The Rappahannock Power & Sail Squadron offers a Public Boating Course each spring and fall. It is advertised in the three local newspapers and on the radio for several weeks in advance of the class. The class takes seven weeks, meeting one night a week for two hours. Passing this course makes a student eligible to join the United States Power Squadron and most insurance companies will offer a discount on boat insurance to graduates. The State of Virginia has said that should there be licensing of boaters in the state graduates will qualify for a license without further examination. For those students that do not live in the area or those who can not attend an evening class the United States Power Squadron offers Americas Boating Course. It can be purchased on line at www.usps.org or by calling 1 888 367 8777. Passing this course gives the student the same advantages as listed above. When requested, the Squadron can also put on a class for Personal Water Craft use and safety.
For those graduates that chose to join the Rappahannock Power & Sail Squadron there are a number of Advanced Grades Courses that are offered. They include:
Seamanship This course builds on the basics learned in the Boating Course. Students learn 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. Piloting Piloting is the first of a two part program studying inland and costal 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 subjects such as: charts and there use; aids to navigation; the mariner's compass; variation and deviation of the compass; plotting and steering courses; dead reckoning; and plotting and labeling charts.
Advanced Piloting This is the second part of piloting. The course 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 plotting; finding position using bearings and angles; simple use of the mariner's sextant; and electronic navigation radar, loran, GPS, etc.
Junior Navigation This is the first of a two part program of study in offshore navigation. It is designed as a practical, how to course, leaving the theoretical and more advanced techniques for the Navigation Course. Subject matter includes: basic concepts of celestial navigation; how to use the sextant to take sights of the sun, moon, planets and stars; the importance of accurate time determination; use of the Nautical Almanac; how to reduce sights to establish lines of position; and the use of special charts, plotting sheets and other navigational data for offshore positioning and passage planning.
Navigation This is the second part of offshore navigation. The student is introduced to additional sight reduction techniques and develops greater skill and precision in sight taking, positioning and orderly methods of caring on the day's work of a navigator at sea.
In addition to the Advanced Grades Courses there are a number of Elective Courses that a member can take. They include:
Cruise Planning This course covers such topics as: planning a voyage; financing a voyage; managing commitments back home; equipping a cursing boat; selecting the crew; provisioning; managing a voyage; entering and clearing foreign ports; emergencies afloat; and security measures.
Engine Maintenance This course attempts to make students more self reliant afloat; with trouble diagnosis and temporary remedies given special emphasis. It covers both marine gasoline and diesel engines, including concepts of operation, maintenance and repair. It covers such topics as: cooling systems; electrical systems; fuel systems; lubricating systems; power train components; and ancillary propulsion components.
Instructor Qualification This course deals with effective communication for speakers and teachers. It offers practical instruction in: preparing for teaching assignments; preparing for meeting presentations; effective teaching techniques; conducting efficient meetings; and selecting and using audiovisual aids.
Marine Electronics The course provides essential knowledge about a boat's electrical and electronic systems including: proper wiring; grounding; corrosion and electrolysis control; batteries and their maintenance; depth finders; marine radiotelephones; radar; loran; GPS; and other electronic positioning systems.
Sail This course comes in two parts. The first part teaches basic elements of sailing, including: terminology; sailboat rigs and hull types; sails; standing and running rigging; boat true and apparent wind; leaving and returning to dock; sailing upwind and downwind; marlinspike for sailors; basic sailing rules. The second part teaches: forces; stability and balance; sail trim; tuning a rig; steering and helmsmanship; spinnaker handling; heavy weather sailing; survival in storm conditions; safety procedures; racing and race management; complete navigation rules for sailing vessels. Weather This course comes in two parts. The student will learn to make weather predictions based upon observations of the sky, upon barometer and wind information, as well as weather data provided by maps, satellite images, and radio and TV broadcasts. In the first part topics include: effects of Heat and Cold; Wind and Pressure; Storms and Fronts; Rain, Humidity, and fog; and Floods, Droughts, and Winter Precipitation. In the second part topics include: Thunderstorms and Tornadoes; Tropical Weather; Atmosphere and Clouds; Forecasting; and Climate.
As a member of the United States Power Squadron you can purchase a number of Learning Guides including: Amateur Radio; Boat Design and Construction; Boat Insurance; Calculators for Navigation; Compass Adjusting; GPS; How to Fly Flags; Introduction to Sailing; Knots, Bends, and Hitches; Navigational Astronomy; Oceanography; Plotting and Labeling Standards; Predicted Log Contests; Radar; Sight Reduction Methods; Skipper Saver; and USPS Glossary.