SSCA Launches Monthly Training Webinars for Cruisers
SSCA Launches Monthly Training Webinar Series for Cruisers
Practical Risk Awareness • Real-World Systems Insight • Better Go / No-Go Decisions
Norfolk, VA — January 2026 —
The Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA) has launched a new monthly Zoom Webinar training series supporting fundamentals and introducing members and guests to HAL (Hybrid Applied Layer) — SSCA’s AI-assisted decision-support framework designed to help cruisers interpret conditions more clearly, recognize risk earlier, and make better operational decisions afloat.
The series runs on the last Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM Eastern, beginning January 29, 2026, and continues through June 2026. All sessions are delivered via Zoom Webinar in an observer-friendly format.
What Is HAL?
HAL is not an app or autopilot. It is an AI “buddy” framework that runs inside guided ChatGPT sessions, helping cruisers fuse authoritative data, vessel knowledge, and real-world observations into clearer situational understanding.
HAL is designed to:
- support human judgment, not replace it
- surface risks earlier
- reduce common escalation traps
- improve interpretation of weather, systems, and location-specific information
- Access to HAL tools is provided to SSCA members, though non-members are welcome to attend the training webinars.
HAL Training Modules (Modules 1–5)
Each monthly webinar focuses on a specific HAL training module drawn from SSCA’s Seven Seas University (SSU) curriculum:
Module 1 — Weather Interpretation & Risk Awareness
Understanding weather products, forecast limitations, pattern recognition, and common misreads that lead to poor go/no-go decisions.
Module 2 — Boat Equipment & Failure Pattern Recognition
Using HAL to reason through real-world equipment issues, maintenance risk, and failure escalation — not diagnostics, but decision support.
Module 3 — Rigging & Structural Assessment (Visual Analysis)
Photo-based and observation-based rigging checks, risk triage, and when to escalate to professional inspection.
Module 4 — Port Guides & Cruising Location Intelligence
Applying HAL to SSCA Port Guides, regional knowledge, customs considerations, and on-arrival risk awareness.
Module 5 — Integrated Cruising Scenarios
Combining weather, equipment, and location data into practical decision workflows cruisers face offshore and in port.
Who Should Attend
- Sail and power cruisers
- New-to-you boat owners
- Offshore passage makers
- Coastal cruisers planning longer legs
- Anyone interested in practical, non-hyped AI support tools
- No technical background is required.
Webinar Details
When: January 29, 2026 — 7:00 PM Eastern
Then monthly on the last Thursday through June 25, 2026
Format: Zoom Webinar (observer-only, recorded)
Cost: Free — complimentary to all
HAL tool access reserved for SSCA members
Registration Link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ez-FGBmTTFKsmX1vYWQeiQ
About SSCA
The Seven Seas Cruising Association (SSCA) is an international cruising organization supporting sailors and power cruisers through education, community, and real-world knowledge sharing. SSCA’s Seven Seas University (SSU) provides practical training designed by cruisers, for cruisers. Ssca.org