Education and Speaking Schedule
A Note from Brion:
Here’s an idea for the fundraisers-for-worthy-causes crowd:
- Bring me to your venue for a workshop.
- Charge people to attend.
- Pay my travel expenses only, and put the rest to work for that cause.
- The workshop could be two hours in the evening, or a half-day during the day – whatever we can work out.
- Your local sailors pick up some useful rigging skills, your organization brings in much more than they might otherwise, and I get to feel like I’m making a difference.
If you are interested, leave a message... 360.385.1080 or write ... office@briontoss.com
Fair Leads, Brion Toss
- The BTYR message board for yacht riggers - experienced and those needing some tips and assistance. The best resource for up-to-date help in rigging questions! This is a great place to post questions to Brion, as he monitors this site, or click on Consultation above.
- Each month we devise another question to test your rigging skills. Monthly drawings from winners for a prize!
Double Braid Eye Splice How-to Instructions (PDF) - click here.
- Lifted from Brion's series Working Rope - Field Guides for Rigging - book 5 Basic Rope Splices
Recommended Reading List - click here.
- Rigging is more about information than about wire and rope....
Recommended Links - click here.
- We get to work with some really great people who are doing great things with rope and wire...
...Click here for FAQ's - Workshop
*January 2011
SEATTLE BOAT SHOW
- Seattle Boat Show University
- Advance Seminar Series
- January 21- 30, 2011
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*March 2011
SPRING BOATING SYMPOSIUM
NorthWest Maritime Center - Port Townsend.
- March 18 - 20, 2011
- Brion's Rigging Loft
- Port Townsend
Brion's Presentationsat the
Spring Boating Symposium
Sailing Your Rig
Making the Most of What Your Rig Has to Offer
3:45 pm - 5 pm Saturday, 19 March
Maritime Meeting Room - Yellow Building, 2nd floor Every rig comprises a set of valuable, elegant tools – blocks, traveler, halyards, sheets, standing rigging, etc. Sailing well entails making the best use of these tools, and that involves understanding the tools themselves, and the forces they deal with.
Did you know that the Cunningham, devised as a racing cheat, is the lazy cruiser’s best friend? That about a quarter of the mainsheet load is expressed horizontally? That a two-part halyard reduces halyard stretch and mast compression, as well as the cost of winches? That you might only think that you have a main topping lift?Rigger Brion Toss will discuss these details in Sailing Your Rig, as well as things like How Cleats Can Kill You, Why Some Preventers Don’t, Furlers vs the Foredeck, Dodgers vs Everything, and much more. You’ll learn about layout, loads, parts selection, and maintenance, so you can put to better use all the great sail trim advice you’ll be getting from Hasse.
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Handwork for the Modern Sailor
Substituting Skills for Hardware in Modern and Traditional Rigs
8:30 am- 10:15 am Saturday, 19 March
Audio Visual Room - Red Building, 2nd Floor
Lashings, seizings and grommets – they’re not just for ye olde rigs anymore. Modern materials like Spectra and Vectran have brought marlingspike skills into the new age. We will get you started on fabricating block attachments, standing rigging, emergency gear, race boat gear, and much more!
Jury Rigging Panel
Chuck Hawley moderates a discussion between the audience and
Brion Toss , Mark Schrader, Steve D'Antonio, Chris Brignoli
.A Valuable Discussion for All Sailors When the What-if Happens
10:15 am- 11:30 am Sunday, 20 March
Maritime Meeting Room - Yellow Building, 2nd floor
Note - this is the morning after report - WOW ! We will do this again - watch for the announcement ! What a weekend at our NW Maritime Center - Spring Sailing Symposium. Great workshops and the weekend ended on with a really upbeat panel discussion "Jury Rigging and Damage Control " moderated by Chuck Hawley - with Brion ,Lin and Larry Pardey, Marc Shrader of Ocean Watch , Steve D'Antonio, and Chris Bugnoli. Even the presenters made time to listen in on other presentations during the loaded weekend agenda - The Symposium was a great success Hope you can be here next year!
