Seminars

Inside Passage weather patterns are confusing if you don't understand the basic forces that shape the local weather in the Georgia Strait, Johnstone Strait and the North Coast.

Once you understand the limited number of weather patterns that occur in the region, you can develop strategies that take advantage of the weather patterns for a more comfortable and more enjoyable cruise.

Getting the Most from your Marine Radar

Length--3 hours to six hours (full seminar)

1.5 hours (radar setup only)

In order to be able to use a marine radar to advantage, users must first feel comfortable with their equipment. Many are afraid to adjust their radar's controls for fear they will never be able to get the radar set up properly again. As a result, their radars are permanently out of tune.

This seminar removes the fear of radar. After completion of the seminar, students will be able to set up their radars for best results and interpret the display under challenging conditions.

With a few simple techniques, Captain Monahan teaches the student

how to identify land-masses, other vessels and transient targets,

how to use a radar effectively for collision avoidance and navigation,

how to interpret and control the display under a variety of conditions,

how to recognize and compensate for rain and sea clutter, interference, ghost images and side-lobe echoes

the new generation of integrated radar systems which combine chart and radar technology

With real-life screen-captures, and other audio-visual effects, Captain Monahan will soon have you managing your radar like a pro.

Managing Tidal Rapids

Length

-3 hours (full seminar--includes Johnstone Strait and Cordero Channel currents)

-1.5 hours (short seminar--deals with tidal currents and rapids in a general sense, but not with the specifics of the Johnstone Strait system)

For many, navigating Johnstone Strait and the Rapids of the Inside Passage is a new challenge. Capricious currents that always seem to be working against one, mountainous seas and ominous calms add a new dimension to navigating this beautiful area of British Columbia. The result is that most folks are happy to cruise to Desolation Sound or the southern Gulf Islands , but are reluctant to travel north of Seymour Narrows. But planning a trip north of Campbell River is not as difficult as you might think—Johnstone Strait and the nearby tidal rapids form an incredibly complex hydraulic system, but in a number of very important ways, it is predictable.

Once you understand the tidal dynamics of Johnstone Strait, you can navigate in comfort using the characteristics of the system to speed you on your way, to save fuel, or to help you avoid the worst of the weather. In this three-hour seminar, Kevin Monahan will share the local knowledge* you need to manage your passage through the tidal rapids of Cordero Channel and how to how to make the currents of Johnstone Strait work in your favour.

* Material drawn from Local Knowledge--A Skipper's Reference

Using Marine GPS

Length--one session of 6 hours or two sessions of 3 hours each.

The GPS seminar will stimulate people into using their GPS equipment in innovative ways. This practical seminar teaches the audience how to get the maximum performance and accuracy from GPS.

Beginning with the basics of GPS navigation, such as choosing waypoints and assembling them into a route, the seminar leads, to more advanced concepts and techniques. Covered are waypoint realization, minimizing GPS errors, understanding and dealing with differing horizontal datums, navigating using Differential GPS (DGPS), working with limiting lines, setting boundaries and avoidance positions, case studies of groundings and navigational errors, and critical features to look for if you're in the market for a GPS.
Numerous diagrams and an easy-going style allow Captain Monahan to clearly illustrate the techniques in a graphic user-friendly manner.

Ample opportunity is provided for question and answer sessions at the end of each section.

Last updated February 7, 2009