ABC - AMERICA'S BOATING COURSE

If you are interested in an exciting, in-depth boating safety course, check out the multi-session classroom version of our popular online boating course.

This beginner boating class will give you the knowledge needed to obtain a boat license or safety certification in many states. Many boat insurance companies will offer discounts on boating insurance to boaters who successfully complete America's Boating Course.

• INTRODUCTION TO BOATING -- Types of power boats; sailboats; outboards; paddle boats; houseboats; different uses of boats; various power boating engines; jet drives; family boating basics.
• BOATING LAW -- Boat registration; boating regulation; hull identification number; required boat safety equipment; operating safely and reporting accidents; protecting the marine environment; Federal boat law; state boating laws; personal watercraft requirements.
• BOATING SAFELY EQUIPMENT -- Personal flotation devices ("life jackets"); fire extinguishers; sound-producing devices; visual-distress signals; dock lines and rope; first aid kit; anchors and anchor lines; other boating safety equipment.
• SAFE BOATING -- Bow riding; alcohol and drug abuse; entering, loading, and trimming a boat; fueling portable and permanent tanks; steering with a tiller and a wheel; docking, undocking and mooring; knots; filing a float plan; checking equipment, fuel, weather and tides; using charts; choosing and using an anchor; safe PWC handling; general water safety.
• NAVIGATION -- The U.S. Aids to Navigation system; types of buoys and beacons; navigation rules (sometimes referred to as right-of-way rules); avoiding collisions; sound signals; PWC "tunnel vision.
• BOATING PROBLEMS -- Hypothermia; boating accidents and rescues; man overboard recovery; capsizing; running aground; river hazards; strainers: emergency radio calls; engine problems; equipment failures; carbon monoxide (CO); other boating and PWC problems.
• TRAILERING, STORING, AND PROTECTING YOUR BOAT -- Types of trailers; trailer brakes, lights, hitches, tires, and bearings; loading, balancing, and towing a trailer; towing (and backing) a trailer; boat launching and retrieving; boat storage and theft protection; launching, retrieving and storing a PWC.
• HUNTING AND FISHING, WATERSKIING, AND RIVER BOATING -- Carrying hunting gear and weapons in a boat; fishing from a boat; water-skiing safety guidelines and hand signals; water-skiing with a PWC; navigating rivers, and other boating tips.

  Many insurance companies will offer discounts on boat insurance to individuals who successfully complete this course.

  Individuals who successfully complete the course and exam are awarded certificates and cards.

  To check upcoming dates for courses in your area visit our of schedule page.

BOATING SKILLS & SEAMANSHIP COURSE

The U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's Boating Skills and Seamanship (BS&S) course is a comprehensive course designed for both the experienced and the novice boater. The course consists of 12 required two-hour lessons plus elective modules, providing up-to-date knowledge for handling boats in all conditions.

• WHICH BOAT IS FOR YOU? -- boater's language; types of boats; outboard motors and sterndrives; hull design; uses of boats; other power plants; materials for constructing boats; your intended use; the Coast Guard Customer Infoline; marine surveyors; buying a boat.
• EQUIPMENT FOR YOUR BOAT -- requirements for your boat; your boat's equipment; legal considerations; substance abuse; boating accident reports; Courtesy Marine Examinations.
• TRAILERING YOUR BOAT -- legal considerations; practical considerations; the towing vehicle; balancing the load; handling your trailer; pre-departure checks; preparing to launch; launching; retrieving; storing your boat and trailer; theft prevention; Zebra mussels; float plan.
• HANDLING YOUR BOAT -- leave with a full tank; fueling your boat; your boat's propeller; cars and boats; twin screws; jet drives; loading your boat; getting started; leaving a pier; "man" overboard; docking; mooring to a permanent anchor; anchoring; towing a skier; heavy weather; small boat safety.
• YOUR "HIGHWAY" SIGNS -- protection of ATONs; buoyage systems; waterway marks; how waterways are marked; light characteristics; chart symbols; light structures; lights on bridges; electronic aids to navigation; a word to the wise; navigation publications.
• THE RULES YOU MUST FOLLOW -- two sets of rules; to whom do the rules apply; what is a vessel; the general responsibility rule; general considerations; conduct in narrow channels; traffic separation schemes; vessel traffic services; stand-on or give-way; rules for special vessels; risk of collision; bend signals; restricted visibility; vessel lights and shapes; vessels at anchor; diving operations; distress signals; drawbridge signals; penalties.
• PILOTING YOUR BOAT -- piloting tools; maps and charts; chart features; your chart's general information block; other charted information; your magnetic compass; position on the earth's surface; locating a point on a chart; distance on the earth's surface; measuring distance; course plotting; sources of compass error; correcting a compass reading; positioning; speed-time-distance; dead reckoning; practice your art.
• POWERING YOUR BOAT -- types of marine engines; marine engines; selecting a propeller; induction systems; ignition systems; flame arresters; cooling systems; gasoline considerations; batteries; maintenance; winterizing your boat; spring fitting-out; troubleshooting.
• LINES AND KNOTS FOR YOUR BOAT -- line or rope; rope materials; kinds of rope; measuring rope; selecting your ropes; care of rope; making up line; knots, bends, and hitches; splices; securing lines; dipping the eye.
• WEATHER AND BOATING -- sources of weather information; wind and boating; wind and waves; understanding weather; weather and heat; fog; non-frontal weather.
• YOUR BOAT'S RADIO -- radios used on boats; functions of radios; licenses; selecting your VHF-FM radio; installation; operating your VHF-FM; maintain a radio watch; channels have special purposes; some "no nos"; copies of the rules; calling another station; procedure words; phonetic alphabet; routine radio check; distress, urgency, and safety calls; crew training.
• INLAND BOATING -- types of inland waters; inland navigation; inland seamanship; river currents; maintaining inland waterways; dams; locks; river charts; commercial traffic; before you go.
• THE REST OF OUR STORY -- small boat safety; personal watercraft; hypothermia; motorboats and sailboats; carbon monoxide poisoning; float plan; U.S. Coast Guard District Offices; instructions for using a course plotter; metric conversion system.