RIG YOUR BOAT - A Weekend Workshop in the particulars of Sail Boat Rigging
- Brion's Rigging Loft
- Port Townsend
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>To read the class description - scroll down to the October listing for Rig Your Boat Workshop
Workshop Fee $450.
Weekend Discount on Tools and DVDs.
Order your Offshore Rig Repair Kit.
*April 2011
ALL DAY TUNING CLINIC - Sold Out -
- Saturday, April 9
Puget Sound Cruising Club Clinic
Shilshole Marina, Seattle contact - Judy Nasmith 206-963-3560
Tuning Your Rig
In this seminar Brion will show how the design of a sailing rig is intimately tied, so to speak, to how it is tuned. He'll cover distribution of load, safety factors, rig configuration, and other basics of design, and then see how and why the design can be optimized by appropriate standing rig tensions and mast shape(s), and how all this interrelates with sail trim.
The afternoon program is hands on - tuning the rig on a . With a firm understanding of these ideas, any sailor will be able to make fuller, better use of a sailboat's rig
STRICTLY SAIL
- April 14- 17 2011
The Only All Sail Show on the West Coast.
Jack London Square
Oakland, California
Brion's Seminars at Strictly Sail
Running Rigging - More Power to You
Thursday - April 14 - 3:30 pm
Location - Regatta 1
The right rope in your hand and in your rig makes a difference in performance.
Construction, temperment and selection of that huge wall of rope - demystified.
Sailing Your Rig
Friday - April 15 - 2:15 pm
Location - Regatta 1
Sailing Your Rig
Saturday - April 16 - 3:30 pm
Location - Windward Room
Make your boat easier, faster, more comfortable, and safer to sail, using gear that you already have aboard, or which you can install quickly and cheaply. Does that sound like a good idea? If so, come hear rigger Brion Toss talk about how to make the best use of turnbuckles, travelers, winches, halyards, and all the other tools that make up a sailboat rig. If you ’ve ever wanted to get a grasp on the principles of tuning, or how to reef more easily (and less often), or how to improve helm balance – how to sail your rig better – this is the seminar for you.
Brion's Hands-On Talks
at The DIY TENTat Strictly Sail
To sign up for the following talks- go to www.DIY-Boat.com
Inspecting Your Standing Rigging
9 am to 11 am - Saturday, April 16
DIY Tent - Marketplace Building, Room c
Brion will walk you through how to inspect your standing rigging, including live examples of how to spot signs of stress and wear.
Bonus: participants will also learn about the latest developments in synthetic rigging, which replaces steel with ultra-strong line, from John Colligo of Colligo Marine and his line of Spectra standing rigging, "Dynex Dux".
The cost is $45. All participants receive a one-day ticket to the boat show, a gift bag, an ebook on the subject.
Inspect Your Running Rigging
DIY Tent - Marketplace Building, Room c.9 a.m. to 11 a.m. - Sunday, April 17
Halyards, sheets and other aspects of running rigging, including inspection and common points of wear, repairs, replacement and best practices.The class will include live examples and demonstrations.
The cost is $45 and all participants receive a one-day > ticket to the boat show, a gift bag, an ebook on the subject matter and the chance to win free gear in the DIY raffle.
