SATURDAY, JANUARY 18

Pam Wall Bio

Chicago was the town where Pam spent her youth sailing with her family and dreaming of a life filled with adventure aboard a boat. She met Andy Wall shortly after he rounded Cape Horn in a 30 foot timber sloop back in 1967. Their honeymoon was sailing across the Atlantic to Europe and return on this tiny wood sloop with no toilet, no engine, no electronics (not even a radio!) and a one burner kerosene stove plus she slept on the cabin sole -and yet says it was the best time of her life!

Pam and her husband, Andy, later built their own Freya 39 sloop. After taking their two small children around the world for a seven year circumnavigation on their boat, KANDARIK, Pam worked at the West Marine store in Fort Lauderdale for 20 years as Cruising Consultant and Outfitting Manager. KANDARIK is still out there sailing on Biscayne Bay with Pam and her son, Jamie.

Pam not only helps cruisers have the right equipment for blue water sailing, but she is also a source for information on the cruising lifestyle, routes and sailing information, and helping to encourage new cruisers. Her website (www.pamwall.com) has a lot of useful cruising information that is always available. You can reach Pam at pam@pamwall.com for her personalized consulting.

The Basic Systems Of A Well Equipped Sailing Boat

Pam Wall

9:00am

Salon 105

Do you want to see and learn about the kind of equipment above & below deck that can make a cruising sailboat more comfortable, efficient and safe? Pam Wall will take you for a tour on deck and then below to show what she and her husband, Andy, have used to make their boat a safe and more comfortable blue water cruising vessel. All these features were implemented to make their boat easy to sail while being convenient and safe to handle. These ideas came from many years of cruising and making offshore passages. What they have done, by trial and error, you can take advantage of for your boat. There are so many ideas that Pam will give you to upgrade your boating safety and pleasure. This is a seminar not to miss if you are any kind of a sailing boat affectionato.

$120 per person / $200 per couple plus boat show admission

Pre-registration required. (7 hours)

SUNDAY, JANUARY 19

Paul & Sheryl Shard Bio

Paul and Sheryl Shard are international cruising sailors, best-selling authors, award-winning documentary filmmakers, boat builders and the fun-loving hosts of the Distant Shores YouTube Channel and Distant Shores sailing adventure TV series, now in it’s 11th season and broadcast to 47 million homes in 24 languages around the world. This year the Shards celebrate 30 years of cruising and living aboard. They have sailed over 110,000 nautical miles in that time making 9 ocean crossings and have documented their experiences in the Bahamas, Caribbean, Atlantic Islands, Mediterranean, Scandinavia, UK and South America. They are currently sailing their 4th boat, Distant Shores III, a Southerly 480, now in the Bahamas where they are preparing for their upcoming voyage to the islands of the South Pacific. Follow their adventures at www.distantshores.ca.

Cruising as a Retirement Lifestyle

Paul & Sheryl Shard

10:00am

Salon 105

Cruising, whether under power or sail, is a great way to travel and see the world and is an appealing lifestyle for those in retirement. If you are approaching retirement or are already enjoying it and are looking for some more adventure on the water, this 3-hour workshop with long-time cruising sailors, Sheryl and Paul Shard, is a great opportunity for you, or you and a partner, to learn what’s involved. With 30 years of cruising experience, the Shards will help you prepare for both local part-time cruising or long-term live aboard cruising to foreign ports around the globe. Topics covered include suitable boats and how to equip them, how to stay in touch with family while traveling, route planning, health and wellness, insurance, costs, whether or not to keep a home base, downsizing, the pros and cons of participating in rallies, and more...

$75 per person / $135 per couple plus boat show admission

Pre-registration required. (3 hours)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 25

Wally Moran Bio

Wally Moran has been sailing south and avoiding the snow and cold for nearly twenty years and is regarded as one of cruising's top ICW experts. He writes for Cruising World, was a Cruising Editor for Waterway Guide for twelve years and been published in many major boating magazines. He also blogs to a large audience at www.bloggingtheICW.blogspot.com.

Thousands of people trust in Wally's expert advice and guidance to head south. He runs the Sail to the Sun ICW Rally, safely bringing 30 to 40 new cruisers south from Virginia to Miami every fall in an event often referred to as "a two month floating party" and will have just completed his sixth rally prior to the Toronto International Boat Show. (www.sailtothesun.com)

For those wanting even more, Wally's book, 'The Un-Adult A-Rated Wally', a rollicking review of cruising and exploring the world by sail, is available at https://www.seaworthy.com.

The Intracoastal Waterway - An Expert's Guide to Sailing South on the ICW Safely and Enjoyably

Wally Moran

10:00am

Salon 105

When both new or experienced cruisers want information about the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) they contact Wally Moran. A veteran of more than 35 trips on this fabled waterway, he has written and blogged extensively about it. He's learned how to make this part of the journey south safe, comfortable and even fun, turning it in to the kind of trip everyone wants to experience.

As one of the Toronto International Boat Show's most popular speakers for twelve years now, he has helped thousands of boaters attending his seminars to learn how to travel south safely and enjoyably. This four hour ICW seminar is a complete and in-depth discussion on every aspect of the trip south from the Great Lakes - the distillation of thousands of cruising hours between Georgian Bay to Bahamas and Cuba. Having just finished his 37th trip on the ICW, you'll receive the most up to date information available. If you want to learn about cruising south safely, comfortably and enjoyably - this seminar presents the details you need to know.

$68 seminar fee plus boat show admission.

Pre-registration required. (4 hours)