One of the main differences between OPCYC and most other Yacht Clubs is the vibrant and ambitious training program called Pointer Maritime University, or "PMU."  The curriculum is geared to appeal to the entire membership with classes for motor and sail skippers, crew and other enthusiasts with a smattering of safety, maintenance, cruising, fishing, boat handling, and even local maritime history.  Basically, if it is boating-related, we do it.  Since we conduct classes on Saturday mornings during the winter and early spring, In a “normal year”, PMU provides our membership a ready-made opportunity to socialize during the off-season.  In fact, we probably see more of each other during PMU events than during the boating season.  PMU has attracted a growing number of attendees - we typically have attendance totaling over 100 different students each year.​ This year’s slate of PMU lectures will be different, driven by the COVID pandemic necessity to minimize the spread of the virus by limiting social gatherings to ten people. Our response to this challenge is to go virtual and host all of our PMU program this year on ZOOM.

Here is just a smattering of major topic areas:

  *  Boating Safety

  *  On-Water Medical Care

  *  Boat Handling Under Sail & Power

  *  Electronics - all the new stuff & how to take care of them

  *  Sail Trim

  *  Taking Care of Your Engine & Transmission

  *  Cruising Experiences

  *  Racing Rules & Racing Tactics

  *  Fishing

  *  Nautical Traditions and History

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We are blessed with highly qualified instructors, some of whom are members, others who are just willing to come in and share their expertise.  And while we do not grant sanctioned course completion ratings, you can't beat the price:  FREE with your club membership.

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We will conduct all of this year’s classes  in person in the clubhouse and virtually using ZOOM online meeting software. All of our classes are planned to be held on Saturday mornings from 0930-1200. The schedule of classes will be posted on the OPCYC calendar. Announcements will be made on the OPCYC Facebook page and broadcast email notifications. Specific details on logging in to the PMU TEAMS meeting will be detailed in emails only.

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Links to former Presentations:

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1 - Tim Etherington's Electrical Slide Deck from  Jan 20, 2024

2 - State of Play NOAA Charts Presentation

3 -  State of Plan Slide Deck (OPD File) (like Powerpoint) 

4 - Sail Trim

5 - Racing Prep

6 - AMH Batteries

7 - Hampton One Design (PowerPoint)

8 - Trans Atlantic Voyage

9 - Trans Atlantic Weather Forecasting