Stamford Power Squadron

Stamford Sail and Power Squadron

Stamford, Connecticut
A unit of District 2 of the United States Power Squadrons®

Education Course Descriptions

The core of the Stamford Sail and Power Squadron's activities is our education program. It provides knowledge about boating and boat safety that everyone needs for safe boating. Even non boat owners can benefit from many courses when they are passengers on someone else’s boat.

Enjoyment of a boating outing is enhanced by knowing what landmarks are visible, buoy or aids to navigation recognition, marine chart understanding, and course & speed of the boat. Also important is sufficient knowledge of boat operation and safety factors in case of emergency or boat captain incapacity.

Every year the Squadron offers to members, depending on demand, the courses listed below. These courses require passing an exam to obtain advancement in grade or a certificate of completion:

Seamanship (S) A recommended first course for new members, it expands on the basics taught in the USPS Boating Course. Subjects covered are: Practical marlinspike, navigation rules, hull design & performance, boat care, skipper responsibilities, boat operation under normal & abnormal conditions, Emergency procedures, nautical customs, and common courtesy on the water.

Piloting (P) Beginning course covering inland and coastal navigation. Teaches how to determine movements on the water, location, and plotting a course to a destination. Includes a study of charts, aids to navigation, mariner’s compass, variation & deviation, bearings, dead reckoning, plotting & labeling.

Advanced Piloting (AP)
Continues the study of inland & coastal navigation with more advanced positioning techniques. Introduces tides & currents and their impact on piloting. Takes students on a simulated cruise of Buzzards Bay. Covers simple use of the marine sextant and electronic navigation systems, Loran & GPS. Prerequisites: Seamanship and Piloting

Junior Navigation
First of a 2 part study covering offshore (open ocean) navigation. Designed as a practical ‘how to’ course leaving the theoretical & advanced techniques to the second course (Navigation). Includes concepts of celestial navigation; use of mariner’s sextant to take sights of sun, moon, planets, and stars; accurate time determination; use of nautical almanac; reduction of sights to determine lines of position (LOP’s); and use of special charts, plotting sheets, and other data for offshore positioning and passage planning. Prerequisites: Seamanship, Piloting & Advanced Piloting

Navigation
Offshore navigation-2^nd part. Further develops understanding of celestial navigation theory & shortcut to emergency methods. Additional sight reduction techniques and greater skill in sight taking, positioning, & daily duties of a navigator at sea. Emphasizes navigation using minimal data or equipment on a disabled vessel or lifeboat. Prerequisites: Seamanship, Piloting, Advanced Piloting & junior Navigation

Elective Courses

Cruise Planning Preparation for a cruise of a day, week, month or longer using information provided by those who have been there. Topics included are: planning and financing the voyage, equipping the boat, crew selection, provisioning, navigation planning, weather, communications, entering & clearing foreign or domestic ports, anchoring, emergencies afloat, medical emergencies, and security.

Engine Maintenance Covers construction, operating principles, maintenance & repair of marine gasoline and diesel engines, cooling, electrical, fuel, lubricating systems, and propulsion components: clutches, shafting and propellers. Course helps the student become more self-reliant afloat. Trouble diagnosis, temporary remedies, and safety measures are emphasized.

Instructor Qualification Develops practical skills & methods for classroom & meeting presentations. Use of visual aids. Includes practice sessions in preparation & delivery of teaching presentations. A must course for members interested in teaching Power Squadron Courses.

Marine Electronics Essentials of a boat’s electrical & electronic systems. Proper wiring, grounding, electrolysis control, batteries & their maintenance are covered. Depth finders, marine radio telephones, radar, loran, GPS and other boat electronics are included.

Sail Taught in two modules: Sail 101 & Sail 102. Teaches terminology of sailing, types of hulls, rigs, sail plans, running & standing rigging along with their adjustment & tuning, and sailboat marlinspike. Dynamics of sailing including: hull and water forces caused by winds; forces versus balance; points of sail; sail handling & trimming; sailing under various wind conditions from light air to storm survival; and emergency techniques unique to sailing.

Weather Understanding weather phenomena and development of weather systems. Reading weather maps and sky conditions to anticipate weather. Includes: characteristics and structure of the atmosphere, basic causes of weather and movement of weather systems over the earth, and other factors necessary for weather forecasting. Predicting weather changes thru use of instruments for temperature, air pressure, humidity, and wind velocity & direction; and observations of cloud sequences, air masses, fronts, storms and fog. Practice in prediction of national & local weather using principles learned in the course.