RACE YOU RIG - a Rigging Clinic for Racers
Proceeds to Benefit - Sail for the Cure - Susan Komen for the Cure
- Saturday, April 30
Columbia Crossing Yacht Club
Portland, Oregon
Presented by Oregon Women's Sailing Association - for tickets contact http://owsa.net/
Race Your Rig
Basic Tuning & Tweaking for Optimum Performance
Every rig comprises a set of valuable, elegant tools - blocks, traveler, halyards, sheets, standing rigging, etc. Sailing well intails making the best use of these tools, and that involves understanding the tools themselves, and the forces they deal with.Did you know that the Cunningham, devised as a racing cheat, is the lazy cruiser’s best friend? That about a quarter of the mainsheet load is expressed horizontally? That a two-part halyard reduces halyard stretch and mast compression, as well as the cost of winches? That you might only think that you have a main topping lift? Rigger Brion Toss will discuss these details in Race Your Rig, as well as things like How Cleats Can Kill You, Why Some Preventers Don’t, Furlers vs the Foredeck, Dodgers vs Everything, and much more.
A Seminar to raise funds for the Susan Komen for the Cure
Come Join Brion and the Oregon Women's Sailing Association of Portland
Make this a Great turnout! Pass the Word!
Comment from one of our workshop students:
Race your Rig - a Seminar for Women Sailor
Wonderful presentation and my head is spinning with maximum information. I know I will need to come to several seminars to be at least a bit competent at doing my own rigging. Thank you to you and Brion for giving a wonderful seminar on short notice. Barbara
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* May 2011
TIMBER FRAMERS GUILD CONFERENCE
May 12-15
Fort Worden click for sign up link
Port Townsend, WA
Brion's Presentations at the Timber Framers Guild ConventionKing of the Load
Crane Signals for Safe Precise Work
Thursday, May 12
noon at the loading dock out back of Building 204
The crane signaller is an extension of the crane, someone close enough to the action to be able to steer the load with precision. This entails much more than just pointing at where you want the load to go; a good signaller will understand the crane’s strengths and limitations, the weight and nature of the load, the amount of reserve strength in every component, the topography of the area that the load is being moved over, the disposition and abilities of other crewmembers, the effect of things like wind and temperature, and much, much more.The ideal signaller, then, is an engineer and a manager, working with the crane driver to assure that the work is done efficiently and safely. The signals themselves are the last and least important factor.
For this Guild workshop, we will spend some time in the classroom, working with models and samples of gear, but we’ll also get out into the field, so you can take responsibility for moving some actual Large Heavy Objects, with an actual crane.
Principals and Particulars of Industrial Rigging
Friday, May 13
A short course in safetly picking up heavy objects and moving them around - Masts are often built of tree trunks - we have picked quite a few....and lived to tell some tales. Come join the conversation.
Building 204 - Classroom !
SPAR AND RIGGING INSPECTION INTENSIVE TRAINING COURSE
US Coast Guard Marine Inspectors & Professional Sailors
May 23 - 27
New London, Connecticut
Spar and Rigging Inspection Intensive Training Course for
US Coast Guard Marine Inspectors
Instructors: Brion Toss and John Koon
To Register please contact rigging@briontoss.com
To read class description - scroll to June workshop date.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>*June 2011
SPAR AND RIGGING INSPECTION INTENSIVE TRAINING COURSE
for US Coast Guard Marine Inspectors & Professional Sailors
- June 6 - 10
School of Sailing and Seamanship, Orange Coast College
Newport Beach, California
Spar and Rigging Inspection Intensive Training Course for
US Coast Guard Marine Inspectors
Instructors: Brion Toss and John Koon
Class Description
Comprehensive training in sail rigging dynamics, inspection and management for USCG inspectors and professional mariners. Five full days of classroom and hands-on training. Hosted by Orange Coast College and instructed by John Koon and Brion Toss.
Course SynopsisUnderstanding the nature and mechanics of sail/rigging systems is essential to the task of conducting meaningful inspection work aboard USCG inspected or privately owned sailing vessels. This intensive 40 hour course has been developed to provide Marine Inspectors and Professional Mariners with the skills required to effectively inspect and manage sail/rigging systems aboard traditional or contemporary sailing vessels.
To Register please contact rigging@briontoss.com
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>*September 2011
RIG YOUR BOAT - A Weekend Workshop in the Particulars of Sail Boat Rigging
- Brion's Rigging Loft
Port Townsend
September 24 & 25 - 7 spaces left as of March 29 Brion's Loft - September Port Townsend < click to sign up
see class description below...
