United States Power Squadrons®

Come for the Boating Education…Stay for the Friends℠

Lockport Sail and Power Squadron

Vessel Safety Checks: With millions of boats on the waterways each
year,  it is imperative to minimize the loss of life, personal injury, property damage and environmental impact, while maximizing the safe use and enjoyment of U.S. waterways by recreational boaters.  The Vessel Safety Check process is one of “prevention through education, outreach and volunteer compliance” helping recreational boaters to gain a respect for the boating environment.

The VSC Program also helps to achieve voluntary compliance with federal and state recreational boating safety laws, particularly with regard to the carriage of safety equipment while raising boater awareness about safety and environmental issues through voluntary contact by a Vessel Examiner (VE). VE discussions with recreational boaters are designed to motivate maintaining and operating their boats in a safe manner, taking boating safety courses to increase their knowledge and skills in boating, and promoting safe boating. Read more about the program by clicking here.

To get a Vessel Safety Check for your boat: Visit the USPS web site to locate a Vessel Examiner to conduct a free inspection or Contact Lockport Sail & Power Squadron member Clark Godshall at 716-523-1730 or cgodshall@onboces.org

Cooperative Charting: NOAA and USPS have worked together for over 40-years in a program called Cooperative Charting. Under the program, USPS members submit reports to NOAA on the condition of nautical charts, geodetic control points, and the adequacy of tide and current predictions. NOAA uses this information to update its suite of 1000 nautical charts and the U.S. Coast Pilot.

One of the cornerstones of the Cooperative Charting Program is the “Adopt a Chart” program. Under this activity, local squadrons take ownership of selected NOAA nautical charts in their area. Each year, USPS members inspect their adopted chart for discrepancies and file reports with NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey. After a specified number of reports have been submitted, a written acknowledgement of a particular squadron's work is published on new editions of charts. Power Squadrons throughout the country have adopted over 125 NOS nautical charts.

NOAA and USPS have recently entered a new era in Cooperative Charting. NOAA computer programmers have worked closely with members of the Power Squadrons to develop a web based data entry system called CCWEB (Coop Charting Web). USPS members now have the ability to report all Cooperative Charting activities through this system. CCWEB has drastically increased the ease in which reports can be submitted to NOAA. In addition, the data arrives in a standard format, making it more readily usable by Coast Survey cartographers. For questions about co-op charting, contact P/C Clark Godshall at cgodshall@onboces.org

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