|
|
|
Advanced Courses now
available for everyone! |
|
Further your maritime
education - Courses now available for audit by
non-members.
USPS currently offers 11 advanced courses Most run 10 to 12
weeks, one evening per week - a few are shorter, a few are longer.
All are now being restructured into modules of about 6 weeks each to
give squadrons and members maximum scheduling flexibility. Only a
few of the advanced topics have any prerequisite courses.
The first five courses
described below comprise of series called "Advanced Grades." They
should be taken in the order listed. The next six are termed
"Elective Courses" and may be taken in any order.
2007 - 2008 Course Schedule |
|
If you are
interested in taking a course, ,
please call the Class Chairman soon so we know how many books
to order.
Any questions? Call
the Chairman of the course you’re interested in for further
information, or the Squadron Education Officer, Dan Gingras SN
603 624-7830
* 50% of non-member
fee may be applied to membership prior to exam date for that course.
Non Members are not eligible to take exams. |
|
"ADVANCED GRADES"
SEAMANSHIP
GRADE: S
Building on the basics
taught in the USPS Boating courses, Seamanship is the
recommended first course for new members, both powerboaters and
sailors. The student learns practical marlinespike, navigation
rules, hull design and performance, responsibilities of the
skipper, boat care, operating a boat under normal and abnormal
conditions, what to do in various emergencies and weather
conditions, nautical customs and common courtesy on the water.
This course provides an introduction to the USPS educational
program and a strong foundation for the other Advanced Grades
courses (see below), and the Elective Courses Cruise Planning
and Basic Sail.
PILOTING
GRADE: P
Piloting is the first
of a two-part program studying inland and coastal navigation. It
focuses on the fundamentals of piloting - - keeping track of a
boat's movements, determining your position at any time, and
laying out courses to a planned destination. Included are such
subjects as: charts and their use, aids to navigation, the
mariner's compass, variation and deviation of the compass,
plotting and steering courses, dead reckoning, and hands-on
plotting and labeling charts .
is worn when the
wearer has passed both Seamanship and Piloting.
ADVANCED
PILOTING GRADE: AP
Advanced Piloting
emphasizes the use of modern electronic navigation systems and
other advanced techniques for finding position. Among topics
covered are tides and currents and their effects on piloting,
finding positions using bearings and angles, simple use of the
mariner's sextant, and electronic navigating - radar, loran, GPS,
etc.
JUNIOR
NAVIGATION GRADE: JN
Junior Navigation is
the first of a two-part program of study in offshore navigation -
includes basic concepts of celestial navigation, use of the
sextant to take sights of the sun, moon, planets and stars,
techniques of accurate time determination, Nautical Almanac,
reduction of sights, plotting sheets, and passage planning .
NAVIGATION
GRADE: N
Navigation further
develops the student's understanding of celestial theory.
Introduces additional sight reduction techniques and develops
greater skill in sight taking, positioning and the orderly methods
of carrying on the day's work of a navigator at sea. Also, study
of offshore navigation using minimal data and/or equipment, as
might be encountered when on a disabled vessel or lifeboat .
"ELECTIVE COURSES"
CRUISE PLANNING
This course is
preparation for a cruise, whether the cruise is for a day, a week,
a month or longer. Whether you are going to cruise on rivers,
lakes, the coasts, or across the oceans, very valuable information
is provided by those who have been there. The topics discussed
are: planning the voyage, financing the voyage, equipping the
boat, crew selection, provisioning, voyage management, navigation
planning, weather, communications, entering and clearing foreign
and domestic ports, anchors and anchoring, emergencies afloat,
medical emergencies and security.
ENGINE
MAINTENANCE
This course covers the
general construction, operating principles, maintenance and repair
of marine gasoline and diesel engines, cooling, electrical, fuel,
and lubricating systems and associated propulsion components -
clutches, shafting and propellers. Since one of the major
objectives of the course is to help the student become more
self-reliant afloat, trouble diagnosis and temporary remedies are
emphasized along with safety measures. The course is intended to
make you a more intelligent and more resourceful boat engine
operator.
INSTRUCTOR
DEVELOPMENT
The development of
practical skills and methods in preparing for both classroom and
meeting presentations are the objectives of the unique course. The
course includes practice assignments in preparation and delivery
of presentations in the classroom, including the use of visual and
other aids. All types of aids that can enhance a presentation are
studied and the student is afforded the opportunity to become
familiar with their best use.
MARINE
ELECTRONICS
Essential knowledge
about your boat's electrical and electronic systems is studied in
this course. Proper wiring, grounding, electrolysis control, and
batteries and their maintenance are included. Depth finders,
marine radio telephones, radar, loran, GPS, and advanced systems
for electronic navigation are also studied. Information is
provided on FCC requirements for station licensing and operator
permits for radio telephone.
SAIL
101
This course module,
Basic Sail, provides a through study of the terminology of
sailing; as well as information on the following subjects:
sailboat rigs, sail plans, boat design and hull types, sails,
standing rigging, running rigging, wind, preparing to sail,
sailing upwind, sailing downwind, docking and anchoring,
marlinespike seamanship, navigation rules.
SAIL
102
This course module,
Advanced Sail, provides information on the following subjects:
wind forces, stability, balance, sail shape, tuning the rig,
steering and helmanship, spinnaker handling, heavy weather
sailing, storm conditions, sailing safety, sailboat racing, race
management, navigation rules.
WEATHER
Awareness of weather
phenomena, how to read the weather map and the sky, and understand
and anticipate weather developments for more pleasurable boating
are the objectives of this course. Subjects studied include:
characteristics and structure of the atmosphere, what weather is
and its basic causes, normal development and movement of weather
over the earth, and the factors considered in weather forecasting.
Observations that the skipper can make afloat include both
instrumental and visual: cloud sequences and the weather they
predict; air masses, fronts, storms, and fog; and the use of radio
and television weather broadcasts. Throughout the course the
student is encouraged to make observations and predications in
order to gain experience in applying the principles taught and
develop greater insight into weather phenomena.
Anyone completing a
grade level of at least Advanced Piloting (AP) and three Elective
Courses receives the Educational Proficiency Award. Shown below
is an AP insignia with the Educational Proficiency bar below it.
Members completing all
navigational courses, which results in a grade of Navigator (N),
and all Elective Courses receives the Educational Achievement
Award. This is the highest educational recognition awarded by USPS. Holders of this honor can be recognized in print by the SN
following their name. Shown below is the Educational Achievement
Award insignia.
SERVICE RECOGNITION
USPS also gives
recognition for significant volunteer service to the
organization. Service recognition insignia are described and
shown below. These insignia are only displayed on a member's
uniform.
For each year a member
contributes significant service toward USPS goals, the member
receive recognition known as a Merit Mark. Shown below is the
insignia for 7 years of recognized service (seven Merit Marks).
When a member
has received 5 Merit Marks he or she become known as a Senior
Member and are allowed to display the following
mark below their insignia of grade.
As an example, shown
below is the insignia of someone achieving the grade of JN who
is also a Senior Member.
If a member earns
25 Merit Marks, he or she is recognized as a Life Member. A Life
Member is allowed to display a mark similar to the Senior Member's
mark except that the "V" is surrounded by a gold laurel wreath.
Now it's up to you. Are
your ready to expand your boating knowledge and skills? |
|
|
News |
|
Check here frequently for what's happening in the Squadron
|
|
