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Education Fun Activities Friends Save on Insurance Service to Your Community The Boating Community |
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Why do people join the Power Squadron? There are many reasons. Probably the first reason is for the education. The United States Power Squadrons courses offer more boating knowledge at a lower cost than can be found anywhere else.
The second reason is for the fun of it. An educated boater is a boater who enjoys the sport more. As you learn more about boating, you become more comfortable with your craft. You learn how to go farther, go safer, and have more fun everywhere you go with your boat.
Power Squadron members enjoy many social opportunities revolving around boating. If you love boating, you'll have fun at Power Squadron events! We hold local cruises or rendezvous every month from April to October somewhere on the Columbia or Willamette. We are always welcome to join any cruise or rendezvous put on by any of the fourteen squadrons in the Puget Sound area or, for that matter, at any cruise or rendezvous put on by any of the 500 squadrons across the country. From August through May we have monthly meetings where we usually have a speaker talking about some aspect of boating.
More than in most communities, boaters rely on each other. When trouble surfaces on the water, your best friend is in the nearest boat. When that boat has a Power Squadron member aboard, you have a good friend indeed. Part of the USPS Membership Pledge is to render assistance whenever possible. Since we often cruise together and since boats have a terrible habit of breaking, we find ourselves becoming better friends all the time.
There are many marine insurance companies which provide discounts to those who complete advanced boating courses. This savings can be significant. The Power Squadron has an agreement with one major marine insurance company to provide some of the most comprehensive and cost effective coverage available anywhere exclusively to Power Squadron members.
Many members appreciate the opportunity to give back to the boating community some of the energy they receive from the sport. Some members volunteer their time to teach public boating courses or advanced courses. Some members correct errors on the nautical charts produced by NOAA. Some members coordinate activities or manage the paperwork of the squadron. We have many members who cannot give time but instead help us financially and in other ways.
There are many reasons to join the Power Squadron and all of them are good.
Willingness to contribute your talents to promote boating safety.
Active
Active members are voting members who can take courses, attend membership
meetings, hold office, earn merit marks, and receive publications.
Additional Active
Additional Active members have all the same rights and privileges as Active
members with two exceptions. Additional Active members must have the same
mailing address as at least one Active member, but do not need to be related.
Additional Active members do not receive publications. Annual dues are
lower for Additional Active members since we save on postage.
Family
A Family member must be related to either an Active or Additional Active
member. Family members can attend meetings and take courses (provided
they have passed an Approved Exam). Family members may not vote, may not
hold office, may not earn merit marks, and do not receive publications.
Annual dues are very low for Family members. There is no minimum age for
Junior Family members.
Associate
Associate members are Active members of another squadron who want to receive
the squadron publication and want to attend squadron activities. Usually,
a member becomes an Associate member of another squadron when they boat
in a different area than they live or when they live in different areas
at different times of the year (Snowbirds).
Squadron
Activities
Breaking the ice at a Tri-Squadron Cruise
August 2003.
The St. Helens
Squadron has a boating cruise or rendezvous at least once a month from
April through October. We often hold a Polar Bear cruise between Christmas
and New Years.
The St. Helens Squadron holds membership meetings that include informative
speakers.
The St. Helens Squadron holds boating courses for members throughout the year.
District 32 and USPS National hold several meetings each year with a multitude of activities and information to help local squadrons.
Public Boating Classes
Boating Safety Classes offered to any boater willing to learn is our number
one public service. Members give time to teach, proctor (assistant teachers),
and organize the public boating classes.
Cooperative Charting
Nautical charts published by NOAA are a primary source of information
for boaters throughout the country. Unfortunately, the federal government
has reduced NOAA budgets over the years and NOAA cannot keep up with the
demand for new and updated information about our nation's waterways. That's
where the Power Squadron comes in. Power Squadron members research and
submit nautical chart corrections to NOAA as a public service. We also
check for the continued existence of geodetic markers and report them
to NGS. And, some squadrons research and submit aeronautical chart corrections
to the FAA. Cooperative Charting is a useful and fun way to use skills
learned in Power Squadron classes.
Boat
Show Booth
There are two primary boat shows in Portland Oregon each year and there
are several other events that draw boaters. The St. Helens Power Squadron
along with several other area squadrons sets up and staffs a booth where
we hand out local publications that inform and educate boaters about our
wonderful boating area. We also tell boaters about the boating safety
courses available locally and encourage them to join the ranks of educated,
informed, and safe boaters.
Merit Marks
Members who donate their time and energy to promote safe boating receive
few rewards. Personal satisfaction is often the primary reward. The United
States Power Squadrons recognizes significant efforts put in by members
by awarding merit marks. No more than one merit mark can be earned in
any one year. A member who earns twenty five merit marks is given special
recognition by being awarded a Life Membership. Life Members are exempt
from annual dues. At last count, the St. Helens Power Squadron had twelve
Life Members - these people alone have given more than two hundred fifty
years of service to the United States Power Squadron in the interest of
boating safety.
Begin Today
If membership sounds interesting, you can contact any squadron member
mentioned in these web pages, either by phone or e-mail. Boat Smart is
a great way to begin so click here and start
enjoying a new adventure today.
© United States Power Squadrons, USPS, the USPS Ensign ®, and the Trident Design are Registered Trademarks of United States Power Squadrons, Inc.