Our tremendously successful two-day engine seminar with Nigel Calder and Steve Zimmerman will be repeated at TrawlerFest-Bay Bridge Marina on Sept. 27-28 with its unique mix of classroom instruction and hands-on training. The seminar is entitled “Everything You Need To Know About Diesel Engines.”

Well known as an author, Calder is PassageMaker’s technical editor, and Zimmerman writes the magazine’s “Troubleshooter” column. Both men are real-deal cruisers.

Calder is author of six books, including Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual, Marine Diesel Engines, Refrigeration for Pleasureboats, The Cruising Guide to the Northwest Caribbean, and Cuba: A Cruising Guide. Zimmerman, a long-time friend of the magazine, is president of Zimmerman Marine, which operates four boatyards, in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, specializing in repairs, refits and maintenance. He has been repairing and building boats for almost four decades.

Calder himself will lead attendees in electrical troubleshooting using multimeters and training aids that he has developed especially for the class. The program will conclude with a panel discussion and questions from the audience.

Feedback from past Diesel Engine attendees was overwhelmingly positive with this from one of them:

“Nigel was excellent I believe he presented a great deal of information but did not drown us in the unimportant stuff. His presentation seemed to get at the ‘meat’ of the issue directly. Thus, he was able to cover more. He was entertaining and repeated: ‘You can do this’ many times which I found very supportive.

“Steve, your presentation was equally solid. I liked your approach from the prop forward and it was great to hear what shipyards see as the major problems.”

The class is limited to 36 attendees and has almost always sold out.

Most PassageMaker fans know that TrawlerFest is more than a seminar series. The event’s in-water boat show, runs Thursday, Sept. 29 – Saturday, Oct. 1 . Dozens of power cruisers will be open for inspection on the docks and vendors will be on hand to demonstrate products and services.

Smart money goes for our five-day VIP Page, which costs $499 but can amount to a value of more than $1,100. Here’s what it includes:

  • General Admission to all threedays of TrawlerFest’s In-Water Boat Show
  • Unlimited access to seminars (Tuesday-Saturday) (Diesel Engine course and Boat Handling Hands On is NOTavailable as part of the VIP package)
  • Entry for one to Thursday’s Dinner, Raffle & Trivia Night
  • Entry for one to Friday’s Trawlers At Twilight Docktail Party

There is also a three-day VIP package for $399, which provides similar value. For more information, visit www.passagemaker.com and navigate to TrawlerFest>Bay Bridge, or call 443-745-7785.