US Sailing Sanctioned International Safety at Sea with Hands-on Training

This hands-on training course is to prepare you for survival offshore in demanding situations and emergencies. What you learn in this course may save your life and the lives of others in an emergency. We encourage you to give the course the effort and time it deserves.

The course is taught by experienced lifelong sailors  and is designed for sailors of all types and levels – cruisers, racers, novices, and experts. The subject matter reflects the accumulated knowledge and lessons learned of the worldwide sailing community.

The course has two parts. The first part is the Online Offshore Safety at Sea Course that will provide you with an excellent level of knowledge and is the starting point for the second part of the course.

Part 1: Online training – purchase through US Sailing- link below 

This portion utilizes US Sailing’s Online Offshore Safety at Sea Course. The online course covers a broad range of material in depth. We are confident you will find this course quite valuable. There is an examination after each of the topics and at the end of the course. It is our goal to ensure you have a good understanding of the material because the second part starts at this level and further builds your knowledge. Please allow 12 to 16 hours to complete the online course. You must successfully complete the online course five days before the date of the in-person portion of the course. 

You must complete both the online course and the one-day hands-on course to receive the World Sailing approved Offshore Personal Survival Course certificate.

The online course is available for your review for three months after you complete the course.

Prerequisite training requirements: 

For those that have not completed the International Safety at Sea with the hands-on training course. You must complete the Online Offshore Safety at Sea course parts one and two (units 1 – 10 and units 11 – 15) before you can attend the in-person one-day hands-on training. Please allow 12 – 16 hours to complete this training. 

Purchase your course code here: https://www.firsttack.org/courses/safety-at-sea-offshore

Those who need to “refresh” their expired certification (not over five years old) or who have already completed the Online Offshore Safety at Sea course part one (units 1 – 10): You must complete the Online Offshore Safety at Sea course part two (units 11 – 15). US Sailing requirements have changed. EVERYONE must complete the newly-released, 3-hour “Online Safety at Sea course part two (Units 11 – 15).” Purchase this course here:  https://www.firsttack.org/courses/safety-at-sea-offshore-upgrade

Part 2: Hands-on Training

The second part of the course is a full day (8 AM – 5 PM ET) of practical training. You will be updated with the latest information on key topics and then spend most of the day in hands-on training covering damage control, firefighting, emergency signaling, survival equipment, use of personal flotation devices, and life rafts.

The course is a mix of inside training and outside exercises. Please dress accordingly.

Major topics to be covered in hands-on practical training sessions include:

• Lessons Learned & Updates: Lessons learned from recent incidents. Update on important safety requirements and communications items.
• Damage Control: The course covers typical damage control techniques and equipment.
• Firefighting:  This session discusses fire prevention and firefighting. 
• Emergency Signaling (Flares): You will ignite various emergency signaling pyrotechnics
• Emergency and Safety Equipment: This session will have a display of common emergency and safety equipment, particularly per with an emphasis on the latest trends and equipment.
• PFD’s, Water Survival, and Life Rafts: This session will start with reviewing the proper wearing of your PFD and tether. You will then enter the pool with your foul weather gear and PFD to experience the inflation and use of your PFD. Course instructors will guide you in the pool practicing cold water individual and group survival techniques. Learn the best ways to stay afloat, work as a team, and fight hypothermia. Practice righting, boarding, and working as a crew in a life raft.

• The curriculum is certified by US Sailing.
• The moderator meets the qualifications and training required for certification by US Sailing.
• You will receive certification that you have completed a US Sailing sanctioned Offshore Safety at Sea course with hands-on training, complying with World Sailing’s Offshore Personal Survival Course guidelines.
• This certification is good for five years per US Sailing.

Moderator Mark Lenci   

Mark is a retired US Navy Captain. His Navy career was primarily in attack submarines and he commanded USS Houston (SSN 713). Mark has sails primarily in New England and the Canadian Maritimes and has cruised in various areas around the world. He holds various professional certifications including a USCG 100T Masters License and the RYA/MCA Yachtmaster Ocean certificate of competence. Mark has presented at multiple Safety at Sea Courses and is considered one of the best at sharing his leadership and seamanship insights. 

Sean Fleischman

Sam is owner and president of Landfall Navigation. He purchased the company in 2018 after serving 20 years as an employee. Based in Stamford, CT, Landfall Navigation offers a full line of marine safety equipment, worldwide nautical charts, navigation instruments, and foul weather gear. Sean is a native of City Island, NY, a small nautical community on Long Island Sound, famous for several America’s Cup defenders. In his youth, Sean worked at many of the island’s yacht clubs and earned a United States Coast Guard Inland Masters Limited License. In 2020, Sean served on the Life Jacket Association advisory committee for life jacket awareness. In his tenure with Landfall, he learned much from his mentor Capt. Henry Marx. Sean and Landfall are proud to sponsor US Sail’s Safety at Sea course at The Mariners’ Museum.  

Captain Mark Bologna

Captain Mark is a USCG licensed Captain and holds a U.S. Sailing Safe Powerboat Handling Instructor Certification. He has been on Landfall Navigation’s team since 2007. Currently the retail safety department manager, he also assists with commercial sales and educational outreach to the recreational boating industry. Mark is a hands-on marine safety consultant who advises customers on the issues that ensure their safety and enjoyment of life on the water. Truly an outdoor sportsman, he has more than 45 years of boating experience in the northeastern United States.

Captain Eric Knott

Captain Eric went to sea with his father as a commercial fisherman in 1973 and has never looked back. He has been awarded a UK Master’s Certificate, RYA Yachtmaster Offshore certification, and a Master of Science Degree (MSc) in Marine Surveying from Middlesex University and Lloyds Maritime of London appointed State of Connecticut Harbor Master for Stamford Harbor. In 2003, Eric joined Landfall Navigation to run Henry Marx’s Marine Training Center. In 2006, he joined Moran Towing Corporation, where he is responsible for safety audits and inspections. Eric’s claim to fame: “I have spent days in a life raft – for real!”

Pete Seidler

Peter is a retired US Coast Guard captain. He spent over 34 years in the USCG in various assignments, including command of two CG cutters, instructing seamanship and ship handling at the USCG Academy, and serving as senior JAG officer for the CG’s Atlantic Area. Since retirement, Pete has worked for more than 10 years as an Advanced EMT for Virginia Beach EMS. He has been an instructor for First Aid, CPR, and Wilderness First Aid and a Virginia state boating safety instructor.

The hands-on only course is a mix of inside training and outside exercises. Please dress accordingly

Bring your inflatable personal flotation device (PFD) with tether and foul weather gear (jacket, pants, boots/shoes). You will be jumping into the pool wearing your PFD and foul weather gear. Also, bring a change of clothes and a bath towel. There are hot showers available. We recommend you bring a duffle bag for your wet gear.*Note: A PFD and tether are required equipment for the course. If your PFD is not available or you have not yet purchased an appropriate PFD, Landfall Navigation has a limited number available to loan. Contact [email protected] at least two weeks before your course to make arrangements for a loaner. Please bring $30 cash or a check made out to Landfall Navigation (no credit cards) with you to cover the cost of the rearm kit for the loaner PFD.