International Sailing Summit runs Aug. 18-20

Sail America opens its International Sailing Summit Aug. 18 in San Francisco in conjunction with the America’s Cup racing that’s under way.

The summit will open with a welcome reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at the St. Francis Yacht Club, following an optional afternoon of Louis Vuitton challenger races viewed from a special roped-off area for ISS participants.

A day and a half of seminars and networking opportunities will follow. Seminar topics include the state of the industry, the next generation of sailors and the future of sailing.

Among the speakers are:

• Thom Dammrich, president of the NMMA
• Frank Savage, Savage Holdings LLC
• Efrem “Skip” Zimbalist III, chairman and CEO of Active Interest Media (Yacht International’s parent company)
• Iain Murray and Stan Honey, America’s Cup Race Management
• Johnny Heineken, 2012 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year

Click here for the full agenda.

Registering for the ISS is required to attend the reception and dinner. A limited number of on-site tickets will be available. Sail America recommends registering prior to Aug. 15.

There will be no parking at the yacht club during the summit because of the America’s Cup.

Originally posted on Trade Only.

BoatUS Offers Seminars on Hurricane Preparedness

After the devastation of Hurricane Sandy on the East Coast, many yachtsmen and captains have been buckling down for the 2013 hurricane season. Already predicted to be “active or extremely active” by NOAA, protecting your yacht is paramount. To that end, BoatUS is offering a series of online webinars on lessons learned from Sandy and how to avoid costly damage and repairs this hurricane season. Though the one-hour sessions were designed specifically for marina managers, the information will be useful to anyone who owns or manages a yacht. BoatUS members can view the webinars for free. For $30, non-members can access the videos as well by calling (866) 367-6622.

For more information:boatus.com/hurricanes/