible once you sail away to new waters? Then you won’t want to miss the Sail America seminars on the skills that all cruisers need in Splicing, Marine Plumbing, Sail Repair, and Life Raft & Survival.
Or maybe you’ve mastered the basics of piloting a small- to mid-sized sailboat and you’re ready to try your hand at racing. Come to the boat show for an informative session with veteran racer Joe Cooper on sailboat racing for the novice skipper. You’ll be ready to enter the game come springtime!
All seminars in the Sail America series are one-hour long. Each seminar costs $25, which includes one ticket to the show. Or attend the whole session for $100, which includes two tickets. For more details and a complete schedule of the series, along with a registration link, visit www.providenceboatshow.com.
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