Seattle, WA   December ,				Number 19
					New Navigation Foundation Newsletter editor David Burch, director of Starpath School of Navigation, has been named the new editor of the quarterly newsletter of the Foundation for the Promotion of the Art of Navigation. The next issue will be mailed to members on about June 20th. Please look over the Foundation goals and virtues of taking part including the large discounts available to members. A new online index of past newsletters is also now available.
	Online map can be panned and zoomed to any place in the world.				New Vessel Tracking Program We are now working with our friends at Global Marine Networks and Ocens to provide live vessel tracking for several vessels we are involved with, including our own training vessel F/V AimeeO as we travel north along the Inside Passage to Alaska. You can read about the tracking and see some in action at this preliminary note on the tracking system.
					OAR Northwest Seminar OAR Northwest—the only entry into the TransAtlantic Rowing Race, and our neighbors here in Ballard—will be giving a public seminar in Port Townsend, WA on Friday Apr 7 at 7:30PM. More info will be available soon. See Ocean Adventure Racing Northwest
	Digital Marine Barometer				Digital Barometer Discount Special Discount! We offer this instrument at a special discount. We do this to encourage mariner's to experience the benefits of an accurate barometer, even though they may already have a barometer on the boat.
					Chapman School of Seamanship Celestial Courses. If you are looking for a Celestial Navigation course and can travel to Stuart, Florida, Chapman School of Seamanship offers a fine Celestial course. The course is taught by Steve Miller who also is a moderator in the Starpath Celestial Course Online. Chapman's course uses the Starpath Celestial Course materials. They cover traditional methods as well as StarPilot calculator solutions, with calculators provided. They also have dormitories and moorage for out of town visitors. Click here for more details. Their courses are also listed in our calendar. They have a class at the end of Feb, and the next one is scheduled for Oct (see Starpath Calendar). If these dates do not work for you, they can schedule other courses provided they have a minimum of 3 students.
	top is sunday over seattle area, bottom is low just offshore friday night.				Heads up for a good barometer check We expect pressues in the low 990s sat (2/4/06) rising in the next 30 hours or so to some 1030 mb. This will bring sustained winds of some 40 kts to the seattle area at the lowest pressures (Low that should just miss us to the north should be about 980 mb as it goes by) -- bad news for sailing, but a gold mine for barometer calibration. Just start as soon as you can, recording the reading of your instrument every hour or two (time and pressure) and then after the pressure is back up, go to the West Point website to get a precise record of the real pressures to compare with what you measured on your instrument.
	FV Aimme O, our training vessel				On board Nav Course still open As of Feb 8, we still have room for 3 students on the second leg of our Navigation Training trip to Alaska (N2)—the first trip (N1) is full. The available trip is 8 days underway from Ketchikan to Petersburg AK, around the west side of Prince of Wales Island. A remarkable route though some of the most famous narrows in SE Alaska. See On board Nav course.
	Just one of a large fleet of training vessels				Looking for a career at sea? We are surprised that this opportunity is not better known... in these days of a difficult job market, for any age or any background...anyone who might like a good job and the adventure of a life at sea. This is an opportunity for all ages, men and women. Our neighbors here in Ballard, the Seattle Maritime Academy (a division of the Seattle Central Community College), offer two very specific job oriented programs, on deck (AB Special) or in the engine room (QMED). Each are only one year long, 9 months of classroom and local training and 2 or 3 months at sea, with a total cost of about $6,000 (Financial Aid is available through SCCC). At the end of this program students are essentially guaranteed a job, starting at about $50,000 per year. They have a wonderful campus with state of the art equipment, right on the water at the Ballard Bridge, and those enrolled in the program also receive all the benefits of being an SCCC student as well. We cannot think of many vocations where you can start from scratch and in one year be off on a new career with an actual paying job. If you or anyone you know might be interested, check out Seattle Maritime Academy and contact Bill Zazzo, Director. They have excellent instructors and they care about all of their students.
					Windows 98, Gone in June After a long protracted period of saying goodbye, with announced final dates, only to be extended, Microsoft has announced that the last days of Windows 98. After June, 2006 they will not support the product and no longer consider it an operating system. The main effect will be no more updates for the monthly discovery of new security leaks. Hence to continue using it beyond that date will leave your computer vulnerable to viruses, hackers, spammers, and other *##-!%$@ perpetrators of mindless computer invasions. Win ME is leaves with Win 98 as well.
					Bluewater Sailing Goes Electronic Bluewater Sailing Magazine, the authority on offshore sailing, voyaging and world cruising, is now available in a convenient electronic format. For $29.95 you receive 12 issues—exact reproductions, cover to cover, of the printed edition—starting with the current issue at the time of purchase. Save 53% off of the US Newsstand price and receive your issue by download from any computer connected to the Internet at any location.
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