The Basics: Rules of the Road, Aids to Navigation, Safety Equipment, and more. These courses meet and exceed NASBLA requirements and meet Washington State's new mandatory "Boater Education" law.

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The Squadron Boating Course and Boat Smart , America's Boating Course courses are our primary civic efforts toward public instruction in the fundamentals of safe boating.  Both courses are designed to familiarize the student with the fundamentals of safe boating and qualify for certification in most states that require boating education before operating a watercraft.  Subjects include:

• Boat handling under normal conditions
• Adverse conditions and emergencies
• Types of boats and boating terminology
• Required and recommended equipment
• Boating regulations and navigation rules
• Lines and knots
• Charts and aids to navigation
• Piloting techniques (in Boating only)
• Marine radiotelephone usage
• Trailer boating

Click on the above hyber links to learn more about the basics.

Building on the basics learned in Boating, Seamanship is an important foundation for other "advanced grade" courses.  The student learns -
 

SEAMANSHIP - 2 Modules

Chart Smart, 2002 Edition

In addition to The Squadron Boating Course and Boat Smart course, the Chart Smart seminar is also provided as a civic program.   Chart Smart is intended for all USPS Boat Smart and ABC course graduates who are interested in information on compasses, charts, and plotting courses.  The only revision for Chart Smart 2002 is the introduction of Using Digital Charts.  The 2002 student manuals come with an Addendum and a CD-ROM, which includes the Maptech Chart Navigator software, a sampling of digital charts and maps across the country and digital versions of the Bowditch Bay and 1210Tr practice charts. Chart Smart subjects extracted from The Squadron Boating Course include: (25 Nov 05)

• Mariner's Compass
• Charts
• Aids to Navigation
• Plotting a Course
• Distance, Speed, Time
• Determining Position
• Digital Charts and Waypoint Navigation

PILOTING COURSE

The Piloting course is the first in the sequence of USPS courses on navigation, covering the basics of coastal and inland navigation.  This all-new course focuses on navigation as it is done on recreational boats today and embraces GPS as a primary navigation tool while covering enough of traditional techniques so the student will be able to find his/her way even if their GPS fails.  The course includes many in-class exercises, developing the student’s skills through hands-on practice and learning.  Topics covered include:

• Charts and their interpretation
• Navigation aids and how they point to safe water
• Plotting courses and determining direction and distance
• The mariner’s compass and converting  between True and Magnetic
• Use of GPS – typical GPS displays and information they provide, setting up waypoints and routes, staying on a GPS route.
• Pre-planning safe courses and entering them into the GPS
• Monitoring progress and determining position by both GPS and traditional techniques such as bearings and dead reckoning
• The “Seaman’s Eye” – simple skills for checking that one is on course.

ADVANCED PILOTING COURSE

This all-new course continues to build coastal and inland navigation skill, allowing the student to take on more challenging conditions – unfamiliar waters, limited visibility, and extended cruises.  GPS is embraced as a primary navigation tool while adding radar, chartplotters, and other electronic navigation tools.  As with Piloting, the course includes many in-class exercises, advancing the student’s skills through hands-on practice and learning.   Topics covered include:

• Review of skills learned in Piloting
• Advanced positioning techniques such as advancing a line of position
• Other electronics:  radar, depth sounders, autopilots, chartplotters, laptop computer software, etc.
• Hazard avoidance techniques using electronics (e.g., “keep out” zones in GPS)
• Collision avoidance using radar and GPS
• Working with tides: clearances, depth, effects of current
• Piloting with wind and currents
• The “Seaman’s Eye” – simple skills for checking that one is on course

Celestial Navigation:

JUNIOR NAVIGATION COURSE DESCRIPTION

Junior Navigation is the first in a two-part program of study in offshore navigation.  It is designed as a practical "how to" course.  Subject matter includes -

• Precise time determination
• Use of the Nautical Almanac
• Taking sextant sights of the sun, moon, planets and stars
• Reducing sights to establish lines of position
• Special charts and plotting sheets for offshore navigation
• Offshore navigational routines for recreational craft

NAVIGATION COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is the second part of the study of offshore navigation, further developing the student's understanding of celestial navigation theory.  The course covers -

• Additional sight-reduction techniques
• Honing skills in sight taking and positioning
• Orderly methods for the navigator's day's work at sea
• Navigating with minimal resources, as in a lifeboat

AND

Courses in GPS, Radar, Radio Procedures, knot tying, engine and power plant maintenance, predicting the weather from your boat, voyage planning, and more.

Link to United States Power Squadrons National Educational Department

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