Many insurance companies will offer discounts on boat insurance to individuals who successfully complete this course.

Individuals who successfully complete the course and exam are awarded certificates and cards.

To check upcoming dates for courses in your area visit our of schedule page.

Navigation Course

The U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's Navigation course is a comprehensive course to prepare the boater with the knowledge needed to safely pilot a boat.

Taught in two parts, the course begins with Basic Navigation (Chapters 1-6) then concludes with Advanced Navigation (Chapters 7-12).

TOPICS INCLUDE

• Introduction to Coastal Navigation - Course overview; names and definitions of various types of navigation; steps of voyage planning and underway navigation; earth's coordinate system and its use to specify location; how direction can be measured on the surface; conversion of direction (true, magnetic, compass and relative) to another.

• The Marine Magnetic Compass - Parts and principle of operation of the marine magnetic compass; concept of deviation and distinctions between compass north, magnetic north, and true north; "swinging ship" and deviation table preparation; rapidly and reliably solving TVMDC and/or CDMVT computations.

• The Nautical Chart - Characteristics of nautical charts, particularly Mercator and polyconic projections; plotting positions in terms of latitude and longitude; various chart types/scales and their appropriate uses; basic knowledge of chart symbols; rapid and reliable measurement of direction, distance, and location on Mercator and polyconic nautical charts.

• The Navigator's Tools & Instruments - Navigator tools used in everyday practice; basic skills and familiarity with the use of plotting instruments; use of other instruments and equipment used in the practice of navigation.

• Dead Reckoning - Working knowledge of dead reckoning methods including plotting, labeling, measuring, and determining DR positions; speed, time, distance formulas and problem solving; speed estimation, tachometers and speed curves.

• Piloting - Line of Position (LOP) concepts; bearing use in LOPs; running fix by advancing or retiring an LOP; danger bearings; estimated positions when the data are lacking for a FIX.

• Current Sailing - Understanding current and the motion of the vessel; current problems on both the nautical chart and maneuvering board including determination of EP given set and drift, course steered, and speed maintained; determination of actual set and drift given course steered, speed maintained, and a FIX; determination of course to steer and resultant SOA given set and drift and intended track; determination of course to steer and speed to maintain given specified track and speed of advance and current set and drift.

• Tides & Tidal Currents - Understanding tidal phenomena, causes, and typical variations; appreciate the practical reasons why tides are important to the mariner; know how to use the Tide Tables to estimate the height of the tide at any time; know how to use the Tidal Current Tables to estimate the strength and direction of the current at any time.

• Radionavigation - Understanding the basics of RDF, Loran-C, Radar, and GPS, their respective advantages, disadvantages, limitations and how they can be used to fix position; radar use for collision- avoidance CPA and target course and speed.

• Navigation Reference Publications - Acquaintance with the U.S. Coast Pilot, the Light List, and the Notices to Mariners; computation of visibility of lights given height of light, observer, prevailing visibility and nominal ranges; importance of up-to-date charts and other publications.

• Fuel & Voyage Planning - Understand the basics of fuel planning, including the definitions of fuel efficiency, fuel reserves, endurance, and range; fuel consumption affects of such factors as hull design, engine horsepower, throttle settings, condition of bottom etc.; developing a fuel consumption curve; effects of current in fuel planning; preparing and using a "Howgozit" chart for a voyage.

• Reflections - Examples of 10 principles of navigation learned the hard way.

To check upcoming dates for courses in your area visit our of schedule page.

GPS FOR MARINERS (GPSFM)

GPS for Mariners is a modern learning experience that focuses on the GPS equipment typically owned by the recreational boater. This course is the result of an exciting synergy between textbook's publisher, the book's author, and the Auxiliary.

The recommended presentation of the course involves inviting course participants who already own hand-held GPS units to bring them to the class, increasing interactivity of the educational experience and getting students more involved.

However, this class is so effective that even those not possessing handheld units will learn how to use a GPS for practical recreational boating.

To check upcoming dates for courses in your area visit our of schedule page.