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Safe Boating Course

Education Course Descriptions The core of the Stamford Sail and Power Squadron's activities is our education program. It provides knowledge about boating and boat safety that everyone needs for safe boating. Even non boat owners can benefit from many courses when they are passengers on someone else’s boat. Enjoyment of a boating outing is enhanced by knowing what landmarks are visible, buoy or aids to navigation recognition, marine chart understanding, and course & speed of the boat. Also important is sufficient knowledge of boat operation and safety factors in case of emergency or boat captain incapacity. Every year the Squadron offers to members, depending on demand, the courses listed below. These courses require passing an exam to obtain advancement in grade or a certificate of completion:
Seamanship (S)	A recommended first course for new members, it expands on the basics taught in the USPS Boating Course. Subjects covered are: Practical marlinspike, navigation rules, hull design & performance, boat care, skipper responsibilities, boat operation under normal & abnormal conditions, Emergency procedures, nautical customs, and common courtesy on the water.
Piloting (P)	Beginning course covering inland and coastal navigation. Teaches how to determine movements on the water, location, and plotting a course to a destination. Includes a study of charts, aids to navigation, mariner’s compass, variation & deviation, bearings, dead reckoning, plotting & labeling.
Advanced Piloting (AP)	Continues the study of inland & coastal navigation with more advanced positioning techniques. Introduces tides & currents and their impact on piloting. Takes students on a simulated cruise of Buzzards Bay. Covers simple use of the marine sextant and electronic navigation systems, Loran & GPS. Prerequisites: Seamanship and Piloting
Junior Navigation	First of a 2 part study covering offshore (open ocean) navigation. Designed as a practical ‘how to’ course leaving the theoretical & advanced techniques to the second course (Navigation). Includes concepts of celestial navigation; use of mariner’s sextant to take sights of sun, moon, planets, and stars; accurate time determination; use of nautical almanac; reduction of sights to determine lines of position (LOP’s); and use of special charts, plotting sheets, and other data for offshore positioning and passage planning. Prerequisites: Seamanship, Piloting & Advanced Piloting
Navigation	Offshore navigation-2^nd part. Further develops understanding of celestial navigation theory & shortcut to emergency methods. Additional sight reduction techniques and greater skill in sight taking, positioning, & daily duties of a navigator at sea. Emphasizes navigation using minimal data or equipment on a disabled vessel or lifeboat. Prerequisites: Seamanship, Piloting, Advanced Piloting & junior Navigation
	Elective Courses
Cruise Planning	Preparation for a cruise of a day, week, month or longer using information provided by those who have been there. Topics included are: planning and financing the voyage, equipping the boat, crew selection, provisioning, navigation planning, weather, communications, entering & clearing foreign or domestic ports, anchoring, emergencies afloat, medical emergencies, and security.
Engine Maintenance	Covers construction, operating principles, maintenance & repair of marine gasoline and diesel engines, cooling, electrical, fuel, lubricating systems, and propulsion components: clutches, shafting and propellers. Course helps the student become more self-reliant afloat. Trouble diagnosis, temporary remedies, and safety measures are emphasized.
Instructor Qualification	Develops practical skills & methods for classroom & meeting presentations. Use of visual aids. Includes practice sessions in preparation & delivery of teaching presentations. A must course for members interested in teaching Power Squadron Courses.
Marine Electronics	Essentials of a boat’s electrical & electronic systems. Proper wiring, grounding, electrolysis control, batteries & their maintenance are covered. Depth finders, marine radio telephones, radar, loran, GPS and other boat electronics are included.
Sail	Taught in two modules: Sail 101 & Sail 102. Teaches terminology of sailing, types of hulls, rigs, sail plans, running & standing rigging along with their adjustment & tuning, and sailboat marlinspike. Dynamics of sailing including: hull and water forces caused by winds; forces versus balance; points of sail; sail handling & trimming; sailing under various wind conditions from light air to storm survival; and emergency techniques unique to sailing.
Weather	Understanding weather phenomena and development of weather systems. Reading weather maps and sky conditions to anticipate weather. Includes: characteristics and structure of the atmosphere, basic causes of weather and movement of weather systems over the earth, and other factors necessary for weather forecasting. Predicting weather changes thru use of instruments for temperature, air pressure, humidity, and wind velocity & direction; and observations of cloud sequences, air masses, fronts, storms and fog. Practice in prediction of national & local weather using principles learned in the course.