Bluewater & Offshore Training
There's a real gap between coastal cruising and crossing open ocean, and a lot of capable sailors discover it the hard way. Offshore, you're days from help, the weather is the whole game, and small problems compound fast. SEASCORPS offshore training closes that gap before you cast off, so your first bluewater passage isn't also your steepest learning curve.
This is hands-on preparation for crews and owners who want to build genuine competence in bluewater passagemaking, taught by a captain with more than 25,000 nautical miles of offshore experience.
What the Training Covers
Offshore routing — planning a passage, picking weather windows, and adapting the route underway
Weather strategy — using marine weather resources, recognizing what the sky and sea are telling you, and accounting for currents like the Gulf Stream
Situational awareness — watch-keeping, traffic, fatigue management, and staying ahead of the boat on a long passage
Risk management — anticipating what can go wrong and building the habits and margins that keep small issues from becoming emergencies
Who It’s For
This training is for owners and crews making the step up to offshore work — sailors comfortable along the coast who are preparing for a first passage to Bermuda, the Bahamas, or the Caribbean, and crews who want to be genuine assets on a delivery or a race rather than just extra hands.
Training can take place aboard your own vessel, in the conditions and on the systems you'll actually be relying on offshore.
Taught From the Helm, Not a Textbook
Captain Mark has spent 35 years putting these skills to work — eleven roundings of Cape Hatteras and nine Newport–Bermuda Races as captain and navigator. Offshore judgment can't be memorized; it's built through experience and passed on by someone who's been tested in the conditions you're training for.
Start Your Offshore Preparation
Tell us where you're headed and where your crew is starting from, and we'll build a training plan to get you offshore-ready.