*October 2011
Aloft Ladies - A Weekend Workshop for Women Sailors
- Brion's Rigging Loft
Port Townsend
October 1 & 2
This is a weekend just for you - in the company of other women sailors. We hope to get everyone comfortable, competent and most critically - safe aboard any boat. It is a powerful peace of mind one acquires when you understand how to reeve blocks to advantage and that the winches are strong,maintained and well thought out in the deck set-up. You will know because you did it yourself. This experience will give you the upper hand and the extra power to move mountains - or the boat through a mountain of seas. Women are often the one sent aloft - do you know how to get around up there - on your own, get your tools up with you, or how to get the problem fixed? You will know better after this class.
- Working Aloft
- Rig to your Advantage and Safety
- Winch Maintenance
- Knots and Double-Braid Splicing
Workshop Fee $450
Returning students $400
limited to 10 women
Weekend Discount on Tools and DVDs.
Order your Offshore Rig Repair Kit.
RIG YOUR BOAT - A Weekend Workshop in the Particulars of Sail Boat Rigging
- Brion's Rigging Loft
- Port Townsend
- October 22 & 23 - Brion's Loft - October Port Townsend < click to sign up
Rig Your Boat
The purpose of this workshop is to show you how to "get into your rig". This will involve, among other things, getting you into a climbing harness to practice professional-grade aloft protocols, learning the niceties of deck layout, getting your hands on all sorts of tools, and practicing techniques that make them work in challenging situations! You will learn braided rope splicing, tips on tuning, how to select the correct hardware, standing rigging, and running rigging through load calculations. Also the basics of managing rig installation, and much more.
You will work hands-on to get the details , the skills and ideas needed to put a fully functional rig in your boat. Get hands-on experience
with drills, taps, rivets, tuning gauges, deck hardware, and more. Plus basic information on component sizing and arrangement.
ALSO, basic splicing, Stalok installation, rig layout and design/load considerations.Bring your rig specifications, sail and rig plan, calculator and ideas. Bring your boat too!
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Notes: have you read Brion's book - The Rigger's Apprentice? You might want to zip through it before the workshop. He will be working out the math for your boat with you in class...but it does help to have a read through first. We have it - of course - and can send it to you now ...
or your library will probably have it.
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Are you bringing your boat? If you need moorage - call the port of Port Townsend 385.2828 and mention that you are in Brion's class for best rates. .
Workshop Fee $450.
Weekend Discount on Tools and DVDs.
Order your Offshore Rig Repair Kit.
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A letter from one of our workshop students: .
Tuesday, September 28, 2010 10:43 AM
To: Director, BTYR
Subject: Rigging Workshop.
Christian,
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Thanks to you and especially Brion for the workshop. I learned a lot!!
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I didn't get a chance to fill out our comment sheet - so I will try to here.
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I expected to get out, and did, a better understanding of the rigging on our boat. This was a main thrust (I think) of the workshop. I will look with a better educated eye at rigging from now on.
I got a lot of questions answered - and even a few that I was never even considering!
The workshop was a complete success.
Everything was excellent. Brion's manner in presentation was engaging and his approach to questions and patience with them and the many comments and "helpful" suggestions on topics that we sometimes offered...
What I liked best about the workshop was the rapid fire exchange of information. I like to be challenged when I attend these. The give and take was good. There was not a lot of time wasted on explanations etc. Brion read us very well and kept stuff from becoming too boring....
I enjoyed the weekend. There is much to do on our boat - and I will be contacting you for help.
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Thanks again to Brion, Sean and you Christian.
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Blair Fraser
White Rock, Canada.
Would you like to bring Brion to be a speaker at your Sailing Club? or Fund Raiser? 360.385.1080 office@briontoss.com