America's Boating Course
April 3 - May 22Bellingham Sail & Power Squadron teaches this
course
in partnership with Bellingham
Technical
College on Tuesday nights, 6:30 to 8:30 pm.
Completion qualifies the graduate for the
mandatory Washington
State
Boater
Education
Card. Participants also
earn college credit and may qualify for lower boat insurance rates.
Learn the fundamentals of safe boat handling and operation, and
basic piloting, in one comprehensive course. This newly revised course
includes lessons on seamanship, boat handling, boat types, rules of the
road, navigation aids, regulations, adverse conditions, marine VHF
radio, knots, trailering, and introductory piloting.
The Bellingham Sail & Power Squadron instructors take students
beyond the fundamentals with special emphasis added for boating in
Pacifc Northwest waters. Charting is taught using NOAA Chart
18421 (the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Strait of Georgia).The
instructors also cover Washington State rules and regulations.
Registration for America's Boating Course is available by calling BTC Registration at (360) 752-8350 and asking for MARIN 110, Boating Safety and Piloting. Questions? Contact Donna Hunter, Public Boating Chair, at (360) 332-5526.
The $95 fee provides students with a full-color 244-page boating safety course manual, America's Boating Course, student CD, a CD featuring Rose Point Navigation Coastal Explorer software, and a chart plotting tool. Students will need NOAA Chart 18421, available at local marine stores; and dividers, available at the BTC bookstore or at local marine stores.
After completing the course and passing the final exam, students are
eligible for no-cost 6-month membership in the Bellingham Sail &
Power Squadron, which offers additional courses ranging from seamanship
to
celestial navigation.
More about America's Boating
Course.....
America's Boating Course is recognized by the U. S. Coast Guard and has been approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators. Completion of the course is accepted by most insurance companies. Since 1914, individual squadrons of USPS have provided courses as a service to the boating public to over 3 million boaters.
The 244-page full color course manual consists of five chapters packed with boating tips.
Chapter 1:
- Getting Started—nautical terms
- Required Safety Equipment-life jackets, fire ext.
- Going Boating—fueling, casting off, underway
Chapter 2:
- Navigation Rules
- Navigation Aids
- Lights and Sound signals
- Government Regulations
- State and Local Regulations
Chapter 3:
- Finding Your Way—nautical charts, electronic navigation
- Anchoring
- Adverse Conditions and Emergencies
- Communications Afloat
Chapter 4:
- Water Sports Safety-water skiing, hunting/fishing, paddling
- Trailering
- PWC Operation
- Knots and Lines
Chapter 5:
- Introduction to Navigation—how GPS works, nautical charts, digital charts
- Charts—what they convey and how to interpret the many symbols
- Digital Charting—an introduction to waypoint and route planning using the latest in computer software
- Featuring hands-on charting exercises using standard plotting tools, presented under the expert guidance of an experienced instructor. Classroom plotting exercises build skill and confidence for booating in Puget Sound and coastal waters.
