TrawlerFest is PassageMaker’s stand-alone series of boat shows designed for cruising enthusiasts that feature an in-water selection of new and pre-owned cruising powerboats, the latest in marine gear and services, and first-class education & demonstrations. Last year, we were invited to give a seminar about our experience cruising to the Dry Tortugas at their show in Stuart, Florida.

We’re very excited to announce that they’ve asked us to return this year to once-again present on the Dry Tortugas. This year’s show runs from Thursday, March 8th through Sunday, March 11th with seminars beginning Tuesday, March 6th. Seminar topics range from boat handling tips, safety and navigation, and survival at sea to boat buyers survival guides, diesel engines and dinghies. Several cruising topics include The Great Loop, the Intercoastal Waterway, Dry Tortugas, the Bahamas and Cuba as well as Cambridge, Mass. to Cambridge Cay.  I will be once again participating in The Admirals Roundtable, an all-woman discussion panel answering questions from an all female audience. Our seminar schedule is below:

Admirals Roundtable –  Wednesday, March 7, 8:30-10:30 a.m.
All-women panel takes questions from all-female audience
A standing joke in the cruising community goes like this: He may be the captain, but she is the admiral, because if mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. Or something like that. Besides the obvious, that Alyse Caldwell, Becky Fickett, Alexandra Bruce & Kim Kalisik are all female, there is more to it. All have cruised but with distinctly different experiences. This seminar is for women who think they may want to go cruising or who have only recently entered into the cruising lifestyle and have a wide range of questions best answered by other women, and, alas, without any men in the room.

Cruising the Dry Tortugas –  Thursday, March 8, 10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
With Kim & Randy Kalisik

The Dry Tortugas National park is a small group of islands located 70 miles west of Key West Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. It is home to a history of sea turtles, sunken wrecks and one of the largest coastal brick fortresses, Fort Jefferson. It is an amazing cruising getaway to unspoiled reefs, shallow water wrecks and fantastic star gazing. Learn about cruising to the Dry Tortugas by trawler and exploring all the wonders it has to offer, including: beautiful beaches, crystal clear water for snorkeling and diving, local wildlife and a fort that is rich in history. The Kalisik’s will take you on a guided tour of cruising to the Dry Tortugas and exploring their favorite cruising destination. They’ll discuss considerations such as provisioning (you must bring everything you need with you), isolation (no cell or Wi-Fi service), weather, anchoring as well as exploring the islands and reefs by snorkeling and diving.

For more information about TrawlerFest and to sign up for the seminars, visit PassageMaker.com

We definitely plan to check out a few of the other seminars in the show and hope to see some familiar faces there. If you plan to attend, please let us know so we can meet up.