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Member Course Descriptions

Registration and first lecture will be Monday, January 7, 2008@ 6:30 pm. Bring your checkbook and membership card. All classes will be held at the Straus School, Third Avenue between 95th and 96th Streets.

NYSPS currently offers 11 courses for its members. 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 a 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.

SEAMANSHIP* - 13 weeks      Fee $95
The first of the advanced grades offered to USPS members, this introductory course provides essential basics on all aspects of boating - Power and Sail. The course is designed for the novice with little or no formal boating education or experience. It is also a vital synthesizer for the more experienced boater.   Emphasis on boat handling, stability and trim, navigation rules, docking, anchoring, safety and emergencies is stressed. This course also covers working rope, knots, splicing, yachting customs and etiquette.
(This course is a good preparation for other advanced grade courses and the Sail course.)
*Please note that according the regulations of the United States Power Squadrons, you cannot receive the grade of Pilot or Advanced Pilot unless you have completed Seamanship.

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PILOTING - 15 weeks      Fee $95
The Piloting course is the first in the sequence of USPS courses on navigation, covering the basics of coastal and inland navigation.  This all-new course focuses on navigation as it is done on recreational boats today and embraces GPS as a primary navigation tool while covering enough of traditional techniques so the student will be able to find his/her way even if their GPS fails.  The course includes many in-class exercises, developing the student's skills through hands-on practice and learning.  Topics covered include:

• 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
• 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 GPSMonitoring progress and determining position by both GPS and traditional techniques such as bearings and dead reckoning
• Piloting with wind and currents
• The "Seaman's Eye" - simple skills for checking that one is on course
  
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ENGINE MAINTENANCE - 12 weeks      Fee $95
The Engine Maintenance course is divided into two modules. Both of these courses are intended to help the recreational boater.  Both modules discuss inboards, stern drives, and outboard engines.  Even if you've completed EM before, these courses are well worth taking as they 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 troubleshooting.  It concludes with a chapter on emergency repairs afloat.

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CRUISE PLANNING - 12 weeks      Fee $95
Preparation for a sail or power cruise, whether it be for a day's duration or for a coastal or blue water cruise of a weekend or a year. The course covers planning and financing the voyage, managing commitments back home, equipping a cruise boat, crew selection, provisioning, voyage management, navigation planning, weather communications, entering and clearing foreign and domestic ports, emergencies afloat, security measures and anchors and anchoring. Although there are no prerequisites for this course, a skill level of Advanced Piloting is recommended.

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SAIL - 12 weeks      Fee $95
The Sail course is divided into two modules. These modules cover the following subjects:

Sail 101 Basic 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

Sail 102 Advanced Sail

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

Completion of both of these modules is required for credit for Sail.
( Seamanship is a prerequisite for the Sail Course )

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To ­ Fellow Members of NYSPS
From ­ P/C Joel M. Rosenfeld, AP

Subject ­ Credit Card Payments

Up to this time, payment for Courses, Dues and Social Functions have only been accepted as either Cash or Check.

We feel offering our members the convenience of paying by credit card would be an advantage to those who do their personal business in this manner. As you may realize, the costs for credit card transactions are high. You receive from your credit card companies¹ air miles and rebates up to 5%.

We have chosen an inexpensive credit card payment plan that requires Internet access. Our choice is OEPayPal.com¹ , an eBay company. If you are a web or auction buyer you may already be familiar with PayPal.com. They offer $5.00 for establishing a new account.

To set up an Account with your Am Ex, Discover, Master Card or Visa, log on to paypal.com. Follow the instructions on the screens and try the tutorial. For all payments made to NYSPS use Pay To: ernest@stavenhagens.com. The Type: (of payment) goods - non ­ auction. The payment will show as NYSPS on the next screen.

If you have any questions with regard to this please contact me at the above numbers or our Commander, Ernest Wasserman, SN at 718.332.6696 or e-mail

ernest@stavenhagens.com

Positive Comments always welcome.