Welcome!

Anna Maria Island Sail & Power Squadron®, dba America's Boating Club® for the Bradenton Area, can help you LEARN safe boating skills, ENGAGE in fun boating activities, and CONNECT with the local and regional boating community.

Since 1958, our Club has been helping the general public and our members Learn how to boat safely. For the general public, we do this mainly through two activities:

America's Boating Course

This course, taught by experienced mariners, takes beginners and intermediates through everything they need to know to be safer, more confident boaters. This course covers required and recommended safety equipment and how to use it; docking, anchoring, maneuvering power vessels (including a Personal Water Craft, like a Jet Ski®), sailboats, and paddle craft; the "Rules of the Road" for safe navigation on the water; how to recognize vessel types by their navigation lights, federal and Florida requirements for registration and operation of vessels, and so much more. Completers of ABC will receive the Florida Boater Safety Education Identification Card which is proof of safety training and is required for anyone born after January 1, 1988 to operate a motor vessel of 10 HP or greater within Florida waters.

Vessel Safety Checks

Our corps of Qualified Vessel Examiners will come to you to provide a voluntary and free inspection of your vessel(s) to ensure you are in compliance with Florida and federal law and to provide one-to-one consultative education about other equipment you should have on board to ensure safety and comfort of you and your passengers. Vessels that pass a VSC receive a decal each calendar year to display on their port side, so all maritime law enforcement personnel can easily recognize those boaters who had the interest to ensure that their vessel complies with the laws and regulations.

We also have a world of educational opportunities from one-topic seminars, such as knot tying or charting, to advanced courses in navigation (up to and including celestial navigation), weather forecasting, and marine mechanics.