USPS Member Courses

USPS offers its members five advanced grades and six elective courses. A class is offered when sufficient interest, generally four students, is expressed for a course. If you are a squadron member and there is a course you would like to have presented, please send an email to the squadron SEO Lt/C David True, JN stating your interest.

Advanced Grade Courses

It is recommended that these courses be taken in the order listed.

Seamanship

Building on the basics of recreational boating presented in the public boating courses, Seamanship adds foundational information for continuing boater education. The course contents should facilitate knowledge development for increased safe operation of recreational boats and provide the basis for completion of USCG licensing examination. Emphasis within the course has been placed on higher level boating skills, rules of the road, and marlinspike.

Piloting

• Charts and their interpretation
• Navigation aids and how they point to safe water
• Plotting courses and determining direction and distance
• The mariner’s compass and converting between True and Magnetic headings and bearings
• Use of GPS – typical GPS displays and information they provide, setting up waypoints and routes, staying on a GPS route.
• Pre-planning safe courses and entering them into the GPS
• Monitoring progress and determining position by both GPS
and traditional techniques such as bearings and dead reckoning
• The “Seaman’s Eye” – simple skills for checking that one is on course.

Advanced Piloting

This all-new course continues to build coastal and inland navigation skill, allowing the student to take on more challenging conditions – unfamiliar waters, limited visibility, and extended cruises. GPS is embraced as a primary navigation tool while adding radar, chartplotters, and other electronic navigation tools. As with Piloting, the course includes many in-class exercises, advancing the student’s skills through hands-on practice and learning. Topics covered include:

• Review of skills learned in Piloting
• Advanced positioning techniques such as advancing a line of position
• Use of other electronic tools to aid navigation: radar, depth sounders, autopilots, chartplotters, laptop computer software, etc.
• Hazard avoidance techniques using electronics (e.g., “keep out” zones in GPS)
• Collision avoidance using radar and GPS
• Working with tides: clearances, depth, effects of current
• Piloting with wind and currents
• The “Seaman’s Eye” – simple skills for checking that one is on course

Junior Navigation

Junior Navigation is the first in a two-part program of study in offshore navigation, followed by the Navigation course. It is designed as a practical "how to" introductory celestial navigation course.
Subject matter includes:

• Precise time determination
• Use of the Nautical Almanac
• Taking sextant sights of the sun, moon, planets and stars
• Reducing sights to establish lines of position
• Special charts and plotting sheets for offshore navigation
• Offshore navigational routines for recreational craft

Navigation

• Additional sight-reduction techniques
• Honing skills in sight taking and positioning
• Orderly methods for the navigator's day's work at sea
• Navigating with minimal resources, as in a lifeboat

Elective Courses

These courses may be taken in any order.

Cruise Planning

• Cruise preparation and planning
• Boat and Equipment
• Anchors and Anchoring
• Security
• Chartering
• Cruising Outside the United States
• Crew and Provisioning
• Voyage Management
• Communications
• Navigation
• Weather
• Emergencies

Engine Maintenance

The two modules that comprise the Engine Maintenance (EM) course are intended to help the recreational boater. Both modules discuss inboards, stern drives, and outboard engines. Even if you've completed EM before, these modules are well worth taking asthey introduce new material and provide greater information on all subjects. Completion of both of these modules is required for credit for Engine Maintenance.

EM 101, Basic Engine Maintenance, provides information about marine propulsion systems, basic engine principles, engine components; controls, instruments and alarms, marine engine maintenance, and steering systems. There is a chapter on winter storage and spring servicing that includes a 25 step winterizing checklist.

EM 102, Advanced Engine Maintenance, delves into cooling and exhaust systems, lubrication, fuel and air induction systems, ignition systems, electrical and starting systems, power trains, and trouble shooting. It concludes with a chapter on emergency repairs afloat.

Instructor Qualification

Marine Electronics

ME 101, Boat Electrical Systems, provides information about properties of electricity, electrical power requirements and wiring practices, direct current power, alternating current power, galvanic and stray-current corrosion, lightning protection, and electrical interference.

ME 102, Marine Radio Communications, delves into radio waves and transmitters, receivers and transceivers, antennas and transmission lines, FCC Rules and Regulations, FCC Frequency Plan, marine radiotelephone operating procedures, and other communication services (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB), Digital Selective Calling (DSC), Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS), satellite communications, amateur radio, and more.

ME 103, Marine Electronics for Navigation, presents information on depth sounders, RADAR, LORAN-C, GPS Navigation, and two new chapters: Electronic Charting, and Computer-Assisted Navigation (CAN). Members may take this module independent of any other ME module.

Sail

• 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

• Wind Forces
• Stability
• Balance
• Sail Shape
• Tuning the Rig
• Steering and Helmsmanship
• Spinnaker Handling
• Heavy Weather Sailing
• Storm Conditions
• Sailing Safety
• Sailboat Racing
• Race Management
• Navigation Rules II

Weather

• Effects of Heat and Cold
• Wind and Pressure
• Storms and Fronts
• Rain, Humidity and Fog
• Floods, Droughts, and Winter Precipitation

• Thunderstorms and Tornados
• Tropical Weather
• Atmosphere and Clouds
• Forecasting
• Climate

USPS Learning Guides

Over 20 different guides are available. Find out more on the National USPS website.