Members may order these learning guides through the squadron education officer, or directly from USPS Ship's Store at National Headquarters
Education Officer: P/C Cindy Robertson,SN cindyr@cape.com
Assistant Education Officer: P/C Bob Webster, AP websters@cinci.rr.com
Amateur Radio: An up-to-date guide on the procedures for obtaining licenses for the various classes of amateur radio operation. Included is information on the available frequencies for amateur radio use, and the use of amateur radio for the cruising boater.
Compass
Adjusting: Trust your compass?
Will it guide you home? Maybe - if it it's properly adjusted. If not it can give
you false security and might lead you into danger. Don't take chances; adjust
your compass using these step-by-step instructions.
Introduction to Navigational Astronomy: Mariners who put to sea marvel at the millions of tiny lights that adorn the night sky. Share their wonders; dream their dreams, with the help of this non-technical guide to the celestial bodies of the northern hemisphere.
Skipper Saver: Man Overboard! is a dreaded yell on any boat. Skipper Saver teaches what to do and how to operate the boat in any emergency. A must for everyone who joins friends for boating fun.
Introduction to Sailing:
How does a sailboat move into the wind? Why are some sailboats faster than
others? Included are basics of sailboat handling, nomenclature, sail handling,
the tiller, points of sailing, the relationship between the wind and the moving
boat, action of the keel or centerboard and other points of interest to the
novice. This learning guide answers these and similar questions for every boater
in easy-to-understand language.
Predicted Log Contest: No one knows your boat's handling and performance better than you do. Predicted log contests pit your knowledge and skills against other boater's and your own past results. Join boating friends in this fun boating competition. This learning guide tells you how to set up and run a predicted log contest for anyone from beginners through seasoned predicted log participants.
Oceanography:
Phenomena on, in, and under the world's oceans affect everyday lives, even if we
can't see
them. This learning guide is a non-technical guide to marine geography, earth
crusts and plates, fractures and movement, ocean chemistry, effects of weather,
tides, currents, and wave formation. The study of oceanography is so fast and
technical that it is a pleasure to have this well worded introduction to the
many facets of such a fascinating science. Even those without scientific
backgrounds will enjoy the text and will want to dig further into the basic
earth science.
Water
Sports: There's more to water
skiing than just shouting "Hit It!" Help your family and friends get started
that right way with a grasp of the basics of ski-boat handling, equipment,
hazards, corrective actions, and high-performance skiing. Wind surfing and
personal watercraft are also discussed to improve your water sports, knowledge
and safety.
Calculators for Navigation:
A calculator won't helpif you don't know how to use it. Here are the formulas
and
keystrokes for solving navigation problems from dead-reckoning to celestial.
Sight Reduction Methods: Celestial navigation - using sights taken on stars, plants, sun, and moon to plot you position and course - remains a vital skill for ocean-going yachtsmen, even in this day of electronic navigation. This learning guide teaches five methods of reducing sextant sights to obtain lines of position. Methods described in detail are: Law of Cosines using a calculator; The Nautical Almanac Sight Reduction Table (NASR method); Modified Ageton; Pub. 229; and Pub. 249.
Knots, Bends, and Hitches:
Proper use of lines and knots is a sure sign of a savvy boater, and different
kinds of rope are best suited for different uses aboard a boat. Easy-to-follow
diagrams show how to tie the best knots and splices for any job.
Radar: The mass production of inexpensive RADAR units has brought this valuable electronic navigation tool within the reach the average recreational boater. This guide presents a how-to approach to using RADAR for the small boat operator. Included are tips on installation and maintenance.
Global Positioning System (GPS): The GPS is unquestionably the premier worldwide electronic navigation tool. This guide presents a non-technical approach to a highly technical subject, and includes information on how GPS, electronic charting system, and computer-aided navigation with the integrated GPS.
How to Fly Flags:
What's the best and most nautically-correct way to fly flags on your boat? This
colorful little booklet shows you everything you need to know: flying the US
Ensign on any boat; displaying an officer's flag or a yacht club or squadron
pennant; dressing ship for a parade or celebration; and more. You'll also see
the correct way to display flags ashore - indoors and out.
Plotting and Labeling Standards: How do you move your boat from here to there? Via the safest route? In the least time? With accurate, consistent, and rock-solid knowledge of your position? And, how can you reconstruct and repeat your passage, or tell the oncoming watch the course to steer, speed to make, and bearings to take? Plotting and labeling your course using standard symbols, labels and abbreviations is the way to go. In easy-to-understand.
Boat Insurance: Do you really know what's covered by your marine policy? Too often taken for granted, proper insurance coverage could well be the difference between an inconvenience and a financial disaster. Don't be blind-sided by "exceptions" you learn about only after a loss: understand what you're buying.
USPS Nautical Glossary: What is advection fog? Radiation Fog? What is a sentinel; how it is used in anchoring? What is aualift? The USPS Nautical Glossary provides definitions of nautical words and phrases used by boaters everywhere.
®The USPS Ensign (Flag Design), "Wheel-and-Flag Design", "Officer Trident Design", "United States Power Squadrons", "USPS", "The Ensign", "The Squadron w/ Flag Graphic", "Boat Smart", " Jet Smart", and "America's Boating Club" are registered trademarks of the United States Power Squadrons.