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Let's start by defining the terms
"coastal" and "offshore". The USCG,
NOAA and the NWS all define coastal as being less than 50
nm from the nearest mainland or islands, and offshore as
being more than 50 nm from the nearest mainland or
islands. This definition works for me. It is official. It
is rooted in practical considerations, and it provides a
clear guideline for defining the significant differences
in the suitability of vessels and equipment, the level
preparation required, and the level and diversity of
knowledge & skills the captain & crew must have.
. 50 miles or
more at sea you are on your own. The likelihood of
getting service or rescue is minimal. Equipment can fail.
The crew can get injured. The weather can deteriorate and
seas can build to enormous proportions for days on end.
Full responsibility for the preparation, repair,
navigation and handling lies with the skipper and the
crew he has chosen. There is no "chase boat".
Offshore sailing requires the highest standard of vessel
preparation and skipper and crew and knowledge and skill
levels.
Most of us prefer to
approach sailing on a learn by doing basis. We consider
it part of the adventure. Many aspiring cruisers desiring
to go offshore, think that they may be able to adequately
prepare by chartering, crewing on deliveries, or just
sailing their own boat more. But though these add to
one's time on the water, they seldom add the skills
critical to safe and efficient offshore cruising,
especially given the time invested. Often in these
situations the boat is minimally equipped, the skipper
may be qualified but is usually not interested in
teaching, and often the sailing is in familiar as opposed
to unfamiliar waters. Hence one is usually just repeating
old habits (good or bad). After a certain point, more
chartering, crewing on deliveries, or even more time on
one's own boat become poor substitutes for serious
coastal or offshore instruction.
 It
can take a lifetime to learn all there is to learn. It's
possible to buy a boat, start to cruise and to have so
many obstacles and misadventures thrown in your way that
you loose your interest, your bank account, or your boat
before you can fulfill your dreams of extended coastal or
offshore cruising. On the other hand, investing a
relatively small amount of time and money to get serious
coastal and offshore instruction before one commits
serious amounts of time and money is invaluable. I
believe that dedicated instruction, on a good boat, on an
extended coastal and offshore passage is the best way to
learn. In a very short time, one can acquire the needed
skills and knowledge he or she needs to safely and
efficiently take a 40-50 footer on extended coastal and
offshore passages with a minimum of wasted time, money
and risk.
It is toward filling
this need that I have evolved Ocean-Pro,
as a serious coastal and offshore cruising school
dedicated to sharing valuable, real world, information
and skills. I offer advanced level, 500-2000 nm, 10-30
day coastal and offshore passages with onboard
instruction covering boat preparation, safety, weather
and routing, communications, navigation, sail handling,
meal preparation, watch standing, landfalls at night,
anchoring and foreign port procedures. Most of my
instructional passages are sailed within 2000 nautical
miles of south Florida, sailing in the approximate one
million square miles of ocean described by the US East
coast, all the Caribbean islands, and the Caribbean
coasts of Central and South America.
For a quick overview of
our site take a moment to review the (Site
Index)
page. Also take a moment to try several of the links on
our (Instruction), (Deliveries), (Weather), (Routing) and (Resources) pages. I am especially pleased
with having assembled all the offshore weather and
Caribbean island links. With them just a
"click" will take you to real time weather
images and current travel information on any island or
country in the Caribbean or Central America. The
"Resources" page greatly extends the power and
information of our web site.
There are several
national and international sailing certification
organizations, which have developed and promote
standardized sailing levels, curriculums and certificates
for their member sailing schools, instructors and the
sailing public. In the US, the two largest certifying
organizations are the A.S.A,. (American Sailing
Association), and US Sailing, (United States Sailing
Association). I was a member of the ASA and an Advanced
Coastal Cruising Instructor from 1985 through 1995. In
Europe, there is the very highly respected Royal Yachting
Association, (R.Y.A), and in Canada, the Canadian Sailing
Association, (C.Y.A.). One other is the I.S.P.A.,
(International Sail and Power Association). I believe the
standardized curriculum concept and having a ladder of
skill development is valuable, especially for beginning
and intermediate level sailors. However, at the same time
standardization has serious drawbacks. Inherent in
standardization is the exclusion of fresh and maybe
better approaches. Left unrefreshed it can soon lead to
minimalist and obsolete programs.
Many sailing schools
offer so called "coastal navigation" and
"offshore" courses and certifications. I
believe most of these programs are inadequate. I
therefore offer "advanced" coastal and offshore
instruction. The course content of these courses is
entirely different than what you will find with Ocean-Pro.
To assist in your comparison, I would suggest that people
who have completed the ASA's 106 course, "Advanced
Coastal Cruising", or US Sailing's "Coastal
Passagemaking" would have the minimum sailing
experience and training to get the most from our advanced
coastal and offshore program. I am always happy to
chat with prospective offshore sailors and student crew
as are all of my past student crews.
Thank you for visiting Ocean-Pro.
I look forward to hearing from you and sharing, ashore or
at sea.
Fair winds and safe
sailing,
Capt Bob Cook
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* If you are interested in getting some
serious, advanced level